The Church of England in Australasia.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 494, 8 January 1851, Page 2

The Church of England in Australasia.

We have already laid before our readers a somewhat comprehensive digest of the proceedings and conclusions of the late Conference of Bishops at Sydney, on several important matters of doctrine and discipline. A few points remain, however, in order to complete the view which we proposed to give of the substance of these important " Minutes." The portion we now address ourselves to has reference principally to the performance of the various Services of the Church. It was agreed that the Bishop of eac^rf Diocese might at his discretion authorise clergymen to divide the Morning Service, by using either the Morning Prayer, the Litany, or the Communion Service separately, — each service so used, however, to be read entire. .... When the Communion cannot be administered in a Church or other building duly licensed for the celebration of Divine Service, it " may be administered in such places as necessity shall require.''. . . .No clergyman shall have authority at his own discretion to "abridge or alter any of the occasional services of the Church." Passing over some minor regulations respecting Saints' Days and matters of detail, we find the Offertory so far recommended as that, in the judgment of their Lordships, "No clergymen can justly be suspected at variance with the sound teaching of the Church" in consequence of his observing its performance according to the Rubric. As respects Sponsors, it is urged on the Clergy to use earnest endeavours to make such impressions on their flocks as may lead to the providing of suitable persons for that office. There aie several regulations on the subject of Marriage. The Bishops hold, as might have been anticipated, that the Table of " Prohibited Degrees" of 1563 is obligatory, so * that any Clergyman solemnizing matrimony between parties related in any of those Degrees would " violate the Law of the Church," and the persons so marrying would be " liable to be repelled from the Holy Communion until they have repented and be reformed.". .. .In the Bishops' opinion, Ministers of the Church of England ought not to solemnize marriage between persons neither of whom belong to their own communion, except in cases where the marriage could not without extreme difficulty be solemnized in any other way.... Without denying the validity of marriages solemnized in any legal manner, — "provided that they be not contrary to the laws of the church," — it is earnestly impressed on members of the Church of England that they should have their marriages solemnized in no other Avay than according to the rites of their own Churcjn .... Caution is urged on the clergy in the solemnization. As this subject has general interest, we quote the entire words :—: — I 1. We desire to draw the attention of the Clergy to I the necessity of exeicising due caution before they I proceed to solemnize marriage. I

2. AYe therefore recommend that the bands be tlnice published, except in case of mairiage by license, once at least in the licensed place of wot ship which is neai- ' est to the residence of the parties desiring to be mairied. 3. And that the Registers of Marriage, Baptism, and Burial be accurately kept, and copies sent at the times requhed by Law. As respects the " Churching of Women," the judgment is that that service "is not intended to be used for persons who are living in such a state as would justify the Minister in repelling them from the Holy Communion." The subject is closed by an expression of opinion respecting " Ministering to Dissenters." As this touches a very vexed question, we give it entire • — We are of opinion that the general principle of Coloni'll Legislation, by which the equality of all religions denominations is recognized, releases the Clergy of the Church of England in these colonies fiom the obligation to perform religious sei vices for peisons who are not members of our own Church. We can have no hesitation in saying that ive think this, on the whole, an equitable rule, although we can easily conceive of cases in which its ligid enforcement would inflict pain and be accounted a hardship. But the Bishops have rightly touched the point which constitutes the grand difference between England and the Colonies in this matter. Here there is no established Church, — " the equality of all religious denominations is recognized," — and the freedom which is possessed by the people at large, should not be withheld from the clergy. For instance, if a clergyman refuses to bury a child because it has not been baptized by an Episcopal^' ordained Minister, we may think him wrong : in England, the law would distinctly pronounce him wrong: but here, where he stands on an equal footing with other Ministers in these respects, there is no reason — unless in some special case — why he should be censured for acting in accordance with his own views and feelings in such a matter.

Sabbath Schools in Auckland. — On Wednesday the Annual Treat to the children of the Wesleyan Sunday School (to -which we adverted in our number of that day) took place. The proceedings were conducted in the School Room, the uncertain state of the weather debarring the little folk from that indulgence in the open air which they had enjoyed on similar occasions before. Various examinations of their progress were gone into, and several addresses appropriate to the occasion were deliveied by the Rev. T. BuDDLEand other friends. The attendance at this School we are informed amounts to the gratifying number of 180. In connection with the Institution there is a Library containing upwards of 400 volumes of religious and other instructive and valuable works } and it is pleasing to know that amongst j the teachers and scholars ninety-two avail themselves of its advantages by being readers of those books. There is here, we may con- ! fidently anticipate, the sowing of seed, good fruit from which will appear in future years. — A Juvenile Festival of a corresponding character was held on the following day (Thursday) in connection with the Primitive Methodist Sunday School, at which about sixty children were present. The proceedings on this occasion, however, bore rather the character of a rehearsal, preparatory to the regular Anniversary intended to be held about the time of the approaching opening of the Chapel in course ot erection by the Primitive Methodists. But everything, we are informed, gave cheering indications that, through this channel also, streams of religious and moral knowledge are flowing into the midst of our youthful population.