Original Correspondence. PROCEEDINGS of the BISHOPS in SYDNEY. Letter II.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 526, 30 April 1851, Page 3

Original Correspondence. PROCEEDINGS of the BISHOPS in SYDNEY. Letter 11.

To the Editor of the New Zealander. Sir, — Tile doctrine propuun-ied in the Sydney Mm ires is, that the Regeneidlion of infants tn Baptism it absolute and unconditional, n irrespective of any fhinp^otte or said by any one; provided only that the mini.* ir uses a particular form in the administration of that rite. By this doctrine we are to understand that every child baptised in the immenie Roman Catholic continent of South America by its dark and stmi-u<'athe(i priests; every child baptized in the de?e»erate chinches on the M-tlib-ir Const in India; every child baptised in the as nearly debased systems of the Greek and the Roman Catholic Churches in Europe— all these are unequivocally and altogether regenerate. Ttiu 18 a bold doctrine to affirm dogmatically, while the Scripture has not given even one solitary direct Btitement on the subject, and while the very doctrine of the propriety of baptising children rest* only on inferences and analogies. Their Lordships seem to have noticed nothing con* trary to their theory in the Articles of our Chutch, (viz., Article* xxv. and xxvii.} ; hut they found some words in the Catechism winch they adtoitly employed at expressing their «entiment«. They seem also to have met with something in the Catechism that did not exactly square with their views of unconditional regeneration. They found that a hading office of the Sp"tisois was to "promise and vovr three thing*" in the child's name; and a little farther on, they observe the following question and answer,— Question. "Why then are infanti baptised, when by reason ot their tender a»e they cannot perform (hem r" (i.e., the conditions specified in the preceding an-wer.) Ansiver. "Because they promise them both, (i c., to fulfil the two things required,) by their sureties ; wh'ch promise, when they coma to age, themselves are bound to perform." This »eeais to imply a condition ; and if baptism be placed on a condition, unconditional, absolute regeneration falls to the ground, I certainly ilo not admire the way in which their Lordships have endeavoured to get over the difficulty. TVy say, "But remembering the words of our Lord instituting the Holy Sacrament of B iptism, (Mat. xsviii 19 20,) which enjoin that they who are b-ipised are to be made disciples and to be taught, we ate of opinion that whensoever an infant is baptised, an insurance ou ir i't to be given at the same time on its bebalt by some one or more bap ised persons, that it will bi brough up in the faith of Christ." A very imperfect and vague shadowing forth this, of the sponsori,»l office, so clearly lad down by our Church; and the most superficial reader cannot but inquire, — Why do no' their Lordships recogn ze the most essential part of the office of the god-parents, viz., the promising the conditions of faith and repen'ance in the name of the child 1 The answer to this question I am unable to supply. The Bi-bop of Melbourne, who was present at their discussions and who therefore wa> aware of the ex«ct drift of their words, supplies, in hi«. admirable enrrec tive remaiks, the tius reason for the bapmm of children; " because they promise faith and lepeutauce by their sureties." — I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, A Clergyman,

To the Editor of the New Zealander. Sift,— l have 'been much impressed with the illustration* presented in the columns of your contemporary tins morning, of the policy of the mischief making clique of which the Soutke,7i Cross is the organ, and such of its correspondents sis " Ji^titia," anil a " Subscriber to the Letter to Mi. Parris and Others,''— (if indeed the lucubrations under bolt* signatures do not, as I more than suspect they do. proceed from tlie game lofty patriot 1 ! pen) -the sympathisers and abettors Not content with the discord they have already from lime to time fomented, aud the real, tangible ewl, which, as was stated by your correspondent " An Old Settler," they have denionstrably done to this Dm. trict and Province, they are still evtr on the watch for opportunities lo mar Ihebeneficial efforts of others; and, if in addition to the enjoyment o( hindering and vnuperatinfj everything that is not submitted in all it-, parts totheii own dictation, there is an opportunity ot vitUfying Sir George Gey—thenG ey— then there is no subterfuge too shabby, no contortion too gross, no inconsistency even with themselves too glaring (o prevent their seiz ng upon it with a floating appetite. The Editor of the Cro-,3 and ''A Subscriber," sing a duet of complacent laudation to the aforesaid Editoi himself, as having originated the idea of extending the Scripholdcrs, privilege of selection to the Province of New Ulster. The right of pioperty in any proposal of really practical and practicable usefulness, especial'y in the dealing! between the Governor and the people, may well be jealously guarded by your contempo rary, it so seldom falls to his lot to be able to advance a cUirn ol the kind that would not be laughed at by the community. In this case, however, his claim cannot be allowed. The tacts are, that as t,uon as the dratt oi the New Zealand Company's L nd Claimants Bill was printed, Sir Geo.ge Grey caused copies of it to b; circulated amongst the parties in this neighbourhood who were known to have land claims in New Munster or New Plymouth. Several of th&Taratwki peop'e who happened to be here, saw at once the nature of the restriction in the choice of land under which it would place them, and, without any »uch stolid insensibility respecting their own wi-hes and interests asymr contemporary by implication imputes to them, (when be arrogates to himself the merit of h*vmg made the fml sug<e»iion on the subject,) 'hey promptly their 'views to the G.«c<.ruor-in~CMef Then h was that his Exce lency mentioned the difficulty— that the settleis in this Province might pobSibiy objrct ; aud he wont bo far as W suggest to Mr. Smart that the Tara-

naki claimants, or even himself individually, should inemnnalize the Council. Had the C'ro?s never enliihtened the world with a ray, the identical steps which. hn\e been taken would have been adopted. Indeed, even before the circulation here of the draft Bill, the abstiMct of it which had been brought by the Lucy James to Tirinaki (m the Government Gazette) had led to a consultation amongst the settlers on the spot with reference to the matter. But look at the point in another aspect. "A Subcc iber" expresses a benevolent anxiety that no '• nevr bune of contention" should be thrown between the Southern ami the Northern settlers ; but he takes a. 'ad w>y of showing his sincerity, when he tries to mnk«s the impteasion that the journalists here were the movers in the matter, and that the Taranaki people only acted as they were incited by those " interested orimvis." It is well that the true state of the case, as you have yourself, Sir, stated it on Saturday last, is so notoriously true as to refute this notion, and to shew our " friends at the South" that indeed "they would not Ivive the shadnw of a plea" for making the charge. " A Subsciiber" higned the letter to Mr. Parris, hut under a new bom sen«e of honour and propriety refuses to Bi^n the Memorial, and indiijnHntly exclaim* " Let us have nothing to do with it !" Why so ? VVht-rein <loej the Memorial differ from the Letter, excent in being moulded into a shape in which it can c me with technical regularity before the Legislature I Let \our readers refer to the copies of both documents as lliev appealed in the last New Zealunder, and they will see at a glance that they are identical except j in form, and that there is no possible ground on which. i a man who signed the one could consistently object to auin the other, — except indeed he had in the meantime ' alteied his \iews on the abstract merits of the case,— 1 which •' a Subset iber" does not pretend to have done. —Though callrd in the usual phraseology a Memo* rial, it re a'ly contains no prayer of any sort or kind : it is meiely an expression of opinion such as it might appear presumptuous to address so almost dictator!al'y to tbe Legislature, if the appearance of presump* tion were not prevented by the circumstance of its having arisen out of the peculiari'y of the case, and its having been done on the suggestion of the Governor himself. The animus towards Sir George Grey which breaks out in the comments both of the Fditor and his correspondent is too plain to require particular notice. I shall not argue with those who are so blinded by their pre-derennination to impute bad motives to Iris Excellency in everyhinn as to believe (if inderd they really do believe) that he promoted the present step with a dicplaid purpose of by it, creating dissension between the Southern and Northern Settlers,— such being the more than insinuated accusation preferred by "a. Subscriber." At all events, the Taranaki people will iee that, if they succeed in their tequest, they will be under no debt of gratitude to those who would now if they could swamp the Memorial on which— as they have learned ! fiom Sir Geoige Grey himself— their success may, in I a considerable degree, depend — I am Sir, &c, &c. I Fair Play.