The Sun.
London, England, 1838-10-17 00:00:00

mon Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and also
the Church Catechism, as being not in accordance with the
Bible.

" I shall be glad to be informed by you that I have misun-
derstood your meaning (if the tract be yours), in both or either
of these particulars.
" In conclusion, I wish to apprise you that your answer may
be adduced against you, if it admit what I understand you to
say in the tract which I inclose. You will, therefore, use your
discretion in answering or not; for I do not profess to have a
right to demand an answer.
" I am, Rev. Sir, your obedient servant,
" Rev. Henry Head." " H. EXETER.
To this I received an answer—
" Feuiton, Honiton, Sept. 29, 1838.
" NIT LORD—I heartily thank you for your letter. Having
protested publicly against the late episcopal circular, nothing
seemed to me less proper than any private communication to
your Lordship. I gladly avail myself, however, of your bene-
volent letter to address you now, premising that I am about to
say nothing which I am not willing to make public.
" If it be asked me, Am I heartily well affected to the
Church ? I answer, Yes.' But I proceed to your Lordship's
question,' Did I or do I impugn the office of Baptism, and
also the Church Catechism, as being not in accordance with
the Bible ?' Though these offices are not free from human im-
perfection, or of equal authority with Scripture, yet, to the
question thus put to me, I answer No.'
" I will not now attempt to express my great respect for
your Lordship, a sentiment which, indeed, my Lord, is in no
wise inconsistent with that letter, for I do assure your Lord-
ship that nothing personal or malignant was intended by me.
" That I believed myself actuated by that Protestant prin-
ciple which declares that Holy Scripture, which containeth
all things necessary to salvation,' should be exalted incompar-
ably above all things else; that I had no hand whatever in
putting it in the newspapers; and that I am anxious to afford
your Lordship every satisfaction in my power.
" I have the honour to remain, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's obedient humble servant,
" HENRY E. HEAD.

" The Right Rev, the Lord Bishop of Exeter."
Having received this letter, which placed difficulties in the
way of my taking legal proceedings, had I deemed them ne-
cessary, I wrote Mr. Head another letter as follows :
" Exeter, 4th Oct., 1838.

" REV. SlR—ln consequence of my occupation in other
parts of my diocese, I did not read your letter of the 29th ult.
until my return to this place yesterday.
" In that letter, while you appear to avow the publication
which has been printed with your name, you decline transmit-
ting to me a copy of it authenticated by your own hand.
" You deny that you impugn the office of Baptism and the
Catechism as not being in accordance with the Bible—saying j
of them only what the most faithful minister of the Church
would readily admit, that they are not free from human im-
perfection, or of equal authority with Scripture.'
" This declaration of yours, and your further assurance that
you are anxious to afford me every satisfaction in your power,'
make me deem it right to give you now an opportunity of con-
tradicting, in answer to this my letter, a report which has
reached me from more than one quarter, especially from the
Archdeacon, that you are in the habit of omitting, or do some-
times omit, to use at baptism the office for administering that
sacrament as it is prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer.
I am, Reverend Sir, your obedient servant,
" To the Rev. Henry E. Head." " H. EXETER.
To this the answer was—
" Feniton, Honiton, sth Oct., 1338.
" Mt' LORD—I have the honour of acknowledging the re-
ceipt of your Lordship's letter of yesterday.
" My omitting to return the printed letter was really be-
cause I thought you left it at my option to do so or not; and
because I thought it more respectful to your Lordship to omit
to return with my signature a letter, the hasty language of
which I regret.
" With regard to the informality which appears to have
been reported to the Venerable the Archdeacon (for whom I
entertain a very sincere respect), and which your Lordship
gives me an opportunity of contradicting—l do contradict the
report alluded to, in the extent which I conceive your Lord-
ship's words to imply. As to my past conduct in this respect,
I had intended on the receipt of your last letter to wait at the
palace in order to give all necessary explanation ; but conceiv-
ing that my presence might not possibly be pleasing to your
Lordship under all circumstances, I content myself with pro-
fessing, what your Lordship doubtless is aware of, that I should
be both ready awl glad to obey your commands, should you be
pleased to appoint any interview of this nature.
" In the mean time suffer me to repeat that no one is more
truly attached to the Church than I am. I entered it without
prospect ef perferment, and even to the prejudice of my se-
cular interests, and I continue in it from motives perfectly
distinct from love of emolument. I will filially conform to its
offices; I cheerfully submit to Episcopal government ; deci-
dedly prefer infant baptism; clearly concur in conformation
And all preliminary preparations thereto ; love the prayers ef
the Liturgy ; cordially assent to the Articles ; and have seen
the Divine blessing on my ministerial labours and studies, to
which I have given attendance early and late.
" This statement, my Lord, to which my life and doctrine
will not be found to be altogether repugnant, I humbly hope
will satisfy a Protestant Bishop and Clergy, and all that are
truly zealous for the peace of the Church Establishment, and
the interests of the Gospel.
" I have the honour to be, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient humble servant,
" HENRY E. HEAD.
" The Right Rev, the Lord Bishop of Exeter."
I wrote subsequently, on the 6th October, a third letter.
" Coombe, Oct. 6, 1838.

" REV. SIR-Your letter of the sth has reached me. A
private interview with you I decline. You have publicly
assailed your Bishop to the general scandal of the Clergy; and
I must before them express my sentiments on your published
tract. I trust, therefore, that you will attend at the church
at Honiton on Tuesday next, when I will speak to you after
the ,service of the day.
" I am, Rev. Sir, your obedient servant,

Rey. Henry E. Head. " H. EXETER.
I shall not then treat of your practice in respect to the
office of baptism, but shall confine myself to what you have
published on coarmation."
Such was the correspondence between us.
As to the Circular about confirmation, you mutt all know,
and Mr. Head must have well known, that it has not been now
set forth for the first time ; it was not first set forth by me, nor
do I know which of my predecessors first issued it. I found it
in use when I came to the diocese, and not seeing anything im-
proper in it, I authorised its continuing to be circulated in the
usual way. I have? said this, not that I mean to shrink from any
responsibility attaching to it, for whoever might first have
framed it, I undoubtedly adopted it. My reason for making
this statement is, that you may see the extraordinary course
adopted by the author of the paper which I have in my hand,
ill now, for the first time, making such remarks on a document
O wch he had received repeatedly before, without thinking it
ecossary to make any observations or to offer any remon-
strances. I will not offend your ears by repeating the language
contained in it. I will only say, that it is couched in langun'e
which that individual alone, of all my Clergy, could have penned.
I will not enter into a controversy here upon the subjects ad-
verted to in that letter, but there is one part of it on which
must say a few words—l mean that in which the writer speaks
of my " ordering" or " commanding." He asks, "on what au-
thority do you order me to enjoin my people to read over with
sue attention the office of Baptism in the Common Prayer
Book,' and to require at their hands ' such an account of
their knowledge of the Christian religion' as is contained in
the Church Catcchis n?" He repeatedly complains in straw,
terms of my thus commanding ; he does so whenever he
speaks of it, except in one instance, from which it is clear that
the writer, when he called it a " command," knew it was not
a command. It appears clear that he knew, at. the time he
did it, that he was writing that which was not true, for he says,
towards the conclusion, " you command, or request ;" and
therefi,re he must hare been aware that I had not commanded
anything. I readily admit that a Bishop has no right to ",-com-
mand" his clergy to read particular exhortations to their people
not enjoined by public authority. I know of no such right ap-
pertaining to the episcopal office in the Church of England ;
and, while I will fearlessly assert all the rights which belong
to my office, for preserving the doctrines and discipline of the
Church, I appeal to all who hear me, whether, in my inter-
course with any of you, I have ever asserted a right which does
not belong to me. I have not a right to " order" or " corn-
/nand" the Clergy to read a certain form upon these occasions ;
but have I not a right to request, to entreat, to recommend,
that such an exhortation be read ? Though I have a right to
require and command that such an examination of the
children be made previous to their being brought here
for confirmation. lam not going into the whole of the letter ;
but there are some few points which I must impress on the
conscience of the individual whose name is attached to it, if
be was the author. I say, if he was the writer, because lam
not now taking up this subject legally, or sitting here to deal
with it judicially. But I require Mr. Head by Us ordination
vow, and all the Clergy present, to attend to the admonition I
am now about to make. If he, whose name is attached to the
letter in question, dares to ask on what authority I require
this preparation of the candidates for confirmation, I answer
on the authority of the Rubrics in the Book of Common Prayer
—on the authority of the Rubricslof that book which this in-
dividual has most solemnly promised to adhere to and obey
--of that book which he has solemnly declared contains no-
thing contrary to -
the word of` God. [His Lordship read the
Declaration of Conformity, , do declare that I will
conform to the Liturgy of the United Church of England and
Ireland, as it is
by law established.") And more than
this, upon the authority
toli°lr.ty of the canons of the Church, and
of the solemn oath
which
that individual has taken to pay
all due and canonical obedience to
omateh,
oafs
ohbisodßieinshceopt;o
hfoisr
him,'
although I did not institute The
Right Rev. Prelate read
Bishop is equally binding. do swear that I
the oath of canonical obedience,
." s
will pay true and canonical obedience to tlhaewfLuol of
Exeter, and his successors, in all things
so help me God.") I need not remind youcolfes;goyurvvoiriodirniaoteiodns
vows--thank God there is but one of my
to be reminded of this sacred obligation. [His -Lordship read
this portion of the Ordination service
The Bishop—Will you reverently obey your ordinary,
and other chief ministers, unto whom is committed the charge
and government over you following with a glad mind and
will their godly admonitions, and submitting yourselves to
their godly, judgments?
" Answer--iwill do so, the Lord being my helper. "1
is it, or is it not, consistent with the spirit of this Tows to
write or print; a.ti•iwt such as that to which I have alluded ?
will not dwell logger on this point.
But the writer- shys, the circular requires the Clergy to ex-
amine the chilccrin in their knowledge of the Christian
zellgiAir as ..:isj,tiltained in the Church Catechism. It does
not vegliiiiior-sp6mmand this, though it well might do so :
pop; Elsa authority of the Rubrics, which order that