The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-04-20 00:00:00

State of Weather.

ehemnekeign, .62 14a. U.; Tamen, theme, £l3; Wright
£484. 41.
sasmenrediv. :611:0:Nede=senia,sison4117.11,0.. A
K. mliag.adriswacb.P.MMudast; Tr;
03; Mr. eileil2rearle, 125; Massa. Williams sad
Co., bankers, Bankrapt examined by Mr. Bureb,
said his debt of £4l 181. 68. to Mr. Joseph Lock, was
for meat supplied ; he bald fear hills of eitehasigm. The
goods supplkd by Mr. Flea were mad by his (bankrept's)
belsslapaid;biSsy ingstalassmes k'sd' sad
ots. ShsWillistaWfbeanDtll/46.1.WiDifilwarabar"
es 4 glazier. Dorchester, was appoioted smirks ; and
Nth May was Axed for limehrept's hat examiaatioa.
"Tag PLUMS/ OF RITIt•LISOI" woe the title of an
able lecture delivered by the Rev. P. Cook. of Litheard,
a Tuesday evening, at the Guildhall. in consiestion
the Cher& Aseocistioo. The Rev. H. Monk
Jeided, and there was a vary fair attendance, Mailed-
ag the ROM E. Ludlow, W. Urquhart, P. D. 0.
/MI, ester, J. Bark Handley C. G. Monk, IL W. Pears,
J. B. Hyatt, J. IlWer, and J., M. Evans ; Evens,
Iraq. (Caine Abbe.), J. V. D. Lawrence, Iraq., Dr.
Pavey, G. Cermet, Fart, kis. The Chairman opened the
meeting with prayer, and a few introductory remerks.
The Heir. F. Cook said be had to speak of the falseness
of ritualism, and he could fancy that some on bearing
the title of his address might say, "All! it is jest like
those people, they are to narrow-minded that they
think they only have truth, and that all else is false-
hood." But let It not be thought that be made • charge
against ritualism that it was one groat falsehood.
although be did charge against it that it was a system
of fakeness, and he made this charge against the
aeslous advocates of ritualism that they were uphold ug
• false system, and what he meant by that be should
eat forth under several headicp. In the first rhos be
asserted that ritualism was a system of false argument.
He referred to the flood of books, pamphlets, leseurste,
and arteries in newspapers, which little while ago was
poured forth from the ritualist preas arguing for
rituaisno, and to the fact that the highest court in the
realm bee declared those arguments false. It was also
a system of false theorise. It lisd a false theory of
Cetholicity. Church of England Cetholierty was eat
forth in the bidding prayer, in which they were enjoined
to pray for Christ's Holy Catholic Church. as • coon-
gregatien of Christian people dispersed throughout the
world. But the ritualist notion of Catholicity was
something for narrower, weaker, lower. If • ritualist
were closely pressed for • definition of Catholicity be
would say It was something which had been always the
common property of all true branches of the church.
And if asked what he meant by "the church" he would
reply "that which Is truly Catholic;" at length it
would be found it was epi•copecy, or a certain some-
thing be belieed to bothe correct idea of what • church
should be, and excluding the Presbyterians and all
Nonconformist., however sound. So that the Church
Association was doing a good work by standing up for
the Catholicity of the Prayer Book and of God's Holy
Word, " As nosey es are led by the Spirit of God, they
see the Bons of God." "Whomever believeth in Christ
Jesus, shall Rot perish, but have everlasting life."
Ritualism had a false notion of Christian unity. The
unity of ritualism coonested in certain out.' thd forms,
a particular ceremonial, holding certain opinions, and
expressing them to the eye mid ear in certain outward
and oommon.place ways. But it was clear that with
this outward agreement there might be inwardly the
widest possible differences. All might tarn to the
east when repeating the Nicene* erts. but some deny
that Christ is what God's word declares him to be, and
others reject this or that fundamental article of faith,
But the Church of England and Scriptural view of
unity was that we be dwelt ir. by the one Spirit, that
we be partakers in the one hope of eternal glory, that
we be grafted into the one liming vine even Christ him- ,
self, that we look for acceptance of God by His
merits alone and by that one perfect and sufficient
sacrifice once for all offered for the sins of the world.
On such • unity as this • man could stand strong, and
neither the power of earth nor hell could dislodge him.
Further, eitualism had • false notion as to what i•
primitive. He asked whether the ritualists meant by :
the early days of the church the 10th, the 7th, Or the I :
atis century. pointed out that error crept into the ChUIOII
as early as the Apostles' time, and said that our guide
mast be the one infallible book of church biatory—the
Bible. Again, ritualism has a syetem of false hopes.
The ritualiats anticipated that if they only made a
church showy enough, if they used sufficient gilding,
painting, and decoration, they would attract the
manes, but be appealed to their common sense and
experience, whether the poor man would not rather
seek out some plain room, where he could be spoken
to and prayed with end for in • way he could under-
stand, where the *eats were not too good to be sat
upon, and where the walls were not to fine to be
leaned against, instead of being attracted by any of
the devices of ritualism. Another hope of the ritual.
!Ms was to expel what one of them called "the demon
of Protestantism" out of the country, but they would
find that though men might be led away from the
truth, they had got • hard task to undo the work
meomplished 300 years ago at the blessed Reformation.
Again ritualism was a system of fake taste. The
ritualists set themselves up as perfect jade,' as to
taste in all matters affecting the piece, the manner,
and all the accessories of worship, but he ridiculed
their "decoration" of solid granite pillars with paint-
ing till they looked like barbers' poles, and the use of
illuminations done at an outlay of Is. 61. at the artists'
ceocrolan, or some trumpery piece of embroidery,
altogether out of harmony with the bedding. But
this was only ritualistic taste in the bud : it was seen
in full flower at Haycock last year. when there was
placed on the communion table a pig's bead (!), pats of
butter, elms, potatoes. and so forth. The poorest
country church, where the communion table was
covered with a cloth of not perhaps the best colour,
was more fitting for the celebration of the sacrament
than an altar adorned with such fake lathe, as they
githered around it to commemorate the life and
death, the sufferings and triumphs of our Redeemer.
Bet taste was • small matter, and he asserted that
ritualism we; • system of fake soholarship. The
ritualists laid claim to a vast amount of learning, and
they always took care to oast out an insinuation that
the Evangelical clergy were a lot of ignoramuses, in
fact, they were • hopeless set, and no learning you'd be
got out of them or into them—(laughter). Well, there
had been put forth some most learned and camasr
statements about St. John waning on his bead • plate
of gold, and that, in fact, he put on the insignia of a
Jewish high priest—that Polyerates set forth • stoty to
that effect, and that they ought to know the Apostle
John dad thereby make manifest to the church that be
had officially succeeded to the rights, titles, privileges,
arid all things appertaining to a high priest under the ,
law. Then • "very learned statement" wad made as to
the Greek words in which was expressed our Lord's
command "This do in remembrance of me." They were
told that "This do" did not mean "do this," as in their
ignorance they might have thought, but " make this
merinos!" Another "Important fact" had been brought
to light by the researches of the learned, viz., that in
the cataisombe at Rome, where not only were the dead
buried, but living Christians worshipped, they used
lights. Ile was bound to admit this was the case, and
aso that at • meeting of the Church Association in
Dorchester on Tuesday, April 13, lights were used—
though he must add that in the one case, as
in the other, if they had not had lights they
would have been in the dark. They were thriller in.
formed that when Paul required to have his cloak
brought from Trees, it was his " sacrificial vestment"
he wanted; but he thought nothing was more natural
than that Pull, labounng and travelling, worn and
infirm, ache was, should be desirous of having his cloak
to cover him. The lecturer referred to other notable
dimoverim of this sort, and proceeded to say that

ritualism was • syetem of files elterek„,
mated the slides 01 the ritaaliets at the *worst L.
pretest movement to be "an ehareitsan,.
sherellosio," and so forth, but now they want .trost
with site Prayer Book, and treated
the "Pre-Reforsuatiou Um." whleb wee a 'nuts 414
',Ong the popish see. They spoke 011 k. lisfonastio
slid the lislormen in the bitterest terms, and te.au
constantly aiming at " re-unios with the Wests-ii;
Chureb." He quoted • resolution r.sntiy pared at
of the Hagfish Ohara Vision st Paigcann
e separation of Church and State was anijai.
plated, and the divisioss of the choice into sessrai
unsions, In which ease It was agreed " English Candies
should look forwsrd to re-entoa with the red of the
Western amnia," and, under these eircumeances, tin
sending of repneentetives over to the forthcoming yen.
foresee in Rome wee advocated. He than iadieeted the
disregard of th• ritualists for the homilies and articles
of the church, and the conteentsous way in which
they speak of such Bishops as oppose them.
lUtoalie was a system of false law, this he supported
by r. leering to the recent trials. It wu alio a system
of tales theology. The ritualist doctrine of the Real
Presence was then argued, the lecturer pointing out the
immense importance of this question ; and, in condo.
Son, he untended for Scripture' up" protssiss,
character of the teaching of the Charon of Englanf, and
urged them to be more and more earnest in its support,
A vote of thanks was pound to the rev, gentleman, on
the motion of the Rev. J. Miller, seconded by the Rev,
E. W. Pears, who invited those present who were not
members of the Church Association to join it, and
mentioned that there warn • parish near Dorchester,
where in consistence of ritualism the whole of the
teaching and emiting of the parish reeled upon •
Christian farmer, except as regarded fire people who
attended the ohnreh. In closing the meeting. the
Chairman stated that • clergyman, who has lately left
this diocese, told him that be joined the English Chun*
Union, honestly believing it was established to defend
the church against dissenters, but he had found its real
object was to assimilate the services of the Church of
England to those of Rome, and therefore he had left It.
He also agreed with him that that was the tendency of
Hymen Aneient and Modern. and the reason why that
book sae compiled.—A collection was made at the doge
towards the expenses.