The Express.
London, England, 1850-10-29 00:00:00

WESTIONB FEB.

REPLY OF THE BISHOP OF LONDON TO THE lifl-
IdORIAL FROSI THE WBSTMIN3TER CLERGY.
Yesterday the Bishop of London sent the following
reply to the m morial sign..d by the Archdeacon and Camas
of Westminster and a largo body of the clergy of that city,
presented to his lordship on Friday t—
tt Fulham, 0:A. 2i, 1850.
R VVVVVV D AND Data BRlTRltifi,—The sentiment'
expressed in the address ',Lich you bay, presented to me are
in entire accordance with mine, and I am p.nusded that
they will be responded to by the unanimous feeling of pro.
testant England.
" The recent assumption of authority by the Bishop of
Rome in pretending to parcel out this country into new
dioceses, and to eppoint archbishops and bishops ti preside
Over them, without the consent of the Sovereign, is a schis-
matical act without precedent, and one which would not be
tolerated by the government of any Roman catholic king.
dom I trust that it will not be quietly sub-pitted to by
our own.
Hitherto, from the time of the Ref Taunton, tLe Pope
has been contented with providieg for the spirituel superin-
tendence of his adherents in this country, by th, appuin• meot
of stout apostolic, bishops who to .k their titles ea such not
from any real or pretended lee. in Harland, but from some
imaginary dioceses its narribus infrie/suns. In his there
wax no !assumption of spiritual authority over any other of
the subjects of the English crown than thnee of his own
munion. But the appointment of bishops to pri pi te over
new dioceses in England, constituted by a papal brief, ie
virtually a denial of the legitimate authority of the British
sovereign end of the English episcopre; w deal .1, also, of
eke validity of our orders, and an assertion of spirioial jure-
diction over the whole Christian people of th • ream.
"That it is regarded in this light by the Pop-'s adherents
in this country, is apparent from the language is which they
felicitate themselves upon this arrogant a:tempt to stretch
his authority beyond its proper limits. A jounal
which is generally believed to express the ntiments
of a large portion of them at least (not, I be-
lieve, of all), points out in the following words
the difference between the vicars apostolic and the pretended
diocessn bishops. Alluding to cumin members of our
church who are accused of a leaning towards 'house, it says,
'ln this act of Pope Pius IX. they have that olen declara-
tion for which they have ban so long profesong to look.
Rome, said they, has never yet formally lipk• n against us,
Her bishops, indeed, are sent here, not a . Roving any local
authority, but as pan ors without flocks; Bishop. of Talmor
in the detect, or of the ruins of Babylon, heinous g into ter-
ritories which they caunnt formally claim as their own.
This specious argument is once for all silenced. Itlnte bar
more than spoken; sbe has spoken and prod. she has
again divided our hod into dioceses., and has placid (der
each a pastor, to whom all baptized pets' c.. ei,!.out sleep.
tion, within that district, are openly commanded to submit
themselves in all ecclesiastical matters, unit. r pain of d ,mea-
tion, and the Anglican sees, those ghosts ed r alltiEl long
passed away, are utterly ignored.'
" The advisers of tne P .ne have skil'ully eorrr:ved so to
shape this encroachmen. upon the rights an I honour of the
crown and church of England that his r,as.itues to ime-
ginary dioceses will not actually offend sash,: the tett.r of
the law by assuming the titles which he hat et tended to
confer upon them ; but that it is contrary to the Nord olthe
laws there can be no doubt. As little doubt can there be
that it is insonded as an insult to the sinnien mad the
church of this country.
" With respect to the conduct proper to be permed by yen
on this occasion, it ought, in my opinion, to be temperate
and charitable, but firm and uncumeromisteg.
" You will do well to cell the attention of your people to
the real purport of this open amok up in our reformed
church, and to take niessures for pntitionto t the legitlaturs
to carry out the principle of the statute, setich forbids all
persons other than the persons authorised be low to smuts
or use, the name, style, or title of any arehbi,noti of Lay
province, bishop of any bishopric, or dean of any deanery,
an England or Ireland, by extending the prohibition to say
pretended diocese or deaneries in these realms.
" It is possible that such prohibitions might not have the
effect of preventing the resumption of titles by the Papal
bishops, when deleting with their own adherents ; but it
would make the assumption unlawful, and it would maik
the determination of the people of this ecuntry not to permit
any foreign prelate to exercise spiritual juriadiel a over
them.
But there are other duties besides three of rotes:Jag
and petitioning, the performance of which teems to he
specially required of us by thus present emergency. Unwill-
ing as lam to encourage coup °metal preaching, I must
soy that we are drip n to have no ,uree to it by this
attempted usurpation of authority on toe pad of the Bishop
of Rome ; and by the activity and subtlety ui his emissaries
in all parts of the kingdom. We are surely called won for
a more than ordinary me-isur• of watchfulnem and niliftnits
in fulfilling the
.promise which we gave when we wore
admitted to the priesthood, To banish and dr.eir assay all
erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God's wool.'
" Let u* be careful, as well In our publi: neiniterations as
in our private monitious and ezhortati• De, to retren from
doing or saying anything which may perm to indicate a wish
to make the slightest approach to a chur,li which, tar from
manifesting a desire to lay amide any of the tenors end super.
stitinns which compelled us to separate from it, is now re.ae-
s,rting them with a degree of boldness unknown since tke
Reformation ; is adding new credos& to is or' icles of faith,
and is undisguisedly teaching its members the duty of wor-
shipping the meatus with the worship due only to the
Creator.
" After all, I am much inclined to believe that in having
recourse to the extreme measure which has called forth your
address, the Craft of Rome bus been ill advised as regards
the extension of its influence in this count:, , and that it hos
taken a false step. That step will, I aria c iuvinced, tend to
strengthen the protestant feeling of the people at large, and
will cause some persons to heehaw and draw book who are
disposed to make concessions to Rome, nod. r a mistaken is.
pr. 'e'en that she nu abated somewhat of her ancient pm-
tensions, and that a union of the two churches might
possibly to effected without the medics of any fundamental
priusipin. Hardly anything could more effectually d'apel
that illusion than the rite, nt proceeding of toe Boman
pontiff. Us virtually condemns and excommunicates the
whole English church, sovereign, bishops, clergy, and laity,
and shuts the door against every scheme o' compensation
save that which should take for its basis an entire
and unconditional submission to the spiritual authority of
the Bishop of Rome.
" That it may please the divine Read of the Church, who
is the true centre of unity and the only infallib e judge, to
guide and strengthen us in these days of reboko and tri el, to
open our eyes to the dangers we are In by our unhappy
dtvisions,and to unite us in one holy band of truth and
peace, and faith and obarity, is the earnest prayer,
" Reverend and dear brethren,
" Of your affectionate friend anti bishop,
(S.gned) " C. J. LONDON.
" To the reverend the clergy of the City and L:berties of
to
Westminster."
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