regation, are awarded,
according to the Act, to the teachers of each of these three divisions.
And thus, as Sir R. Bourke informs Lord Glenelg, in 1837, ministers
of the Church of England have been forthcoming to "answer (in many
instances) the calls of congregations of their communion;" while, as a
matter of course, where no call is heard, no answer is attempted to be
given. How very opposite is this modern idea of _the sheep calling the
shepherd to them_, from that pattern set before us by the good Shepherd,
who "came to seek and to save that which was lost!" But still, though
nominally upon an equality with the others, it is distressing to find
how hard a measure has been dealt to the Church in New South Wales; how
studiously every petty advantage that could be taken has been taken of
it by a Government calling itself liberal and impartial. A few instances
of this shall be given, which may serve to show how our brethren in the
colonies have been treated, and how we should ourselves be treated, if
dissent and Romanism could get the upper-hand in our native country; for
then, at the very best, the clergy would be placed, as they now are in
Australia, "in a state of dependence upon two unstable supports;--the
will of Government, and the disposition of the people."[216] At present,
the latter is favourable enough in Australia; but the good-will of the
Government towards the Church has been indeed strangely shown within the
last few years. When the other communions and persuasions in the colony
had nearly, if not altogether, provided themselves with the number of
ministers that the law would allow them, while the wants of the Church
remained, to a great extent, unsupplied, advantage was taken of an
expression in a letter of the governor, Sir George Gipps,[217] and a
limitation was imposed upon the government assistance by Lord Normanby,
which operated exclusively to the hurt of the Church of England. In a
like spirit it was that the governor of New South Wales refused to
consider as private contributions for schools either sums granted by the
societies in England, or by their diocesan committee in New South Wales;
although, in both instances, the money was raised entirely by private
subscription. The inconvenience, delay, and disappointment which this
one arbitrary rule occasioned were astonishing; and to those who took
delight in balking the efforts and thwarting the good works of our
Church, it must have been very gratify