DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 248, 20 October 1896, Page 2

DIOCESAN SYNOD.

THE) PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS

The Fifteenth Diocesan Synod opened at Bishopscourt, Parnell, this afternoon, when the President, Bishop Cowie, delivered his address as follows :— v

Demi Brethren of the Clergy and Laity,

The Synod which meets for the first time to-day is the fourteenth in succession from that which held its first meetincr in Auckland, under the presidency of Bishop G. A. Selwyn, on December 13, 1859. Of the members of that first Diocesan Synod, two clergymen and one layman are entitled to seats in the present assemblage, namely, the Venerable Archdeacon Govett, the Reverend Robert Burrows, and the Honourable Colonel Haultain; of whom each one in his vocation and ministry has rendered, and continues to render, important service to the Church. Of the 71 clergy entitled to sit here during this Session of the Synod, nine have the right to speak but not to vote*, not bein°- licensed by me to a ' Cure of souls, or to any Ecclesiastical office,' namely, the Revs'. J. W. Alloway, C. Bispham, R. Coatcs, E. S. Cross, J. K. Davis, W. M. Edwardes, T. P. N. Hewlett, W. E. Mulgan, and E. H. Wyatt.

The Archbishop of Canterbury.—Before speaking to you of the affairs of this Diocese to-day, I can not but refer to the very great loss that our Communion throughout the world has recently sustained by the death, only last Week, of the Most Rev. Dr. Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Primate of All England. Like other faithful and devoted servants of Church and State, in these days of excessive work to all who are in positions of great responsibility, the Archbishop seems to have expired from the exhaustion of his bodily frame, resulting from unresting toil in the duties of his great position. In ISSI we were undergraduates together at the University of Cambridge; he being my senior in age by two years, and in standing by three years. After taking a brilliant degree, he devoted his early life to educational work, at Rugby School and Wellington College, and as Chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral, until his consecration in 1877 to the Bishopric of Truro. He was translated to the Primatial See of Canterbury in 1882. From that time he has been more and more engaged in matters connected with the highest interests of the British Nation, as well of the Church of England and all Churches in communion with her throughout the world. By the grace of God, his gifts of mind and spirit grew with his experience; and his opinion in matters of importance to Church and State was listened to, by clergy and laity alike, with special interest and reverence. He was a man of great learning and wide sympathies, and was in every respect worthy to sit in the chair of Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. His catholic spirit was shown by the active interest he took in the Christian population of Assyria; for whose benefit he organised a Mission, not of course with any proselytising intention, but for the purpose of improving the educational status of the Native clergy and aiding them generally. On a recent occasion, when speaking on the subject of Loyally to the Prayer Book, he said : ' We do not all think exactly alike. We are aware that we do not; and we rather attribute the greatness and the power of the Church of England, and the increasing hold which it has upon the people of England, to the very fact that; within the bounds of law, within certain lines, a diversity of opinion is allowed. I have always thought that the spirit of S. Cyprian, as embodied in his four magnificent words, was the very spirit of the Church of England, namely, Salvd communione diversa sentire. We ought to preserve and keep ourselves in the warm affection of a Christian communion, and be also able to think differently on certain points. The words Salvd communione diversa sentire might be the motto of the Church of England. On the same occasion he said «I do not know that there is any part of the world that is so dear to the hearts of Englishmen as our colonies, or any people so dear to us as the people who live in them. . . . English Churchmen have had great difficulties in knowing how to help the colonial Churches, for the imperative demands at home are great; but it is not from any want of love or admiration of the work of the colonial clergy, or any want of sympathy with the enormous mass of uninstructed people who are left on their hands, that the colonial work has not been seconded and carried out, more earnestly.'

Let us unite our prayers with those that are assuredly being addressed at this time to Almighty God, throughout the English-speaking populations of the world, that He will give to us, for the chair of Augustine, another Archbishop highly endowed in mind and spirit, as was His servant Edward White Benson, now at rest from his labours.

The Diocese. —As was to be expected, there are losses of our own to be recorded.

During the past year three of our most highly esteemed clergy have been delivered from the burden of the flesh, each of them having endured for many months, with patience and resignation, much bodily infirmity and suffering; namely, the Revs. Joseph Matthews, Frederick Thomas Baker, and William Turipona.

The Rev. Joseph Matthews died on November 3 last, having nearly attained to the age of 87 years. He arrived in New Zealand in 1832, in connection with the Church Missionary Society; and in 1833 took a chief part in establishing a Mission Station at Kaitaia, in the far North, where he remained for the rest of his days. He was a man of simple faith; and though not a scholar, was always a reverent and thoughtful student of Holy Scripture, and a man of exemplary life. We are mainly indebted to him for the early teaching of many of our most efficient Maori clergy. Until the failure of his health, it was his custom every week to gather together at his Kaitaia home the Maori lay-readers of the district, and instruct them in the subject on which they were to address their hearers on the Sunday following. Mr Matthews was ordained a Priest by Bishop Selwyn in 1858 ; and throughout his career so faithfully discharged the duties of his office at Kaitaia, as to deserve and enjoy the respect of our people of both races dwelling within the reach of his ministrations.

The Reverend Frederick Thomas Baker, who died on July 23, was a son of the late Rev. Charles Baker, one of the first evangelists of the Church Missionary Society to the Native race of this country. Mr Baker was by me made a Deacon in 1873 and ordained a Priest in 1875. After nine years of faithful ministration among our people of both races' in the Northern Wairoa district, he was appointed in 1882 to a similar charge at Waitara in the Archdeaconry of Taranaki. His heart was always in his work, and he was greatly respected by all who were entrusted to his pastoral care. _

The Rev. William Turipona, Maori minister of the Thames district, died on September 24, at the age of 74 years. He was made a Deacon in 1874, being the first Maori admitted by me to that Order. He was a Chief of the Ngatimaru tribe, who were restrained, by his influence mainly, from joining the enemy in the ever to be lamented Waikato war. Until he met with an accident which incapacitated him for travelling, about six years ago, he ministered efficiently to the scattered people of the extensive district of which he had charge. By Europeans and Maories alike, throughout the Coromandel peninsula, he was held in much esteem.

To Kaitaia and Waitara, happily, I have been able to appoint clergymen, to take charge of those extensive districts ; and arrangements are being made for the appointment of a Maori clergyman to the district extending from Parawai to Ohinemuri.

Wairoa North, Paeroa, Inglewood, Hokianga—ln. my address to the Synod a year ago I named four large districts for which I was specially desirous to find suitable clergymen. Of these four, I am happy to inform you that two are no longer without resident clergy, namely, the Northern Wairoa and Paeroa. Inglewood will, I expect, soon be similarly provided for; leaving only Hokianga, of the districts referred to, to be visited periodically from a distance. All that can be done there at present by a nonresident clergyman is being done by the Rev. Philip Walsh, who is indefatigable in his ministrations to the Hokianga settlers whom he is able to visit.

The Paparoa charge is again vacant, I am sorry to say; and on November 1 that of Te Awamutu will become vacant by the removal of its Vicar to Paeroa. The Te Aroha charge has been vacant since October 1, but I do not anticipate any difficulty in obtaining for it the services of another, clergyman.

Three of our clergy, holding important charges, have been on leave in Europe for the benefit of their health during some months of this year. Of these, the Rev. G. Mac Murray has returned to his parish, as we are all glad to see, quite re-established in health; and the Rev. Canon Calder is reported to have much benefited by his holiday, and is expected to return to his work in the beginning of December. lam very sorry not to be able to report as favourably of the health of the Rev. Canon Batjes, who has not derived as much benefit from the climate of England as his friends hoped that he would.

Archdeacon Govett.—Tha members of the Synod will be sorry not to see among us during this Session the senior Vicar of the Diocese, the Venerable Henry Govett, Archdeacon of Taranaki. The weak health of the Archdeacon during the winter months caused us some anxiety, but he has now recovered his strength sufficiently to be able to resume much of his parochial work. After November Ihe will have the assistance of the Rev. F. G. Evans; whose faithful and efficient ministrations in other parts of the Diocese, during 15 years, give us good assurance of the assiduity with which he will discharge his new responsibilities at S. Mary's, New Plymouth.

The Rev. W. E. Mulgan, feeling that by reason of the infirmities of age he could no longer rightly retain the cure of souls at 6". Peter's, Onehunga, resigned that important charge in the month of April last. Mr. Mulgan has entered on his well-earned retirement, with the satisfaction of knowing his memory is held in great respect by his late parishioners, and by all who were in any way connected with him at Onehunga.

The Rev. Canon Haselden.—The new Vicar of 6". Peter's is the Rev. John Haselden; who for family reasons was fully justified in resigning the important office of Diocesan Missionary, which he had held for ten years, to the great advantage of the Diocese. Canon Haselden will be much missed in the extensive districts which were periodically visited by him; and the people of Onehunga are to be congratulated on obtaining the services of so experienced a clergyman as Canon Haselden. Personally, I am glad to have at hand another tried and trusted counsellor, as willing as he is able to assist me in my increasing responsibilities.

Diocesan Missionary.— A successor of Canon Haselden in the office of Diocesan Missionary has not yet been appointed, but the work of the Mission is being carried on by the Rev. A. English and others. Happily, there are now resident clergy in several of the large districts in which the Diocesan Missionary formerly spent much of his time, and the office will in future involve less rough travelling than in former years was necessary.

S.John's College. —Two Priests and the three.Deacons ordained by me during the past year had held scholarships at S. John's College, and, from their antecedents, I have reason to expect much from each of them as administer of the Gospel.

The Governors have not been able to fill the vacant office of Warden of the College, but they have appointed the Rev. P. S. Smallfield to be Tutor to the foundation scholars in residence at Tamaki.

The private school for boys carried on by Mr. Smallfield in the College buildings continues to prosper; and I aim in hope that from among his pupils, in due time, some desirable theological students will be forthcoming.

J[f r , y, C. Blacked. —I take this opportunity to express my sense of the gratitude due from this ecclesiastical Province, and our own Diocese in particular, to the late Mr. J. C. Blackett, for the valuable endowment by which the work of the College is chiefly maintained. Mr. Blackett died in England in August last at the age of 83 years.

Curates. —In three of our parishes the Vicars are now assisted by Curates, and I hope that it will soon be practicable for such assistant ministers to be appointed to other parishes of Auckland. It is not, however, only for the sake of the Vicars and their parishioners that this arrangement is desirable, but even more so for our Deacons; who should, when it is possible, begin their ministerial'course as Curates of town parishes, under the guidance of experienced parish priests.

Lay Readers. —Nearly all our young Deacons have done good work in the Diocese as Lay Readers, before they were ordained. As time goes on, we may expect that some of our Lay Readers, now engaged in educational or other intellectual work, may be inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon them this office, and may prepare themselves for ordination. Among our present staff of Lay Readers there are several gifted men who would make excellent clergymen.

During the past year licences have been issued by me to Messrs. W. Charles D. Ashwin of Waiheke Island, David Campbell of Waiuku, Arthur Edwards of Huntly, x\lfred Joseph Charles Hall of the Thames, Francis Blake Hutchinson of Tarata, Frederick George Kimbell of Stratford, George Clarke Manning of Te Awamutu, Harry Mason of Omata, Robert Wells of Huirangi, and Frederick William Young of Tikorangi.

' Our number of licensed Lay Readers at the present time is 107. Mr. Charles Haselden, J.P., one of our senior Lay Readers, departed this life on the 13th inst., after some years of bodily infirmity. His regular and efficient ministrations at S. Michael's Church, Hakaru, are remembered with much gratitude by the congregation.

Sunday Schools.— Some of our Lay Readers are doing good work in our Sunday Schools, in addition to that for which they are specially licensed. Until we have a Diocesan Inspector for these Schools, we cannot expect the progress, in the numbers and the knowledge of the scholars, that we all desire.

Family Prayer.—ln our Sunday Schools it should be our first care that our children should learn the Creed, the Lord's. Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. I would remind all our teachers of the importance of encouraging the children to say the Lord's Prayer in their own homes every day of their lives. .In houses where family prayer is the custom, children are no doubt taught, by their parents' example, to do this. There are, however, very many homes throughout the Diocese where no such prayers are said. Parents and other, heads of households, who do not assemble their children and others daily for family worship, know not how much help they forego, by neglecting this great means of cherishing the Christian spirit among those who are dearest to them. The late Earl of Sellome, Lord Chancellor of England, in his Diary recently published, wrote—of himself and his .wife: 'We follow the example of our parents on both sides, in having regular family prayers; and when we were together, we never retired to rest without joining in private prayer, a practice which I would recommend to other married people as a very great help towards perfect union of heart and mind.' He adds, 'We kept our Sunday for religion and rest.'

Bishop's Prizes.— At the last Examination for the Bishop's Prizes, the highest place was obtained by a scholar of the S. Sepulchre's School, to which three others placed in the first class of Grade 111. belonged. The scholars of All Saints distinguished themselves as in past years. It is not satisfactory that in the list of Prize-winners of the Diocese, in the Grade 111. examination, the name of only one boy is found. Among the junior competitors it is gratifying to see that children from our Orphan Home were commended by the examiners. The Orphan Home at present gives, as far as possible, parental care and teaching to 43 boys and 23 girls, all in good health and well-behaved.

It is much to be desired that permanent buildings, of brick or stone, should be substituted for the wooden structures in which the work of the Home is now carried on. I commend this charitable undertaking to those of our fellow citizens whose means have been greatly increased during the last two years by the financial improvement of Auckland.

The Women's Home, was opened in 1884. It has given shelter, hope, and teaching to 213 women; of whom many have returned to virtuous living. Of the inmates of the Home a large number have been objects of pity more than of blame; their degradation resulting from the neglect of parents, or the deceitfulness of those in whom they trusted. The great want of the Home at present is a suitable building of brick or stone, in place of the small and temporary house of wood, which served its purpose comparatively well in the early days of the institution. Up to the present time there have been, besides the women, 136 infants in the Home.

Youthful Depravity. —There is no difference of opinion, I believe, among thoughtful' and experienced citizens of Auckland, as to the necessity for further legislation in regard to the juvenile depravity that is a disgrace to our streets. It is not with us as it is in the cities of Europe, where the pangs of hunger drive many young people to vicious ways. Among the degraded—often little more than children —by whom our public thoroughfares are infested, there are few who have any desire to be reformed. When individuals of this class are persuaded to enter our Homes, they miss the excitement of their vicious life, and sooner or later go back to their evil-doing. To effect any permanent moral elevation in such persons, and to prevent their contaminating others, I can see no alternative to committing them—for periods long or short —to the care of wise Christian women, who will take a motherly interest in them, and do all that can be done to cultivate a sense of shame and purity, and a longing for amendment of life.

The Children's Home was opened in February, 1893, for the protection nf homeless children, who could not be admitted into our other Homes. The office of Matron has recently been accepted by Miss Sparling.

The Provincial Institutions have been regularly visited by our clergy, as in past years.

The Hospital and the Gaol.—'ln the Sunday services at the Hospital the Chaplain continues to receive the assistance of Mr. J. Bridgewater, Mr. T. Charter, Mr. V. E. Rice and Mr. C. Tunks ; and at the Gaol the assistance of Mr. Kensington and Mr. E. Williams, with the occasional help of Mr. A. J. Alloway.

Epsom Costley Home. —At the Home for the aged poor, the clergyman of the district continues to receive the assistance of Mr. W. S. Cochrane, Mr. E. Cox, Mr. H. B. Morton and Mr. Pickmere, with the occasional help of Mr. D. N. Mcintosh. The Sisters from the Grey Street Home of S. Matthew's Parish visit the inmates each week; as do also other kind ladies resident in the neighbourhood.,. The master and matron of the Home have been very helpful to the Rev. W. E. Gillam in his arrangements for holding divine service, and to the lady visitors.

The Whau Asylum has been regularly visited by the Vicar of S. Luke's Mount Albert.

The Maories. —The Yen. Archdeacon Clarke will present to the Synod a report of the work that is going on among the Maori population of the Diocese.

On March 22 I had the pleasure admitting two Maories to the Order of Priests, and before the end of the year I hope that two Maori Deacons will be added to our staff.

On March 21, at Kaitaia, 115 Maories received the rite of Confirmation. In May a Native Church Board meeting was held by me at Otorohanga, in the so-called King Country. It was attended by seven Maori clergy, and by lay representatives from several kaingas. This meeting was a decided step in advance; inasmuch as it was held in a district from which all Europeans were excluded a few years ago, by the hostility of the Native inhabitants.

At S. Stephen s School at present there are fifty-one Maori youths, all in good health and well behaved. After the annual examination held in Angust, the Inspector reported that ' excellent work had been done, and. the bright and confident answering of the boys had impressed him very favourably; the results in all subjects being uniformly good.'

Melanesian Mission.—The work of this Mission is of increasing interest to us year by year. Saturday last was the fifty-fifth anniversary of the consecration of Bishop Geoige

Augustus Selwyn; when the spiritual oversight, as stated in his Letters Patent, of Islands extending to the 34th parallel of * North latitude was committed to his charge. In 1849 \ the Bishop made his first voyage, in a vessel of 21 tons, as the pioneer apostle of Melanesia, braving the dangers of unknown seas, and the opposition of savage Islanders whose language he could not speak. Wonderful indeed has been Ithe growth of the work since.those days. The present ; Bishop has been recently among us, already suffering much, we fear, from the effects of the climate of the Islands ; not that he volunteered to us any information on this subject. He was, however, in some anxiety respecting the finances of the Mission —anxiety that is inseparable from the office of a Bishop ' having the care of all, the Churches/ when the continuous increase of those Churches or congregations is a main object of his labours. Let us all do our part, directly and indirectly, to provide the Mission with the funds that are necessary, to enable it to strengthen and extend its work, according to its opportunities. S. Andrew's Day, November 30.— -I would remind our clergy and lay-readers that on November 30, or the preceding day, it is my wish they should direct the attention of the congregations to our paramount responsibilities in the work of making known to the heathen nations the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Among the native race of this country, as a result of their estrangement in former years, there are still men, women, and children who have not been baptized. Accordingly, I shall be glad if an opportunity is afforded to our people generally, on one of the days named by me, of contributing to the Native Pastorate Fund, by which our Maori clergy are chiefly maintained.! To a similar appeal made by me last year only three of our congregations responded, and the amount of all contributions made for this object was only 2s. iod.

The Lambeth Conference.—Members of the Synod will have seen, in our Church Gazette and elsewhere, that the Bishops of the Church of England, and of all Churches in communion with that Church, were invited by the late Archbishop of Canterbury to meet him at Lambeth in July next, to confer with him on matters of great importance to the Church and the State. I do not think that the death of Archbishop Benson will cause the Conference to be postponed. The time appointed for its meeting was a year earlier than it would otherwise have been, because in 1897 will occur the 1300 th Anniversary of the consecration of Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. , A list of the subjects to be brought before the Conference has been published in our Gazette, and in the Auckland papers. For a full consideration of some of them, it is desirable that the Bishops who have had the longest and most varied experience of Church work should be present; and for this reason, if for no other, I think it incumbent on me to attend the Conference, if I can do so. Accordingly, it is my intention, all being well, to leave Auckland early in January for England ; and to return in,time to prepare for the next Session of the General Synod, which is to be held at Christchurch in February, 1898. The Lambeth Conference is not a legislative body ; but a voluntary assemblage of Bishops, gathered together from all parts of the world for the purpose of preserving the unity of the Church in doctrine and discipline, and for improving the means and methods by which the Kingdom of ■ Christ may be extended among mankind. To the first of these Conferences, held in 1867, 144 Bishops were invited, whereas for the coming Conference about 250 have received invitations. So great has been the extension of the Anglican Communion, and of its organisation, in the course of the last thirty years. !

It was my intention on this occasion to speak to you concerning some of the subjects that are to be dealt with at the coming Conference; but on further consideration I have decided to defer so doing until our next Session. On the important subject of Christian Unity I addressed the Synod a year ago. Since then a very interesting letter concerning the Unity of the Church has been published by Pope Leo XIII; who is said % to have issued recently a pronouncement relating to the Church of England.

The Validity of Anglican Orders.—Some months ago the Pope and his Cardinals entered on an investigation of the validity of the Orders of our Church; not at the request, or in compliance with the wish, of the authorities of the Church of England, but for purposes of their own. There could scarcely have been any doubt as to the decision which the rulers of the Roman Catholic Church would pronounce on this subject. For those men to declare the Orders of the Anglican Communion to be valid would be to stultify the action of all the Pope's predecessors since the time of the Reformation, in as much as they have required the re-ordi-nation of clergymen going from the Anglican to the Roman Church.

Some of you may ask what is meant by the validity of the Orders of our Church. Speaking generally, the Holy Orders of bishops, priests, and deacons are only then valid when they are bestowed in accordance with the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, —then only effectual for the purposes for which Christ said to His Apostles : As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.%

If this validity or efficacy is declared to be dependent on the sanction of any Bishop of Rome, ancient or modern, we say plainly that we repudiate such an idea.

If the sanction of the Bishop of Rome in our Ordinations depends upon our conforming to the ritual of the Church of Rome in the service of Ordination, we are not likely to seek it. Such conformity has not been observed, or considered necessary, by us in the past, and is not likely ever to be adopted by Churches other than of the Roman communion. The rites observed at Ordination in the Chnrch of Rome are as unknown in the Churches of Russia and the East as they are among ourselves; and the Roman doctrine of intention, in connection with the conferring of Holy Orders, is not primitive, but mediaeval, and is most mischievous. Of this doctrine the learned Bishop Browne (of Stepney) says: ' Whittle it away as the moderns may, and do, enough remains to throw into universal uncertainty the Orders of all who hold such views of intention.'

The Roman authorities who deny the validity of Anglican Orders may mean, by such denial, that ' the blessedness of our Sacraments and of our means of grace is questioned,' as Archbishop Benson said in July last. It does not concern us, however, what they say on the subject; ' for we know well,' continued the Archbishop, ' that the promise of Christ has been fulfilled to our people in our history, and is bein°fulfilled at the present moment. We know that in the Sacra, ments of Christ, Christ does impart Himself to His faithful people. He regenerates our children in baptism ; He feeds us with His Body and with His Blood. With regard to

speculations on these subjects, we know that the. doctrine which the Church of England holds is the doctrine that was from the beginning.' A Church Congress was held in Auckland'in May, in compliance with the resolution of the Synod passed at the last Session. The Committee, by whom the arrangements were made, did their work well, and the papers read wew interesting and helpful. A New Church has been built at Whakapirau, in the Kaipara District; and S. Andrew's, Epsom, has been enlarged and improved. At S. Luke's, Mount Albert, a good School House and Parish Hall has been built, mainly by the help of the Vicar and his friends. _S. Mary's Cathedral.—Tho parishioners of S. Mary's are to be congratulated on the prospect of having their church completed at an early date; especially as a considerable sum towards the cost of the work has been given in money, and without delay, in response to an appeal from the Vicar of the parish. • Indirect Giving.—lt would be a great mistake to underrate the gifts of those whose contributions to a good cause are not made in gold or silver. In our parishes generally there are not many persons who can make large donations of money to a Christian undertaking, however good it may be; but, as a rule, there are few who can not increase a Church building fund indirectly by giving of their time and the work of their hands. There is, indeed, sometimes less self-denial practised in making offerings of money, as the offerers are ready to allow, than in the surrender of our few leisure hours, and the exercise of the talents of mind or body with which God has endowed us. Confirmation— During the past twelve months 738 persons have received the rite of Confirmation. Bishop's Chaplain.—l have appointed the Rev. Frank George Evans to be one of my chaplains. The Pension Fund has now a capital of /15.426 is. id. The population of the Diocese at the present time, as estimated by Mr. Hugh G. Seth-Smith, is 173,H7> including 18,210 Maories, and 191 Chinese. The Auditors report that they have found 'everything in order' in the accounts audited by them. The Standing Committee will now lay on the table a Report of their proceedings since our last Session, together with a list of the business that has to be attended to by us. I pray that God, of His bountiful goodness, may keep us from all words and deeds that may hurt us or His Church; that we, being ready* both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish, here and elsewhere, those things that He would by us have done; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 11 Collect for the 20th Sunday after Trinity.