DIOCESAN SYNODS AXD DIOCESAN CONFERENCES ; THEIR DISTI]?fC* CHARACTER AND DIFFERENT USES : AN ADDRESS DELIVERED IN THE DIOCESAN SYNOD, HELD IN THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF LINCOLN, ux WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1871, BY Cim. WORDSWORTH, D.D., Bishop of Lincoln; TOGETHER WITH The FORM and ORDER of HOLDING the SYNOD. LINCOLN : JAMES WILLIAMSON. AND TO BR HAK OF Mehsiis. RIVINOTON: LO\Dr)N, nxroUD, f< CAMP-RIDCE. iP?' /3 O Zi My Reverend Brethrex, We are met together to-day iu a holy phice, for a holy purpose. We have joined in prayer for the presence and guidance of the Holy Ghost, and we are about to partake in the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. Great reason therefore have we to cherish within us a spirit of peace ; and good gi-ound we also have for believing, that if that spirit is in us, God will bless us, and unite us more closely to one another in brotherly love. Suffer me also to remind you that you youi'selves have given a pledge, that all things here to-day will be done in charity. This Diocesan Synod is your own work. More than 430 among you have subscribed your names to a memorial requesting me to convene it. That memorial has been duly considered in a Conference of many of the elder Clergy of this Diocese, and the result is, that you have been called together to meet in Synod to-day in this Cathedral Church. You will therefore, I am persuaded, do all that in you lies that your own work may not be marred, but that, with the blessing of God, this cora])liance with your desire may conduce to His Glory, to the good of this Diocese, and to tlie edification of His Church. Your MeiJKJi-ial has led me to examine carefully the history of Diocesan Synods in the Church Universal and in the Church of f]nglan(l ; and it is my })ur})ose, with God's help, now to lay before you the results of that enquiry. Here let me first exhort you, to divest yourselves of prc- pofisessions derived from what we sometimes see or hear of Diocesan Synods in modcru times. This is very re(piisite. It would indeed ill becisho]i of Deny. Dnhlin, 18G9. Also the Letter of my dear friend and fellow laliDiucr — pspeeially in the work of the present Synod — the Rev. Cliancellor Massiiii^bcrd (Li-tter to the liislmji of l>ineoln on a Diocesan Synod, 1869), and a Paper hy a Layman (.1. W. L.) in tin- l/iiion Jicvkiv, Jan., 1871, pji. 32—54, and the PajMT on Diocesan Synods, hy a person to whom the Synod of this Province, and the rimrch of En;,dand, owe a deep deht of gratitude,— Ihc Ven. Kilward IJiekersteth, D.D., Prolocutor of the Convocation of Canterbury, and Arch- deacon of liuckingham. Lond. 1867. ^^ Lftmherlini, i., p. 7; Thomaasini, vi., p. 522.; Bijskoj) KcniicU, Eccl. Synoih, ii., 254. " Acts XXT., 18; Lamhcrtini, i., ]>. G. " Grminli, p. 2. Allliongh by the Council of Trent (Sess. 21, Ca]). 2) P.i.shojiH are rerpiircd to hold Synods annually, "(piod hcu ! ncgligitur " says (Javanti. "■' In the Vatican Council, on July 18, 1870. In our own Churchy Diocesan Synods have not been held in modern times. ^^ It is unnecessary to dwell on the causes which have led to their disuse. One of these was, that the Capitular^" Bodies of our Cathedrals were regarded as the representatives of the Clergy, and the Councils of the Bishop ; and this being the case, the summoning of the Clergy from the various parts of the Diocese did not seem requisite. Suffice it now to say, that no one can have duly studied the tendencies of our own age, without coming to the conclusion, that, if the Church of England is to hold that position which for the sake of the Nation and of Christianity, it is her duty to endeavour to maintain, she must do all in her power to strengthen, consolidate, and extend those things which, under Him, are the true elements of her power for good, — namely, her Parochial System, and her Diocesan Organization. In her endeavour to accomplish this work, the revival of Diocesan Synods will, with the Divine Blessing, prove very effectual. Let us now proceed to enquire into the constitution of a Diocesan Synod. J6 With tlie exception of the Synod held at Exeter, on June 25 and 26, 1851, which, as it consisted merely of delegates, could hardly be called a Diocesan Synod in the proper sense of the term, as will hereafter appear. See belo\v ji. 7. 'its proceedings are described in the Ecdcsiaslieal Gazette for July, 1851,_ p. 14. In the same volume, p. 62, may be seen a legal opinion condemning them : but if any one imagines that Bishops are estopped by the Act of Sub- mission, 23 Henry Vlll., c. 10, wliich relates to Provincml Convocations, from holding Diocesan Synods witliout the Royal Writ, he may refer to subsequent Acts— 28 Henry VIII., c. 10, sect. 4 ; 31 Henry VIII., c. 14 ; 2 & 3 Edw. VI., c. 1. — where Diocesan Synods are supposed to be held ; and the Canons of 1603, Can. cxix., and to the Chapters in tlie Reformatio Lcgum, framed in Henry VIII.'s reign, j^'cscrihing Diocesan Synods to be held yearly. See below Xotc A at the end of this Address. The whole cpiestion is well treated by ilr. Joyce in his Sacred Synods, p. 40. See also Archdeacon Uickersteth, p. 8, and Chancellor Massingberd's Letter, p. 15, and Hansard's TarliarM'ntary Debates, Vol. cxvi., 3rd Series, pp. 419—425, where Lord Russell, then Prime Minister, expressed the same opinion, viz., tliat tlie Act of Submission did not relate to Diocesan Synods, which have never at any time been convened by the King's Writ, but were always called together by the Bishop. Diocesan Synods have been summoned and ludd by English Bishops .since the Reformation, and Canons- been promulged in them. See Note D at end of this Address. 1'^ Tho'inassinus, p. 525. Who are the pei^sons that have a right to be convened to it? To this question it may be replied that all Priests and Deacons^'* exercising Ministerial functions in a Diocese are entitled to a place in a Diocesan Synod.^^ This is a funda- mental principle. Let nothing be done without the Bishop,-** was a maxim of the primitive Church. But let not the Bishop act without his Presbyters, was a rule of equal authority. ^^ The beautiful simile of one of St. John's Dis- ciples, — St. Ignatius, the Bishop and Martyr of Antioch, — happily combines these precepts in one ; " Let the Presbyters be joined together with the Bishop as the chords of a harp, to make sweet music to God."^^ It is true that in some cases, on account of penalties levied on Presbyters for not appearing at a Diocesan Synod, they claimed a right to send proxies;-^ but it is a principle laid down by the best wi'iters on the subject, that a Council formed by a process of delegation cannot rightly be called a Diocesan Synod. If a Diocese is so large and contains so many Presbyters that they cannot conveniently meet together in one Synod, this may be a just reason for dividing the Diocese, ]mt not for depriving the Clergy of their riglits. Whatever inconveniences therefore might arise from bringing together the Presbyters of this extensive Diocese, — the second in size among the Dioceses of England, and contain- ing more Clergy than any other Diocese but one, — I ; ^Fy. TjI?— 519 ; Lnmhcrtmi, pp. 81—100 ; Oavftnli, p|>. 3, -1 ; ami below Note 15. ^ S. I'inal. ad Mnrju's., c. 4 & c. 7 ; Trail., c. 2 & c. 7 ; Smyrn., c. 8 & c. 9 ; Phil. c. 8. " Cp. .S'. Ifjnal. Eph., c. 4 & c. 5 ; Trail., <:. 7. " .S'. Irj7iat. ad Eph., c. 4. » Van E^pni, ji. 105; Oamnti, p. 23. 8 feel iiij'selt' at liberty on that account to dispense with my own obligations, or to impair the privileges of the Clergy, and have therefore invited all the beneficed and licensed Priests and Deacons of the Diocese to the present Diocesan Synod. With regard to the Laity, it appears that they also were invited to Diocesan Synods, which had a judicial as well as deliberative character, and were Ecclesiastical Courts, as well as Church Councils. The purpose for which the Laity were called, was that they might state grievances, or in modern Ecclesiastical language, "make presentments" of those things which required amendment in their Parishes.^'* We may recoo-nize a remnant of this usage in the word "Sides- men," or " Synodsmen," the ancient " testes Synodales," and in the functions which these lay officers of the Church may lawfully perform in Episcopal and Archidiaconal Visitations ; which still preserve some vestiges of ancient Diocesan Sjoiods. But our lay brethren, we are persuaded, will not resent an assertion derived from one whom the A})Ostle St. Paul calls his own fellow-labourer, whose "name is in the Book of Life,"2Hhe Apostolic Father S. Clement. "The priests[of the ChurchJ he says, " have their own appointed places and duties, and the layman of the Church is subject to lay precepts."-*^ They will not set at nought the words of S. Gregory Nazianzen, " Let not the sheep of Christ's flock be shepherds of their own Pastors ; for God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the Churches of the Saints." ^^ And if such authorities should have little weight, they will not disdain the words of the Holy Ghost saying by 27 S. Greg. Nazian. Oral., xix., Tom. i., p. 369. Ed. Paris, 1778. 24 Gavanti, pp. 8—11 ; Van Espcn, p. 106. When the Synod lasted three days the "querehe laicorum" were li.stened to on the second day. Cp. Lamhertini, pp. 113—117 ; and Dcnn Field on the, Church, p. 508 ; and Wilkins' Concilia, iv., p. 784 ; helow Note C, and below Note B at end of this Adress. 2= Phil. IV. 3. 26 ,5'. Clement, EpisL, c. 40. 9 the Prophet Malachi, " The ])ricst's lips should keep know- ledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth ; "^ and of the Apostle, " Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit youi'selves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give account."^ We maintain with Richard Hooker^'' that " all that are of the Church cannot in all things jointly and equally work, and that the first thing in polity required is a difference of persons in the Church, without which difference those func- tions caimot in orderly sort be executed. We hold that God's Clergy are a state which hath been and will be, as long as there is a Church upon earth, necessary by the plain Word of God Himself; a state whereunto the rest of God's people must be subject as touching things that appertain to tlicii* soul's health." These, brethren, are the things which arc the proper matters to be treated of in Diocesan Synods,^^ in their deliherative character. The sacredness of the subjects appointed for their consideration was indicated by the name given to the Synod, whicli was called a sacred assembly : and by the place in which the Synod was held, — usually the Cathedral Church, — and even by the attire of those who were assembled in it.^- And it would be an idle and unseemly thing, arguing no small ignorance of Hh' history and laws of Chri.st's Clmrch, and it would be almost a mockery of our lay brethren, to require the presence of busy, pi-actical men, whoso time is preciou.s, at Ecclesiastical Councils, in which the matters to be treated of and agi-ced u])on arc not within their legitimate 28 Mutt. II. 7 ; C].. Dout. xvii. 9, xxiv. 8 ; Lev. x. 11. "9 Heb. XIII. 17 ; Cp. I'liil. ii. 29 ; 1 Tlicss. v. 12 ; 1 Tim. v. 17. 3" Hooker E. P., iir. xi. 18. " " Difpcosana SynoduH est coiifrrcnatio Icfjitiiiia, fniaiii facit KjiiscdjiHH rum clcriciH .silji sulnlitis, in sua Duvwai, dc ii.S(iii(! in v'd trai tat, <[UiL' curie suic pastorali incunilmnt." — Oavanti, p. 1. "' Tlif lii.sliop wfLS to 1)0 in liis Kpisco])al drcsH ; tlio CliTgy in sui'iiliccs. — rjavmid, ]'\<. ly, 2'i, 25 ; Tkomassinus, p. 521 ; Laiabcrlini, i., pp. 124—128. 10 I)roYiuee, and where, according to ancient practice and pre- cedent for 1500 years after Christ, they would have no active functions to perform. The proper place of the Laity is in other Church Councils, not less useful, but of a different kind, namely, Diocesan Conferences ; of which we shall speak hereafter. Let Diocesan Synods be kept distinct from Diocesan Conferences;^^ let there be no confusion between them ; let the Clergy do their proper work, and the Laity theirs ; then we shall tread safely in the ancient paths, while at the same time we adjust our- selves to the requirements of modern times. These conclusions will appear still more reasonable when we proceed to examine more closely the proper mode of proceeding in Diocesan Synods, and the peculiar functions to be performed by them. The holding of a Diocesan Synod was a holy work. It was a solemn act of religious worship, performed by the Bishop and Clerg}' of the Diocese in the Church of God. In it they joined in the profession of the same flxith, — in the Nicene Creed ; in it they sang praises to God, in the " Te Deum ; " and in certain Psalms appointed for the purpose f* in it they invoked the aid of the Holy Ghost, in the " Veni Creator ; " in it they were united together in the Holy Communion. One of the duties of a Diocesan Synod was to make known and promulge Canons and Constitutions which had been already agreed upon in the Provincial Council. ^^ Accord- ingly one of the functions of our own Diocesan Synod to-day 33 The words ol' Tlwmaasinus dc Synodo Dimcesand (p. 520) deserve care- ful attention, "Plures habes conventus ab Episcopis convocatos " (Diocesan Conferences) "in quibus et laicis locus erat, potissimum veri) nobilibus, quo et lii conventus distahant a Synodis," wliere (lie adds) the Laity did not take a deliberative part. 3^ Psalms 33, G7, 68, 84, 87, 133 ; Gavanti, p. 25. 35 Van Espcn, p. 106 ; and see below Note B, and Note C, at end of this Address. 11 ^viU be to publish resolutions adopted in the Convocation of this Province of Canterbury. ^^ Another use of a Diocesan Synod was to give authoritative utterance and public assent to what, after the Bishop had previously taken counsel with elder and graver Presbyters of the Diocese,^^ especially with the Capitular Body, — the "Senatus Episcopi," — had approved itself to his judg- ment. These being the principal functions of a Diocesan Synod, it may readily be supposed, that in the first sixteen centuries after Cln-ist it never was the custom to bring qviestions before the S}Tiod for the pui'pose of eager debate and controversy, and with a view to divisions of the Clergy into majorities and minorities. And therefore, though Diocesan Synods sometimes numbered as many as nine hundred presbyters, assembled together, yet there was no discord or confusion in them. No, my reverend brethren, the truth must be spoken, how- ever unpleasing it may be to some men's ears in modern times. During sixteen hundred years after Christ, a Diocesan Synod was called the Synod of the Bishop. ^'^ The canons and constitutions published therein were said to be pro- mulgcd by the Bishop. It never occurred to the mind of ancient Christendom, that the Bishops of Christ's Church, seated in their Cathedral Churches, would enter into the Hsts of controversy with the Clergy of their Dioceses, divided into opposite camps.3" This was not their view of Episcopacy. In their eyes the Bishop was a Father in God ; and while on ^ See below in the " Form and Order of holding tlic Synod." ^ Lambcrlini, i. 227. ^ See Fan Espcn, p. 106 ; GavaiUi, pj). 19, 20 ; Thoinassinus, p. .'^19 ; Lanibcrlini, p. 134 ; ii. 203, 210, 213. ^^ Lnmhcrtini, ii. p. 196; Tlwmassinus, )>. T)!?. A distinj^islieil Ainorir.ui layman and lawyer (Mr. Murniy Ho(rniaiin\ in hia elaborate work on tlic Laws of tlio Cliincli, liiw .stated tliis m.itter in stronger language tlian the hierarchy itself would vcntun; to use. See Note E at end of this Address. 12 the one hand It was presnmed that the Clergy would treat their sjiiritnal father with filial reverence, it was antici])atcd on the other, that he would endeavour to rule with parental love, and that he would not obtrude his own private opinions on a reluctant clergy,**^ but that he would pray fervently to God for gTace and guidance, and give himself to diligent study and devout meditation, and would seek to lead the Clergy by wise counsels and gentle persuasion to right con- clusions ; and with theu' help would embody and concentrate those conclusions in Synodical utterances, which would have great force and weight by reason of previous consultation and general subsequent assent. Surely this is a wiser course of proceeding than that into which many have been beguiled in modern times. And here it may deserve consideration, whether our Visit- ations might not receive some benefit from an imitation of ancient usages. As was before observed, an Episcopal Visit- ation still preserves many vestiges of a Diocesan Synod. One of these may be seen in the Episcopal Charge, delivered at the Visitation. The Bishop, in his Charge, pronounces ex cathedra his own judgment on various questions which affect the interests of religion and the Church. This is a remnant of the practice according to which the Bishop delivered a Synodical Address, — an " Admonitio Episcopalis," as it was called, — and promulged canons and constitutions on such matters in the Diocesan Synod. Episcopal Charges are a consequence of the disuse of Diocesan Synods. There is no example, I believe, of an Episcopal Charge published with that name, before the close of the seventeenth century.*^ "*" Thomassimis, p. 522. "■^ The first examples of Episcopal Cliarcjcs published with that name are, I believe, those of Bishop Compton of London, a.d. 1C96, and r)isliop Stilling- fleet, 1698. In the see of Lincoln, Bi.sliop Gardiner, a.d. 1697, published Advice to the Clergy; Bishop Wake (1706 and 1709), and Bishop Gibson (1717) delivered and published Charges. The Bisliop of Kochestcr (1690) delivered and published a " Discmirse to the Clergy of liis Diocese at his Visit- ation" ; and the Bishop of Ely in 1692^ 1698, 1701, 1704, published four Discourses to his Clergy at four Visitations. 13 Perhaps a return to ancient practice in this respect might not be undesnable. However sound the judgments may be that are pronounced by the Bishop in the Charge delivered at the Visitation, it is probable that they are regarded by many as merely the utterances of the individual Bishop, and that they even provoke unmerited opposition by the sem- blance of independent and arbitrary dogmatism with which they are supposed to be invested ; and it may be said with truth, that while the Clergy need the advice of the Bishop and ought to pay reverence to his authority, the Bishop also needs the previous counsel and subsequent assent of the Clergy. It would be well, therefore, if the Charge — or " Admonitio Episcopalis," — were followed (as in ancient Synods) by some Synodal acts, in which the Clergy had then- part, giving then assent to the recommendations of the Bishoji. In a modern Visitation, Episcopal authority seems too much to resemble an inverted pyramid, trembling on its apex ; in an ancient Diocesan Synod it reposed quietly on its base. But perhaps it may be alleged, by some among ourselves, that Diocesan Synods will be tame and lifeless tilings, unless they arc animated l)y the quick sallies and lively repartees of eager and excited debate ; and if nothing is to be pro- mulged by them without the authority of the Bishop. Brethren, such an objection as this ought to have been considered, and I trust was considered, by you, before you desired me to convene the present Diocesan Synod. You have asked for a Diocesan Synod, and I should have been unworthy of your confidence if T liad endeavoured to p.ilin upon you a counterfeit assembly instead of presenting to you agcnuinc and authentic Synod, constituted n|inii tliosi- prin- ciples, and regulated by tliose laws, wliicli were universally received by the Christian Cliurdi fni- ]('>{)() years, and wliidi were specially [irescribed Ibr dur observance by those holy u men, to whom, vmdcr God, we owe the inestimable blcssinii of the Enolish Reformation. Brethren, it is the glory of the Chnrch of England that she appeals to primitive Christian Auti(iuity on behalf of her doctrine and discipline ; and it is one of our strongest argu- ments against the Church of Rome, that while she lays claim to Antiquity she enforces novelties in faith and regimen. What a triumph therefore should we give to her, if in this important matter of Diocesan Synods we were to abandon the principles and practice of the Christian Church from Apostolic times to the sixteenth century, and were to adopt some modern devices of our own in their stead ! In the present Diocesan Synod assembled to-day by the good providence of God in this Cathedral Church, I have endeavoured to follow as strictly as possible the precedents of Christian Antiquity, and to conform to the rules — grounded on Christian Antiquity — which were laid down for such as- semblies by Archbishop Cranmer and his associates in the reign of King Edward VI.,^^ and by one of my own prede- cessors in the see of Lincoln, whose profound learning in all Synodical questions will not be disputed, — Archbishop Wake.*3 But Brethren, we need not be afraid to encounter the afore- said objection on its own merits. Believe me, there is some- thing better in the Church of God than oratorical harangues : there is a sound more joyful and blessed than the triumphant acclamations of victorious majorities. And what is that? The calm voice of unity, and peace, and brotherly love. It was well said by one of the wisest and holiest of men that this Church and Realm of England ever produced,*'* " There will come a time, when three words uttered with charity and meekness shall receive a far more blessed reward than three *2 See Note A at end of this Address. ^ See Note B at end of this Address, « Richard Hooker, E.P. Preface, ii. 10. 15 thousand volumes written ^^dtll disdainful sharpness of wit." Few things, we doubt not, are more pleasing to the Holy Angels and to the God of Angels, than to see the Clergy of a Diocese joined together with the Bishop in prayer, and praise, and Holy Communion, in the mother church of the Diocese ; and, — if it may be by God's grace, — in the unani- mous adoption of such measures as may tend to promote His glory and the eternal salvation of His people. May this blessed vision be realized among us to-day ! Such haiTuonious action as this, will, by its very quietness, have great power. It will shew the Clergy to the world as an united body, and as strong by union. It will have the blessed effect of rescuing the matters agreed upon from the vitiated atmosphere of party, and of placing them m the calmer light of genei'al consent. Whenever the Clergy of a Diocese agree together on the course of action to be taken in any given matter, there is no longer any room for those in- . vidious comparisons between one class of Clergy and another, which engender so many heart-bvu'nings and bickerings, and cause so much distraction and weakness, and expose the Church to the derision of her enemies, as a house divided against itself, at a time when the storm is rolling around us, and when we need, if we are to stand, to be firmly built together upon a rock. Let me now proceed to lay before you a summary of those matters which are proposed to be treated of, and agreed upon, in the present Diocesan Synod. 1. In the mystical Body of Cln-ist, "when one member suffers, the other members suffer witli it." We cannot but view with deep interest the present condition of Christendom, especially on the continent of Europe, distracted by two opposite forces acting and re-acting on each other, and stim- ulating one another to more violent excesses, religious and political. Ami who among us viu\ contemplate witliout IG syni|)atliy and adi)iiiatit)u those energetic and courageous endeavours, which are now being made by wise, learned, and jnous men, in Germany, France, and Italy, to rescue society from iutidclity and anarchy, by protesting against the proud pretensions of the Roman Pa])acy, which are driving many into unbelief; and to accomplisli an internal reformation of the Church to which they belong, by an appeal to the infal- lible Word of God, and to the judgment and practice of the primitive Church ? Such sentiments as these have found an utterance in both Houses of Convocation in this Province of Canterbuiy, and I would propose that in this Diocesan Synod, held in a Church adorned for 800 years*^ by illustrious names of holy and learned men, such as St. Hugh of Burgundy, Henry of Huntingdon, Robert Grossetete, William of Wickham, William Alnwick, Matthew Parker, John Whitgift, George Herbert, Herbert Thorndike, Robert Sanderson, and others of later times, we should adopt the declaration upon this subject which was put forth with the unanimous consent of the Upper House of Convocation of this Province,**^ and has also received the assent of the Lower House. And I would suggest that we should add to that declaration an expression of earnest hope and fervent prayer, that it may please God to bless the efforts of those who are labouring to drive away dangerous error, and to maintain saving truth, so that we may be joined together with them and they with us in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. 2. Secondly, the Convocation of this Province has also dealt with another question which concerns us all, my reverend brethren, in the exercise of our sacred ministry in the House of God. The Convocation has approved the new Table of Lessons which was framed by the Ritual Commis- sioners ; and that Table of Lessons has now received the ^ The foundations of Lincoln Cathedral were laid in A.D. 1073. *^ June 16, 1871. A .similar Declaration was adopted by the Lower House Feb. 15, 1871. 17 sanction of the Leo-islatm-c. This new Table of Lessons is to o be inserted in all the copies of the Book of Common Prayer printed and published after the 1st of October in this year. It raay he legally used by us in the public service of the Church on the 1st of January in next year, but it is not im- perative till Jan. the 1st, in the year 1879. Inasmuch, how- ever, as Uniformity in liturgiad matters in the same Diocese is desu-able, and as our congregations would be perplexed by diversities of usage in this respect, let me suggest that we should begin the use of the new Lectionary with the new year. The new Lectionary introduces into the public services of our Church some portions of Holy Scripture which hitherto have been excluded from it, such as the Books of Chronicles ; or are scantily supplied in it, such as the Book of Ezekiel and the Revelation of St. John. It will also produce more uniformity in the length of our daily Lessons ; and it has the advantage of supplying a third set of Lessons for use on Sundays in the evening when there has been already a scrAace in the afternoon. There is another matter of interest in which we may derive much benefit from the recent concurrent action of Convoca- tion and the Legislature in this matter. I refer to the means it affords us for the additional provision of special Psalms and special Lessons for special Occasions. It is very desirable that our congregations should be taught by our sei'vices to make a Christian use of the Psalter, and to recojxnizc the fjlorious Form of Christ our Lord and S?iviour, nrif] tlie Ijlcssings of His everlasting Gospel, fore- shadowed i]i that divine Book. It is therefore a happy thing that appropriate Psalms may now bo sung or said, not merely on some of the great Festivals and Holy Days of the Church, but on all. Hitherto we have sometimes been constrained to use joyful Psalms on mourn In I occasions, or mouinrul Psalms on joyful ones; Imt now, by the joint action of 18 Convocation*^ and of Parliament/^ it has been provided that "ii]~>on occasions to be approved by the Ordinary, other Psalms may, with his consent, be substituted for those ap- pointed in the Psalter," and this power may be exercised by him on all occasions whereon "he shall judge that such alter- ation will conduce to edification." It is obviously very desirable that suitable Psalms should be provided for the fii'st Sunday in Advent, and also for the Festival of the Circumcision of Christ, which is also the first day of a new year. It will also tend to edification that those noble and heart-stirring Psalms which foretell the manifest- ation of Christ to the Gentiles and the triumphs of Christian Missions, should be sung on the Festival of the Epiphany. It will surely be a happy thing that on the Festival of the Annunciation, the Church should lift up her voice, and should salute with appropriate melodies, thrilling from the harp of the divine Psalmist, the mystery of the Incarnation, in which the nature of God was joined for ever with the nature of man in the Person of Christ. It will also tend to edification that some plaintive and pensive strains, derived from those solemn Psalms which speak of the valley of the shadow of death cheered by the light of the Gospel, and reveal to us the Sabbath of the Grave hallowed by the burial of Christ, and which cast a ra}'- of faith and hope and joy on the death -bed of the Christian, should be heard on Easter-Even. It is also much to be desired that all hearts in every congregation of a Diocese should be attuned to a triumphant strain of praise and jubilee on the great and crowning Festival of Trinity Sunday. This may now be done. Let us thank God for it. It is also desii-able that a distinct series of Psalms, no less than of Lessons, should be provided for the use of those who ^^ See tlie Report of the Proceedings of Convocation of Canterbury, on July 5 and July 6, in the Chronicle of Convocation for 1870, pp. 451 and 530. ^ In the "Table of Lessons" Act' 34 & 35 Vict., chap. 37. 19 have three services in theu' churches on Sundays. This also is now within our reach. The Ordinary is also authorized to permit the substitution on special occasions, such as Harvest Festivals and Cliurch Openings, appropriate Lessons in lieu of those specified in the Calendar. You will, I am persuaded, my reverend Brethren, concur with me in the opinion, that it is my duty to lose no time in exercising the authority given to me as Ordinary in this behalf. After having taken counsel with persons well versed in Liturgical learning, I purpose to lay before you to-day a Table of Special Psalms for use on special occasions, and also a series of Psalms*'^ for a third service on Sundays and Holy Days, together with an indication of Special Lessons which may be used on certain occasions. Let me commend these Tables to your consideration and use for the next ensuing three years, at the expu'ation of which they may be revised, if thought necessary. 3. There is another subject connected with our sacred services in which I tinst we may be unanimous. I rejoice to find by the returns made by you to my Pastoial Letter? that the Festival of our Blessed Lord's Ascension was cele- brated with divine service in G15 parish churches in this Diocese in the present year, and that the Holy Communion was also administered in -tSl churches. In some churches there were three services on that day. This cheering fact encourages me to believe that we shall rejoice to join together to-day in an united resolve, witli tlie help of God, to celebrate next year, and in future years, that glorious Festival with prayer and praise and Holy Communion, in all the Churches of the Diocese ; and thus shew forth with one heart and (Hic voice, our faith and love toward our adorable Kcdeemcr, Who is gone to heaven to [»ray for us and to bless us, and to *" This portion of the Tables is due to the labours of a Committee of the Lower House of Convocation. 20 pvopaie a place for us ; and is ciitlironcd in His glorious Majesty at God's Eight Hand, and is worshipped by the holy Angels as King of kings and Lord of lords, and Whom we ourselves hope to behold and worship for ever and ever in the Church glorified in heaven. 4. There are some other matters which, if time allows, will be treated of in this Synod. Among these may be specified the further restraint of clerical non-residence ; the use of the weekly Offertory ; the constitution of Parochial Councils ; collections for works of piety and charity ; the means to be adopted for the maintenance of the sanctity and peace of our Churchyards ; the religious teachmg and inspection of Parochial Schools ; the restoration of our non- conformist brethren to the unity of the Church. 5. On these topics, however, I will not now dilate, but hasten to specify in the last place a subject of primary im- portance, in which your co-operation is earnestly desired. I have already stated the principles on which a Diocesan Synod, properly so called, is constituted, and the laws by which it is regulated, and the benefits which may be derived fi^om it. But in addition to the Diocesan Synod we need a Diocesan Conference, in which our lay bretlu-en may be associated with us, and in which they may deliberate with us, not on controverted questions of Theology, or on the settled Articles of our Faith, but on various topics which arise from time to time, and vitally aflfect the interests of religion and the Church. A Diocesan Synod (as I have already said) has its own peculiar duties to perform ; and a Diocesan Conference has its characteristic functions also. The one is distinct from the other, but each may assist the other. Every well constructed balance has two distinct attributes, stability and sensibility. In our Diocesan constitution, the Synod may be compared 21 to the one, — the Conference to the other. The subjects proposed for consideration in them are very different. The matters for the Synod are those which relate to the doctrine, the disciphne, and the sacred offices and worship of the Church, The questions for the Conference are of a more mixed character ; — such as concern the relation of the Church to the State, the tendency of legislative measures affecting the Chui'ch ; the endowments of the Church ; the mainten- ance of the Christian ministry ; the sustentation of our sacred fabrics and their services ; the building, and maintenance, and efficiency of our Schools ; the support of Home and Foreign Missions. A Diocesan Conference, by its composite character and its stirring debates,^'' may ventilate many sub- jects of interest like these, and by open and animated dis- cussion may prepare matters for Diocesan action. In order to serve such purposes as these, the Diocesan Conference must be a representative body composed of Clergy and Laity. My reverend Brethren, you have been invited here to-day in order to settle the constitution of a representative body of the Clergy by delegation, to be associated and to deliberate with a representative body of the Laity to be chosen by the Laity, — in a Diocesan Conference. Such a representative body of the Clergy authorized and empowered to act as your delegates, could not be constituted without the presence and consent of all the Clergy whoso delegates they are to be. If there were, therefore, no other **• The Diocesan Synod (which is a sacred assembly for sacred purposes) has its projMT jtlace for iiifctiiig in tlic Ciithi-dral f'luircli ; hut I Would VLMituix- to submit for considcnitioii, wiiether a Diocesan Conference, whicli bears more resemblance to a public meeting of a secular kind, would not be more fitly gntlicred togctlicr in a secular building. It excites a painful feeling to hear of "Applause" given to speeches, and of marks of disapinobation, and of eager repartees, and of divisions into majorities and minorities, and other accessories of "public meetings," in the sanctuaiies of our Cathedral f'hurches. oo reason for calling this Synod of all the Clergy of the Diocese, this of itself would have sufficed. A plan for the election of representatives of the Clergy will be laid before you to-day. The principles upon which it is based are these. It cannot, I think, be desirable that one Clergyman should be put up as a rival Candidate against another Clergyman, dwelling near him in the narrow precints of the same rural deanery. Such a process of competition, multiplied through- out the Diocese, would engender endless heart-burnings and animosities, and instead of promoting unity and efficiency, would distract and weaken us. Besides, there is a gi-eat disparity in the extent and population of the fifty rural deaneries into which this Diocese is divided ; and it would be difficult to adjust their relative claims with regard to the number of Clerical representatives which each of these deaneries should send to the Conference. It is proposed, therefore, that the entire Diocese should be taken as the basis of the representation, according to a scheme which will be laid before you. In addition to the elected Representatives, it is proposed that some of the Clergy of the Diocese should be Members of the Conference ex officio. The Convocation of the Province consists partly of ex offcio Members, and partly of elected ones ; and it is probable that the Lay Element of of our Diocesan Conference would be constituted on this principle. The mode in which the Lay Representatives in the Diocesan Conference should be chosen, must be left to be decided by the Laity themselves. We possess ah-eady a valuable body of Laymen, the Lay-Consultees, which has rendered much service to the Church, — especially by the foundation of the Association for the Imj^rovement of the Incomes of Poor 23 Benefices in this County. The constitution of that body will shoi'tly come under revision, according to the terms on which it was originally formed. No one, I am persuaded, would desu'e to disturb it, as long as that time lasts, and it may reasonably be hoped that, with its help, arrangements may soon be made for the election of Lay Representatives to be associated with the Representatives of the Clergy in a Diocesan Conference. Thus, by the blessing of God, this Diocese will possess two distinct Institutions, differing indeed in constitution, and also in their modes of proceeding, but mutually helping one another ; the one derived from the earliest ages of Christendom, and consecrated by the venerable prescription of eighteen centuries, and by the time-honoured traditions and historical associations of the Universal Church and of the Church of England, — the DiocESAN Synod ; — the other, springing up from the free life of popular Institutions and Representative Government, — the Diocesan Conference. By means of both we may hope to invigorate the old with what is new, and to consolidate the new by what is old ; and thu.5, by not cutting off the entail of the past, but by gladly welcoming the present, and hopefully looking forward to the future, we may combine all ages together, and join them in a cordial embrace of Christian Truth and Christian Peace. And now, my beloved Brethren in Christ, let us hallow our work Vjy joining togctlier in the holy festival of Christian Love, the Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : and may God of His infinite mercy grant that those solemn words whicli were uttered by Him Who instituted it, and mm the d.iy in wliirli I Ic instituted it, may be fulfilled this day in us; "Sanctify them. Holy Father, througli Thy Truth ; Thy Word is Truth. I pray for them that they all may ])C one, as Thou Father art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, 1 in them. 24. and Thou iu Me, tluit they may be made perfect in one, and that the World may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me."'^*^ =" St. John XVII. 20—23. f — -- -• 'j\ NOTE A. .- - From the " Kefoematio Legum " (ed. Lond., 16iO, p. 103). Cap. 19. De Ecdesid ; de Synodo cujuslibet Episcopi in sud diosccsi. Quii-IBET Episcopus in sua dicecesi habeat synodum, in qua cum suia presbyteris, parocliis, vicariis et clericis, de his agat rebus quae pro tempore vel constituend;e sunt vel emendand?e. Etenim aptissima profecto medicina synodus est adcastigandam negligentiam, et tollendos errores, qui subinde in ecclesiis per diabohim et malos homines disseminantur ; fietque ut per hujusmodi synodos conjunctio et charitas inter Episcopum et clerum augeatiu- et servetur. Nam ille suos clericos propius cognoscet et alloquetur ; atque illi vicissim coram eimi audieut, et quando rei natiu'a postulabit interrogabunt. Cap. 20. Dc tempore et loco sijnodi Episcopalis. Singulo quoque anno synodus ab Episcopo indicatur, curetque diem con- dictam omnibus pastoribus qui sunt in agi-o, per decanos ruri sparsos, indicari ; sua vero in civitate per concionatorem Eeclesite Cathedralis, et schedas foribus affixas, diem hujusmodi pervulgari mandabit, toto mense priusquam synodum instituat. Liberum ver5 ei sit quemcunque diem voluerit ad id accipere post doraiuicam secundam quadragesiniiB. Locum vero in sua diojcesi deliget sibi Episcopus quem omnibus, qui accessuri sunt, judicaverit esse commodissimum. A synodo vero nulli ex clericis abesse licebit, nisi cujus excusationem Episcopus ipse approbaverit. Et ipse cum primis praesens adesto Episcopus, et (quemad- moduni par est) synodo prassit: quem si gravissima causa fortassis abesse coegerit, ejus loco .synodo prssit Archidiaconus. Cap. 21. De formd habcndce synodi. Ad locum quem Episcopus assignaverit die condicta cleras adsit, et mane hora septima ad templum conveniat, primumque in medio templo preces, qu£e Litanise vocantur, solemni ritu decantabuntur. Deinde Archidiaconus, vel Episcopus ipse, si adsit, concionabitur, idque lingua materna, nisi aliter causa legitima suaserit ; concione vero absoluta, Communio celebrabitur ; qua peracta, Episcopus ad locum aliquem interiorem cum toto clero migrabit, exclusis omnibus laicis, iis exceptis quos ipse manere jusserit, oranibusque ordine con- sidentibus, maxima cum gravitate summaque pace de his agetur, qute maxime necessaria visa fuerint. Cap. 22. De rebus in synodo Episcopali tractandis. Si qua con-uptio verae doctrine obrepserit, coarguatur. De Scripturis quae cum animarum offensione perperam exponuntur, juxta fidei orthodox* convenientiam explicentur ; et quae fortassis non intel'lecta conscientias per- turbant, fideliter excutiantur et declarentur. Ccrcmonite impiaj et super- stitiosaj, si qua iUapsa' sint, auferantur. • Ecclesiasticae querela; atque UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILIP 25 AA 000 564 021 controversine audiantui', ot quantum tempns ferat, definiaiitur. Et inqniratur quam diligeutissime an ritus omnium sacrorum ollieiorum, juxta I'ormam a nostris legibus prsescriptam, in ecclesiis instituantur. Et in sumnui, qufficunque ad utilitatem populi Dei visa fuerunt pcvtinere, integi-a fide ac singulari diligentia tractentur. Ibi de qua?stionilnis rerum coutroversarum interrogabuutur singuli presbj^teri. Episcopus vero doctiorum sententias patienter colliget, neque dicentes, quoad finem fecerint, ab uUo assidentium sinat temere interturbari : nam (ut inquit Apostolus), "Deus non est con- fusiouis Deus, sed pacis." (1 Cor. xiv. 33). Cap. 23. De synodo condudendd. Non permittat Episcopus ad multos dies perferri sjTiodum, sed illi, quam primum fieri possit, finem imponat ; qiua neque pastoribus neque gregibus conducit ut a se diu utrinque disjungantur. Sententiam itiique feret de litibus et querelis, qute illo brevi spatio temporis definiri poterunt : alias, quaj cognitione longiori opus habent, aut alio tempore ad suum tribunal judieabit, ant per Archidiaconum cum Septembri mense ad \-isitaudum dicecesim pro- fieiscatur, quid decreverit, significabit. De qurestionibus qua? ad doctrinam et ceremonias spectant, canones partim tunc publice propouet, partini Archdidiacono visitatino publice proponendos committet. Decreta vero illius et sententias, vel in Sjniotlo per ipsura, vel per Archidiaconum in visitatione divulgatas, iuferiores rainistri ut validas et firmas retinebunt. Quod si quid in eis vel injustum vel absurdum contineri arbitrati fuerint, id ad Arcliiepis- copum deferaut, cuju.". erit, ab Episcopo constitutum decretum aut sententiam vel confirmare vel emendare, ita tamen ut qua parte ilia non correxeiit Archiepiscopus, vigorem suum et robur retineant. Episcopus itaque, in synodo suis promulgatis decretis atque sententiis, ad curam et solicitudinem commissi gregis clerum adhortabitur, et cum pace et Spiritu Domini eorimi quemque ad suas ecclesias reverti jubebit. NOTE B. Archbishop "Wake "On the State of the Church." London, 1703: pp. 23—24. "The Diocesan S>Tiods of the Bishops and Clergj', of every Dioccss, who by their joynt counsel and authority (committed to them by Christ) ordcr'd the affairs of their respective Diocesses, before any other Coimcils were settled, or assembled in the Church. — That the Fjishop of every Diocess has, by Divine Commission, a power to govern the Cliurch of Christ, over which lie is placed; and in order tliereunto, to call together the Presbyters wliich minister under him, was the constant sense of all the ancient Councils and Fatliers of the Church. They have not only allow'd of tliis power, but have directed the exercise of it, and commanded the Bishop, from time to time, to put it in execution. How often every I'ishop was obliged to assemble his Diocesan Synod, the Canons of the Churcli inform us :* wliicli generally ordained tliat these Coun- cils .shoidd be lielil at least once every year, and obliged the Clergy, under tlic severest penalties, to appear at tliem. In the ancicTit formulary for holding of these Synodst among us, the order is, tliat tliey should be convened twice in the year ; and tliis seems to have tlien been the ancient measure of them. Tlie Synod of Calcyth:J: settled it betimes liere ; and if we may rely upon the Worcester cojiy of tlie Synod of ^Vin(■llester, anno ]07C,§ we must hmk iipim this to have tlierc again had a [lublic deterniinalion. 'Tis tine in llic Colton MS. tlie ilecree is more general ; that every IJisliop should hnjd a Syn(»l eveiy year, and yet, above 200 years after, in the Constitutions of the I'.ishop of Durham, II anno 1312, the proportion of two yearly Synods was not oidy • ."v-n Spelman Corfil., Vol. tl. p. 1. t Coneil. Anihsiod., Ann. /)78, Can. 7. t .Spelm. Cone, Tom. I. p. 29:t, Can. 3, Ann. "87. i Apud Sptlm., lb. p. 12. || Spelm. Coneil., Vol. 2, p. 436, Cop. 3. 2G established as a rule for tliat Bishopriek, but was said to liave been established according to the Canonical Sanctions, which therefore seem to have yet con- tinued in a general force among us. But the coninion direction of the Canon Lawli was to have such Synods held once in the year ; and tliis Lynwood** seems to deliver as the rule of our Church too ; and tliere is this reason to be- lieve tluit by tliis time it was become so, that when the Knformatiou was made of the Ecclesiastical Canons, then in force in this Church, tt tins was the Proportion which we find was intended to have been continued by those, to whom the review of those Canons was committed. To this Synod all the Clergy who had any Benefice within the Diocess, were obliged to come :Ji and so were the Regulars too, as well Abbots as Monks ; excepting only those who, in process of time, were exempted from the Epis- copal Jurisdiction. And even those,g§ if they had any Benefices, by reason whereof they became subject to the Authority of the Bishop, were obliged upon the account of such their Benefices to come likewise. In the Constitutions of the Bishop of Durham, |||| the Members of these Synods are thus computed : Abbots, Priors, Archdeacons, Provosts, Vicars, and Parochial Chaplains : and that this was nothing peculiar to that Diocess, the Kcformation of our Ecclesi- astical LawHH shews, wliicli was gathered out of the Canon Laws, then in practice among us ; and (omitting only the Regulars, who were now suppress'd^ enumerates the rest much after the same manner, the Bishop with his Pres- byters, Parochial Ministers, Vicars and Clerks. The first thing that was usually done on these occasions, was for the Bishop to make his Synodical Enquiries ;* of Mdiich the ancient forms still remain to us. Then the Synodical causes were heard. Every one who had any proper complaint to make, was permitted to speak ; and for this end, not only the Clergy, but the Laity too, tvcre suffered to he •present at these Synods, and to speak in them. In these Sjaiods, the Bishop was wont to declare to his Clergy what had been decreed in the Larger Synods of the Province :t In these, he was directed to charge his Clergy to have a care of their Ministry, and to lay before them the main branches of that Duty, which was incmnbeut upon them in their respect- ive places to fulfil. And lastly, in these Synods, the Bishop published his own Diocesan Consti- tutions :§ which being read, and agreed to by the Synod, were from thenceforth of force within the Diocess ; provided they were not contrary to what had been decreed in some superiour Council of the Province. Of these we have several collections already published in the volumes of our Councils, and many more there are still remaining in the Registers of our Churches, which witness the same to us. How they proceeded in the celebration of these Synods, the ancient Orders framed for the holding of them, inform us. The Clergy in solemn Procession came to the Church where they were to meet, at the day and hour appointed by the Bishop, and sate according to the time of their Ordination. || Then the ^ Dist. 18, c. IG, 18, q, 2, c. Abbates Concil. ArelaL, vi., can. 4. ** Provincial, Lib. I., Tit. 14, de Maj. and Ob. Cap. Item. Statuimus, Voce Synodis. tt Reformat. Leg. Eccles. De Eccles.