Evening journal., 1915-05-12

be rightly and justly admitted TO full
share in the church's life. The whole
responsibility for decision in such
cases, is by our canon, thrown upon
the bishop No clergyman OF the
church is at liberty knowingly to adj
NIT TO sacraments persons married
otherwise than as Gods word doth al
low unless, the case having been re-
ferred to the bishop. the bishop has
in writing authorized the admission.
All heed, of course must be paid to
rubrical and canonical provisions, for
example, in regard to due warning be-
fore exclusion, which carefully guard
against hasty or arbitrary action.
There are more cases of this kind
than you would imagine. In none
hitherto submitted to me have I been
able to discover circumstances which
would justify regarding the case as
exceptional. Ct have several times de-
clined to go behind decisions of other
bishops in which exception has been
allowed.) Yet ! should, Whenever pos
sible, make exceptions on the ground
that the church seeks ta receive as
many. and exclude as few, as possible,
and that, if / am TO make mistakes
which ! cannot hope wholly to avoid
1t is better that they be on the side
of overleniency than of overstrictness.
Our Lords infallible insight could not
err. His ministers have not this; but
they can perhaps reflect something
of His compassion by giving everyone
| the benefit of the doubt. In cases of
/ this sort, ! wish always TO consider
thoroughly and patiently anything and
everything in the way of extenuating
circumstance that can be submitted;
and while l should try never to wave
i'm full loyalty to our Lords author
ity and the beauty and holiness of
the Christian ideal, | should also wish
never to fail in just sympathy for the
difficulties of individual cases, nor to
ignore what is involved in our Lords
words, Him that cOmeth to Me,
will in no wise cast out
Business Before the Convention.
81 have no recommendations to
make to this convention. But | wish
to make a few comments on some OF
The matters which are to come before
you as unfinished business.
Bonding of parish treasurers-The
proposal that parish treasurers he re-
| Nulitu 10 give Dbnh 10 al dppliNa-
ton of the principle that the church
in its management of finances ought
to adopt the best business methods
This, our most businesslike treasurers
wish The principle is obviously
right, and this application of it ap-
parently desirable. Yet in view of The
fact that the matter might not a
once be fully understood in some o.
our smaller parishes, and there NIGH
be difficulty in immediate enforcement
of the rule. it might be well TO con
slider the advisability, should the res
olution be adopted. of not making j
effective until after an interval o
several years.
Designation of alternate delegates
to general conventional has beer
proposed that a change in the consti
tuition be made to take away from tn
standing committee the discretion
now vested in them in selecting from
the list of alternate delegates to gen
eral convention a substitute for an.
delegate unable to attend. Let us cal
, attention to the fact that the delega
tion to general convention ought no
to be composed of any eight good mel
, from the diocese. considered merel
as good individuals, but ought to o
, so composed as to give general con
ventiOn the best we have to give il
the way of experience, especially tn
appearance of men who have attende
! the general convention before. an
i to give the diocese a fair and varie