The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-29 00:00:00

THE BISHOP OF NATAL.

The Bfshop of OXFORD rose to propose an address to his
Grace the President, praying him to communicate to the
Bishop of Capetown an expression of the sympathy of their
lordships' houso with him in the great trials to which his de-
fence of the Church has subjected him, and their admiration
of the courage and loyalty to the Church which had marked
the conduct of his whole course with regard to the great
invasion of the faith which had been attempted. The posi-
tion of the Bishop of Capetown was such as to entitle him
to support at the hands of Convocation. The bishop had
acted under letters patent, drawn up by the highest legal
authorities, and purporting to convey to him metropolitan
jurisdiction over the bishops of the province which they
constituted. His lordship detailed at some length the pro-
ceedings adopted by the Bishop of Capetown in his capa-
city of metropolitan of the Church in South Africa, with
the concurrence of the Bishop of Graham's Town, and
the other bishops of the colony, and the painful position
he was afterwards placed in by its afterwards being
found that he had not the power which it was supposed
the letters patent appointing him confirmed. He thought
it right that their lordships should express their sympathy
with the Bishop of Capetown in the hardship of the cir-
cumstances in which he had been placed, and their thank-
fulness that in such perilous times there should be found
in our distant dependencies those who did not fear to stand
up for the truth of God. His lordship concluded by moving
the following

"ADDRESS TO HIS GRACE THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,

"May it please your Grace,----We, the bishops of the
province of Canterbury, in Convocation under her Majesty's
most royal fiat of summons lawfully assembled, pray your
grace, as the president of this synod, and as Primate of all
England and Metropolitan, to convey to the Lord Bishop
of Capetown, appointed by her Majesty's letters patent
metropolitan of the province of South Africa, and to the
bishops who assembled with him to try, under the powers
purported to be conveyed by letters patent granted by the
Crown, a bishop of the province, accused before them of
heresy, the expression of our hearty admiration of the
courage, firmness, and devoted love of the truth of the
Gospel, as this Church has received the same, which has
been manifested by him and them under most difficult and
trying circumstances. We thank them for the noble stand

they have made against heretical and false doctrine, and
we trust that even out of the present difficulties and embar-
rassments with which they are surrounded it may please
God to provide some safeguard for the maintenance of the
faith once (for all) committed to the saints." All which
we pray your grace to communicate to the Lord Bishop of
Capetown."

The Bishop of LLANDAFF, in seconding the motion, said
he entirely concurred in all that had been said by the
Bishop of Oxford. He believed that the sentiments con-
tained in the address would receive the hearty concurrence
of the Church at large, both in this country and in the
colonies.

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY said that, in the event
of their lordships agreeing to the address, he should dis-
charge the duty imposed on him with great satisfaction.
Ho thought it would become the Church in this country—
at all events such portion of it as was then assembled—to
express such sentiments, more particularly as he had rea-
son to believe that the Church in America would probably
give expression to like sentiments—not perhaps that the
American Church would express admiration of the Bishop
of Capetown, but that it would express its sympathy with
the Church of England in its struggle against what it bo-
lieved was contrary to the truth. They knew also that a
distinguished Nonconformist minister, who was present
when the Bishop of Capetown delivered the charge in
which he so nobly vindicated the truth, had expressed his
admiration of the manner in which the bishop acted.
His grace then put the resolutions to the meeting, and it
was unanimously adopted.
INCREASE OF THE EPISCOPATE.

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY stated that he had re-
ceived a letter from Sir G. Grey on the subject of the in-
crease of the episcopate, and the resolution passed by their
lordships last session. Her Majesty had been pleased to
receive very graciously the address of their lordships.
TILE BIRTH OF A PRINCE.

The Bishop of OXFORD moved that their lordships agree
to an address of congratulation to the Queen and the Prince
and Princess of Wales on the birth of a prince.
The Bishop of BANGOR seconded the motion, and it was
carried nem. dis.
The decisions of the Lower House on the points sub-
mitted to thorn having been communicated to their lord-
ships, the house adjourned.

THE LOWER HOUSE.
The Lower House was held in 'Jerusalem Chambers—
the Rev. the Prolocutor in the chair.

PROPOSED REFORM OF THE LOWER HOUSE.

The ~-cov. the PnoLocrrou stated that in the ordinary
course of business tho house would take up the report on
the Clergy Relief Bill ; but it was competent for any mem-
ber to move that the standing orders should be suspended
if it were desired to bring forward any resolution.

The Rev. M. W. MATow said he should then move the
suspension of the standing orders, in order that he might
bring forward a resolution for an address to the Upper
Rouse with respect to an alteration in the constitution of
the Lower Rouse.

The Rev. Mr. SEYMOUR seconded the resolution, which
was carried.

Tho Rev. M. W. MAYOW then moved that an address
should be made to his Grace the President of the Upper
House, and their lordships the bishops, in the following
words :—" That this house begs leave very respectfully to
represent to his Grace the President, and their lordships
the bishops, its anxiety that an increase may bo made to
the number of proctors for the parochial clergy of this pro-
vince ; and some alteration made in the mode of their elec-
tion ; and, -whilst it expresses its deep thankfulness that
both houses have concurred in their efforts to secure such
amendments in the election of the proctors for the clergy,
it would respectfully inquire whether any progress had
been made towards the obtaining a license to enact a new
canon, in the draft of which both houses concurred on the
26th of May last; and at the same time, if it has not
been as yet found possible to make such progress, this
house expresses its earnest hope that his Grace the Pre-
sident, and their lordships the bishops, will not lose
sight of the object, but use their utmost endeavours to pro-
cure the necessary powers at the earliest time which may
bo practicable for passing a canon amending the represen-
tation of the parochial clergy in this house in the sense of
the draft then adopted." The mover said that the adop-
tion of this resolution would strengthen the hands of his
Grace the Archbishop, and it would show that this house
did not fear the influx of the parochial clergy.
Archdeacon DENISON seconded the resolution.
A prolonged discussion ensued, and at length the resolu-

Lion was withdrawn, on the understanding that it would
be reintroduced another day.

CLERICAL RELIEF.

Dr. LEIGHTON then brought forward the report of a com-
mittee of Convocation appointed to inquire into the ques-
tion of clerical relief as proposed in the Clergy Relief Bill,
and the considerations come to were, that "no legislation
would be satisfactory to the Church which did not fully
recognise the indelibility of holy orders," that "it would
be disastrous if candidates for holy orders were ever led to
look upon the ministry as an experimental profession," and
that "no legislation should finally shut the door against
a return to the exercise of the ministry."

While the rev. gentleman was proceeding with his
arguments on this matter, the apparitor of the Upper
House entered and summoned the Prolocutor to the Upper
Chamber.
PARENTS AS GODFATHERS AND GODMOTHERS IN BAPTISM.

The PROLOCUTOR, on entering, stated that he had re-
ceived from the Upper House resolutions relative to the
29th canon. Four years since the house asked the Crown
to grant a license enabling Convocation to make such an
alteration in the 29th canon as would allow of parents
being sponsors for their children. The license was granted,
but Convocation went further than the license allowed,
and made various other alterations in the cannon. It was
now necessary that the house should go through the form
of amending the canon according to the terms of the
license.

A discussion followed by the Revs. Sir Henry Thomp-
son, Sir George Prevost, Archdeacon Denison, Dr. Jebb,
and Lord A. Compton, and, on the motion of the Rev. M.
N. Mayow, it was agreed that the resolution of the Upper
House should be assented to, an amendment by Sir Henry
Thompson, that a conference should be held with the
Upper Chamber, being lost on a show of hands.

ADDRESSES OF CONGRATULATION TO THE QUEEN AND PRINCE

OF WALES.

The PnoLocnton asked the assent of the house to an
address of congratulation to the Queen and the Prince and
Princess of Wales, on the birth of a second royal prince to
their royal highnesses.
These were agreed to nem. con.
BISHOP COLENSO AND THE BISHOP OF CAPETOWN.

The PROLOCUTOR road the address sent down by the
Upper House, and passed by that chamber, for presenta-
tion to the Bishop of Capetown.

Archdeacon DENISON moved " That the address be con-
curred in on the part of this house."

The Rev. Mr. JOYCE seconded the motion.

The Rev. Sir HENRY THOMPSON expressed his gravo
doubts as to the wisdom of entering upon the questions of
heresy. He knew that the Rev. Archdeacon Denison was
very fond of hunting down heresy ; but, as had been re-
marked to him that morning by one of the judges, if they
made a new article for every book or now form of opinion,
the Church would have, instead of 39, something like 350
Articles. He (the rev, baronet) camo there to do his duty,
and on this matter he had taken the bull by the horns,
risking at the same time the chances of being tossed. (A
laugh.)

The Dean of *WESTMINSTER asked if the address had
been concurred in by the Upper House ?

The PROLOCUTOR answered in the affirmative.
The Dean of WESTMINSTER said he must complain at
that address, which involved questions of great importance
and legal questions of great intricacy, being brought forward
without notice at a very thin meeting of the house.
A time when a great many prominent members of the house
were absent should not have been chosen as an occasion to
bring forward an address of this character. The address
involved all the questions at issue, and which the members
of the house should have mastered before they concurred
in the address, which went unreservedly in condemnation
of the Bishop of Natal and unreservedly in favour of the
Bishop of Capetown, while at the same time it also con-
demned, more or less, the recent judgment delivered in the
case of the colonial bishops. Now, it was very possible
that many in that house had not even read the Bishop of
Natal's " Pentateuch," and the "Book of Joshua Critically
Considered," or the judgment in the case. It would be un-
becoming in the house to pass a judgment in these matters
without having mastered the points in dispute. In the words
of one who has considered the subject, he would say, "It
is only by free, full, kindly, and researching investigations,
not by attacks on the person, that our wisest teachers will
persuade and be persuaded through the changeful course of
this momentous controversy. Our researches aro ever solving
old difficulties and relieving new ones, and still the air of
inspiration clings to the blurred and obelised text of the old
man's Bible, just as it did to the unsullied pages when first
he opened them in early youth. There is no country
where the Bible may be more safely committed to fre•
investigation than in ours, because there is none in which
it rests more firmly on the faith and affection of the people."
The very rev. dean urged at length that the address should
not now be adopted.
Archdeacon DENISON said, that if the Convocation re-
fused to express an opinion with respect to Bishop Colenso's
" Pentateuch" and "Joshua Critically Considered," it
would have been better for the house not to have met. lle
urged at considerable length that the house should adopt
the address.

The Dean of WESTMINSTER moved, as an amendment,
that an address should be presented to his grace requesting

that more time should be allowed for the consideration of
the address.

Dr. WILLIAMS seconded tho amendment.

After some remarks by Dr.Jobb and Archdeacon Thorpe,

ho Rev. Mr. Mayow said that the spirit of inquiry might
be tarred too far, and the position of Bishop Coleus() was
that of a soldier who had disputed iu the hour of battle
with his own side, and even turned against his own army,
and yet expected to hold his command.
The Dean of WESTMINSTER then, in speaking upon the
amendment, entered upon the general merits of the case,
and contended that by adopting the address the house was
adopting, in the name of the Church of England, all the
views set forth by the Bishop of Capetown.
The amendment was withdrawn, and the address ac-
quiesced in, with five dissentients.

THE OATH OF SUPREMACY AND THE ORDINATION SERVICE.

On an address from the Upper House, it was agreed to
remit in the ordination service the oath of supremacy, that
oath being mere surplusage.
The house then adjourned.