PRIMATE'S ADDRESS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1650, 17 January 1913, Page 6

PRIMATE'S ADDRESS

ANGLICAN GENERAL SYNOD.

CHURCH CONSTITUTION.

TREND OF MODERN THOUGHT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Nelson, January IG. Tho nineteenth General Synod of tho Anglican Church of the Province of New. Zealand opeued to-day, when all New Zealand Bishops, and tne Bishops of Melanesia (Dr. Wood) and Tonga (Dr. Willis) were present, also 43 representatives .of trio clergy and laity. Tho bynousiueu and delegates of the C.E.M.S. Conference were accorded a civic welcome. This afternoon's sitting was occupied by the address of the Primate (Dr. Nevih, Bishop of Dunedin). Keferring to the changes in tho Episcopate, the Primate said lour out of the seven members took their seats in the General Synod as Bishops ior the first time, while threo were scarcely known by lace to tho clerical and lay orders. Timo forbade .him to enlarge upon the.loss tho Church had sustained'by. the resignation of Bishops Neligan.Wallis, Wilson, and Mules. Tuo province had'been enriched by the call given - to two of tho Unost prominent of the olergy of- the archdiocese of Melbourne. In regard to tho appointment of the now Bishop of Molanesia, he desired to placo on record the ' fact that his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury gave the fullest recognition to his position by inviting • him to consultation whenever there . was anything to be brought forward upon tho matter.! The Primate acknowledged the services of Bishop Mules for many years as [Secretary of the Board of Theological Studies. '

The Constitutional Position, Dealing with the constitutional position of, the Church;' the Primato said that a clear understanding of the position was' best obtained by ■• connecting their own constitutional Church history, tho development of opinion, and judicial pro-, nouncements as to the. truo ecclesiastical relation of the State at Homo'with the Church-in n Eelf-govcrning colony. The suggestion of tho binding force of a voluntary compact was adopted by the leaders of the. Church, in 1857. The fundamental principles upon which this voluntary compact was -proposed to be formulated wove two—constitution and doctrine. They wero regarded ■as v the bond of union with the Crown and/the Mother .Church. The Crown hero could only mean the Crown in its ecclesiastical relations, as nobody contemplated a possible: separation from tho Crown as head of, tho civil authority. . Similarly, tho tenri "Mother Church" must have meant Mother. Church in relation to tho State, since nobody dreamed of possible separation from her iii regard 'to spiritual unity. ' It was sufficiently clear, '-he thought, that the fraiiiersof tho constitution'really did believe thciuselvcs to be an undivided portion oi tho- United Church of England and Ireland, and that this description, given as the' basis of the compact," Was' a description" of ' conditions which: did- not exist-in. fact, and that consequently the fundamental provisions of the Church Constitution,!founded upon this misconception of facts, were ipso facto invalid. It was tho judgment of tho Privy Council,-given in 1865, which made the invalidity manifest fcj them. The question then arose, would the repudiation, of tho.fundnmentil provisions, as being invalid, involve a breach of tho voluiital-y contract itself, and therefore endanger their'property? He held that it would not. - ' ..".'.'■-• _. Biblo in Schools. . Tho address alsj dealt at some length with foi'Kgn missions and Bible in/Schools.' ■In/tho latter connection, tho Primate said they had the unique happiness of tho co-operation of almost all {ho leading Christian denominations—in itself a great step towards the accomplishment .'or tho. great object for which they must never' cease'to labour. ,'•'..'.

; Tho Primate went on to sta/e that the •Marsden centenary would be celebrated at Auckland in 1914. This was an event recognising the centenary of the introduction of Christianity into New Zealand, and the blessed memory of a great hero of tho faith. ; The Church in Wales. Referring to the trials of the Church at Home, tho Primate said any expression of their fellowship with the suffering of their brethren in V/ahs was littlo likely indeed to affect the almost foregono conclusion of political tyranny, but the witness of their might afford some slight consolation to them in their, anxiety and distress. • ■ , Signs of tho Times. - As observers of tho signs of the times, they did well to bring within tho sphere of their contemplation tho rabidly-unfold-ing pages of historic circumstances, and the trend of present-day .philosophic and scientific thought. . As to the former, tho .uprising of the long oppressed peoples of South-Eastern. Europe, their success in snatching' from tho'. hands of the Church's inveterate' foe 60 largo a portion of -that- Church's desolated inhori 7 tance, must gladden their hearts with the persuasion that Mohammedan rule.' was passing away. In this connection tho Pri-mate-referred to tho important movement for prompting mutual sympathy, understanding, and intercourse between the Anglican and Orthodox Eastern Churches. •On tho side of philosophy and scientific thought, they, might note with thankfulness that men prominent in these departments of inquiry were recognising and acknowledging: that they recognised, that sorao forco, superior to tho more or loss mechanical forces of physical nature was required to'account for tho potency, purpose,- arid rationalitypbservable throughout, .and without, which the underlying mysteries which displayed themselves in nature were inexplicable.' The Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Crossley) was preacher at Evensong, prior to'which tho bishops, clergy, and laity marched in procession through the city to tho Cathedral. , . • >■