'<r:^ss«cs^ 
 

 
 LI B RARY 
 
 OF THE 
 U N IVLR5ITY 
 or ILLINOIS
 
 CHARGE 
 
 DELIVERED TO 
 
 THE CLERGY 
 
 DIOCESE AND JURISDICTION 
 OF GIBRALTAR, 
 
 at tjc Visitition, 
 
 HELD IN THE 
 
 ENGLISH COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST. PAUL, MALTA, 
 
 DECEMBER 28, 1844. 
 
 GEORGE, LORD BISHOP OF GIBRALTAR. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 FRANCIS & JOHN RIVINGTON, 
 
 ST. Paul's church yard, and waterlog place ; 
 AND JOHN W. PARKER, 
 
 WEST STRAND, 
 
 1845.
 
 LONDON : 
 GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTF-RS, 
 
 ST. John's square.
 
 THE CLERGY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DIOCESE AND JURISDICTION OF GIBRALTAR, 
 
 IS INSCRIBED, 
 
 WITH FEELINGS OF FRATERNAL REGARD, 
 
 BY 
 
 THEIR FAITHFUL FRIEND AND BROTHER, 
 
 G. GIBRALTAR. 
 
 a2
 
 UIUC 
 % jf 1
 
 CHARGE, 
 
 Reverend and Beloved Brethren, 
 
 It has been for a long time the custom in the 
 Church of England that its Bishops in their Epis- 
 copal visitations should address their Clergy in the 
 way of advice and direction, and that they should 
 give their own views upon any topics of import- 
 ance which may occupy the attention of the Church 
 at large, or of their own diocese in particular. This 
 custom has been found in many respects beneficial 
 both to the clergy and to the people ; and it ought 
 therefore not to be neglected in any case without 
 good and sufficient reason. In our o\^ti case, if I 
 have not complied with this custom so soon as 
 might have been expected, it has not been from 
 any unwillingness on my part, but from the diffi- 
 culty of assembling any considerable number of 
 you together, and from other circumstances pecu-
 
 6 
 
 liar to the diocese and jurisdiction over which I 
 have been called in the providence and mercy of 
 God to preside. 
 
 The erection of a new Episcopal See, and the 
 establishment of a new spiritual jurisdiction, are at 
 all times subjects of too much importance to be 
 dealt with in a hasty or cursory manner. But in 
 our own case there are circumstances which seem 
 to demand more than ordinary care and circum- 
 spection. 
 
 Let me then endeavour to take a survey of our 
 position, and to trace the steps by which we have 
 been brought into it ; and if in so doing I should 
 seem to dwell on things which, are perfectly fami- 
 liar to you and to the Church at home, or on things 
 which are external rather than spiritual, you will 
 easily understand the reason of it, on considering 
 the ignorance and the misconceptions which still 
 prevail respecting us. 
 
 We now no longer present ourselves to the 
 notice of the Churches in the countries of the 
 Mediterranean as isolated chaplains or missionaries, 
 but as a regularly organized diocese of the Church 
 of England. 
 
 We wish them to know that we are a portion 
 of that branch of Christ's Church M^hich was 
 planted in Britain in Apostolic times, and which 
 has ever since continued to exist through a regular 
 succession of bishops and clergy to the present day.
 
 History tells us that the first Churches of J3ritain, 
 namely, the British, Scotch, and Irish, were origi- 
 nally independent Churches, free from all foreign 
 jurisdiction. But after Britain had been conquered 
 by the pagan Saxons in the sixth century, and after 
 these heathen ancestors of ours had been converted 
 to Christianity chiefly through the zeal of Roman 
 missonaries, sent by pope Gregory the Great, our 
 Churches became all by degrees subject to the 
 Church of Rome. This subjection afterwards be- 
 came a grievous bondage, which continued through 
 the whole period of darkness in the middle ages 
 till the dawn of the reformation. At that period 
 the spirit of resistance, which had occasionally 
 manifested itself for centuries before, became suffi- 
 ciently strong to enable the nation to throw off the 
 yoke. Accordingly in the reign of Henry VIII. 
 after much deliberation it was agreed, first by the 
 bishops and clergy in their synods, next by the 
 monastic orders, and finally by the parliament, 
 " that the bishop of Rome has not, in the word of 
 God, any greater jurisdiction in the realm of Eng- 
 land than any other foreign bishop." 
 
 You are aware that this abolition of the pope's 
 jurisdiction in England is commonly represented in 
 these countries as an act of separation from the 
 unity of the Catholic Church. But it is quite clear 
 from the words of the act of parliament by which 
 the jurisdiction of the see of Rome was abolished,
 
 that neither the authors of that act, nor the people 
 of England had any such intention. They ex- 
 pressly say, that they do not intend by this act " to 
 decline or vary from the congregation of Christ's 
 flock in any things concerning the very articles of 
 the Catholic faith of Christendom, or any other 
 things declared by the Holy Scripture and the 
 word of God necessary for your and their salva- 
 tion." 
 
 It is true that this separation from jurisdiction 
 was followed by excommunication on the part of 
 Rome, and by various acts of the two Churches, the 
 result of which has been a complete separation 
 from Communion, which continues to the present 
 day. But it is not true that the Church of England 
 has ever separated itself from the unity of the 
 Catholic Church. And it was not in the power of 
 the bishop of Rome to cut us off from that unity 
 for having rightly renounced his jurisdiction. 
 
 One of the most important acts on the part of 
 the Church of England, after its separation, was 
 the reformation of its public worship. The main 
 principles upon which our reformers proceeded 
 were these two, which are embodied in our articles : 
 
 (1) That every particular or national Church hath 
 authority to ordain, change, and abolish ceremonies 
 or rites of the Church, ordained only by man's 
 authority, so that all things be done to edifying. 
 
 (2) That "it is a thing plainly repugnant to the
 
 9 
 
 word of God and the custom of the primitive 
 Church, to have public prayer in the Church, or to 
 minister the sacraments, in a tongue not under- 
 stood by the people." 
 
 Acting on these principles, the ancient ritual was 
 purified from its corruptions and superstitions, and 
 our present forms and services were established. 
 
 The Church of England having thus succeeded, 
 not without the blood of martyrdom, in establish- 
 ing its own independence and its own ritual, it 
 became a matter of necessity that its members 
 residing in foreign countries should have its ordi- 
 nances administered to them by clergy of their 
 own. For this purpose chaplains were occasionally 
 appointed in different places : but no systematic 
 attempt seems to have been made to provide for 
 the spiritual wants of these outlying members of 
 the Church till the reign of Charles I. In that 
 reign archbishop Laud, whilst bishop of London, 
 was not only zealous for the establishment of 
 chaplains abroad, but was anxious to place them 
 under episcopal superintendence. With this view 
 he obtained orders in council by which these chap- 
 lains were placed under the jurisdiction of the see 
 of London. 
 
 This arrangement, which was perhaps the best 
 that could have been made at that time, was de- 
 stroyed in the convulsions which followed, but was 
 restored at the restoration. And thus it is, that
 
 10 
 
 those colonial and foreign Chiirclies and congrega- 
 tions which have no local English bishop, have 
 continued under the jurisdiction of the bishop of 
 London till the present day. 
 
 Considering the past operation of that arrange- 
 ment with regard to yourselves, we cannot but feel 
 deeply indebted to that most able and excellent 
 prelate who now fills the see of London, for the 
 great care and attention which he always showed 
 towards the Churches and congregations dispersed 
 in the countries of the Mediterranean ; especially 
 when we remember, that this was done in the 
 midst of those multifarious and overwhelming 
 labours which were pressing so heavily on him in 
 his own diocese. But it had long been obvious to 
 every one acquainted with the subject, and to none 
 more so than to that eminent prelate himself, that 
 the spiritual interests of our Church in these parts 
 of the world were such as to demand the presence 
 and superintendence of a resident bishop ; and ac- 
 cordingly, one of the earliest endeavours of the 
 episcopal committee at home, was to find means 
 for supplying this deficiency. With this view a 
 representation was made to the crown by the Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury as the metropolitan, and by 
 the bishop of London, as the prelate to whose 
 jurisdiction the congregations belonged, to the 
 effect, that the evils complained of might in some 
 degree be remedied by the erection of a bishop's
 
 11 
 
 see at Gibraltar. And upon this representation 
 the diocese and jurisdiction, of which you form a 
 part, has been constituted and erected. 
 
 You are now therefore to consider yourselves a 
 legitimate portion of the province of Canterbury, 
 and are to be governed by the same ecclesiastical 
 laws as the rest of that province. By virtue of my 
 consecration and oath of obedience I am subject to 
 the Archbishop and to the nietropolitical see of Can- 
 terbury ; and in Her Majesty's letters patent the 
 mode of this subordination is declared to be, "in 
 the same manner as any bishop of any see within 
 the province of Canterbury in our kingdom of 
 England is under the said nietropolitical see and 
 the Archbishop thereof." 
 
 I feel myself bound, therefore, to administer the 
 ecclesiastical affairs of my diocese and jurisdiction 
 according to the same laws and principles as the 
 dioceses in England, making the necessary allowance 
 for the different circumstances in which we are 
 placed. 
 
 With reference to matters of corrective disci- 
 pline among the clergy, it is right that I should 
 state for your information, that in cases relating to 
 offences against the laws ecclesiastical, it will be 
 my duty to be guided by the provisions of the Act 
 of the 3rd and 4th of Queen Victoria, commonly 
 called the Church Discipline Act. That Act, 
 strictly speaking, does not extend its enactments
 
 12 
 
 to the colonies and dependencies : but I am re- 
 quired by the terms of Her Majesty's letters 
 patent to proceed according to the ecclesiastical 
 laws of England. And with reference to any sen- 
 tence or decree of mine in such cases, it is also 
 provided by the same letters patent, that an 
 appeal may be made to the Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, who is empowered finally to decide. 
 
 With regard to the duties of chaplains, and to 
 their entering or leaving the Diocese or any part 
 of the jurisdiction, the same general rule which 
 prevails in England is to be observed, namely, that 
 every clergyman coming from another diocese shall 
 bring the usual letters testimonial signed by three 
 beneficed clergymen ; and that no clergyman shall 
 be licensed or admitted to the performance of any 
 of the duties of a chaplain or assistant chaplain 
 without such letters or testimonials. 
 
 But in all cases, if a clergyman shall bring me a 
 letter commendatory from his former diocesan, it 
 will not be necessary for him to bring letters tes- 
 timonial from any other person. I also strongly 
 recommend to all clergymen coming to the coun- 
 tries of the Mediterranean, to bring with them 
 letters connnendatory from their diocesan : and if 
 they shall have resided and done duty for a period 
 of six months and upwards within my diocese or 
 jurisdiction, it will be requisite for them, on 
 leaving it, to [)rocure from me a bene discessit
 
 13 
 
 or a letter commendatory to their tliocesan in 
 England. 
 
 I will now turn to matters of a more spiritual 
 nature. 
 
 In calling your attention to the duties which 
 devolve upon you as ministers and stewards of the 
 mysteries of God, my thoughts have been fixed 
 upon that text of St. Paul : " It is required in 
 stewards that a man be found faithful^ The 
 Apostle here lays down a principle applicable to 
 the whole of your active duties. When you call 
 to mind the importance of the charge which is 
 entrusted to you, it will be immediately seen that 
 one of the first requisites of a Christian pastor is 
 faithfulness. It is your duty to exhibit this faith- 
 fulness in every part of your work : to feed care- 
 fully and diligently the souls of those who are com- 
 mitted to your care with the spiritual food which 
 is convenient for them: to watch, to exhort, to 
 reprove with all fidelity : to preach the word in 
 season and out of season, and to declare unto them 
 the whole counsel of God. St. Paul charged the 
 presbyters of the Church of Ephesus that they 
 should " take heed to the flock over whom the 
 Holy Ghost had made them overseers, to feed the 
 Church of God, which he hath purchased with his 
 own blood." And so the Church of Enffland 
 charges you through her bishops, in that impressive 
 service by which you were made ministers and
 
 14 
 
 stewards of the mysteries of God, to " have always 
 printed in your remembrance how great a trea- 
 sure is committed to your charge. For they are 
 the sheep of Christ, which he bought with his 
 death, and for which he shed his blood." It tells 
 you that "the Church and congregation, whom you 
 serve, is his spouse and his body. And if it shall 
 happen that the same Church or any member 
 thereof shall take any hurt or hindrance by reason 
 of your negligence, ye know the greatness of the 
 fault, and also the horrible punishment which will 
 ensue." 
 
 If then, my brethren, you do keep these things 
 " printed in your remembrance," it will be im- 
 possible for you to be unfaithful to your charge. 
 Whatever defects you may otherwise have to re- 
 gret in the discharge of your duties, you will at 
 least not be found unfaithful ; and you may be 
 assured, that if faithful, you will in the end reap 
 the reward of your fidelity. Generally speaking, 
 you will find your present reward in the respect 
 and love of those who are committed to your 
 charge — a reward on which every true pastor sets 
 a high value. But whether you receive that good 
 return for your labours or not, you may confidently 
 look to the end of them, for that rich reward 
 which the Righteous Judge and Chief Shepherd 
 shall give to his faithful servants at his appearing: 
 for then " they that are wise shall shine as the
 
 15 
 
 tinnament, and tliey tliat turn many to righteous- 
 ness, as the stars for ever and ever." 
 
 One ])oint which I wish to press upon you and 
 upon the attention of the clergy generally, is the 
 religious education of the children and young per- 
 sons in your flocks. 
 
 I need hardly tell you that this is a thing which 
 is especially needful under our present circum- 
 stances. It is truly painful to observe so much 
 carelessness and ignorance of spiritual things among 
 our countrymen who are scattered abroad, and the 
 almost total want of knowledge of the principles 
 of their own Church which prevails even among 
 persons who make strong professions of religion. 
 It is needful therefore, not only that the young- 
 should be well instructed, according to the ordinary 
 routine in their Catechism and in the elementary 
 parts of religion, but also that their instruction 
 should be carried on to a much greater extent. 
 In the first place, they should be brought early 
 to a full and accurate knowledge of the Holy 
 Scriptures. Thus the basis of all true knowledge 
 will be well and truly laid, and the minds of the 
 youthful disciples of Christ Mdll be early imbued 
 with the wisdom which cometh down from above, 
 and they will be made wise unto salvation. 
 
 But it is necessary also that they should be in- 
 structed in the duties and privileges which belong 
 to them as members of the Church of England.
 
 16 
 
 They should be taught what are its peculiar 
 doctrines and precepts, and made to understand 
 its value as compared with those of other com- 
 munities. Without this we can never expect to 
 find our flocks sound in the faith and animated 
 with a true and trustworthy love for their Church. 
 We must take care that their zeal be of a truly 
 enlightened character, based upon knowledge and 
 principle. We shall then see less of that indif- 
 ference to the principles of the Church which we 
 now see, and which arises for the most part from 
 ignorance and want of instruction. We shall 
 cease to hear men speaking with unconcern of one 
 Church being as good as another, and of changing 
 from one communion to another, upon every slight 
 pretence, as they would change their houses, or 
 enter into any new secular society. 
 
 Let your people be taught their duty to their 
 own Church thus carefully and affectionately when 
 young, and when they are old they will not depart 
 from it. They will not forsake it either for the 
 seductions of that modern sentimentalism, which 
 leads men to overlook spiritual corruptions and 
 abominations on account of the fascinations with 
 which they are clothed ; or in order to follow 
 their own headstrong fancies in regard to the 
 constitution and government of the Church of 
 God. 
 
 With regard to the mode of discharging exter-
 
 17 
 
 nally your ministerial functions, I have to enjoin 
 you to observe the greatest care and attention, 
 even in what may be considered the minuter parts 
 of your duties. It is, as you well know, the pre- 
 cept of the Apostle, " Let all things be done de- 
 cently and in order." And if this be requisite 
 under all circumstances, it is especially so in yours; 
 because you are continually exposed to unfriendly, 
 if not to hostile observation from those around, and 
 because it is your duty to do every thing that you 
 can to conciliate the good opinion of those among 
 whom you dwell, in favour of that simpler and 
 purer form of worship which is established in our 
 own branch of the Church of Christ. I have had 
 many opportunities, in the course of my journeys, 
 to observe the happy effect produced upon mem- 
 bers of other Churches by the solemnity of our 
 services ; and I am desirous to see these effects 
 extended and enlarged. 
 
 Yet let it not be supposed that I would dwell 
 too much upon this point, or would wish to en- 
 courage anything like that spirit which we so 
 justly condemn in others, of endeavouring to cap- 
 tivate the minds of weak persons of other com- 
 munions by the external splendour of ritual 
 observances. Happily the simplicity of our wor- 
 ship is an effectual barrier to any such temptation 
 here, and there can be no room for apprehension 
 on that head, But I think that we ought at least 
 
 B
 
 18 
 
 to strive that our services may be so carried on 
 abroad as to bear a favourable comparison with 
 those of our best churches at home. And in order 
 that I may not be misunderstood I will add, that 
 I do not by this term mean those churches in 
 which innovations have been made which have 
 formed the subject of contention and of com- 
 plaint ; but simply those in which the services 
 have usually been best conducted, without refer- 
 ence to modern innovations. It is my special 
 wish to guard against the evils arising from these, 
 or from innovations of any kind which may serve 
 to stir up strife : but we must not on that account 
 be deterred from attempting obvious and desirable 
 improvements, nor from resuming laudable cus- 
 toms which are not liable to that objection. 
 
 I have observed with much satisfaction that 
 there is a growing attention among us, in this and 
 in other places, to the duty and privilege of prais- 
 ing God in his sanctuary. And I have had re- 
 peatedly to offer my thanks to members of the 
 laity for the zeal with which they have assisted 
 in the cultivation of psalmody and other music 
 of the Church. But there is still much to be done 
 in this respect before our singing generally in all 
 places can be considered as upon a level with 
 that which exists in our best churches at home, 
 or as affording a specimen of what our services 
 ought to be ; I therefore recommend this point to
 
 19 
 
 the special attention of the clergy throughout my 
 jurisdiction. 
 
 It may reasonably be expected, that in the 
 actual state of the Church of England I should 
 not pass over in silence the principal questions 
 on which it is at present agitated. And I have 
 less reluctance than I should otherwise have had 
 to enter upon these subjects, from the knowledge 
 which I already possess, that the view which I 
 have taken of those points is one which is likely 
 to be generally acceptable to you. Happily for 
 us, my Reverend Brethren, we have hitherto had 
 no serious differences of opinion among ourselves 
 upon these points, though there have not been 
 wanting those who would fain have excited or in- 
 flamed them. I trust therefore that the observa- 
 tions which I have to offer to you may have the 
 effect of strengthening you in that moderation 
 which you have hitherto maintained, and of draw- 
 ing us closer to each other in the bonds of peace 
 and love. 
 
 On looking back to the state of the Church of 
 England for some time before the commencement 
 of the present agitation, it is impossible to deny 
 that there was very much in it which required 
 correction and amendment. The cold secular 
 spirit which afflicted all the Churches during the 
 greater part of the last century still overshadowed 
 a large portion of the clergy ; whilst among the 
 
 B 2
 
 20 
 
 laity, the strong attachment to the Church which 
 was still visible, was deeply mingled with politi- 
 cal considerations, and therefore liable to be over- 
 thrown in the changes which were working in our 
 secular institutions. The strong but irregular ma- 
 nifestations of piety and zeal which had sprung 
 nj) from time to time within her bosom had un- 
 happily been so treated, that they had ended either 
 in the formation of different communities of dis- 
 senters, or in giving to pious men Avithin the 
 Church sympathies which were with those com- 
 munities, rather than with their own brethren and 
 their own rulers. I cannot now stay to consider 
 particularly where the blame of this state of things 
 should be made to rest, but I am quite willing to 
 allow, that a considerable share of it is to be at- 
 tributed to the mismanagement of the rulers of 
 the Church in the times to which I refer. I am 
 well aware that no human power or wisdom can 
 wholly prevent divisions from arising in any 
 Church. There always were and there always will 
 be "murmurers, complainers, walking after their 
 own lusts." And " these be they who separate 
 themselves ;" being, as St. Jude says, " sensual, and 
 not having the Spirit." But these are few in 
 number, even among those who have actually se- 
 parated themselves from our communion, as com- 
 pared with the pious and well-disposed, whose 
 estrangement has always been to me a subject of
 
 21 
 
 the greatest sorrow and regret, and for whose re- 
 turn it is impossible for us not constantly to 
 yearn. In my view, the great practical error of 
 our Church has always been, in leaving many of 
 the most zealous of its children to become a prey 
 to those who create divisions, by not affording 
 scope for the employment of their zeal within its 
 own pale. This is an error which unhappily has 
 become more difficult to remedy since the deve- 
 lopement of those extreme views which I shall 
 shortly have to notice. These seem to shut out 
 all hope for the present, both with regard to the 
 English dissenters and Continental protestants ; 
 nevertheless I do not at all despair of seeing the 
 greater portion of those, who have been separated 
 from us by the operation of these causes, brought 
 back again to us by the progress of events and the 
 working of a better system. 
 
 That a better state of things had commenced, 
 and had been some time at work before the begin- 
 ning of our present agitations, seems to me unde- 
 niable. There were many pious and zealous men 
 apiong us, who had been strenuously labouring to 
 bring into greater prominence the great doctrines 
 of the Gospel, in conjunction with the order and 
 discipline of the Church. New churches had been 
 built in considerable numbers, and large accessions 
 to us had also taken place from the dissenters. 
 I cannot, therefore, accede to the opinion of those
 
 22 
 
 who attribute to the movement which afterwards 
 sprung up at Oxford, the first commencement of 
 this better state of things. Still it must be allowed 
 that much remained to be done : and thankful 
 ought we to feel to all who were willing in a right 
 spirit to undertake it. 
 
 The chief objects which the originators of this 
 movement appear to have proposed to themselves 
 were these : to bring into greater prominence the 
 view of the Catholic Church of Christ as a Divine 
 institution, and the privileges and duties of the 
 Church of England as an integral portion of that 
 Church ; to bring forward the claims of the clergy 
 as the ministers and stewards of the mysteries of 
 God and the authorized instructors of his people ; 
 to elevate the doctrine of the Sacraments, and 
 bring them into more efficacious use ; and to add 
 to the solemnity of the public worship of God, by a 
 strict adherence to the prescribed rules, and an 
 increased attention to the ritual of the Church. 
 
 These, I say, were the principal objects pro- 
 posed : and to these, generally speaking, I think 
 there could have been no reasonable objection on 
 the part of any faithful and well instructed mem- 
 ber of the Church of England. For myself, I am 
 ready to say that I should have rejoiced to have 
 seen these views brought to a successful issue, had 
 they been unalloyed by other things which accom- 
 panied them. But there were from the very be-
 
 23 
 
 ginning several practical errors mixed up with the 
 views of the leaders of this movement, which des- 
 troyed the confidence with which they might 
 othermse have been regarded by the sound and 
 sober-minded portion of the Church. 
 
 One of these was a tendency to exalt tradition 
 unduly, by placing it almost on a level with the 
 written Word of God. Another was the con- 
 tempt of the ordinary standards of theology in 
 their own Church, and the practice of resorting to 
 the theologians of the middle ages, or to modern 
 Roman Catholic authors, for their phraseology and 
 for their views of the doctrines and principles of 
 the catholic Church of Christ. Another error, 
 arising evidently out of the latter, was the con- 
 temptuous and inexcusable treatment which was 
 shewn in some well known instances tow^ards the 
 reformers and the Reformation, I agree entirely 
 in the opinion which has been frequently expressed, 
 that such conduct is totally inconsistent with the 
 character and profession of any member of the 
 reformed Church of England. It has not unnatu- 
 rally thrown a doubt over the honesty and good 
 faith of all who have taken this view of the Refor- 
 mation. This doubt has been greatly increased 
 by the very culpable manner in which those articles 
 of the Church, which were opposed to the Romish 
 doctrines, have been treated in the ' Tracts for the 
 Times' and similar publications. And it has been
 
 24 
 
 still farther increased by the falling away of some 
 of the more ardent of those who have embraced 
 these views, and by their joining themselves to the 
 errors and corruptions of the Church of Rome. 
 
 I confess that this defection, though painful 
 and injurious, does not appear to me to be of a 
 nature which should cause any serious alarm. In 
 point of number it is at present hardly worth 
 naming. In this diocese and jurisdiction all that 
 we have lost by proselytism of the most indefati- 
 gable kind, has been more than made good by 
 those who have come over to us without any such 
 efforts on our part. And I have no doubt what- 
 ever, from my former inquiries into this subject, 
 that the same might be said of all the dioceses at 
 home. Every where we have, I feel assured, gained 
 much more than we have lost. 
 
 Still it is not to be denied that this defection 
 is a grievous and painful thing, both on account 
 of the spiritual welfare of the persons themselves, 
 and on account of the effects which it has upon 
 our external relations. It serves on the one hand 
 to excite exaggerated hopes in the Roman Church, 
 and on the other it renders it more difficult to 
 stem the torrent of evils with which we are con- 
 stantly threatened from the other extreme. 
 
 Time will not allow me to enter more largely 
 into the various evils, both doctrinal and practi- 
 cal, which have sprung from the agitation of these
 
 !^0 
 
 questions; but I must not omit to notice one or 
 two practical points by way of remedy and of pre- 
 caution. In the first place, let me charge you all, 
 and especially my younger brethren, so to direct 
 your studies, as to place all of them in entire sub- 
 ordination to the written Word of God. Let the 
 authority of the fathers, the decisions of the coun- 
 cils, and in short all human authority, be made 
 subordinate and auxiliary to the only supreme and 
 infallible authority, the inspired Word, the re- 
 vealed and written will of the Great Head of the 
 Church. 
 
 Next to that, let me commend to your attention 
 the diligent study of the Book of Common Prayer 
 and the Offices of the Church — not as they have 
 been too much studied of late, to see how they 
 can be made to speak the language of party on the 
 one side or the other, but as containing the autho- 
 rized views of the Church, to which it is your duty 
 to subscribe and to submit. And this study will 
 not be without its effect, even in what is usually 
 considered a secondary and inferior point, but 
 which must now be deemed a subject of much 
 importance, namely, style and manner of expres- 
 sion. To this point I think that much attention 
 is required. I have already intimated my opinion, 
 that many of the evils which have flowed in upon 
 us, have arisen partly from the style which has 
 been adopted by the promoters of the present
 
 26 
 
 movement. Let me then exhort you to avoid 
 this practical error; to shun foreign and exagge- 
 rated sentiments, and to adhere, as closely as you 
 can, to that rich and clear, that truly evangelical 
 style and tone of expression which prevails 
 throughout our public services, imbued as they are 
 with the spirit of Gospel truth, and full of the 
 beautiful language of our invaluable English Bible. 
 
 The compilers of our public Liturgy have told 
 us very clearly, in the Preface to the Prayer Book, 
 what was the f>oint at which they aimed, both in 
 regard to style and to the edification of the people. 
 " You have here," say they, " an order for prayer 
 and for the reading of the Holy Scriptures, much 
 agreeable to the mind and purpose of the old 
 fathers, and a great deal more profitable and com- 
 modious than that which of late was used :" namely, 
 the Roman breviary, according to the various ' uses' 
 which prevailed at that time in the different dio- 
 ceses in England. " It is more profitable, because 
 here are left out many things, whereof some are 
 untrue, some uncertain, some vain and supersti- 
 tious : and nothing is ordained to be read but the 
 very pure Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, or 
 that which is agreeable to the same; and that 
 in such a language and order as is most easy and 
 plain for the understanding both of the readers and 
 hearers." 
 
 In this judgment of the compilers of our public
 
 27 
 
 Liturgy, I heartily and entirely concur. And I 
 trust that none of you will ever be led, by any 
 fanciful love of medieval antiquity, into the error 
 of going back even in wish or desire to that miser- 
 able state of things from Avhich our reformers, with 
 the blessing of God, then rescued us. It required 
 a mighty and long-continued effort, to shake off the 
 vast load of superstition and error which weighed 
 down the mind and heart of the people : and we 
 should be unworthy of those great and holy men 
 who shed their blood to effect it, were we lightly 
 to esteem the advantages which they purchased for 
 us. The return to the faith and order of the pri- 
 mitive Church ; the translation of the Bible, and 
 the right of its free use restored to all the people — 
 a right of which no human power can justly de- 
 prive them ; the reformation of the public services 
 of the Church, and the celebration of them in a 
 language understood by the people: — these were 
 objects of immense importance. They have led to 
 results of the greatest moment to the Church of 
 England, and they seem to me to be destined to 
 produce hereafter still more extensive effects upon 
 the whole Catholic Church of Christ. They were 
 dictated, under the guidance of God, by those prac- 
 tical principles of common sense, which are gene- 
 rally considered to be characteristic of the English 
 people, and they must in the end commend them- 
 selves to the common sense of the whole people of
 
 28 
 
 Christendom. The time is assuredly coming, and 
 coming fast, in spite of all the efforts to retard it, 
 when other national Churches, which are yet unre- 
 formed, will demand similar advantages for them- 
 selves. They will free themselves from foreign 
 domination ; they will return to the doctrine and 
 order of the primitive Catholic Church ; they will 
 not be satisfied till they have recovered the free 
 use of the Word of God ; till they are able to say 
 of the Holy Scriptures, as the people said of the 
 inspired Apostles at the day of Pentecost, " We do 
 hear them speak in our own tongues the wonderful 
 works of God ;" or till they can say with St. Paul, 
 in repudiating the use of prayers in a language not 
 understood by the people, " I will pray with the 
 spirit, and I will pray with the understanding 
 also." Of the existence of such feelings in the 
 bosoms of other Churches I have had sufficient 
 proof during my residence in the countries of the 
 Mediterranean. And I have also been frequently 
 struck by the very favourable impression produced 
 by our services upon persons of other communions. 
 The simplicity and order, as well as the stillness 
 and solemnity, of our worship have been so often 
 mentioned to me with approbation, that I cannot 
 pass over the subject without notice, especially at 
 a time when so many attempts have been made to 
 depreciate our ritual, both at home and abroad. 
 In the present state of the Christian world, it is
 
 L>9 
 
 a question of much difficulty and delicacy hoAV we 
 are to conduct ourselves with reference to those 
 Churches and communities among whom we are 
 placed. You are aware that many persons whose 
 minds had been turned towards the restoration of 
 external unity in the visible Church, were desirous 
 that the establishment of an English episcopate in 
 the Mediterranean might be made the occasion of 
 a return to the ancient canons of the Church re- 
 specting intercommunion, as they existed before 
 the separation of the East and West. And, doubt- 
 less, this was a thing much to be desired if it could 
 have been done without any compromise of princi- 
 ple on our part. But after a careful consideration 
 of the subject I deem it impossible. The divided 
 state of Christendom, both jDolitical and religious, 
 the assumptions, pretensions, and corruptions of the 
 Church of Rome, the errors and heresies Avhich 
 prevail in the Eastern world, these and other cir- 
 cumstances combined, have rendered the observance 
 of the ancient canons of the Church, with regard 
 to intercourse and intercommunion, altogether im- 
 practicable. In point of fact, these canons are not 
 now completely observed by any Church or com- 
 munity of Christians whatever. However desirable 
 therefore it may be in theory, and however greatly 
 to be wished as an evidence of the external unity 
 of the Church, the actual observance of them on 
 our part alone, cannot in the present state of Chris- 
 tendom be reasonably insisted on. Still it must
 
 30 
 
 be allowed that some general principles must and 
 ought to be followed in our intercourse with those 
 Churches among which our lot is cast. We are a 
 part of the great Christian community, and as a 
 branch of the Church Catholic we can no more 
 act without reference to the general laws of the 
 Church, than as a nation we can act "without 
 reference to the general laws of the great com- 
 munity of nations. 
 
 It is evident, therefore, that though we cannot 
 act according to the strict requirements of the 
 canons of the ancient Church, with reference to 
 intercourse with other Churches, yet we ought to 
 follow them as nearly as we can in their general 
 principles and bearing. And this in fact has been 
 done by the rulers of our Church, so far as she has 
 yet proceeded in her intercourse with the Churches 
 of the Mediterranean. Upon the appointment of 
 the present bishop of the Church of England in 
 Jerusalem, he was furnished with a letter com- 
 mendatory from the Archbishop of Canterbury, as 
 primate of all England and metropolitan, to the 
 prelates and bishops of the ancient and apostolical 
 Churches in Syria and the countries adjacent. 
 
 In that letter they were informed that the bishop 
 had been charged " not to intermeddle in any way 
 with the jurisdiction of the prelates or other eccle- 
 siastical dignitaries bearing rule in the Churches of 
 the East, but to shew them due reverence and 
 honour; and to be ready on all occasions, and by
 
 31 
 
 all the means in his power, to promote a mutual 
 interchange of respect, courtesy, and kindness." 
 
 Previous to this proceeding, I had myself been 
 intrusted, when a presbyter, in the year 1840, with 
 letters commendatory from the Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury, and from my diocesan, the Bishop of Lon- 
 don, to the prelates and bishops of the Oriental 
 Church, and had been charged with communications 
 to the same effect. And during my late journey to 
 the Levant, I had the opportunity of confirming 
 the same assurances of respect and Christian charity 
 personally to several of the patriarchs and prelates 
 of the Greek and Armenian Churches : and I trust 
 that the relations of amity and good will which 
 have thus been established, will conduce, though 
 it be but in a small degree, to the restoration of 
 those feelings of Christian love, and that desire for 
 unity, which ought to prevail in every branch of 
 the Church of Christ. 
 
 With regard to the Church of Rome, it is hardly 
 necessary for me to say, that the same spirit of 
 hostility which has shewn itself toward us ever 
 since the Church of England renounced its juris- 
 diction, has prevented any such steps from being 
 taken with reference to the prelates of that Church. 
 With regard to intercourse with other Churches, 
 Rome has but one rule ; that is, to require first of 
 all submission to its own authority, which is pre- 
 viously assumed to be infallible. And therefore.
 
 32 
 
 even without taking into consideration the impor- 
 tant questions of doctrine and worship, no Church 
 which knows the vahie of its own freedom and 
 independence will think of entering into com- 
 munion or alliance with her whilst she remains as 
 she is. 
 
 But there is no reason why we should not extend 
 to the individual members of that Church, whether 
 clergy or laity, the same feelings of Christian charity 
 which we are required to shew to all. This is 
 what I have always endeavoured to do on my part ; 
 and I think myself bound to acknowledge, that 
 in the various places which I have visited in the 
 course of my journeyings, I have met with many 
 instances of courtesy and kindness from them, as 
 well as from the members of other Churches. In 
 this spirit I trust we shall always continue. There 
 is nothing on our side which should prevent pious 
 and enlightened Christians of other Churches from 
 living in peace and harmony with us. Nor indeed 
 is there anything to prevent them from being in 
 Christian communion with us, were they permitted 
 by their own institutions to be so. The fault of 
 separation certainly does not lie with us; for we 
 exact no terms of communion which are contrary 
 to the canons or the practice of the primitive 
 Church. All persons therefore who hold to the 
 doctrine of the primitive Church, and who are 
 otherwise worthy communicants, are entitled to be
 
 33 
 
 admitted to communion with us, to whatever 
 Church they may belong, if they seek and desire 
 it for themselves. But it is necessary that you 
 should be cautious in this matter, both on account 
 of the persons themselves, and on account of the 
 ecclesiastical and civil difficulties which may arise 
 out of it. I have to request that you will make 
 particular enquiries into the character and motives 
 of those who come from other Churches to seek 
 communion with our own ; and that you will not 
 admit them without the same qualifications which 
 our Church requires from its own members. In 
 this respect I am desirous that you should act in 
 the very reverse of that spirit which has shewn 
 itself here and in other places, in making proselytes 
 from us to the Church of Rome — a spirit which, in 
 several well-known instances, has exhibited itself 
 in a manner utterly discreditable to any Christian 
 community. Against imitating such examples, I 
 feel that you have no need of caution. It is con- 
 trary to the whole spirit of our Church. We have 
 not the least wish or desire to practise the arts of 
 that " cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait 
 to deceive." With whatever earnestness we may 
 strive to propagate our views of Divine truth, we 
 have no inclination or disposition to " do evil that 
 good may come." Our hostility to error is open 
 and candid, and we have no desire for compromise 
 or concealment.
 
 34 
 
 But we must take care not to let this feeling- 
 lead us into the other extreme. It is impossible 
 for a zealous and enlightened Christian to live in 
 the midst of a mass of error and superstition and 
 ignorance without sometimes having his spirit 
 stirred within him, and without feeling temj^ted to 
 show his zeal for the truth in a bold and unsparing 
 manner, regardless of consequences and results. 
 
 But this is a temptation which we must care- 
 fully avoid. We must remember that our own 
 proper work is in the congregations of our own 
 people, and that we are not responsible before 
 God for the souls of those whom He, in the dispen- 
 sations of his Providence, has committed to the 
 care of others. In the peculiar position in which 
 we are placed, we have as members of an indepen- 
 dent branch of Christ's Church two distinct prin- 
 ciples to maintain with reference to other branches. 
 The first is, that we are bound to uphold the 
 truth, and to declare it fully both to Churches and 
 to individual Christians. The second is, that we 
 are also bound, both by the general laws of the 
 Church, and by the principle laid down by 
 our metropolitan, not to intermeddle with the 
 rightful jurisdiction of the bishops and clergy of 
 the Churches of the countries where we dwell. 
 You will immediately perceive that the mainte- 
 nance of both these principles will require the 
 exercise of much discretion. And this is the
 
 35 
 
 point which I am anxious to impress upon your 
 mind. 
 
 The course which I myself have followed has 
 been precisely that which I have endeavoured here 
 to lay down. On the one hand I have carefully 
 abstained from all interference with the jurisdic- 
 tion of the bishops of other Churches : and on the 
 other I have not shunned to declare the truth to 
 any one who has sought it at my hands, nor have I 
 lost any opportunity of declaring it publicly to 
 other communities, where it could be done with 
 prudence and safety. I am quite aware that this 
 is not a course which is likely to meet with the 
 approbation of over-zealous men of any party; but 
 I trust it is one w^hich will commend itself to the 
 understanding of the moderate and right-minded 
 members of our own Church, and that you may be 
 induced to follow it in your respective positions. 
 I think that the course which we are thus pursuing, 
 is one which will eventually bring about much 
 greater results for the cause of pure religion, than 
 any eflforts of ill-regulated zeal, however great or 
 by whomsoever directed. The true way of operat- 
 ing effectually upon other Churches for their 
 spiritual benefit, is not that of waging perpetual 
 war with them, but that which has been laid down 
 in the statement respecting Jerusalem, namely, by 
 " presenting to their observation, without forcing 
 upon their acceptance, the pattern of a Church 
 
 c 2
 
 36 
 
 essentially scriptural in doctrine, and apostolical in 
 discipline." 
 
 Till now this course has not been fairly tried. 
 The Church of England has hardly been known in 
 these regions, except as the subject of calumny and 
 misreiDresentation. She is only now beginning to 
 show herself in her fair proportions. She finds 
 much difficulty in her onward progress, and very 
 much remains to be done before she can be made 
 perfectly efficient, either for the edification of her 
 own children or for an example to others. The 
 obstacles which stand in our way are chiefly those 
 which arise from want of means for extending the 
 number of chaplains, and for providing churches or 
 places for Divine worship for our lesser flocks which 
 are scattered throughout the whole of the countries 
 of the Mediterranean. As our wants are but little 
 known, I take this opportunity of stating them, in 
 the hope that those of you who are already in 
 possession of those means of grace which we desire 
 to obtain for others may be able to render assist- 
 ance in carrying on the work. 
 
 On turning first towards the coasts of Spain, I 
 find that there are in all the large commercial cities 
 a considerable number of Englishmen settled with 
 their wives and families, totally without the public 
 means of grace. Not a single English chaplain is 
 established throughout Spain. The same may be 
 said of the whole northern coast of Africa, where
 
 37 
 
 we have not a single English clergyman, either as 
 chaplain or missionary. In the Ionian Islands we 
 have but one civil chaplain, to whose sujjport 
 nothing is contributed by the Government, and 
 whose duties are necessarily confined to Corfu. 
 The rest of the islands have nothing to depend on 
 but the occasional assistance of the two military 
 chaplains attached to the English forces. 
 
 In Turkey the only places which have any pro- 
 vision made for the spiritual wants of our country- 
 men under my jurisdiction are Constantinople and 
 Smyrna; and in Greece, Athens and Syra. But 
 there are in all these countries scattered portions 
 of Englishmen, many of whom are extremely de- 
 sirous to have the ordinances of their religion duly 
 administered to them, and their children instructed 
 in the faith, but who nevertheless are not able to 
 provide for the full maintenance of a clergyman. 
 I have therefore commenced the formation of a 
 diocesan fund, of which the first object is, to give 
 assistance toward the support of chaplains in such 
 places. Another portion of it will be devoted to 
 missionary purposes in the countries of the Medi- 
 terranean. I need not tell you how wide a field 
 these purposes open to us, among the various popu- 
 lations of those portions of Europe, Asia, and 
 Africa with which I am necessarily brought into 
 contact. And it is impossible to observe the 
 activity with which error is propagated throughout
 
 38 
 
 these regions, without feeling that it would be 
 criminal in us to remain passive or indolent, or to 
 neglect the promotion of Christian knowledge in 
 the purer form in which we possess it. 
 
 I ha\'e therefore to request that you will en- 
 deavour to assist in these objects, by bringing them 
 before your congregations, either in a sermon, or 
 in any way which may seem best. A contribution 
 annually from each congregation would not only 
 accomplish these objects, but would serve as a 
 bond of union which would mutually strengthen 
 our hands. And in this a beginning has already 
 been made. 
 
 The English Church at Oporto, like the Church 
 of Corinth with St. Paul, " was ready a year ago ;" 
 and upon the mere mention of these objects con- 
 tributed liberally tow^ard them. I trust that their 
 zeal may provoke many, and that we may thus find 
 compensation for that total want of endowment, 
 and that great lack of pecuniary resources, which 
 we feel throughout the whole of the diocese and 
 jurisdiction. I have felt myself greatly encouraged 
 by what has already been done by private munifi- 
 cence for this place ; and by nothing so much as 
 the erection of this noble house of God in which 
 we are assembled. O that the pious munificence 
 of the royal foundress of this church might find an 
 imitation in some other parts of the great field 
 of labour which lies before us ! The progress of
 
 39 
 
 light and truth would then not only become more 
 rapidly accelerated among our own flocks, but 
 among the people of the countries in which Ave 
 are scattered. For although we do not come 
 among these Churches as claiming or assuming any 
 jurisdiction over them, yet the very setting up of 
 a Church like ours, so free from the prevailing 
 errors of these countries, and so truly liberal in its 
 constitution and government, cannot but have a 
 considerable effect. Indeed, it has already had its 
 effect, notwithstanding the misrepresentations which 
 are propagated and kept up here, respecting the 
 nature and principles of the Church of England. 
 
 On the point of misrepresentations, and on the 
 progress of the Church, it seems desirable that I 
 should say a fe^v words before I conclude. 
 
 The errors which have hitherto prevailed res- 
 pecting the nature and principles of the Church of 
 England will, I hope, soon be removed, partly by our 
 personal endeavours and explanations, and partly by 
 the translations of our Liturgy which have been 
 made or are in progress in the various languages 
 of these countries. And the delusion, so common 
 in Roman catholic countries, respecting the insta- 
 bility of the English Church, and the probability of 
 its submission to Rome, will speedily be dispelled 
 by a slight consideration of the facts which are 
 on record respecting its progress. 
 
 It appears from the returns made to Parliament,
 
 40 
 
 that during the last twenty years, that is to say, 
 during the rise of the agitation which has caused 
 so much triumph to the adversaries of our Church, 
 more than five hundred new churches have been 
 built in England alone. And if to these we add 
 the churches which have been built in Ireland, 
 and in the colonies and dependencies of the empire, 
 we shall find that more than that number are to be 
 added to the amount. 
 
 An increase therefore of at least a thousand 
 churches and congregations has taken place in the 
 Church of England during the twenty years which 
 have elapsed since the year 1824. And the pro- 
 gress in other respects has not been less striking. 
 
 Since the commencement of the present century 
 fifteen new English colonial bishopricks have been 
 founded, and three more are almost complete. 
 Two have been added to the Scottish Church ; and 
 in the sister Church in America twenty have been 
 formed in the same time ; making altogether an 
 increase of about forty. Now we find it stated 
 in Roman catholic accounts, that forty bishopricks 
 have been added to the Church of Rome within 
 nearly the same period, namely, from 1800 to 1842. 
 So that the amount of the increase is nominally 
 nearly equal. But when we take into considera- 
 tion that Rome has about one-half the Christian 
 world in subjection, the relative progress and ad- 
 vantage is vastly on the side of the Reformed
 
 41 
 
 Episcopal Churches. And this, be it observed, is 
 without reference to those large communities of 
 Christians of the English language and race who 
 dissent from us, both in England and in America, 
 but who are as strongly opposed as we are to the 
 pretensions of the see of Rome. 
 
 It will therefore be at once perceived, that all 
 expectations of submission, arising out of the rela- 
 tive progress of the two Churches, must be futile 
 and vain, and that the defection even of a consider- 
 able number of the weak-minded or misguided 
 members of a party cannot afford any good ground 
 for such expectations on the one part, or for alarm 
 among the members of our own Church. Such 
 divisions are doubtless very discouraging, and tend 
 greatly to retard the progress of the Church ; but 
 I doubt not that they will in the end serve to 
 purify and to elevate the character of our institu- 
 tions, and will contribute to the advancement of 
 the truth, and to the glory of God. 
 
 This, my Brethren, is the great point for which 
 you are to labour, namely, that both by your life 
 and doctrine you may set forth the glory of God, 
 and set forward the salvation of all men. And I 
 exhort you to strive to do this, faithfully, heartily, 
 and indefatigably. Hold firmly and simply to the 
 truths of the Gospel as you are taught them by 
 the Church of which you are Ministers ; and teach 
 them to those who are committed to your charge 
 
 D
 
 42 
 
 witli the same purity and simplicity. Let your 
 dependence be always upon Him who has promised 
 to be with his servants, even to the end of the 
 world. Resting on Him in simplicity of faith and 
 trust, and guided and strengthened by his Spirit, 
 you will be made able ministers of the new cove- 
 nant, and you may look forward with joy to the 
 end of your career, in the certain hope of obtaining 
 your everlasting reward. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Gilbert & Rivington, Printers, St. John's Square, London.
 
 
 
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