CHURCH OF ENGLAND CONSTITUTION IN NEW ZEALAND. [From the "Wellington Spectator," April 11]

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 634, 12 May 1852, Page 3

CHURCH OF ENGLAND CONSTITUTION IN NEW ZEALAND. [From the "Wellington Spectator," April 11]

A mpptiiifr of I lit* menihi'is of'ho Church of England uv,^ hold, in St. Paul's School ltoom, on \Vedin is.'].ij' c\uiiirif, the 7th ia-.tmt. 'i ho mooiino having; hvon iipciii-ii l>v <lif 11 im . I'-. YVl.cflu with pi 1301, on (ho mnt.on of Ah. St Iliil, <-ih'oikl< d i>y the ltuv. 12. Wheeler, Mr. D. VvaKelield u->k lht> cha.r. 'rho Chaumun liavia^ opeiu-d the buiiaoas of the hum up; AirlnlfMcon lla<!fiil I :nd he v i^licd, \i he bliould not bv 1 t n i(l"itd out "to't o' ' ), to |iiiij)'i c ,u> niiKMidnionl lo ■i mv- ilu'i vi, jui-scil il ,i (vi mt i l'n i iiii'j, t o t!ie elici t ibaL ,i <ni in.itfoe he r>>; .iii.te I (o p'^l.tio.i ihe Im^eiuil V,v1i j'liiit to <r\an\ to tln> inciiihiMi. of the Chinch of I'/i^luiii la Sew Z "l.nil iho nee ss,uy poi\t"s lo J 1) iii- ,{<•<' ill ii oiwi m'tiii'l .iO.ui s J1 />-> inondm 'if t\ t-, il'fif iluy huciild .i >|>lv (o the Culom il Lt^;i .Kttuic r ,i biioli |io\\oi..is t'ii'-\ cotiiii iM.mi, ;.ru! it ihe^e \mio Idiiiu' to lio ipsiitii X ,it, tli v couJd ilien apj/!} lo tie iinjHiinl i'( th.iHiciu loi uoh iui'liu poucibas nn^lit l)(> di'tMiKi'. uece-- >i\. Mi- (oviM not t«\> uly lli> y tboulil not olMnin '1 ih>'>' v.n^ted h, in liv Coloni. 1 L' i i-Ki'tiii', (Inn .i 'jihiu! nj iiivie tliin -in ''poking

' Cninp\.iv 0' ot'ior society who applied for leo^l poweis | locuh i>ut tl c object-, tin winch they weiea>sucii eel ; j i( tl'py i% ait; d 101 an enactment by the Impel i.v PnihaI jj'unt hv ieai.-d tli.it a long time would elapse befoie [ t!j y obtained it. Mr. Itumond felt great diffidence in d.Jß.nng fioin the Archdeacon as to the exped'erc} of applying foi any poweib to the Colonial ]>»iilatuie. No one could bo moie anvious than himself f o bee Homo foirn of Chinch Government established in New Zealand, immedntply if possible, but ho very niuih feaied if they proceeded unilei any other poweis than those given l.y the Impend Parliament, they would be setting up :t Chinch ,of th. ir own, aiid not a branch of die Mother Chiiich. He should prefer submitting to any delay lather than run such a ml; ; if their appl'cation to l\nlinin.'at was tiiey might then seek lor poweis ehseu here, but he telt strongly opposed to any alteration lying made in the resolution. Archdeacon Hadfiekl did not etc much weight in Mr. Hajmord's objection. In the couise he had buglieated it was not intended (o mteiieie with anything that would cause u idlimg oft horn the Chinch of England. The English Ecclesiastical law was not applicable to New Zealand, and they had therefore nothing to do with it hut the Ecclesiastical law was in many ways mixed up with ihe common law, and so far as it affected them, he imagined a Colonial Legislature could easily provide a remedy. Any act obtained iiom Ihe Local Legislnture would not, ofrouise.be brought into opeicition until it leceivdltlie Royal assent, and he mu-t confess he could allow but little weight to tho objection made by the pievtous speaker. A ftei *oiiie luithpr discussion in winch Mi. Raymond, Mr. Moot, nud Mi. Allon took pait, Aicbdeacon Hadheld t-a d he h,.d no dosiie that the petition to Parliament should be «ba»doned, on the contrary he thought t'us petition would be otict.gthene I by the recommendation of (he Local Legislative; they niijiht in tho mean time obtain hoin the Loud Lcgi>.latiiie such powers as they couki giant, if the extent of which he was not aware, but which bo had no doubt would be sufficient to enable them to bet matteis m tram with but little fuither delay. Sir Geovge'GiP} aatd that having lecently heatd the matter now under discussion talked over in the other Settlements, he be ieved he was correct in stating that the view generally taken in the other selllemimis was that exinessed by the Aichdeacon , at the same time he owned tint he was unpiepaietl 10 espiCoS an opinion how im the power of Hie Local Legis'atuie extended iv the matter. It was a new and veiy interesting as well as important subject, and he thought it behoved them to give it all the consideration in theii power. He did think, therefoie, that it was woith a trial ; at any rate it would do i.o harm to obtain the lecommeridation of our Colonial Legislature t<) the Imperial Parliament to giant the poweis lequhed. Mr. Raymond «aid that after the full and satisfactory d.bcussion'that had taken place, he would readily with, draw any opposition to the amendment, as he under* st)otl an Act of Parliament would, under any encumbtanco, he applied for. It was th *n moved by Archdeacon Iladfield, second, d by Mr. St. II ill, that the following be added to tho ouginal resolution — " That the Committee about to be elected do likewis e piepare a memorial to the Local Legislatuie to pass an Act on the same subject." Th* following- gentlemen were elected a Committee for the above puipose, with power to add to their number — " Mr. D. Wakefield, Mr. Tvplham, Mr. Mooro, Mrliiandon, Mr. St. Hill, Captain Rhodes, Mr. B,uiand> Mr. ifickson, Mr. Allen, Mi. Carkeek, Mr. Milk, MiRajmond." It was also resolved that the Committee be instructed to add to tiieir number the officiating clergyman of Wellington. Moved by Mi St. Hill, seconded by Lieut.-Colonel M'Clererty— " That the Committee be instructed to communicate with the other settlements upon the subject of the Church Constitution now under consideration." Sir Geoige Grey thought it would be well if the names, of some of the middling and humbler classes of the community were added to the list of the pioposed Committee. Amongot such persons there weie many zealous and c cii .usly rlUpo&ed men— and he was very desirous that in New Zealand the error should be avoided which had been fallen into in Anienca, of making the Bianch of the Church of England there established the Chinch of ttie rich. He coulJ not hut think th.it «reat»ood would insult fiotn enlisting the sympathies of all classes in the cause winch they bad in hand. Mi. Allen was very glad to hear such sentiments fiom his Excellency, an-1 regretted that these views had not always hjen acted on. Arc'uloacon Had field then addressed the meeting on the subject of the franchise, and adverted to a report of Mr. Godley's speech at a meeting at Chiistchurch, which he had that day lead in the New Zealand Sj et talor. He had a high opinion of Mr. Godley, yet he could not but think that gentleman was too stringent in the terms laid down by him, when he proposed that none but communicants should exercise the franchise. He dill»ied materially with linn on that subject. Mr. Godley appealed to think that the subject had not been properly considered by those person's at Wellington who hal taken the lend in this matter, but ho waa in en or on that point, lor he (the Aichdeacon) kn»w tnat the opinions of the Mishop of New Zealand, and those of Mi. Maitm coincided with his own with reftience to this subject. It was his opinion that all weie membeis of the Chiiitian Chinch by baptism, and he thought that, however deniable it might be to have, a high staiid-aifl bnfoie them, it would not be found prudent in an infant colony to lay down a rule so slungent as that he had aclveited to. Sir Goorgo Grey said it was a mistake to suppose that the question of Chinch membership in New Zealand bad not been cf.reiully consideied, and that for a period of nearly four yean. In ciusidoiing this subject it was hardly necessaiy to consider what other Piotestant denominations regai ded as constituting membership. Their governing bodies did not consist of an Episcopal Chamber, a Chamber of Cleigymen, and one of Laymen— the joint consent of all of which was necessaiy for the enactment of any law binding upon the whole Chinch Where the governing body was thus composed of three Chambejs, it did not appear that so high a standard of qualification was necessary to enable a lav-member of the Church to give a vote in favour of a delegate to the Chambei of Laymen. The Church of England received into us bosom bj Bap'ism two classes of persons, rendt'iing them thereby membeis of Clnist's Chinch— adults and infants. Suiely no adult would be thus admitted into the Chinch until he was qualified to give a vote in favour of a delegate to the Lay Chamber. Surely under so active a sj stein of Chinch Government as was pioposed, the Church itself would take cai<> ihatthose infant-, adopted into it by biipnsm^houkl leceive such an education as would qualify them to exercise their lights as Church Membeis. But if persons belonging to either of these classes w^.e such unworthy pei sons as to be incapable nnd undeserving ot oxeicising their pnvilpges as Church Members, the Chuich itself, under tho pioposed system of Government, would have the power of excluding such persons irom the pnvilege of voting — in this case punishment would i.dl only cm tho.se who deseivedit; and the Chuich would not be driven into adopting a system of qualification for Chuich membei»hip, which might lead to n.any abu&es, and must ceita'nly open many very difficult questions. In America, iv addition to baptism, the qualification oi lenting sittings in the Chinch was lequned. It was found that this to a great extent excluded the pooi from the Chinch of England, and dio\e them to othei denominations. 'I his w..s a subj, ct of n'grit to many ol the wisest men connected with that Chuich. Heie it h..d be<n proposed, in addition to biptum, to require ii« a qualification tho payment of a small annual sum foi thesuipoitol the Chinch. It was piopo«ed tint this sud> should be so bm ill tint the pooiest pei son in the countiy could pay it, and by this means, in as far as Chuich membership went, acquire nil the privileges winch the nobest maa could q;tun. No duiibt it wpi to be hoped that even member of thp Chinch would become a communicant; one of the veiy ob|''Cta of the pioposed S)st-m of Chuich Go1 vi'inment was t<t iais>e the Chinch to this slaiidaul, and Ie (Sn George Gre}) !io,<ed that it would in time be attained to; but lie lonftb.ed ho felt aviiso to see. an\tb ng like a icwa'd oi speeiil pii iloqje bong given to pei ;oi s loi n c i\ in« tl,c C iinm' mo. . When, howi\"i-, the pro! o^ed foi in of Chuith Go\f rnni.'nt was eslabh ,!iod, tie Chinch ilsi'l. cuul.l in.iko laws, by win. b, as <?,('>'d menib'is ol the Chinch, th»y would all b. 1 I'liu-tll) houinl, aiid (hen no doubt the subject, of the ijinlilii at ion ruj'iis'te to consti'ute Chuich nieinboioh.p would be co i-niiM'd nioj" tuily by a l.ngp number of pei sous \\ ho hail not \ot a^U'tided to tlie .sulject. '{'he puicWin^s oi t f c iKetmg were then concluded, hv pia_joj.