ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor of the "New Zealander."

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 568, 24 September 1851, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor of the "New Zealander."

Sir, — A correspondent in your paper of last Saturday, subscnbing himself " A Member of (lie Church of England Sect," seems mo^t anxious that not only himself but every other member of the Church of England should be considered sectarians. As an humble member of that Church I must beg to be excused from being so designated. I never yet beard that Walker was any authority for the definition of terms, nnd many persons deny that he is of much value for the coirect pionounciation of the English language, to which alone he pietended. Dr. John Ogilvie, in his '' Impeiial Dictionary," published by Blaclne and Son, Edinburgh, 1850, the latest antl, in many respects, the best work of the kind — who has taken Webster for his basis — gives the following; definition of the woul : — '' Sect, (from Latin Seco, to cut off, to separate), a body or number of persons who follow some teacher or leader, or are united in some settled tenets, chiefly in philosophy or religion, but constituting- a distinct party by holding sentiments different from those of otliei men. Any body which sepaiates from the established religion of a country." Wub regard to the quotation from St Paul's speech, the Apostle there makes the admission that lie had been a Sectarian, having lived a Pharisee, the Phaiisees i)eing a Sect amongst the Jews, holding, in some matters, opinions at variance with those of their co-rehgiomsK Your correspondent must look for better arguments to support his view of the case. A Mlmbbr or the Ciiuncii or England but not of a Seci. September 22nd, 1851.

To the Editor of the " New Zealandeh." Sin,-— Without wishing to pbilologise on the meaning of " Sect," or on its literal applicability to the Church of England in this colony, I must observe that it was an unhappy and offensive term for a Colonial Legislature to select und"r which to class that Church — a Church established by law in our native country, and whose temporal head here is Her Gracious Majesty. The etymology of the word " Sect" means "cut off ;'' its conventional acceptatiou is the same ; and the bad taste of applj-'iig such a teim to our Church, whose Bishop is appointed by the Sovereign of the realm, is obvious and indefensible, — especially where so many other terms as "pei suasion," " denomination," &c, could have been so easily chosen. The result of this gratuitous offence to the feelings of Members of the Church of England will probably lesult in a difficult and imperfect collection of the Census in that respect. I remain, Sir, A Mlmblr or me Chuiicii or England.