Untitled - Electric Scotland

372 LIKE OF ARCHBISHOP TAIT [CH. xiv.
in England would deal with the Bishop of another diocese there.
With these few remarks I proceed to answer your Lordship s
questions :
"
i. The Canons of the Church require that all Bishops of
a Province shall, before consecration, be confirmed in their elec
tion by the Metropolitan and Bishops of that Province. They
are bound by the same Canons to take the oath of Canonical
obedience to the Metropolitan of the Province. And this has
hitherto been the practice wherever there are Provinces and
Metropolitans in the Colonies. If by receiving their mission
from the See of Canterbury be meant a departure from
this practice, there can be no doubt that it would be most
objectionable, inasmuch as it would be a violation of the customs
and Canons of the Church as received and acted upon in the
Church of England. . . .
"n. I think that all the Bishops of this Province, nearly all
the Clergy, and the most intelligent and earnest of the laity,
would, if asked, desire that the question of the Final Court of
Appeal for Colonial Churches should be referred to, and decided
by, a National Synod, in which the Colonial Churches should be
represented. . . . Neither the Bishops nor the Clergy of this
Province would ever consent to be subjected to the Final Court
of Appeal as now constituted for the Church of England. . . .
"
in. I object to the form of this question, and think it
calculated to mislead. It implies that the Royal Supremacy, as
acknowledged by the United Church of England and Ireland, is
not acknowledged by the Colonial Church; and appears to
appeal to their loyalty to acknowledge it ; whereas the real
object of the question is to learn and it appears to me that it
had better have been put in that form whether the Colonial
Churches are prepared to submit the ultimate decision of ques
tions affecting the faith to the Judicial Committee of Privy
Council, which the Church of England cannot be considered to
have acknowledged ; and, if not, whether to any other Court con
stituted by the British Parliament. I have already stated my
opinion on that point. . . .
"
iv. Nothing, in my belief, but the speedy assembling of a
National Synod can bind the Churches of our Communion in
one, or prevent wide dissensions and probably separations. . . .
"In conclusion, I beg to enter my solemn protest against
legislation for this Church by .
the British Parliament.
. ."