AN ANGLICAN ORDINATION.

Evening Star, Issue 11897, 27 May 1903, Page 4

AN ANGLICAN ORDINATION.

The Iter. W. Curson-Siggers has &• following letter in this week's.'Outlook* in \ reply to an article in that periodifcsj criticising the ordination by Bishop Nevill of a former minister of the Presbyteriaa Church: Under the above heading (' An Arrogant Anglican') the leading article in your WW of the 23rd May deals with the recent ordination (so-called) of a suspended Presbyterian minister by Bishop Nevill as a deacon of the Anglican Church. You say that " while such things happen what peace can there be between the Presbyterian Church and the religions body over which the bishop presides." As a clergyman of the Anglican Church, I beg to be allowed to point out that though possibly no line of argument or reason can for a moment justify the action of Bishop Nevill, yet his action does not make it impossible for peace to exist between the Anglican and Presbyterian Churches. I admit that if Bishop Nevill's action wore in any sense the action of tho Anglican Church that then there could be no peace, for Cue Presbyterian Church would feel bound to resent tins socalled ordination in the interests of the ministry of Christ throughout the world, and would justly condemn the standard of the Anglican ministry as an insult to the 'ministry of Christ. But this action cl Bishop Nevill does not in the least degree represent the Anglican Church. The offence for which the Presbyterian Church suspended the gentleman concerned is one for which the Church of England deprives a man nowadays, and thus Bishop Ncvill's action is an affront to the Church of England as much as to the Presbyterian Church. The Anglican Church in New Zealand has accepted the rules of the Church of England in the matter of U» ordination of her clergy, and if anything has been done by Bishop Nevill contrary to those rules, then the fault is his, and not the Church's. I desire to lay stress en this for the sake of the honor of the Church's ministry, and also to show yon that tbe Presbyterian Church has no quarrel with tho Anglican Church as such, but only with one of its officers, who has acted in a manner probably without parallel in the history of the Anglican Communion. Prior to the ordination of any man the Church requires testimonials covering three years past of three persons to whom he has been well known (the rule is that these shall be three clergymen), certifying to his character in these words:—"We do Oerfcify that for the space of, three years last past the said A.B. has been personally known to us; that we have had opportunities of ob* serving his conduct; that during the whole of that V.m? we believe verily that ho lived piously, soberly, and honestly; nor have we at any time heard anything to the contrary thereof; nor that he at any time as far as we know or believe, maintained, etc.; and, moreover, we believe him in our consciences to be, as to his moral conduct, a fit person to be admitted to the sacred order of deacons." The Presbyterian Church will see by this that any "bishop who ordains a man without the above testimonial does an irregular thing, and violates a principle of church order and government, and in no way commits the Church by his irregular and indefensible oonduot. Hence I would a6k to be allowed to point out that the Church is in no way committed by this act of Bishop Nevill, and that necessarily every clergyman who icnows the facts is bound to hold that an irregularity took place which admits of no defence, and for which neither ho nor the. Church is in any way. to blame, but against which he fee!s called upon to protest fa tho interests of the Church and tho Christian ministry. I hope this information concerning the Anglican demands in the matter oi the fitness of candidates may in some email degree heal the wounds of the Presbyterians, and show that tho Anglican Church as such is no party to an act against which your leading nrticle was directed in the interests of the Christian ministry. The only possible defence of Bishop Nevill's action was that (a) three clergymen made a false, declaration, which is not conceivable, or (b) Bishop Nevill forgot in his old age (after thirty years' experience) all about the' requirements of the Church, /