A LETTER OF THH REVEREND W. TANNER TO THE MEMBERS OP THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN THE PARISH OF INYERCARGILL.

Southland Times, Issue 1126, 19 March 1869, Page 2

A LETTER OF THH REVEREND W. TANNER TO THE MEMBERS OP THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN THE PARISH OF INYERCARGILL.

"♦ — (per favor of thb southland times.) Invercargill, 16th March, 1869, My Deab Bbethbbn — You are in a peculiarly difficult position r 1 and I feel that it is my duty as your pastor I jto give you especial advice. I believe ■ that it is for the good of the Church that * I you wish to be acting, and now that you are j I called on to act 1 should like to givo you all the inform ition I can on the questions before you. Extraordinary as it may be, the question for you to decide ia the election of a Bishop. At the last meeting of the Rural Deanery Board the Clergy and the Lay Representatives of the Church were invited to reconsider the question of the new Bishopric; it was then resolved that the whole matter should be referred to the General Sjnod for ita final decision. There were then two questions which the General Synod was called upon by this portion of the Church to decide finally. lst. Whether, inthe present state ofthe funds, there should be a separation of the Diocese. 2nd. Whether the accusations of ritualistic and doctrinal excesses made against the Clergyman who had been consecrated to be the first Bishop were such as could justify the cancelling of his appointment. A committee, consisting of Bishops, Clergy, * and Laymen, was appointed to gather all neces^ry information, for the purpose ot enabling the Sy»od to give the final decision that the 1 Church here requested. Then the General Pynod decided the first question by farming the iie'W diocese. The second question which was. involved 1 in the matter left to their decision, was [ treated in this way.- Though the Synod had no \ information on which it could even accuse him s it asked Bishop Jenner to condemn himself, and for the peace of the Church, resign. 1 Thus the Synod laded to do what was asked i of it; but let us consider what is meant by what was done. Unless we are prepared i to accuse the Bishops and the Clerical and 1 Lay Representatives of the Church of neg--3 lecting the most solemn duty that could \ have been laid upon them, we must cont elude that, though they gave us no decision, their r action shows that no accusation can be 8 brought against Bishop Jenner, which can "ustify n the rejection of his claims. ,1 Now it is evidently the duty of Vestries - to represent parishes, and of Boards and c Synods to represent dioceses, aud so the General s Synod ought simply to" have decided upon the a question which was submitted to it by the c Rural Deanery Board ; but the General '" a™ai— — — *=^feaie_J»ken into consideration a distant local disturbances, and what its resolution t appears to have meant was, that as there was understood to be a minority in opposition, what that minority demanded should, for the peace of the Church, be given it. What Bishop Jenner's presence amongst us means, is that he will not fc willingly place the Church or himself in this r dishonourable position. ? Thus it is that all that organisation, which . in this colony is intended to take the place of b the civil power in its purpose of checking the • uncertain action of popular cries, and to keep j our Church here in it 9 essential characteristics, r the Church of England, has been for the present f completely broken down, and now you are called i upon as individual members to sustain its character when all higher authority fails. r The question before you is simply this, will you t accept what we must consider to be the solemn 1 decision of the General Synod, (unless we accuse it of the most grievous abandonment of its duty) that there has been no accusation brought against , our fitst Bi-hop, which should lead us to put aside ' his claims ; or will you, where the Bishops and ' clergy who had the best information failed to '. accuse, proceed, with your own confessed want t of iuformation, to julge and condemn. I think you will a^ree wifch me that this responsibility ought not to have been thrown upon i the parishes, but still this is the position you are > in. Every person who is willing to sign a declaration that he is a member of the Church, without any other qualification — such as that of having taken previous mr crest in Church matters, or of i havmg any knowledge of ita affairs — is called on to decide whether we should accept as our Bishop, [ or condemn as unfit to preside over us, the clergy - , man who has been already consecrated to that F sacred office. I allow that the question has been ■ surrounded with many difficulties. I have been ' sometimes perplexed myself, but now I advise "you . to take the simple course of honor, and if you do that we need not have any fear for the future, for I believe that we shall then be only the stronger ' for our present trial. Let us as children of the Church take the simplest and plainest course of action, and there would be no doubt what that should be if we could only keep our miuds free from difficult abstract questions, and from party fears. There may not have been that serious development of Christianity here which there ou**ht to have been for the years I have been amongst you, but allow me to give you this praise, I have never, yet found you unwilling when 1 have appealed to your honor. I therefore still hope that our Church will be able to maintain her position, where all Christian Churches will be some day ready to meet, when their temporary differences shall have been at last laid aside. I remain, my dear Brethren, Yours very faithfully, W. P. Taknkb. !