Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-12
5onrnxI xnS Gonriss.
SINGLE COPIES TWO CENTS.

DELIVERED BY CARRIERS IN THE CTTY, 12 l CENTS WEEK, 42 CENTS A MONTH, $500 A | YEAR. THE SAME TERMS By MAIL. l
 Thursday. June IF. 1884.
 The Diocesan Convention. Commemorative of the COnGecratiOn of
 Bishop Seabury The Bishops Ser
 mon-The Annual RepOrt-Other Bust-
 
 Bishop Williams sermon at the diocesan convention commemorative of the consecra- ton of the Rev. Samuel SeaburY, D. D., as first bishop of Connecticut, at Aberdeen, Scotland, November 14, 17s4, was very fine effort, and everyone present felt that the sub ject, interesting and suggestive as 1t was, | had been done justice, and in eloquent ! words. He closed as follows: Here and now it is enough to have told the story, not as it should be told, but as I have had power | to tell it. of his consecration. Standing be- side the honored sepulchre that holds the mouldsred remains of him who hundred years ago knelt down in that far of land to receive the warrant of his high commission in the church of God, two thoughts-bring- ing with them a thankfulness too deep for
 utterance-fll heart and mind alike. The first the thought of that brave, patient, self l sacrificing soldier of the cross who dared all
 and gave all, that he might win for us the
 precious gift that binds us to the historic
 church, and through it to the great day of
 Pentecost and the mount of the ascension;
 the second of those venerable fathers who,
 to communicate this gift, rose above all per ' iJa
 ties that might have daunted many a brave
 soul, because in their hearts was written, as
 with pen of iron on living rock, that charge
 to all Christ's ministers which comprehends and covers all duties and responsibilities. { s'It is required in stewards that man be found faithful
 In the afternoon Bishop Williams deliv- cred his annual address.
 During the past year he has made no wis., itations, officiated 1855 times, preached and delivered addresses 232 times, administered the Holy Communion 32 times, baptized \ adult and infants solemnized marriages oficiated at burials, and confirmed 1,411 persons. Six persons have been ordained to | the diaconate, and seven deacons have been ! advanced to the priesthood. Thirteen cler- gynen have been received into the diocese { and fourteen have been dismissed to other l dioeeses.
 l Four of the clergy of the diocese have I died; the Rev. Nathaniel s, Richardson, D. 1 D., the Rev, Caleb s. Henry, D. D., the Rev. | B Ferris Bishop and the Rev. Charles A. l Spooner. There are twenty-three candidates l for holy orders. Three churches have been | consecrated; the Church of tho Ascension, \ New Haven; the Church of the Messiah, Ab- l ington, and St Marys church, Manchester. l Two churches have been reopened after sx- 1 tension and alterations: Christ church, l Sharon, and St. Johns church, Salisbury. In regard to the clergy deceased, the bishop Eaid:-
 No one of these brethren was taken from | pastoral and parochial life and work Age or l phy sical infirmity or other fields of labor had l withdrawn them from these duties Dr. l Henry and Dr. Richardson were both men 1 who had served the church by their pens as ] we'll as by pastoral labors. They were both men who had the courage of their convictions and never shrank from saying what they be- lisved duty called on them to say. As editor
 of The Church Review and in other
 works defending the faith and order | of the church Dr. Richardson's name
 will lcng remain and ong be honored. 1 Similar service was done by Dr. Henry in the l pages of an earlier review, while in the field | of general letters his work has borne fruit
 that is lasting for good. Of the other
 brethren departed less is generally known,
 but I should fail in duty, as well az in justice
 to my own feelings, did I not say that ia l many ways they wrought quietly and unob-
 trusively for Christ and his church; and that
 in the case of the one to whom God gave
 larger means, there are manifold aims and
 gifts of which few know on earth, but which
 will be known in the day of final revelation.
 Since we last met, three of our bishops have been called away from earth. First iu
 age, as in position and in the length of his
 episcopate, the bishop of Kentucky, our ven-
 erable presiding bishop, should also be first
 mentioned. In him we lose the last link that
 connects us directly with the patriareh ehal
 White and through him with the English episcopate. In a conversation which l had
 with him not long ago he said: Had anyone
 been asked to say which of the four bishops
 consecrated in October, 1882, would be
 earliest in his grave, l am sure l
 should have been designated; and yet
 here am, on the verge of fourscore years
 and ten, having been bishop for more than ! half century, the sole survivor of the four!'
 What changes he had lived to see and to share in! And how thoroughly his heart went into the wonderful advance which our church has made in that half century! Who that was present at the last meeting of the house O: bishops in New York will ever forget how he gave his brethren his blessing, which he 1 and they felt was given for the last time; l will ever forget the sound of that full stron z voice, broken, indeed, by deep emotion and, through lapse of memory, failing at the last? I such reliance on the promises, and in such perfect peace, there can be no plant of sor- 1 row, but only the words of Christian triumph. It was simply breathing out of the soul in- to the hands of God
 'Nieht dews fall not more gently to the ground, ] Nor weary, woRn-out winds expire 90 soft" Another bishop of Maryland is numbered | with the dead; man of ''the old integrity" i leaving a record of an unselfish and devoted O fa f0r foU1 are, life so endusd with 'things honest pure, just, lovely and of good report' that | it will always form part of the best trees- 1 ures of the church.
 The late bishop of Nebraska went to an untitled field and he left it 8 garden of the | Lord. It does not happen te many men to have their life work so written out as his | was The sorrow that showed itself so uu- mistakably and in such striking ways when he l laid down his Rrmor, sorrow not only of his own clergy and people but of the entire community among whom he lived and for whom he was ''wiIling to spend and be spent, is testimony to which nothing need or can be added. Who can doubt that such l lives are worth the living?
 l The bishop concluded with these worlds ''lt is not in my power to report to you the proposed change in the book of common prayer adopted by the last general conven- | tion and ordered to be communicated to the 1 dioceses. A mere list of the changes, even 1 could l give them, would not present the matters intelligently. Unavoidable delay in printing the book with the proposed changes incorporated in it have interfered with it's completion in time to be ready for | the conventions of the present season. Be- fore our next convention the book pill un- doubtedly be in our hands; and therefore postpone anything that might wish to say | about it for the present. I will only add that whoever examines the volume will see that two principles were rigidly adhered to; the first 'Ihat no alteration should be made | touching either statements or standards of doctrines" the second, that all changes pro- posed should be in accord with those prin- ples of liturgical construction and ritual use which have guided the compilation and amendments of the book of common prayer and have made it what it is." The value and bearing of these two principles are too obvi- | ous to need any enforcement.
 1 l have received ami invitation to be present. at Aberdeen, Scotland, during the first week in October next, and to take part in the eel ebrat1on of the centenary of the consecration Of our first bishon Thia ba1o