The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-11-26 00:00:00

TRZ BISROP Or SALIVIORT'S CRAWL

Falleat..—Tbe only bn.iness before the House this
ieven-ng WY • discumion which eroa on the presents-
gi,a of • petition by the Lord Portman, relative to the
B.loin of El.liebory'• charge.
1,14 Portman said he bad been dadred by • larre
bolt of to ople to preeent • petition to their lordships
on • most series. and importar.t subj-ct ; and he wow.,
rather th•• almost say owe bye hioaelf bad had charts
tit it. The polities was signed by more than 3,000
people living in the donee* of Salisbury, and the
pettioners were tome of them clergy, some of U em the
Ingest owners of property in the Cinema., and by •
great moms of the ye omen and owners of small property,
a great body of churchwardens, a I .rge number of
justices of th• pester, •nd • groat number of the large
anti small trade-men in the diocese. Hs wee told that
almost .11th... persons were members of tho Protestant
.Church of England; souse, indeed, of them were called
dimenters in consequenee of their having left the church,
because the changes of theme modern days were so dis-
tressful to them. For thia reason, clergymen who were
incumbenta of certain livings in the dines«, called them
dosetitems, bet they were not so considered by him (the
noble lord). They complsioid of the charge of the
Bishop of Salisbury, in which it wax said that
the bishops of the Eatabli•hed Church inherited
from the apostles, end conferred upon all who were
folly onlained, oertain extraordinary power. a
miraculous sacerdotal power, by meensof which the priest
by certain actions crested the body and blood of Christ,
which were present In every celebration of the Lord's
Supper. It was also said that there was power to re-
move sin in the ordinates of absolution after previous
eonfession. The petititioners objected that thaw doe.
tnnee were oontrary to Scripture, and they humbly
prayed that their lordships would devise some measures
to avert the evil ooneequeneee of each e *barn, by eats-
bikini,' some tribunal that would give • speedy and in-
expensive means of settling such disputes He felt it
was not his duty to enter into any theological disco,-
▪ In that house. He thought they had on right to
say that the opinions of any right rev. prelate were
right or wrong ; he believed that everyone should be
entirely free to believe that which each man thought
right. But their lordships would not be surprieed to
know that great consternation had been caused in the
lii•V••• of Salit.bory by meth doctrines being set forth by
a halloo of the P,oresmat Chinch of England. The
noble lord then proceeded to read paragraphs in the
charge to the effect that the church titoght them to look,
in the consecrated elements at the Lord's Supper, for
the body and blood of Chriat being really present—that
they were present objectively and not subjectively. The
charge also said that although the Cherish of Ragland
by being di.-estalslisbed might lows manifold ad-
vantage., yet she might be induced to throw herself into
a Konica of better strength, and acquire a greet Is.
crews of diivotioenl se.l„, which bad become one of the
characterietie marks of the younger members of the
church, and might chimp their put defensive policy
lute o Gamin-active one.
The Bishop of Salisbury said he waa perfectly pre-
pared to di-toss the whole matter before their lordships
paregraph by paragraph. bat it niemed to him that, when
paragraphs were balanced by others immediately after-
wards, it wee hardly fair that one should be read without
the other. . . . . . . . .

Lord Portman said his only object in doing as be bad
done waa to see their lordships' time. A great many of
Shows who signed the petition knew very little about
doctrines, bat they did know that they would not sub.
mit to be go aimed by priesteraft, or to have formed for
them any oonetructive syutem of tdiestoraft which would
beinc them book to the Church of Rome. The right rev.
prelate mi,cht bare no such intention but judging from
the et ke.nente in the charge, they might expect tbet
he or • about to embark in s constructive policy on an
extended scerdotal prinepe, which was commonly
celled prieetcraft. He could hope, that as the right
7 -V, prelate had signed the document issued by the
Psn• tnalkan Synod, belt d since sumewbat modified
the views stoted in his charge „ and thut time and
reflection had induces' :elm to sae that thew, novelties
ouuld Dot safely be in,rodueel. The right rev. ; relate
In the autumn of last year did that which to some
seemed not very prudent—be answered a letter in the
rungs iwwspeper. aigned "& G. 0." The claim for
the e orgy which the .13)11.7, to that !vier set up
sounded the first note of alarm In the diocese of Salis-
bury, and • mooting wan held in the west, rn part of the
di.s-isc to protest •easnst the poeition which the bishop
bed then up. They clergy and laity were alarmed,
and the antiwar the right roe. prolate gave we/ that the
time would tome wbe• be would exp Lain more fully,
$o he did is the charge, what he really meant.
Answering lettere in row-papers often brought • great
deal of trouble, which might have been avoided in Cal
Instance if the right rev, prelate had only taken soicsael
of thoee who were competent to advise him. The most
step was the piihilanai„n of the charge, and he believed
Mit 'telt fee. Prelate bad had the opinion of epees body
of the tirrn etc...wed against the views there stated_
He was not aware that the right rev, prelate bad on any
oosaaion endeavoured to forge say of bio *UM in td°P4
hie °plaices, but UM* wee. men who aware yidded to
the vowe of a person in aathority, sad would endeatoar
to do that which was plowing and agreeable to that
person, vV•11 though it introdueed into • parish discord
and confusion. The knew that in setae parishes that
bed heee the revolt, and in one woe the grievance had
been felt no strongly that the inhabitants most readily,
though took itneasly. signed a petition in oppooltdos
to these itineration.. There was be melody within their
reach. The progress in the tomb sia•tie.l sande eat
mi....
nee
en 40e. out #77170 Under extraordinary
pressure no man would think of appealing to them In
en
it nem.. The eight rev. prelate bad wet the •lemple
of trying what ecclesiastical everts would do; whether
they would remove fr,m the k mpocalthes a man en o
freely aspired Dart•oular *pinkies in • writs,o,
shape through the medium of" frays laid Reviews.'
TI• charge of the right rev. 'valets bad caiseed greet
grief, • rrow, and oicord. but it could not afield the
Marsh of Christ: it could not put in Penner 'y the
faith whim, wae ',minded on the rock of Neese It W.
Loosen, as ego., upon the pootioa of eharehmen,
it did drive them away from their parish
churches, sad made men feel tint they soda
sot approach the commucioo tab's when the
lichee w.ia there, lest they should he supposed
to par 'initials in the opinions be had pet forth. Hir felt
that be ought to say no more upon that wart of the ease,
but there wee another part whisk did nit Levet the
tt:orev. preleas at all, and with respect to which he
i
bp Meese agesibliy lie &Ale and laused Mad

on the woolsack. The petitioners preyed for the
establishment of • tribumil the* might give them Justine
imeedily •ed Melt ensivelyi Ile had no right to sui pose
'lid may och•me whieli he could suggest would be of the
least 'sloe, btu he submitted for the coloiderstion of
their lordships, and 'genially of the noble and learned
lord, whethe,. la eonsultation with the right in,. bench,
some such tr berm' might net be established. In the
administratioo of the civil and criminal low • tribunal
woe already provided by which the judgment of the
superior routs was obtained inexpensively nod without
I drier, owl he wooled to know why a similsr principle
eiveild not be adopted in ecalettiestcal law. Why was
it tlmt right rev. prelstes 46111 pet to no ruinous an
sTei.on they had to deal with o climionet• clerk,
or to maintain • que.tion of do. trine, that too would
venture to enter upon such lit/ lion. The tech..
adeaticel court, might bare heen suitsble 200 or 300
years ago, but they were Dot /tied for te a present time.
He ch refore trusted that the noble and learned lord on
Ito woolsack would give his atteetiott It the subject,
and with the •mistanre of the enktoltsl beech be .61' to
prov.de • remedy for the .Woof thing. which amounted
to • denial of jo.tleet He eonelnded by laying upon
the tsble a petition signed by 3,000 inhabitanta of the
dincsee ef Salisbury and 150 of the perish of Dee'le• in
',sour of The estelslishmeut of such a tribunal 46 he had
ret rred to.

_
Ti. ilohop of &Riney mid, as the noble lord bad
not raised Gin queettou whether their loriships' boom
was really • sphitual wort a heresy, he should not
enter at all int.) quotation. which he ass tore would be
mot dietastefol to thee lordships. He was rather gar.
grised that the noble lord had gone into some 'Mute
which almost millet upon him to discuss matters which
he was most anxious to avoid. If it was their lordships'
pleasure Is was prepared to dismiss the whole of the
charge, not as in a spiritual *pun of heresy, but to it.
plain away aocusations made against a member of their
lordships' house—(hear, bear). He was on the whole
very glad that this dismission had arisen, sod he thanked
the noble lord for not havieg mixed up with the matter
in dispute any cmosiderations of a pommel natant, and,
indeed, for haring spoken kisdly with regard to himself.
He mu• take that opportunity of stating most distinctly
that with regard to the point" of doctrine which be had
treated of—the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, abso-
lution, coofession, the cereinmials of the church,
and ritual—be adhered to every syllable he had ex.
pressed in his charge, arid that after the very gravest
consideration he tad been able to give to the subject
Mese the noble lord gen him notice of hie intentim to
being the matter beton their lordships, he distinctly
re-asserted that be adhered as an English Church-
man to the whole of the exposition be had levee in
the Hens He did not withdraw one single statement.
He might, no doubt, give their lordships many •xpla.
nations which mould render his statements more accept.
able, but that be would not do. He simply availed him
self of that opportunity to explain himself with regard 10
Certain point's which did not touch doctrine. The noble
lord had rasnea to what he (the Bishop of Withal,)
bad mid the policy of the chants ought to be under
present circumstance', bat had only read a single
sentence of • subject which occupied many pages of the
charts. He would not tire their lordahipe with quoting
the charge but would at once mud a espy of it to each
of their lordships, in the hope that they would do him
the just!. of leading it. One of the eomplaints
spinet him .11.1 that he had used his position as bishop
for the plumes of making mithoritatin declarationn
when he had no right to do so. That he entirely
dented. A bishop's °hoop MY not •• authoritative
declaration in the @behest degree. He had always kept
distinctly before his clersy and churebwardens that
when he spoke to them in him charge he was tiddressinx
their intelleeta and consciences, bet it was not an
authoritative declaration, it was not the doslantion of
• synod at all. Hs had only mdeavoured, as every
clergyman was doing every Sunday, to teach what be
believed tube the truth of the Church of God. The next
point was the state of his dialer. From what the
noble lord had said it would be imagined that it ins in
a constant state of turmoil, and that great dimffeetion
existed towards him, instead of whin he could mean
their lordships that there was not a more peanab Is
diocese anywhere. He should like the noble lord 10
state bow many of the clergy of the diocese had signed
tie petition. Moro tem not, he believed, one stools
diocese in the whole of the kingdom where them wail no
little ritualism. There was only one single small punb
of about 150 people or less where any attempt had been
made to intro loco high ritual, though undoubtedly
there were pariabee in which at particular mamas
white and green Moles wet• used. He had Eyed 30
years in the diocese of Salisbury, and had never at-
tempted to make one single alteration in the eat bedral
or parish eiburehee nor had he ever done anothlog to
.11 toth the minds of the people. H. had morrow d him.
self as clearly a. he could irt his charge, and he t honshi
it hard, when hie diocese was in its present state, that
it thould be represented that parsons were it'imeated
from the ehurch of their fathers by ritual ineems. He
honestly cont.-reed that he was a very high clot rchm ;
he had never droguisent that, and in aloe ha) done he
had wont to he true to his promiples, those principle.
which had been professed by Men who were &commit the
grestest ornaments of the church, who had done moot)
to guard and protect the church against the enerosch-
mente of Roam, and to make the Church of England
what it now was. It was very painful for him to say
anything shout himself, bat he was sere there was not
• single churchman in his diocese who would my that
he had shown any spirit of intolerance or went of coo.
"iteration for the opinions of his clergy. When he Gest
became bishop, oonatently when he went to the con-
secration of a church he found that one of the last
thinp thought of was the eelebration of the eimmunion.
In the simplicity of his heart he had offend to give to
every new church a suitable rommunionsteble, having
no ides of istradmiag thereby any new thastrine, Mit to
his utter surprise he found that • pamphlet was eircols
mod termghont his wi,ole diocese warning the int
spinet his ciommunion-t shies. Of coerce if persen
not wish to have tn.. eommunion•tablea presented to
them he was perfectly ready to bow to their opiniom.
He protested Against dealing with mitt principles in an
unfair tray. The goiog from parish to parish, as MO
ben done, he thought • most unworthy mares He
had told their lordships that there was no enforced
ritualism in his diocese. He bed lived in it for thirty
year*, and his endeavour had &Inn bees to avoid any
unnecessary change; he thought that a man of his
principles could not have been expected to do more in
that direction. These pumas had come to Salisbury,
but the people would not listen to their accusations.
They were refused the use of the council chamber,
and very few of the titian' attended their meeting.
They attempted to make his residesse as uncomfor-
table as they could, but he was thankful to be
able to say that their efforts had resulted in
entire failure. He continued to 'nein every mark
of respect and dutiful affection did a bill 1101) could
expect from the people of his disease. He should .
only say, in oonolusion, that he intended to persevere
In the comes whin he bed hitherto peened. He had
taken no notice of any action, with one exception, to
which the nob!), lord had referred. He was sorry that
the noble lord had done so. The writer in the This.
under the well-known signature "8.0.0." was a man
to whom he bad any' been bound by the strongest
footings of affection, and if he (the Bishop of Salisbury)
bad not been moved by the strongest seine of duty to
vindicate the honour of his clergy, who were turned
into ridicule in the ossrsparers, nothing would have
induced hint to take any notice of "8.0.0.." letter.
He did not mean to recol • sines word of dortrin•
which he had taught. Memo) he eas satisfied that it
was the doctrine of the Charoh of England ; but he was
astislied at the same time that there was room in that
church for both high church and low church prineiples.
Until the matter was taken into court, mad given
against him, he should my no more on that poiot. He
would appeal, is conclusion, to the words of hischerge,
which expressed moat faith in another ,and simpler
remedy, and Pawl most relimes on Christian charity
and mutual forbearance. He would take the earliest
opportunity of sending their lordahiro copies of the
'huge, and his was mire they would give him credit Inc
holding his own opinions in satire toleration for the
opinions of wham
The Bishop of St. David's hoped that the noble sod
learned lord on the woolosek would not gin any counts-
pangs to a project for creating a number of neap marts
for the trial of spiritual question.
Lord Portman, in reply, regretted that the right rev.
prelate had disramet into many topics which had no
reference whatever to the prayer of the petitioe. He ,
wee also sorry to hear that the right rev, prelate wee
determined to adhere to every word of his Marge.
The Bishop of London would not have it understood
that the right reverend beech was in favour of per-
petuating cumbrous and eipensin ,'roomers. He
agreed that it would boa great misfortune 10 ham
question' of a spirituel nature coming frequently
before the court. ; bet he did not approve of
repressing them by amumulating legal enemas.
In his °pinto, it would be better if the moles
eimtical cow to could be broach, more in harmony
with the other oourta throughout the kingdom, and he
saw no dieleulty about effecting the ehmge, or in
framing a new est of rules, aa had been done by the
superior judges for the inferior courts. He rejoiced to
hear his right rev, friend state that whilst he meant to
adhere to the opinions expected in his charge, it was
also his intenti n to purse. • comes of the most newt
fermis and impartiality towards the clergy of his .
diocese. He had personal reason for knowing that his
right rev, friend we, looked up to with as mach repeat
sad affection by his okra as any bishop in the witch,
CI web of England.
The petitioa was claimed to lieu, the Mtn.