DIOCESE OF MELBOURNE. Bishop Perry and Vicar Geoghegan.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 192, 1 April 1848, Page 3

DIOCESE OF MELBOURNE. Bishop Perry and Vicar Geoghegan.

We take the following extiact from the Melbourne Argus of the Bth March:— Bishop Perry and the Papists — A de^eraip commotion has been kicked up amongst the " bi*" wigs" of the Roman Catholic portion of the community, in consequence of the receipt of a letter trow the Bishop of Melbourne, refusing to hold intercourse with Father Geoghegan, the principal lo al digoit.'ry of the Romigh Church. It appears that shortly ),t [tithe arrival of the Stag, Father Geoghegau, who is i noted pi eacher ot the cant of liberality to everybody

but his own Hock, called at the Bishop's temporal y lebidence, and not finding him at home, left bis viti tmg caul in due torin. The Bishop on his return found that L:aonj7 of lieis, and, learned, on enquiry, that the " Veiy Rev. i J . B. Geoghega Vicar Foran," who hod hoiiouied him wi'h a enll, was a Roman Catholic Ckrgyimm ; ho wiote to Fsthsr G. acknowledging the leceipr of lib card, and expressing Im surpuse that a Biihop of the: Chinch wh.ch is regularly evey yeir anathema! lsid by the Papal putliontias should have b ci honoured with a nan of coauraliildtion on hu arrival in his diocebe by a Romish }-nc L .t ; the Bishop dcclaud his perfect willirvness tliateu ly man shoti'd bs allowed to worship God nrcoidin:> to the dirtato of hi'j concience, l)ut as a. pi elate of the. English Protestant Clm/oii, he said he must decline mtercouisc with the R-v. Father, the scriptures wliiuh ho was bound to rec uve a. Ins rule and guide , dcolarniii— Galatioin 1 • 9., " If any man pi each <\uy other gospel miro you t'um that ye ha\a received, In him be acznn>ed." The receipt ofthi3 epistle, which, indeed, might have been anticipate'!, lia-I due weight been attached to the hhh character Bishop Petty brings with him as an uncompiomising evangelical Christian pastor, threw Father Geoghegan and his triendß into a desperate fluster; a cousultatiou was forthwith held, the Bishop's lettei sent back, and nothing is to be he ;rd or now but denunciation 1 ! of the Bishop'n byotij, and mtole ar.ee, which it seems far ou'weii^h any of our little otieuces in this respjet. But it is not : nioug the Romanists alone that the Bishop's letter ijas create! a stir : it has fallen like a tliun' l pi')ol< on the astnuuded f<icul'iss of tho p&eutlo Protj-ianth nlio have ban diliy-cially.ng NHth Poppry tor yeais buci. Eveiy body knows that the Episcopal office is one which has never stood very high in our favour, but all we bee and hear of tbe Bishop of Melbourue uives u« "sa^on to hail its advent in the the province aa n biasing to the cause of genuine I PiotebtanMsni, and makes us reaped the office from jevererce to the man. To the Editor of the Port Phillip Patriot. Sir — I beg you to aftbiJ me an opportunity of J rectifying nussutemen's ot tl«e journals of yesterday I iooinmni re'enin^ to Bishop Pmy and myself; lor which puipos-i a plain recital of the real facts, fey and simple at> rhev are, will suffice. I left for Dr. Peiry a caul of couuesy, aa a mark of respect towauis ; ths laige portion ot mv iellow colonists with whom ha j xtct-ntlj bt-cariie compete i us '.heir Bishop ; indeed the act on my pait was nothms moie than a mindful leeip'Ocation ot the pnhte atlentnn winch I had c\pei.i'need ftoin the der&y and the piincipal members of fie sevciul P. otcsca.it communities on my own. ai rival at Melbourne. The dignified Prelate,wbo was Di. Perry's predecessor, leceived with much kindness a similai visit from me, and acknowledged it in person at my residence ; and so far from tho least imputation ot unbecoming compromise or inconsistency hdving beenutteied against these goodly interchanges, they have been celebrated for jeais in the piovinco, as gratifying prooti, that men may ever so coiibciou • iious>ly and aealously adLr m religion without rancour or interruption of the civilities ot life. My card left for Dr. Perry, simply indicated a conventional act ol courtesy from one gentleman, long res dent, to another gentleman just arrived in the colony, and wat tntnalt/ thsbuciatedfivm any lefercnce, e.vp>es,ed or implied, to the merits of oar respective religion creeds. Dr. ?erry, however, took upon him to acknowledge it in the following written terms :— Southern Cro-s Hotel, 31st Jan., 1848. Veut Rlvd. Sir. — I bag to acknowledge your courtesy in leaving u caid for me at St. James's Parsonage; and I should have much pleasure in returning your cal', il I did not feel myself precluded from doing so, by the consideration of our relative poaitioas towards each other, as Ministers to the Churches of Rome and of England. You must consider me, as a Minister of the latter Church to be under the anathema of the Council of Trent ; while I cannot bnt regard every clergyman of the Church of Rome as guilty of perverting the Gosple of Christ, and therefore, one to whom are applied the words of the Apostle Paul, Gal. i. 8, 9, " Let him be accuiaed." If we he sinceie in the piofession of our respective creeds, we must mutually regard each other as teaching error under the name ot Christianity ; and although we may er.ch believe, that the other is conscientiously persuaded of the truth of the doctiine which he holds, yet the thought that these doctrines are fundamentally contrary to his own, and that one of the two is continually incurring the awful guilt of ministering to the condemnation, instead of to the salvatiou of his peoples would render any social private intercourse between us an occasion of pam latber than of pleasure. I trust that when W3 luppen to meet, we ahall always treat each other with -he courtesy becoming those who piote>,B themselves to be the seivants of the meek and lowly Jesus ; and that while we earnestly contend lor what we respectively bulieve to be the faith oncct committed to the Saints, we remember the admonition given by the Apoatle to Timothy, that the servants of the Lird should not strive, but be gentle unto all men, &c> f hope you will not be offended at this plain statement ot my fuel ings. What I Lave written has reference entirely to your office as a Minister of the Church of Rome. 1 have no Knowledge of you personally ; but I have heard you generally commended for \ our urbanity and discretion ; and my desire and prayer for you is, that if, as I believe, you have erred from the faith, the Lord would give you wisdom to ditce m and courage to embrace the truth. I am, Very Rev. Sir, Your faithful servant in the Lord, (Signed) C. MELBOURNE. The Very Rev. P. B. Geoghegan, Vicar Foran. Had Dr. Peny declined my card, or treated it with slight, 1 should have passively left his course unno ti ced. Violations of the biein'oanccs of life are ever too reflective in themselves to need additional retort : but when hih Lordc'up, by bis letter, so utterly out ot time and plate, obuudad his piejudices ..JJressed ta Himself, and iictitiousiy diiected as an indignity agiin.it my sacred office, I felt myself bound to repulse thai indijnitj by a means most painful to a gentleman — I returned Dr. Peny hib letter »vuh the iolluwinij rtUU'jkfl :—: — " Melbourn, St. Francis', 2nd Fob.. IS 13. My Lord— -1 he Libingcauous opportunity thnt your loid_L;"> has taken noil a i unsuspecting act ot poui'e»y o:i ivy pait, to add re. 1 sto me tae o.'f.ui: ye nipuer (iontaiac'liu voiu ktur. constrains > p c to thi only and uijai. ujtiiilul resou'ee ot itj'uwuij; it, ? cm, !'.)/ L >,d, \oiu luuiole servant I\ ti. 65SOCUEGAN. Tbe Right !>v Dr. P^rry, Bishop ofMclboprne. To t'u-i Mgnihcant couejpondeoca I will meiely add 1st — Th'lD i. J m'f sci.t n teooiul letter, V7lncl», a? I cj.iH not will'ng.v expo'c ia}"!2lf to the possibility o£ ,i scco id mult, wis t!eeh[.e(i unopened. 2naly-~ That wbateve: I mint be i(2vp of the doctrines wind Di. Peny advocates, ,io ai'ule of my faith, fur wiiicii Jim* lea.ly to Livr 1 my lift nyuires r.e to aW\c anaijiema on !'a ,) <rson oi hin i.iotiUs. Sully — Tha \ 'oi^-iy's. U\\ P»ji. v l.\m "jV Uw.t the CUisCj lie ii

yokes upon me, m<\ earnestly pray that they may ncier be iuil'iited to himself. With thanlvs to you, sii, for this aecommooation, lam your obedient servant. P. B. GEOGHEGAN. Melbourne, 9th February, 1818.