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eve of the consecration, as is universally reported and believed, of a second Bishop of the Church of England and Ireland at Jerusalem-I have waited silently in hope that some measure would be taken, which might meet the objections, most distressing to me to entertain, against an act bearing on it the high and venerable sanctionof your Grace's name. I am

But, in the actual state of the matter, I have no alternative. bound by that duty, which your Grace would be the last to wish me to disregard, with all humility and deference, to remonstrate against a proceeding, which I am unable to reconcile with the fundamental laws on which the discipline of our Church is built, for the reasons which follow :

I. Because, while I fully recognize the duty of our Church to endeavour by way of mission, to aid in the conversion of the Jews to the Christian faith, and while I dispute not the wisdom of conducting such a mission by a Bishop, especially consecrated for that service, or of fixing his residence at Jerusalem, with the consent of the Bishop of whose diocese it is part, I yet cannot perceive the lawfulness of consecrating him to be Bishop in the Church of England and Ireland, and in the province of Canterbury, without his coming under all the obligations of our own Episcopate, so that he be himself subjected to all of our Canons which are capable of being observed by him, and, at the same time, bound to enforce the observance of them upon all within his jurisdiction.

II. Because the Archbishop of Canterbury, or the Archbishop of York being empowered to consecrate a subject of any foreign kingdom, or stated to be a Bishop in a foreign country, without requiring him to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, or the oath of obedience to the Archbishop,-required to be taken by every one who is consecrated to be a Bishop in the Church of England, a subject of a foreign state might be consecrated in order to his being a Bishop at Jerusalem, for the purpose of his conducting such a mission, without its being declared or implied that he was to be a Bishop of the English Church; and so there is no necessity, for the purposes of the mission, that any of those Canons should be disobeyed. To the anomaly, indeed, and, it may be, the unfitness, of such a proceeding, I cannot be insensible, nor would I be understood to recommend it; but it would at least be free from the fearful evil of consigning our discipline to manifest and direct infraction at the hands of the Bishop himself.

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III. Because the "hope" expressed in the "Statement by Authority" of 9th December, 1841, that, under the Divine Blessing, the establishment at Jerusalem of a Bishop of the Church of England and Ireland may lead to an essential unity of discipline, as well as of doctrine between our own Church and what are there called 'the less perfectly constituted of the Protestant Churches of Europe,' does not justify the seeking of that object, however desirable it may be, by any unlawful means, such as abandoning, without due authority, the requirements of our own Canons. This expedient seems, on the contrary, more likely to lower and corrupt our own Church, than to elevate and purify the defective position of others-nay in the present instance, to bring into question the Catholic character of our Church, by exhibiting it at Jerusalem in union with Christian bodies, whose Catho

licity has been specially denied by the Greek Church; and thus, instead of being the means of establishing relations of amity between our own Church and the ancient Churches of the East," it can hardly fail to render that desired result more hopeless than before.

IV. Because particular acts to be done by the Bishop at Jerusalem, as specified in the same " Statement," are in direct violation of the Canons of our Church. He is to require, or to permit, "German clergymen ordained by him, and residing within his jurisdiction, to officiate there in congregations" of German Protestants "according to the forms of their national Liturgy, compiled from the ancient Liturgies, agreeing," it is said, "in all points of doctrine with the Liturgy of the English Church,”—a Liturgy, however, which, if credit may be given to others who have publicly reported of it, cannot but be deemed grievously defective in more than one momentous particular. Especially, it is said to banish the Catholic" from the description of "the Church" in the Apostles' Creed, and from the designation of "The Faith" in the Athanasian. Again, in the highest act of Christian worship, or rather in the exercise of the highest Christian privilege,—the celebration of the Lord's Supper-that German Liturgy seems to exclude the consecration of the elements by CHRIST's minister, doing, after CHRIST's ordinance, as CHRIST Himself did—and instead thereof, invites the people to hear attentively the words of the institution."

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It delivers those elements, not that we, receiving them, may be partakers of our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST's most blessed Body and Blood -not that that Body and that Blood, may preserve our body and soul unto everlasting life-but as a mere memorial, or little more than a memorial, of our LORD's death, and as a means of strengthening our faith;-and it adopts a formula of delivery still more jejune than that which, rejected by our own Church as insufficient nearly three centuries ago, may not now be reproduced, within its borders, by any less authority than a decree of the Church itself.

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V. Because, according to the "Statement published by authority, 9th December, 1841," Germans, intended for the charge of the congregations above described," while they are to be ordained according to the Ritual of the English Church, and to sign the Articles of that Church," nevertheless, in order that they may not be disqualified by the laws of Germany to officiate to German congregations, are to exhibit to the Bishop a certificate of their having subscribed the Confession of Augsburgh."

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For, highly as we all must honour this distinguished monument of the moderation and sobriety of those of the early German Reformers who compiled it, we cannot recognize in it that identity, or even entire consistency, of doctrines with those of our own Church, without which subscription to both is irreconcileable with sincere and honest subscription to either.

Such an expedient, pure and laudable as must have been the motive which dictated it, can hardly fail to encourage that vicious laxity in dealing with men's most solemn engagements to the Church, and in interpreting the terms of its Articles, not after their "true, usual, and literal meaning," but in some "non-natural sense," which has been, of late, the abundant source of afflictions and disgraces to our Church.

VI. Because, in the more recent document, the "Letter to his Majesty the King of Prussia," while this two-fold subscription to inconsistent tests of doctrine is avoided, a proceeding has been substituted (in manifest violation of our Canons) which is open to objections scarcely less cogent.

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Young divines, candidates for the pastoral office in the German Church," as soon as the bishop has satisfied himself of the qualifications of the candidate for the especial duties of his office, of the purity of his faith, and of his desire to receive ordination from the hands of the bishop," are to be ordained by him, on subscribing the three Creeds -the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian.

Thus, our Church, in respect to these its ministers, will be deprived of the one great security, which its law imperatively demands from all, "for the avoiding of diversities of opinions, and for the establishing of consent touching true religion." And this is done in the expressed "hope, that it may lead the way to an essential unity of discipline, as well as of doctrine, between our own Church, and" (what is designated by the Prussian Government as) "the United German National Church of Evangelical Faith."

VII. And, lastly, because this "United German Church," to which the Church of England and Ireland would be thus made to unite itself, is a new, and, until these few years, an unheard of, denomination. Even now, its existence is unknown to us in any ecclesiastical way, being announced merely in royal edicts and state gazettes.

It does not appear to be even a society-much less a "National Church," compacted of the various particular Churches within the territory, or a specified integrant portion of the territory-of the same temporal government, acting together as one-under a Catholic and apostolic hierarchy-professing the one Catholic faith, and subjected to an apostolic discipline. It seems, rather, to be a mere political comprehension of individuals and communities, having no bond of union, except one common reclamation against Rome, and a general adoption of the Christian name.

But even from this (so called) Church-from the people, at least, and the ministers within it-there have appeared no public indications of a wish for union with us-no sense of its being "a less perfectly constituted Church" than our own-no feeling of defect to be supplied— above all, no disposition to purchase communion, or even co-operation with us, by recognizing any new authority, or submitting themselves to any new discipline. Against such a result, essential as it is to the due execution of the measure, the popular voice of Germany is said to be loud and general.

For all these reasons, while I highly honour the Catholic spirit, which, longing after a more intimate and more extended union with other portions of Christendom, has prompted the experiment, I deprecate the repetition of it; and, accordingly, I hereby notify my dissent to the Consecration of a successor to Bishop Alexander, as Bishop of the Church of England and Ireland, at Jerusalem.

Given under my hand this twenty-fifth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and forty-six.

HENRY, BISHOP OF EXETER.

REVIEWS AND NOTICES.

Laneton Parsonage, a Tale for Children, on the practical use of a Portion of the Church Catechism. By the Author of "Amy Herbert." Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D., Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. London: Longman. 1846.

We are always glad to see additional evidence of the attention which is being paid to catechising, as the best method of instruction and (which is of infinitely higher importance) education; and more particularly do we welcome a work like the present, from the pen of the excellent authoress of " Amy Herbert," having as its immediate object the illustration of that time-honoured form of catechetical instruction, which is among the most precious of the heirlooms of our Christian heritage. We need not, at this time of day, enlarge on the infinite advantages of the catechetical mode of instruction: few are now disposed to undervalue them still there is great difficulty in bringing this method to bear on the young generally, and especially on those of the middle classes, and at present, perhaps, there may be no better way of serving the cause of true education than by impressing on the minds of parents the advantage and necessity of catechising their children. "Laneton Parsonage" is really a charming little tale of the trials, the virtues, and the failings of children, and while it may interest and amuse adults it does not fall into the so common error of being too hard for little folk. We are sure that it could hardly fail to produce good effects if it were used in families where the Church Catechism occupied its proper place, and that if it find its way into such as are not so happy, it cannot but excite a desire to give the Catechism a faithful trial-and what can we ask more for it than this? We are sorry to mention one, though it be the only blemish in the book; we allude to some passages (at p. 204) in which the Catechist is made to dwell on the Papal Supremacy, and to condemn it in a very summary manner. Now we must protest against such an uncalled-for intrusion of purely controversial matter into a work like the present. We would submit, with all deference to the Authoress, that this is no practical matter at all, and that if it were, it would be entirely out of place in a "tale for children, " on the "use of a portion of the Church Catechism," in which she would look in vain for one word or hint on the subject of the Papal Supremacy. We wish the more to notice this blemish, because we are sorry to see in the works of so many of our most valued writers a tendency to purchase indemnity from suspicion in certain quarters by a little gratuitous protestation against the "errors of Rome". —a course, we need not say, most ungenerous and reprehensible were it pursued with regard to individuals and mere human societies, but meriting surely a far deeper reprehension when exercised towards a branch of the One Body of CHRIST. Of course we should be loth to attribute such a motive to the writer of Laneton Parsonage, but we must not shut our eyes to so grave an error where it exists, and we shall not shrink from noticing such instances of

unnecessary protests against the Roman or other branches of the Church as come under our notice. We cannot help thinking that in this instance interpolation may have been permitted from deference to the judgment of others, which the discretion and fairness of the authoress would have avoided.

Suggestions offered to the Theological Student under present Difficulties. Five Discourses preached before the University of Oxford. By A. C. TAIT, D.C.L., Head Master of Rugby School, &c.

Murray. 8vo. pp. 189.

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London :

In the preface which is attached to this volume, Dr. Tait informs us what his object is in its publication; namely, to assist in establishing an "intelligible, enlightened, and well-grounded Protestant system;' and the source from which he hopes to derive. such a system, he adds, is "that attractive theology which, coming from the early seat of the Reformation, seems likely, for good or evil, so deeply to affect the highest interests of our Church." Now that Dr. Tait, after having lived some thirty-five years in the world, should begin at length to yearn after some definite system of theology, must of course be subject-matter of congratulation to all who are interested in his welfare: but whether he is likely to succeed in his endeavour appears to us to be very questionable. For if "6 Protestantism" is capable of furnishing a 66 wellgrounded system of theology," it is strange that three hundred years have not been enough for accomplishing it. Protestantism has practically been the creed of the great mass of the Clergy since the Reformation, and it has ever been their object to cultivate friendly relations with the reformed communities of Germany. How has it happened then that we are still in want of a system of theology? Simply because Protestantism is a religion of negatives, and rejects all system. And whether the more recent developments of Lutheranism afford more encouraging prospects for the future, we leave it to the common sense of mankind to determine.

But were the work possible-as we firmly believe it to be impossible -is Dr. Tait the man to do it? His Sermons are mere solemn feebleness. Indeed it will much surprise us if he can succeed in keeping his school together: to found a system of theology, or to render the smallest assistance in such a work, is altogether beyond his power.

After what has been said it will not be expected that we should attempt to analyze Dr. Tait's Sermons; but we must call attention to the one entitled "Variety in Unity." A greater perversion of reasoning we never met with! The fact that God has overruled all the natural diversities of tempers and dispositions in His Saints at different periods of the world, so that all should be comprehended as it were in the one archetype of the Incarnate Son, and that the successive covenants which He has been pleased to make with man, while each possessed its peculiar characteristics, preserved notwithstanding a close resemblance, instead of being referred to as an illustration of His infinite wisdom, moulding elements of most seemingly discordant characters into one form, is

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