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 PASTORAL LETTER 
 
 THE CLERGY 
 
 THE DIOCESE OF RIPON. 
 
 CHARLES THOMAS, BISHOP OF RIPON. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 FRANCIS & JOHN RIVINGTON, 
 
 ST. Paul's church yard, and waterlog place. 
 
 1850.
 
 LONDON : 
 tilLUKKT & KIVINGTON, PKlNTliUS, 
 
 ST. John's syuARii.
 
 LETTER, 
 
 My Reverend and Dear Brethren, 
 
 It has not been without much anxious reflection, 
 nor without a deep sense of the solemn responsibiUty 
 which I should incur in so doing, that I have made 
 up my mind to address you under the present 
 troubled circumstances of our Church : but having 
 received Memorials from different parts of my 
 diocese, including one signed by twelve of my 
 rural deans, on the subject of the recent decision in 
 the case of Gorham v. the Bishop of Exeter, and 
 having also had the most pressing appeals from 
 clergy as well as laity within it to resolve, if pos- 
 sible, the painful doubts, and remove the distressing 
 perplexities, under which so many are labouring in 
 consequence of it, I have deemed it advisable, in- 
 stead of replying separately to each communication, 
 to address this " Pastoral Letter'" to you all; 
 
 ' This Letter would have appeared three weeks earlier, but 
 that I was engaged, when I received most of the addresses, in a 
 long round of Episcopal duties in various parts of my diocese ; 
 
 A 2
 
 feeling that I should be unfaithful to the Church, 
 to my office, and to my people, were I to shrink 
 from endeavouring, according to my ability, to sa- 
 tisfy those scruples and remove those difficulties ; or 
 refuse to give such counsel as might, under God's 
 blessing, tend to calm agitation and compose dif- 
 ferences. May He, who giveth to all men liberally 
 and upbraideth not, grant me wisdom and discern- 
 ment to guide me in the task of unusual difficulty 
 which is thus imposed upon me. 
 
 In one respect, however, I am thankful to con- 
 fess that this difficulty is much less than it might 
 have been ; because the main point in dispute 
 between those who differ in opinion as to the Judg- 
 ment recently pronounced, does not depend upon 
 the definition of the term Regeneration, in W'hich, 
 when parties attempt to introduce refinements and 
 subtleties beyond the simple language of the 
 Church, they may easily differ, and yet all be 
 consistent churchmen : the real question at issue, 
 although I think it is as yet scarcely realized by 
 many, is whether Baptism, as an instrument or- 
 dained by Christ for that purpose, does convey the 
 blessings which Holy Scripture and the Church 
 ascribe to it ; or whether the blessings and graces 
 must not have been given to the individual pre- 
 
 and having, immediately afterwards, been summoned to London 
 to attend a Meeting of Archbishops and Bishops, I felt it to be 
 more respectful towards my Episcopal Brethren to postpone its 
 publication, until our deliberations were concluded. 
 
 - uiuc r
 
 viously, in order to render him a worthy recipient 
 of Baptism. For, in spite of all one's anxiety to save 
 a brother clergyman from such penalties as would 
 deprive him of his benefice, it cannot, I fear, be 
 denied, that he, in whose favour the recent judg- 
 ment has been pronounced, has asserted that as no 
 spiritual grace is conveyed in Baptism, except to 
 worthy recipients, and "as infants are unworthy 
 recipients, being born in sin and the children of 
 wrath, they cannot receive any benefit in Baptism, 
 except there shall have been a prevenient grace to 
 make them worthy^; " and that prevenient grace he 
 describes more fully to be, the having been "rege- 
 nerated by an act of grace prevenient to their 
 Baptism, in order to make them worthy recipients 
 of that Sacrament \" He asserts also, that "the 
 filial state \" that is, the grace of adoption, the 
 being made a child of God, was bestowed on the 
 recipient before Baptism, not in Baptism : thus 
 maintaining that the remission of original sin, 
 adoption into the family of God, and Regeneration, 
 must take place, in the case of infants, not in 
 Baptism, nor by means of Baptism, but before 
 Baptism. Such tenets as these seem to leave Bap- 
 tism an empty rite, conveying no real benefit, nor 
 advancing the receiver one step in the way of sal- 
 
 ^ Gorham's Efficacy of Baptism, p. 83, Answer 15, and pp. 
 123, 124; Question and Answer 70; and p. 88, Answer 27. 
 ^ Ibid. p. 85, Answer 19. 
 * Ibid. p. 113, end of Answer 60.
 
 6 
 
 vation ; they seem to overthrow the nature of a 
 Sacrament, robbing Baptism of all its inward and 
 spiritual grace. 
 
 Now, it can hardly be matter of surprise that 
 such an exposition of Christian doctrine, in con- 
 nexion with the recent Judgment, should produce 
 some alarm and much perplexity in the minds of 
 many : at the same time I am full of hope that 
 when the real question at issue is more attentively 
 considered, a calm and dispassionate review of its 
 leading features may tend, under God's blessing, to 
 a clearer understanding of its real bearings, and to 
 more of agreement than we have lately witnessed in 
 this unhappy controversy. At any rate, I think we 
 should all, at the present moment, be feeling for 
 points of union and agreement, and seeking for 
 some common ground to stand upon. It will be my 
 endeavour in this communication to speak the truth 
 in love, and strive, in that spirit, to promote this 
 much desired end. May it please God, of His infi- 
 nite mercy, to overrule our present difficulties to 
 the furtherance of this blessed object ; and to lead 
 all who acknowledge one Faith and one Baptism, to 
 be henceforth more united in one holy bond of 
 truth and peace, of faith and charity ! 
 
 The perplexities to which I have above referred, 
 seem chiefly to be these : First, the Church of Eng- 
 land appears to many to be reduced to the dilemma 
 of having no doctrine at all, touching the effect 
 of the Holy Sacrament of Baptism on infants, which
 
 seems incredible when they consider the service for 
 the Baptism of Infants, in connexion with the Cate- 
 chism ; or that, though it have a doctrine, it is never- 
 theless competent to any clergyman who pleases to 
 dissent from or deny it ; an alternative which seems 
 equally incredible. Secondly, they feel it to be a great 
 grievance that the supreme tribunal for deciding 
 questions involving points of doctrine, should have 
 been constituted without the consent of the Church, 
 and should be composed of laymen, none of whom 
 need be members of the Church of England. 
 
 Let us first consider the question of the con- 
 stitution and composition of the supreme tribunal 
 of appeal. As to its present composition, it un- 
 questionably does involve a grievance. That grievance 
 has been felt, and a bill has already been introduced 
 into the House of Lords, which provides that the 
 judicial committee of Privy Council shall be re- 
 quired, whensoever it is necessary to determine any 
 question as to doctrine or the tenets of the Church 
 of England, to refer such question to the archbishops 
 and bishops of the provinces of Canterbury and 
 York ; and that the opinion of the archbishops and 
 bishops upon such questions shall be binding for 
 the purposes of the appeal in which such reference 
 is made. As regards the point that the judi- 
 cial committee of the Privy Council was con- 
 stituted without the consent of the Church in 
 convocation or synod, I think the difficulty arises 
 mainly from an imperfect apprehension of the nature
 
 8 
 
 of tlie royal supremacy. Our XXth Article, where 
 it asserts that the Church hath " authority in con- 
 troversies of faith" is evidently speaking of her au- 
 thority to settle and lay down articles of faith ; as 
 may be gathered from its proceeding to declare that 
 " it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing 
 that is contrary to God's written word," adding that 
 " it ought not to decree any thing against the 
 same : " thus intending to describe the legislative 
 power of the Church. But we well know that the 
 legislative does not necessarily involve the judicial 
 power. According to our Constitution in Church 
 and State, the judicial power is vested in all causes, 
 ecclesiastical as well as civil, in the sovereign of this 
 realm ; and I apprehend it would be just as great 
 an act of usurpation on the part of the Church to 
 claim for the two houses of convocation, juris- 
 diction, or the power of appointing judges, in eccle- 
 siastical causes, as it would be for the Houses of 
 Lords and Commons to insist upon appointing 
 judges in all civil causes to the exclusion of the 
 royal prerogative. That this power of appointing 
 judges in causes ecclesiastical has rested with the 
 crown, in virtue of the royal supremacy since the 
 Reformation, will appear from a perusal of the 
 following statutes :— The 25th of Henry VIII. c. 19, 
 establishes the power of appeal from the archbishops' 
 court to the chancery ; the appeals to be there de- 
 termined by commissioners appointed by the king. 
 By 26th Henry VIII. c. 1, the king shall be re-
 
 puted headof the Church, and shall correct all heresies 
 and offences. By 1st Eliz. c. 1, commissioners may 
 be appointed by the crown to exercise all spiritual 
 and ecclesiastical jurisdiction; especially "to visit, re- 
 form, redress, order, correct and amend all such errors, 
 heresies, and schisms whatsoever, which by spiritual 
 or ecclesiastical power can or may lawfully be 
 reformed ;" and " such person or persons, to be 
 named according to letters patent, shall have full 
 powder to execute all the premises." Sir Edward 
 Coke pronounces the act 1st Eliz. to have been an 
 act of restitution of the ancient jurisdiction eccle- 
 siastical, which always belonged of right to the 
 crown of England, but had been usurped by the 
 pope ; that it was not introductory of a new law, 
 but declaratory of the old, and that which was, or 
 of a right ought to be, by the fundamental laws of 
 this realm, parcel of the sovereign's jurisdiction. 
 The act 2nd, 3rd Wm. IV. cap. 91, transfers the 
 powers of the high court of delegates (established 
 by 1st Eliz.), in ecclesiastical as well as maritime 
 causes, to his majesty in council ; the decrees of the 
 council to be final and definitive. The 3rd, 4th 
 Wm. IV. c. 41, appoints the judicial committee of 
 Privy Council to take cognizance of these causes : 
 all appeals from the sentence of any judge in such 
 causes to be referred by the sovereign to the com- 
 mittee to report thereon ; and that report is to be 
 ratified or annulled by the sovereign in council. 
 The tribunal therefore which decided the case of
 
 10 
 
 Gorham v. Bishop of Exeter in final appeals was in 
 strict conformity with our constitution in Church 
 and State. Nevertheless, although it be quite 
 legally constituted, its present composition is a real 
 grievance : and while, in the recent judgment, we 
 most willingly acknowledge the ability, patience, and 
 anxiety to arrive at a generally satisfactory decision 
 which characterized the proceedings of the court, it 
 is still consistent with the most profound loyalty to 
 petition the sovereign and the legislature to apply 
 the fitting remedy to the imperfect composition of 
 that most important tribunal. 
 
 As to that alternative of the dilemma, in which 
 our Church seems to many to be placed ; viz., 
 that she has no doctrine touching the effect of the 
 Sacrament of Holy Baptism on infants, 1 would 
 desire to quiet the alarms of those who have ad- 
 dressed me under such feelings, by assuring them 
 that the teaching of the Church of England in 
 this matter remains exactly what it was ; and that 
 they both clearly teach that the remission of sins 
 is the grace conveyed by Baptism to the baptized 
 generally, and therefore to infants with the rest. 
 For although the atonement of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ is of course the sole meritorious cause of 
 the remission of guilt, and the Spirit of God the 
 efficient, operating cause, nevertheless Baptism is 
 the instrumental rite, whereby that grace is actually 
 conveyed. 
 
 Let us first see what light Holy Scripture throws
 
 u 
 
 upon the subject. The promise of our blessed Lord 
 himself assures us that Baptism is instrumental to 
 salvation, when He says, " He that believeth and is 
 baptized shall be saved." Those who were converted 
 on the day of Pentecost were bidden to " repent and 
 be baptized, every one of them, in the name of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins." To 
 St. Paul, although already converted to Christianity, 
 these words w^ere addressed by Ananias, " Arise, and 
 be baptized, and wash away thy sins." And although 
 the Holy Ghost had already fallen on those who 
 were assembled with Cornelius, still St. Peter com- 
 manded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord, 
 doubtless for the same purpose. 
 
 Thus, in each of these instances of adult Baptism, 
 although the several parties had before received some 
 grace, or they would not have been converted, never- 
 theless, they lacked the peculiar grace of Baptism ; 
 namely, the remission of sins. For had this grace 
 of remission of guilt been actually imparted pre- 
 viously, then would their Baptism have been an 
 empty rite, conveying no grace, and therefore no 
 Sacrament. 
 
 It is, then, upon Scriptural authority such as that 
 above referred to, that the Universal Church ac- 
 knowledges, in the Nicene Creed, that there is " one 
 Baptism for the remission of sins ;" thus distinctly 
 pronouncing that this blessing accompanies the Sa- 
 crament of Baptism. And inasmuch as the XXVHth 
 Article of our Church declares that " the Baptism of
 
 12 
 
 young children is in anywise to be retained in the 
 Church, as most agreeable with the institution of 
 Christ," it thereby affirms that the " one Baptism " 
 which is to be applied to infants as well as adults, is 
 in each case for the remission of sins, — of original 
 sin, that is to say, in the case of infants, seeing that 
 they have been guilty of no actual sins. 
 
 Original sin being thus, upon the authority of 
 Holy Scripture, and of the Nicene Creed in con- 
 formity with it, remitted to infants, through and by 
 Baptism as an instrument, our Church, resting upon 
 this sohd foundation, considers, that whensoever 
 original sin is remitted in infants, the child must, by 
 that act of remission, be taken out of Adam and 
 brought into Christ ; is no longer a child of wrath, 
 but a child of grace, has undergone a death unto 
 sin (that original sin in which it was born, and 
 from whose guilt it is freed), and has entered 
 upon a new birth unto righteousness ; spiritual re- 
 generation being the entrance into a state of grace 
 and salvation, as the natural birth is an entrance 
 into life. For our Catechism, stating first, that a 
 Sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an in- 
 ward and spiritual grace given unto us, proceeds to 
 describe the inward and spiritual grace of Baptism, 
 as a death unto sin and a new birth unto righteous- 
 ness ; for that, being born in sin, and the children 
 of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace ; 
 and the Church bids each baptized child say that, in 
 Baptism, he was " made a member of Christ, n
 
 13 
 
 child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of 
 heaven." 
 
 These ideas, thus distinctly enunciated in our 
 Catechism, are so clearly expressed by Hooker ^ 
 that I cannot refrain from quoting the passage at 
 length: " Although in the rest we make not Bap- 
 tism a cause of grace, yet the grace which is given 
 them with their Baptism doth so far depend on the 
 very outward Sacrament, that God will have it em- 
 braced, not only as a sign or token of what we 
 receive, but also as an instrument or mean whereby 
 we receive grace ; because Baptism is a Sacrament 
 which God hath instituted in His Church, to the 
 end that they which receive the same might be in- 
 corporated into Christ, and so through His most 
 precious merit, obtain as well that saving grace of 
 imputation which taketh away all former guiltiness, 
 as also that infused Divine virtue of the Holy Ghost 
 which giveth to the powers of the soul their first 
 disposition towards future newness of life." All 
 who rightly receive this Sacrament being thus en- 
 dued with grace enough for their final salvation, if 
 only they will use and improve it ; and being thrown 
 upon their own responsibility in after life, to employ 
 this precious talent for the purposes for which it 
 was given. 
 
 With this view of the effect of Baptism on original 
 sin, the Homily on Salvation, towards the conclusion 
 
 * B. V. § GO.
 
 14 
 
 of the second part, entirely agrees, saying, ' ' There- 
 fore we must trust only in God's mercy and that 
 sacrifice which our High Priest and Saviour Christ 
 Jesus, the Son of God, once offered for us upon the 
 cross, to obtain thereby God's grace and remission, 
 as well of our original sin in Baptism, as of all actual 
 sin committed by us after our Baptism, if we truly 
 repent and turn to Him unfeignedly again''." 
 
 As to the Baptism of infants, it is true that our 
 Ai'ticles say no more than that it is in anywise to 
 be retained as most agreeable to the institution of 
 Christ ; but we have ample information touching its 
 virtue and efficacy in the Service for the Public Bap- 
 tism of Infants, which we are authorized to receive 
 as the teaching of the Church upon this subject, 
 because the 57th Canon expressly refers us to the 
 Prayer Book for the fullest explanation of the doc- 
 trine of the Church on this point, saying, that 
 " the doctrine of Baptism and of the Lord's Supper 
 is so sufficiently set down in the Book of Common 
 Prayer, that nothing can be added unto it that is 
 material and necessary." 
 
 But even without reference to the Baptismal Ser- 
 vice, I must say that any assertion which empties 
 the Sacrament of Baptism of its grace, is as essen- 
 tially opposed to the Articles as it is to the Prayer 
 
 * Those who wish fuller information on these points might 
 consult with much advantage the chapter, " Of Baptizing In- 
 fants," in Bishop Taylor's " Life of Christ."
 
 15 
 
 Book. For the XXVth Article declares that " the 
 Sacraments are not merely badges and tokens of 
 Christian men's profession, but rather be certain 
 sure witnesses and effectual signs of God's grace and 
 good will toward us, by the which He doth invisibly 
 work in us." And of Baptism, it is said in the 
 XXVIIth Article, that is a sign — an effectual sign, 
 according to the XXVth, by which God doth work 
 invisibly in us — " a sign of regeneration or new 
 birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that re- 
 ceive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church, 
 the promise of forgiveness of sin, and of our adop- 
 tion to be the sons of God, are visibly signed and 
 sealed." These two Articles, therefore, are surely 
 standing witnesses to the real efficacy of Baptism as 
 a channel of Divine grace. 
 
 I am now, however, directed by the 57th Canon 
 to refer to the Prayer Book for the fullest instruc- 
 tion as to the doctrine of our Church touching Bap- 
 tism generally, and therefore touching the Baptism 
 of infants in particular. I there observe, that in the 
 Service for the Public Baptism of Infants, we are 
 taught to pray, before Baptism, that the child may 
 receive remission of his sins by spiritual regenera- 
 tion ; we are bidden to remember God's good will 
 towards little children, as was proved by Christ 
 blessing them ; we are taught to pray that the Holy 
 Spirit may be given to the infant, that he may be 
 born again, be released from his sins, and be sanc- 
 tified by the Holy Ghost ; we are reminded that
 
 16 
 
 Christ has promised in His Gospel, to grant all the 
 things we have prayed for ; and that He, for His 
 part, will most surely keep and perform His promise; 
 we are taught to pray that the old Adam may be 
 buried, and the new man raised up in him. After 
 we have offered up these prayers, and the act of 
 Baptism, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghost, has been performed, the Church pronounces 
 the child to be regenerate, and grafted into the body 
 of Christ's Church, bidding us give thanks to 
 Almighty God for these benefits. Accordingly, we 
 do thank God in the case of every child whom we 
 baptize ; not doubting, but earnestly believing, that 
 he is received as a child of God by adoption, and 
 incorporated into the Church of God. 
 
 Thus have we Creed and Catechism, Article, Ho- 
 mily and Liturgy, all speaking the same distinct, 
 unambiguous language based upon the sure founda- 
 tion of Holy Scripture. Nothing that has recently 
 occurred can at all invalidate such combined testi- 
 mony. Holy Scripture still teaches us that Baptism 
 is for the remission of sins : the Church still teaches 
 that infants are to be baptized ; you, my reverend 
 brethren, are still bound to pronounce each individual 
 child whom you baptize, regenerate ; are still bound 
 to teach every child of your flock that he was, in his 
 Baptism, made a member of Christ, a child of God, 
 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven. Neither 
 can any thing that has recently occurred absolve me 
 from the obligation of protesting against any such
 
 17 
 
 strange doctrine as that which would teach that 
 an individual who comes to Baptism without any 
 impediment in himself to the right receiving of it, 
 may, although it is rightly administered, fail of 
 receiving that particular grace which Holy Scripture 
 assigns to it; viz. the remission of sin, the being 
 born again of the Spirit. 
 
 Now, had we been told by the recent judgment 
 that we were bound to believe, to teach, and to act, 
 each in our several spheres, in direct opposition to 
 the teaching of Holy Scripture, the Creed, the 
 Baptismal Service, the Catechism, and the Homily ; 
 or were we forbidden to propagate the doctrine so 
 clearly laid down in them, it would, indeed, have 
 been a widely different case. But the judgment 
 leaves the teaching of Holy Scripture and of the 
 Church, as well as our own position and responsi- 
 bilities just as they were ; and so long as our Church 
 does set forth her doctrine in language so scriptural, 
 so pointed, so emphatic, that language must stand as 
 a perpetual and living testimony against the contrary 
 doctrine. What need then, I may ask, of further 
 protest ? Each time the various congregations 
 over the whole world repeat the Nicene Creed, 
 acknowledging " one Baptism for the remission of 
 sins," does not the Universal Church protest thereby 
 against the contrary doctrine ? Each time the service 
 for the Baptism of Infants is repeated, does not the 
 Church of England protest against the teaching that 
 children are not regenerate in and by their Baptism, 
 
 B
 
 18 
 
 as an instrument '? Each time the children of our 
 flocks are catechized, does not the Church of 
 England enter a fresh protest against the doctrine 
 which would empty Baptism of its inward and 
 spiritual grace ? To my own mind, I confess, these 
 are the most comfortable, and at the same time the 
 most effectual, protests which we can put forth, and 
 which the Church does put forth for us whenever 
 the said declarations are made under her bidding. 
 These will more effectually tend to prevent the 
 spread of any such doctrine as that which led to 
 the present controversy, than any means of re- 
 sisting it which are not in accordance with our 
 Church polity. In truth, I cannot help believing, 
 paradoxical though it may at first appear, that all 
 which has recently happened, will tend, when the 
 heat of controversy is somewhat abated, to further 
 the acceptance of that doctrine of the whole Church 
 from the earliest ages on this point which our 
 Church so plainly sets forth : and this would be my 
 answer to those who fear that henceforth there will 
 be a general licence to deny the doctrine of our 
 Articles, and Liturgy touching infant Baptism. 
 
 I have thus endeavoured, according to my ability, 
 to suggest such topics for your consideration as the 
 present exigency seemed to require. It would cer- 
 tainly have been far more congenial to my natural 
 feelings to have abstained from all interference under 
 the present troubled aspect of the Church : and I 
 think that, after fourteen years' intercourse, you will
 
 19 
 
 have known me well enough to believe that, in con- 
 formity with the apostolical precept, it has been my 
 habitual study to be quiet, and to do my own busi- 
 ness. But the present occasion seems to me to be 
 one on which silence would have been culpable ; I 
 have accordingly spoken to you in all faithfulness, 
 having- counted the cost, and being willing to sacri- 
 fice much of what might be personally agreeable, in 
 the hope, under God's blessing, of being able to ren- 
 der some small service to the cause of truth and of 
 peace : nor will I willingly believe that a calm and 
 temperate statement of doctrine, a frank and unre- 
 served avowal of deep and long- cherished convic- 
 tions, made in the spirit of Christian love, can ever, 
 or at least ought ever to excite any feelings of a 
 contrary character. 
 
 This surely is not the fitting season for eager and 
 angry polemics, or for captious controversy ; but 
 rather for solemn searchings of the heart ; for prob- 
 ing the depth of our own convictions as in the sight 
 of God, and satisfying ourselves that they rest on the 
 right foundations : nor can I but believe that we 
 shall arrive at a better understanding with each 
 other by mutual interchange of opinion in a spirit 
 of Christian simplicity and sincerity, than by stand- 
 ing aloof and shunning each other's society as aliens 
 and enemies, without effort to come to better agree- 
 ment. 
 
 I have already expressed a hope that the present 
 controversy, hostile as it seems at this moment to 
 
 B 2
 
 20 
 
 the peace of the Church, maj^ ultimately tend to 
 promote greater unanimity, when the vehemence ot" 
 party feeling has somewhat subsided, and the time 
 is come for calm reflection. It will then, I think, 
 be felt by many whose convictions were previously 
 unsettled, that our blessed Saviour never could have 
 instituted a Sacrament which was to have no efficacy. 
 It will be perceived that the same principles on which 
 a latitude is claimed in one direction, may be used, 
 and must be conceded, in the case of those who 
 claim it in every other direction ; much to the de- 
 triment, as I humbly conceive, of all fixed doctrine. 
 It will be acknowledged that the language of our 
 Prayer Book, in the Baptismal Service, is rather the 
 language of faith than of hope or charity. Further 
 researches will convince many that those who have, 
 in times past, held the very highest Calvinistic 
 opinions, have admitted and advocated the doctrine 
 of Baptismal regeneration, according to the natural 
 meaning of the words of our Service and our Cate- 
 chism ; thus recognizing the truth, that all grace 
 given need not be accompanied with the grace of 
 final perseverance. It will be felt that the doctrine 
 of grace imparted to all fit recipients in Baptism (all 
 infants in the Christian Church being deemed, ac- 
 cording to Christ's institution, fit recipients), is the 
 h9.sis of all Christian teaching, under the direction 
 of our Church ; and that it is not merely by ex- 
 punging two or three phi'ases, but by remodelling 
 the whole Prayer Book, that it can be brought into
 
 21 
 
 agreement with a contrary system. It will be per- 
 ceived how clear a course the Church of England 
 holds between the Romanizing extreme on the one 
 hand which maintains that there is a complete in- 
 herent righteousness in every baptized person, and 
 that it is not only the guilt, but the power also, of 
 original sin which is entirely abolished in the Sacra- 
 ment of holy Baptism ; and the other extreme, 
 which confounds regeneration (the new birth unto 
 righteousness, the entrance into the state of gi'ace 
 and salvation) with the perfect manhood, the mea- 
 sure of the stature of the fulness of Christ ; an 
 extreme which confounds a part with the whole, 
 regeneration with final and complete sanctification ; 
 as though there were no gradual growing up in grace 
 after regeneration ; as if there were not the same 
 relation between our natural birth and our natural 
 growth, as there is between regeneration and pro- 
 gressive sanctification. It will be felt also, I believe, 
 that the preaching of Baptismal regeneration in the 
 sense which avoids each of these extremes, is en- 
 tirely consistent with the fullest and freest recogni- 
 tion of that blessed truth, so full of all comfort to 
 the believer, that we are justified by faith only for 
 the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; 
 and is likewise entirely consistent wdth the most 
 powerful appeals to personal responsibility ; a re- 
 sponsibility fearfully enhanced and aggravated by 
 the Baptismal grace conferred : entirely consistent, 
 too, with a teaching which enforces the necessity of
 
 22 
 
 a conversion, by the grace of God, of those who are 
 hving m sin, and of the actual renewal of the will 
 and affections of all. It will be felt that it is the 
 abuse, and not the use, of the doctrine of Baptismal 
 regeneration w^hich is really dangerous ; that most 
 unscriptural abuse of it w^hich, in forgetfulness of 
 the Apostolic model, is ever preaching the privileges 
 of Baptism without enforcing its tremendous respon- 
 sibiHties, thereby encouraging the reckless profligacy 
 of Antinomianism. 
 
 If those benefits which I am sanguine enough to 
 anticipate, shall, under the Divine blessing, be the 
 ultimate result of a more general canvassing of the 
 questions which are at the present moment exciting 
 such uneasy feelings among us, it will indeed be 
 working well for the future peace and unity of our 
 Church. Only let us beware, as we value our ow^n 
 souls, that the controversy is not meanwhile w^orking 
 ill for ourselves, by fomenting angry and uncharit- 
 able feelings in our ow^n hearts ; let us watch, in the 
 spirit of prayer, against all bitterness, and wrath, 
 and clamour, and evil speaking, in our discussions 
 on these solemn subjects, eschewing every thing 
 which can foster division and aggravate the spirit of 
 party. And yet further, let us beware that our 
 flock take no hurt or hindrance in the midst of this 
 strife of tongues. The Lord has given us, both 
 clergy and laity in this diocese, a great work to per- 
 form ; our lot has been cast amidst an enormous and 
 steadily increasing population, which, unless we
 
 23 
 
 persevere in strenuous exertions, will be growing 
 up without God in the world or a Saviour in their 
 hearts. We are not without some gracious tokens 
 that the Lord has, in a measure, blessed our work 
 in seeking for those sheep of Christ that are dis- 
 persed abroad, that they may be saved through Him 
 for ever. May no check be given to this work and 
 labour of love by our own unhappy divisions ; and 
 may we each of us, in our several callings, feel our- 
 selves specially bound to guard against any such dis- 
 tractions arising from them, as may divert us from 
 our endeavours, according to our respective offices 
 and abilities, to win souls to Christ, to build up his 
 Church, and enlarge his kingdom ! 
 
 As a help against the evils of our present con- 
 dition, I desire to recommend for our use, as occa- 
 sion may admit, that devout Prayer for Unity which 
 occurs in the service for the day of the accession of 
 our sovereign to the throne : and praying that the 
 God of Peace may keep your hearts and minds in 
 mutual love and concord, 
 
 I remain. 
 
 Reverend and dear Brethren, 
 
 Your affectionate Friend and Servant, 
 
 C. T. RIPON. 
 
 London, 
 May 10, 1850.
 
 24 
 
 A PRAYER FOR UNITY. 
 
 O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our 
 only Saviour, the Prince of Peace ; Give us grace 
 seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are 
 in by our unhappy divisions. Take away all 
 hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may 
 hinder us fi'om godly Union and Concord : that, 
 as there is but one Body, and one Spirit, and one 
 Hope of our Calling, one Lord, one Faith, one 
 Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may 
 henceforth be all of one heart, and of one soul, 
 united in one holy bond of Truth and Peace, of 
 Faith and Charity, and may with one mind and 
 one mouth glorify thee ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen.
 
 ADDRESSES 
 
 REFERRED TO IN THE PASTORAL LETTER. 
 
 I. 
 
 To the Right Reverend Father in God, Charles Thomas, 
 Lord Bishop of Ripon. 
 
 We, the undersigned Clergy of your Lordship's diocese, re- 
 siding in the deanery of Leeds, approach your Lordship with an 
 expression of our affection and respect, and venture to seek your 
 paternal advice under the existing circumstances of the Church. 
 
 The undersigned receive the Articles of the Creed and the 
 Formularies of the Church on the subject of Baptism, in their 
 plain, literal, and obvious sense, — in the sense in which the words 
 have always been understood by the Chui'ch of England, in com- 
 mon with the Universal Church, from the earliest ages. 
 
 It may seem, therefore, that we are only remotely concerned 
 in the late decision of Her Majesty in Council, in the question 
 of Gorham v. the Bishop of Exeter : a judgment, which, in our 
 opinion, amounts only to this, — that ))ersons receiving the Articles 
 of the Creed and the Formularies of the Church on the subject of 
 Baptism in a non-natural sense, shall not be disturbed in their
 
 26 APPENDIX. 
 
 preferments. But we beg leave to call the attention of your 
 Lordship to the fact that the counsellors of Her Majesty, in 
 advising the judgment, have supported it, not only by arguments 
 which appear to us to be inconsistent with the spirit of the 
 Church's teaching, but by misquotations (unintentionally made) 
 from the writings of some of our standard divines, who are made 
 to express the very opinions, for the refutation of which those 
 writings were composed and given to the world. 
 
 This has caused perplexity in the minds of many of our pa- 
 rishioners ; and while we feel confident that your Lordship and 
 your Right Reverend brethren will seek a suitable occasion for 
 bringing these misstatements under the notice of Her Majesty, 
 we ask your Lordship's advice with respect to the proper course 
 to be pursued by us in satisfying the minds of our parishioners. 
 
 (^Signed by thirty-nine of the Clergy of the Rural Deanery 
 of Leeds.) 
 
 H. 
 
 To the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Ripon. 
 
 We, the undersigned Clergymen in the Rural Deanery of Leeds, 
 and your Lordship's diocese, having learned that an Address to 
 your Lordship is in circulation among the Clergy of this deanery, 
 impugning the recent decision of Her Majesty in Council as 
 supreme head of the Church, desire to express our deep anxiety 
 for the preservation of the peace of the Church, and likewise that 
 there should be no compromise of its principles. 
 
 We are anxious to maintain in its integrity the Book of Common 
 Prayer, and to uphold the principle, that the articles of the Church 
 be interpreted in their plain, literal, and grammatical sense. 
 
 While we yield to none in our attachment to this principle, 
 we could not subscribe our names to the Address now in circula- 
 tion, which in effect charges Her Majesty in Council with deciding 
 that the Articles may be held in a non-natural sense, and with 
 making false ([uotations from theological writers. We have 
 carefully read the judgment referred to in that Address, verifying
 
 APPENDIX. 27 
 
 the quotations, as far as we have had opportunity, and have seen 
 nothing to warrant such serious charges. 
 
 Looking to the proceedings of the court which advised Her 
 Majesty in this decision, we cannot refrain from expressing to 
 your Lordship our grateful admiration of the calm, judicious, and 
 able manner in which the eminent judges who formed the Judicial 
 Committee, and the Prelates who advised them, considered the 
 question submitted to them. 
 
 With regard to the question itself, it appears to us, that while 
 the Church of England plainly holds the sacraments to be 
 generally necessary to salvation, and teaches that we should use 
 them as means of grace, it has, in its Articles and Liturgy, wisely 
 abstained from any exact definition with regard to the grace 
 imparted. 
 
 We fear that great injury will arise to the Church, if at this time 
 the Clergy should unhappily be arrayed against each other on 
 questions of difficult and doubtful controversy, endeavouring to 
 define what the Church has not defined ; or, if they should engage 
 in a struggle for power against the lawful supremacy of the 
 Crown. 
 
 As our observation and experience lead us to conclude that 
 the lay members of the Church, far from being unsettled by the 
 recent decision, are greatly relieved by it, and heartily acquiesce 
 in it, we earnestly look to your Lordship, in the hope that, by the 
 blessing of God, your healing counsels will avert so great a 
 calamity, as a renewed religious agitation in this populous 
 diocese. 
 
 {Signed by ten Clergy of the Rural Deanery of Leeds.) 
 
 in. 
 
 To the Right Reverend Charles Thomas, Lord Bishop of 
 Ripon. 
 
 My Lord, 
 We, the undersigned Clergy of the deanery of Wakefield, 
 assembled in chapter, unanimously agreed to lay before your
 
 28 APPENDIX. 
 
 Lordship the following resolutions, expressive of the grievances 
 under which we conceive the Church at present to lahour, and 
 to request your Lordship to permit us to found thereupon 
 addresses to Her Majesty the Queen, and to the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury : — 
 
 Resolved, 
 
 1. That, it is a right inherent in the Church of Christ, by the 
 commission of her Divine Founder, to define in matters of 
 doctrine. 
 
 2. That, in accordance with the above-named right, no court 
 ought to possess the power of judicially and finally declaring the 
 doctrines of the Church, except such as shall be constituted in 
 agreement with the principles of the Church, and have received 
 its jurisdiction by formal ecclesiastical sanction. 
 
 3. That, the power which is at present vested by Act of 
 Parliament, without the formal concurrence of the Church, in the 
 Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, to interpret the formu- 
 laries of the Church by a final judicial sentence, and thus prac- 
 tically to define and declare the doctrines of the Church, is an 
 infringement of the fundamental right of the Church, to be the 
 sole judge in matters affecting the Faith, and at variance with 
 the Law of Christ. 
 
 4. That, the existence of this state of things is a grievance in 
 conscience, and that this grievance is rendered more burdensome 
 by the fact, that the members of the Judicial Committee of 
 Council are not necessarily members of the Church of England. 
 
 5. That, for the redress of the said grievance, the following 
 steps are necessary : — 
 
 (1.) That, the Church in Convocation or Synod has licence 
 to deliberate for the special purpose of devising a proper appel- 
 late tribunal for determining all questions of doctrine, and other 
 matters purely spiritual. 
 
 (2.) That, an Act of Parliament be passed for the purpose of 
 making the judgment of such tribunal binding on the temporal 
 courts of these realms. 
 
 (3.) That, the Acts of Parliament relating to the Privy 
 Council be so amended as to exempt questions of doctrine and
 
 APPENDIX. 29 
 
 other matters purely spiritual from the cognizance of the Privy 
 Council. 
 
 {^Signed by the Rural Dean and fifteen Clergy of the Rural 
 Deanery.^ 
 
 IV. 
 
 We, the undersigned Rural Deans of the diocese of Ripon, 
 approach your Lordship with entire confidence in your Lord- 
 ship's wisdom and judgment at a period of much anxiety in the 
 Church's history. 
 
 Difficulties which have arisen from the recent decision in the 
 case of Gorham v. the Bishop of Exeter, have perplexed the 
 minds of many, both of the Clergy and the Laity, and we venture, 
 therefore, to ask your paternal advice as to the proper course to 
 be pursued by us under the existing circumstances. 
 
 (^Signed hy twelve Rural Deans.) 
 
 To the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Ripon. 
 
 We, the Rural Dean, and the undersigned members of the 
 deanery of North Craven, deeply impressed with the importance 
 of the late decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council 
 (in the case of Gorham v. the Bishop of Exeter) beg leave 
 respectfully to convey to your Lordship this expression of our 
 hearty sympathy ; and also to ask for your Lordship's guidance 
 and assistance under the difficulties in which as ministers of the 
 Church we are hereby placed. 
 
 We feel strongly how desirable it is for the integrity of the 
 Church, that measures be forthwith taken to secure to her an 
 effectual mode of giving her authoritative declaration on this, as 
 well as on other spiritual questions ; and we, therefore, urgently 
 pray that your Lordship will take such steps as may seem ex- 
 pedient for that purpose.
 
 30 APPENDIX. 
 
 That the Head of the Church may give to your Lordship, and 
 those who have the rule over us, a right judgment in this and all 
 other things which concern the peace of His Church, is the earnest 
 prayer of your Lordship's obedient Servants — 
 
 {Signed by the Rural Dean, and thirteen Clergy of the 
 Rural Deanery.^ 
 
 VL 
 
 To the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Ripon. 
 May it please your Lorship, 
 
 We, the Rectors, Vicars, and Curates of the archdeaconry of 
 Richmond, within your Lordship's diocese, whose names are 
 underwritten, beg leave respectfully to address your Lordship op 
 the subject of a recent decision, by the Judicial Committee of 
 Her Majesty's Privy Council. We have been in the habit of 
 reading publicly every Sunday the Nicene Creed, in which we 
 acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. We have 
 also been in the habit of administering the Sacrament of Bap- 
 tism, in which we return thanks to Almighty God, that it hath 
 pleased Him to regenerate this infant with His Holy Spirit, to 
 receive him for His own child by adoption, and to incorporate 
 him into His holy Church. We have also been accustomed, in 
 using the Church Catechism, to instruct the children that Bap- 
 tism conveys a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteous- 
 ness, for that being by nature born in sin, and the children of 
 wrath, they are hereby {i. e. by Baptism) made the children of 
 grace. We thoroughly receive and believe these doctrines of 
 our Church, as they may be proved by most certain warrants of 
 Holy Scripture. We think that a Minister who denies these 
 doctrines, ought not to be instituted to a benefice in the esta- 
 blished Church. We therefore disapprove of the late judgment 
 of the Privy Council in the case of Gorham v. the Bishop of 
 Exeter. 
 
 At the same time, we acknowledge that the Sovereign is over 
 all persons, and in all causes ecclesiastical, as well as civil, su-
 
 APPENDIX, 31 
 
 preme. And we rely upon your Lordship's wisdom, in conjunc- 
 tion with the other Prelates of our Church, to promote such 
 measures, as may preserve the rights, privileges, and Faith of 
 our Church in matters of Spiritual doctrine, and at the same time 
 maintain the just prerogative and supremacy of the Crown. 
 
 We are, my Lord, 
 
 Your Lordship's dutiful Servants. 
 
 (^Signed by the Archdeacon and Chancellor of the Diocese, 
 and fifty-eight Clergy of the Archdeaconry.^
 
 LONDON: 
 
 OILBF.RT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS, 
 
 ST. John's square.

 
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