The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-11-13 00:00:00

"8.0. 0." AND HIS BISHOP.

To Me Editors.
T. Bishop of Salishary requests the Editors to
.print the enclosed copy of a letter he hu addressed
11 Lord S. Osborne.

" Peninsen Mawr, Conway, Nov. 3, Ind.
"Ly Dear Lord—l read yesterday afternoon, in TM
TIMOS ot last Wednesday, a lane: with your wall-known
tail a.. sad headed 'Priest, and Priests.' _

"After reading it very carefully, I cannot doubt that
C large body of my ciercy and I are in part the objects
of y..or remark., and thouch it is my rule not to take
any public notice of any statements which concern me
personally, my sense of what is due from me to the
Church of England, and to my own diereses In particular
forces me to make an exception to my role in the cure
of no attack en made upon many of my clergy and me
by.r.ine of our brethren.

" YOUT letter raises such questions u the following:—
Who her the training for hay orders is what it ought to
be? Whether the requiremeets in my diocese for ethnia.
ido ito holy orders are sufficiently stringent? Whether
It I, riot too patent that the clerrr of the dincees are men
of like motions with their lay brethren? Whether their
endowments are tooter'., and teed to suhetitute worldly
for higher motives? Whether th,- clergy should be sob-
jest to a stricter discipline? Whether they should he
tit .re withdrawn front other intereete than those imme-
dlet,ly connected with the cure of souls., such as civil,
polllicei, social. or domestic interest.? And whether
the exercise of any powers committed to them at their
ordi n ation should be planed under most distinct restraint?
. . . . .

"I admit, o( 000 r,, that such questions may be most
prop .rly raised, and may bi dimmed in a fair, candid,
earnest, devout, and reverent spirit. Bat I deny that
such questions eau effect the meaning of those words
with which you aod I received oar commission to ester
upon the *Me sod to do the work of priests in the
ekes& el God, and whisk are, I would remind you, as
follow:

" • lisosive the Holy Gho4 for the ogles and work of
a priest in the Church of God, now oommitted unto
thee by the imposition of MU bands. Whose sins thou
viost forgive they are forgiven ; and whose sins thou
dist retain they are retained. And be thou a faithful
dispenser of the word of God and of His holy sacra.
meet,: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, sod
of the Holy Ghost. Amen.'

Ztion that my alma doe as •
body, ruhordinate the special functions of their high
°Moe to the aeqaisition of any mere scompliabroents,
however innocent, sad the over indulgence of any
neutral tastes, however simple.
" I assert, as in God's sight, my convictions thatm y
clergy, as a body. 'are not:merely excellent fellows, with
their families making • great part of the staple of the
pi et social life of their respective localities, and as
erurci, more or lass respected ; but do by their lives show
that they ever 'have in remembrances into bow hish a
dignity and to how weighty an office and charge they
Re called—that is to say, to be messengers, watchmen,
aid stewards of the Lord; to tenth, and to prommiah,
to feed and provide for the Lord's family ; to seek for
Christ's sheep that are dispersed aimed, and for Idis
ehiliren who are in the midst of this naughty world,
that they may be saved through Christ for ever ; and
that a luxe number of them are by their poverty dis-
qualified from taking to themselves pan of your die-
not to say contemptuous, remarks.
feel it to be my duty to tell you that, in the Judi-
mint of Your Bishop, your statement Is, both in its
letter 'Mn Ballpark, ungenerous, undutiful t ipaccarata'
a" 'erf ""cdthY a one who has promised 'to main-
tain an act fonrards u much as Rath in him, quietness,
pe.sce, and love among all Christian PeoPlo-
' I most also add that, although you do no.. I am
sore. int•°4 to do ee, you cut away in your letter so
smell portion of the ground on which the Chorsh of England rode hot Pretest against her exeinsive claims
of the Church of Rouse; and that so .' pueblo effect
of your letter may he to diseffeet many thoughtful and
still attached members of our Chunk who have rightly
believed that se the Minh of England requires her
bishops, when they admit dame to the order of priest,
hood, to use those momentous words of whkh I have
already resitioded you, she justifies those who have been
so ordained in believing that they had committed to
them the semi powers which the priests of the reit of
the Catholic Cherish, both in the East and West, have
ever claimed as their inheritance, and to which the
literal and plain moaning of the words pointa.
"One word shout myself. I most mien. ply declare
that if, through a more accurate knowledge of icy own
Past motives, or from any doubtings about (Jo • epenka
providence and versa I em ever forced to be. intent in trace back 'good luck in tbei profession' (as you say) my
having being placed in my Resent high eed responsabla
Position in the Clinredi of God. I shall without any delay
eagerly seek to be relieved of duties which would than be
Imply intakes/4s toany man who knows the value of
words, hes a baled in the jtidgmeut of a righteous God,
sad has any dreaded bringing ruin upon his own soul and
pomibly on that of °thus.*
" It would have wet me much pain and =siegy. to
unite wash slattec as the above to my cif my clergy,but
to write earl no one to you is, I eitoUre you, far worse'
I" toy been is hosed to yolk and yours by Um of
grs4t"a fur mL°lottatioss o lovteg.kfadasseet a SeellOU