MEETING OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND DIOCEASAN SYNOD, AT AUCKLAND, FEB. 24, 1868.

Southland Times, Issue 946, 6 May 1868, Page 3

MEETING OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND DIOCEASAN SYNOD, AT AUCKLAND, FEB. 24, 1868.

_ — •*> ME KeMPTHOBNE'S MeHOBIAI BESPECTING- TWO CASES OP COHPiAINT AND PBOTEST AftAIHST THE BIGHT OP EHE SXNOD 10 ELECT OB HOMUTATB A BISHOP-

"We have teen requested to publish the following petition of Mr S. Kempthome presented to the Synod in its last session by Mr Albyn Martin : — To the Eevd. the President, the Eevd. the Clergy, and the Lay Members of the Diocese of New Zealand, in Synod assembled. The memorial of the undersigned sheweth as follows : — 1. He begs with respect again to request the attention of the Synod to his memorial, presented to and received by them in June last, complaining of the conduct of affairs in the Parish of St. Mary's, Parnell. It will afford him much satisfaction if the Synod on the present occasion will do him the justice to enquire into and examine the allegations of his memorial. 2. He believes that the one case whicH he has brought before the Synod, would afford sufficient data to show the defects of the present system of Church administration. But now he has become more fully acquainted with the results of another case, .viz., that of the Parish of Onehunga, which serves the same purpose. In the first case, the incumbent has hitherto succeeded in suppressing, with rather a high hand, all enquiry, oither by the Synod or Vestry, into the matters ' complained of in my memorial. In the 2nd case, it appears that the incumbent has had sufficient influence in the Synod to induce them to relieve him, ! — with the sanction of the law, — of the onus of a very large amount of unauthorised expenditure incurred by him in the Parish, and fo throw it upon the Diocesan Trustees, crippling them by obliging them to borrow money to pay him, and thus disabling them from discharging the proper and legitimate objects of the trust. Being aggrieved directly and indirectly by the action of the Synod in these two cases, the undersigned proposes to refer them both for the consideration of the next General Synod. 3. As a minor consideration, but still one which he regrets to say is essentially necessary, the undersigned requests the Synod to repair the injury done to himself, and by their having allowed a -series of unworthy and irrevelant charges to be brought against him, when appearing as a complainant before the Synod, and then sanctioning the publication of these charges in the local papers. He cannot but remind the Synod that not a single item of his statemeuts had been shown to be "unfounded," — much less "untrue ;" and moreover, that if enquiry had been made respecting bis statements, these charges would have vanished, and he would have been Bpared the pain of making this request. 4. The undersigned feels called upon to mention one other subject of fundamental importance, both to the Church and to the Synod. He understands that the present meeting of. the Synod is convened for the purpose of electing or of taking steps for electing a Bishop in place of the Eight Bev. Prelate, who, in obedience to Her Majesty's special desire, in virtue of Her Supremacy, has accepted the see of Lichfield. (1.) He regards such intention of election (virtually transferring the prerogative from the civil power to the Ecclesiastical) as a violation of the terms of the voluntary compact, to which he" was a party in 1852, which was based on the Royal Supremacy and union with the Church of England, as a fundamental principle, and which the Constitution Deed in 1857 pledged the Synod ' not to interfere with " in any way." (2.) He therefore feels it his bounden duty, — as a party to that compact, — as a member of the Church of England, — and a donor of property to the Church, — to protest against the proposed course, as being contrary to that compact, — as infringing and "encroaching upon the civil and religious rights of the Laity (whom Her Majesty represents in her person) — as being contrary to- our 37th Article —contrary to the Statute Law of England, — contrary to the oath of Supremacy, — contrary to the Declaration of the Archbishops and Bishops at Lambeth Palace, in 1841, (on which the Colonial Episcopate, fund was formed), — and contrary to the whole bent of the mind, and spirit of our Eeformed Protestant Church, as expressed p ainly and fully in her authoritative Documents, Homilies, Oanone, and

formularies, and moreover, as being the worst system, in a moral and practical point of view, that can be devised for making Bishops, — which lie has fully shown in his published letter to Sir "WinMartin. Can it be that the Synod believes that such a course is consistent with the law and doctrine of the Church of England ? — The definitive judgment of the High Court of Chancery has pronounced distinctly that it is not. It is, therefore, as clear a dissent from the National Church as Wesleyi.sm, or as the Scotch Episcopacy, or indeed aa the Independents. Moreover, pursuing Buch an inconsistent course is ensnaring in a high degree, and ia fraught with the utmost danger to the interests of true religion and morality, as well as to the rights and liberties of the people. 3. The Action proposed, in fact as in • principle, subverts the doctrine of our Church, and adopts the distinguishing feature of the Eoman Catholic system, inaugurated by the notorious Hildebrand, in the 11th Century, which claims and assumes and exercises complete independence of and superiority over the Civil power and the Statute Law,— which the Scripture declares is "the ordinance of Q-od," — and spurns its " interference and control," whether " distant" or near. 4. The eject will be to create a number of Petty Popes amongst us, " Lords over God's heritage," instead of Church of England Bishops ; it will aggrandise that order, (at present having no check) and the Ecclesiastics in general; and will finally and inevitably lead to the re-adop-tion of the Pope's Supremacy and tend to bring us again into the fearful bondage of Sacerdotalism, — the bane of all countries and in every age of the world, — and against which the Queen's Supremacy presents the only practical and effectual Barrier, as the experience of three cunturies and a half has shown. 5. A sufficient precedent for this protest is afforded by that excellent Lady, Miss Burdett Coutts, in her protest against the Bishop of Cape Town, in his similar endeavors to set up a church after his own mind, in opposition and resistance to " the Law of the Church of England, and the authority of the Crown." (See the letter of her solicitor, Mr Earrer, of October 12th last, published in the "Times.") On the other hand the questionable course adopted by the Metropolitan and Synod of Canada (as manifested in the answer of the Chancellor of* the Diocese to the Bishop of London's enquiries about the maintenance of the Queen's Supremacy) may well act as a warning to us to avoid, instead of an example which we ought to imitate ; — especially in our present low, weak and inefficient state, (to mention only three particulars) with no effective provision, after a period of twenty-six years for educating young men, either here or in England, for the ministry ; with the clergy in a low and dependent state, and without any legal status ; — and with no authority for the correction of evils, either legal or moral, i.e., as it has been called, a state of anarchy. 5. The undersigned begs leave to present to the Synod a copy of the pamphlet which he has published, explaining, illustrating and defending the grand Scriptural, Legal and Constitutional principles on which the Protestant doctrine of the Koyal Supremacy is founded ; and a copy of the letter which he has addressed to our worthy fellowchurchman, Sir William Martin, applying these principles as a touchstone of enquiry into the proceedings of the Church Synod. He lastly desires to draw attention to his concluding letter to His Grace the Duke of Buckingham and ' Chandos, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, praying that no legal sanction whatever may be proposed or given to these departures from the fundamental doctrines of the Church of England in this Colony. All: which is submitted with due respect to the grave consideration of the Synod, by their obedient servant, S. EJSMHTHOBNE. Auckland, February 24, 1868.