§ MR. HENRY SEYMOURsaid, he rose to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, having respect to the Act of Uniformity, 13 & 14 Charles II., clergymen in the Diocese of Oxford are bound to obey the Injunction of the Bishop of Oxford, which directs them to read the following notice at the conclusion of the Nicene Creed:—
You are earnestly desired to make your humble supplications to Almighty God, who is the Author of Peace and Lover of Concord, that He will promote peace among our brethren in America, and inspire their hearts with Christian unity and fellowship.And also to make "two short pauses," one in the course of the Litany, and the other in the course of the prayer for all sorts and conditions of men.
THE ATTORNEY GENERALsaid, in the absence of the Home Secretary, he wished to state that the Act of Uniformity contained two main provisions, one of which prescribed the use of the Book of Common Prayer, and the other forbade the use of any form or order of Common Prayer other than what was prescribed. The question of the hon. Gentleman divided itself into two parts—first, whether in the Injunction that had been issued by the Bishop of Oxford there was any violation of the Act of Uniformity; and, secondly, whether, supposing such violation not to have been committed, the Bishop, as a matter of general episcopal jurisdiction, had the power of enforcing upon his Clergy the performance of the order which was contained in the Injunction. The matter especially concerned the Bishop on the one hand and his Clergy on the other, and by no means concerned the Government. The Bishop of Oxford had shown by the letter he had sent to his Archdeacons the 1214 view which he took on both matters. He had taken upon himself the responsibility of issuing the Injunction, and it was to be presumed that he had not done so unadvisedly. Under these circumstances, speaking for the Home Secretary, he thought it would be the more convenient course, and one most likely to lead to a decision of the question, to leave the Clergy to adopt on their own responsibility, whatever measures might be necessary to obtain a decision on the two points in question. If they required professional assistance, they would readily obtain it in the usual way, and on the usual terms.