PASTORAL LETTER OF THE BISHOP OF NEW ZEALAND

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 74, 5 June 1852, Page 5

PASTORAL LETTER OF THE BISHOP OF NEW ZEALAND

To the Members of the Chokch of England in the Diocese of Nkw Zealand. St. John's College, Auckland, April 19, 1852. My dear Fkiends and Brethren, —The reports which I have received from England, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Tasmania, have convinced me that the time has come, when it is my duty to press upon you the necessity of applying to the heads of the State, and of the Church of England, for the authority to frame, under their sanction, such a form of Constitution for our branch of the English Church as may define the privileges and duties of all the members, whether Clerical or Lay, and secure to them a due participation in the management of its affairs The necessity of this measure arises from two causes: — First, that the Church in this colony is not established by law ; and, consequently, that a large portion of the Ecclesiastical law of England is inapplicable to us. Secondly, that the Church in this colony is dependent'mainly upon the voluntary contributions of its members. It would be impossible, within any reasonable compass, to trace out the necessary differences of system, resulting from these causes, which must exist between our Colonial Branch and the mother Church, as it is in England,

established by law, and supported by permanent endowments. We can scarcely expect that such a revision of the Ecclesiastical Law as would meet our wants, will be undertaken in England ; because the Convocation of Clergy is no longer allowed to meet for deliberation, and the British Parliament is no longer composed only of members of the Church. Our own Colonial Legislature for the same reason, cannot be considered competent to enact laws for the government of the Church. It follows, therefore, that we must either be content to have no laws to guide us, or that we must apply for the usual power granted to all incorporated bodies, —to frame bye laws for ourselves in such matters as relate to our own peculiar position; reserving to her Majesty and to the heads of the Church in England, such rights and powers as may be necessary to maintain the Queen's supremacy, and.the unity and integrity of our Church. I therefore submit to you the following statement of a few fundamental principles which, with your approbation, might be made the basis of an application for a charter of incorporation,. to be granted to our branch of the English Church. It would be reserved for the Convention itself to decide upon all the minor details' of our church constitution, so far as we may be left free to legislate for ourselves. Commending you to the guidance of Him who is able to give you a right judgment iv all • things, I remain your affectionate Friend and pastor, G. A. New Zealand. General Principles proposed as the basis of a Constitution for the Church in New Zea-' land :—

1. That the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity, shall be three distinct orders, the consent of all of which shall be necessary to all acts binding upon the Church at large. 2. Subject to the foregoing principle, that each order be at liberty to conduct its deliberations separately, or to unite with the others, at its own discretion. 3. That provisionally, till a definition of Church Membership shall have been agreed upon by-a general Convention, every person shall be deemed a member of the Church of England, who shall make a written declaration to that effect to the Clergyman of his parish or district. 4. That every adult, Church Member, who shall have been duly registered, be entitled to vote at the election of lay representatives to the first general Convention. 5. That it shall rest with the General Convention to decide how and by whom all patronage shall be exercised ; and in what manner all persons holding Church offices shall be removable from the same ; and also to fix the amount of all salaries, fees, and other allowances. 6. That it is necessary that the Church body, constituted as above, shall be legally incorporated ; and that all sites of Churches, Burial Grounds, Schools, and lands for endowment of the Church, &c, should be vested in the General Incorporation. 7. That in order to maintain the Queen's supremacy, and union with the Mother Church, a draft of the Constitution proposed for the Church in New Zealand be submitted to her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies, and to the Archbishop of Canterbury, through the Metropolitan Bishop of Sydney ; with a petition that her Majesty would be graciously pleased to direct the necessary steps to be taken, whether by Act of Parliament or by Royal Charter, to secure to our branch of the English Church, the liberty, within certain limits, of framing laws for its own government. 8. That neither the doctrines nor the Ritual of the Church of England, nor the authorized version of the Bible, shall in any way be subject to the decision of the General Convention. 9. That the Bishop of New Zealand be requested to embody the above resolutions in the form of a petition, and to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying into effect the wishes of the memorialists. [We learn that a,meeting of the Members of the Church of England was held at Auckland on Monday, May 3rd, when the various principles proposed by the Bishop as the basis of the Constitution were considered seriatim, and, with some important modifications,adopted. We are, as yet, without the particulars, our Auckland papers extending to the Ist May only.]