The Sun. — London, England, 1829-11-24 00:00:00

CHURCH REFORM, BY A CHURCHMAN, We are disposed to think the present, days of singular, Perhaps even of unexampled interest, to England ; whether h be the natural love of an over -strained excitement, glad, tt length, to find repose from turbulence; or that, by the concurrence of external circumstances, matters of quieter t antideration have, in their turn, occupied the public kind, an d party has at length lost its violence. For our sWn part we are well inclined to avail ourselves of so f avourable a conjuncture to argue in favour of individual Ind personal conv i ct i ons, as they stand opposed to col lective and corporate dictations ; in other words to dis eourage and deprecate whatever may fairly come under the d enomination of that word of evil omen, " party"—if not gravely to propose that the term itself be expunged from our vocabulary. Never, we are of opinion, did a spirit of Patient, sober, and penetrating inquiry more largely abound or promise richer and riper fruits than at this moment. And it is curium to observe how many things, *hie!' but a few years since, were deemed so sacred that tven to breathe a suspicion of their soundness would sub lest the bold disputant to the charge of disaffection to w/arils Church and State, if not of want of moral prin ciple itself, are now quietly conceded ; and how general k reaching forward there is to a more intrinsically perfect to ndition of our vari ous i ns tit u ti ons th an h as hitherto been h ss ntenipl a t e d. Th e un i versal spread of instruction is, be and all doubt, contributory to this happy result, and the :kt is an answer to a hundred of those objections to its 1 'ln gress which are daily stated without producing any ssoviction; or, at Atri l, pise iction con plated ; for whilst it c is r eadily e conceded conv that so con ono a c h ange i n t h e i ntellectual habits of the people , %not Possibly take place without frequent irregularity, a*ithout, indeed, occasional positive evil too palpable to he denied a far more than equivalent satisfaction ie derived ft-ta O bservers that the whole mass is progressive on the Path of i n , r tile int P ?vernent ; and . . that to the universality, not I.r uPtton of the principle, are we too look for a cure mail of the mischiefs complained of. We are very far from asserting—to return from this Zgression to a former position—that party was guilty of krnalioe prepense," in hanging upon the wheels of im , ttosenaent ; or that principles, at any given time, fit to be l i t(1 Pon, must always be so, under whatever varying p a t ,? c rnat imees. No doubt it was often constrained to de -1 I,.`r°rn the middle line of truth by the violence of con t:3 ton e ,; and, often under the necessity of delaying or -8 ether opposing measures, really good in them te4„, I , lest concasione at an unlucky moment should titrengthen the hands of a combination, felt to n be e in its li e b a l eral beari ngs prejudicial. It is not altogether impos e, moreover, t reat at bosodin..ethpi.ng , that in certain contingencies, party may of a beneficial influence, if not over the kg ahti 1 of its adherents—at least, over the more think it fo ••leading portion,—those, who having to marshal . h. ! contest and victory , are interested to inquire and in ctinte, and thus eventually may prepare the way for iwat more temperate, almost healthy state of mind, which ti t ha " spoken of as so strongly characterizing our own h n t° ,„ ea * We think this has been recently verified. Whether, ~,,;e ve r, we are right or wrong in pretending to discover . k o o ca! the fact is certainly indisputable that inquiry . is at n n i nto most of the questions which have a more direct tisi -eet icin with our religious, moral, and political con ,l,,°n, and we will endeavour briefly to prove that it is .°:eciing under favourable auspices. have s.des that the "earthquake" and the " fire" li 4 sed, i on. and the " st ill small vo i ce " of calm judgment is .. k t ; i "eard, there is that national confidence in the ability, l-- vie ws, and honest intentions of our rulers, which k:itablothe aPprehensions even of the most timid as to th k e !wound Jesuit of the large body of speculation atwo ~ t io_ hem, and which would reconcile them to the very i c ?ges, not to be effected without distrust and discontent, siti,tldeed, without danger, under the auspices ofrulers, less l ' l ngUigh ec i f o knon r good sense, candour, and la on.. gst other proofs of this spirit of improvement being Ceil, a , i ° 4 may be enumerated the following :—The s een n' e i:, -.. 'f'oso, any interference with which has long ,41d i . - g rn atised as, at least, hazardous, if not positively si s e ' n e s °l : bag at length undergone very important re- The it :: e Probable forerunner of others still more marked. le e -"ilk's relating to juries have been subjected to a it ere correction. Those prohibiting usury are occupy titttheir share of attention, and evidently likely to be 4 tr 11 rep ea l ed or remodelled. New and sound principles if t „,,,ai° l l and calculation have been supplied for th e con t'V thos e very essential and now common ingredients ig o ;:c Poor man's comfort and respectability, " Friendly *eri " Par l i amentary Commission is at this mo linut . e B . A tie- in into the expediency of abolishing the ~mup i 2Pallireficature of one integral part of the British Ism e' Witte% Some considerable change in our Game 1 % 0 4 ' 1 1 ii manifestly ripening, and a simplification of our . s ko Pieat and expensive, and for those precise reasons in. Lr r e e r r° of 4 ' conveyancing," will probably follow, if itipecian any trust i n the " signs of the times," more l idv a , Y as t hey are indicated and embodied in the open Th acy of reform by a few able and distinguished men. from Ithe in "e ar e legislative measures, and if we pass illti a the less Public haunts of life, we shall alsoth o er f e com. Itioti gr.eat body of thought busied upon points . i It 4" tnatnediate interest. Now the age is the advance( of tht.e vsorld,ivilization and luxury have proceeded 'sn'e Of taiglit be presumed beforehand that the aggre ska "i one national sentiment would be in favour of per ioe f i llatli genee, that it would seek a still further ei.rten , 0 ,ux ut i o Ike-quer and us refinement, having no sympathy with a 4 more self-denying philosophy; but this Cam. w•' is not tion before itle erted bether it be that the universal educe 40dy ~, t af has called into action the faculties of a vast tett oot ' our citizens, hitherto obeying impulse rather than k 4 4 t en, or acting upon the dictation of others, and as 4 e ' reat ed a more than equal counterpoise to the Olin ° , t'lll 3 Of the few till then deemed national, because the Y on e • . ka l i - Intelligibly expressed, we do not know ; but cer la th e various changes already perfected and those now t agitation,o,or p do appear to us to be from a more artificial to 1 4r ce i v ii ,nzpie state. And, if we are correct, then the can t oile t ' " e Wrong in hailing them as an augury that the It tiol ,.. r Y Possesses in itself a power and a will of -pontaneous h ii ‘.tion, and that it is at this very period applying them. Itio._tunPossible to deny that the open recognition of re s,..urzbligation is mightily increased. Nothing appears t i , ll 7 el re sat:sfactorily to prove this than the conditiono l a ger i e ss reY* , 11Iosr of us remember the time when the s th ey ridicule was wont to be pointed at those, especially . dp r ahio happened to be young, who sat about their N o t e' , With an „ e - .7 anew of earnestness. Now, contempt, kii() Irma n ,„,..„ ' --urla of his own age, will be usually found to It' vs the lax and negligent pastor. Public opinion, lt:lrief.ore, is not without its best, and richest leaven. tr l o t' s " more or less enters into it ; and renders it more It - n , W° rtby of confidence. t h - as Perfectly natural that, in such a state of things, L c chara cter .. :ad 5 h 0 ,„,,, and condition of our own Church of Eng m'inen, "' come under review. In the first place, its pro- N,,.., - Yi as a mere national institution, would entitle it to I,lteration. In the next place, the religious spirit afloat a w=ed "UntrY, could not LB to speculate upon the auth like V ehicl e of religi ous i nstruct i on . A n d l as tl y , cer t ain kj4,l42l4lents had been long nit to be so absolutely requi -41. el s :,T, l s gb either they had not been publicly advocat . ed, ;henc e ' nu e, suggestion at once frowned or whispered into 4 Py ci s i o tn at the moment discussion could proceed, with ,l ir ented n et : ) ,f a candid bearing, it was quite certain to be ~u a ng 1- A 'ae great question of temperate and healthy f ag ee*l, An d as an index to the state of the public mind 'set 0 ) (•" e mistaken, we have before us, at this moment, the t 1 there having ju s t issued from the press a book upon i t I tch R R - t h e it is generally 401" Foitat, f rom pen, as . 411, 4 ' of an amiable and respectable, but certainly, also, keg : f t:4111 0(10x and sober-minded Clergyman. When red * t his l " • f in " we think that r e% ro stamp no longer refrain," ra , t iled n at be and must have been felt to be, imperatively t for ' 1 We * Ull a Pr°Polle to devote the remainder of this paper to , to kblieation %halt • , or rather to the thoughts it is calculated aoula , and, assuredly, topics of more vivid interest no . ,s, eau Possibly present themselves to our mind. nottnrch, properly so called, is authorized and gua fc by both scripture and reason. ter e ,l,_ religious acts must be kept alive, and . fos . - la h .,7 the religious act. Or, were it possible, which it li eeZtlaat it could exist without, still the latter is quite PrtliedrY' as a sign and admonition to the yet unin . i- It, Wh but the religious act has a peculiar strength in t oeo ell a°efaL Sympathywith others presents,. and IL, Peratine • gip to e gives energy to, what we do. Social wor ' %We i t r o l/a q• face of united revolution, in a good and holy of ma ilenenlie3 and gainsayers. It takes away the edge et tt i tto Th i from the profession of religion. By the visible ! t hat k i: t i. n n With us of fellow men, in a common, and I ;ein, 4 ,,',," high an interest, it enlarges our hearts to ' , lin o ." generally enhances our regard for " whatever tito-esare b olt, lovely, and of good report." It fixes Silo to and seasons" for duties, which else, with no public 'rat e „,,, g ,.. ui de, no authorized witness to convict, might be r ( ls ' e ted, and then disused. t atli r es i t li ., ands C onsiderations, social worship was, from tv e , d .uaYs, constituted, and it was one of the few out.' ti t, . .ItUal - p • 'Oen t ing it —and by that express testimony to ' 4 ll ' i n P c •---" Where two or three are gathered toge i,e ir, e r ,.. inci l . services whit. •h Ciantsx sanctioned by his prac -1 seei ai tr 'Y name, there am I in the midst of them." But t'ilvt4i:r "ligregational worship, necessarily consisting of "terned acts, such as praisiug, praying, singing, reading regular rules, and regular persons, to enforce and effect them, must of necessity form part of the system.-- And lastly, to repress jealousies, rivalries, and the other ill consequences attendant, in the imperfect state of human nature, upon s e paration, and distinction, and to combine into one harmonious and effective whole, it became im portant to subject to the same rules, and common func tionaries, with local rules and minor officers, subordinate to them, as many congregations, or as great a number of Christian men, as possible, it being left to the sound dis cretion of " the King, and such as are in authority under him," to determine, with reference to circumstances, and with a strict and conscientious regard to " the maintenance of religion and virtue"—to determine the precise bounds of such a common uniform Church. We see these principles recognized in the ecclesiastical proceedings, of which the Acts of the Apostles relate the history; and in the admonitions and directions of the Epistles, and upon them our own Church of England is grounded. Under the sanction of the Legislature she pre scribes a public worship, beautifully suited to the various contingencies and necessities of man's life, in a certain fixed form, in certain places, at certain times, conducted and superintended by certain functionaries ; her ultimate ap peal being " to the law and to the testimony ;" not only as the warrant for these, her general rules, and prepara tory outlines, but also for the fillings up, and substantial details. Now it is very certain that many of those lead ing doctrines and propositions of time Bible, which distin guish it as a peculiar, a Christian record, are capable of more than one construction ; and in point of fact, have been variously undo stood by various interpreters, all ap parently actuated by equal zeal in the pursuit of truth, and equally fitted, by gifts of head and heart, fir its dis covery. That there cannot, in reality, be a variance, is as certain as that there may be a difference. All the senses contended for, and neither exclusively, being con tained, for instance, under the larger comprehensive head. If we were called upon to account for the fact, we might, with all humility, suirgest that something may be due to the difficulty both of understanding, with unerring accu racy, a dead language, and of translating from it into pre cisely equivalent terms. Something, also, in certain in stances, to imperfect transcription, but a great deal more to the incompetency of our present faculties to apprehend what are offered to them designedly as objects of faith, rather than of distinct apprehension, and to the intention of their great author to turn and cherish in us a spirit of candour and forbearance. May we not also, without pre sumption, indeed, with feelings of the warmest gratitude, conceive the word of salvation to hate been constructed with a view to the varieties of men's minds,—so that its saving truths should have attractions for one under this shape, and another under that; no " latitude" of interpre tation being absolutely disallowed, which does not militate against the great end, " love towards GOD, and faith to wards our Lord JESUS CHRIST." Let us, for the present, carry this reasoning into what we are about to discuss, our Church, justly solicitous that, within her own pale, at least, there should be cohe rency in her teachings, and, betwixt them and the Bible, endeavour to secure this, by what she calls " Articles of Religion," to be subscribed principally by her officiating Ministers. They cannot, from the yery nature of things, all possess that ability, which an instructor of others ought, in very strictness, to have; nor all candour and moderation ; nor all that singleness of heart which Gon never permits greatly to err; it seems well, therefore; it seems even necessary, that their line of teaching, as far as it is personal, and their own, should be defined by certain boundaries. But in fixing or continuing such boundaries, some highly important considerations were, and are, ne cessary to be kept in view. We have supposed that seve ral constructions of one text might be true, though not exclusively so. Now extreme caution should be used in precisely defining the public faith of a Church and its Ministers, not to pronounce dogmatically upon what the Scripture itself hath left more at large; not to require peremptory assent as matter of evidence to what may pos sibly not be affirmed in that sense ; not to substitute fal lible dicta of man for infallible ones of Gon, without service or qualification. Propositions, of undisputed plainness, may assuredly be left in the Bible, under the general declaration that the Church refers to that as to her rule of faith ; and must be so left unless it is intended to attach to her Ministers, as a body, the charge of wilful falsification ; for if they will not teach what is indisputably clear, or if they distort it, they are unworthy of trust or respect. Others, more ambi guous, it may be wise, it may be a duty, if the right ap prehension of them be " generally necessary," or generally m inistrant, " to salvation," for the " avoiding diversities of opinion" (as it is stated in King James's Preface to our Articles), to draw out of it and affirm ; but these, in words as nearly scriptural as is possible, and with a declaration that she adopts the sense now affixed simply as, after pa tient and diligent search, her own, not as rejecting and condemning every other as being absolutely untrue. Once more—A national church should obviously be calculated for the spiritual necessities of a nation. A Christian Church affords as little opportunity as possible for breach of unity. Now, bow stands our own in these respects? Its Articles are thirty-nine. And the first ques tion which naturally occurs on the sight of such an aggre gate, is, " Is it possible that there can be so many as thirty.. nine points of belief—all disputable, and all likewise neces sary to be categorically pronounced upon ?" Now, it is first to be observed, that under the term " Articles," are com prised propositions of very different weight; same upon faith, properly speaking, others not : some, that is, de fining and declaring the substance of her minister's TEACHINGS : others, what may be called the bye-laws or regulations of the society. And it is certainly to be re gretted that they were not classed under separate heads ; so that what concerns the "present need alone" might have been at a glance distinguished from what was of perma nent, and essential, and intrinsic importance. Let it be supposed, however, that twenty out of the thirty-nine are of pure faith—and then let the question be applied to this more limited number. A very cursory exa mination may furnish a present reply. " It is believed," says the third, " that Christ went down into hell." Now can this be said to be one of the tornino points of salvation ? or one necessary now to be dwelt upon, or se lected for enunciation ? And does it not in reality declare, to our present apprehension, according to the present meaning of words, a doubtful thing, if not a positive un truth ? The eighth affirms that " the three creeds ougbt thoroughly to be received." But is not this again, by an unseemly juxta-position, to place the traditions of Men upon "something like an equality with the word, and under the common point of reference—Faith ?" To be sure, the Article goes on to state, that " they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture." Still they are not Scripture itself. And the reason assign ed for their reception is insufficient. If the Athanasian Creed can be verified by the Bible, it cannot certainly be shown from the Bible, that Christians have authority to pronounce those, who do not accept its positions, accursed. W e might, but will not, now, extend similar remarks to others of the Articles : contenting ourselves with observ ing, by the way, that the first of all is headed by a word not found in the Bible ; and which, by the very attempt at a concise definition, does but create a new difficulty. It is important to advert to the history of the Articles. Tbey were composed in very different days--days when English Protestantism was yet young and fresh, when the Reformation bad not yet settled down into its present soli dity and quietness. Something to prevent the irregular oscillation of the religious pendulum, this way or that, might have been, and, in all probability, was necessary. Add to which, that biblical knowledge had made but a very small progress, numerically speaking, though, in a few distinguished individuals, it had been carried to an ex tent altogether marvellous. And the experience of the few, thus already advanced, might be, and most probably was, essential, as a way-mark to the great majority, in a field to be by the latter yet explored. But it is by no means a necessary consequence of this that such, or, at all events, the same guidance is needful, under quite diffe rent circumstances. When, for instance, civilization and instruction have arrived at their present high pitch, and when the Scriptures are in the general hand, and generally read. Again, it is reasonable to demand, has time taught nothing, which it might he wise, which it might be a duty to engraft into the deductions of past ages? Articles, themselves, are grounded upon an idea, that the greater learning of some may serve to direct the lesser of others. They presuppose gradations and proportions of acquire ment. But will any go the length of affirming, that in all the long period which has elapsed since the year 1562, no light has been thrown upon the Scriptures by the ad vancement of philology—critical and philosophical, by in • qutry, by commerce with foreign—and, more especially, Eastern nations? It is remarlgable that BISHOP JEBD, in a treatise, ex pressly written in defence of the Articles and Liturgy, as they now stand, observes upon the absurdity of imagining that the enquirer of the 19th century is to begin and end where the enquirer of the Ist century began and ended : and yet both he himself, and all who contend for the un changeableness of our formularies, are guilty of this precise absurdity. The design of Articles is excellent : it is to prevent per plexity and disunion :—and there can be no manner of question that, fur a season, our• own really did so :—and that, without any unwise, or unfair interference with Phristianity : any interference which was not counter balanced by a still greater gain. But this was when, as we have just been saying, either famillaity With GOD's word was rare, or Scriptural mass of the people, had not been long enough, vat iou.ly enough, and patiently enough, at work, , 0 be tru-tol with discretion to dictate or pronounce; when ]shire of rational and manly discussion were not yet forme —when discriminat ing masses of opinion had not taken shape or colour, and weight of judgment could not he, from any inlelligible indications, collected. As guides therefore, they may seem no longer wanting, when such a vast body of inquiry and intelligence is brought to bear upon religious themes: for either they treat of plain things, or they do not. If yes—then plain things may be safely left in their original record, the Bible. If no—doubtful things will hardly, under such altered circumstances, conciliate honest assent : they will continue doubtful still : and, being pronounced upon pe remptorily, will probably have the effect of preventing, it may be, public official controversy within the pale of the Church, so fenced about—but then, also, it is to be feared, of sullying the purity, and blunting the edge, of many con sciences, obliged, humanly speaking, and with respect, to a hard necessity of worldly circumstances, to conform to an imposed test, and from preventing that Church of availing itself, in days of mightily increasing religion, of that spirit, and therefore arming her against herself. Shall we prefer the phrase, " Articles of peace 9" As suiedly it is possible to conceal the fact, that our Church has had, perhaps still has, though we are of opinion, in a very diminishing degree, its Jansenists and its Jesuits—its moral, and its evangelical Clergy, we mean no more than a general comparison, dividing it in the very teeth of Arti cles and canons of uniformity—almost as much—saving the point of absolute, locomotive dissent—as if they were of different communions. The circumstance appears at first sight to shew the inadequacy of our present system, to prevent differences; but yet the necessity of setting bounds in some way, to freedom of interpretation, ex cathedrii—for here the grievance principally lies—in mi nisterial "liberty of propbecying." Let there once be uniformity of sermon, as there is of Liturgy, and there is peace; or a vast approxim ition to it. But how can this be secured ? and so secured, as, if possible, to wound n • honest conscience, to quench no laudable inquiries after the truth, and to exclude, on account of any such safe guard, as few persons as possible ? Now, the Liturgy, with the exception of certain por- tions, of the Christian propriety of amending, er altogether expunging which, we shall have to speak by and bye, has a singular affinity with the words, style, and substance of the Bible. It is undogmatical, if we may so speak, large, Catholic. Most Christians could conscientiously worship in it. Let us suppose that to be made the test. It has, in the first place, far greater ambiguity than our Articles, if that be a recommendation. It is admitted to comprise all essential, all saving points ; or, to vary the phrase, as many as cordially believed and honestly acted upon, will save. Suppose it the pastoral, official, charge to the Church Minister that he simply conformed him self to the Liturgy. Would that be complained of? would more than that be required. Or sup pose an injunction added, that, although high and mys terious points were not to be avoided in sermons—(for if they were, what would be their Christianity, what their aptness to save ?) yet that, in adverting to them, preachers should never go beyond, but should scrupulously use the very words of the Bible ? Would this suffice—and why should it not ? or must there be a more express declara tion of faith ? Once more, and at this position of our ar gument, let us consider the complexion of our own days. There seems, unless we greatly deceive ourselves, to be a tacit, hut very distinct recession, in the religious world, from the extremes to the centre—ultra opinions, on whatever side, are becoming moderate, from a grow ing persuasion, that in that centre truth will be found—and candour, and charity, and rest. And can any one doubt that the persuasion is just? So much for Articles, whether of faith absolutely, or of faith with a view to peace. With respect to those which we have before adverted to, under the term by-laws, it set ma to matter little whether they remain as Articles, or are in corporated into Canons. Perhaps, under the latter shape, they might be less liable to misconstruction. However and wherever stated, it seems important that they relate simply to those municipal corporate duties, which the Church has a distinct scriptural authority, general, or spe cial, to define and require; and that they leave personal conviction and discretion as much at large as ccnsiats with general safety. _ _ Now, if our Church's opinions be represented by her Liturgy, then is there no religious fellowship in the world, so likely we believe, with very little alteration, to attract towards it the body of the people. Whether that attrac tion shall be into, as well as towards, our sanctuary, must depend upon other provisions, of which, however, as we delight to persuade ourselves, there is no reason for de spairing to see adopted. Let us now at once proceed to the Liturgy. And here we do not hesitate to make our first stand at the Athanasian Creed, as the point from which improvements must commence. Our objections to it are indeed many. To begin with its composition, it is at utter variance with the exemplary and refreshing plainness of our other ser vices. Of the clergy few apprehend it—of the laity fewer still—of the poor none. The bulk of its ideas are purely scholastic—the bulk of its terms equally so. It defines strictly what the Scripture has not so defined. It calls upon a congregation to hear, and respond to, what as we have been saving, it cannot possibly understand, as a con gregation. It occupies valuable time, by the recital of propositions to which no hostility, requirirg this mode of offensive, or defensive warfare, now manifests itself. It shews, by its very minuteness of detail, what it were better to conceal—bow many are the sects and sentiments of Christians. But its worst feature is, that as the summing up of all its clauses, it boldly adds, " This is the Catholic faith, which, except a man keep whole, and undefiled, without doubt, he shall perish everlastingly,"—the people answering " Amen." What then is "this ?" Let three parts of an average English congregation be asked, and they will say, "All that we have been repeating." " But what is that ?" the question may go on to demand— " What does it mean?" " Nay, that we cannot tell ; we only know it is we have been repeating after the Minis ter." Ask, in a word, the whole—and if they have not been taught otherwise, (and officially, they cannot be so taught,) scarcely a person but will concur, that the " Ca tholic faith," designated by the word "this," and of which it is affirmed, that unless a man keeps it he shall without doubt perish, is the entire creed ; so that practically, and as it is commonly understood, we, fallible creatures, pre sume to pronounce " accursed" all who do not strictly hold positions which neither we nor they can comprehend. We have been gravely told, indeed, that the darnnatory sentence refers only to the primary or master tenet, " that Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped." Let it be granted that it is so : but then, was there ever a more conclusive argument for ridding ourselves of a formula, which, whilst it means to say one thing, actually says another—and this too in matters of perilous interest? If it be so, still where is our warrant for pronouncing upon our fellows this fear ful verdict of " guilty?" And what is really gained by retaining the Creed ? Will it be said, soundness of doctrine ? if this means the doctrine of the Trinity, we say it is interwoven into our Liturgy, in a manner so natural—so unoffending--so cha ritable—in a word, so scriptural, that it cannot be taken away, unless, and until the whole garment be rent—which may our good Gon prevent ! Far better is it, we cannot but think—far wiser—far more in the spirit of CHRIST, to leave it in that quiet dwelling place—ministering health and joy to thousands, than thus to put it forward, as a rock for " faith, hope, and charity," to split upon. We are painfully sure, that many decline ourfellowship, simply because of the mark of intolerance, which this Creed is felt to set upon our, else, most tolerant Church. We are no less sure, that many a sincere and humble member of it hangs down his head in sorrow, and in shame, when he is unwillingly reminded of this blot upon that sanctuary, which he so dearly loves, and so unfeign- edly venerates, and would grudge no sacrifice to behold " without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." A book has recently issued from the press, of which we will content ourselves with observing, that, whilst it ad vocates with us the dismissal of this formula from our ritual, it also suggests the blotting out certain other parts, directly confessing the doctrine of the Trinity. In this we cannot concur. In the precatory and laudatory por tions we deem that doctrine most properly embodied. We simply object to its being dogmatized upon, and in scholastic, unintelligible, and uncharitable terms. The Author of " Church Reform," contents himself with asking for the removal of the damnatory clauses. And, it were certainly no small gain to the cause of forbearance and clarity, if only thus much were accomplished. Rut it would only solve a portion of the evil—the largest, it is admitted, but by no means the whole. 411 the Objections, on the score of present inapplicability, unintelligibleness, and so forth, would reosain in full foice. And, therefore, we are of opinion, that it were wiser at once, and once for all, to expunge it. For supposing it transferred from our congregational services to our Arti c l es , as a pro f ess i on o f faith—for none but ministers understood, and expected to comprehend what is confessedly beyond the reach of the ordinary hearer, it would but add straitness and eicl;:iiiye , ncss to Articles already, as we hare teen Urging, some = what top numerous and too positive, in dayi like these-- it would but continue to subject the Clergy 't o t h e c h ar ge Of too 'readily submitting to dictation. It wo u ld atilt hang , s a millstrr I lie neck of the Church, though in an alter shap• It will 1w tl , this instance relates, primarily, to the doc'rine it do 1 ..:ty t owl the suspicion may at once arise, that the pr ,ft • menti,tions originate in a lurkirg spirit or Soeiniani-m. No ‘-, to the char-eter of the Author of the work under review, we have ...mike , . 4 inn. For out selves if we know any thing t our own opinions, they are strongly oppi. , ,ed to to the Sn.cinian hypothesis our hopes of salvation humbly resting upon the cross of CHRIST, as our actual redemption from the pains and penal ties of sin, and upon the workings of the HOLY SPIRIT, as our regenerating, renewing, and sanctifying principle. The remonstrances, therefore, now respectfully made, not until, we are disposed to add, we had long kept silence " yea, even from good words,' though it was pain and grief to us," cannot, we think, be justly sus pected of coming from covert enemies. They are, in truth, the affectionate words of companions and familiar friends ! And let it be considered in what an advantageous posture, for salutary reform, the Church is placed by this very fact, and by our being, as we verily believe we severally are, the mouthpieces of a very considerable aggregate of concurrent sentiment. If an abandonment of any point be conceded, it is not to the demands of foes, covert or overt, but to the prayers of those of her own household; it is at a moment, as we have hinted before, when the singular moderation of the various sects of Protestant Christians, leaves temper un ruffled and judgment unclouded ; at a conjuncture which Providence seems to have contrived, that we might " walk about our Sion, and go round about her ; and tell the towers thereof, and mark well her bulwarks, and set up her house, that we may tell them that come after :" " Deus nobis I,mc otia fecit." We proceed, next, to the point of intelligibleness, in such parts of our ritual as are confessedly excellent in re spect of every other particular. Intelligibleness we hold to be one of the essential characteristics of the reformed, as contrasted with the Romish'faitli, and that the further we depart from it the less do we hold fast to our integrity, and the more obnoxious do we become to the reproof of St. Paul, "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, &c." No doubt the universal education of the people is daily raising them to our level ; in the mean time, however, and even when education shall have produced its results, certain words have ceased to represent the ideas which once they expressed. They have either become obsolete, or obsolete in the sense of the text. If, for the sake of phi lology a consideration of some importance, it be deemed ad visable not to expunge such terms, it might suffice and would be a real improvement, to put syuonimes in the margin, leaving the choice to the individual Minister. We have considerable doubts whether the time occupied in our church service be too much, and are inclined to think the weariness some complain of will be found to arise rather from repetition than continuance. We cer tainly are afraid, however, that in the administration of our most solemn rite, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, as it now stands, evil arises from both these causes. Old age and delicate health, we fear, cannot, the young and the wavering we are sure will not, in populous places, de vote the time and the attention necessary for its reception. And in our present posture of what we venture to call utterly inadequate provision, with respect to numbers of Ministers, it is very much to be ap prehended that the Parochial Clergyman already oppressed by the Sunday's duty, is actually prevented by the anticipation of an additional burthen, absolutely over whelming, from being, as he, of all men, should be, a cheerful commemorator of the great Christian sacrifice, and from bidding guests with any earnestness of private exhor tation to that holy feast. Our services for baptism, burial, the visitation of the sick, and marriage, might, we are disposed to think, be amended. The first strikes us as upon the whole too long. It might also be considered, whether the suretyship required by it might not, in these days, be profitably ex changed for a solemn charge to the parents and near kin dred, both in those relations and as witnesses of the child's introduction into the Church of Cnrasr. Certain parts of the marriage service, it is quite certain that many of even our highest Clergy, from feelings of delicacy, seldom read, they are, virtually, either disused or used at discretion, and had better, therefore, be at once expunged ; any thing being better than a law whose observance varies, and will continue to vary do what we chose, with the will of the subject The objectionable feature of the " visitation of the sick" is the absolution, not that the Romanist can have the smallest right to parallel it with I.is own, and to retort upon the Protestant, objecting that the faith of the former empowers the Priest to forgive sins, that the latter's does the same. The difference is the essential one between a law merely standing in the statute book and one daily en forced. The Catholic Priest exec cises this function un ceasingly. It is one of his most prominent, his most usual, his most characteristic duth s. The laity are taught to look to it as one of their dearest privileges. On the other hand, the Protestant Minister has never, in point of practice, been deemed the deposit ry of an absolving power. This opinion has never been fostered. Ile may not exer cise it without the minute precautions as to absolute sin cerity of repentance prescribed in the Liturgy ; and very few are the cases in which it is required, and without its being desired by the sick person it is no part of his office. But though it be, thus, for the most part, disused, from the awe with which both Clergy and Laity approach it, and is so far innocuous, we would willingly silence all objections by for ever divorcing it from our Liturgy. In our burial service, calculated it is manifest for days when discipline was in its vigour, and sentence of excom munication, without scruple, pronounced upon offenders, the Church, through the mouth of the individual Minister, now, indiscriminately declares, of all persons brought for interment, within her precincts, that they have departed this life " in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD." The consequence is, that she appears to attribute to the mere fact of death a mysterious and undefined power to change the spirit of a man from evil to good : and thus, by her last office—her farewell word over the departed brother, to undo and make void her former strenuous admonitions, so to pass our time of trial here in godliness and holy fear— that at the last we fail not of the promises of God ! Would we then give the Minister, itiwill be asked, a discretionary power to pronounce over the grave of one man, that he bath died with, and of another that he hath died without " hope ?" Far from it, we would place him in no such ex posure to odium. We would subject him to no such heavy responsibility. But can it be necessary for educa tion, or for peace, or for comfort, to do more than state the Christian hope, in general omitting all individual ap plication of it. These, then, are the amendments we would for the pre sent suggest, with, perhaps, one addition—adverted to by both our authors : the substitution, here and there, of more appropriate, we had almost said less objectionable, lessons than some of those now standing in the calendar. Local and timely adaptation enters, as a principle, into our se lection from the Bible; there can he nothing chargeable with novelty, therefore, nothing irreverent, in contending for still more perfect adaptation, especially since it is abundantly clear that the Scriptures have their various uses, some being calculated for humiliating meditation in the very depths of privacy, and for a certain position of spiritual advancement; others for the mixed, and average, and congregational ear. In looking back at these suggestions for the improve ment of our Liturgy, we are struck with their fewness, and deem it a testimony to the astonishing wisdom with which the frame and fabric of our ritual have been com pacted. " See," we say, with the wondering disciples, " see, what manner of stones, and what buildings are here."—The last review was in the year 1661, but the substance of it is hundreds of years older. And though, if we could now interrogate the master-spirits who ar ranged it for "our house of defence and our castle," they would hardly reply, that it was intended to endure in its then accurate shape and proportions throughont all ages, and in any conceivable advancement of our spiritual knowledge ; yet, of such sound materials has it been corn posed, and like the portraits of some of our great paint* rs of past days, with such a large and Catholic relation to the general principles, which must ever discriminate at once and pervade eur human nature, that even now, in al;r, age so far snore civilized and learned than th4t in wh4 it bad its birth, how small a coomparative. iroprovermiat is needed. put here we are, obliged to ask a very painful question—, What avail the most Perfect services if the people cannot be disciplined to the lose of them, or cannot be present to join in them ? When we look abroad, and observe the paucity of our Ministers and of our Churches, we are re., luctautly constrained to confesA, that such is unhappily too truly the case in Protestant England ; in that coun try, whose religious character is supposed to be represented by, and identified with her natural Church The dissenting meetings throughout the land may be taken as a fair guage of the people's demands. They indicate with very tolerable correctness the poinSs where, and the extent to which, Churches were wanted—or if not literal pm - .:c1 - .es, at least io‘zai plimei of worship in con nection with" the establislinient—and what a tale of ne glect do they Proclaim ; what a scene of barrenness do they unfold. here was a time when the wish CAnqql was ade quate to the reeeptinn of it 3 popVlatiOn. And, to hear the clamour against dissent so frequently uttered, by appa rently thinking and well-informel men, one might be dis posed to believe, as it is evident they themselves do, that it n•as so still,—instead of being so utterly, so lamentably disproportioned. If population has oc,:opled itself, (to sta'e a rough calculation) and Churches have not even been doubled, why or. d we look farther fur the origin and growth of sectat ianism ;—and humiliating as it is to ask the question, what would now have been the religion of England without it? Our parochial Clergy again— the :accredited Ministers of the National Religion—the body of functions ies, whose " lips are to keep know- Ldge" for the mass of the people—the dehg ited way marks in the read to life—what is their numerical sufficiency? If the abstract question were asked any rea • sonably and conscientious person, alive to the spiritual interests of his fellow men, and aware of the difficulty of fixing their thoughts upon them, how many souls might safely be placed under the superintendance of a single pas tor, he might perhaps reply, a few hundreds. What would be think of our Church's claim to be deemed the " nursing mother" of the people,—what of our religion, what of our humanity, if he were told that it was a com mon thing, a thing no man wondered at, for one Clergy man to have the charge of as many thousands ? Most happily, all his nominal are not his real flock. Whilst in the eyes of the State they are so deemed, and whilst the unsllowing and unreflecting visit them with bitter words and hard thoughts, for a transftrence of al lei,Tiance, which they have no opportunity of maintaining, other teachers unauthorized, indeed, and unrecognized, step in and ease him of his most proportioned burthen. Even then he is so harassed beyord his means of endur ance, by multiplicity of duties, that it is no wonder it certain parts of them are perfunctorily done. It is no wonder, for instance, if sermons exhibit signs in their want of force and accuracy, of the distractions in the midst of which they are written—and the character of the pulpit falls below its just level. The admirable and truly Christian society, for building Churches, is, as far as its limited means allow, wiping out one reproach which has long been merited by us,—that of providing for the rich and reglecting the poor. A foreigner estimating our con • d.tion, by the appearance of our town Churches, would pronounce us a nation of opulents. It is no charac ,eristic of these that " to the poor the Gospel is preach e:l." That they are driven to hear elsewhere--and their affections have, consequently, and most naturally been given, where their interests have been most sedulously at tended to, that is, we regret to say it—to the Conven ticle. We contend, therefore, for a greater increase of Church of England places of worship—and a greater of Church of England pastors, as positively necessary for the maintenance of our name, and the satisfaction of our claims : and, what is still more vital, for the sound in struction of the people in religious and moral truth. But intimately and inseparably connected with such a provi sion are others also. Strictness of residence, for instance, not simply in subordinate, but in superior functionaries. If Parliamentary duties, or comtnendams—the former not to be dispensed with under any practical view of our civil and ecclesiastical Constitution, the latter a tempo rarily necessary aid to the straightened revenues of our literally poor Bishoprics—take our chief shepherds away from their charge, for any considerable portion of the year —as it is certain they do, with no small diminution of their• pastoral efficiency, no small detriment to the cause of religion, within their several jurisdictions,—substitutes, —" second selves"—should at least be provided—to carry on the chain of communication between the " head" and the " members ;" and to be present, and competent points of reference in these innumerable instances, and at those unremitting moments, when counsel, and comfort, and direction, are sought, and can from no point be de rived, but from the principal authority. Again—if residence' be enforced, residence must be made practicable and efficient, by a far more just distribu tion of " hire" to the " labourer," than exists even now, when the Curate's Bill has so much improved the pecuniary, and, with it, we hope the moral condition of that particular hard working functionary: Again, there is grievously wanted a new proportion of men to localities—either by leaving jurisdictions as they ate, and dividing them amongst other officers, or by par ing them down to narrower limits with the same. Finally—(And by this we mean—finally with te:pect to our present paper—not to the discussion itself, which might be extended to many a highly-interesting poi' t, not now touched upon)—it is only necessary dispassionately to weigh the arguments adduced by our author, and to compare them with the facts, coming within the range of their own experience, and which we earnestly entreat our readers to do, to be convinced how imperfect, and in applicable a system of discipline is to be found in our Canons. And now, before we conclude, a few words for our ,selves—we are most fully aware, under what hazard of unkind, and unharsh suspicion we have ventured upon this well nigh prohibited topic of Church refoi-m. And if we look forward thus early, it is really the spirit of one who would probe to heal, not to earn the poor praise of sharpsightedness, or of walking in an unfrequented and somewhat perilous path, reckless of other men's opinions. We are too affectionately, too unchangeably attached to our " first love," either to expose her defects, when pri vacy and quiet forbearance have the smallest chance of blotting them out, and restoring her to her strength and beauty, or of concealing them, when the remedy can only be found in a general conviction that she has her ailments, and in a general pressing forward to remedy them. The former would be cruelty, the latter treachery. The present Bishop of WINCHESTER has said, in his primary charge to the Diocese of LANDAFF, " There is no wisdom in shutting our eyes upon the face of the land, until others come in, and sow, and reap, in our own neglected vineyard." Now this appears to us a sentence worthy, for its wisdom and its manliness, to be treasured up in all our memories; and it may well serve both as a motto to our paper, and as an index to our design in com posing it. We have given it as a true but an imperfect delineation of our condition as Churchmen—we have slightly sketched what might have been expanded into volumes. We shall be satisfied, nevertheless, if the little that has been said, shall induce the candid and reflecting reader to peruse the book which heads our article, and to act as opportunity shall order, upon the highly interest ing reflection it cannot but suggest. The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER left town yesterday, to join the party at Mr. Secretary PEEL'S residence, Stowe Hall, Norfolk. Sir GEORGE MURRAY transacted business with Lord HILL yesterday, at the office of the Commander of the Forces in the Horse Guards. The Russian Ambassador entertainad the Prussian Minister, the Duke of DEVONSHIRE, the Larl of ABEn.nEEN, and a select party to dinner, au Sunday, at Ashburnham }louse. DRURY LANE THEATRE.—The tragedy of Othello, so inseparably linked with the genius of KEAN, was last night performed at this theatre, on which occasion Mr. Your:o represented the " fiery" Moor. His apting was correct, as iv always is, but tame and unimpassioned. The earlier scenes were, however, acted in a masterly manner—it was only in the third Act that Mr. YOUNG was found wanting. His hurricane of passion wag too much like a Zephyr, it did not sweep over him with suf ficient power. Miss PHILLIPS made an interesting Des demona, and Mr. WALLACE a respectable lago. TOTTENHAM STREET THEATRE.—This theatre opened last night with the adaptation from The Marriage of Figaro, a pretty ballet entitled The Devi,dy in Distress, and a new piece, False and Cotst424, All the performances were well received by a crawde4 hou s e. Among the actors were our old favourites, VINING, LIAMS, Mrs. WAYLE'“, and Miss A. TREE, We b4lieve it is not generally known that the late Dr. T. YOUNG, the physician and astronomer, upon one occasion personated the character of 4Uorlequin at a grand masquerade at the Panthco;. This learned and accomplished person begaa Lie in Norwich, as a Quaker He was a profound musician, an excellent dancer, billiard player s and private actor—in short, a sort of " admirable CRICHTON." Madame AIAIMIRAN GARCIA will return to London in April, when, it is said, she will perform a certain number of nights at Drury-lane. theatre. In that event Ilaan_cg is the only individual who ought to ac company her. The report is untrue which states GARCIA'S voice to have experienced an unfavourable change. The French Plays, at the Theatre-Re: 4f, English Opera-house, will commence in the rniii . dla of Ja nuary. LAPORTE has become a proprietor; this enter prising person has been some time lo Fr a nce, co ll ec ti ng a company of a superior .?Kaer. PonER is engaged, and the season will begin with his performances. JENNY COLON also retained. The beautiful little Theta erected by LAPORTE in the Grand contentßoom at the Italian Opera-house, will c,J*n in December with the It a lian, try iili4 Pupils of the Royal Academy of M us i c , aad Kobanly contin ue unt il t h e m iddl e o f J anuary, w h en t h e ing s e Theatre will commence its regular season, aided by a vast a,ccession of talents ez.. - iaged in France, Germany, 1 and Italy. - SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. A. respectable correspondent, writing to us on the subject of the high prices still retained by retail dealers, particularly butchers, recommends to us to publish the names, addresses, and prices of those tradesmen who may signifytheir wil ling,ness to serve the public at reasonable rates. We would indeed advise those who have such a disposition, to make the fact known through the journals, and this is at once an easy and effec tual way of inviting customers—at least of invit • ing such customers as are not in the trammels of their own servants, or in the perhaps less servile state of being in debt to those whose articles they take. It is said that if prices universally fall, the interest of the national debt cannot be paid. What an absurdity! Surely the less a man pays for the necessary commodi!ies of lift., the more he will have left for the tax-gatherer, whether the taxation be for the current expenses of the Government, or on account of the con tracted debt of the country.—Times. We insert a long letter from Paris which we received yesterday. The writer is unknown to us, but he is evidently well acquainted with French affairs. His statements are, un questionably, startling, but they must speak for themselves. Jefferson, in his Memoirs, observes in his usual calm way—" The pecuniary dis tresses of France produced this year a measure of which there had been no example for near two centuries, and the consequences of which, good and evil, are not yet calculable. He observes towards the close of his Memoirs—" Here 1 discontinue any relation of the French _if evolu • Can. The minuteness with which I have so far given its details, is disproportioned to the general scale of my narrative. But I have thought it justified by the interest which the whole world must take in this Revolution. As yet we are but in the first chapter of its history.** We are yet, we believe, but in the first chapter of its history. If the Government do not, how ever, understand the nature of their situation, like all unfortunate speculators, they must pay for their mistakes. Our Correspondent, like another Cassandra, turns with dismay from the events which he predicts. We, on the contrary, are somewhat optimists in this respect. Nations never die, however Governments may change.— A Government ought to have no will dis tinct from that of the people, and it is clear that the French Government conceives itself to have a right to have a will of its own, and to impose that will on the People, from the circumstance that the property and intelligence of the country are arrayed against it. There can be no peace till the question is settled, whether the will of the French People shall be obeyed by their Executive, or the Executive shall force the French People to obey its will. Between France and England there is all the difference in the world, and those who would reason from England to France must commit serious mistakes. France is essentially a De mocracy. The estates of the Nobility were cut up at the Revolution, and the law which divides the estates among the children is one which can only be changed by a revolution, because any new law of so violent a character as to deprive the children vested with rights under the law, is not to be thought of in peaceable times. The immense estates of the Church, which gave such immense power to a Corporation identical in interest with the Nobility were also cut up. What is there, then, to oppose to the popular will ? A Monarchy, without an Aristocracy, must soon resolve itself into a Democracy. The King can only exist by considering himself as the first Magistrate of the country, the organ of the popular will, with no power but that which the law gives him. Tile sort of power to be derived from a Church without property is nothing when opposed to the will of the people, serving indeed only to irritate. The Bourbons are misled by their recollections ; they should forget the History of France before th e Revolution, and resign themselves patiently to the condition in which alone they can exert that of hereditary first Magistrates of the nation.— England is differently circumstanced, England is essentially an Aristocracy, because, by time ex isting Constitution, the Aristocracy dictate the laws. The possessors of great properties and boroughs draw along with them all the power and influence of the country. Occasionally these great properties are divided, and a clever and active King may manage to have considerable influence by playing off one party against an other. But the people are nothing. In France there is nothing to oppose to the people but mi., litary force, which never can be relied in times of popular agitation, because the soldiery are carried away by the general enthusiasm. B ut in England, no appeal to the people can ever, introduce into Parliament a power equal to the power which now commands the resources of the country. We have more than once observed that the example of England has misled the Governments of the Continent, There cannot long exist in any country two powers in colli sion with each other. The Continental States have supposed tho possibility of combining a representation of the people with a power to con troul that zepresentatton. They s have not been able to discover that England has not a popular representation, and that the machinery by whi c h England has, to appearance a popular representa tion, while, in reality, the repreF.entation is merely a mode in which the Ariste, erae y act through the instrumentality of a part, of the people as 4 :noir tools, cannot be crPated. The Governments of Europe, whether they are called Representative Monarchies, as France, or single; Monarchies, as, Prussia, are all much nearer Democracy than England, and they every day receive more and more a democratic tendency. The King of Prussia, for instance, is merely the first Magis trace of the kingdom. Everything is popular ; the Church Establishments, the Universities, the Army, the Councils of Government. The French Itetolution has read a salutary tesseh to a o l f l Gboievkeeriiiiiii:gesntsa.ndDiinatirnigguteshe owfhool:eieofdtiliffeerl e a , s . t century, the history of Europ e was t h e history t Courts, and wanton acts of atrW ess i on t h e f ru i t of them. The people e, ' - ,,uc i lted for n othing. Governments are now more aware of their re do not consider the late in terferenceal the two Peninsulas an exception, we apprehend the Governments of the beea of danger to themselves. Let us take for in stance Alliance acted under a strong apprehension stance the affair of the Stadtholder, in which England and Prussia acted so infamous a p art the s ame before the French Revolution—we do Ilr,t think " The object of the Pist i uks terforonee, which nearly led, any Government would dare to act It) a general war s h am eless manner now . The r I • • Govern men[. The ajorityo•iorvine• is the account which Jefferson giv es ,c .1 • . es tablish a Represemitve (says he) was to (.1 this act of the ond Suites-Generals RepublicanGovevirnns with thork, but the • I Maxim"C the populace of th e towns Was with the Prince of Orange; and that