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The Church of England Lay Association, recently form- ed in the City of Quebec, take an early opportunity of inviting the attention of their lay brethren throughout the Diocese, to the nature and objects of the Association, and of placing before them a few considerations connected with the important rights and duties about to devolve upon the Church in the present new aspect of ecclesiastical aflulrs. The circumstances which natr ^lly gave rise to the As- sociation, have, together with general character and designs, been sufficiently expla- 1 in the annexed Re- port * of a Committee, appointed on the 26th July last, at a public meetinpr of the members of the Church ; and which was adopted at a similar meeting held at the Court- House, on the 2nd September following, when also the Associption was formed. Referring, therefore, to that document for a narrative of past transactions, it is only proposed, on the present occasion, to glance at a few of the more important considerations which necessarily come under review in connection with the powers of synodical action and self-government, now by law conferred upon the Church. In doing this, however, the Lay Association desire to be distinctly understood as presuming neither to dictate nor to prescribe to the Laity at large the opinions they should hold, or the line of conduct they should pur- sue, in the exercise of their newly acquired privileges. Neither do they so much protend to impart instruction, where, comparatively speaking, all are novices ; as, by conference, either in writing, or verbally, or both, to elicit the real sentiments of the people, in order that these may be ultimately concentrated in the legislature of the Church. The general interests of the Laity arc identical in all parts of the Diocese alike : neither those of the city, nor those of the towns, nor those of the rural districts, have any inducement to over-reach each other ; nor can any- thing which ministers to the welfare of the Laity en masse, be otherwise than conducive to the general welfare of the Church. The Association is, accordingly, open to all her adult members without distinction ; and all are invited to enrol their names amongst its members, upon a perfect footing of equality, wherever they may happen to reside. Its objects are to ascertain and make public the views of the Laity upon the important subject-matters about to be confided to the Synod ; to secure, thus, for the Church, the proper influence of the known opinions and wants of the masses of her members ; and for their delegates, abil- ity to discharge their important functions with satisfac- tion to themselves, and advantage to the Church at large. The methods by which it is proposed to accomplish these ends, are comprised in a simple interchange of sentiment and experience upon questions falling within the range of synodical legislation. And while humbly yet freely ex- pressing their own views, as occasion may require, upon such questions, the Association invite the fullest commu- nication of the views of others, in order that a genuine public opinion upon matters affecting the dearest privi- leges of the present and succeedmg generations, may be created in the Diocese, so that when the time shall arrive for the election of the delegates, the several congregations may the more intelligently exercise their elective franchise, instruct their representatives accordingly, and thus render t the Coustitution and proceedings of the Synod, as regards its lay element, a true rcllcction of the opinions and wishes of the great body of the Church. It is presumed to be generally known that, under the authority of recent statutes, (19 and 20 Vic., cap. 141, and 22 Vic., cap. 139,) the Bishop, Clergy, and Laity, may meet, (the latter by representatives,) and frame constitutions and regulations for the discipline, <£o- vernraeut, and management of the property ami affairs o\ their respective Dioceses. This convention in each Dio- cese will be a Diocesan Synod. They may also, by such representatives as shall be determined in the several Did- ceses, meet in General Assembly, and frame a Coustitntiim for the general management and government of the Churoi: in the entire Province. The Diocesan Synod and the Ge- neral Assembly thus contemplated, bear evident ana- logy to tlic admirably constituted and successful Diocesan and General Conventions of the Protestant Episcopal Church iu the United States. It is, however, of matters' pertaining to the Diocesan Synod exclusively, that the Association arc at present called upon to treat. The earliest attcntio of that l)ody, when assembled iu its first session at the suai aons of the Lord Bishop, must be given to the construction of a Constitution which may regulate its own subsequent composition and proceedings, and make other provisions contemplated by the lavr. Pos- sibly the articles of such an instrument need not be very numerous, at least until additions and amendments, in the form of canons or otherwise, shall have been suggested by future experience of the requirements of the Church. A Constitution, however, of some kind, will be indlspensabk", in limine, to give organized form to a legislative assem- bly invested by law with very extensive powers and an thority ; and although it might be deemed presumptuons and premature, were the Association to throw their ideas A 2 6 into a draft of a Constitution, and to publish it for the in- formation of the public ; yet, as a document of that descrip- tion, wliicli was framed by a Committee previous to the date of their appointment, has been laid upon their tabic, and generally commends itsulf to their a})proval, they ap- pend it to this Address,* to serve at least as a basis for the free conference upon the subject to which they respectfully invite their lay brethren thron^hont the Diocese. But in the meantime, their attention has- been directed parti- cularly to certain points of such prominent importance in reference to the matter of a Constitution, that tliey ven- ture at once to allude to these somewhat in detail. And Istly. — With reference to the ))oundaries of the several constituencies, and the number of delegates from each, it is perhaps of less consequence than is commonly supposed, whether every separate congregation, however small, in each mission or pastoral cliarge, should form a separate constituency, and send its delegates to Synod ; or wheth- er each entire pastoral charge should form but one con- stituency. The latter, rather than the former, plan, ac- cords with prevailing precedent, and with equity, and is the one suggested in the draft of a Constitution hereunto appended. But whether either of these, or a dilTerent one based upon population, be adopted by the Synod, the As- sociation recommend that each constituency be allowed to elect three delegates, as at present permitted to do by law. The advantages to a delegate, of having an associate in- terested in the same locality to confer with, arc consider- able ; while the election of throe will diminish the chances of there being anyone constituency entirely unrepresented. 2ndly. — As regards the qualifications of the delegates, the Association are clearly of opinion tliatthe electors in each constituency are the best judges of tlie fitness of their representatives, and that to restrict their liberty in the * See Appendix U. ▼/ •i*^ „ choico of Hicir dclep^ates, would bo a needless and dan- gerous interference with the elective franoliise of the peo- ple. The idea has, nevertheless, more thaiionco been se- riously proposed, to limit eligibility to the oflice of a dele- gate to communicants ; and as it may be proposed again, it may not be unnecessary to expend a few words ujiun the subject. The motive for the proposal may )je pre- Bunied to be the good one of securing for the S/nod the presence of well-qnalilicd representatives. Apart, how- ever, from the consideration that the Laity are tlie safest guardians of their own interests, and the best judges of the suitableness of candidates for their votes, there is the further one that the partaking of the sacred ordinance in question does not necessarily imply the possession of m- perior qualitications. It were doubtless desirable that every member of the Church appreciated all her articles, practised all her precepts, and conformed to all her ordi- nances ; and ^/ifl^ upon the ground of their being based upon the supremo authority of the Word of God. It is also especially desirable that the qualifications of intelli- gence, honesty, and personal piety, should be attributes of every member of the Synod, clerical as well as lay. Jiut it is difficult to discover wliy, out of the whole catalogue of the doctrines, moral requirements, sacramental and ce- remonial observances of the Church, one in particular should be selected as the only stepping-stone to synodical honors, and the sole standard of personal suitableness for the important trust of a lay delegate ; or, why all the other characteristics of consistent churchraauship, and even all the delinquencies of the inconsistent professor, should be overlooked, and the mere participation of the eucharist be made the sole test of eligibility for the ap- proval and confidence of the constituencies. It should be remembered that conscientious scruples of various kinds are amongst the influences which deter some consistent 'ncmbcrs of the Cluii'ch from approaching the Sacrnmeiit- fil tnl>lc. May not this very toiulcrncss of conscience whicli actnatcs thcni, itself su^tply the strongest possibU- security, irucco])ting the function.s of a delegate, that they will liiiUifiilly and consciontiotisly disehargi' them ? It is further to be considered that the adoption of the sacramental qualilicutiou for all lay Church ? If the Bishop, for the time being, concentrated in his one mind, all the wisdom and experience of the Church ; and in his sympathies, all her wants ; and were gifted with the attribute of infallibility ; reason might that he should be entrusted with uncontrolled authortty. But the best of men are fallible ; and the wisest of fallible men are too distrustful of their own exercise of unrestrict- ed power, to covet it ; lest their own opinions and acts should be swayed by private predilections, rather than the public good. What prerogative, then, can be fraught with greater danger to the Bishop himself, as well as to the Church, than that which is contended for as " essen- tial to the Episcopate V The five Bishops themselves, indeed, (viz. : of Quebec, Toronto, Newfoundland, Fre- dericton, and Montreal,) appear to have been conscious of this when (in their " Minutes of a Conference of the Bishops holden at Quebec from September 24th to Octo- ber 1st, 1851/') they adduce it as the one ground of their desire for a Synod, that they "experience great difficulty m acting in accordance with their Episcopal Commission 16 and Prerogative, and their decisions are liable to ml*' construction, as if emanating from their individual will, and not from the general body of the Church." It would bo difficult to describe or to deprecate the Episcopal Veto of a synodical enactment, in more appropriate or stronger terms, than as a " decision emanating from the individual will of the Bishop," despite the expressed wishes of "the general body of the Church." It is with unmingled satis- faction, therefore, that the Association thus read the ro- corded opinion of these high authorities, including their own Diocesan, as harmonizing, in this particular, so com- pletely with their own. * * A Church of England author, of grave character and great experience, says : " An absolute Veto is neither safe, nor belongs to the essence of an Episcopal Church-system. Surely it is pos- sible to bo a very good Episcopalian, without admitting that a Bishop necessarily knows better than any conceivable majo> ity of a united body of clergy and lay delegates.'' " If a majority of the clergy, and a majority of the laity, voting separately, be ob- tained in favor of a measure, it ought not to bo finally negatived by any one individual." "The j.evailing repugnance to the concession of the Veto has been expressed mainly with reference to tho o7ie-man-power ; no one individual ought to be thus en- trusted with the authority of negativing the united decision of his fellows." " Our sister-Church in the United Stales has got along these sixty years, and has prospered, without this ' essen- tial feature' of an Episcopal Church." And another—" As the head of the clergy, the Bishop, sitting with them, will always ex- ercise as much influence as one man ought to have in a delibera- tive body, particularly amongst a dependent missionary-clergy. To give him more than that proper weight which office, talents, and piety, will always secure, by allowing him to step aside from the body in which he had been conducting a debate, in order to veto an adopted measure upon which he had been deliberating, would not only destroy the independence of the Church, but in the end endanger the Episcopate itself." " The Veto is a power which would clothe its possessor with an accumulation of prero- gatives not less foreign as a whole to a Scriptural Episcopate, than would this one in particular be dangerous to the indepen- dence of the Church." 1 i The Assomtion sca/cely deem it necessary to pursnc at any length the fallacious and exploded argnment at- te»r,ed to be drawn from a snppo'sed analorbetwce , the three estates of the real™, and the three (^hich Tow ever, stnctly speaking, are either fonr-Bishop S Deacons, and Laity or only two-Clergy and Lai*; ti- the Chnrch ; and then between the prerogative of th Qneen and the r«<,of the President oa the o,^ -Id and the claimed Veto of a Bishop on the oth" B,^ Fnln'."""'"^^- ^''^ "'"""'"^^ °f th" Crown „ England ,s no,von all hands conceded to be. to all praet" calmtentsand purposes, a eonstitntional, not an ,rii tary prerogative, to be used by and with the eon en o the Mm,stry, her eonstitntional advisers, who arc roTnl Un ted States, who is himself directly responsible to th.. p;*Ucvo.e,issabJect to wholesome checks, boH> eJ at,ve and pemnal. If, pending his brief t m „f offleo he F.to any Bill, he mast retnm it with his reason, ^ and .f ,c.alBrmed by a tw.thirds vote of tie L^ 1X1' law. But, further, he is himself subject at the hustino-s t, , the people's quadrennial Veto upon him. Iftheanioiv SaTo : ZTnTr''"' * Episeo;:. e,»i^ with a body of constitutional advisers, amenable to the Synod ; or by subjecting both the claimed VetootLZ rCo^rs^riLLSir^'r S'lrtr^'"" "''" "f ''^ -angetr;'!" accoul with the gemus of Episeopaoy , and still mor. b2 18 whether a quadrennial election of a Bishop would be less dangerous to the peace of the Church than, a Vclo absolute would be to her liberty. But the pretended analogy still further fails when it lA remembered that neither of tho above secular functionaries sits or deliberates in the Sen- ate of either country. " lu no case," observes an English writer, "can it be safe or constitutional to centre the double functions of the legislative and executive in one and the same hands. Neither the Sovereign nor thu Pre- sident has a seat or a vote in parliament, and even their Veto is guarded by constitutional restraints which make it virtually subject to the voice of the nation, as the functions of all her members, clerical and lay, ought to be subject to the authority of the Church. The Veto woukl place one of them above it." It only remains, in connection with this subject, to no- tice the deadening influence which the known possession of a Veto by the Bishop must needs exert upon th" vitality of the Synod in which he presides. The object of the Synod is to obtain a full and free expression of the wants and wishes of the Church ; and, as far as practicable, to provide for them. Towards the accomplishment of these ends, she invites her members to lay all their treasures of wisdom and knowledge, of intellect and influence, of zeal and experience, at her feet. Everything,, therefore, tend- ing to restrain them in the conception, advocacy, and com- pletion, of wholesome measures for her welfare, would be a barrier to the attainment of the object of the Synod. — The clerical element in that body, being an assemblage of several individuals, is deliberative in character — differing, discussing, voting, amongst themselves ; and a majority preponderates : so also is the Lay element. Under such circumstances, truth is elicited in the freedom of debate, and the issue is tho result of fair deliberation. But, let a chilling feeling brood over the Synod, that a distinct partj I 19 .,> is iJresent, who is not a deliberative element, cannot argue with himself, nor divide upon a question within himaelf; but whose own " indiyidual will " can outweigh all the united logic and judgment of the Synod ; and liow paralya- ing to every manly and independent thought, valuable design, and forcible argument— how destructive of the cud and purpose of a conference— must be the incubus of such a feeling I How useless to propose, or to reason, or for the Synod to waste its time by entertaining a motion or a suggestion until, first, the leaning and wishes of the Bishop be disclosed ! The first enquiry with every member, with respect to any project for the Church's good, will bo— not, is it in itself, and in its season, a desirable one ? but, what are the Bishop's projects, the Bishop's wishes, the Bishop's interests, or predilections, or even prejudices ? And thus, the energy and independence of the Synod withered, and its design defeated, it will become little else than an office of record for euregistering the acts of the Bishop, performed under the misnomer of synodical legis- lation, " It would be quite as well," remarks a writer^al- ready quoted, "to do without the semblance of legislation as to be called upon to legislate within the limits which the existence of the Veto would assign to the Church's representatives." And an American writer says : " A Veto, vested in a sitting and acting memljer of a legisla- tive body, destroys legislative freedom altogether. If the President has the right of thus annulling the legislative will, the attempt to legislate in his presence is a farce, and free discussion worse than useless. His vote in the negative on any proposition would, of course, destroy it, even on a preliminary question ; for there would be a manifest im- propriety in any further proceedings, which would be both disrespectful to him, and derogatory to the dignity of the house. But the chief reason why, in our political institu- tions, the Veto is never connected with legislative 20 membership, applies with peculiar force to tlic Church.— When so associated, it absorbs in its possessor aljsolute power. ' This, I will not pass in this shape,' * not only prevents the introduction of an unwelcome sub- ject, but exacts its modification so as to connect with the Fcfo- power the power of initiation." The Bishop examines, ordains, and licenses all clergymen, who, if over leaving the Diocese, require his letters dis- missory or commendatory : as Rector of Quebec (an office hold unavoidably in the present instance together with the Episcopal)— besides the clerical patronage of the Cathedral or Parish-Church— he is the patron of three or four Chapelries : he is Visitor of a College which will probably send three or four more clergymen to Synod ; and, as Agent of the " Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," as well as of the " Church So- ciety," he is the patron and paymaster of country Mission- aries, locates, and removes them. Ko calculation is bore made of the number of clerical votes which he may thus directly and indirectly command ; nor of the lay votes which, through the clergy, he may command also.f It cannot be denied that an immense and varied, if not alarming, amount of oflicial, moral, and material influ- ence clusters thus already around the Episcopal chair. Surely it cannot be " essential to the Episcopate," nor necessary nor safe for the Church, that this concentration * " If I recoUect right," (states an English author,) " the Bishop of Vermont says, it does not happen that he has to exer- cise the Veto which the Constitution gives him ; for when Clergy and Laity discuss a matter which the Bishop is decidedly oppos- ed to, he just gets up and saya so ; then they desist, and the mat- ter drops I This is precisely what I suppose the Emperor of Russia does in his Council of Ministers or Generals !" t It was publicly boasted by a Clergyman, on a late occasion, that ho had a thousand people iu his mission, who would vote ex- actly as he desired them ! • SI c- ♦ ■ of power— which is unknown to the Hierarchy of th^ir Uuitcd Church of England and Ireland ; is also without prewdcut in the Uuitcd States ; and which, it is believ- ed, finds no parallel even iu the Church of Rome — should be increased and consummated by adding to it, liesides a presiduig intluence in the Synod, a Veto upon all its trans- actions.* If, under such circumstances, and notwithstand- ing all the prestige of his office, and the weight of his pa- tronage, any measure ever receive a majority of the cleri- cal and lay votes, contrary to the wishes of the Bishop, the simple fact would certainly indicate a case in which his own " iudividual will" ought not to outweigh and nul- lify the decision of such a concurrent majority. The As sociation, however, do not overlook the consideration that there are imperfections in every human organization, and that there will be disadvantages as well as advantages at- tendant upon a union of the Clergy and Laity in one house. The latter are those of better personal acquaint- ance, and amicable interchange of thought : the former those, occasionally, of warm debate, and precipitate doci - slons. With the view of meeting the contingency of over- sights and hasty legislation, the draft of a Constitution. hereunto annexed f proposes to endow the Episcopate • The subject hero in hand is illustrated by recent information from the Diocese of Nova Scotia, where — in the Synod which as- sembled in October last — '• Notice was given of a motion to abo- lish the Bishop's Veto over the proceedings of the Synod, and tc compel him to preside with his Council in a eeparato room, that the deliberations of the Synod might be more free and unbiassed."' — {Church Witness.) The fact is pregnant with instrnction re- lative to the possession of undue and anomalous powers, and tio the working of untried Constitutions. The experiment o; the Veto is already furnishing matter for discontent and agitation in. the Church, which are not likely to be diminished by the reflec- tion that the Bishop may Veto auy attempt of the Synod to de- prive him of the Veto with which the Coustitutioa has enUowci him. t See Appendix B. 22 witli a reserving power, (i. o. a power to reserve a mea- sure, even thout,di it should have been passed by both or- ders, for rccousideration at the next moetiiij? of the Sy- nod,) which promises adequate provision for every in- convenience. The Association respctliilly rt ■^onuneud it, accordingly, to the favorable conaiaeratioii of the Church generally.* Having thus adverted, ns o-iginally proposed, to a few of the more important subject-matters about to be confided to the Synod, and which necessarily invito attention in the present juncture of the affairs of the Church, the Association, in conclusion, earnestly hope that these topics will excite, amongst all classes of her members, serious and prayerful reflection, involving as they do the weighty interests of this and future generations. Everything con- nected with the well-being and eflicicncy of the Church, whose Protestant doctrines, discipline, and formularies, arc the inheritance which ought to be handed down to pos- terity unimpaired, will depend, under Providence, upon the cliaracter which she, as now called upon, may give to herself, as an Institution synodically organized with all the authority of law. Everything will depend upon the nature and provisions of the Constitution which it will be the first duty of the Synod to construct : everything in that Constitution will depend upon the opinions and votes of the ivh Rbovs of the Synod ; whilst the views and votes * Thr i .," i< -I.. , of Huron, at the receafc meeting of the Sy- nod of that Diocese, stated, in reference to the Veto, that " he cousidered that it imposed a very heavy responsibility on him to be possessed of such power as proposed, and he thought that after two years' deliberation ho would be acting against every right, were he not to accede to the repeated request of the mujority of the Synod.'-— ^c^io, 30th Sept., 1858. This view exactly re- duces the Veto to the above " power to reserve for re-considora- tion,"— the only difference being that the AsRociatioa prefer its being embodied in aa Article of the Constitution. of the lay rcprospntativcs in ft, will depend upon tho prevailing opinion of the Church in the constituencies througliout the Diocese, and upon the instruct ions which they will have received h^om the electors. Nor ean uuy Constitution, nor any article in a Constitution, i. >r any thing else, be enacted, without their concurrci o. — Neither is it to be supposed that the clergy mU fail to yield due respect to tlio well understood and xprehscd wishes of the great body of tho Church. It is, 'lercforo, of the utmost morai-tit that clear and intelligent prJncipL 3 and opinions relativ • to the several foregoing topif- and others which may h .-cafter come under review, s 1 bo formed and diffused nniongst the Laity generally, ^rder that, at the elections, r hey may instruct their dci tes, and that, " when the ti ao shall arrive, those delegate may appear iu Synod with 1 e weight which must alwo; it- tach to the opinions of -ho masses, and be cnabk to discharge their iraportau. functions with satisfactii 'o themselves, and benefit t( the Church at large." The Association have now only to renew the expres i oftheir readiness to conft •, on all occasions, with their brethren of the Laity, in v hatever section of the country they reside ; to invite and w Icomo them as fellow-memberb of the Institution ; and to i quest that their prayers may be blended with their own, for a blessing from Above upon the objects and opcrati us of the Association. Quebec, 24th Novr., 1858. GEO. HALL, President, R. POPE, Secret ART. Erratum.— At page 20, for " as Rector of Qaebec, (an office held uaavoidably in the present instance, together with the Epis- copal,'") read " in this Diocese, in the present instance, as Rector of Queljec, (an office held unavoidably together with tlic Episco- pal.") APPENDIX A. EEPORT OF COMMITTEE. The Committee appointed at the public meetin- of tli(« members of the Cliurch of England, held in the Court House on the 2Gth July last, beg leave, in reportiug to their constituents, to glance, in the first place, at a few of the leading events which preceded and were connected with the meeting at which they were appointed ; then to describe their own proceedings in furtherance of the tru^t committed to them ; and subsequently, to offer a few sug- gestions relative to measures by which the interests tlic-v were deputed to protect may be most effectually pro- moted. "^ '■ The Act of the Provincial Legislature, (19 & 20 Vic- toria, cap. 141,) enabliBg the members of the Church to meet in Synod, having received the Royal assent, and the clergy of the diocese being assembled in the city of Quebec in the year 1857, on the occasion of a triennial Episcorud Visitation, a committee, consisting of six clergymen elect- ed by the Clergy, and of six Laymen, selected at the request of the Clergy by the Lord Bishop, undertook the task of dra ing, and actually drafted accordingly, a constitution for the embryo Diocesan Synod, which the Bishop throi- 'i the several clergy of the Diocese, summoned to 'meet* at 2 Quebec on the 9tli June last ; and in liis circulars to that cflcct, addressed to the Clergy, his Lordship, anticipating the jndgraent of the Church respecting her constitution, adopted, beforehand, those articles of tlie said draft of one, wliich had reference to the composition of the Synod : instructed the several congregations each to elect one Lay D(^legate, according to its provisions ; and by prescribing tlioir ((ualifications— viz., limiting the elections to commu- nicants, restricted the elective franchise of the people. It is not for your Committee to question the integrity of the motives which prompted the line of action thus de- s<'ril)ed ; but they may 'x- excused for recording their con- rnrrence in the prevailing opinion — the soundnc>ss of which WHS confirmed by the subsequent relinquishment of the in- tended course — that it was unprecedented, unconstitution- al, and contrary to law. The Clergy were at the time assembled, not for Synodical, but for A'isitation purposes ; the Church had neither deputed t^iem to frame her consti- tution, nor the Bishop to act upon the draft of one they framed ; much less had she empowered them to delegate the assumed responsibility of constructing one, to others ; but least of all does it appear that they were authorized, when yielding a semblance of respect for Lay rights, to vi .late them by retiucsting that the Lay element in the Committee should be chosen by the Bishop, or by any body but the Laity themselves. The irregular nature of these preliminary arrangements scon becoming the subject of private and public criticism, as ])L'ing at variance with the Act of Parliament, which provided that the Constitution of the J^ynod should bo framed only by the members of the Churcli generally, and which gave to each of them a voice in the enactment of laws which were to bo binding on himself, the Lord Bishop judiciously abandoned the procedure which had w , i 4 3 been tlius initiated, and summoned, in terras of the Act, the general meeting of the members of the Chnrcli, at which he presided, and the Revd. A. W. Mountain acted as Secretary, and which took place in the National School House at Quebec, on the 24th June last. In the former instance, however, the circulation of printed copies of the drafted constitution had afforded adequate notice of the proposed proceedings ; but in this — although it became known that a series of resolutions had been, under authority, prepared in private for the occasion— there liad been no announcement or disclosure of the contemplated policy, until the second motion of the prepared series (the first having been merely for the adoption of the Act,) developed the design of transferring to a few Lay delegates associated with the Clergy, to form a kind of ad interim or temporary Synod, the functions which the law had con- tided only to the Church at large. Nothing could be plaiuer than the language of the Act :— " The Bishops, Clergy and Laity, members of the United Church of Eng- land and L-cland in this Province, m^y meet, and, in such manner, and by such proceedings as they shall adoi)t, frame Constitutions and make regulations," &c. Nor coiilil anything more palpably conflict with its provisions tlian the proposal to substitute for the whole Church a smaller body of deputies, without authority of law, and to surren- der to it the powers which t!ie Legislature had entrusted to the Church herself. It was impossible to over-estinin te the evils to which she might be subjcoted in after times, if permitted to rear the whole fabric of her legislation and government upon a fundamental error in point of law ; and it was, therefore, only the part of true churchmanahip to desire to avert those evils. A motion in amendment having, accordingly, been made for the appointment of a Committee of six Clergymen and six Laymen to prepare a Constitution, to be submitted for approval to a future meet mg of the Church, a lengthened and warm debate ensued which resulted in an adjournment of the meeting to the 1st September. It is scarcely necessary for the Commit- tee to remind their constituents of the peculiar nature of that first and abortive attempt at Synodical Action in this Diocese, which has been well described as an " unhappy scene." Its painful characteristics are fresh in the mem- ory of the Church, and resembled too closely for her credit those unseemly conflicts for the maintenance of usurped authority, which stain the earlier pages of her history — Your Committee would gladly erase them from the records of her colonial acts ; and it is only in so far as they aroused and justify the feelings which have been, since still urther outraged, that the duty of adverting to them is forced upon the reluctant notice of your Committee. The Clergy generally supported the original proposition which was also advocated from the Chair ; while the Laity' with even greater unanimity, urged the wisdom and legality of the amendment; but when the period for puttin° the question to the vote arrived, the debate acquired a°new and more feverish complexion from a claim put forth by the Clergy to vote apart from their lay brethren, and to have the result determined by a concurrent majority in both sections of the meeting. The " vote by orders," as it is termed, is, in the view of your Committee, a wholesome usage ; conservative of the rights of the Clergy and Laity alike ; obtaining univer- sally in the Diocesan and General Conventions of the sis- ter Church in the United States ; and has been transcribe ed from her excellent models into recent organizations of the Colomal Church. It is, however, utterly without pre- cedent in the mother Church of England and Ireland • is known, wherever it exists, not as an inherent or abstract right, but only as a coastitutioaal privilege ; cannot, there- 'A^y fore, vest in the Clerical or Lay elements of a Synod any more than can a Vdo, absolute cr qualiaed, vest in the' Bisliop, until authorized by a constitution lawfully adopt- ed by the Church ; and as it is unrecognized by the Act of Parliament under which the Church was at the time as- sembled, the result of any division upon a vote by orders while it could not have given validity to an illegal decision would have implicated the Church in all the perilous con' sequences of a fundamental defect in the very outset of her Synodical proceedings. Jfotwithstanding the ability with which these considerations were enforced by gentlemen oi emnience in the legal profession who were present, the do- raand for a vote by orders was persisted in by the Cleroy generally, and was strenuously supported bv the Bishoi, who refused to put the question otherwise. ' Sou^e of t|l,' Clergymen and of the Laymen became animated when they addressed the chair ; but if any betrayed the in fin- once of temper and impatience, it scarcely becomes a Com- mittee of Laymen to state on which side these exhibitions- preponderated, or on which a deportment of courtesy and calmness. At length, however, the disorder of the meet- ing, generally excited, as your Committee believe, by th<. tone and bearing of those to whom the Church is wont to look for patterns of forbearance and decorum, seemed tu forbid the hope of transacting any business, unless ,ovw recourse were had to the overbearing power of a ma)ority - and after several failures, a motion at last prevailed for n r> adjournment, as already intimated, to the 1st day of the present month. There was no reason to distrust the sincerity ol this adjournment. Bishop, Clergy and Laity had acqiiies. <'ed m It as a humiliating but inevitable necessity, and sn- parated (after the benediction from the Chair,) with an au- parent bona fide expectation of meeting again on the d'-.y appointed, to renew the suspended essay at Synodical oi-a- nization. Tlie Church, on reassembUng, would doubtle«< a2 f 6 have been prepared to hear of some remalniag differences of oninioii, and to adjust them, as in other deliberative assemblies, by openness and freedom of debate ; but jom' Committee believe that nobody was at all prepared to learn that any of the parties to the adjournment that had been made in good faith, could be fomid, in the interim, making use of the interval of the meetings, for a hasty visit to the Scat of Government, where the Legi&lature was still in session, with reference to changes in the Act whicli the Church, including themselves, had unanimously adopted ; or, if not for the purpose of procuring altera- tions in that Act, that they could possibly concur in the suggestion by others of such changes ; but much less of changes having the effect of preventing the re-assembling to ^vlildi they had agreed, of nullifying the whole of the previous proceedings into which they themselves had led the Church ; and of converting the mere adjournment of which they had approved into an absolute dissolution. If this 1)0 a specimen of ecclesiastical diplomacy, an example of the exercise of party zeal, your Committee deeply regret that it should be but little calculated to foster the conh- deuco of the people in their rulers, or to win for the persons of t'lose who wield administrative power in the Church, the respect which their office should at least deserve. If it be impossible to forget, and difficult to forgive it, your Comiulltec earnestly trust that it will be so far repudiat- ed, as to furnish neither precedent nor pattern for man- oeuvres in Synodical legislation ; but that if deplored and condemned, it will never be imitated in the tactics of parties in the Church. It was to resist the passing of the Bill which had been resolved upon, whilst the Chairman and Secretary of the mectiug were in Toronto ; which had been suddenly intro- duced into the Legislature, unsolicited by the Church, and which was designed to destroy the principle of the Act, ■If 1 t ( f i ( a t e u I '^ 'If vrhich her Bishop, Clerp:y. and Laity, had formaliy ml unauimously adopted, that the public meeting was called at which, the Acting Mayor of tlie city presidino-, y„ur Committee was appointed, and the following resolution. were passed : — Moved by Mr. Jeffery Hale, seconded by Mr K Pexistox, and 1st.— Resolved,— That the Legislature of this Prov ince, in passing the Act intituled "An Act to enable the Members ofthe United Church of England and Ireland in Canada to meet in Synod," (19 & 20 Victoria c 141) recognising in the Members of that Church the 'rio-ht oi self-government, and conferring upon such Members (the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity,) the power to moot in' each Diocese, frame constitutions, and make regulations for the management ofthe property, affairs and interests of the said Church, have given proof of a truly enlightened spirit ofjustice. Moved by Col. Fitzgerald, R.A., seconded by Mr A C. BucHAXAN, and 2xD.— Resolved,— That the true friends of that Churci^ would see with regret and pain any retrograde action oii the part of the Legislature from the sound principle ot conferring upon the members generally the powers of self- government ; and thai without solicitation by the parties interested, and immediately r.fter the members of the Church in this Diocese, at a regular meeting, convoked and presided over by the Bishop of this Diocese on the twenty-fourth of June last, (which meeting stands adjourn- ed to the first Wednesday in the month of September next,) have accepted the Act ofthe Legislature. Moved by Mb. R. Pope, seconded hj Mr. Lepper and *' 8 3RD.—RE30LVED,~Thatthe Members of the said Churcli in this Diocese, have seen with serious apprehension the mtroductiou into the Honorable the Legislative Council of a Bill intituled " An Act to explain and amend the Act mtitnled An Act to enable the Members of the Uni- ted Church of England and Ireland in Canada to meet in Synod," nisidiously purporting to make better provision tor thn representation of the Laity, but really intended and having the effect, if passed into Law, of transferrin..- the power of self-government from the members 'renerallv to a tow delegates. ' Moved by Lieut. Ashe, R.N., seconded by Mi?. Kadon and ' ' 4Tir,— RES0LVED,~That the abandonment by the Leo-is- lature of the principle of self-government in the memb°ers generally, and the transfer of the power to deleo-ates is in the opinion of this meeting well calculated to retard the prosperity of the church, and perhaps permanently to impair its best interests. Moved by Mr. Sheriff Sewell, seconded by Mr 4. I'AMPBELL, Jr., and 5TH.-RES0LYED,-That a copy of the present resolu- tions be sent to the representatives of the city in Parlia- ment, and that they be requested to resist strenuously the passing into Law ofthe said Bill, intituled "an Act to " explain and amend the Act, intituled an Act to enable "the members of the United Church of Eno-land and "Ireland in Canada to meet in Synod," or any other l>ili during the present session npon the same subject. Moved by Mr. Sealey, seconded by Mr. Glover, and _ 6th.— Resolved,— That a Committee be now appointed with power to add to their number, and with authority to petition the Legislature, or to se"d a deputation on A. behalf of this meetiug to Toronto, or by such other mea- sures as they may adopt, to carry out the foregoing Reso- lutions, and that the following gentlemen compose the said Committee :— Messrs. G. Hall, J. Hale, A. Stuart, A. C, Buchanan, H. S. Scott, A. Campbell, Jr., W, Wurtele, Lieut. Ashe, R.N., R. Pope, Colonel Fitzgerald, R.A., Sheriff Sewell, W. Eadon, A. J. Maxham, and W. A. Curry. In furtherance of these resolutions, your Committ<}e immediately transmitted copies of them to the representa- tives of the city in Parliament. They also deputed An- drew Stuart, Esquire, to proceed to the provincial capi- tal, for the purpose of more fully informing the meraber.% of the Legislature upon the important general principles and local bearings of the case to which they referred. A petition in favor of parliamentary interference having been got up in Quebec after the Bill in question had been in- troduced, signed by between 30 and 40 members of tlie Church of England, your Committee forwarded anotlier against any change -n the existing law, signed by upwards of 300. A copy of this petition is here annexed : — The Petition of the undersigned, members of the Church of England in the city of Quebec, humbly sheweth,— That by the Act passed in the Parliament of this pro- vince, and to which Her Majesty was graciously plousL-d to signify the royal assent, intituled, an Act to enable the members of the United Church of England and Ireland in Canada to meet in Synod, (19 & 20 Tie. cap. Ul) the I>ower^ of self-government in all matters relating to the discipline, order, and good government of the church, was conferred upon the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity, members of the church in their several Dioceses : That sensibly alive to the importance of the privilege thus conferred upon them, the Bishop, Clergy, and Laity, 10 mombcrs of the Chnrcli in the diocese of Quebec, at a meetliipl. W?n. KuiLo-rHenV Li^d^' R. T^l \v ;.ll\" t't"' "''^"-y ^'■o^'^«- M. Wbeatley Anderson, James HI, Joseph ]5(nvan. Roherc Harris, Henry W Welch Hcnrv w' Gib.one. G.H.Pa.ke, Wm. Gerrard RosVR H RusseU^^^^ rtl' ^^rV^- ^T--,"^'"^ ^- ^'''''- William^Vbite W S ^..VeK' George Gnihn, Kduard 13. Scott, R. C. Pentland M. Sleppard ?hr?;Hn n {i'""; i^' ^^/j"''""''" ^ F. Gibsone, James StanTe d ell M D V'l P, 'VV''"- ^^""r!}' '^''T' ^''^'''- •^^^""-•« ^- Sew: Kn F V h"^ " r-n^- ^;P^P^''^' William Cole, Timothy H. Dunn, L. V. Home. William Taylor, Thos. Stevenson nu<'h Afr Scldams't J^^'aI^'V'^^' Jame/Gilchrist, John Tliacc "james Thos Indti '^\?;^l'f.'n- J-S-I^'idden. R. Pope, Benjamin Gnle, luos. Andrew.^ W. B. Valleau, John Bell, R. H Wurtele P Hale, William Bethel, Thos. Davis, A. G. M. Vyatt iaml Si^ 22 Blake. Viiliam Tait Uid;^Mac' an .^"t T^S^'^^^ ^^' I'aiko, T. Huram, John MoAdams \Vi i?n, u r V ^'^'i.".'' ^''omas tlo. Daniel McAdaras ThorD l' \Vi '•""» *f?'^'''e«. CliarlesLIt- nolds. Wm. RoynS J, w ',; u ' I'!"" ?*7nold8, John P.ey- Richard, JoscK ott e? Thomari iulo ^ r"'. "."^,'' ^Y^'i'' ^•^«» thew HouRhton, W. Cent ev lZmu,,'v^'. '^?,'''^J' Marshall, Mat- rington. W. JohnHton W O'S-in ^ Magic R. Leo, 8r., J. Heth- W. Simpson, jTnArimtrono^n if"™'l'',f^7,^ T''°«- Courtney, W. E. Moore \Vi "am Jacksoif ' To.", nh'?" '' ^^- S,'"'l^^«»- Senr. Fmncli John" l-o„ K w™ Rob'S B»L'i'T7' „•'»'"'„""""' Kolly. R. Ellis,' John Dmvncy j "St," ' •''S",?""' William McTaggnrl, John FiUnnirW- \t ii . ^' „''• ""■■■>■'. J»mo3 Tuc,,o°, J„hnSu!,'ay%« VZ^Jfr;;'' P''« Wliilo. John Mm Dann. James uSy Jol.'^^SSy E'en?" J r n"' *^''?' Anderson, Wm Farrel Sv K^^?^^ ^- Loufestcy, Jas. I^ell, Alexander IIoTw J pJarS^'A^;/?''" Farrel, John Camp- Ebenezer Falo^.Tohn' Morem G ktiJ'"w^'^''''^«A. ^^''»- R^'"^"». Craig, Goo. Broomer G Si^" frP'"'"^' ^m- Siggins, Robt. Wilson, HenrrMo";eT^?am'?rLk;o^;']S''i^^^^^^^^ ^^°^^« James Nickson, EamifwMto Thos Md .'v'T^' ^ f H^!" i^*^"'^'^'^' Kead,John Tread, Jacob liumuioad, Isaac Uammond,"Abrahara 18 nammona. Sr., Al)ralmm Hammoml, Jr., Abol Hawkins, Geo. End, .bainiKl Cainpliul . K,hviii Allon. lluht. IlairiH. John Kml.CliiirlfS wSr' "*' " ^'"^'*' ^''"^^'P '^- ^i"*^'''''^' Matthew Ma- Notwithstiindiiinr all these proceodiiij,'-!, the Legislature, uiulor what propoiulorating iuduciice yoiu* Committee arc uuable to explain, saw lit, a few day.s Ijoforo the eloso of the session, to pass the obnoxious liill into law, whieh now provides that, for all the purposes of the previous Act, the Laity shall meet by representation. It has been al- ways perfectly understood, and distinctly admitted on all sides, from the beginning of this controversy, that the prin- ciple of representation, as regards the Laity, would be re- cognized in the constitution whenever the same should be finally adopted by tlie Church. The main ol)j('ction, then, to the new Jiill, as expressed in the foregoing resolutions, was— uot that it recognized that principle, but that the Church was already empowered and competent to legislate in the premises ; and that, wantonly, and unask.^d by her- self, to revoke or curtail her powers in that and in other respects, without any evidence whatever of its necessity,— and (/laf, as It were in the very middle of a debate, was an uncalled-for interposition which might serve a'^ a prece- dent, whenever sinister inllucncc prevails, for future still further parliamentary interference with her established system of responsible government, and might thus weaken the confidence of her members in the stability of her institutions. Your Committee here admit that it is the part of loyalty and order to submit to the authority of a statute. But they do not conceive, when doing so, that they have forfeited their liberty to record it respectfully as their deliberate opinion, that the Legislature mluipprc- hcnded the principles involved, and that, the members of the Church generally having acquired, under the former Act, the power of themselves framing constitutions and regulations for the management and government of her B 14 affairs, and harug nnaDimoosIy adopted tte Act whici coufe»ed that poweiv any „^„.,/,,,/,i,,,ti4''™^^ y peud,„g a tompovary adjournmeat of their ,7ooed- > gs, unsohcted and mKlesired by themselveMeidi, ! to abrogate, .;ost™t or transfer the p„«.ers which v"e not .shewn to have been either insuflicient or abased wa "an honofthe title to manage their own interests, which the U.gis ataro, nader the formal sanction of the Crown had already delegated to the Chareh. Havin-r tl„, ,1 , of events Which preceded their appointal t " Th^ .™ proceedings. It only remains for yon^ Committe to "ffor a few snggestions relative to snch methods of „<^ motmg the welfare of the Chnreh as appear to be eld (or at the present jnnetare, and to fall witUn the t mmce of the present meeting. B::perione in the L own case coimnces them that the members of fi,„ n. , rally are b„t imperfectly acnaint'TwItrthe'Titir of church government, thensesand powers of Sv„n,i com^sponding with the Diocesan cLX^^^ ed States, or the duties in relation to them which L,T upon themselves. And since there are i.rerest 1 1 n duties peeulhar to the Laity, as clpotg e Cy " b Church particularly as electors in thei respetuve .lanshes and missions, and also as delegates to the 8^ -consulering, moreover, that these interests and T, are identical in whatever part of the dLc ' t/^ ^T mayhappento reside,-that the My t "ec y aJd ff Le country have bat the same ri.-hts, the same Mvi eV/ the same respons,hilities,-no one section of the mai"!; of the Church's members having any desire or ind ,c"men to interfere with the liberty of any other section bat each being deeply implicated in the welfare ottt,,, triaitr/tr r'"'^" ""- ^<^^t; the Laity of the Diocese should enjoy the mutual advan- 1* r ct whicu . especial- proceed- ending to were not i, was an 3 resump- hich the >wn, had disposed of their nittee to of pro- 3e called ;he cog- ieir owu ch genc- I'iuciples uods, as le Unit- devolve well as body of >pective Synod, duties Laity and of nleges, masses cement n, but whole, 3 that advan- S* 15 tages of conference and co-operation, and that the most effective methods of securing these objects, and of^- motmg the common good, would be found in luded in hn work ngof ^ C/...c/.,.^.,W La, Assoc::!^ Z^ b anches correspondents, and other agencies, i^ tow^ and rural districts, to serve as a bond of union a s^J^ of information and a centre of influence, both a reo r . sentiuicnt and action, throughout the Diocese ; to co operate with the Clergy, where occasion sug^e ts w'th avlewto the best interests of the Church ; anf to' ol municate if desirable, with other Dioceses. Your Com- Reformed ; and, m conclusion, humbly pray that the Divine gmdance and blessing may rest upon iL proceedings The whole is, nevertheless, respectfully submitted. Quebec. 1st Sept., 1858. A f^ APPENDIX B. PROPOSED COISTITUTIOI FOR THE SYNOD OF THE DIOCESE OP QUEBEO. ARTICLE I, A Synod Of the Bislion CUv^^rr «1 Chare of England a^ tZa t ^n^ "''""^ ^■"'• tec, shall be held oa the th W w , , ° "'"'''''' <"' Q»«- each year, i„ the CHjof^^JlT"' '" ^''""'^' "' Synod may appoint s„eho her"/ '"".*.'"»J''"ty of the «'era.aydee.\d,Utt[&rerLr''' ARTICLE II. liie Bishop Shall have power to rnii o • . whenhemaviuda.eitconrW . , " ^^^^^^^ ^y^ods, '-^nd shall a/o doC when 7',' f"' ''''' '''''' ^^^"^^ch '>ythoStandIngCoCmee.^^'^^^^^^ '''' '" ^^''^^ l^-P-e^ ARTICLE Iir The Synod shall consist of thn -r- v ofthe Clergy ofthesam;;beLgtSt?,''^ , wemg in Pnests' orders, institnt- b2 18 ed or licensed to the cure of souls, or being Principals or Professors iu any College, or head-master of the prepar- atory school in connection with the same, and not being under ecclesiastical censure ; of Clergymen who have had a seat in the Synod, but have become superannuated from age or inGrmity ; and of Lay representatives to be elect- ed as hereinafter provided. ARTICIE IV. TheLayrcpresentatves, being members of the United Chiu-ch of England and Ireland, shall be of the full age of twenty-one years, and shall be elected annuallv, in ''each cure, on the first Wednesday in Easter Week, at a meet- ing convened for the purpose, after due notice, by the Clcrgymauin charge ofsuch cure, or by ten laymen be* longing to the same ; and all Laymen of twenty-one years of ago or upwards, who shall have declared them- selves, in writing, in a book to be provided for such pur- pose, to be ''Members of the United Church of England and Ireland, and to belong to no other religious denomi- nation," shall have th.M-ight of voting at such meeting j and, the Minister in charge of the cure, if present, shall preside at the election ; and, in his absence, or otherwise, the Curate, or assistant Minister, or the Chairman elect- ed by a majority of those present. ARTICLE V. The Lay delegates shall consist of not more than throe from each cure ; provided, always, that each congrega- tion within the ecclesiastical parish of Quebec, shall be considered and held to be, for all the purposes of this Con- stitution, as a separate cure, and entitled to all the privi- leges of the same ; acertiHcateofwhose election shall be signer by the Chairman of the Meeting, and laid before tho Synod before his or their admission to a seat or vote. •r ncipals or le prepar- uot being have bad ited from be elect- 5 United ill age of in each a meet- by the 'men be- 'enty-one ;d them- ucli pur- England denomi- looting ; it, shall iherwiso^ .n elect- .n throe •ngraga- shall be his Con- ic privi- shall bo before or vote. 19 ARTICLE Vr, If a vacancy should occur in the representation of any care such cure shall proceed, within as little delay as possible to a new election, in the manner prescribed by -article 1 v., to supply such vacancy. ARTICLE VII. The Bishop shall preside at all meetings of the Smod and, m case of absence, or otherwise, or of a vacancy in the Episcopate, the Synod shall elect a President pro.tem. ARTICLE Vlir. A quorum of the Syuod shall consist of eight Cler-ymen and eight Laymen ; but a smaller number may adjourn. ARTICLE IX. There shall be two Secretaries elected at the annual meeting of the Synod, and they shall retain office till their successors are appointed ; one from the Clergy tlie other from the Laity, who shall keep regular minutes of all the proceedings of the Synod ; shall record them in books pro- vided for that purpose ; shall preserve all papers, memo- rials, and other documents ; shall attest the public acts of the Synod, and shall deliver all records and docu- ments to their successors ; the same to have power to ar^- point an Assistant Secretary. ARTICLE X. There shall be a Treasurer of the Synod, elected in the same manner as the Secretaries, and who shall retain office till his successor shall be appointed ; and who shall receive and disburse all monies collected and paid under its an- thority ; and there shall be two Auditors, tobe similar- lyekcted, who shall annually inspect, and report on the condition of the accounts to a Committee to be appointed for the pui'pose. ^^ so ARTICLE SI. la all matters brought before the S jnod, a raaiorit v of votes of the members preseutshall bedeeisive T m f re qmrod by three members, the two orders shall Vote s pa^ at ly i m wbiehcase, the couearrenee of a majority of each order shall be necessary to constitute a deeieion ; fc dele- gation from each euro, in snch case, being eutitl'ed to te ARTICLE XII. The Bishop shall have the right to reserve any canon esolution or proceeding, he may disapprove of, Jthin ten days from Its passation by the Synod, upon asigiii„"hs reasons therefor, in writing, and handing a eo;y o°ftho same, signed by himself, to each of the two S eretares for hemformation of the Synod ; in which ease, the eano„ resolution, or proceeding, shall be returned to e S of^both orders respectively shall be necessary for its Idop^ ARTICLE XIII. It Shall be the duty of the Synod, at the first meeting t ereof, and at every annual meetmg subsequent o elect, from among its own members, a Standing CoLft tee, one-half of which to be a quorim, tot o^^^^^^^^^^ three clergymen and three lay representatives, with power to fill up vacancies, who shall retain office til tioirsuc cessors shall be appointed. "°' ARTICLE XIV. In ease of a vacancy in the See, it shall be the duty of h Staudiug Committee to give notice of such vacancy to every clergyman and representative within teu days from their knowledge thereof ; and, at the same time to Z =.ona meeting of the Synod to be held withl not Te"s h T "f 1 t € 4 f • S tl f( tl tl it 21 tlnu three months after such vacancy, for the electiou of a Bishop, giving two months' notice thereof. ARTICLE XV. At all elections held by the Synod, the clergy and lay representatives shall vote by orders, by ballot ; and a ma- jority of the votes of each order shall determine the elicice. ARTICLE XIV. Any cure whicli may be hereafter established, beiu'- desirous of uniting with the Synod of this Diocese, shall an- ply by letter to the Bishop, or the Standing Committee stating the due organization of the cure, the election of churchwardens, and their means of support of a minister aiid their willingness to conform to the Constitution of this Diocese, and the Canons of the Synod thereof; and at the Synod next succeeding the receipt of such application the Bishop, or Standing Committee, shall communicate the same to the Synod for its decision thereon. Should the bynod make a favourable decision, the cure shall then be considered as in union, and entitled to all the privileges of the same. ARTICLE XVII. In the event of a General Assembly or Synod beinsr hereafter estabhshed, it shall be the duty of the Diocesan Synod, at its first meeting thereafter, to elect such num- ber of delegates as shall be deemed necessary to represent the Diocese in such General Assembly or Synod ; provid- ed, always, that one half, at least, of such representatives shall be laymen. ARTICLE XVIII. Any proposition for amending or altering this Consti- tution, must be introduced in writing, and leave obtained for the consideration of the same at the next meeting af the Synod ; and, if then approved by majorities of noteless than two-thirds of Clergy and Lay delegates respectivelv, It shall be adopted.