The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-27 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

The Bishop of LLANDAFF presented a petition from cer-
tain clergy in the diocess expressing disapproval of an in-
tended revision of the: Prayer Book. They stated that
they did not believe, as was sometimes alleged, that any
Dissenters would be won over to the Church by any Litur-
gical revision that might take place.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition from lite
clergy of the diocess of Worcester praying that an P;athe-
rised book of hymns might be prepared for gelieral use
under the sanction of her Majesty.

The Bishop of LINCOLN presented a petition from the
rural deanery of North Holland in his diocess, praying for
special services for those who were to be received bite the
Church as adults.

The Bishop of OXPORn, on behalf of the • Bishop of
Bangor, presented petitions in opposition to the abolition
of ehurch rates, and praying Convocation to resist the
attempted spoliation. The petitioners added that they
would not offer any opposition to any improvements the
Church might require,

THE QUEEN'S LICENSE EMPOWERING CONVOCATION TO

PROCEED TO ACTION.
1f r. F. H. DYKE, the Queen's Proctor, by direction of
the archbishop, proceeded to read her Majesty's licence, em-
powering Convocation to proceed to actual business. It set
forth that her Majesty had, for divers weighty causes,
given and granted full free licence, liberty, and authority to
the Most Rev. Father in God the Archbishop of Canterbury
and the clergy of the province, that they should make from
time to time in the present Parliament any agreements upon
and concerning a repeal of the 29th Canon of 1603, or any
part of the same, and giving them, at the same time, power
to substitute a new canon, and to promulgate and execute
such new canon as they may think convenient for the ser-
vice of Almighty God and the better government of His
Church, provided that such canon be not contrary or re-
nugnant to the orders and services of the Church of Eng-
land already establishe I, and provided also that the said
canon Abell not be of any force or effect until by letters
patent under tlo greet seal it shall be confirmed,
THE 29TH CANON OP m CHURCII.
The Bishop of OXFORD said that as ho was the person who
moved the application to the Crown for the licence which
had been granted, it appeared seemly that he shoull now
move the alteration of the canon to do what they were em-
powered by the licence which had just been read. The
canon in question provided that for each child brought for
holy baptism there should be three sponsors, the parents
who brought the child for baptism not being allowed to act
in that capacity. He should move that the canon should be
so altered so as to allow the parents of the chili to act as
sponsors together with one friend in whom they had confi-
dence, thus making the three sponsors required by the rubric
of the Church. (The right rev. prelate read the verbal al-
terations which he proposed to make in the canon, so as to
secure the change.) He believed that the present z ule was
a great stumbling-block in the way of baptism, and he,
therefore, only wished to see the canon altered in that one
respect. The restriction which at present existed was not
at all in accordance with the practice of the primitive
Church, for during the first 400 years after Christ, so far as
they were able to ascertain, it was a matter of ordinary rule
that the parents should bring their children for baptism ac.
companied bya Christian friend, male or female as the case
might be, and that they should then answer for the child's
nurture in the Christian faith, the intention of the Church
being to provide in times of danger to the Christian faith
that there should be some one to train the child in religion
in case of the parents being cut off by persecution or by un-
timely death. In 400 years after Christ, he believed, by
the admission of all, that was the rule which prevailed, and
as the Church of England had always wished to adapt itself
to the primitive rule the fact of proving that this was the
primitive rule would be sufficient to justify the motion he
had made. To say, as had been said, that the proposed
new canon would be contrary to the lex and consuetudo of
this country his lordship proceeded to show by a very ela-
borate argument was erroneous. During Puritan times a
very dangerous error grew up—namely, that nobody but a
parent could present his own child for baptism. This was
founded upon the doctrine of election, the theory being that
an elect parent should present his own elect child. To bear
witness against this growing and dangerous limitation of
God's great gift of baptism the alteration was made. Now
came the question whether it was expedient for them to
maintain the alteration from the primitive use. He thought
it was inexpedient for many reasons. It seemed to him that
the present danger of limiting the gifts of God in baptism
was the notion that the spiritual gifts of baptism depended
on the actual faith of the sponsors then and there present.
Such a view was diametricallycontradicted by the services of
the Church of England, which laid down that if necessary a
minister might by himself baptize a child, and that his act
would not be altered by the fact that he was an ungodly man.
Moreover, the Church declared, immediately after the bap-
tism, " Seeing that this child is regenerate," &c., marking
thereby that, whatever meaning was to be put upon the word
" regenerate," the benefits of baptism were conferred in virtue
of the Church, and not in virtue of the sponsors then and
there present. The experience which he had had from the
clergy of all parts of the country showed that this diffi-
culty connected with sponsors was a great hindrance in the
way of baptism. Persons in the higher ranks of life could
easily find friends who would join with them in offering
their children, and who would supply their lack of service
in educating them; but tills did not at all apply to the poorer
classes. Their Lordships who knew anything of the work-
ing of this rule among the working population knew some-
thing of the hack-sponsorship which prevailed. In a coun-
try parish where he was for some years he knew in nine
cases out of ten who would be the sponsors in cases of bap-
tism before he entered the church. They were persons who
made it a point of acting in that capacity for the purpose of
getting the little entertainment they might receive from the
parents after the ceremony was over. The alteration in the
canon which he proposed would secure the restoration of a
great Christian institution to its primitive vigour.
The Bishop of LINCOLN, in seconding the motion, said
that if they were not in a position to deal with this matter
before receiving the Royal licence it was high time that they
should have that power. He was not blind to the import-
ance of having as many pious sponsors as possible, in order
that they might be a guarantee to the Church in every case
of baptism, and he should be sorry so to alter the canon
that the number of sponsors would be limited. In all the
largo manufacturing towns of the country, where the popu-
lation had outgrown the appliances of public worship and
pastoral visitation the obligation of the canon was nil—it
had ceased to be acted upon. Clergymen charged with the
spiritual oversight of thousands of souls went to their
churches, found large numbers of infants and grown-up
persons, and were utterly at a loss whether the children
were duly provided with sponsors, or whose sponsors the
people were. He had been informed by many clergymen
that in answer to the question why people did not bring
their children to baptism, they had been told that it was
because they could not afford the supper which the sponsors
expected. Others took them to the Wesleyan chapel, where
no sponsors were required.

The Bishop of LLANDAFF expressed his desire to see the
canon altered, on the ground that it was not and could not
be practically acted upon as it at present stood.

The Bishop of SALISBURY said that neither on practical
nor theoretical grounds could he come to the conclusion that
any alteration in the canon was necessary. It had been
assumed that there could be no doubt as to the primitive
usage with regard to baptism. He thought it very likely
that in primitive times there was only one sponsor. He
felt, however, that his change would beproductive of great
danger, and that it would not lessen the practical difficulties
which had been complained of.

The Bishop of ST. DAVID'S said it had always appeared
to him that the inevitable tendency of the present practice
had been to weaken the senQe of responsibility in the minds
of parents by a nominal transfer of that responsibility to
persons who could not generally be expected to feel it.
The Bishop of LONDON said that personally he felt very
much the gravity of the present meeting. This was the first
occasion since he became a member of Convocation, and for
very many years before, that they had met for the distinct
transaction of business under the authority of the Crown,
and it was scarcely possible to exaggerate the importance of
their proceedings. He confessed that he had, if he might
venture to say so, on former occasions felt that when they
had assembled in that house there was a want of practical
character in their meetings, because he knew that although
there was everydesirethat they should have an opportunity
of expressing their opinions, and although they knew that
the opinions so expressed might have a very great influence
on the country in general, yet he did not feel that they were
empowered to proceed with any distinct business. But
their meeting fe-day was of a different character. They had
assembled, and were called upon to discuss this question of
the Nth canon by the authority of the Crown as an integral
part of the constitution of this country. Important as such
a duty would be at any time, it was the more important now,
when they could not conceal from thßreselves that the ancient
institutions of the country were passing througlitheir trial,
lie could not conceal from their lordships that when he took
part in the applicatioL to her Majesty to grant them licence
to act this was fully present to his glind. It seemed to him
that tho time had come when it was desirable that the Church
of E4glfrtlad should deliberate on some safe point on which
no hum cokeid poraibly he done, and that they should be
able to show that those alarms which had tilled his own
mind as well as others had no foundation. Their lordships
would foigiye him mentioning this subject, but the matter
was sure to he canyaspcl elenwhere? and It was well that all
persons should understand the altered position in which
Convocation etoo4 that day in consequence of the Royal
license. The right rev. prelate, in a speech of great eloquence
and power, proceeded to examine the reasons which should