ANGLICAN SYNOD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2287, 30 December 1897, Page 23

ANGLICAN SYNOD.

The first session of tha eleventh Anglican Synod was hold in St. Paul's Schoolroom on Tuesday ; there were present — Bishop Nevill (president), the Very Rev. Dean Fitchett, Archdeacon Robinson, Archdeacon Gauld, Canons Dodd, King, Lucas, and Richards, Revs. G. S. Bowden, Fynes- Clinton, Loach, Mayoe, Platts, Small, and Brooke. There was a good attendance of the laity. The President delivered the following address :—: — Dear Brethren of the Clergy and of the Laity, —

I fear the time at which this session of the synod is summoned is au inconvenient one to many of you, but it has seemed difficult to avoid this inconvenience. It is true that the Geneial Synod has laid down that, in the absence of the bishop the commissaiy lawfully appointed for that purpose shall have all the powers ordinarily exeiciaed by the bishop in the Diocesan Synod or the Standing Committee, save in the question of the election or confirmation of a bishop; but there is not only a doubt a3 to the interpretation of this provision— viz., in the words "ordinarily exercised," — but if it be held that, save in the execpted case of the election or confirmation of a bishop, the commissary shall vote as a bishop — that i*, th«it bis separate assent is required in order to tbe validity of any act of the synod, as provided by the canon,— it would then'seem, to say the least, very undesirable that any other than merrily foimal business should be t-ansacted by the synod in the bishop's absence, inasmuch as in any act of legislation a single one of the bishop's clergy may give effect to a law by which the bishop hirmelf would be bound, however contrary to church principles or practical desirability he might esteem such a law to be. But beyond all thar, when we take into consideration the spiritual character which all well instructed church people believe to be conferred by consecration upon the bishop as a responsible member of au order to which much of authority and sjecial endowment is entrusted by the li-ad of the Church Himself, it becomes a question of much gravity whether any " act" of a dioresan synod—meaning thereby any enactment professing to have the force of a law— can have validity conferred upon it in the absence of the member of that order to whom the government of tbe chinch is in tha main committed. Having long held views upon this subject such as the foie^oing remark" would indicate—views in which I have been supported by eminent persons both in Australia and in England—l was very desirous that the consecration of Archdeacon Kobinson as assistaut bishop to myself should have taken place before my departure to England. There could then have been no doubt as to the full power of the synod, when presided over by him under my commission, to have t ransacted bn-iness of eveiy kind.

The archdep con being acquainted with my views upon this subject, an i at the same time being aware that he had no power to confine the synod to merely formal business, such as the passing of accounts and the like, preferred not t<i call a meeting at all during my absence, and I found it impossible to return at an earlier date without seiio«sly interfering with the success of the work which 1 had in hand for the oiocese.

I need only add to theie explanatory remarks that although we are now met together, and with undoubted power to act in any matter, it would seem to be unfair to members who are prevented by the season from being present to introduce questions of a debatable character, nor do 1 tbiuk that there are any such pressing for solution.

You will probibly expect me to take advantage of this opportunity to give to my diocese some account, however brief, of the church wok in which I wa? engaged while in England. This wculd divide itself naturally into EOiue review of the work of the Lambeth Conference, and particulars of Ihe efforts I made en behalf of the diocese. To speak first of the fotmer. The number of bishops present was about 200, and included five out of the seven bishops of our province. Home of the subjects brought under coneiderttion were such as, from the nature of the case, it was impossible for the bishops to deal with ia more thau a v«.ry general way, such, for exaniple, as industrial problems and international arbitration. There were those who thought that beeauee of this disability to act effectively with such subjects it was perhaps better fur the bishops to leave thorn alone altogether, as' rendering us liable to the charge of weakness in undertaking great problems for the solution of which we bad t>a little of immediately practical effect to offer. Bat it may not be altogether in vain to have shown that the church is keenly alive to these questions, and while localising the gre'it difftoulti s involved records with undiroinished confidence her belief that the practical application of Christianity by all classes of her members affords the one hope of the solution of them, since warfare, whether in the domestic arena of trade or on the ecale of nations, is the warfare of brothers — brothers who themselves are biotheis of the Frinre of Peace.

The reports of the committees of the conference contain much valuable matter and many suggestions of hnnoitance which will gradually infiltrate the minds of the leaders of the church. There breathes throughout a tpirit of yearn'njj for unity, but not as a mere maudlin sentiment ; it is unity on the sound basis of a common faith. There ate appreciative references to the woik of the church in the colonies, and a special paragraph of the encyclical letter draws attention to the great iiupoitauce of the eucouiagement of theological studies. I fuel myself to be so supported by this letter of the bishops iv my endeavours to provide for the sound learning of the clergy of this land that I cannot forbear quoting a sentence of it. The bishops say : "We therefore earnestly commend to all Christian people, and especially to those who are. connected by commercial or other relations with the colonies, the duty of aiding and establishing colleges ani scholarships for the instruction of colonial stuck nts ia theology, and we commend to the caicful consideration of the church the question how best to encourage men to give themselves to that study by arranging that some accredited authority shall grant degrees to those who have attained a high standard of proficiency." The most prominent subject of the conference, and of the Chuich Congress subsequently held in Nottingham, was the one entitled " The Organisation ot the Auglican Communion"- a title not easy to interpret, and liable, as it sicmed to me, to misapprehension. It appeared to be intended to imply by this the necessity of some more formal connection between the self-governed provinces of the church and the See of Canterbury ; such proposals, however, found no general support. Many even cf the English bishops foresaw moie harm than good as likely to result, and I felt myself bouud to oppose such measures, both on the ground of ecclesiastical principles and practical advantage. The conditions under which the work of some of the bishops is carried on differs so greatly from that of others, however, that the conference did not ses its way to refuse the formation under the Archbishop of Canterbury of a consultative body, to which lesort might be had by non-provincial bishops, or others who might desire it for information or advice. lam not altogether without apprehension that if reference to such an organisation be frequent and general it will lose something of its voluntary character in the course of time, nor do I see any great need of the existence of a formal organisation for the purposes named, since any bishop who might npply privately to the individuals of which it is composed, in any matter upon which he desired their opinion, would be certain to receive courteous attention, while the knowledge that theie are to be stated meetings of this body, whether any references have been rnide to it or not, in my opinion, to the magnification of trivial matters into long-continued troubles. I gave expression to such apprehension when in England. But I have no desire to pose as an alarmist, and I pass from Ihe subject with the hope that all the church people of this ecclesiastic-vl province wilt be quite content to have-such questions as may arise among us settled ih foro domeUieo, as heretofore, and not desire to resort to organisations ab extra and beyond the seas.

As to ray work on behalf of the diocese, yon h-^ve probably heard that my appeals to the sever.il societies to which I addre->«ed mj self were very successful. I first nddresbed a priuted circular to the member of the Standing Committee of the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, giving a general sketch of the history of this diocese and its present condition, ami described what appeared to me to be its greatest needs. For the better support of clergy in remote districts and the work of chuich extension I asked for au annual grant of £200 a year. As special objects standing in need of further support, I pointed out the inadequacy of the endowment of the bishopric and of the Theological College. The society decided that as they had lone ago retired from any general support of the church in New Zealand the maintenance and development of our work must be made to rest upon the efforts of the church people of the lind, but inasmuch ss it was evident tbat the diocese had not received sufficient aid from without at the commencement of its separate existence, and as the acquisition of the see house was always understood to be a necessaiy part of the equipment of a diocese, the society voted the sum of £(500 towards that object on the condition that tbe remainder of the sum required was forthcoming befora the end of the year IS9S. The society also regarded the college as an institution of great impoitauce in its healing uxion the future of the diocese, and the governing body agreed to set aside £1000 of the money in their hands from what is known as the Man iot bequests towards the further endowment of the warden ship. It has to be noted that, valuable as is this benefaction, the principal sum is not paid over to the diocese, but the interest thereof, at the English rate of f } per centnm, which will be paid to the warden on my certificate from the Ist of January next.

Referring again to the question of -the see house, I was of course aware that the differe-ice between the sum of .£SOO and the total amount which would be required was ro great as almost to deprive the gift itself of value, and especially with the attached condition of the limitation of opnoilunity to the end of tli3 ensuing sear. I had, therefore, next to cast about for sources of further aid. I was aware of the oifjanifation kn >wn as the Colonial Bishoprics' Council fiom which, indeed, this dicce-c obtained £1000 at the time of its foundati«n. After explanation this council was pleased to leganl tho acquirement of a bishop's residence .13 of the nature of an endowment of the sea, and therefore not foreign to tho obj-ct of their existence, and I obtained another grant of £500 f rom th-3m. Subsequently, turning to that never-failing source of hofp the Soci«ty for the Promotion of Chiiatian Knowledge, a tbiid grant of £500 was obtained for this putpose. making £1500 in ul!. It is right that I should inform you that in pleadiug with these soveial bodies 1 felt justified iv saying that the committee appointed by our synod to effect the puichiße or erection of a sse house were desirous of obtaiuing a considerable area of ground— not less than one acie in extent, and as centrally situated as possible, — and that the total sum required could hardly be less than £3000 and probably something more. I am thankful indeed to have been able to obtain such liberal responses to my appeals, and I can only ask the diocese to brace itself up to take immediate advantage of the oppDitunity. At the mk of appearing self-laudatory I must add. what I know to be true, that if this opportunity be allowed to pass it is iv the last degree unlikely that it will occur again. Many bishops were in ISngland at the same time as myself. Most of them bad their objects to work for, and I think none were so successful. I myselt had never so largely succeeded before. Under these circumstances I feel sure that the synod will reappoint the committee constituted last year for the acquisition of a see house or appoint a fresh one, and that tho diocese will take tho matter up in earnest. In addition to the £2500 of which I have spoken I obtained grants fiom the Society for Piomotine Chu'slian Knowledge towards the' erection of four new churcbeß, including one at Stewart's Island, and I asked for a larger grant in the case of the church at Riveiton on tha ground that I understood thai a resident there had determincd_ to devote a considerable sum towauVs the erection of a substantial church in that place, aud I hoped that something worthy of our church would be the outcome of his offer. 'J he small sum which I raised as the ret-ult of sermons and personal applications, which, after appropriating special donations to the objects nameil by the donors, will be only about £150, I propose for the present to retain in my own hamls until I see what is the bett use to make of it. It was my de>ire to laise enough to pay oft' the small debt still remaining upon the Selwyn College building, which his accumulated, by addition of interest, to something over £200.

I cannot draw this address to a close without some allusion to the histo y of the diocese during my absence from it, and fiivt I desire to make my sincere acknowledgments to my commissary, the Yen. Archdeacon Robinson, for his faithful and diligeot labours and for the self-denying manner in which he has carried out the charge with which he was entiusted. Tha position of the bishop in endeavoming to arrange for the spiiitual work of parts of a diocese in which church order and usage are litlle understood ii sometime* difficult enough, that of a commissaiy may easily be still more so. lam thankful that the report of the commissary contains no complaints on thid score.

The death of the llev. T. L. Stanley hasilepriycjl me of the services of the first person I was piivileged to ordain to f he priesthood. No clergyman of this diocese has ever covered in his personal woik so large an area of it, and I am sure that Mr. Stanley will be kindly remembered in many parts of theTaieri plain, in the Peninsula, in the Blueskin and Warrington distiicts, as well as in tho immense district of the Waimei pains and Tapanui, which he tried so hard to supply with the means of grace. Not a church which he served but has some evidence of his loving care for God's house. The enlarged church at Gore owes much to his ta^te and ability, while those at Mandevillc and lliversilale remain as monuments of hi? persevering efforts. There was not a cleigyman in the diocesjfr with whom I have ridden or driven so many miles, and his 6ociety on those occasions was always no enjoyable that his lo s will be much feltbyme. Itisacomfort for metoiccitllfhatlpaid a special visit to his house befora my depirture for England, each of us knowing that we were not likely to meet again on earth, and with that manly piety which lay at the bottom of his nature he asked mo to commit him to the care of God, and then be lose from his couch and persisted, notwithstanding the pain it caused him, in kneeling to teceive my blessing. I cannot but fear that anxiety on account of the sm illness of means of support given in return for very arduous services, added to the exposing incurred, had something to do with the breakdown of a naturally strong constitution, both in the case of Mr Stanley aud of Mr Watson, of L'limden. This is not as it should be, and I rfgret to find on examination of the diocesan returns that there are other clergy whoie stipends from all parts of their distiicts put together amount to about what a single individual might pay for a servant. Surely this must aiise from thoughtlessness or wfttit of organisation. I earnestly beseech my dear fellow churchmen to see that this great injury to our ciuso and disgrace to our ominunion is spsedily leniedied. Excuses are readily enough devised, and if there be shortcomings, ask yourselves in fairness how much of the responsibility for these rests with yourselves. It. delights me much, on the other hand, to report to the church at large the very lar*e offertories which wore made in response to tpacial appeals iv St. Matthew's, All Saints', and at the cathedral, and I have just heard from the vicar of St. Matthew's that the £100 required for the cur*te's stipend was made up by an ofFertory on Christmas Day of £!)! 13s, and the rest in promises from absentees. These arc stimulating examples, and I thank God for them, and take it as a sign of the deepening of spiritual feeling and motive among us.

The }\ev. T. W. Kewley, M.A., accepted my invitation 1o accompany me to Dunedin, and I lnpe veiy shortly to be able to arrange for him in such wi=e that the students of Selwyn College and the diocese generally may leeeive the advantage of his acquit 1 - ment". Mr Kewley received his education at Mailboroiu;b, at New College, Oxford, and at Cuddesrlon. lie will not have a vote in this synod, but I think it suitable that he .should ba invited to take a seat thciein.

My chief surrogate ha.saga*n caller! my attention in his annual report to tbe fact that no maniajj" licenses have been paM for in some of th°. most important parishes for a considerable period I am very porry to have to allude to such a subject in a synod address, but it seems necessary for me

to say that for a clergyman to perform the m&rriage ceremony without the publication of banns, or the issue of a license from the bishop, is an ecclesiastical offence of no small importance, while the issue of the license without the customary fee i 3 to put the bishop to expense, as well a? to injure the objects which are partly aided by the money co acquired. The third possibility needs no comment.

I have now only to commend our work to your care, for, though perhaps only of a routine character, care is required, and may the Blessed Spirit give us all a single eye to God'a gloiy, that the increase of our ministerial agencies may be followed by an evident advance of His Kingdom and the edifying of the eouls of men.

The Rtv. H. S. Le*ch and Mr T. S. Graham were appointed secretaries, and Mr C. H. Statham chairman of committees. The synod then adjourned uutil noxfc day.