The Express.
London, England, 1860-01-28 00:00:00

"TO TEI LORD BISHOP OP NORWICH.

"King's Lynn, JAL 21, 1860.
" My DIAS LORD BISHOP,—The present eireurnstano

of oar church, and my own position with respect to theta,
to which I must briefly refer, though well known to many,
lead me to address this letter to your lordship. Ordained in
December, 1814, in less than three years I became an incum-
bent and prebendary of Norwich. Led In after years to
examine more particularly the subscriptions required from
clergymen, I came to the conclusion that I could not assent,
In what I conceive to be the literal and established sense
of our language, to the following parts of our Liturgy
—namely, the damnatory clauses of the Athansaian
Creed, the Form of Absolution in the Visitation of the
Sick, the words used at the Imposition of Hands in the
Ordination of Pries*, and the corresponding Form in the
Consecration of Bishops. Under great uneuiness of mind,
in 1827 I sought the mussel of Dr. Kaye, Bishop of Lin-
coln, then probably the best informed divine of our church.
Mazy years after, Bishop Kaye gave his own aocoant of this
Isoeviow in the House of Lords, and there stated, that if I
W expressed the same views to him as • Candidate for
Orders, he should not have mouldered them as any impedi-
ment to Ordination. The opinion, holever, of individual
bishops, even the moat distinguished, conies no real au-
thority. I wee exposed to many attacks, and coestantly
from time to time sought a more valid confirmation of my
views, wherever there seemed any prospect of obtaining it.
In 1833 I petitioned the House of Lords skim In
May, 1840, I joined with a few other clergymen and
levees in a petition to ths Lords upon the subject of
subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles of Liturgy.
On that occasion Bishop Stanley spoke, after the Bishop of
Lincoln, and for the express purpose, as stated by his lord-
ship, of mentioning my case, and vindicating my views and
character. In 1844, 1 offered to the same bishop to resign
the prehinnent I than held, which MN: was not sooepted.
In Apro, 1860, the Anal judgment of the Privy Council was
pronounced in the owe of Mr. Gorham, affirming a latitude
of interpretation to be 'Rumble with teapot to the Baptismal
Office; and In the Wee year I wrote to Bishop Rinds, the
Bishop of Norwich, amusing that the above decision applied
equally to the general interpretation of all the formularies
of our Church. Bishop Hinds assented to this view, as
appears by his lordship's letter to me then published with
his @maim, sad morbid at the same time, Those ex-
pressions la ear eeMele he visiting the sick and for ordain-
ing priests etel bishops, have caused petit and scruple to
many conscientious Churchmen besides you.' I have
given the above particulars ss the best justifies.
Sea I sew offer for my course up to this time,
but must as dm tame time allow that it has never been en-
their swish cry. It appeared to unction the acing my
sekkamendein • sense different from that which the words
themedess mast necessarily convey to the generality of the
issilek park In the meantime a great change has taken
Irot k the akomastanoss of our church, and those parte of
the Loma lake have occasioned uoonainess to myself
have aN_sd a dower consequence in the minds of others ;
sad new 412 eisegrmen have come forward to rrqtteit the
same •Inerkions ea myself, as well as others which the
mega be benedoki. Under these circumstances I
MI caitd mot not to be backward in expensing my
adherents to the views I have so long entertained.
Them k an additional reason which especially ergot
use to address your lordship on this occasion. It is, I
em pervaded, the Form of Ordination for Primly
which, while it remains unchanged and unexplained, tends
more than anything to generate and foster within our church
opinions and practices objectionable to Protestants. Accord-
ing. to your lordship's established custom, an Ordination is
appointed to take place in March next which is also one of
the months appointed for my Ca'hedral residence. I beg,
therefore, respectfully to spprlse your lordship that, under
present circumstances, I cannot satisfactorily take my usual
part in the Ordination service, and appear to approve of a
form which is now so objectionably interpreted or ander-
Mood. Up to this time I have endeavoured to main-
kin my position in the church as one of its ministers;
bog having come to the conclusion that I cannot join in
ewe el he most solemn services, there appears, upon consi-
deration, to be only one becoming course open tome. Having,
therefore, already resigned the Rectory, of St. Marga-
ret's, Lynn, I now beg to resign my Canonry, and also the
office of Chaplain to your lordship. On one point it is my
especial object not to be mistaken. While earnestly desiring
some alteration or explanation as to the points shove men-
tioned, it has been far from my wish to &dryad' exclusion;
ors the contrary, I would advocate the largest measure of
comprehansion consistent with the maintenance of
Scriptural truth, wtich I conceive to I. the special
duty and object of a National Church. In past years
I have written mach upon this subject—l hops honestly—
'l am sore without math ability or .Erect. The following
words, however, penned in 1834, expose my own views
of what is due to Churchmen—to Clergymen-4o Non-
conformists—to all Christians in short, better than any
I can now command:—' The essential doctrine of
the Munk of England may be justly commended as pore sad
esipteral ; the many claims of its Liturgy on public Winn-
, gen Bay be fearlessly asserted ; but a review of the times
mid the circumstances in which they were compiled and
. •

brought to their present state, unquestionably ;rove tide
one fact—that, daring all the discussions which aniseed
their various alterations, never was there displayed the
true spirit of charity and conciliation; never was the attempt
fatly and fully made, nor even the design encouraged, to case
cede on non-essential points for the sake of peace, to expunge
whatever might be jowly offensive to weak Noniron to con-
eider shat liberty ought in prudence NJ well as junto to be
allowed to the anxious activity of the human mind ca
such a subject as Religion; and finally, to propose stook it
Foam of Doctrine and Public Worship as might be at ones
both satisfactory sad edifying to the largest possible muster
of believers in a free and protestant nation.' Behoving lied
sentiments to be just and true, I earnestly sanest your ice&
ship to nee the influence you may possess foe earryleg theta
into effect. 1 sek it under the conviction that the power
of this church for extending the Redeemer's kingdom would
be thus abundantly blessed and enlarged all over the weld.
—I remain, my dear Lord Biahop,very eincerely and respite
fully your',
" CHARMS N. WODSH01181."

VACANCIES. APPOINTMANTS, AND PBONO•