The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-05 00:00:00

WORM OF =EVOCATION.

Sir H. Teomesoe moved the suspension of the standing
orders, in order to move for the appointment of a commit-
tee to consider and report on the bat means of ensuring a
more complete representation of the clergy. The house,
however, did not concur, and the question of reform was
not discussed.

AND CONVOCATION.

Chancellor bLuseutoriann rose to move, the standing
orders having been specially suspended for the purpose,
that an humble address be presented to his Grace the Pre-
sident and their lordships of the Upper Hones as follows :
" That, according to the constitutional principle of this
church and realm, no alteration ought to be made in the
Book of Common Prayer, or in the rubrics thereof, until
the advice of the clergy in their convocations has been first
had touching the same, and that the fact of such alters.
tion having been so adopted by the synods of the church
ought to be formally recited in any act of parliament by
which the same may be enforced, in accordance with the
precedent finally established by the words inserted in the
statute 13 and 14 Car. 11., c. 4, sec. 1, to that effect ; and
further, to represent the deep conviction of this house,
that if 2=ll6o:own was thought necessary when all members
were deemed to be, or were required to be, members of
the church of England, the abandonment of that course
of promoting now that parliament is composed of per-
sons of all diversities of creed must in all likelihood be
followed by disastrous results."
Archdeacon RANDALL seconded the motion.
The Rev. J. Itametrrortz moved as an amendment:—
"That if, at any time, either in the report of a royal com-
mission presented to the Queen, or in a bill introduced
into either house of parliament, it should be proposed to
alter the law respecting the services of the church of Eng-
land, or the mode and order of conducting them as pre-
scribed by the Book of Common Prayer mid canontreccle-
siastical, his Grace the President be requested forthwith to
summon the convocation of this province, in order that
the clergy, in convocation assembled, may deliberate upon
such proposed alteration of the law, and may. if necessary,
address the Queen, and petition both houses of parliament
on the subject." What they wanted was time and oppor-
tunity for considering such measures. In the mite of the
Consecration of Churchyards Bill, the House of Lords had
acted with courtesy is postponing the third reading in
; order to allow convocation time to consider it, but the ob.
Isect was that convocation should be consulted before the
I introduction of measures affecting the church.
Sir H. THOMPSON seconded the amendment.

The 'ham of WISTMINSTZR spoke in support of the
amendment. He ridiculed the idea that any legislation
upon church matters by parliament without consulting
convocation was likely so to offend the tender consciences
of weak young clergymen as to lead to a large secession
from the church. Upon the question of precedent he
did not dispute that there had been many occasions in
which the government and the legislature had waited for
the expression of the voice of the Synod of Canterbury
before passing acts relating to church matters, but it bad
very rarely consulted the Synod of York, and much more
seldom the Irish Synod. Though he should probably be
contradicted by Mr. Joyce, both as to the Thirty-nine
Articles and the amend Prayer-book it was extremely
doubtful if they were not carried without consulting con-
, vocation. _ . . .

The--
Rev. J. W. JOTCE, who supported the original mo-
tion, recommended the omission of the whole except the
Ant clau,e, declaring that no alteration ought to be made
in the Prayer-book or rubrics without consulting con-
vocation.

This recommendation was accepted, and, after a dis-
cussion of considerable length, the motion as so amended
was agreed to.
Mr. Bramstene's amendment was afterwards brought
forward as a rider with some verbal alterations, but on a
show of hands it was negatived.