THE DUNEDIN BISHOPRIC

Dunstan Times, Issue 345, 4 December 1868, Page 3

THE DUNEDIN BISHOPRIC

! The following letter from the Lord Bishop of Litchfield {Bishop Selwyn) has Been handed to ns for publication: For the Rural Deanery Board of Otago and Southland. 1 S.S. Hero—at. sea, October 22, IRGB. My dear Mr. Edwards, The question of Bishop Jenner ha" received our most careful attention; hnt as I have rot hcen instructed to communicate to you officially the decision of the Synod, I shall ooriinc myself to a statement of my own opinion, I. The following facts appear to he admitted hv all: — I. That Dr. Jenner was nomin to' hy the e Archbishop of Canterbury, at my request. 11. That he sirned the Declaration of Obedience to the laws of the General Sy--0 n >d—“ in consideration of being appointed Bishop of Dunedin*” t 111. That the Declaration thns signed hy him was read by the Stan ing Commission of the General Synod and recorded upon y their minutes. o IV. That the Cl 200 or £I3OO was collected g | by me in the Provinceof Otago, in the name j and for the use of tr. Jeuncr, as Bishop of a I Dunedin. P 1 V. That all these various preliminaries it wore carried out, without any remonstrance

rejection, on personal grounds, in England, n Dunedin, or before the Standing Comaission. VI. That during the course of these preceding there was an interval of time amply ufficient to allow objectors, if they had risked, to petition the Archbishop of Uaner’viry ‘o "oitpone the cons'cradon. VIL That Dr. Jenner was consecrated nme months after the above transactions on he 241 i Angus*, IS id, with the c msent of he Secretary of the State for the Colonies, iv Royal Mandate, in lieu of Lit ers Pa:cnt. 11. It. appears hv the minutes of the Seect Committee appointed hy the General ivnod, that it was acc rite las a principle ;o mi : e their proceedings—- »“ That the bur len of woof should rest inon the opponents of Bishop Jenner.” The Committee seems, therefore, to have •eeosnised him as in possession, “defacto,” it least, of the office of Bishop of Dunedin; md to have called unon his onponents to di iw cause whv he sboul 1 not en'er upon he duties of his office. Three objections ni'dit have been raised by the opponents of Bishop Jenner. I. The want of rbm formality in the aninintine't, according to tho law of the Sonera) Syno 11. Chorees against Dr. Jenner, on the ground of doctrine or f tual. 111. The insaffieienev of the endowmei t :uud, and other difficulties of a pecuniary kind. On the first noin f , nothing is said in the report of the C.immlGee; and when I attende 1 as a witness, I was not asked any 'lues! m on this su l.ject, though I was able and ready topivemnch information upon it. On the second point, no question was asked ;>f me, nor was any mention madeof it in tho report of the C i nmittee, except to say that they hj d thought it necessary to inquire into the changes of ri'ualistic excess brought against B shon Jenner; and, further, that charges of that nature would be likely to m-eiu ice the collection of the Endowment Fund. On the tid’d point, viz., the insufficiency of the income of the Bishopric, and other pecuniary difficulties, questions wereaske ; lint certainly the answers which I pave were not intended to lead the Committee to the c meUision to which th<>v seem to have arrived—'hat these difficulties are such as ea-ipot Pe overcome. 111. I feel, therefore, that nothi-’p has been prove by anv opponent of Bishop ■Tenner, which ou'dit to debar him from enter'll’ upon thedutie-of his office, whenever a sufficient income, char of all incumbrances, can be supplied. In consideration of being appointe 1 Bishop of Du-edin. he has signed a general deelara'inn of obedience r,, the laws of the General Syno ■. lie has farther sba'ed his willinmicss to be bound by that- promise, as applicable to the question of Ritual, on which oldecHons have been rase against him. 11 is statements to that effect have already been accented by manv, who before the arrival of his letters, had opposed tin appointment. The Constitution to which ho thus submits himself was framed to protect as well as to restrain the I office-bearers of the Church. The Oonsti- I tutiop requires that all grave charges against | anv office-bearer shall he referred to a trilm- I nnl. In this case there have been no tribu- i mil, no charges, no evi cnee, no respondent, j ami no opportunity of defence. All the obpa’tions a h'ged in tho Report of the Committee relate to pecuniary 'ifficulties, which mav bo removed at any time by the unite I art : op cf Bishop .Tenner’s friends in England nr J ’ \ New Zealand. IV. In t.he absence of any definite charge or i -uporalde ifilenllv. nvh -s en- p, t to exclude Dr. Jenner from tha Bishopric of Dunedin, wo nil concurred in the renuest that, fur the sakoof (hepeaoe of the Church lie won d resi m his claim. But this argument of peace has a ■ cubic aspect. Bishop Jcn-er may claim of his opponents with grater justice that, hr the sake of the peace of the Church, thev show d withdraw their opposition. If he has dou» anything unlawful accordingto the law of *he Chu-eh itljiglm lot it, be proved. That lie will do nothing ag: inst. the laws of ihc Church in Now Zealand, wo have his own solemn promises which we are brn’'d to believe. Any breach of that, promise (it is scarcely necessary to aid! by his own written covenant, wunl 1 make him liable to the forfeiture of h’s Eishooric. For his s: kc then, ,a"d for the ".aka of tin Sen id, and for the sake of the peace of the chil-ch, I do most earnestly entreat mv • car friends and brethren in the Rural Dean nr of ft - o and Sm hla- d to withdraw their opposition, and to accept. Dr. Jenner as their Bishop. This way of peace is more complete than the other, - because it will bring to an end all controversial discussions, and will obviate (ho necessity of electing another Bishop; and above a-U, because it will show that we have ennfi cnce in the power of our Svnodieal system to restrain these excentriciHes of private z’al which have disturbed the peace of the Church at II ome I remain, my dear brethren, your affecttionate friend and pastor, G. A. I.iTciiFiri.D axdN, Zealand.