Answer to letter of Archdeacon woods to Reverend Robert Tomlinson
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1. Answer to letter of Archdeacon Woods
2. to Revd Robert Tomlinson
3. (Copy)
4. Kincolith
5. Oct. 31/71
6. My dear Archdeacon
7. You asked me to give you
8. on paper the reasons which induced me
9. to decline to present myself as a candidate
10. for Priesthood especially as this this disinclination
11. appears to you irreconcilable with the rules
12. of the Ch. Miss. Soc. and at variance with
13. the order of the Ch. of England and the teaching
14. of Holy Scripture and moreover hurtful to
15. the mission mark in this locality. Before
16. I attempt to give you my reasons I would
17. wish to say that I consider them as sufficient
18. to make the decline to present myself now
19. but not necessarily sufficient to make me
20. decline at some future time. And further
21. that it is not from any doubts in the serip-
22. =tural origin or the advisability of Priests
23. in the Church. Nor yet from any insub-
24. =ordination that I present not myself.
25. but simply from the peculiar circumstances
26. in which in the providence of God I have
27. been placed. The circumstances of this
28. mission are peculiar, founded as it has
29. been on the same principles and with the
30. same objects ^and^ under the same society as that
31. of Metlakatla. Metlakatla is the parent
32. mission. This only the young offspring
33. Metlakatla notwithstanding all the efforts
34. of the Ch. Miss. Soc. still continues under
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1. the charge of a layman. Well this the offshoot
2. still so young is under the charge of a
3. deacon. I can hardly imagine anything
4. more calculated to hinder the progress
5. of to the two missions so intimately connected as
6. these two are. than a spirit of jealousy.
7. Such a spirit I foresee would certainly
8. arise were I to perform the higher offices
9. of the priesthood. Hitherto all has worked
10. with utmost harmony. My frequent
11. visits to Metlakatla afford me to baptize
12. the young children and thus the [Chris]tians
13. are not restrained from bringing their
14. children early to the Lord. But were I
15. to proceed further. I tremble to think what
16. might arise and especially lest I should
17. be the cause how ever unintentionally of
18. weakening the hands of one, than whose no
19. more skilfull labourer has been called to
20. this portion of the Lord’s harvest. I speak
21. not from mere feeling but from a knowledge
22. and experience of the habits amongst
23. these tribes. But apart from this reason
24. there is another which is fully as potent.
25. As Mr. Duncan in an unforeseen and
26. remarkable way has been led into a
27. position in which he can turn to the
28. glory of God his remarkable mercantile
29. talent so God has led me by a way
30. I knew not into a position where I am
31. called upon to use my talent for medical
32. science. As I am as it were in a
33. transition state and by exact position
34. have has not fully developed. I feel. that
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1. it would be foolish and ungrateful of
2. me to try to push forward before I
3. clearly see the guiding hand of my heaven-
4. =ly Father and hear his spirit within
5. me saying “this is the way“ The first
6. question put to those to be ordained
7. priests is that which prevents me from
8. presenting myself. The call as the question
9. rightly puts it is of two kinds. The internal
10. call of the Lord Jesus to the man’s own
11. heart and the outward call to the Church.
12. To the latter portion of the question I
13. could cheerfully answer “I think so“
14. But to the first portion I dare not
15. make such an answer. I do not think
16. so. I do not hear the voice of my Saviour
17. calling me to take such a step. I do
18. not see the guiding hand of my God
19. and my Father leading me on. and
20. I dare not deceive myself and take
21. such a solemn step until I see that
22. hand and hear that voice.
23. When about to be ordained deacon I was
24. asked the two solemn questions with
25. which the deacons examination opens
26. with humility and yet with truth I
27. could answer them and ever since I
28. have had calls to bless and praise
29. God for his grace and mercy in
30. calling me to such a high and holy a
31. calling and so would I have when it
32. pleases God to call me to the higher
33. office of a priest. What length of time
34. must elapse before this call can come
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1. or even whether it will ever come I
2. cannot say. Meanwhile may God give me
3. the grace humbly and contentedly to fulfil
4. the duties of my present calling and at
5. all times to look to him for the spirit
6. and his blessing.
7.
8. Believe me very respectfully
9. Yours Rob[er]t Tomlinson
10. Ven[erable] Archdeacon woods
