LYTTELTON MEETING OF MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 64, 27 March 1852, Page 5

LYTTELTON MEETING OF MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

[Continued from oar last, for which see the wording of the resolutions.] On Tuesday, the 16th inst. a meeting of Members of the Church of England was held in the temporary church at Lyttelton, for the same object as that at Christchurch, which we reported in onr last. A considerable number of persons were present. The chair was taken by the Rev.R. B. Paul, one of the Commissaries'of the Lord Bishop of New Zealand. The Meeting having been opened with prayer, The Chairman said, that he thought it only right at this early stage of the proceedings, to state that doubts had existed in the minds of the originators of this movement, as to the propriety of holding any meeting until a more solemn sanction could be given to its proceedings by the presence of the Bishop of Lyttelton "in the colony; but considering the improbability of that most desirable event occurring within a reasonable time, and the great importance of simultaneous action on the part of the different settlements of New Zealand, they had at last resolved to forego the more distant and contingent advantages for the sake of that which was immediate and certain. Tt was satisfactory to know that the present meeting, if not actually summoned by the authority of the Bishop of New Zealand, was at all events of such a character, as would ensure his sanctkn, the resolutions about to be proposed being in substance nearly the same as those submitted to a meeting at Wellington, at which the Bishop was present. It should be borne distinctly in mind, in adopting the resolutions which would he proposed to them, that they would pledge themselves to nothing beyond-the simple

recognition of the necessity which existed for the establishment of some system of Church government in New Zealand, and (as a practical consequence of such a vote) to the appointment of a committee, who would from time to time report progress to a general meeting. The anomalous position of the Anglican church in this settlement was a subject of deep regret to her members. Labouring under all the disadvantages of the voluntary system, she was yet refused the privilege enjoyed by all other religious bodies of managing her own affairs in her own way. Even her Bishop was nominated by the state, although no state provision whatever was made for the support either of himself or of the churches committed to his charge: and with regard to her discipline, it had been more than doubted by jurists, whether either the canon law of the Church of England or the civil law of the land, as applied to ecclesiastical affairs, possessed any force in the colonies. Under such circumstances, therefore, it was most desirable that measures should be adopted with as little delay as possible for securing to the members of the Church of England in this colony the power of managing their own ecclesiastical affairs. Mr. Fitzgerald then rose to propose the following resolution; — Rev. Sir, and Gentlemen, the resolution which I have been requested to'move is one containing a proposition so simple and apparently so self evident that it would seem at first sight to be only necessary that I should read it in order at once to command your assent. For it would seem to be a work of supererogation to endeavour to persuade an assembly of members of the Church of England, that it is extremely "desirable that a form of Government for the Church of England, in New Zealand, should be established with as little delay as possible." Yet it is a fact, strange as it may appear, that such a government as we are endeavouring to obtain for the church in this colony does not exist, or at least is not in operation in the Church in England itself. I conceive, therefore, we may be met with an objection at the outset of these proceedings. " You have a body of working clergy, and you have a Bishop, and what more do you require." Now without at present entering upon the question whether England herself requires no other Church Government than that which she at present possesses, I might answer the objection started by saying that the forms and modes in which the Church of England carries on her work have been long established, and are supported by the usage of many generations, and that institutions which are deeply implanted in the customs and traditions of a thousand years are generally acquiesced in, and are not readily disturbed; whilst on the other hand in this colony, all have to be created afresh, or to be adapted to the fashions of a new country. For example parishes have to be formed, and their limits defined ; endowments have to be provided, and their amounts apportioned. A thousand matters which in a settled community are managed rather by habit than by law, have to be arranged and adjusted to the requirements of a new condition of Society; matters apparently of trifling importance in themselves, and yet in the right management of which consists the most part of that decency and order which is enjoined upon the Church of Christ If then we refer to the example of England, at all events would it not be wise that we should refer to those times when the circumstances of Englaud were more akin to our own than they are at present, and that instead of dwelling upon the appearances of things as they exist in the present day, we should rather recur to the examples of those times when England was engaged in the task which we are now undertaking, the construction of the social edifice of the Church which has lasted to our own times. Nor need we limit our enquiry to England alone, but extend it to the whole Christian world. If we do so we snail find that in all countries in which a church was established, some form of Church government was immediately brought into action ;—a government by a public assembly of tbe clergy, and as the best authorities agree of the lay members of the Church ;—a Government capable ot making laws and establishing rules, and settlingdisputes and quieting doubts, of appointing officers, and performing all those various functions which are necessary to be performed in every s-ciety organised for what purpose soever. .Nov the only remnant which is left to the Church of England at the present day of this ancient system for the government of Churches is an empty name—the Convocation—and the Convocation is never called together, or at least only as a matter of idle form whenever a new parliament is elected. But there^ are a great number of good and holy men now in England who are labouring to restore

the action of the Convocation of the English Church: men who feel with Dr. Johnson when he said to Hume " I would stand before a battery of canon to restore the Convocation to its full powers. " And again to Boswell," Would I not, Sir 1 Shall the Presbyterian Church of Scotland have its general assembly, and the Church of England be denied its convocation." I know that although this is a rapidly increasing, it is not a universal feeling. I know there are those who say the time is past when Convocations are required, that a legislative power is no longer wanted in the Church, but that matters had no w better be left to the ordinary course of law. Surely these men forget that if the Church stands still, Society does not. If you could stay the march of civilization, if you could stereotype one age to be the pattern of all its successors, above all if you could arrest the full tide of sin which is ever and unceasingly welling up from the depths of the human heart, then indeed you might say that there was no longer need of legislative government in the Church to meet the changing exigencies of times. Compare the wonderful history of the spread of the gospel in our own and other lands, when the Church possessed the power of independent action, with the events of the last two hundred years in England when she has lost her legirlative authority : and watch how with boundless appliances and facilities for the dissemination of knowledge, such as the world never before knew, she has been slumbering over the varied changes of human life which have been going on beneath her, unconscious that towns were encroaching upon miles of county, that villages had expanded into mighty cities, that deserted vallies had become the busy hives of thousands, until she awoke to the awful and shameful spectacle of Bethnal Green, with 80,000 inhabitants, and no means of spiritual instruction ; and many a manufacturing town and many a rural parish with a population of pagans : when men saw the terrible spectre of a modern heathendom erecting its shadow over our land, and reconquering thousands from the dominion of the Church of Christ, in the midst of the most enlightened nation in Christendom. When I think of these things, Sir, I am led to doubt the wisdom of following the example of those ages in the Church when she appears to have lost that power of expansiveness, that facility of enlarging her boundaries, and of altering her forms and modes of action to suit the changing necessities of the times, which was one of the distinguishing marks of vital energy which in earlier times she exhibited. I will take but one example of what I mean. A few years ago the church wished to have four new Bishoprics created, they could only get one because the Government of the day, influenced by political considerations, would not allow it. Now it is this truth breaking in upon the minds of holy men in England which has led many of them to strive earnestly for the restoration of the legislative power in the Church, and is it not the same spirit in these southern climes which has awaked with an unanimity which seems almost providential in several colonies at the same time, an ardent desire on the part of the members of the Church to procure some efficient organization, which shall enable the church to fulfil the sacred mission with which it is charged. But it will naturally be asked what sort of organization is it which is contemplated. And although this is not the time 'o enter into details for the discussion of which many subsequent opportunities will be afforded, yet I feel it would be unfair both to ourselves and to the public if I were to confine myself wholly to the general proposition I am supporting. Now I do not know how the State in the present day can look upon the Church as anything else than a simple society, su:h as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, or any other. lam not saying, Sir, that the Church would be nothing else, or that its members would consider it as nothing else, but I do not see how the Stite can view it in any other light; nor do I see that the Church can have liny object in being othertvise regarded by the Government of a country, the inhabitants of which comprise every variety of religious sect. And clearly no man has any right to complain because a body of persons choose to associate themselves for a certain object so long as that object is lawful. All that the law can do for such a Society, is to enable it to hold property, and to support it in making rules for its own government. In plain language that is all which is requisite; that at least is all that would be requisite if the Church were a new Society, and were unaffected by existing laws; but it is not so. In England the state of the law is such that the Church is not independent to do what she thinks right and best. For example, I recollect a suit at common law against a clergyman for refusing to bury an unbaptized person. Again, there was a case of an action brought against a clergyman tor refusing to administer the Holy Communion to a parishioner; and there was a, case at Wellington, of a clergyman, who refused to marry a couple whom he considered he could not marry under the canonical law, and the judge said that if application were made to him, he would grant a mandamus to compel the clergyman to marry, and if the clergyman had then refused, he would have had to go to prison. I could if I had

time shew you a multitude of cases in which the free action of the Church is interfered with by the laws of the State. All, then, that we want is, that the Church in New Zealand may be relieved from any disabilities to which her connexion with the state subjects her in England ; and then that we may obtain a legally constituted society, with the power to hold property, to make bye-laws, and to enforce their observance by the power of expulsion. The laws of the State could not then interfere, because every one joining the Society would be bound by its internal laws. But when we speak of making laws, the question immediately arises who are to make bye-laws ? What, in fine, is to be the Church franchise. I know I am travelling into details here, but although we are not now called on to decide anything, it is better that we should foresee the points we shall have to discuss, and to decide at some future lime. And the main point will be this to which 1 am aU luding—in whose hands shall the government of the Church be placed 1 Now several plans have been proposed: sometimes it has been suggested that all the pew-renters should be invested with the authority; again, it is proposed that the payment of a small fee shall be considered a test of Church membership, and others desire that a declaration of belonging to the Church of England should be received as sufficient; and last of all, there are those who would confine the right of voting to regular communicants. Ido not wish to precipitate a discussion upon this point at present, but I hope that all churchmen will make it a matter of their earnest consideration, and that they will be prepared to decide; but I cannot avoid expressing my own wish, that the churchmen of this settlement will never submit the management of their affairs except to those who testify by practice their full belief in the whole doctrine of the Church of Christ lam strongly opposed to any declarations of belonging to the Church of England. I object to any unauthorized tests which the Church Universal has not required. The ancient test of belonging to the Catholic Church has been in all ages the repetition of the Creeds and the participation in the Sacraments ; and any other seems to me to savour of an exclusive and sectarian character ; and I should deeply regret to see any other test admitted in this colony. I hope we shall agree to confine the franchise to regular communicants. But at the same time, if you will not agree to this, I do not say that any other organization will be useless: unsatisfactory as it would be, it would be better than none. Sir, I am ashamed to have occupied your time so long, and so feebly to have advocated the cause^ which we have at heart; but I cannot conclude without expressing my very earnest hope, that in discussing this or any other point upon which differences of opinion may arise, as they will asuredly arise amongst us, we may be preserved by the grace of God from any bitterness of strife or acrimony of feeling, that we may ever pray that God would inspire this branch of his Universal Church " with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord." Mr. Donald in seconding the resolution said, that Mr. Fitzgerald haying so fully developed the question, he had only to declare that he coincided with all that had been urged, and reminded the meeting that it applied with peculiar force to the circumstances of Canterbury, where parochial divisions must be established, according as the population may establish themselves, and which would only be satisfactorily arranged by the local authorities. Captain Simeon in proposing the second resolutiou spoke as follows:—Rev. Sir, —Had not the subject of Church Government been so ably gone into, in the speech made by Mr. Fitzgerald, I should feel great diffidence in rising upon this occasion to propose the resolution entrusted to me, feeling as I do most strongly that the handling of matters connected with a subject so deep and delicate as Church Government should be entrusted to those who are as able as willing to undertake them. Anxious as lam on this subject, I do not believe that I am more so than any of those whom this meeting has brought together. It is, I believe, an undisputed fact that the largest proportion of those who came to this settlement preferred it to any other on account of the great attention which in its founding was paid to spiritual s| well as temporal matters, and although all that we hoped for has not been carried out, still Sjie good seed lias produced much fruit .which will, I trust, be an encouragement ancf incentive to us to keep an onward movement in the right direction. It is a matter of congratulation to see what has been and what is in the course of being done in tho matter of Church accommodation, to see a regular attendance in the places of worship ; although there is, I must admit, a lamentable deficiency in the attendance of the working classes, Vet I earnestly trust that when the Church 'accommodation shall be increased, and the excuse for their non-attendance removed, that they may again

as they ought, attend the services of the Church. But still more encouraging is it to see the way in which the services are performed, to see the congregation joining heartily in the chanting and responses, instead of being content as is too often the case to stay listlessly by, satisfied to hear the service performed between clergyman and clerk. But although we may hope that the practice in the service of the Church is sufficiently encouraging, what I would ask is the use of this without the ruling power ? What can the Church do without Church Government ? We should be like a clock without a pendulum which, however good may be its works, would soon destroy itself. The very earnestness of our own feelings would in all probability lead us to incline to an overweening measure of the very dangerous right of private judgment, which won Id place us as a body on a lower scale than any body of Dissenters, and sooner or later lead us to the fatal sin of schism. I do earnestly hope that the feeling which so "strongly induces the laity to join in the services of the Church will also induce them to take as a Lay body that part in Church matters which the Church has always intended they should do, and with that hope I beg to propose the present resolution. Before I sit down, Sir, I beg leave to say a few additional words upon a subject on which it had not been my intention to touch upon the present occasion, but as it has been brought forward by my friend, Mr. Fitzgerald, it would be neither honest nor manly in me to avoid expressing upon it my most earnest opinion ; I allude to what he has called the Franchise of the Lay body. Much as I feel that although the Church includes among her Members all baptised persons, I cannot think that any should represent the Lay body but those who are communicants, and who by participating in the holiest privileges of the Church are entirely in communion with her, and are therefore to be considered in every respect in the light of Churchmen. Knowing1 as I do that this opinion will not be coincided in by all, and that there will be differences of opinion upon this subject, I must venture to express a hope that in discussing this matter here or elsewhere, now or at any future time, we may never forget *-*' that charity which not only is not puffed up, butthinketh no evil." Mr. Cookson seconded this resolution. mri Mr. Spowers moved the third resolution. X: Mr. Alport stated that it gave him very great pleasure to find that the Clergy and Laity were now about to co-operate for the general welfare of the Church. It was a new era amongst us, and would give opportunity for points of difference to be quietly and dispassionately discussed, instead of bearing a matter of general agitation and disquietude; and had such a state of things as the periodical convocation of Clergy and Laity existed in England, many vexatious questions would have been settled without leading to the bitterness that had so frequently been caused by their being restricted solely to the decision 'of the Clergy, he had therefore much pleasure in seconding the resolution. The Rev. B. W. Dudley said,—Before,reading the resolution which he had to propose, he begged to express how entirely he concurred in the remarks just made by Mr." Alport. He had long felt, and he believed the feeling was common among the Clergy, that the Laity had not occupied that share in the deliberations of the Church to which they were entitled, and he rejoiced that in the Committee now elected to endeavour to obtain a constitution for our own branch of the Church in this colony, the Laity were fairly represented. With regard to the resolution which he held in his hand, it was just what it should be, he alluded particularly to the first clause of it, — " That such Committee be authorised and instructed to place itself in communication with i-jtlie Bishop of New Zealand." In matters such sjg that contemplated by the meeting, nothing ought to be done without the Bishop. Happily our o\Vn Bishop, Dr. Selwyn, whom all revered and regarded with affection, and in whose judgment we could fully confide, had himself led the way in the present Church movement. By the resolution, the Committee would be required to " place itself also in communication with the Committees which had been, or which may hereafter be appointed at other settlements for similar purposes." Those present were most probably aware that two meetings had recently been held at Wellington, and a Committee had been appointed for the objectiu question. Each

adult member of the Church of England, resident in that district was to be invited to enrol himself as such, and to agree to pay 3s. per quarter for Church purposes. Here he (the Rev. B. W. D.), occupying the position he did as Minister of the parish, felt it his duty, candidly and openly, to state his own sentiments respecting the touchy point that had been mooted, viz.: In whom should the franchise be vested ? he hoped he should do this in a way not to wound the feelings of any of his flock. It did seem to him, after mature and careful deliberation, that no other test could consistently or safely be adopted than that of Full Communion with the Church. To adopt any thing short of this would be to take lower ground than that of the pettiest sect of Dissenters. Independents, Baptists, Wesleyans, and Presbyterians, alike insisted upon Full Communion in order to Church membership ; without going the length which they did. he certainly coincided that non-communicants should be debarred the privilege of the franchise. Considering the momentous interests that were concerned, it would be perilous to adopt any other course. Were the Bishops of the Church, again, as in ancient times, to be elected by the suffrages of the Clergy and Laity combined, for which he himself was an advocate, then surely it was most important to confine the franchise to communicants. To allow every one who might choose to call himself a Churchman the privilege of voting would be, as he believed, to open a flood gate, and to admit persons of the laxest views, infidels, it might be, notexcepted. We had recently had a proof of what mere declaration of Clnirchmanship was worth. Among the humbler classes of emigrants sent out by the Canterbury Association to this settlement, and who had declared themselves to be Churchmen, were to be found no inconsiderable number belonging to the various sects of Dissenters. How strange, too, it was for any who were utterly indifferent to that which was truly their highest and holiest privilege, the participation in the Holy Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord, to be concerned about the comparatively petty privilege of a vote, which, moreover, would at once be accorded them on their availing themselves of their higher and greater privilege. It must not. also bejtbrgotten that there was no forbidding voice, repelling, except in the case of notorious offenders, from the Holy Communion. The Clergy were constantly exhorting and encouraging their respective flocks to participate in that Holy Sacrament. Undoubtedly there were some most estimable persons among the non-communicants, who might have scruples which they found it difficult to overcome; he could not, however, but hope that such would be led to see the anomalous position they were in, and to draw nigh with their Brethren to the Table of the Lord, in obedience to His most solemn command. With these remarks, he had pleasure in moving the resolution. Mr. Cholmondeley said, in seconding the fourth and last resolution he desired to call the attention of the meeting principally to two points. First, he begged to impress upon all parties concerned, that their proceedings were for the purpose of investigation and discussion. He believed that the Committee was intended altogether for this object. No power could be assumed, nor could the Committee be supposed to bind the community by any decision of theirs; they could but compile, suggest, aud arrange, referring their work from time to time to the decision of those"'from whom alone their power could possibly be supposed to be derived. This was an important point, and one which ought to banish any suspicions of this important movement from every ingenuous and well conducted mind. It ought to be, and he ventured to state that it was the intention of their Committee to seek assistance from their constituency, and indeed from all quarters, whence aid could reasonably be expected. Such questions as were likely to issue from this step, could only be satisfactorily and honestly settled on the broad and intelligible footing upon which it was his sincere desire to place them. He might be wrong in his views; and, if so, he hoped they would not be allowed, but if allowed, he pledged himself to carry them out to the best of his ability. It followed naturally from this position, that at least one important branch of the business of their Committee would be, in the words of the resolution which he had the honour to second, to place themselves in communication with the Bishop of New Zealand, and with certain Committees

which had recently been organised at Wellington and elsewhere (for the feelings which had led this movement were by no means confined to Canterbury.) It might even be necessary to seek advice and co-operation from England, where religious and thinking men were already at work on the same matter. In short, all authority which came within their reach, all advice they could obtain from far and near, all references whether to the usage of antiquity or construction of modern times, together with the opinions of men experienced in ecclesiastical and common law ought diligently to be searched out and painfully compared and studied. If their Committee were actuated by the zealous patriotic feeling for which he begged to credit them; they would not suffer the magnitude of their work to deter them from entering cheerfully upon the duties entrusted to them. He confessed, that when he looked at what was before them, he sometimes felt a fear whether they would be enabled to " rise to the height of this great argument." But they must do all they could,andif circumstances forbade them carrying their researches so far as might be wished, or if the lapse of time and the urgency of the case should oblige them sometime to postpone completeness, to sacrifice favourite theories, to curtail the promised fulness of their labours, and in a word, to be content with somewhat less than their desires ; he still contended that imperfect and poor as their report on a church constitution might be, it was still no small advantage to have made a beginning ; to have, it might be, but surveyed the ground; and made a stir among the accumulated lumber which overlays our spiritual energies,—propagating error and disguising truth. The second point upon which he wished to touch, related to an important question which would probably come very early under the notice of their Committee. He referred to Church franchise. As a former speaker had thought it necessary to broach this subject, he must be permitted to assure them that their Committee will enter upon it, as upon everything else (mark this) unprejudiced and unpledged. An attempt had indeed been made to force a premature expression of opinion, but this had, on second thoughts, been wisely and courteously withdrawn ; obviously, careful and patient consideration is wanted here—nobody dreamt that the question can be shirked ; it must be fairly fought. His own opinion upon it was, he confessed, in a great measure unformed ; he declined, therefore, on that occasion to enter into any outline of views which subsequent reflections might modify or perhaps change. He would but remind them that Church privileges were generally conceived as being attached to Church membership, while Church membership could never be denied to those who have been received into the Church by the Sacrament of Baptism, He could not conclude without giving an expression to a feeling of awe and wonder, when he came to consider the time, the place, and the circumstances under which they were now debating— the time, a time of hope and spiritual revival; the place, the utmost corner of the earth ; the circumstances, a little people struggling to subsist, often discouraged, but unsubdued, aud now preferring to assert for itself a long-forgot-ten right to its natural inheritance of religious liberty and life. He concluded by asking the blessing of Heaven on the work, and on those engaged in it. The Rev. B. "W. Dudley again rose, and said he hoped he had been quite understood in the remarks he had made. Most sincerely did he agree with Mr. Cholmondeley that all who had been received into the Church by Holy Baptism, were, in one sense, members of the Church. The real question was, were they who habitually and systematically turned their backs upon the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, in a position, while so doing, to be privileged with the franchise ? He thought not. Bearing" in mind how vastly important were the interests which would be affected by the exercise of the franchise, and that a mere declaration of" Churchmanship, were this alone insisted upon, would admit to the franchise men of almost every shade aud variety of opinion, he was still more strengthened in this position. But after all, no instructions were given to the Committee on this point; they were therefore free and unshackled, and he felt persuaded they would consider the subject in all its bearings, and endeavour faithfully to discharge the duty bound upon them. The Chairman having given the blessing, the meeting separated.