DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 261, 30 October 1873, Page 2

DIOCESAN SYNOD.

The annual ineetiog of the Synod was opened yesterday by his Lordship the Prt__ate of New Zealand. The clergy were all present with the exception of the Revs. CO. Males, T. Porritt, and W. Rutherford, and there wap a good attendance- of laity. The roll baying been called, prayers were offered up, and the Primate then delivered the following address: — My Reverend Brethren and Brethren of the Laity, •I must Qonfess to some hesitation in accepting your invitation to preside at this annual meeting of your Synod, chiefly because of my very limited knowledge of the state of your diocese, its peculiar wants, and the means at your disposal for the snpply of those wants; snch knowledge as might haye enabled me to give effectual aid to your deliberations could only have been acquired through an accurate acquaintance with the several parts of the Dio: ese and frequent personal intercourse with the clergy and laity. But to this I can make no pretensions, nor do I imagine it was expected of me when I was invited, in the absence of your Bishop, to take his place in this Synod Rather I may assume that it was because of my official connection with this Diocese as Primate of the Branch of our Church in this colony — an office which no doubt has its duties in relation to all parts of that Church.- Some.of these duties have been already prescribed by its general representative body; and there are others not yet defined, attached to it by immemorial custom or by what may be called the common law of the Church Catholic, and among these may be included the care of vacant Dioceses,, .or, in the absence of its Bishop, the discharge Of certain duties pertaining to his office The selection of a3istop=to._)iePrimacy of a Provincial; Church no doubt'had its origin in the necessities of the Church in its earliest, days, and these necessities mpy at any "time bceva, and are certain to occur in^ the colonial Churches; you had therefore a jnst claim upon my services at the present time; and hence^lhough fully conscious of my inability to direct and .advise you, j&," your own Bishop would have done, I considered that I was in duty bound to. accept yonr call upon me: - -And I think also that my presidency in your Synod may be of some importance as marking very -distinctly the unity of the -Provincial Church, notwithstanding its division into separate Diocesan Churches, each under its own Bishop and Synod, and their comparative independence of each other; for there can he no question that the office which J. hold was instituted to represent and to promote this unity. My fellowship therefore with you in your diocesan counsels testifies to the fact of the oneness of our faith and discipline, and I trust also will remind us of the duty of striving to maintain it alike by our loyal ad- . herence to the decisions of our General Synods, and our hearty co-operation with other Dioceses in whatever may tend to the edification and welfare of our Church. The welfare indeed of each part of the Church is inseparably connected with that of other parts, and there is no surer indication of real religious life in any of its parts tban its care and active interest for other parts; and such care and interest are especially due to those who are associated with us in the same household of faith. But we are met^at this time chiefly for diocesan purposes, and 'what I have said of the mutual obligations of love and service among the several Dioceses of our Provincial Church has special force in their application to those who are living in the same diocese; and if I dwell more particularly on those obligations which the members of thia Diocese owe to. one, another, it is because of the tendency td which' we are all liable to look each of us too much to our own things to the neglect of the things of others. There is always, indeed, much reason to fear that the interests even „pf.t hose who are most religiously disposed, will he _ frequently., narrowed to theniselvcs or their own congregations or parishes^and little' room be'therefore left' fjpr the consideration'of others who ark destitnteof those advantages which they h&jeJleaThed to value so highly. There is pf course a scale of comparative obligation which must not be overlooked in the exercise of our liberality for religious purposes; Our families,-, our neighbors, our respective parishes or places of residence have doubtless a more urgent claim upon us than those beyond their limits; but as the .progress of .Christ's religion in our own heart* stands above all things in the growth of the principle of love, and that principle is essentially of a diffusive nature, our duties to others must necessarily be ever on the - increased, and , they certainly shonld reach to those who are in communion with, us in our own diocese : -We inherit from our Mother Church what we ■■•call the parochial system, under which a Diocese ia parcelled out int • separate Cures, and each Cure is placed, if possible, under the charge of a separate minister; and I take it for granted that in this.Diocese there are several of these Cures . with their Churches and settled congregations in full possession and enjoyment of the ministrations • of our church; and there is much wisdom in this system, for the souls of men need something more than occasional religious services, such as may be given by the transitory visits of itinerant Clergyman, though such visits are of inestimable value, inasmuch as they remind the scattered

members of the Church of their responsibilities as men and Christians, which, hut for such visits might be altogether forgotten in the keen pursuit of their worldly interests. Every encouragement therefore should be given as doubtless it is in this Diocese,/tp the function of separate* cures, when, if Clergymen enn be obtained for such, they may give themselves wholly to their work with that sense of definite responsibility which can only be created by fixed and settled cures. But, do what we can tor thia object, there will necessarily be for '.many ! years to come in our colonial Dioceses extensive districts and scattered populations, which cannot be dealt with in this way, anti districts also -which have been parochially organised which will require assistance from without if they are to participate in any degree in those ministrations which may he enjoyed without stint by the residents in the settled cures. Here then is a very distinct call upon the* congregations in such cures to remember the obligations which they owe to their fellow-churchmen, to enlarge their sympathies, to look beyond themselves and their parochial, as well as personal, religious needs and comforts, in a word, to take upon themselves, as they are bound to do for their Master's sake, nay, I would add, for their own spiritual growth and safety, some definite share in helping those whose necessities cannot be supplied without their assistance. If I am pot mistaken, an attempt has been made ia this diocese to raise a general church fund by quarterly subscriptions. A similar attempt has been made in my own diocese, but as yet with only partial success. There can, however, be no question that a fund of this sort, applicable to diocesan purposes generally, is the most effectual provision for those wants which are so pressing in every colonial diocese, and which perhaps is even of greater importance than increase of dio. esan resources, is the most likely means of impressing upon the scattered members of the chuxch that sense of the fact and obligation of their corporate existence which is so needful to the edification and growth of every Christian society. We propose therefore, persevering in our attempt to work on in faith, notwithstanding past discouragement, and I shall be thankful if any word of mine should aid in so good a work in this diocese. Its success in our case, as I doubt not in yours, will depend much upon the efforts of individuals, who, in their* several congregations may be willing to make it their business to interest their fellow-churchmen in the work of the diocese, and to act as collectors of their periodical subscriptions, and surely we may expect to find in every congregation some Christian men and women who have enough zeal and energy for' such a labor of love, and who, notwithstanding their professional or domestic engagements, could, with a little self-denial, make for themselves opportunities for it. It is mujh to be hoptd that the time may come (and we may each of us do something to hasten it) when all in our diocesan churches who are able to give anything will contribute to this general fund in reeoenition ot their church membership, and in thankfulness for it, and that too irrespectively of any benefit that they mey individally or parochially hope to derive from it. All experience shows that contributions to such a fund may be made without any diminution of what may be needed for local pur pot es. They whose hesrts have been enlarged to give to it from a sense of duty because they are associated members of a Christian Body will not be backward in exerting themselves for those parts of the Body/ wish which they are more immediately connected. But something more is needed than a well supporter! general fond. Living agents are re-mired for aU Christ's work; clergymen to give themselves wholly to it. and even if such be multiplied, there will always he work to be done preparatory to their more pecu'iar work, and supplementing an*l supporting it, nnd thi-r can he done by none more effectually than by the lay members of the church. The asßistnnce rendered by them in this diocese ns readers and catechists, as in my own. have been of the greatest valut-, and encourages the hope that an increasing sense of their Christian responsibilitifs will induce many more to s-rve in lhe same offices. There is indeed a : divirely-appointed distinction bi-twr-en the Christian minister >md the Christian layman; each holds a definite' position in the Church, both / however have a mission in it for the especial benefit of others, and though this is more distinctly marked by the ■ ffice of minister, and/he has special junctions and duties on which no layman may intrude, yet every layronnis chargeable in his degree with the spiritual welfare, of his brethren, and may ire a most able he'per- to the weak, and a fellow- labourer with God's minister in contending for the faith, ppreading itp hallowing influence, in. teaching the young and ignorant, and in convening sinners from the error of their ways, and they who set ihis be.ore them, as their duty, and pursue ie with a single eye to the glory of God, and with due regard to the unity of the Church, and therefore in accordance with her. rules, deserve the most grateful and respectful affection of a'l wbd~* desire that she may accomplish the work for which she has been appointed by her Divine Master. I have spoken of Catechists as well as Lay Readers, and the interests of religious education in this and in other Dioceses give great importance to their services. We seem, indeed, to have been brought to the position of the Church in her early days when the religious instruction of the • young necessa? ily devolved upon teachers appointed by her, ' We car not now, except perhaps in a few cases,' hope to combine in one educational system Teligious and secular instruction In the- school lite of children, such . instruction must be kept apart, and be given at different times and by different persons, and our best thanks are due to those of our lay brethren and sisters who will aid in what I am 'sure we must all consider-as essential to education. in the full and proper sense of the word. * j If* lam riahtly informed, .religious instruction may be given in the schools of this province after school hours, and there may perhaps be schools where the children may be conveniently detained for this, but there is much reason to fear that such inetru< tion- will he simply regarded hy them as a wearisome addition to their ordinary tasks, j and the result-may be. something. like aversion to religion itself! It has been sogers' ed, therefore, and there seems tr-. be much wisdom in the suggestion, that an effort should be made to assemble the children, at least the elder of them, at the churches of their respective districts, on some one day. of the week, if at no other time on a week dav evening, and there to take them though a course of dirtct religious instruction. In the churches they might certainly meet their ministers and teachers without let or hindrance,, and with a- little care the instruction given might be made as ai tractive as it would be useful,' especially if it should take tbe lorm of the public catechising of ancient days, which history tells us was so instrumental in spreading a scand knowledge of religious truth nnd in deepening religious lite. If conducted with euch reverence as befits the houses of God and with appropriate prayers and hymrs it would surely gather about it those holy associations vhich exercise perhaps as lasting an influence on the impressible minds of the young as direct religious instruction, it is quite possible raoi cover that suoh catechisings might be attended by the parents and the elder relatives of the children, and so the instruction, more especia ly i tended for the young, might become the meens of instilling into their minds much precious knowledge which hitherto perhaps had nevei been fully received or had been forgotten. I think this suggestion is deserving of some consideration, because it is evident that the Clergy with their present Sunday duties can take hut lißtle share, if any, in the conduct of their Sunday schools; that in point of fact, though, next to their parents, they are the persons chiefly . responsible for the religious education of the younger members of. 'heir _o_k, they are compelled to delegate to others one of the most important of their pastoral duties if religious teaching be limited to the Sunday. They can, it is true, ssi-ist the teachers in their preparation for teaching, and this is a matter of great importance, but still this alone can hardly satigfy the require-

ments nnd- expectations of the church, or their own sense of duty. But I must not detain you any longer from the busiuess for which you have now met. I have dwelt chiefly— but I feel very inadequately on some matters of general interests but. such as I believe concern the welfare ol the church of this Diocese no less than that of others We need the personal services of all the earnest-minded members of our Communion, Lay ni well as Clerical, if the church in any Diocese is to fulfil ita mission. It i 3 only by united nctioii that the' work of the church can be ' effectually carried on, : and we muet not think that we sre taking our due share in its work it we stand ap^rt from one another, and follow out paths or usefulness which we have chosen for ourselves and .".ffer our own fashion, without reference to our relations , to each other as members of one .und the same spiritual body auy more than we en hope to succeed in what wo undertake without the help of Him from whom alone all success must come. The officers for the year having been appointed, and the report of tha Standing Committee read, J,he Rev. T. FiaveU moved: — Tbat tbia Synod deeply sympathises with Mrs Rusz io Use early and sudden death of her son, the Rev. W. D. Rusz, late Curate of Charleston. Mr Baruicoat aod the Rev. G. H. Johnstone spoke in high terms of the deceased, aud the motioD was carried u&aniir.ously. The report of the Standing Committee was then considered in Committee, and the Synod adjourned at 11 p.ui^jmtil this afternoon. '.. . . Jr^\