RESTORATION OF THE DIACONATE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14359, 31 October 1908, Page 10

RESTORATION OF THE DIACONATE

IMPORTANT ADDRESS BY THE PRIMATE.

At a service Itcld at St. Faul's Cathedra] la.-t evening in connection with tho readers' Conference, the Most, Rev. tho t'rimatv (Hishcp Nevii!) delivered an address of interest to tlio Anglican Church ihroiighom. the Dominion.

His Lordship si>okc from the steps of tlio chancel, and expressed tho gratification ho felt, in addressing that assembly' of Christia.ii brethren and brother helpers in tlio Lord. They were aware that during tlio nyncd which had just hocti concluded voles ot recognition had lieen paeesd in testimony of the ijratitndo felt, by tho lx>:ly of the Church ol this Dominion for the woiftliy (iiul faithful Si'i'virci of their lay brethren. He would point out that theso votes were not merely votes of recognition of \Vork well done by certain invididtmls, ' t ' lc }" wore tokens of the einccro reijttrd foil lor nil those who thus wore ■helping tho work 01 Christ, liho underJv'injj ieasoa of this oilice was that they wore all bound together in loyally to Christ to do that which in them lay to do what tltey could for the Church. It was, of course, quite true that all 'could , 10l ho lie same l,ho twelfth chapter of Corinthians .told them that "all have not tlio tamo olhco ; but they were all mcmhor.s of ono body, and upon each and all jcstotl 'ho necessity to do all that in them lay according to theii several abilities an<i functions, that was why tho office of lay render was so valued by the Church. Tho oliice of lay reader was a verv ancient ono indeed. At ono time in the history of the OnuTch the lay "reader's duties were confined to the reading of the lessons from a platform creoted in. tho church for the purpose, and this practice obtained sometimes m the Church up to the present time. Tho Church was always tho loading bedy; therefore if necessity should ariso they could allow laymen to do all that a layman could do in tho work cf tho Church, and this, he would point out, presented a very largo held. Apart from t-ho ministry of Ihe divinely-appointed mysteries, thcro was a. great deal that tlicy might dp, if properly qualified, in exhorting and'encouraging tho brethren, and also in instructing those in need of it. They were quite rigint ill this country to allow lliis ojiico of lay reader 1 to be considerably expanded; and ho took this opportunity to extend his greeting and to express his heartfelt gratitude to the many who, for so_ many years, had dono such good and willing work. There was a, question oE a still wider application to tliij office of lay .reader, and if the views of his Episcopal brethren coneidcd with his, in regard to the restoration of the diaconato, iii'O would like to see ithe step taken. He could hardly regard the Church as at present po«c«sing a diacowite, ar.d ho would -bo desirous of a person using tho ollioe of hiy reader as a sort of probation, to sco whether lie .was possessed of tho nooessary qualities. This might bo determined by means of a simple examination as to tho candidate's knowlcdgo of tho cardinal doctrinos of tlhe Church, and of Iho salient points in Church history from the earliest Apostolic times. This examination; having provedsatisfactory, ho would thou wish to have him set to the ofßco ot lay reader N in a wider sense, and then, after a period of, say, 10 years in tho iaithni] use of this office, ithe Bishop might bo petitioned to advance him yet a step further. As far as he was concerned, ho would bo willing to advance such a person to the position of deacon after a simple examination j to baptise, and to occupy himself in the conduct of Sunday schools, and to especially devote himself to the establishment of Bible elasos for youths; to especially prepare and to assist in the education of the younger members of tho Church, Such offices as this could as well i be performed by deacons as by tho priests, lie would remind them that parts of tho Catholic Church ol to-day maintained that minor ministers were :to come to God's altar in assistants to the priest, and ho did net see why this could not bo done without, danger in our land. Personally, ho would lay no embargo on such translation- from a lowrv to a. higher grade. Of course, the candidate must exhibit sufficient knowledge and ability. He was sure the blessing of Cod would rest upon those who did what, thoy could for - the furtherance of God's work. There would bo a greater fulness of gifts, and of willingness to nsa these gifts. There must, however, never be such things as presumption or vainness on tlio part of anyone; for they must re-m-omber that it was not right for a ii,«n to step out of One function into another without authority. Ho would givo iliwu an illustration cf the danger ot so doing ' in instancing tho want of success 'that fol- ■ lowed tlio experiment tried even, under the . pressure of necessity. John Wesley m i America, in eases of what ho believed t« , liavo been necessity, had laid Ms hands ort [ ccr.tain men i in order to oonvey to them , an office of which lie himself was not , possessed. John Wesley, no doubt, was , doing what ho hoenstly believed to bo . right, but the effect of this was that tlio' ' schism ho had thus croatcd was proving tho ' greatest _ difficulty experienced by tlio Church in America to-day. The Spirit must ho bestowed by those who .had tho Spirit within their own bodies.

His Lordship, in conclusion, again blessod ami ithanked the lay Ixnotliron fat tho good work (lone awl self-denial praotiscd for somo years past.