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Mapa, platas, charts, stc., may ba filmad at diffarant radvction ratioa. Thoaa too larga to ba antiraly included in ona axpoaura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand comar, laft to right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa raquirad. Tha following diagrama liluatrata tha mathod: Laa cartaa. planchaa, tablaaux, ate., pauvant Atra filmte i daa taux da rMuction diffAranta. Loraqua la document ast trap grand pour Atra raproduit an un saul clichA, il aat filmA A partir da I'angia aupAriaur gaucha, da gaucha A'drolta. at da haut 1% baa. an pranant la nombra d'imagaa nAcaaaaira. Laa diagrammaa auhranta illuatrant la mAthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 A FEW f GOOD REASONS FOR ADHEREIVCFi o i TO THE FORMS AP OUSTOMS OP THE CHURCH OP OUR FOREFATHERS, ^ FREOERICTON N. d.i PRINTED BY JAMES OOAK. 1840. 6*- r" o-' m .%• Sf?1 •• if' I- t ) tWiH h PREFACE. ■ 1.,;: jij. ;i lo euiio) i-si Jeuut ' 'in? v/oT! To the Lay Members of the Church of En«T]and in New Briins^iek the subjoined er.tracts from the writings of some of the Dignitaries of thtt Church, in paat and present time, are recommended for attentive perusal. The uncompromising perseverance with which some of the Ministers of the Church in this country continue to adopt and force upon iheirunwillini; hearers, those noveltiea and innovations, which claim their origin from a party, more- than suspected in England, and which the good sense and' respectful opposition of Churchmen in that country have put dowi^, can- not but be the cause of serious alarm to the Laity of t^is Province, espe- cially when we find that they, in whose minds this Rubrical Antiquity first dawned, are noto within the fold of the Church of Rome, and are being fast followed by very many of their supporters ! — Their first step in the work of change how trivial ! — Their last how astounding, but it is to be feared too natural ! — With such an example before our eyes how anxiously should we watch the slightest approach to a pursuit which has led so many astray already. The Bishop of the Diocese having distinctly and emphatically declared his determination to dedicate to the woriihip of God by consecration no Church with pews, it becomes a matter of most serious import to the in- terests of the Church in this Province, how such a declaration can, con- sistently with those interests, contend against the Jeelings, the habits, and the prncficcs of the people at large. It will not he satisfactory or suffi- cient that His Lordship denounce the pew system, as corrupt and unchris- tian in opposition to the Bishop of Worcester's more acceptable and con« genial doctrine. One Parish (Upham) has already refused compliance with the views of its Diocesan in this respect, and its newly erected house of prayer stands forth a monument of surprise and sympathy, that for such a cause it should be denied the rite of consecration. — It will not, however, long be singular in this. A writer in the London Times of 31st January 1845, suggested a remedy for the evils ©f dissention in England which is as follows, viz : — " The only direction which will bring peace and quiet-* ness to our distracted Church, is, that all the Clergy return to the same forms and modes of worship, which they exercised prior to a certain date, and that there may be no further mistakes on this point, let that date be, the year before the writings which have occasioned all the trouble, were ever heard or thought of— this and this only will ever settle the question, IV. come whtn it may, or from tohatever quarter it may ; for, iMiBg that no reaaon or shadow of reason, has ever yet been given why the people of England should not be allowed '* to worship God in tlutr own Chur,ihes after the manntr and customs of their forefathers" the people will now be Mti»*'^d with nothing less than a compliance with this most rational and reasuuable demand." Time and experience have proved this writer's views to have been sound and almost prophetic. The Laity of England have risen in their might and rescued the reasonable and long established forms of their forefathers from the reckless censure of an extraordinary few. Let Churchmen in this Province but follow such a precedent and all our incipient diviaions vyill soon merge in the harmonious unanimity which existed here before those writings reached this country. That there are many Clergymen in the Province who dislike much, and would roost un* willingly ad(^ these changes, there can be no doubt, but with the Laity it must rest, as it did in England, to iight the battle of the Reformed Church of England in the Colony, as handed down to them by their ancestors. How truly may it be said that " no reason or shadow of reason" can be j^iven why the people of this country " should not be allowed to worship Qod In their own Churches after the manner and customs of theiir fore- fethers." It is indeed as incomprehensible as it is unwise that the peace of the Church here should now be disturbed on points which even the Bi« nhops of London and Exeter have bee^n compelled to yield. The index at the end of this volume will afford facility of reference. The annexed list contains the names of some of those who have joined the Church of Rome since the Puaey argument commenced in England. ; April, 1846. EXTRACTS. Th6 AftcnitBROP or York in the time of Q«een Elizibeth, writing of the Uteral observance of the Rubrick in succteding timei says :— ** I am no«r, and ever have be«n persuaded that some of these rites and ceremonies are not expedient for this Church nov^ ; but that in the Chureh reformed, and ia all this time of the Gospel, they may better be dinmei by little and little, than mort and mart urged!* Also Bishop Burnet in the preface io his pastoral cart :— *'The raising the power and auihoritv of sacred functions, beyond what is founded on clear warrants in Scripture, is, they think, the readiest wsy to givw the world such a jealousy of them, and such an averaion to them, as mak» them lose the authmriiy they ought to hav«t while they pretend to that they have not. **They dare not imchureh all the bodies of the Protestants beyond sea, nor d'eiiy to our Dissenters at home the federal rights common to all Christians, or leave them to uncovenanted mercy. They do not annul their baptisms, or thitik that they ought to be baptized nflrain in a more regular manner before they can be accounted Christians. Th> , ^now of no power in a priest to pardon sin, other than the declaring the Gospel pardon upon the conditions on which it is offered. They know of no sacrifice in the Eucharist, other than the com- inemorating that on the Cross, with the oblations «f the prayers, praises, and almsgiving prescribed in the office. They are far from condamning private judgment in matters of religion ; this strikes at the root of the whole reforma- tion, which could never have been compassed if privai« men have not a right to judge for themselves ; on the contrary, they think every man is bound to judge fbr himself, which indeed he ought to do, in the fbar of God and with all hu- mility and caution. They look on all these notions as steps towards Poyery, though they do not conclude that all those who have made them designed that by so doing." The Bishop of Woroester in his charge to the Candidates for Or- dination Slst December 1844, says:— ** My dear Young friends,— It has been usual for the Bishop on occasions like the present to address such pastoral advice to the candidates for orders, as he may think best calculated to prepare their minds for the solemn engagements which they are about so soon to undertake, and in performing this important function of his episcopal office to dwell upon the general duties of the clergy, the doctrines which iLey are bound to teach, and the habits of lifb which they should endeavour to form. These are important matters, and, in commou times, such as cannot be too frequently pressed upon your attention ; and in times like the present, it appears to ine that it is incumbent upon the Bishop to be somewhat more particular in his directions to those who are about to embark in troubled waters, and who will need all the assistance Which an experienced pilot can afford them. "The limit! within wliich i must necessarily connno myself on nn occasion like the prestjiit will not admit of my going into the various points which hav« of late heen nmtle tliu matter of so tnuch unpleasant discussion ; but it may he useful lo vou that I should dwell upon one or two with regard to which you may entertain douhts, and on which you will bo compelled lo malce up your mindfl when you take possession of your respective curacies. And first, with regard to the habit whiob y^O oiight to wear wheo instructing your pcopio iroin the pulpit. Thir is a question which I consider so utterly unimportant that 1 have never liitherto thought it worth while to express any opinion on the subject. What however in itself insignificant acquires importance when it is considered as the badge of a party, jand when, on thiei account, it becomes a stumbling block and nn oifence to otherd. On this ground I should be dis* posed to adviso you to coniinne the practice which has so long prevailed of |)reuching in your academical habit, even though by ho doing you deviated il-om the precise liirecltons of the rubrick. For the sake of those, howe?er, whose conscienceH are tender on this |)oint, I have carefully considered tliQ question, and I have satisfied myself, and 1 hope that 1 may satisfy you, that it never has been tlie custom since the Reformation for tlie clergy to preach in their surplicer. The whole argument upon this point turns upon the sermon being a portion of the Communion Service. If, therefore, we can show that the sermon in not n part of that fleivice, there will remain no longer the slightest ground for an innovation which though in itself indifferent, will be euro to aiiock the prejudices and excite the suspicion of your congregations. "Thu .58th canon, which relates to this matter, is thus headed, "Minister! reading Divine Service am! adtniniHiering the sacraments to wear surplices ;'' and it directs that every minister saying the pvhlic prayers, or ministering the sacraments, er other rites of the Church, " shall wpar a decent and comely sur- plice with sleeven, to be provided at the charge of the parislu"— Now, can it lie said that w\wn we aro preiiching a sermon wn are either sitting public prayers t»r adminidterinir a ancrainont ? Thut we are not doing the former is self-evi- <{ent, and I will proceed to show that the sermon, though introduced in the course of the Cunimunion Service, forms :io part of the proper sacramental ser-, vice of the Lord'n crupper. It id worthy of remark, that in the first Prayer. Dook of Edward VI, so little were the ten commnndments, er the sermon con^ »:idered n part of the sacramenial service, that, after this portion of the ser> vice had been concluded, the following rubrick occurred — "Then so many as. sbftll be partakers of the holy communion whall tarry siill in the quire, or in come convenient place nif>h the qarth." ' Did this rubric stand alonn there could he no doubt that the prayer for the Church militant was to be read Ofdy when the sacrament was about to be administered, but another rubric oc- curs inconsistent with the above at the conclusion of the communion service, when we read "That upon Sundays and holidays, if there be no communion, shall be said all that is appointed at the communion until the end of the general prayer for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here on earth." It is dif- ficult to account for these two contrary rubrics, which appear to have l)een in- serted at the same time, that is, at the second revision of the Prayer Hook, in the reign of BMward VI. ; but, as they do exist, it is not extraordinary that their clergy should have felt themselves at liberty to observe which they pleased, and partly on account of the length of the service, so distressing to those who are in advanced years, and partly on account of the awkwardness of being nbligetl again to exchange the gown for the surplice, this prayer became gradually dis- continued. " The only other point to which I think it necessary to call your especial at- tention on the present occasion is. the use of the offertory and the colleeting of the alms from the congregation on every Lord's day. There is no doubt that originally this collection was intended as a substitute for the alms which used to be given at the doors of convents, and as it is still continued in Scotland and the Isle of Man, where no poor rates '^xist, we may reasonably coaclude that it would never have been discontinued in this country if the poor had not been otherwise provided for by a rate levied on all the parishioners. The custom then became almost universal that it. shoult) only be used at the administration of the Lord's Supper. Attempts, however, have of late years been made by some of the Clergy to renew the practice of reading the offeiiory, and making col- lections every Sunday for the purpose of procuring contributions towards th» support of our Church societies; and where this can be done without oflenee to the congregation it is impossible to object to a practice which, while it en- eourages the charitable feelings of the congregation, might if extensively adopted materially aid those most valuable institutions. The consent, however, of the congregation is a material element in the propriety of adopting such a practice ; for we have no right to force upon a congregation without their consent what is not strictly legal ; and I have always been intimately convinced that no collec- tions can be legally made in a Church during the reading of the ofiertory, ez^ cept for the benefit of the- poor residing in the parish, and where the Church is situated, or under the authority of a Queen's letter. The phrase of the poor man's box which occurs in the rubrics can have referenco only to that box which P9td |o N HiMtd in nil ^r Cburahip I* nmU* Um cla^ of At el '«"• Ibr Uif b«m of ih* p«or of timt PffUeMV pwriab. A »«iy OMriaw 4«e); iqn ojl Sir IMihm f9W}fh in lb* niga otQwn I, bM bnn I^Mly pubUaMi wWfb Mil tbi» pwM«ir it rtM, tor i| li ibartin diftiMtljr •taiMl m tb« law ti tbal tim*, Uful U doM mit appMr ibfit any sdwrfe dfcUion bat bMO tiBM mad* Mi Mtart 11,) that no con«ouopf can U )ef|lly in«d« lo CbMnbM during Um rtpdiof o^ ibf oArtory, mcmi for ifho poor of ib« iwriali, but by tbo Imvo and pfrinbf#oA of tbo Crown. If, tbortlbro, you ^binl^ Bi to raatoro th# um of tbo dfitrtor/ in •ny of ibo Ciiurthoa wboro you may W appointed to parrt. yw will oaar to mind tbat «il tbo ntQi«py ao collaatad can only bo lagally applifd to tbo roii*r of tbo poor of tbo pfriah. **! bovo tbuo ototod my opinion ppon aonio of tboM poi^ta wbiob hovo baan tba moat fruitful aanaao of diacantipn botwaon tbo olargy and tha laity { 9x4 in oopieluaion I will onl]r rafar you to ono of tba quaationo which you w(l| bo called upon to anawar to-morrow. You will be aakad, ** Will you maintain and aat forward, at niuch aa liath in yon, quietnoaa, peace, and love among all pbrio- tian people, and eapacially inplPng them that are or aball Ita eommiited to your charger To ibia quaatipn yoii will bf requbod aotcnmly to raply, **l will do ao, the Lord iioing ray helper.** V* aaaured that your uaafblnaaa in your par- iahoa will very much dapand upon your ftil^iUng the pladg* wbiob yon Will tbua give ; and if you will go forth to youf raapeetive curea anxioua to fblfil your aaered dutiea in the apirit of iieaoa— not partinaciouf about triflaa, even if tbo law bo on your aide, and atill leaa ao if tbia be doubtful, aniioua only to win aoula to Cbriat— and with tbia view endeavouring to conciliate the afleotiona of your people, while you ppint out to them the way of everlaating life, the Lord will " be your helper,** ti» will blaff your miniatcrial labpura witb auccaaa, and may you hereafter ho enab)ad tp appear bafora b'a jodgment aaa>i fiad aigf, with well grounded confidance, *Qf thoao whom thou Mat given ma havf 1 toatnove.'** i Alao in hia Charge in 1845— " My Revarand Brethren— It haa ala^aya atvuck i^a that tha beat nao to which we can apply auoh occaaiona aa tha preaani, when the Biahop baa ^h* opportu- nity of addreaaing the whole of the Clergy, M> for him to di^ell on auch event* acting the intoreaia of tba Church aa may ba^a occiMTcd aince the laat viaita- tij^ or on Mich opiniona ^» loay have become prevalent cclcula^. to bavp n prejudicial etfect on the intareata of tba Church. In reviewing tb* poiiita whioh, on tbia principle, | aball think it v^y d"^ to bring before yoii, tbe firat which preaenta itaelf aa the moot important, not only on account of ita af&ota« but alpo witb regard to the apecioua grounds qn which it i^sta, ie an uppue rf* gard fi>r antiquity — an e^emive respect for piroitiya prapticea ; and which bi|ai ahown itaelf not opiy in the reatoration of obsolete fprma and ceremony bui even in tba ajmbitpcituff «9d omaman'a of our Cburches. a*,. • #, -• a a <* But not only were the writinga of theae fttbara dangeroua on aeconnt of their too ready obaervanee of such ceramooiala,— the worahip of aainta, the adoratioa of relioa, the doctrines of the MiUeoinm and of Purgatory, were all to he traced to these early writers ; and although the worahip of tbo Virgin, Tranaubatanti- ation, the abuses of the confiMsioBal, and the supremacy of the Pope, were er- rors of later imroduotion, atill even these might plead the autb(Nrity of coasido- raUe antiquity. Besides, if we loolc to antiquilv as our guide, it became a o'lea- lion which of tbe fathera we ehopld adopt, for they continually contradieted eeoh other. Should wo believe, with Justin Martyr and Iraneua, tbat tbe dead in Ohrktt shouM reign witb him Iwdily at Jeruaalem, or with othera who treated auch ideaa as the dreams of children f Should we, with the Greek fathers, believe that ilie procession of the Holy Spirit was only from tbe Father, or, with the Latins, fSrom the Father and Son ? In short, be who trusted to antiquity wonid find so much diversity of opinion among the fathera of the Church that he would so be tossed abom upon these troubled watars as to searoli in vain for an anchor fbr bis spti in patriatic theology. Were then the writing* and tra- ditions of antiquity to lie repudiated aa woraa than useless, and calculated to It ■t I- ir MB Ml a- ir- e- »•- •d ad •(I m, ith **y bat iPat ra- tty niwlaad mh«r than to enlightan Chriilian»^ fij no meani. Not only werfl tiMjr moat valuable for ihe Miiiimeata of pi .y and davoiion which breathed throughout ihem, but bacauaa unto them wera caminiiied the oiaclea of God. To them we wera indebted for thoae (Veqnent auoieiiona fVom Scripture which not only atteeted their existence in the earliest times of the Church, but proved that they had alwava been uonsidMred aa the worlis of inspired writers. From these aouroes bad Lardner and Paley drawn their evidences, and collated the tiiost iiieoiitrovertable facta and siaiements in proof of the authenticity of ibe Imoks of Holy Writ ; aod deeply were we indebted to antiquity for the very feuiidationa of our fsiih. Hut beyond this we were in danger ot falling on the exireniea of Popery if we looked to settle our opinions froni antiquity. — The Bible, and the Bible alone, was the religion of Protestanta. Not that we were to rejeet any assistance to be derived f^m ihe early recorda of the 'Church ; but rroteatants should receive no article of faith that waa not found in or could heVc'^ved fVem Scripture. Ynt though not admittiug the plausible theory of iintiquity ia favour of thinga not sanoiioned by Scripture, wn might yet apiieal to it in refutation of many of the errore of the Roman Catholic Church. Tiina, while it was no argument in favour of the Millennium, that it waa a notion en- tertained by Justin Martyr (since we did not believe him to have been inepired, and therefore tb:it he waa liable to draw erroneoua tlieoriea from Scripture,) it neverthelesa waa a doctrine against traniubstantiation, that we found no trace of it for the first six eenturiee, nor of the adoration of the Virgin till the aixth century. It waa credible that the first writers should have rommitteil errors, but it waa not crediMe that iransubstantiation and the udorntion should have been transmitted from the Apostles if we found no trace of them for eix ren liiries after Christ In this negative sense the true value of antiauity conaisted. The queatien waa, what could be proved from the Bible, and what could not f *' There waa another evil arising from an exueasive regard for antiquity ; true, it was a matter of very inferior importance compared with error of doctrine, but in many eases it hud produced evil results to the Church. He alluded to the pedantry, (if. he might use the term) of introducing ornaments and forma aupposed to have Iteen used in the ancient Church ; thus, a stone instead of a womien communion-tal;le, a lectern for a reading-desk, sedilin in Churches in which it was not likely that more than one Clergyman would officiate nt tlie anme time, a rood-screen, and credenre-tubles, with candlesticks on the com- munion-table never intended to be lighted, and the wallH covered with acrip- turnl sentences in old English text that could never be read. Other things were tww heard of besides, aa being essential to the true ecclesiastical struc- tnre. Now he objected to the revival of these practices long set aside, not on account alone of the expense which they incurred (though he thought that at least should lie a consideration with thoae who had the disposal of others' mo- ney), but he thought them abstractedly reprehensible, as having a tendency to convey false notions unnuited for the purpose for which a Protealant assembly met together. They did not come together, like the Roman Catholics, to gaze with awe and superstition ; they looked for no processions oi stoled priests, nor to fall down and worship the aaeramental emhiems. But Protestants assembled humbly to confess that they liad left undone those things which they ought to hnve done, that they had done those thingn which they ought not to have done>« •md to pray that God would spare those who confessed their sins — to offer up jirayera and thankegivinga for blessings conferred, and to ask for the gift of Hie Holy Spirit through the sacrament. These were the spiritual exerrf'-es fot which Protestants assembled in the house of God, it might be doubled, 'ikcrTore, whe- ther there was any propriety in restoring ecclesiastical ornomentB ai .'< .ime when his Lordship said it with emphasis) vital religion was almost lost amid these formalities. And here he wished to be allowed to say a word in favour of one of the internal arrangements of our Churches which had lately been made the aubject of much vituperation and ridicule t he alluded to that mode in the dis- tribution of the seats by which each family, as it were, was allowed to form a fa- mily congregation in the midst of the general congregation. Such an arrange- ment, was not necessary in Ronqaii Catholic Churches, where the people assem- bled not to pray but to gaze, where the services were conducted in an unknown tongue, and the offices of religion were confined to the priest ; hut in Protestant . 3 ,C""^ Churches he thought it rontributed much to piety at home, and tc mai lamity religion which might be eoiiBidered the peculiar cbaracteriatio of this nation. What father of a family who had been in the i.abit of humblini himielf before God in the privacy of his pew, surrounded by hit!* wife and children, would wi* lingly resign the feelings naturally resuiiing firom «ueh worship out of s :-i>gard for t\M supposed practice of antiquity ? While hiti Lordship viould thus raise his voice in favour of that arrangement which protected from the public gaze the devotions of a pious family, he was not insensible %t the rame time to the abuses of the system, and that in many cases pews hb«i been constructed of much larger than necessary dimensions, whereby sufficient accommodation had nor been left for other parishioners. Let all such abuses be corrected by the competent authorities, but, do not let us denounce a practice simply be- cause we cannot find for it a dato earlier than Henry VIII. That it did nut ori- ginate with the Puritans may be proved front Bacon, who, when speakinff of Sir Thomas Mure, the then I^rd Chancellor, said, ' He did use to sit at inasa in the chauncel, and his ladye in the pew.' *' * , * « ' # # # '*His Lordship next observed it wouki be trespassing too long on their time were be to go through the detailed occurrences of the past three year."*. — WhAi he had lust addressed the clergy, he had deprecated cer- tain innovations as calculated to produce evil by alarming their parishion- ers, and by substituting a minute observance of forms and ceremonies for the vital spirit of true religion ; and he could appeal to the experience of the last three years in confirmation of the views and sentiments he had expressed ou the fo mer occasion. In those few places of the dio- cese where the experimeVit of introducing novelties had been tried, it was followed by disunion and distrust, the churches were made empty, and the meeting houses had become filled. Fortified by this experiment be would venture to repeat the caution he had before given, not to persist in the introduction of such things, when they were found to be opposed to the prejudices and the feelings of the people.— Was it seemly that the Clergy should lose their influence, and risic the salvation ef souls, through trivial disputes as to whether one habit or another should be worn ? The attempt to approximate Protestant forms to those of Rome was not new, but such attempts had always hitherto been successfully resisted. His Lordship then went on to a description of the character of Archbi- shop Laud, as given by Burnett, and said that one might almost fancy that description was intended to suit a divine of more modern days. That dignitary was thus described : — ''He was a learned, a sincere, and zealous man, regular in his own life, and humble in his private deportment, but was a hot, indiscreet man, eagerly pursuing some matters that were either very inconsiderable or (nisehievous, such as setting the comimuiion-table by the east walls of Churches, Itowing to it, a;id calling it the altar, the suppressing the ' Wal- loons' privileges, the breaking of lectures,, the encouraging of sports on th« Lord's day, with some other things that were of no value." So in the reign of Queen Anne, in 1712, we were told by a writer of that day — "There appeared at this time an inclination in many of the Clergy to a nearer approach towards the Church of Rome. Hicks, an ill-tempered man, who was now at the head of the Jacobite party, had in several boobs promoted a notion that there was a proper sacrifice made in the Eucharist, and had on many occasions studied to lesjen our aversion to Popery. The supremacy of the rrown in evnjesiastical matters, and the method in which the Kefuriuation was carried, were openly condemned. One Brett had preoched a sermon in several of the pulpits of London, which he aflerwarUa printed, in which he pressed the necessity of priestly absolution in a strai!i beyond what was pretended to even in the Church of Rome. He said no repentance could serve without it, and affirmed that the priest was vested with the same power of pardoning that our Saviour himself had. « • « * Another conceit was. taken up of the inralidiiy of lay baptism, on whicb Mveral book*, hive been written ; nor was the diepute a trifling one, erne* by thii notion the teecbers among the Disnenten, itu&iag for laymen, thia went to the re-baptising them and their coiigregationB." * ger to the truth of God amongst us, and to our cnmnton Church. Let us beware, my reverend brethren, how we stir it up. Evil as it . is in itself, and springing, in some instances at least, from unworthy motives, it is in others based upon the righteous resolution nf resisting the return to ancient error, the loss of precious spiritual blessing, the darkening of the light of Christ, to set up in its stead the earthly area of priestcraft and superstition ; and if this be its source, it is plain that it can lie tiiet successfully, not by violence and angry blame, not by an obstinate ad- herence to things in themselves uttecly immaterial, but which are now most unhappily identified with real evils; but only by love and gentle- ness, by the union of undoubted faithfulness to Christ's pure word and doctrine, with a yielding gentleness towards opposers in all lesser matters. For these, my reverend brethren, I firmly believe it is not yet too late. They may, under God'd bieaaing, stay the rising of those waters which whicb 8 I oihdrwiie would, in tdoir fientllong violence, devnitate dur land. They mny preserve unslmken— tiiey may (where there w unhappily need) give iie back, the confidiiig, trusting love of the religions laity. They may even of God's mercy, knit again in one our brokbn and divided people. And of those who iiave so manifestly helped or caused this dengeroui rtaetim, and who now profesd o|)enly their sympathy with Rome, and not with England, how, my reverend brethren, shall we speak ? Surely they are to be spoken of amongst us *even weeping.' For how few soever out of our whole body may be tempted to this step— artd I believe they will Im found very few — surely in them it implies a fearful working of the spirit of falsehood. The causes which at first severed our Church from Rome, remain altogether unremoved; those perilous corruptions of the highest truths which forced our Reformers to come out from her, as fur their lives, continue siill within her, and disfigure her communion ; and, however, therefore, we may deem of those to whom the truth of Christ lias never otherwise been made known, what can we think of those, v/ho being placed by God's good pf evidence within this branch of His holy Church, go over willingly to the blindneso of those self-chostn errors ? Surely, whatever may be their attainments or their zeal, we imlst think and speak of them as men given over to a great delusion. Nor is it dif- £cult to trace the course of such a temptation, or the fall of such unhappy persons. At first they probably had as clear a view of the evils of thebe pernicious errors as any; but certain othe'* features of the Roman system possessed attraction for them ; and if on liiese their humble minds were left to dwell, what was this, in truth, but dallying with temptation ?— ^ what but tempting God to leave them to the darkness of their own spirits ? And what must he the course of those who thus run into temptation ? Day by day they feel less repugnance to these perversions of God's truths; the mind trill soon begin to love the errors which it wilfully endures ; for, one after another, glosses are discovered, and palliations urged. " My brethren, let us live in this treacbemurs world e 'er ' looking unto Jesus,' heeding no novelties; but. witheyes 6xed on Him and on our work, let us seek to bear the stamp of the crucified ourselves, and in His strength labour to imprint it upon our people. That which, above all,, we should each one dread, is a fold, worldly, trifling ministry — a ministry which is busy in circumstantials, which is idle as to material, which is ibrnial or frivolous, or charitable or busy, provided it Ite not spiritual — a ministry which does not indeed lay hold of the souls of our people, because our own souls are not given up to Him whose name we fear, Only let this be right, and with God's word in our bandaj God's grace in nur heart?, and Christ's sure commission upholding, we, in this English Church, sbai! do great deeds for Him, and of his infinite mercy, ' both save ourselves, and those who hear us.' " In refereiice to a suit instituted by the Rev. R. R* Faulkner, on the subject of a stone altar and credence table erected in the Round Church at Cambridge contrary to his wish, the Lord Bishop of tiLANDAFF writes : — « Deanery, St. Paul's, Dec. 13, 1844. "Rev. Sij,— With great pleasure I send the £5 which I promised, in to- ken of my admirnt'.on of the firmness with which you have resisted a mea-> sure injurious to the purity of our faith as restored by the Reformation, to the maintenance of which we are solemnly pledged. Whatever may be the issne of the suit, the value of your example will not be lost. " I am, Rev. Sir, your faithful and obedient servant, »' Bev. R. .R Faulkner. «E. LLANDAFF." 9 to • The Chancbllus of Chesteb the Rev. H. Kaikes in a charge to the Church Wardens of the Diocese of Cheater in 1844, says : — <* Yon .probably are aware, that in some parishes, cbie6y in the south of England, contests lia b arisen, soinetiines between the ciergy and « * * • "The Church regards you as the official friends, advisers, and supporters of tBe parochial minister ; and though I have likewiM added that tbe part of friendship may sometimes be to remonstrate, to reprove, or even to ac- cuse, if such painful necessity should exist, 1 stil! regarded your interfere- ence in these respects as grounded on the relation of your office to that of the minister himself. But I seem now b<)und to remind you, that in another sense your office implies relation with the people at large; and that it may happen that tbe sense of the laity and «he feelings of tiie laity are to be eollecte... threugh you, as their reprefentativc^. II has been a freat error to suppose that the Clergy alone formed the Church. The CImrcli, may rather say, are ye. The laitif are the Church, and the Clergy are notlung more than the miniaters of the Church ; employed, as their name im- plies, in minii»tering to the wants of the people ; stewards of the mysteriea of Christ; employed under their divine Lord, to tea-h, to reprove, to re- buke, to exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine, but not as lards over his heritage — not as exercising any power or authority of their own, nor as forming a separate communion. The intercourse of the clergy with their^ people, the sympathy which they are bound to have with every nsember of their body— that sympathy which led the Apostle to exclaim *who is weak, and I am not weak ; who is offended, and I burn not,' — that sympathy, which in general acts so happily and so powerfully among us, will in most cases insure such a harmony of feeling as shall prove that tlie parties are identified in sentiment as well as iu interest, and that clergy and people are merely different members of one and the same Irady. **But (he continues) it is impossible to deny that the case may ht altered; and that there may be cm endeavour on the part of the cUr§^ to assume more than Juu been given, cmd to claim for themselves and their office a character and privileges which ihe Reformed Church of England has never re- qoiRED OR asserted. There may be xases where 'they would seem to ex- clude you, that you may affect them ;' where an inclination may he inani- fesied to arrogate for the minister what. used to be claimed bv the priest; and to demand for the Cbiirch of England what she studiously and posi- tively declines. You may hear, for instance, a new tone of preaching froin your pulpit. You may hear of the Church where you had been accustomed to hear of Christ. You may hear privileges or powers asserted as belong- ' ing to our ordinances, which do not seem implied in the language of ihenr services. * # » » « • You may be required to attend fttr the Purpose qf collecting the weeWy tdms of the congregation, while the offertory is being read ; and you may feel that ihe people are surprised or funded by the introduction of these novEtTiEa« and grieved by the tone in wilich they are demanded, as essmtiai to the service of the Church. I suppose these things as possHsle, though I do ftoc think them probable, in this diocese; and / heartily hope thai they never may occur. Bid in the event of their occurring, I must remind you thai' ike laity farm the Church, and that the laity may find ix expedient to make use of you as their representatives, in protesting against ^ny departure from the prineiplae o( the Church, or in resisting any novel and unauthorised introduelions into our forms of public worship. # » • You are never to lose sight of the distinction that there is between the Church of which you are mem- bers, and the ministry that oiliciates within lit. To the Church we do net hesitate to require your allegiance, and likewise the dutiful submission of your private opinion in doctrinal matters; and! we feel that we are justified in requiring this, as due to the authority which the Ch;irch possesses, as being by law established; and likewise to the character which it bears an 10 a pillar and ground of the truth— a character which three centuries of con* troversy have only strengthened and cunfiriued. But thougK we apeak with this sort of conndenre of the Church, we use a very different language when we speak concerning her minwters. Her mininters are but men. Ah men they are fallible, fluctuating in gentiment with the age in which they live, open to error as individuals, and therefore liable to cetuurr; and the authority of what they say must be derived from its conformity with Scrip- ture and with the principles of the Church itself. *'If any fresh doctrines are brought forward in the Church's name — if any new forms are pressed as belongiikg to the Church's constitution, you must consider rhether it is the Church that speaks, or tlie minister that requires,' and suspend your assent till the authority is ascertained. • ♦ • # • » • "There is one other custom, which has been sometimes pressed with more appearance of reason, and with more probable authority ; — I mean that of having a general collection of alms after the sermon, whilo the ofibrtory sentences are being read. 1 believe that such was the original custom of the Church ; but I also believe, that the custom was diseontinued on tufficient grounds; and that it would be inexpediznt to revive it now. 1 ground this opinion on the altered state of the Church, and the altered state of the ])eople. At the time when the liturgy was first drawn up, sermon? were not generally preached ; for the clergy ili-educated, and just brought over firom Romanism, were unfit to preach, and perhaps were not to be trusted. At the same time, the suppression of the monasteries had cut off the re- source which the poor were accustomed to derive from their lavish and in- discriminate bounty; and the laws for the relief of the indigent had not yet beeu passed. It was, therefore, an object of main importance to provide support for the multitude who bad been encouraged to live on the charity of the convents ; and it also seemed desirable that the Reformed Church should continue 'to supply what the old Church had been accustomed to give. On this tsccount the reading of the offertory sentences, and the collection for the poor, mcule as directed in the Rubric, seemed the most natural and . appropriate conclusion to the daily service; and was, we may easily con-' ceive, beneficial at that period, and under the circumstances to which I have alluded. " This state of things, however, soon altered. A legal provision was made for the poor, doubtless because the voluntary collection was found insuffi- cient; and in proportion as the clergy gained knowledge, and the people began to inquire, sermons became a regular and constituent part uf our ser- vice ; and have ever since continued to be such, and to be regarded as such. '*But the change in these respects renders ax adherence to the ori- CRRAi. practice INEXPEDIENT. An intelligent and inquiring population are craving for iostroction in the truths uf God's word, ajid the Legislature has mads jiraritor, and proceeded to the vestry, whence he returned in the same manner, carrying the bread and wine, which he placed upon the table, the congregation all the while standing and regarding with amazement the proceedings. This is said to be in accordance with your Lordship'a directions. Your me- morialists humbly represent to your Lordship that a presentation was made by the Churchwardens to the Venerable and Rev. Chancellor Raikes at his last visitation, embodying a statement of the principal alterations then made in the Church services by the vicar, and would again beg to draw your Lordship's attention more particularly to the following itema: — Tho .wearing of the surplice during the sermon in the morning; the reading of the offertory sentences and the prayer for the Church militant when there is no Communian ; the detaining that part of the congregation in Church when the Communion is administered who do not partake of the holy Com- munion till after the prayer for the Church militant is read, and then dis- missing them without the blessing; the applying the proceeda of the offer- tory to other purposes than alms ftr the poor, namely, to light the Church, and to the assistance of the Schools; the compelling women who come to the Church to kneel at the font ; tlie refusal to take the bodies of Church- people or Dissenters into the Church at their burial if they hbvs not been visited by the vicar ;t ho rigour of the vicar, in first insisting that no spon- sors should stand as godfathers and godmothers to children who were not communicants, and still insisting that they ahall be regular attendants at Church, and at the same lime that he virtually refuses to haptize them him- self, he actively interferes to prevent their being baptized by any other cler- gyman of the Church of England." The Bishop op Nohwich, Nov. 15, 1844, in answer to a letter of one of his Clergy, containing his resignation on the grounds of a conscien- tious objection, to the iitcral acceptation of some parts of the ritual of the Church, writes: — " 1. Because I believe that the objections you entertain to certain parts of our ritual, in their literal acceptation, are not inconsistent with a sincere and hearty attachment to the general doctrines of the Church, and to the form of prayer prescribed by it. "2. Because, considering the number and nature of nwny of the proposi- tions included in our 3!) Articles, the Homilies, and Book of Common Prayer, to which assent is given by subscription, it is impossible that any number of individuals should view such propositions in exactly the some light, and Hubscribe to them in precisely the same sense. Latitude in subscription is, theretbre, absolutely unavoidable. " 3. Because such latitude has been rei'entedly recognized and defended, by the highest authorities in our Church, from the time of tho Reformation tu the present moment, when it is claimed and exercised in its fullest ex< i2 r tent by manv who hold nnd proclaim dpioions much further removed from the spirit ot oiir Protestant Church than are any ohjeetions of yours ; mk well as by many who hare taken the same view as yourself of the points to which your scruples refer. There would, therefore, be a niinifesl injus- tice in allowing you to resign a situation which you have filled long nnd usefully, while others, who on the same grounds would be equally called on to re«ign theirs, continue to retain tliem. "The interpretation you entertain of the points in question has been so far acknowledged and established by general conuent, tliat a latitude to that extent may be fairly and pro|)erly exercised by any who are called upon to subscribe to the 39 Articles and Book of Common Prayer, although there may be others who are anxious to carry out to their full extent those rem- nants of Roman Catholic worship and priestly power which, und: r the pe- culiar circumstances of the times when our Church was gradually severing itself from that of Rome, were qtill retained in our reformed ritual. "Whilst, in , the exercise of that discretion intnisted to every Bishop, which in the present state of the Church cannot be shared with any other adviser or authority, I come to the above conclusions, I at the same time feel strongly with you how fur more satisfactory it would be if steps could be taken to remove difficulties and remedy evils of which many, and I have reason to believe an increasing number of our Clergy justly complain. For it is impossible to shut our eyes to the obvious truth, that " a clearer expla- nation is required of some words and phrases that are rather of doubtful sienification, or otherwise liable to misconstruction," in days like the present when our Church is so fearfully divided against itself, and suffering from dissentions and internal schisms far more dangerous and perplexiug than those with which she is assailed by adversaries without her pale. " In forwarding this expression of my judgement on yeur case, I cannot conclude without further expressing my regret that, in the last of those pub- lications you have from time to time put forth for the sake of a sound and legitimate object, you adopted a title calculated, I think, needlessly to offend and irritate, without henefittiug your cause." In the House of Lords also, His Lordship in reply to the Bishop of Exeter, says: — " My Lorda, as this question refers to one particular diocese, and the Fetition which raised this discussion was from one particular individual only, forbear from entering into the discussion ; but from the general feeling of the country, and particularly from that in my own diocese, 1 may venture to say that there is a determination to adhere to our Protestant faith, and to resist any innovation, or any approach, in reality or even in imagination, to aiiything of a Roman Catholic feeling ; and I rejoice that these petitions have been presented. 1 rejoice that the laity are alive to what is going for- ward, and I trust, from what has taken place in the diocese of Exeter, where 3000 persons at one time come forward, with feelings which animate England throughout. It will be seen that these rubrical forms, will he ut- terly impossible in the present state of society to introduce. The Right Rnv. Prelate has said that we are under a stringent vow to obey the rubric. We, none of us are under such stringent vow ; fur we never can obey all. If we are told of a stringent obligation to obey the rubrics, we must obey all ; who has a right to say, ' that part I will admit, and that part I will dispense with?' We must have the whole rubric, and nothing but the ru- bric. That cannot be, and I shall deeply regret if we revive usages which may grieve tender consciences." The Bishop op Ossory, Ferns and Lriohlin, Sept. 1842, in a charge which will repay by its Christian eloquence, a most careful perusal, says: — "Those who think that in* si^li services the minister is performing nn office for the people, rather than tviUi them, may very consistently disregard .13 such an effect. And indeed those who nppeor to look btick with so.ne tnes* sure of regret at the change made at the Reformation from the Latin ser- vices, may hail it as a step taken towards the recovery of what we have lost, wheri the pravers are delivered, so as not to be heard and undentood bif the people. But he who cordially enters into the character ot our wrvioe, as one in which minister and people are to join together in worship, will he under no temptation by posture, tone, or manner, to offer any impedi- ment in the way of his people's addressing God with him, as they were intended to do, praying with ike apirU, and praying tvilh the underetawting idso. "And in leaving this head, I must express my satisfaction in believing, that there is no need that I should administer any caution to you againut those singularities in dress, and genture, and posture, which one hears of from time to time, as introduced by iiidividuul ministers, — hut apparently with a kind of concert, — into the services of the Church in the sister cnun- tr]^. I am happy to believe, that in these Dioceses tliere is no trace of such mischievous fopperies. If they appeared in ordinary limes,, they might only deserve to be censured as individual frivolities ; exhibitions nt that uneasy vanity, which in common life leads those who are harrassed by a craving for distinction, and who have no better mode of attaining it, to seek it by eccentricities in dress, or equipage, or deportment; only more reprehensible as appearing in God's ministers, and in His house, and in His solemn service. But ours are no ordinary times. We live in times when the design of uhpro- TRSTANTiztNo THE Natcrai. Church hns bcen openly avowed, as the great aim of the most active party in the Church: and when, even in a quarter where the designs of the party are most cautiously spoken of, the Church of Rome is represented, not only as possess^ing much that is Catholic in com- mon with ourselves, but not a little also, of which the Reformation has divested us, and which it is confessed, there is longing to re-appropriate. When such is our position, and when these novelties in externals are brought forward by the_ party who have already done so much, and who publish their de- termination to do whatever more may be necessary, to accomplish what they at last avow to be their great end; and when, finally, these innovations have a manifest tendency to assimulate us in externals widi the Church of Rome — when such is the case, I do not think that any one who does not share in this design and desire to promote it, can consistently imitate any of the prac- tices to which I have referred. And it is, as I said, with unmingled satis- faction, that I 6nd that no disposition has been evinced among us, to commit any of these irregular re-appropriations ; or to adopt any of these devices, Hovel or obsolete, for the decoration or de>decoratioii of sacred edifices, and those who minister in them." The Lord Primate of Ireland, in answer to a complaint made to him, through the Marquis of Downshire, in regard to the conduct of a Clergy* man in the matter of innovation, says :— " It would pain me to think that such zeal was checked, and such cha- rity interrupted by disputes about matters of little moment, and that the wishes and predilections of persons who deserve so much respect, and havo shown such great attachment to the Church of their fathers, wer«i not treated with the utmost possible deference by their ministers. With regard to the introduction* of changes in the manner of performing divine service, by restoring customs or modes of celebration vvhich had long fallen into disuse, the greatest caution and forbearance ought, ir, my opinion, to be observed. The effect of usage in setting aside the obligation of the letter of a law is admitted in the ordinary concerns of life. "A Christian is indeed bound, as the Apostle teaches, to submit him- self to every * ordinance of man,' not only for wrath but 'conscience' sake. Yet there are many 'ordinances' in the statute-book of this realm which through common desire and the allowance of the executive, have become BO utterly obsolete, that no man's ' conscience' impels him to obey them, 3 u •nd no magiclrate'a 'conscieaca' would prompt hrm to e*>foree them. Se- veral «uch ulaiutea, your Lonlibip will ramember, were repealed only laai year. In aacertaining whether any of the atatutei of the land had fallen iuto thia diauetude, and thereby ceaaed to be imperatively hindiLg, a per- aoo would look not to the wording of the atatutea tbemaelvea, which are generally aufficiently clear and preoiae, but to the coroaaon opinion and ciiBiom of the nation. In thia way only can auch a point be aacertained. The lawa which regulate the peculiar ceremeniea belonging to our Na« tional Church, are, in my opinion, no more exempt from the effect of long usage than are the laws of the land. Aad if the rulers ef the Church iiave, for auccessive generations, allowed of that diauae, and do not now command a revival of them, I would hope that the peace of the Church will not be distracted by atteni|>ts to return to ancient cuatoma, where the feelings of the people are repugnant to them. The Archbiabop of Canter- bury, in his admirable provincial letter lately issued, baa juatly observed, respecting the laity, that * in fairness to them we must allow that thia die* like of alterationa in the manner of worahip to which they have been accus- tomed from their infancy — proceeding aa it does from attachment to the ordinances of the Church— ought not to be visited with unkindly cenaure ; and we can hardly be aurprised at any change being regarded with suspi- cion, when so many attempts have been made to introduce innovationa which are really objectionable, and tend, as far aa they go^ to alter the character of our Church.'" I The following notice is instractive : — " WEST TEIGNMOUTH CHURCH, ''Notice is hereby given, that a meeting of the parishioners of West Teignmouth will be held at Veale'a London Hotel, to-morrow, (Tuesday) afternoon, at 2 o'clock, to consider what eteps should be adopted in cont>e- quence of the continued use of the surplice in the pulpit, which yesterday morning induced nearly the whole of the congregation to leave the Church. *'By order of the Churehwardeua." The following are some extracts from a Charge of the Lord Bishop of Montreal, in 1845 :— . "I will first consider with you, the inipossibilHy of receiving without some limitations, exceptions, and qualifications, the prineiple of obedience at this day, to the letter of our rules and rubrics. • » « ♦ » # » '*With reference, then, to the^5f point;— It is often asked in a sort of triumpaapt anticipation of cutting oiF any alternative from the answer — Are we hound to obey the rubrics and directions of the Church, or ore we not ? "Now certainly, as a general prineiple, T would aay, in a religious sense and with reference to matters of ecclesiastichl duty, that if the enquiry be put vir bonia est qtns? he w one Qui conndta pairum, qui legetjura^t servat. But, in the first place, all who assume it as a matter of conscientious obli- gation to observe all the appointmenta and directions of our public formu- laries according to the letter, must be prepared to go the whole length to which their own assumption will carry them. They must make no excep- tions, unless wliere the observance of rule is actuarly impossible. I do, not mean that they are called upon to observe what are styled hlack letter aa distinguished from red letter days; the reason of the retention in our Ca- lendar of the notice of such days, is explained by our liturgical writera as unconnected with any idea of religious observance, — in fact the religious observance of them in the Church of England is forbidden by the same authority which gives legal effect to our Liturgy, and it would be a strange anU sad forgetfulness of our principles that we should spend our devotion upon such matters as the InveiUion of the Cross, or, above all, as the imma- eulale conception of the Virgin Mary, an observance which Iws b«en vio- 15 lently nppoied within llie Church of Rome itself, ami upon whkti Pepee have been mt»eh emharraaaed to pronounce. I do not mean Mii, there* lore ; but 1 mean that, aa in the loAier centemplation of the law of God himself, {/* any man offend in one j»iiU, he ia guitty of all, so, if we establbh it as an axiom of duty that we are aimply, literally, and invariably, with- out regard to precedenta of whatever ataoding, cliange of circuniatances, or tacit aanotion of authority, to follow the original directione of the Church, which atiil atand upon tlie face of her accreilited forms, — we are bound in one point as much as in Another; and, this priaoiple once established, lis a rule of conseience, we violate conscience unless, among other tliingf, we perform the daily aervice morning and evening, either in public or pri* vate, and observe all the vigils and the fasts of the Calendar, aecording to the manner of observance understood by the framera of the injunctioti. Men who conceive this view ef their obligaiions, and fully and strictly act up to them, are cooscientioua and consistent men; but thitf, in most eases would be very difficult, and, doiiig any thing ahert of this, we roust either edmit the pnnciple that the aan'ctions of human authority may, in some minor detaila, become partially obsolete, — or else must confess that we live in a continual violation of conacientious duty. **I do not apftrehend (as I ahall proceed presently to shew,} that, under a right view of the sui^ect, we are phiced in any sucli dilemma. But let nie beseech you, before you commit yourselves to the principles of un- bending adherence, at all hazards ami in all cases to literal rule, at leapt lo consider into what a sea you launch, and upon what tossing elements you will find yourselves emlwrked. If you would trace out tlte thread of Authority fur the guidance of your practice, irrespectively of all received ucage or reference to the Ordinary, you will find at the outset, rubrics conflicting, I do not say with each ether, although inalancea might very easily be pointed uut in which you might be at a loss to conciliate differ- ent rubrics together, but rubrics conflicting with Canons, and Acta of. Par- liament with both, to which Acts of Parliament tiie lords spiritual as well «s temporal have been parties, and the Sovereign power has given its sanc- tion. « ♦ * • « * * "There is one other kind of case, however, which I wish to consider with yeu, — the case in which the strict observance of the letUff aensibly violates the a/ririt of the Liturgy, and rtras counter to the prinoipiee and the system upon which it was framed. Of this it does apfiear ta tuy judgement (as I stated in conversation, — I think five years ago,— when a reference was made to me upon the subject by such of my brethren ia a body, as were at the moment in Montreal,) that the use of the most excellent prayer for the Church Militant,— after we have already used in Ihe same service, either the full morning prayer, or the former part of it followed by the Litany, — afibrds a ilecided example. The combination in one, of Hervices originally distinct, the ainging of the former of which is moat appropriately marked by the prayer of St. ChryHOstom and the precatory benediction of St. Paul, dfaigned (hare aa a farm of diamiaaal, ia manifestly a deviation from ihe intention of those wise master-builders who compiled the Litany of the Church of England — mure than a deviation, it is a shock given to the symmetry and the proportions of their plan by overcharging certain parts — and especially if fully carried out, for they never contempla- ted the renewed enumeration, during the same attendance in the bouse of God, of all the different orders and classes of men who, in their eererai capacities, are made the subjects -of intercesscny prayer. "The sum of the matter, therefore, appears to me to lie this — th^t here we want to add to the ordinary Sunday morning service, the prayer for the Church Militant, upon the ground if obedience to the rubric— But thn Authority which established the rubrics, was that under which the Liturgy At large was framed and by a previous departure, which long-received cus- tom has sanctioned and in which we acquiesce, from the liturgical scheme H II \Mh 16 nr that very auihoriiy, we innde tha um or thii prayer ahn tbt lermon, I will nut wiy iiiipro|ier, biii iil-iiiued, uuU re«)undniik ' • • • # » • • ** One thing, I muit admit, that ilie loss of the offiirtory, at furniahiiig the proper upportuniiy for mailing uiir ordinary weekly collectionn, ia u most Huvere ond aeiiBtble Iom; but, bo tar aa the example afforded in thia place id concerned, 1 confeaii thai, not liieling warranted to nae it without the prayer Ibr tlie Church Militant, 1 liure not yet seen ur.y way for iia ~ introduutioo. *'Jn net, my brethren, although willing, I hope, to admit improvement, and 10 advance, fruin time to time, in the work, 1 liuve been rather wary in tha adoption of change. And I ihink that you will do well, upon a review ut' all wltich 1 have hero brougiit before yuii, to weigh your authority and to Im Bure of your ground, aa well as to take incidental conaequencea into your conitideratioM, liefure you muke any marked or aweeping ulterotiona in your mode of dicgliurging the round of your oiiici&l dutiea, or eatabliali a principle which aeeks tu nrruy the cotucienu of the individual againat tho force of long-prevHiling usage, und, at leuat, the. tacit lanction of the Gov- ernore of the Church. It ia very easy to talk of being bound, no matter who doea or wliu |»«rmil8 other things, to follow it in all pointa whatever, when it ia not impossible, the rules und rubrics of the Church. But I think I have lufficiently shown yuu, in the slight and imperftict aketch which I have taken to-day, that a field here opens itself, full, in many places, of intricacy and doubt, in which, therefore, a man, determined to abide by the )irinciple in question, will either become distressingly bewildered, or else will pick out opinions, or adopt at second-hand dogmatical but possibly unsound and hasty decisions, und, proceeding rather according te the work of a lawyer than in the spirit uf a Clergyman, will challenge thit direction of the inmiodiute authority set over him, decry that custom of his own Die* ceae, or insist peremptorily upon such or such allerationa of the more com- monly adopted practice of the Church, till— perhapa all unconscious of what he is doing, — he helps to engender a spirit of cavil and repugnancy to authority, under the very name of orderly reverence and the sendilance of dutiful submission tu the Church. It cannot, J apprehend, be justly regarded as u proper construction of the obligulione contracted in the ao- lemnitiea of Ordination, or upon admission to a cure in the Church, rea- IMCting our conformity to tli« Liturgy, that we are to seek out all these new interpretations and ait in judgment upon all recognised usages. ' At thia Church and realm bath received the same,' ia a form of expresaion which may be extended in ita application to oil the formal duties of the Clnrgy ; and in pledging themselves to the oliservauce of such a rule, tbey must be understood, according to all reasonable and natural acceptation of the words, to express their acquiescence in the combined sanctions of pub- lic authority, ecclesiostical and civil, in their collective and gradually accu* mulated result,— not including the correction of manifest neglecta and impro- prietiea,-'<-biit including some necessary instances of variation and aduption in the execution of forms, which, to a much greater extent than has actu- ally occurred in the history of the English Liturgy, must be looked for, in thia changeful world, in every auiliorized system of direetion, except the Word itself of the Living God. There is nothing else which is not liable in uart to become obsolete. 1 believe I am correct in saying that an Act of FarJiamem, though unrepealed, may sink into this character and luse its force. And though simple custom cannot, of itself, be u warant for departing from rule, yet such u departure, being the dictate of a new order of things, and having grown into settled custom, and finally, being countenanced and allowed by those who have the proper control of such matters, may carry authority and comninnd our acquiescence. Upon this point 1 cannot forbear from recommending to your most particular attention some observations under the signature of Archidiaconus, which hnve appeared in an. ably conducted paper, at least partially known to the Clergy of this Oiocese, the Jrish Eccksiastical Jovrnal. Nothing else which has ap[>eared 17 upon tho ■nlijeci, so (hr nn my judgment ia crtncerneil and ■• the riin|« of iny inrorniutiuii iiuit readied, cuii bo coniiidereJ equally latiiiaatory and con* cluaivu. • • • • • ' • "It ia by no not via a matter of uncommon occurrence that men beeonM implicated, na it were iu o certain set of opiniona and practicet whieh thvy . lake, ill the uggreKalt, from purties whoao proceedinga they admire, and find tliemaolves, rtittier loo late, embnrraflaed by aome of the tfetaila to which they tliuu stnnd cominitti'd. It ia wiee to proceed witli caution, and to tee our wuy well lieforo ua in following the lead of thoae who are given ter- builder,' declares to be the only 'aure one,' 'Jenus Christ and him Cru- cified,' in all the amplitude of that sublime expreasiou, including its objeetivt veritiea ut the ever adorable Tri-unity of cu-equul persons in the God-head, the incarikution of the Eternal Word;— the merit of his infinite sacrifice, and the penitent sinner's juntification thereia before the tribunal of God, by fiiith only ; and ulsu its subjective truths, in the sanctifying operationa of God the Holy Ghost, upon the understundiog, affections, 4ind life of talleii man. Nur need 1 say that I have added to this substance of the glorious gosuel, a dili- gent inculcation of the great importance of the sacraments, and other means of grace, and of all the decencies and order of our Episcopal Proteatant Church, as settled by Cranmer, Ridley, and Jewell, vindicated by the judi- cious Hooker, and generally received and approved at home by the Archbi- shops, Bishops, and Clergy, ibr a century and a*half, up to 1^. "I have constantly resisted, wakefully and firmly to the utmoat of my power, the arts and chicanery of the apostate and idolatrous Church of Rome propagated by her nuns, and monks, and tutors, and priests, and Jesuits and religious books, and by her schismatical bishops ond Ticar-generals ; for schismatical I account them in the canonical diocese of Calcutta. "I have also ccndeiiined, as is known, from the first, both publicly end privately, the whole system which 1 have ever considered, and which is now allowed to be, a kind of semi-Popery ; and have stood immoveably on the doctrines, policy, and usages of our Church, in their plain and natural import, as prevailiug in England when I left it thirteen years since. « « « * « • ' • ** The general difiiculties of the Bisbop^of Calcutta spring frcn such causes as these: — '* Besides these and simitar general difiiculties, there are others of a mart specijic character. I refer to the imminent dangers threatened by the recent religious movement in our Protestant Church, to which I have already allu- ded. Most evils in England and this amongst the number, are reproduced and in an aggravated form in India. How far it has spread, I can scarcely say : but I am continually appealed to, to check its progress. In our set- tled stations the spirit of the Protestant Inity soon enables me to calm tem- liorary agitations arising from this source— ibr they are thoroughly and most justly offended, and I honour tliem for it; but in our Missions, if the dis- turbances reach them, we have nothing to fall back upon and the eonse- qtiences are alarming in proportion to the ignorance of the converts and the weakness of their faith— souls are fatally endangered. -' " And here I must beg the permission of his Grace to open honestly my mind, ns becomes my sacred oi^ce. I shall givu only my own vieWs; and shall be very far from wishing to commit his Grace or the Society to my Id ■i m«fl ftllibto opinion!. But the rtporu and oxiifgtrtitonB on ilio iiibjtrt of til* MiaiioM around Calcutu bava baan for aonoa yaara rifa and injurioua, from tlia agiiaiad auta of tba |»ublio mind, thai 1 viaw it aa my duty to tho Soeiaty, in raply to their inquiry about thair Miaaiona, and aa oaleulaiad to pranolo tboir truaat iuiaraata, to maica known, without raaanra, tba aourea whooca a eartain claaa of my diffieultiaa apring. Tha Society cannot bo •ware of tba extent of the evil. All I may aay will, however, bo onlv what I have in aubalaoeo aaid for the laat five or aix yaara la my own Diooeaa, •nd will indicate no lendencjr whatever in my mind to alaekan my ardour in the aaerad eauao of the Veoerahle Society, but will on the contrary, be deaignad to aaaiat it in emerging flrom ita partial triala, and riaing up with augmented power for tha aalvatiun of India and the world* " I cannot, then, ronoaal from myaalf the fact, that tha few but cealoua clergy,— I apeak of the Dioceae generally, and not merely of miaaionariea, — wlio have unhappily been imbued with theae aantimenta, have done, and are doing incalculable miachief in their aeveral auheroa. I reapect indivi* diiallv the talanta, learning, activity and amiable character of theae, aa well aa of all my clergy. There are no peraonal diaagreomeota whatever. They periectly know my opiiiiona, aa both publicly and privately ^xpreaaed. No change for the better apjieara to bhve taken place in the roinda of the olergy once poaaeaaed with the extreme viewa, diatorted and un*Pruteatant aa they are of thia ayatem. They have yielded, indeed, aa I believe eonaei* •ocioualy, to my authority, to a certain extent; but the negative fnfluence goea on, and the mighty void thua left I will not attempt to fathom. Amongat other conaequencea of thia, your Miaaions in and around Calcutta have un- quaationably bean iDJu.'ed. A blight — a temporary one only — mara the har- veat. • ••••• **The firat thing I would venture most reapeetfidly to intimate aa appliea* ble to India— and I preaume equally ao to England — ia the importance of K wiae and studious endeavour to heal the irriuiied and alarmecl minda of ibo Cbriatiao community, by promoting a ceasation from controveray, and the reatoration of peace on the footing of aound acriptural truth. There is a general auapieion now afloat— a dread of innovation — a fear, and not an unraaaooable one of I'opvry ; and a dial ike lo cliangea in our old uaagea and forma, aa prevateut in 1833. The Protestant feeling ia rouaed. Hia Grace'a moat mild and aeaaonable Paaloral letter, of January laat, laya an admira- ble foundation for thia attempt. The morbid excitement of the Proteatant mind cau only gradually be calmed. In itaelf, it ia a right and noble feel- ing, and entitled to reapect; and it may be kept from excess, and effectually «al«ned too, by an enlighteaed course of proceedings. Our Societiea have only to atand aloof from the tendenoiea of the extreme movement, aa now ■wa fatally developed, and all will right itaeIC • • » • a a " The languaee of^ (fffieial Reports and doeuments should Harmonize, at much as yassi'Ws mth titu tpirU. Tfaia ia my third remark. Thia ia done already in a great measure by the different aocietiea; but it will be wiae, aa it aeema CO me, to oome back to the firat principlea more and more, in auch a atate ttf eonflict aa the preaent. Charity ahould lead ua to * become all thinga to all jntn.' The complex deaoriptiona of conversions, as 'an admission into Cho Catholic Church' — a 'reception of the teachiiiga of the Church'— a ' right to the privileges of the Church'— the * having communion with the Gathoiic or Anglo-Catholio Church,' are not, 1 humbly suggest, the descrin- liont which we ahould too much dwell on, the terms have been so fearftiliy abuaed. There ran be no objection to auch language, if occaaionally Havdi moat of them oeeur in our Liturgy aud officea— but they should by all iiMBM be intermingled with the direct scriptural descriptions of conversion, aa a 'turning uato God'— tbe 'receiving of Cbriat' — tlie 'being led by the Spirit'— tba *kno«viog the power of Chriat'a reaurrection' — and 'the hav- iM Allowabip with tbe aainta;' in a word, the 'paasing from death unto lite' and 'from tha power of Satan unto God:' otherwise the Church hides (be Somnr, Under the present irritation, I am persuaded that it would be if) our wiidom, at least in India, ihtii lo acf. Tlia htart or ih« tarntM chrit* Uaii ilalithut lu inavt wiili ih« very lauf uage itaelf of St. Paul. • • " # • • • " I cannot avniil thinkiag, flirdier, that it ia important for tb« Soaiety to avail itaelf in India and nt home, of tht prtiint vtry pteuliar $taU a shepherd, whn, iasiead of protecting the fiock, makes commoa cause with the wolves. "I may observe, that, contrary to what at first might be imagined, the most irritating and most dangerous of all disciissiouH, are those which re- late to forms and ceremonies, and external symbols of opinion. Matters of doctrine and abstract speculation, although vitally affecting practice, and decisive of our eternal state, admit of various shades and degrees, and are not always discernable bv the ignorant, and therefore most exciteable por- tion of the community. iBut a gesture, a formulary, an usuge, or a vestment presents something universally obvious and tangible ; something which e/ery eye and ear may daily witness with pleasure or annoyance. Tiiis something, however trivail in itself, becomes, nevertheless, important from the moment that a conventional meaning is attached to it, and it is made the badge of a party; it embodies, in a palpable form, doctrines and principles which, abstract- edly considered, and divested of this appeal to the senses, would provoke com- paratively little jealousy or exasperation. There is nothing, therefore, more earnestly to be deprecated, than the mischief of so conducting the services of the Church, as to make them the indications of party feelin^;,, whether by the ad- dition of ceremonies and observances not authorized by our ritual, nor enjoined by oar Diocesan, or by the omission of pe'rormanccs actually prescribed and generally prevailing. In either of these cases wc may, no doubt, gratify our own individual tastes and predilections; but we impair our usefulness, are liable to give much offence, and inflict grievous injury on the Church. We divide, perhaps, a previously united congregation into adherents or opposers of our favourite peculiarities ; we gain partizans, but lose parishioners. "Our great object, my reverend brethren, in the performance of divine worship, should be, to reconcile, as far as in us lies, the claims of esta- blished usage with the regulations of the Rubric. Of these two authorities we ought not to sacrifice either, and certainly r.ot both, in any instance, to our own tastes, prejudices, or spirit of partizanship. We sacrifice ' both whenever, at our discretion, we depart from established usage without any Rubrical injunction. It is from changes of this kind, that a large propor- tion of our present difficulties and distractions have arisen. As examples of such unauthorized innovation, I may mention the curtailment of our Liturgy and its ofiices by the officiating minister, whenever he dislikes the doctrine conveyed in the passages which he takes upon himself to expunge. I may instance the introduction of an extemporaneous prayer before the sermon, — a practice at open variance with the system of the Church of England, a system essentially liturgical. Such prayers once introduced, might, as we know from history, encroach by degrees upon the Liturgy, and at length be made to supersede it altogether. One rule, therefore, for promoting peace and unity, is not to widen, of our own accord, the unhappy breach between the statute law and the common practice of the Church. "But it is not enough to avoid increasing the evil, we must endeavour to provide a remedy; we must not merely exasperate, but endeavour to heal the wound. And I shall now proceed to Offer n few suggestions by which this vitally important object may, as 1 humbly conceive^ in a great mea- sure be effected ; and the hereditary feelings associated in the minds of our Eeople with public worship, be recouciled with proper dnfereuce for the lubric. \ "1 begin with cases, and there are several, in which the Rubric allows ^e minister his choice between two methods. It must be obvious that, 'u\ Vh cases, he ought to clinosa thctnctliod which is agreeable to established Vge* rather than its opposite. 2\ •*Ag«iiti wh«n»the interpretation of any Rubric is douhirul. e>:her becnuM thawOTdk of it' are in thomaeives obscure^ or because iliey are Miiparently Ooatra(Heted by other RubrioB) the minister will give estt to aseenaiB their meaning, he will allow esrabliahed usage ita pro|>er weight and' valae aa an interpreter. He will not readily auppose a discrepancy between the law and the oustom of the Church ; he will incline to think them in harmony, ratbor than in discord with one another. He will not haatily asaume that all the wise and good meta by whom the Liturgy haa been banded down to usi were pr vtically' miataken with regard to iia requirements. I may illustrate this by observing, that when a question arises aa to the interpretation of those paaeagea in Holy Scripture which liave referenv-te to divine worship, and when it is debated whether the testa bear- ing ilp<>n the subject are more favourable to Liturgical or to extempora- Dioua fievotionr, the historical fact that Liturgies universally prevailed fi-oin the bf.ginning, must have no small influence in determining our interpre- tation of the passages under discussiodk Analogous to thia is the respect due to general usage in our interpretation of the Rubric. We naturally infer, thai' the practices we have received from our forefathers are in agree- ment with, and not' in' opposition' to, the directiona by which they, like ourselves, profetised to be guided. ** I nwy flirther' observcj that even when the minister is, to a great extent, persuaded in his own mind, that establiHbed usage on certain points ia at variance with the Rubric, ho is not bound imfnediatnly to net upon his own' views. He is under no necessity of precipitately introducing |)eculiari- ties, of differing froni his brethren in the administration of Divine Service, and of eor posing himself to the imputation of a sectarian spirit; he is relie- ved by the Prayer Book itself fl-om this very painful responsibility. He is; not its authorizod interpreter; for when Rnl>rlcal controversies arise, or, td> use the very words of the Rubric, 'when things are diversely taken by dii^ ferent parties^' the rule is^ that the parties wtra dilftir, shall * resort always to the Biahop, who by his discretion shall take order for the quieting and appeading of the same.' This rule is most importatit in its application. The incumbent who consults his Diocesan in any difficulties which may press upon him, removes them from himself, and attaches them to the arbi" ter provided for him by law. The Bishop, no doubt, is liound to see that bis 'order be not contrary to anything contained' in the Book of Common Prayer ; but it is to him that the duty belongs of rttconciling, so far as he deems advisable or attainable, the claims of established nsape with the au- thority of the Rubric throughout the Diocese ; as it ia to the Archbishop, when similarly caUed upon, that the more extended duty belongs, of effiect- ing a similar reconcilement throughout the province. "I have yet to add^ that in case the Bishop and Archbishop should fiee fit in any instance, to g;ve no positive direction, and should leave the Cler- gyman to Vie guided by his own diacretion, it would be fair and reasonable fur him to consider, before ad acting changes unacceptable to his parishion- ers, and hurtful to his own uset'ulness, that the legislative functions of the Church have been for generatious in obevance, and that the only way in which she could express her viiV that any form or cerainony should fall into disuse, was by actually disusing it. The general consent of all parties, of the crown and the people, ti:s clergy and the laity, the governors and the governed, where it has been actually, even though not legitimately given, is entitled to great authority, and forms a strong apology for what might other- wise be ceusiirable." The LoED Bishop of Ripen, in answer to an Address lately presented to him by 160 of the Clergy, thus says : — "The !:nm6diate cause of anxiety for u^ all, to which you specially allude, is the lamented departure of several of our brethren w!io haw lately foraa- 4) 22 ken our Communion. It id indeed mttter for much sadoess and sorrow ibat any of its members should have been so deceived as to lend their tal- ents, given them, as I truly believe, for iat other ends, to tup|)ort the cause of ecclefiinstical usurpation, of creature worship, and of religious iniposturer J3ut unhappily their minds being thus overclouded, and their affeotioDS alien- ated from the Church, in whose bosom they were born anew to spiritual life, and nourished by the ample means of grace, therein mercifully afforded to the children of God, and their influence once exerted to seduco oiher». from their allegience to her, it is, indeed, well that tbey have gone out from among us, and can no longer misuse the power committed to them by our Church to her own hurt and hindrance. ** For these fallen brethren we shall never, I trust, cease to pray, in the spirit of compassionate love, that their hearts nuiy be led by the eternal spi- rit of truth to discern the error of their ways, and to return to the fold which ihey have forsaken. "But their unhappy trespass will surely read a lesson of seasonable warn* ing to e^^ch of iia, and reiitind us that we eannot, with impunity, pour con« tempt upon the Church of our baptism, hi which we have grown in grace, and in the saving knowledge of our Ix>rd and Saviour Jesus Christ ; that if we wantonly despise the spiritual privileges we have enjoyed within it^ instead of thankfully and reverently using them, where God has appointed us our place, we may well expect that He will, in Hi* anger, take them: from us; and that, if we will indnlgn a morbid yearning at\er an earthly visible centre of union, while we have the Lord Jesus Christ as our spiritual head, ever living to dispense to us from above the rich blessiugs of his Co- venant of Grace, we may be provoking the Lord of Hosts to punish us, as he did the Israelites of okl, by giving us up to our hearts and lusts, and letting us follow our ewn imaginations. '*The lamented fall of nur brethren will likewise teach us the danger of tampering with practices which qiay seem to us innocent and even edify- ing; but of which history and experience have so forcibly proved to us the peril, and which the Church of England has either expressly reproba- ted or tacitly discountenanced. For my own part 1 confess that 1 feel little temptation to despondency or. discouragement, when I look to the many signal marks of God's providential care vouchsafed to our Church, to Uie truth and purity of the doctrines she teaches, and to tlie many evidences of spiritual life within her, among which I would thankfully acknowledge the assurance given me by such a body as yourselves, of your anxiety to devote yourselves more earnestly than ever to the duties of your saered calling in the Church whose vows are upon you. Let us only hold fast her doctrines of pricnitive authority — let us but carry out, in the spirit of fidelity, her recog- nised teaching; as embodied in that definite expression of Gospel truth set forth in her Liturgy, ArticU ?, and Homilies, remembering that in sub-ordi- nation to the enlightenment of the Spirit of God, w? have accepted ihese as our interpreters of His Holy Word, and we may htimhly believe that we shall be safe ourselves, and likewise, through Grace, save them who hear us."'' The Archbishop OF Canterbury in a Charge delivered in 1841, dis« tinctly says : — •• In the celebration of Divine Service, the introduction of novtlHes is much to l)B deprecated, and even the revival qf usages, which, having grown ob- solete, have the appearance of novelties to the ignorant, may occasion dissa- Msfuction, controversy and dispute." ' From a book oF Sermons published in London, A. D., 1728, under the patronage of the Lord Bishop of Lonpon — the following extracts are taken : — "The ornamenls of tie Altar or Holy Thble, and the vessels to he usfld at the ministration, era such as decency aud the dignily of this christian 22 ow tal^ use uror ien- tual ded her» rom our the ■pi- fold mcrifiee requires.-- Aeoordinji; to the ancient practice of the Church, tfie tnble ia to have a fair white Un*n dolh upon U ; than which uotliing can h» inpre ekaentf aothum freer from exception. " We do not dsck it with gorgeous and gaudy furniture, such as may serve to delight the wandering eyes of liie vulgar, to please them with the , gay pomp, .and turn aside tueur minds from better coutemplutious, mure befitting the place and presence tbey are in, and ihe duty they come thi- ther to perform; neither do we hold images or rentes to be any ways befit- ting that Holy place, (or indeed any part of these sacred buihiinga erected to the honour of God) when they are set up to encourage auperstiiion, and are apt to lead men into idolatry.^* The. present and lately adopted practice of dispensing with the Jair white cloth, which formerly was won't to be laid over the Communion Table, and of exposing to the wandering gaze, gorgeous and gaudy vessels daring the performance of Divine Service, would indeed seem as incon^ sistent with the preceding extract, as it most assuredly is offensive to the feelings of a great majority of the members of the Church, to whom such a course is eirtirely new* — The same Book in treating oS alms and obledions aiso states :— "In this prayer the Priest solemnly offers to God fke devotions of the peo' pit, and humbly Iwgs of him to accept their alms and oblations; — those alms which, whilst the sentences were reading, have been collected for the use of the poor, and are thererore with great propriety ofierei*. ueto God who is pleased with such sacrifice ;— those oblations of bread ard wine, ' which are to be u^ed in this holy sacrament, and ought therefore to, be hum- bly dedicated to God, with a petition for his acceptance of them— that the word oblation refers to the bread and wine appears from hence ; that thin word and the rubric immediately preceding, relating to the placing the bread and wine on the table, where both inserted at the same time, nt the last review in 1661." The following extract from the "Newfoundland Herald" of Dec. 17, 1845, exhibits a warning to all who feel an interest in the reformed Church of England : — "While in London he had^ visited that beautiful and immense pile of buildings, the Centenary Hall. It was a stupendous sight, exceeding all expectation. He had attended a missionary meeting wiihin its walls, and never should he forget the deep feeling that had been excited by the read- ing of a letter from a pious and highly respectable clergyman, residing in the West Indies, and belonging to the Established Church. He (the clergy- man referred to) had stated that his parishioners had recently bnilt a new Church, and that upon his appfication to his Bishop (who was what in England was termed a Puseyite — that is, one who regarded forms and cere- monies as the essence of Religion) to have it conseiMnted, the Bishop refu- sed, unless certain alterations were «fiected in its iiiterniil nrrnngementi'. Tq this suggestion the Pastor and liis congrepntion strongly ohjccteH, and tilings ultimately attained to such a lieiglii, tlint the clergyman with the whole of his people voluntarily placed tliemselvps iiDder the spirittial .lirer- tion of the Wesleyan conference: so that this large, resprctnhlp nnd influen- tial people wore now numbered with the society which he (Mr. B.) had the honour to belong.*' The Parishes of St. Sidwell and St. James, Exeter, at a meeting con- vened by their Wardens, passed the following Resolutions, viz :— - u *' That ihb n:«eting now viavm the tite <•( the Siirpliee in the Pulpit at « iiMtter of deep importance, admitted as it via on all handa, tohe theaign of a party in the Church, whose dootrinea and proeaadinfB, wa are of opi- nion are calculated to undermine and destroy the Proteatant Church aa by law established : that it haaairpaUy csaaad many to deoiine attending Divine Service, the empty atate of our Church ftjHy prove*; end ita continuance will be followed by evils which will be deplored when it will be too kte 10 remedy the miaehief produced, " That this meeting for the reason above stated, earneatly and raepeetfnily request that their ministers will diacontinue the use of the Surplice in the Pulpit, and also that the service of the Church in all ita parta may be con- ducted in the manner it was performed before any of the recent changea were introduced, by which meaus unity and peace may be again restored." : Xbe above are act a tithe of (he reaolutipns which, the conduct of the Bishops of London and Exeter called forth from their excited Dioceses, but they will serve to, show bow these ifinovations were ^r«t met, and sub* seqK^atJy put dotyn. The Bishop ofExktbr who had previously laid hia poiitioe injunctinna upon his Clergy to adopt the Offertory and Surplice; on the 28th Dec, '1844, thus writes in answer to some resolutions from Redmoth : — "On the Surplice, no difficulty remains, I have withdrawn that portion of my order." "On the Offertory, I leave it to i»y Clergy to exercise their own discretion." ■ The Bishop of London, in reference to certain obnoxious forms ititi^o- doced into the services at the Parish Church of fit. Leonards, Shoreditoh, kmbngst other things, says : — "I have recommended the Clergy in many ciises, to discontinue the use of the Surplice in the Pulpit, if they found that it gave offence to their congregations ; ,but I do not think that I have authority to prohibit it." The following extracts from the "London Times" will more fully explain the nature of these obnoxious forms :— "We had really thought that we had almost done with the schism that had spnici^ up in the Church through the perversness of some of the clergy, and what we .cannot help designating, notwithstaitdlng the sound of nsraes, the ignprant wantonness of power in (we rejoice to say, only) two of the BishofW). The proceedings at St. Leojiard's, Shoredltch, have convinced us of qur error A disputation, consisting of the official persons of the parish, the senior -Churchwarden, the vettry clerk, and pther ratepayers, had pre- sented a memorial to the Bishop of London comiplaining of the changes-i- every one knows of what character, certainly approaching to, and in various instances terminating in Popery — which had been introduced into our excel- lent Church service, by Mr. Evans,, the Vicar, we suppose, and his curate, Mr. Daniels. To counteract the effect of this memorial, certain other, we presume, self-delegated persons, and who had not, as they might have done, shown themselves publicly and announced their dissent at the vestry, pre- sented themselves surreptitiously to the Bishop, denying many of the allega- liotis of the official memorial. This, therefore, is a matter of simple truth or falsehood : which party, we ask, the Churchwardens with the vestry clerk, or their self-delegated opponents, are liars ? The latter have asserted to the Bishop, and he, we think, erroneously, has fathered, or adopted, Iheir assertion, that ths ' meuaorialisti ere many of thetn Pitaenters, who can 25 we 'have no juM ground or complaint, nor any -risht to interfere Hi the niaitt^/ 'I'he ntemorialicta challenge the Bishop and hii informera to the proof of this relegation; asserting, on the contrary that *out of riFTT names aub- scrihed to the inemorini, there were not more than sbvsn who were 'not regular attendants at the Pariah Church before the altarationB in the aer- vice.' Who epeaka truth, we repeat, and who falsehood, «mi this vital point? Again, the memorialists assert, what me must call with them 'the appal* liug fact,' that ' out of a population of 100,000, and with seats for 1,SS0 poor, the 'sacred edifice waa nearly deserted.' Their opponents, in reply to this, have only the hardihood to state, that they have counted between 40O and 500, which is virtually acknt)wledging the finct Again, the memorial* ists assert that the assistant-curate, paoiells, crouches and bows to tba Oommuninn-table, as, in truth, we see Popish Priests do to their allara and the Host. Evans, the Viciir, says he has never observed him so doing, and in all these cases the Bishop appears to have adopted the assertions of the self-deputed band in preference to the allegations of the inemoi thy of him. But the truth is, be cannot so appease tbem; he had bet- ter at once, therefore, as he should Ivave dene 'long ago, openly confess and regret his error. Now, as to his ar vcr. " The chanting of the Psalms is to be given up. But what vrretebed creatures are they who attempted to introduce that chanting in Parish Churches; and thus— in violation of the Rubric, whibh enjoins again, and again, and again, that there 'the Psalter shall be read through orice everj month' — thus deprive the congregation of their portion of the sacred aervice ! We are to be listeners only, as the Pepitts are! 'Thb order how the Psalter is appointed to be read !' Where does the Bishop find, in opposi- tion to this valoal-.le injunction, that 'the reading or chanting is left to the choice of the officiating minister ?' ''To vitiate, however, the good to be derived from this return to the usual service, Mr. Evans ' means to introduce a portion of tba new version of the Pitahns after the third collect.' Does he? Then we liope he Will be hooted out of the Church immediately. Whence does he leam tb'ia change? Not from the Rubric certainly; which says, 'in choibs and vuA- CE8 WHSRE THBT siNo'— that is, uot in Parish Churchra, but in Catfaadfala and places where erewhile monks unbappHy chanted to each Other in res- ponsive nrains. Then followed— what ? — a portion of the new verswHi ? No. But the anthem;— that composition which was still allowed in palpal worship ; and in Cathedrals, we believe, it is still practised. "The Bishop says, 'he has not the authority to comnutnd the use of tiie gown in preaching.' An act of convocation has enjoined Mrietly that the surplice be only worn at (irayers and the sacrnmenls. If the Bishop, therefore, have not the authority, the parish and its o^ers bavfe. LeC'tbbm assert it. In No. 5 of his letter, the Bishop says — "With respect to the readmg of the CMfertoi^ eentencep, and the prayer for the Church Militant, 1 consider that, as the Rubrical directions are clear, 1 have no authority to require any Clergyman not to observe them : the ut- most that I can do is to forbear from interfering to enforce such obser- vance in any case where a clergyman may think that he is not bound to it." "Our answer to this is, that both Rubric and practice-traditional, un- broken practice— are clearly against bis Lordship. As there has been a good deal said upon this topic, we shall also bestow a few more wards upoil it. We beg leave to ask the Bishop if he ever uonsecrated a Church, and if he ever read the law upon that ceremony in Bxnut's gniat and Justly celabrat«1 work i If h« hai not done the latter, it is time he eh^iitd. We recommend it to him ; and he will there aee the whole law anu practice of our Church laid down with an authority which he 'darea not diij;>ute, and which it is the duty of all Churchwardens and parishes to enforce: — ' The Sekmon. — The sermon ended, and ali uho do not receive the Holy Communion returned' (to their homes,) 'and the doors shvt, the Bishop proceeds * to the Communion service ; and he and the Clergy linving made their oblations' (aa now iit the Communion service,) 'the Churchwardens collect the offerings of the rest of the congregation *' ' After the commu- nion, and before the final bUising,* in the service of consecration only, inter- vener a short prayer, adapted exclusively to tlint service, and then follows the final blevsing. Can anything Ira clearer ? What do the embpciles mean by their Offertory sentences and Church Militant prayer? There never was a period in which they were not, as above, a part and portion of the communion service; and if there be a sentence in the Prnyer-book-Uubric that seems to favour a contrary opinion, the apparent discordance is easily explained by the fact, that this Rubric in only applicable to cases iq vhicfi there was no sermon or communion, ns on saints' days and festivals'. " We sknll pursue this subject no further to-day ; but shall conclude with an earnest entreaty to all real Churchmen and parochial ofHcers, to resist and positively to obstruct and prevent all and every change even of the least character in their several Churches. Great evils, we nil know, spring from small beginnings; it was from changes similar to these Which we nnd all. true Churchmen deprecate that the errors of the Church of Rome first sprang. Thitherward also tend the proposed alterations. Ridlet and Latimer would have resisted them to * the death.' It is through these rndcet gtttes that the Pope invites us to unite ourselves with him. And the fact now is, we warn our countrymen, that if every Bishop enjoined the chances, and every Parish Priest cordially obeyt \ and practised thpm, our Parian Churches would soon be in the possession of the descendants of that class of men who had them during the Protectorate, and our present parochial Clergy begging their bread in the Protestant regions of Germany." « , « « • * • * "It appears that for three or four years past several young Clergymen, supposed to be imbued with what are termed the Oxford Tractarian doc- trines, and influenced by mistaken, but no doubt conscientious motives, have endeavoufed by degrees to carry out several obsolete orders of the Rubric Thierhapa, to be won- dereiJ at, and ia no uncharitable auggeation. It ia h reinarkubie fact that ainiuat without exception the older clergy — ineo with whom worldly bope ia not ao powerful an ingredient — have diicountenaneed tbeae innovationd as unwiae, becauae ofTenaive to their congregutipna, and calculated to pro- duce discord and achiain in the ChHrch. The couverae of thia propoaition ia equally true, that almost without exception the younger Clerg>y, uneata- bliahed in ""tomed modes of worship, and to place themselves at iasue with their congregationa. At thia jimcture the Bishop issued a paMpral letter, enjoining 'uniformity' in the mode of worship in his Dioceae, , by requiring the older and by far the great majority of the clergy to conform to the customs introduced by the very small minority of young olergytnen, 'failing in nothing.' The Bishop previously to hia iasuing this order coti- aulted the Canons and heads of the Chapter; and Archdeacons Stephens, and Barnes, Canons Bull and Rogers, Chancellor Martin, and the hieada of the Chapter generally, were strongly opposed to thia order. Dr. Bull and Mr. Martin not only resisted it, but entered a written protest agaiatt it. The Bishop thereupon assembled a General Chapter, including a great uum- lier of young Prependaries who have received their preferments frem hie Lordship ; and from his influence over them, the General Chapter concurred in the order. The heads of the Chapter did not disguise their hostility to thia measure, and a letter signed ' A Prebendary' appeared in Woolnur's Ga- zette, which has been generally attributed to the Bishop, accusing Dr. Bull and others of a breaish of faith in divulging the opinion of the Chapter, when summoned as tne Bishop'a^Council ; and also of inconsistency in hav- ing at first admitted the necessity of the order, and afterwards objected to it on the ground uf inexpediency. Dr. Bull haa defended himself againat these charges ia a lon^ correspondenre with the Bishop, in which be de- clares that he assented to the doctrines that 'miformity' was desirable; but that from firat to last he protested againat thia mode of obtaining it^ and t'he im;>oAsibiliiy of its success. Thus at length the cootro'versy arrived at a crisis. The 20 Parishes of Exeter, without exception, have held Ves- try meetings, and passed Resolutions condemning the order of the Bishop, objecting to the innovations, nnd thanking Dr. Bull and ethers for the reaiat- ance made by them to their adoption. In addition to these Parish meetings^ similar meetings hLve been held at Davenport, Plymouth, Southmolton Ti- verton, East Teignrnoiith, Newton Abbot, Torquay, Oakhampton, and several other places ; at all of which resolutiona have been paased, condemning, in strong terms, the chnnsres which have been attempted to be introduced, and many of them advising memorials to the Queen, as the temporal head of the Church, to put a stop to them. The obi<>ctions of the Laity appear to be — first, simply a dislike of change ; secondly, a strong repugnance to what they conceive to be the introduction of Popish ceremonies; thirdly r' a determined feeling of resistance to what they imagine to be an aggresaivo attempt at Priesiiy domination, to which they will not submit; fourthly, n dislike to the Offertory collection, because it is a tax, and because they had rather he the dispensers of their own alms, to the extent that they can- afford, whilst they repel with indignation the charge of being influenced by ' selfishness or worMly-mindedness ;' and lastly a determined objection to the use of the Sm'plioe by the Clergy whilst preaching, because, though an> 'indifferent matter," it is viewed as a party badge, behind which ar« td' bo found all the other objectionable innovations. As instances of these various fpelings. it may be satisfactory to quote Boms' of the resolutions which have been pnsspd at the various meetings: — - Al a Meetiag at Cliitbyden, on the S6ih c-f Decemberi the Churchwir- den in the Chair, one of the Resolutions, amongst several others for car* rying out the above objection, was : — " That this meethg feels certain the time for craminiog new-fangled forma and Ideas in mrtters of religioa down men'H throats, is gone by for ever, nod that its beit thanks are due to those digniiariea of the Cburob who have so strenuou»!y opposed them.** At' Tiverton, on the 26th of December, at a Vestry Meeting, the Charch Warden in the Chair, amongst other Resolutions, the following were passed:-— "That this meeting considers the alleged necessity foi: interference by the Bishop to enforce sii-ict uuifbrmiiy, has arisen fVorn his Lordship in his fbrmer ebargta, hav>;ig countenanced and supported the introduction or revi- val of obsolete and ocgectlonable practices by a Popish party in liie Church, and firem.tbe sanction given to the same party by the license or allowance, of its chief leader, t'> preach in this Diocese, whilst under legal suNpensioii from so doing in the tlniversity of Oxford, of which he was, and is still a member. t **That the changes attempted to be introduced, are opposed to the sense and wants of the country, as evinced by the growing usage and experience' of a very long period; that if changes or modifications are to be made in any part of the Liturgy, or the mode of celebrating Divine service, they should be of a nature to conciliate and bring back to the Establishecl Church some of the large classes of Protestant Dissenters who have fl-om consci- entioua motives left it, and not such changes aa will, if enforced, induce others t(>seperate from it on the same groiindR, and thus further weaken the £8tablishnient in the afibctions of the country." At NewtOB Abbot: Ih^ following Resolution, amongst otliers was agreed to at a Public Meeting on the 34th of December : — ** That' the Bishop of this Diocese having, in answer to a petition address* ed to him by certain Parishes, in. the City of Exeter, and with a full know- ledge of the fearful restilta that must iosue from bis continuing to require obwHeaco tothe ii^unctions of his pastoral letter, stated in kuect, his de» termination: not to regard' the feelings of' the Laity, this meeting resolves at' onee to petition Per Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, as temporal head of tbe Church, end defender of the Protestant faith, that she will be plea- sed in her wisdom to direct such measures as will arrest tbe spirit of innovudon^ now so unhappily prevalent, which deprives the Protestant Church of the support of tbe Laity, and eitdangera not only the principles of Pro- teslaatism, but the stability of the Throne itself." At a Vestry Meeting of the Parishioners of Charles, Plymouth, the Churchwarden in the Chair, held on the 19th of December, it was amongst other thmgs resolved — "That tbie meettog most emphatically declares that, should the Bishop persevere and succeed in bis object, the moHt ready means by which the iPsrisbinners can testify their dislike and determination to resiHt, will be to retire flrom any Church in which the innovations rnay be attempted ; and seek to carry on the Church service- in iinconsecrated buildings until the Biebep sbnll remove the oftensive mandate and restore peace. The parish- ioners also proclaim their firm attachments to the Church, and *heir deter- niinatioa to resist, by every means in their power, the present and every other innovation, whether introduced under the pretence of law, which if /J 29 ir ^vor exittcri, has lieeome obraltin, or under ilid moro question«bl« autiio* lily «t MtttQtatiutiii pttktw vl'a by..: i n ,|jiO(!(t'.. . u: 'M ftlHJil il'iiflw litio'/iil ytJKHitkiH tiJi .. . *n iutini; their oppoetti4Mi to the Ofibrtory eoriectioD, to ^pr«judic«« aolnaha«M, or worldly'fiiiliilednaaa.' ''That this meeting deeply laments the oonaequeacea oC/thoee cfaangaaiot tlie farm qf aarvioe which have bean fov some, qioAtba , ui«t adqpM ''^ this parish ; for whereas^ previous tq sueh cbangea the Iphuloh M«8 found, iiifiu^pieot far the accorainodatiun o^ the i«uiobera who thfupged , jt, 41 ia now almost deserted.'! ,ii «„, v, „,„ , ipv)/r> i»jBt»r^ ihti At a meeting of the Parishioners of East TeiffntnAhth, oil tite 19lh of December, Mr. E. Crojfdon, the Wardep, in t^Cji>9irr«m9i)st ptJierJ^f^t^ft^ liitibns simihr to the foregoing, it vvaS'*-*' !».->>> nun u .iHimi a'> ** ltesolr«d,-r-Tbivt thia meeting prifHasM against thf ,Ufe pfthe SiirpUee In preaching, ua ail innovation upOQ the CMatopi and usage ^m tiiqe imtpej morial in the Parish Church of Gael Toigpraoutlr* an^ jpfttnough pot of vital importance in itself, as udniiited ^ the JLord fiisbo|), ' yet, neverthelessi it may lead the way to the revival of forma and ceren^onies in the. (Dhurcb ser- vices, the tendency of which this meeting looks forward to vvith dread and alarm." Thus widely spread, for the cisusea above stated, n the unhappy division which ekieisj '>:'i ^»i. ruott ioirj^u ^i;iwt.i!ol odJ— ft^iovoiM i.'^ . ■iWt ■ t* rff The Rev. V. P. Vyvyan, of Wilhi^i Recto»y, ha^ pul^lished a letter ij^ *' Woolmer'a Gazette," from wbiqb I eytca^ some i^a^fwges xqit^l^tely embodying the tone and feetivg of the great buik of tnoderato^ na^l», of all parties. Hesays:— ^^ . - , ;) "When alteraiions are made in the, servioea of the S8nctuary« coatrary to the custom of the px^t and present generation, the. revival of them .origi- nates nriany sources of difference ; and a pertinacity iti the Clergy, in oar' rying them ovt in spite of the reinenstrancea.of their. 'floohs mast widen, iiM they hove done already, the. breaches of> the Church, and spread diasjit- israciion everywhere; for although these obsolete additions may be lawful, yet this doee not prove' that they ore expedienV>aitd what in.one^ge might have been done with safety, cannot be done with satety in the lapse of many geaerHtioiia. The judgments already given on isolated cases have placed the Bisiiops and some oi their Clergy in opposition to many zealoust pioue, and conscientious metnbem of their nocks, and have not allayed nay angry feelitigs, but increuaed tlieni tenfold, and prepared the mind for greater alienation firom the Church. . . 1 ■ '- M, Something must be done different from what has been done to. quielithe pnblie mind; no private itidividiml authority, whether it be that of the most respected Bishop, nor any single Clergyman, can effect uniformity n * * * * * Something must be done, and done immediately, to gain' unifor- mity, and such an uniformity in the mode of ministering the ceremonies of Divine vvorBiiip, whii:h would not jar with the accustbmed notioua which 5 30 ih« majority «f Churob raembera litya r«c«ivMl Trom ibair forafathtrff. Hut Ibr I Ilia unifor'niiy to b« occaptabla to tha wliole body of Clargy aiiti |nh»- |>le, it muvt ooiiia from an authority bayond which tharn ia iiu oontroul, , wliich would commaod ilaelf to tba reaaonab,a mind, goo4l aanaa nnd aniigbi- * ened •Goiiacianca uf avary aincal-a lovar of Church and fitaia. **Thera M no lagitimaia aourtea laft ua, t» which wa can with aaftty look for Ilia welfare of tha Church — none which will affbrd ua an havan whara the veM«l uf our holy religion ma^ raat from tha boiateroua ocean of Indi- vidual and eonflictttHT opiniona wnhaat;*-oo aourca, 1 aay, ia laft ua but lo look to tha rairarand baooh of Biahopa aaaamblad for this aspraaa pur> tMaa by Royal authority, ao that thay may laka into aarioua conaidaration tha Mac and moat uaa^aaMa meaoa of raatoring tranquility to tha Church. Gladly, then, ahall wa all<*-y«a, wa ought all to obav their godly admaniiiona» aaoondad, aa thay than wilt ba, by our Sovereign oaraalf. "Thay aan do collactivaly, by Royal authority, what cannot ba aflfartad by u.ty aingia Dioceaan, however he may aeek fur uniformity, by adharanoa to thaatriai lattarofthvRubrie.^ ;< 'il; >:i,i t j>.n'r ■ •' With thia oMotatkrt) 1 inuat olMa 1h» ontlina of the eontrovaray fti' tha pi'aaant, brief}/ atating that, gr«at atf tha fermentation and diviaion appeara to be in Devonahira, in Cornwalt, in th« neighbourhood of Helaton, it ia aiill greater; several ill-judged acta of the Kev. Mr. Blunt^ with rafpird to the burial of Diaaantera, having greatly exaaparated that body (which in Gurl^wnll ia very miBiarouaV againat tbn Chi^rch, whilat the oflfenaive innova- tiona .introduced bv liin; liava created division in tha Church itself, and bbvi< driven many (if ita niambars into tha ranks of Drsaent. **On the oilier hand, it can scarcely; ba aaid e of the Par- ishes of this Province— the following extract from the Pamphlet of the Right Hon. Sir Herbert Jenner, in the case of Mabtin vs. the Rev. Mr. AsooTT, for reftisittg to bury an infant baptized by a Wealeyan Minister ; tried in the Arches Court of Canterbury A. D. 1641— it is thought may not unappi'opriately be introduced, to Mt at rest a question, rife with un* calculable injury to our Church. Mr. Mabtin who prosecuted in this suit was a Methodisit, as were also the pai'ents of the infant. HJB Honor hav- ing, first decided that Mastin, although a l^ethodist had a right to prose* oule and having ably, and at length reviewed all the authoritiea produced on both dides by mctdi eminent Counsel', amongst other things says : — "Tiiis, therefore, is beyond all doubt, that up to' 1712 tha opinion of. the Church of England was, that Iny baptism wa8> valid--<-that it waa not to be re|raAted — and that a persun who had been tiaptized by a layman waa nut a person unlMpiised ; and up to this lime fhere hud been no notion that a j^rson so baptized was not entitled to the ritea of Christian burial. : 4) ■,.,,.#. ♦ .,*;■";, • . • ; * " Now, I say, that at this time it is quite clear that the npiiiion of the Chifrch was, that hiy baptism was vaiiiL I do net aay, nor am 1 called lipnn to say, whether iu my opinion that which was maintained by all the Bishops present at Lambelli in 1712 is well fonnded, or not. Whether liiiptisni ndministered by laymen is abstractedly good and vali«l according to the iiir«ntion ol the Divine founder of the sacrament, nr not, is not th« question tor inv. 'I'iie qtiestioii fui' me to deierinine is, wliat has the Church 31 of Eiiglnni) Mill upon the iuli|«ct i Noihifig can !•» more clear, tram ilt« whol« hMtory of iho Churcbt uoin in very verlv ngti't **f » least. rrom the lime when St. Augustine flourished In the fourth and fifili centurtei*, down to the time of tiM KelbriJistioo, end from tliat time down to the yaar ]71ii, than tliat the beptism of iieteoos who were be|ttis«td according to the pro|ier.form by any juerson oilier ilian a Jawful minister waa enualdereU to be a valid and sumcieni baptism; and if it waa valid and pufllaient i^ ilMt time, it it equally ,va|i4 and suffiaiept "ow; for im> alteratioa wbfievf« lias taken place in the Rubric since that time. Nothing can Iw more clefif than the view whiob the Church of England hae taken upon the subject. " The diflbram authorities, ' froai tiM «iine of TertulHan down to the time of the Reformation, and the aeis' of the Church afterwards, to which moat of these writers refer, neeesaarily. lead to the eoncluaion, that, though lay baptiam itaelf ia irreguhir, the Cbureb of England baealvwys hekl it to be good and valid haptiani and by no meana to be repeated. "Then H MMfa to Me ttpoiti fhc("WhbT« of this ease, that the law of tlie Church ia bevotad all doubt that a chitd baptized by a layman ia validly baptized. Ithaa not been Shown fo my latisfhction that a Wesleyan min- ister is a aehiSiiiatie or h heretic, ^nd thtfrefbre it is unneeeaaary to inquire whether heretical or schisniaticnl baptisms are or are iiot valid. There were many dispuies in the oarly nges of thb Church as to schismatlcal aud heretical baptisms, and there are passagea to be ibtmd in the canon law entering into disiiMssions ai to whether liaptiams, odministered by schisms^ tiCB or heretiCB ought to lie repeated or not. The general opinion, I think, is, that they ought not to be repeated, firovided the proper form >nu obser- ved, for that was considered the essehtinl point in the cases. ''Therefore, in the view which 1 liave taken, to my tpiind at least, it ia clenrj tiiat the iaW calls upon ifie to pronounce that the nrtictea admitted in this cose have bnn |)roved,; that the party promoting the pfllco of the judjj^e lias estabtisheil, that' Mr* Escott, the nimister and incumbent of the Parish of Qedrtey/ being duly informed, and having t^ue notice (if the death of the child, and due tioiice' of the Aineral, and Wmi; also duly 'informed that the child hod lieen baptized by n Dissenting ministier, refirseU t6 per- form (lie office for tho ihtermeiit of the den fore the judicial committe of the Privy Council, where the judgement was fiffirmed with costs. a k, i, w/ -a/. This case being of a class properly belonging to the Diocesan Court, and not within the original, but appellate jiirisdictioh of the Arches Court, was, by letters of request from tlie Chancelloj* of the Diocese oi" Lincoln, Iried in the latter Coart, with the view of having it finally cJetermined as it was, in the Court of ultimate appeal. nn fHw •it- i • 1'. In regard to the much argued docuiini of Ti'adUion, Church aulhorUy 32 and ficriefimtiftit rhmhuttion, th« ' following estrftnt fhint ■ viork of the prcnent Aiiciiuimuop ov Dcdmn, may V« ro*^ ^\^^ adraot^ge :— "' Trndirton' ittd 'Chtirch inier|>'«iaHon' nnt mt^, «0Mrdlffg to tlila*ii)«* tsm, iiitlMrdln«i« to, «iwl dep«nd«nt «m Beyiptiire, rnovh ih th« Mittn ^ity thnt M^nt parftMiTft phiitii i^re dejierirtvnt oft iNw ir«e« ihnt iu|>|ioi-i riwniv. Thd purMMtii Nt Atm cftrrir* to, «nd rotto Ofi thd tro«, ihrhloli it gmdmH* hftttipttiuh wirh i(M <)wn (<>li*|t«, tHI by Httle kmd Httle, it wtufcMi* Md com* Jilietdjr imothei^ H t - , ' .. < .,.tr,., < •' Mlnit«rti«« iioNm iir«ol«§> tt n«v ■*■ yMwi^'' " » ' "ii »>•*■ And it may b« ndded tiint thr iniidioua eiiaracier of ilda ayatam ia atill rurilier iiwraaaoiif if iM'pHhOipIo b« Irfddowa witboit fallow^ ia out, nt nnoe, into /all ttto nwwt rovolttng eotaAquoiMca Miat may foiioar^ Nnd tlait have follaNired, from iia adoptiiin. i>W by Hiia intan» a contraat ia dtawn iMtmiaii tho raoat'«ditra«ngaol, abd • fiir «dro.inod«tal«>ayaiam ofifalaobood iind superatiiion ; and it ia inaiouatad ihai thi« AwonnMa ebittraat ia tba leaiilt of the ono being built on *co>ordinate' and the other on 'aubordi- naie* Tvadition ;< tko real diAeravtv baing only that f^verjr uaor|i«Ni and lanbi- teijry pny/wr, m waunliy txrreittd wiik comfrnmiiim knymty t^ firM, (ill U, htn» Iwan iwqil «auri>lial)«d< Let but th»,frriii0|i^,wbioh ia 0Qern»n8 who are' too ready to separr.te from any religiona community on alight ground*, or even throu^tb mere caprice, to 'Sfnp.up.io themae.lvea teachers, iiavinc Itching eara,' if haa l>een thoit^hi, — or at leaat maintained,— thnt the only way of nffording complete autia- fnc:ion and repoae to the (tcriipuioiia, and of repreaaini^ schivm, ia tn up- hold, undor tlio' title of ' Church principlea,' tho dootrlne tliat no one ia n meiijib^r of Chrtat'a Church, and an heir of the vovenunted Goppel prn- rniiiea, Whb ia tint under 11 'Mitiiatry ordained by Blahopa descended in an iitHkrOkoH ehain ftrem the Apoitlea.* ''Now what is the deirree of ratiafactory assurance thai ia tbua nflforded to the acnjpuious conscieiic<>8 of any members of an Epiacopal Church P If a man eonaider it aa hiphly prttboAe that tho 'pattieutar Minitttr at whos«i handa he reeeives the Mcred OrdiitMncea ia really thus apo#tolically deacend- ed, this la the very iitmo«t point to which he cnn, with any semblance of reamn, attain: nml the more hu reflectn and inquires, the* more rnune for hHsitation he Will find. There is not a Minister in all Christendom who is able to trace up with any appronoh to certainty his own spirituni pedi- gree. The encramental virtue (for such it ih, thnt ia implied,— whether the term he used or not in the princi^jJc I have hnen spenking of) dependent on the imposition of bands, with a due observance of apoatolical bsngea,. I»y n Bifliop, liimMlf duly conMor»t«(l, after Ikavirig been in lik«) mano«r iMipUzed into tlia Cbiiroh, miU ortiaioaU Dtncoii iind Pri«tt,--tbi« anoriiiiutii' tal virtue, it a lingla link of (tie eliain lie fiiuliy, tnuat, oh the above iiriitoi- plee, be utterly nullinud ever after, iu reaiieoi of all liie liiika that bang on tliat one. For if a Biahop baa not Iwen duly coniecrated, or bad mmc lMiei>, |>re*ioM»ly, rightly ordained, hia Ordiuotiona are null ; and mi are tbe miniatrationa of tbomi ordained by bini ; and ibeir Ordinniion of oibera ; (auppoeioR any of tbe |ieraona ordained by bim to attain to tbe £piaeopHl odioe) and to on, without end. Tbe iioiaoooua taint of inA>rinality, it it ODce erupt in undeteeud, will apread the iafeetioo of uuUiy to an inUeft- nate and irremediable extent. " And wbo can undertake to pronounoe tbat durinir tbnt long period uau< ally deaignAte- proaoh to cercointy, that, amidat aJI thia cooftiaion and cprruplioo, every re(|uisite form was, in every instance, atrictly adhered to, by men, many of them openly profane and aecular, unrestrained by publio opinion, through the gross ignorance of tbe population among wbleli Uiey lived ; luid tbat n^ one not duly coneecrated or ordained was admitted to sacred oflicea. -*'Even in latter and more civilized and enlightened times, the proliability of an irregularity, though very greatly diminiahetl, is yet diniiniehed only, and not nbdoluteiy destroyed. Even iu tbe memory of persona liviojg, tberA existed a Biahop concerning whom there waa so much mystery anu uncer- tainty pi'evailing as to when, where, and by wham he had baen ordained, that douhta existed in the mind of mapy persons, wheCher he had ever been ordained at all. I do not say Ibat there waa good ground for the suspicion; but I apeak of the faet, that it did prevail; aud that the circum- stances of the ciufo were such aa to make manifeft.ilie jvoMt^i^^of, aiic^ an irregularity ocouring under such circumstances. ,, M).t»t;,: •iUuu) vihu : "Now, Int any one proeeed on the hypoiheais that there are, suppose, bfl n hundred linka connecting any particular minister with the Apoaiiea, iind let him even sopposo that ;iot above half of thia number paaa through such periods as admit of any possible irr*>gularity ; and then pliichig at tbe low- est estimate the probability of defectiveness in respect of eaeh of the re- maining ittly, taken eeparately, let bim consider what amount of probability will result Irom the muUiphfing of tbe whole together. The ultimate eon- aequrnoe must be, that any one who sincerely believes that hw claim to the beiieflts of the Gospel .Covenant depends on his own Minidter'a iHoim to the supposed sacramental virtue of true Ordination, aud thia again, on per; feet Apostolical Suoression as above described, must be involved, in propwt- tinn as he reads, and inquires, and^ reflects, and reasons on the subject, in the most distressing doubt and perplexity. " It is no wonder, therefore, that the advocates of this theory studioualy disparage reasoning, deprecate all exercise of tbe mind in reflection, decry appeals to evidence, nnd lament that even the power of reading should l)e im[>art«d to the People. It is not without cause that they dread and la- ment 'an Age of too much light,' nnd wish to involve religion in 'a solemn Niul awful gloom. It is not without canine liiat. hnvin^ removed the Cbria- tinn's confidence from n rock, to bnse it on sand, they forbid nil prying cu;- riusity to examine their foundation. 31* "The fallacy, indeed, Ity which, according to the hlmve priacipies, the Cliristiun ie taugdit to reat iiie own personal hopes of ealrvlion on the indi- vidual claiai'as Stewards (t. r. dispensers;) of divine truth to his S6 Peeple, nnd ns MestengerB from Christ, (so fnr as they set forth his true Hnd livflly wcH, and duly ndmiuister his Holy Sacminentfi,') as having b9«n appointed conformahly to his will. But although their title is thus placed ou the secure basis of a clear divine sanction given, once for ail, to ev$ry regu- iarly-appointed Minister of any Christian community constituted on Gospiel ]>rinciple8, insteod of being made to depend on a long chain, the sound- ness of inany of whose links cannot be ascertained, yet this last week is a system more flattering to hutnan weakness; inasmuch as it represents the Priesthood as coinparativaly independent of each particular Church, and de- rives their Cburcirs authority rather from them, than t.heirs from it. And accordingly so strong is the prejudice in the minds of many persons in fa- vour of this sjrstem, that to rest the claims of a Christian Ministry on the bai8 and others against the two mOsk prevailing errors oi these days;— the two kimla of encronchments on tho legitimate rights of a Church'; on the one aide by presumptuous and self-sufficient irregularities, and defiance of lawful authority ; and by the pretensions Of'aupposed 'Antiquity' and * Tradition,' on the other; that they may he enabled, under the divine Messing, to carry into eflert moro and more fully, and to bring to coniplietion 'all the holy desires, s\\ the good counsels, and all the just works' of oUr Reformers,' and of aU other of our predecessors, as many as have endeavoured, in aimplicity and trutbj to conform to the instructions of our divine Master and his Apostles." Thet Lord Bishop of Llandaff in a Charge to his clergy in 1843, ad- mitting that they had exercised a salutary influence in turning the minds at* all, Laity as well as Clergy, to a due consideration of the awful mys« teriee of our redemption, thus speaks of the writers of the Tract : — "There is n class of publications which has attracted almost universal notice, sometimes fer praise, but of late more frequently for censure and admonition, from those whose office in the Church requires them more especially to watch over the purity nif our doctrine, and the due administra- tion of our religiouk ordinances. — To those publications the topics to which I have just adverted naturally lead me. * * 9 » * * « ' ** It was, therefore, with pain and sorrow, that I observed the early indi- cation of that evil, which almost invariably attends the formation of what must, be called a school, or a party, in matters of religion. The points on which they first insist are soon exhausted ; and there is a tendency, uncon- sciously perhaps operating, to provide fresh itiaterials, to multiply the topics of aBimadversion, to exaggerate their importance, tp enlarge the field of ac- tion, to work upon feelings that have once been moved, and to engage them in some new direction ; till at length the older lessons begin to be slighted or forgotten, although still infinately more pregnant with instruction, nnu more momentous than those which have superseded them in gaining the attention of the day. "What, for instance, can more strikingly demonstrate the danger of dweN lihg upon one point, however essential, till it acquires an all-absorbing power ovor the mind, than the case which th^se Writinus acknowledge to have oc- curred within their own sphere. A distinguished member has openly joined the Romish' Cbuirch ; and, though already an ordained and ofiUciating priest, has submitted to be ordained anew, simply on the ground that he could not reconcile the unity of the Church, as answering to its types in the Old Testament, except by admitting the supremacy of the Papal see ; — yet the prodigious enormities of that see, in doctrine, in disciplioe, and in pro- fane practice, are not only denied by his former associates, they ni'e set forth in all their extravagance and atrocity, and are even admitted to be more flagrant now than when our' Church on that account renounced her authority, and practically withdrew from her communion. « « w * * i|> * " It is true, that in these tracts the falsehoods of Popery are occasion- ally held up imdisguised for rejection, and oven for abhorrence. But thi«, so far from being a justification of the tone in which at other times her faults are palliated and her pretennions respected, rather strikes me as car- rying with it a self-condemniitg evidence. If she be guilty to the extent described, it is inexcusable to hold comtnunion with her, or to court her fiiveur. « • * * * * * " The more iVequant performnuce of the daily service, aud esi>eciu!Iy ol' 37 th« celebration of the holy Communion, the most devout end solomn minii* tration, both outwardly and inwardly, of these eaered ofiiues, the frequent explanations to our flock of their true design and meaning— these are du< ties which, according to the nirciimstances of each parish, a consrientious minister will fladiy perform, and gladly increase, as opportunity shell be given and ne«i require; carefully remefnbering the Apostoiic rule, that in the Church all things are to be done unto edt/ytn^f-^that such it the design of these very services— >that the most eXaet observance of the Rubric hns no virtue in itself, and that it may be practised by those who will never im- part a corresponding sense to their congregation, and mity even lie indis- creetly obtruded and magnified, as if, besides decency and 8ol(*n]nity, it possessed a savin^r merit ot' its own. "And this, I tear, will be the eflbct on many minds if obsolete ceremo- nies are revived, especially such as approximate to those of Borne. For where can be the advantage of drawing us nearer than we now are in out- ward observances? when, too, it is universally admitted that Rome will never draw nearer to us? And when we consider how much mankind are influenced by superficial and merely conventional practiceo, wliich ;car to attach value to what is in its own nature indiflerentj inereiy beoattwH ,», Church notoriously corrupt in essentials, retains it, and vets a vuine Mpen it? She has attractions enough already, calculated to enirnp und ^o, itiiitj^fi^ simple and unstable minds. Why should we add to them ? : ., . i "The rule of christian charity inculcated by St. Puul, in, not to u.t(> r,,\f^ liberty so as to hurt another man's conscience. How wenk iiiuiiku'<<<'-'»^-|i> apt to be in minute points connected with religion, the history ot* uli v cnused about matters of ceremony, even among powerful and w«ll-iiitonii«ti minds, during the progress of the Reformation, is almost incnnceival»le ; the matters in dispute being the lawfulness of clerical vestmente, the use of the sign of the cross in Baptism, and of the ring in marriage, and otherei of the like unimportant nature, about which men not only fiercely con- tended, but were even ready to lay down their lives. These examples, how- ever, ore instructive on that very account ; for they teach us to bo tender and scrupulous in regard to the conscience of another, lest what we look upon as insignificant, or a mere ceremony, should he the means of mis- leading the judgment or of disturbing the faith of any member of tlie Church. We ought undoubtedly to make great allowance fur religions prejudices, origiuatin|; in early education and long tise, supported too by high, autjio* rity, provided they do not militate against any essential christian, dbctri^ne^ Whon thev are not positively hurtful, we may leave them to die of them- selves, following the illustrious example set by St. Paul, and at length by all the Apostles, in reference to 'le Mosaic |nw. fiut I cannot think the iiame allowance due to those who have not been trained nhd educated in usages closely allied to the corrupt doctrines we have abjured, and which justly excite an apprehension that, if solemnly authorised^ they may revive the corriiption together with the kindred ceremony. '*The wiidom and charity of our Reformers, in gently weaning the pnblie mind from their false religion, cannot be too highly commended. I know; not whether a more interesting portion of that great historical lesson can be found than the changes made in the Liturgy hetwecti the first and the, last years of King Edward's reign. They illustrate the principle ot whicb 1 am speaking in n remarkable manner. But the chief inference 1 would now draw from the example is, that to invert that order has n tendency^ to undo their work, and to cast a slur upon their holy memory. Mdny ceremenies which they retained would probably be omitted if the work was begun anew iq our own time; &nd certainly the spirit jof their proceeding is opposed to the revival of those which are fnllen into disuse, merely because they once prevailed, unless a positive and edifying advantage cau be shown to arise from'them. "There is, moreover, in the Tracts of which I have been speaking a Torffi 6 (I can call it bj no better name) of indulgence, and even of fondaess, iowarde the Koniisb Church, aa if iomething of affection or reverence were due from us, ne from a child to a parent. The use of the title Holy Mo- ther for the Church, which is an affected phrase, not authorised by Scrip- tui)a or by primitive antiquity, had got such a hold upon the world during the middle ages^ that any act of disoltediunce was regarded ns impious and unnatural. I am concerned to see the phrase again employed, even by those who temler no allegiance to Rome; for it is one of those symptoms which inadvertantly betray a veslige of false opinion, lurking under an apparently amiable sentiment. Let ua pray for Rome, that she may renounce her cor- niptioiis — let us hold out the right had of fellowship to hu members of ber communion who are willing to join us — but let v^ carefully abstain from every appearance of a disposition to think lightly of her sins. "But it is not merely our defective ordinances that some of these wri- ters censure. Even important points of faith are not sufficiently set forth, according to their judgement, in our Liturgy. For instance, it is said thi.t although we recognise the communion of saints, as an article of our creed, yet ' little of it is heard among us.' . This sentiment seems to be a favourite and a growing one. But if we, as compared with the Church of Rome, sat little about it, is there not a cause ? Is it not because we know little about it, except the general trnth? And is it not from a pre- tended knowledge, beyond what was ever revealed ' intruding ^nto those things which man< has not been permitted to see,' that Rome has engen- dered that monstrous brood of superstitions relating to angels and samts, and their intercourse with man, and their tutelary influence which together with the doctrine of Purgatory, and indulgences, and relics, and shrines, has converted the simplicity of the GTospel into a religion much more resem- bling heathen mythology than the doctrines of Scripture ? When we thus see the source oV the error, and its pernicious consequences, and when the flagrant impiety, borrowed from the Roman Senate, is to this day practised called canonisation of deceased* individuals, who are declared to be already in Heaven, and capable of hearing our prayers, and of interceding for us, is it not our duty to be cautious and reserved in our teaching on this point, lest we also fall into the like condemnation. "And yet it is by no means a just complaint, that in our Church this doctrine i's either untaught or little regarded. The Collect for All Saint's Day alone comprises ali. that n Romanist has any warrant from Scripture to say on this subject. In the Communion Service we join in swelling the heavenly chorus of praise and thanksgiving from the ' whole family in hea- ven and earth ;' and in the Burial Service a moat affecting acknowledge- ment 19 made of the same blessed community, with a fervent prayer that We, together with our departed brethren, may form one hap|)y and holy fra- ternity in the kingdom of our Redeemer. . , "There are other eoroplaints of the insufficiency of our religious offices and formularies, scattered through these writings, to which I have, neither time nor inclination now particularly to advert. But I must again declare rhy decided opinion, that these complaints arise more from the indulgence of n morbid feeling in religious mutters— a feeling which, when supported by ability and learning ami a reputation for sanctity, is highly contagious, than from any reasonable cause of dissatisfaction. As far as this frame of mind tends to correct light and careless performance of religious duty, or habitual want of devotion, or superficial acquaintance with the ordinances of our Church — as flir as it pronietes the study of their origin, their import and their sacred use, and to inspire a devout love and reverence for them, it may do much good, and in the instance before us it has done much good. This it is which has called forth the praise and encouragement of many, who now lament the mixture, or rather J may say the predominance of evil, which has lately manifested itself, and which, if unchecked, threat- ens to counteract, and even to corrupt, the. good already done — 'to eat as doth a canker' — confounding the relative importrnce of things, and leading young and susceptil^le minds to turn away with disgust from any sober S9 ttatetnent of Divine truth wliioli dots not harmoniM with thair own viaion* ary ideas and excited feeliuga. ''What the tendency of nil this ia, if the hiatory of the laat age haa. not sufficiently instructed us, the exfierience of the present age too plainly sbows. It haa ever been the policy of Rome to provide thia apecies of .al- lurement, adapted to minda of a devout temperament, as well aa to capti- vate tlie worldly-minded und the vulgar by imposing ceremonies. ..AU tra thus alike tempted by what is to each the most attractive bait. All errors whether of cre to say wiiat is; and if it be reconcileable with that allegiance. to whicit all; her ministers have over and over pledged themselves, then have wa> cleaii- nud our sanctuary in vain. But I entertain good hope that the reality of the danger, evidenced aa it is from day to day by the £ruits of :tlrii) delu- sion, and denounced from authority by those who, far from baitig .prf^udi- ced against the writers, were among their earliest friends and favbureLrs, will work that conviction which reasoning aleue seldom brings to amind wairmed' with fancied discoveries ia religion. "If there were merely a cessation from such discussions, tirpe would be. given for the judgment to regain its empire; tind ihen, even giving tliem' credit for having pointed 'but real defects atiif irregularities in our Church system, yet these, upon a calm and dispassionate <;onsiderstipn, would ep-> pear tu lie but as ' dust in the balance,' when weighed against the evils from which our Reformation delivered us, and from a return to which th^ Articles of our Church are provided as aperpetual secufity. ^ ' '> " If ever the bold figure, by which our Lord chnracteri8e4 the fo)ly plj^)'*! Pharisees, were applicable to disputes among christians, it surely is to these. 'To strain at n gnut' is but a feeble designation of some of fhekstrictureif upon certain allege to ourwlves." -{.. ABOujiiiHor TibLATsoN thu4 wfites upon the power and authority of the ChriHlian Ministry :— *' Upon the miraeufout gift of knowii^ th» atartif of men'a hetarts, it seema to b« very probable, ihat that which ia called the powtr of the ktyt did depend; 1 meaa the power of rumUing and retaining $in9 ; for they who had rhe privilege of knowing men'a hearts, might do this oii certain grounds and weir« tecMtei from m$lake io the exercise of their power upon particular persons* u>AicA the friestt and minister a of the Church nov are tto(, nor can bej because they cannot see into men's hearts whether they be Irw/y peni- tent, tind, qualified for forgiveness, or not^ For 1 cannot ee fort of the truly penitent. For which reason our Church does not require a formal absolution to be given to the dying penitent, unless he himself desit« it ;. which is a certain argument, that in the judgment of our Church the absolution of the priest is not necessary to the torgiveness and salvation of the penitent." Without quarreUing with the Church of Rome or her adherents, mem« bers of the Reiiit.iied Church of England in this Province, may be justly olarmftd ^t any attempt by their own Clergy to diffuse the principles of Tractarianism. The rapid increase of Secession since 1841, clearly shows the tendency of this rubrical movement in England ; and it may be here remarked, that many, tf not all of those Ministers who have lately embraced the B^omish faith, did at first, as indignantly repel the insinur tioo, ihxX their doctrine,- -their practices, their revival of obsolete forms aud display — their new bom veneration for rubrical antiquity and Saint's Dayt tended to Popery, as some of those now do, who are so zealous in the same pause in this Country. The pertinent remarks of the Bishops of Oxford and Llandaff, upon this '* dallying with temptation" cannot be read with too much attention. The Bn7aHnta newspaper of 3tst Feb. 1346 contains the following state* metiti :-r 41 THE TRACTAWAN HARVEST. . Th« "Dublin Evening Poat" says:— "We have obtained the follpwins list from u quarter iu whi'cli we have the most thorough confidence, and we be- lieve that the reader will find it punctually correct:— PERSONS OF NOTE WHO HAVE LATELY EMBRACED 'WIE CATHOLIC FAITH. MINIBTKBS OF THK E8TABI.ISHKD CUV^CU. A. S. 1841 AND 1842. A. D. Wackerbath, B. A. Dec. 2, 184L B. Smith, M. A., Rector of Leadenham, Linoolnshiro. Dec. 15, 1843; A. D. 1848. G. Talbot, M. A., Vicar of Evercreech and Chaiterblade, Sonaershire. Jun« 10. D. Parsons, M. A. July 31. C. Seage, M. A. Oct. 12. A. D. 1844. T. Burton, M. A., Curate of Trinity Church, Brompton. July 13. W. G. Penny, M. A., student of Christ Church, Oxford, perp«tu»l Curate of Dorton and Aahehdon, Bucks. Oct. 18. ▲. o. 184ft. J. C. Smith, M. A. March 27. J. M. Capes, M. A., incumbent of St. John Baptist's Chui-ch, Bridgwater. June 27. O. Montgomery, B. A., Curate of Caytlenopk. county of DMblifh Jmqa 37,. n W. G. Ward, M. A., fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. Sept. 3. * , B. C. Bridges, B. A., Deacon. Sept. 25. A. St. John, M. A., Christ Church College, Oxford. Ok!. S. J. H. Newman, B. D., fellow of Oriel College, Oxibrd. Oct 9. F. S. Bowies, B. A., Deacon. Oct. 9. R. Stanton, B. A., Deacon, Oct 9. J. Walker, M. A. Oct 21. F. R. Neve, M. A. Rector of Poole Keynes, Wilta. . 93; 34 Montreal, .... . , . . 14 Norwich. ... ...... 11 Ossory Ferns & Leighlio, . . . , . • 13 Oxford, ... . . . ... 7 Ripon, . . . . . . . . 31 Worcester, . « ...... 1 OTHKK PEKIOni. Chancellor of Chester, ...... 9 Sir Herbert Jenner, ....... 90 Rev- John Sinclair, ....... 19 Rev. V. F. Vyvyan, . . . . . . .99 ERRATA. Page 7 line 12 for Archbishop read Art^deawn. " 13 " 83 " Natural •♦ National, 21 *' 50 " abeyance « 30 " 34 " pamphlet « " « 36 " Jiscott •• 31 •♦ 45 •• auspened •« 35 " 56 " rutrain " 36 " 18 •• Tract « 35 " 7 « for last week is read losl is. " abeyanet. " judgment. ** Escott. ** suspended, '• relenn. «• Trads.