The Express.
London, England, 1851-04-02 00:00:00

(Prom 1,21 t Night's GaVie.)

FOREIGN-OFFICE, MARcii 31.—The Queen has been
pleased to approve of 1). Miguel Taco'', Marquis del
Ilayamo, a: Consul-General in the United Kingdom for her
Majesty the Queen of Spain.
lluw PI I SG-STREET, APRIL I.—The Queen has been
rien,tt to appoint Stephen John Hill, Esq., Brevet Major
in the Army, to he GUVl'mur and Coinmantler-in-Chief in
and over her Majesty's Forts and Settlement:, and their de-
pendencies, on the Gold Coast; aim to appoint Samuel
Weneky Maclean, Esq., Major in the Royal Longford Regi-
ment 01 Militia, to be Lieutenant-Governor of the Island of
Dominica.
COM 51ISSION SIGNED BY ME LORD LIEUTENANT
or G 1.0 IST E 11311111 E.—The Eight lion. henry John
Moreton. commonly called Lord Moreton, to be Deputy
Lieutenant.
COMMIRSTON SIGNED BY TILE LORD LIEUTENANT
(Si l'am nemulanntr. —Seymour Philipps Allen, Esq., to
, be Deputy Lieutenant.

RITUAL OBSERVANCES IN TILE CHURCF

OF ENGLAND.

The fullowing address, signed, it will be seen, by
the two Archbishops and twenty-two out of the twenty-six
Iti,:hops, those not signing being the Bishops of Exeter,
Mauchest,r, Hereford, and Bath and Wells, has been pub-
lished :

We, the undersigned Archbishops and Bishops of the
province's of Canterbury and York. do most earnestly and
affection,:tely commend the following address to the serious
consideration of the clergy of our respective dioceses—J. B.
Cantuar, T. Ebor, C. J. London, E. Dunelm, C. It. Win-
ton, J. Lincoln, C. Bangor, R. Carlisle, G. Rochester, J.
R. Olocester and Bristol, C. T. Ripon, E. Sarum, G. Pe-
terhomugh, C. St. David's, 11. Worcester, A. T. Cieestr,
J. Licht; -Id, T. Ely, S. Oxon, T. V. St. Asaph, J. *Chester,
S. Norwich, A. Llandaff, Auckland. and Sodor and Man.
" Beloved Brethren,—We have viewed with the deepest
anxiety the troubles, suspicious, and discontents which have
of late, in some parishes' accompanied the introduction of
ritual observances exceeding those in common use amongst
us.
" We long indulged the hope that, under the influence of
charity, forbearance, and a calm estimate of the small im-
portance of such external forms, compared with the blessing
of united action in the great spiritual work which is before
our church, these heats and jealousies might by mutual
concessions be allayed. But since the evil still exists, and
in one most important feature has assumed a new and more
dangerous character, we tel that it is our duty to try whe-
ther ant arrest and united address on our part may teed,
under the blessing of God, to promote the restoration of
peace and harmony in the church.
"The principal point in dispute is this - whether' where
the letter of the Rubric seems to warrant a measure of ritual
observance which yet, by lung and possibly by unbroken
practice, hies not been carried out, the clergy are either in
conscience required, or absolutely at liberty, to act each
upon his own view of the letter of the precept rather than by
the rule of common practice. Now, as to this question we
would urge upon you the following considerations: First.
than any change of usages with which the religious feelings
of a congregation have become associated is in itself so likely
to do harm that it is not to be introduced without the
greatest caution; secondly, that, beyond this, any change
which makes it difficult fur the congregation at large to join
in the service is still more to be avoided ; thirdly, that any
change which suggests the fear of still further alterations is
most injurious; and fuurthly, that according to the rule laid
dowu in the Book of Common Prayer, where anything is
doubted or diversely taken • concerning the manner how to
understand, do, and execute the things contained in that
book, the parties that so doubt, or diversely take anything,
shall alway resort to the bishop of the diocese, who by his
discretion vloll take order for the quieting and appeasing of
the same, so that the same order be not contrary to anything
contained in that book.'
" The fair application of these principles would, we be-
lieve, solve most of the difficulties which have arisen. It
would present all sudden and startling alterations ; and it
would facilitate the reception of any change which was
really lawful mid desirable. We woula therefore, first urge
~urin,tioounroirseuvc.ilr. truhrofwmitiihduactftc:c 'Wcatwe
would
antsetbzezh
all
the
who, whether by excess or delict, have broken in upon the
uniformity and contributed to relax the authority of our
ritual observances, to consider the impurtauce of unity and
order, and by common consent to avoid whatever might tend
to violate them. lu recommending this course as the best
under pr. sent cireumstunces, we do not shut our eyes to the
evil of even the appearance of any discrepancy existing be-
tween the written law and the practice of the church. But
there are many eases where the law may be variously inter-
preted ; and we believe that we are best carrying out her
own principles in urging you to have recourse, in all such
eases, to the advice of her chief pastors.
" But beyond mere attempts to restore an unusual strict-
ness of ritual observance, we hava to deal with a distinct
and serious evil. A principle has of late been avowed and
acted on, which, if admitted, would justify far greater and
more uncertain changes. It is this—that as the church of
England is the ancient catholic church settled in this land
before the Reformation, and was then reformed only by the
casting away of certain strictly defined corruptions ; there-
fore, whatever form or usage existed in the church before
its reformation may now be freely introduced and observed,
unless there can be alleged against it the distinct letter of
some formal prohibitiou.
"Now, against any such inference from the undoubted
identity of the church before and after the Reformation,
we feel bound to enter our clear and unhesitating protest.
We believe that at the Reformation the English church not
only rejected certain corruptions, but also, without in any
degree severing her connexion with the ancient catholic
church, intended to establish one uniform ritual, according
to which her public services should be conducted. But it is
malifest that a license such as is contented for is wholly
int impatible with any uniformity of worship whatsoever,
and at variance with the universal practice of the catholic
church, which has never given to the officiating ministers of
se orate congregations any such large discretion in the
selection of ritual observances.
•• We therefore beseech any who may have proposed to
thcmse:ves the restoration of what, under sanction of this
principle hey deemed a lawful system, to consider the d
tn-
gers which it involves ; to see it iu its true light, and to take
a more just and sober view of the real position of our
church ; whilst, with equal earnestness, we beseech others,
who, either by intentional omission or by neglect and laxity,
may have disturbed the uniformity and weakened the au-
thority of our prescribed ritual, to strengthen the side of
order by avoiding all unnecessary deviations from the
church's rule.