The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-10-10 00:00:00

sziouLD EVANGELICALi TAKE PART IN THE
SYNOD?
To tke Milo..

Edn, —The cerrespondeneo in your columns spore the
o.an Synod question is brought before us with a
arid satid.r inter it, when those whom we hod bug
lookod ni,on champion.' for the truth are fount in
oppo-im ranks, crusalug weapons in direct antagonism.
Whiat 0..0 could wish that a less saddest' tone bad
in.rvaJed th,u ply of the fly. E. W. Pears, still we
must admire tlp3 firmness of his grip and the holders'
of his attack upon the promo era if unsoiled views
front which.:v.r side of the a 11 they come.
Tao seutirueuta put foratarl by the ih.v. Reginald
Social, I think I may say, he would no more have pub-
. liahed twenty 'ears ago than ho wmild Lave gone on
a pi;griusake to the Pope. IV.rat be wrought this
change? For many years put we hove herd index.
t,ously sounded forth in tied in q ratters the cry of
" " ChArity,' Catholicity "—Lovely w Tlis
they are ; together together • uuiversal church of every
shade of opinion or of no opiniou,io to "one holy b:other.
hood." Will Mr. South allow mu to ask when, he
learned "that Christ is the heal of the Church of
England as a whole?" Certainly nut from the heripturo.s.
There is no auelogy whatever between the New Tel.
tanient churches admonished by Christ, and the Apostle'
to 'lsiah Mr.Stnith refers, and "the Church of England
as a whole - that is, all the people in all the pinches
la Poi:rand, good, bad, or Imlay:m.4 forming • church
of which 11r. Smith assorts Chrbt is the head. If Christ
be the Lead all most be members of his body ; then, it
must follow, as Dlr. Pears truly observed, all must be
saved. The church at Corinth, that at Phillipi, home
and the rust were not reimposed of the world around,
bat people gathered out of the world, profeasedli born
agaiu of the Spirit. believers and followers of the Lord ,
Jens Christ. noire were false professors then as there ,
are falso professor' now, "who prefesciug to know God,
in works dcny Lbw." The marvel is as regards the
churches in the fi.ct days of Christianity—in the
dangerous and seducing:circumstances that surrouuded
them—not that there were some who had " the form
of godlineu but denied the power." others "who !were
enemies to the MU of Christ" "false brethren crept
in unawares," but that there Irmo so many who
" souud.xl out the word of God so that in every place
their faith to God-ward was spoken abroad." Oh that
we hal mom swill gospel trumpets now, giving no
" noeertain sound ;" but Was bin the "broad" days, in
which Mr. Smith so greatly rejoices, the distinctive and
distinguishing doctrines of grime aro almost lost sight of
In the Church of England, and the unity that is sought
ig wit the unit, of the spirit. Bunyan tells us that the
V .n'ty F.ir which persecu'ed Christian ant Faithful
was not Ink C e a .mo Vanity lair when Chrifailllia•
and her sold ln.e. aurae there; it Was fritadly to pilgrims
thee, and many were so taken with the plea/mod air of
the place, that they built houses and settled down in
the suburb". _ _

Mr. Smith, I am fully assured, knows well "In the
reception of his own spiritual lifo" what Is requisite to
mike men members of the CLuroh of Christ; that it is
to be born again of tho spirit into Chiba's family, "not
of liood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God", The apostle says (Gelation. iii. 26.)
"we are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus" but "all men have not faith."
. .. . . .

As to the question of the Synod itself, whether it is
our duty to jdo it or to stand aloof from it, I cannot '
adopt language better to express my own feelings, or
give reasons more conclusive for opposing it Van will
to Mond in the admirable comuton,en.o let• ors of you,.
res; oadents —this Rev. W. Courch.ll in your pipet
of this week, and that of 'a layman' in your haat week's
issue. From the latter I quote a true and telling para.
graph "a wave of ecclesiasticism hu been passing over
Europe, end Its force is not yet spent. The action of
the RomLh Church in our generation, the revival of •
ctuiilar setivity, an 1 in • similar spirit, in our own
church, the evident progress of the sacerdotal section
within it, and the fact that the more numerous and
ear ne,t supporters of the Synod are of this party, poins
plainly to the wisdom of ilistruat and opposition.', The
priociples of Um promoters and most earnest supporters
of the Synod and other kiodnd movementa, are patent
to the world, and we expect them to be true to their
principles; and though some of them are 'higher,' come
• lower,' some 'brooder' than others, their views all
tend to the same point, and by the foroe of the current
all will be made to flow on together. Add to these the
whole of the Evangelical section, • helpless minority,
and, however boldly some few of them may speak out
and oppose any advereo action of the Synod, their efforts
will be u.oleas, and whatever cl. cisterns the Synod may
corns to will go forth to the world as having been giirly
arrived at in • Synod compos^d of clergy and lei:, of
every section of the church, fully and fairly represent-
ing the "Church of England as • whole." Whilst, on
the other hand, if all who hold Evangelical views "from
conviction and the rerrption of their own spiritual life"
were to • bunt themselves entirely from it, in my
humble opinion, their alimuce would speak much louder
than their presence. Most cordially do I join in the
prayer with which Kr. Smith concludes his second
letter " that we may all be brought nearer to each other
by being brought nearer to oar Redeemer, and to this
eel let us all pray for a Pentecostal outpouring of the
holy Spirit for the conversion of sinners and the edifi-
cation and union of all bdievers in unity and loco."
For this Goo's believing people need to be brought
nearer to etch other, and be made willing for their
little differsooee and distinctions to be overborne of the
Spirit. It was when the believers In Jerusalem were
all gathered together "with one accord in one place"
that too Pentecostal blessing came down
Yours respeAfully,
NORMAN.
Ceram Abbas, October 6,187 t,

THE LEG&LITY (OR OTHERWISE) OF THE

SYNOD.
We have ken rignestsd to publiah the following
answer to the Rev. W. Churchill's letter (given lest
week) by the lt3v. Prebendary Doman, and Mr.
Churchill's rijoioder
Mr MAR beg to acknowledge your letter of
the 29th of this month, and regret that we shall not
have the advantage of your presence on Monday n..et.
With r,speot to the question on which you do me
the honour to ask my opinion, namely, whether "the
proposed Synod is legal," I run only give you my own
private judgment such as it is.
1 b,lievs it to he perfectly kgra/ for the buoying

lat. A Diocesan Synod in legal language means " an
nsi..mbly of Bishop and clergy who meet to confer upon
nutters r.lating to the diocese."—(Burn': Bal. Law,
Vol. 2, p; 30. b. Edit. Phillimore, 1842]
Ac ilia Icily are to form a part of the proposal meet-
ing, it doe* trot appear to me to come under the legal
m ening of the term Synod at all.
2 id. On referring to the Act of Parliament, the Ant
of which you quote, 25 dewy VIII, cs. 19,
I aurae that it applies to Convocation only, and that
body consi*ts solely of clergy.
3.d. It appears from the same Act that its ol.jeet
ea.. to prevent the clergy from " presuming to attempt,
calm, or put in use, enact, promulge, or
execute any new cannon, oonstitutions, ordinances, pro-
vincial or other, or by whateoever Dame they shall be
calla I is Me cons ratio's, MAIMS the King's most royal
a 's. :it and license may to them be hari.".

As nothing of this kind has ever !sten proposed,
angeest,i, or hinted at, the At dots not apply to the
case.

4 h. the late Bishop of Exeter—the best Ecclesias-
tical lawyer of his own, and equal to the best of soy
other, day—did hold • true "Diocesan Synod ;" but as
ho never attempted to introduce any new "canon, con.
siltation, or ordinanee," no one. I believe, was hardy
enough to °mated with him the Icgality of his Synod,
I have not the book to which you refer (Williams. p.
530). cud du not know what he may hive to urge, but
if he maintains that • Bishop cannot meet his clergy
alone without the saw:Mon of the Crown, he ought to
say that the Bishop's visitation is unlawful, unless
specially excepted. But if the Bishop may meet his
clergy alone, which thing would constitute • Synod,
proper, ci fortiori, be may meet his clergy and laity
united, which is no Synod, according to either canon
or Common law, although it may be so-called. But,
strictly swaking, I presume a Bishop meets both clergy
and laity at his visitation, the churchwardens being also
cited to appear. If so, why may he not now meet clergy
and laity?
When you send your own letter for publication, I
shall feel obliged by your sending this also, lest it
should be supposed that I have been guilty of discourtesy
in not replying to the qaestion you have pat to me.—
I remain, my clear sir. yours faitlif ally,
EDWARD A. DAYMAN.
The Rev, William Churehill.