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not of perpetual obligation upon the whole Church; as for example, the appointment of an order of deaconesses or widows, the anointing of the sick with oil, and some other instances; although if we can prove them to have been used by the apostles, or make it appear highly probable that they were so, they may not lightly be laid aside or changed, even by Churches, and not at all by individual members of a Church. This is the doctrine of our own Church, in the preface to her Book of Common Prayer; and in this respect every one, at least every clergyman, is bound by the laws of his own Church. What they enjoin he is to practice; what they forbid he is to abstain from; what they purposely omit he is not to introduce" (p. 51).

And here again we would remark, in addition to what we have already said, that national character is to be observed in the forms and ceremonies, as well as in the institutions, of different countries; and that it is absurd to treat national characteristics as fragments of Catholic truth, and so seek to bring together, in all Churches, all the heterogeneous characteristics of each. Objects of sense, and appeals to the senses, produce a greater effect upon the Italians than upon the English; therefore, everything in the Italian Churches, and their forms of worship, is studiously arranged, so as to produce the most imposing effect; and action, painting, sculpture, and music all combine to impress the senses. But to us the action seems both redundant and theatrical; and the gorgeousness we behold, and the elaborate music we hear, so far from increasing our devotion, is apt to disturb that deep feeling of reverence and communion of the spirit, without the intervention of the senses, which seems to us the highest act of worship, and most becoming us, when in the courts of our God, and His more immediate presence. To the French, again, flowers and gewgaws do not appear the same frivolous things that they appear to us, and we can look at one of their bedizened altars, in France, without any feeling of irreverence, or any tendency to scoff; but let the same thing be brought across the channel, and transplanted into one of our own churches, and it would produce one universal feeling of ridicule in the profane, and of holy indignation in those who are jealous for the glory of God.

The test of Catholicity-the semper, ubique, ab omnibus receptum-applies exactly in such cases as these; because it altogether excludes such local forms and ceremonies as have grown out of national characteristics, and only admits those which all mankind would deem reverent, and which, suiting the character of man in the general or the abstract, belong to Christianity in its most Catholic sense. But what individual can determine this, even for himself? What man is free from personal and

local prejudice? What man can rise into the abstract, and impartially determine this? And if not, even for himself, how much less for the community to which he belongs?

Well is it observed, by the Bishop of Salisbury, that—

"It savours of arrogance, for men to presume to place themselves in a position extraneous to the Church to which they belong, and fixing their critic's chair in the wide regions of Catholicism, from it, boldly and irreverently, to examine, to question, and censure, if they do not finally condemn, that Church to which they owe, and, in general terms, profess to pay, loving obedience and filial respect. Who shall be surprised if teaching, conceived in such a spirit, has, on some minds, a different effect from that which, I am bound to believe, its authors would desire; and that the communion of the Church of England should be quitted for that of Rome by men who have been accustomed to hear whatever imperfections there may be in the one industriously searched out and invidiously magnified, and to have the other presented to them with all its deformities concealed, and with whatever of good there may be in it carefully brought forward and placed in the most attractive light." (p. 18).

These Charges of the rulers of our Church to the clergy of their several dioceses inform us, that

"While the recent excitement was at its height, loud calls were made on the bishops, from many quarters, for their formal and united judgment on the doctrine of the Tracts. Whether the occasion demanded such a judgment from us or not it is a sufficient reason for our not having given it, that we have not legally the power to meet for such a purpose.

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We hope that a Convocation, when such an assembly shall be revived, will have more important matters for deliberation than anonymous Tracts; and we think that the way in which they have been noticed by the several bishops, in their respective dioceses, will be far more beneficial to the Church than a more formal judgment; for the diversity of individual character presents different aspects of truth, and seizes on more various forms of error, and so meets the wants and difficulties of a much larger number in the Church, especially in such an excitable and superficial age.

But we do fervently hope that the expectations, not only of the bishops, but of the whole Church, will not be very long procrastinated, and that as soon as it can be safely done a Convocation may be called to deliberate on the many weighty matters which require united counsel and united action. There never was a time when man seemed to be so strongly and so universally impressed with the necessity of acting in concert to attain any important end. And while other men are confederating for the several objects in

which they feel a common concern, surely the Church should be allowed the same advantage for objects common to all men, and not of temporary, but eternal interest.

These Charges also refer to many points of arrangement and detail, which evince the care and attention of the rulers of the Church for the good order and advancement of those committed to their oversight. On these points we have nothing to remark, save on that of doing away with pews in all churches, which is pressed in some of the charges, and has been still more strongly insisted on in other quarters. Considered merely as an abstract question, there can be no doubt that pews should rather be abolished than retained; and especially if the abuses of selling them, and hiring them, and paying the ministers of God by such means, be taken into consideration. But the question is from first to last practical, and of its practical bearings we are not quite sure that the bishops, or even the clergy, are the most qualified to form an opinion. The proposed abolition of pews is advocated on the several grounds of giving more room, of having a better appearance, &c.; and also on the higher grounds of the spiritual equality of all men in the house of God, and on the inherent right of the poor to a place in the parish church. But there are still higher grounds than these, since it is for the worship of God that we meet there; and the real question is, whether worship is more promoted by their retention or by their abolition. True worship cannot go on in a crowd, or where there is disorder and interruption of any kind; and if the abolition of pews should be followed by scrambling for places as at public meetings, or by the whisperings and shufflings of most foreign churches, more reverent worshippers would be excluded than would be accommodated by the change. The practical advantage of pews is, that each individual knows his place, and his place is known also by his pastor, and we are quite sure that this has no slight influence, both as to regular attendance and habitual piety, and for constant yet unobtrusive oversight; a person absent from his usual place at church expects, as a matter of course, a visit from his pastor. The right asserted for the poor, of having a place in their parish church, is surely a right equally belonging to the rich; and this can only be secured to all, by each having an appropriated, or a conventional place. If things were as they should be in the Church, and nothing but a desire to be in their right place appeared; and if there were reciprocal courtesy and a desire in all to give honour where honour is due, the doctrine of equality might work very well, but we do not think these Christian graces so unquestionably prevalent as to warrant these

experiments in the places where they would seem most needed -in populous neighbourhoods. In country parishes, and among a rural population, where the respect of the labourer to his master happily still subsists, pews might safely be abolished, if it is needed in such cases; but we think it will be found that appropriated seats will, in the great majority of cases, be necessary to discourage wandering from church to church, and to secure any place at all, in many cases, to those who have a right to worship in their parish church. In a well conducted parish church, strangers who were accidentally absent from their own parish church would never find any difficulty of accommodation. And we confess very little sympathy for habitual wanderers, who go to every church as strangers, and are, perhaps, most of all estranged from their own parish church. We conceive that Church Extension will alone meet the real evil, which is meant to be palliated rather than remedied by the proposed abolition of pews.

We cannot find words more appropriate for expressing all we have sought to inculcate throughout this article, than the words of the Bishop of London. "In conclusion, reverend brethren, let us be careful to bear in mind ourselves, and to teach our people, that the outward means and aids of religion are not religion itself, but are so far valuable and useful as they contribute to the great ends of religion, to form Christ within us, to establish the life of God in the soul, and to keep us within the precincts of grace. The more careful we are to observe all the external circumstances of devotion, the more diligently let us cherish in ourselves, and strive to promote in others, those spiritual affections which they are intended to excite and strengthen. And while we contend earnestly for the faith as delivered to the saints, and for all the ordinances of God, let us not forget the more excellent way; but put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness, and pray earnestly, and strive as well as pray, that all hatred and prejudice may be taken away from us, and whatsoever doth hinder us from godly union and concord; that as there is but one body, and one spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all; so we may henceforth be all of one heart and one spirit, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify God through Jesus Christ our Lord."-Bishop of London's Charge; conclusion.

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VOL. XIII.-N

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ART. X.-A Letter to Lord John Russell, on the Cause of the Distress of the Manufacturing Classes of England. By Civis. London: Effingham Wilson. 1842.

2. Our Representative System, its Tendency and Effects. London: Effingham Wilson. 1842.

3. Distress in Manchester. By JOSEPH ADSHEAD. London: Henry Hooper. 1842.

4. The Government Currency Pamphlets. London: Peirce. 5. Letter on Emigration and Colonization. By JOHN CRAWFORD, Esq. Glasgow: Murray. 1842.

6. Proposals to Abolish all Poor Laws, except for the Old and Infirm. By R. S. MORRISON, Esq. London: Sherwood.

WE have just passed over three eventful months; and another year has closed, with its hopes, its sorrows, its anticipations, and its realities. We have neither time nor space to recapitulate the events of that year; but the months of October, November, and December must not escape our notice. We scarcely know where to begin our resumé, for whether we look at home or abroad, in our relation to the peoples and the governments of other countries, or simply with regard to our domestic events and their bearings upon the population of Great Britain and her colonies, we find much which the historian will record, which the moralist will dwell upon, and much at which the Christian will rejoice and be thankful.

It is true that a great deal of individual as well as general and class misery exists amongst the working classes; that our unionhouses are still more than filled with wretched and unemployed artisans; that our manufacturers yet complain of the impossibility of finding markets enough abroad to take up the produce of their varied industry; that the agriculturists are either dreading the results of the new tariff, or apprehending further concessions to the commercial and manufacturing interests; that the farmers are still wondering how they shall be able to "make both ends meet," and the graziers how they shall fatten lean stock on terms which will pay them for their trouble, and for the rent and taxes they have to support; that the "Anti-Corn Law League" yet vows vengeance against the proprietors of the soil, and threatens to involve the gentry in one common ruin; that a portion of the landed proprietors, alarmed by their threats, and fearful of further hostilities, have made (in their opinion) a

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