The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-02 00:00:00

St, Paul's Cathedral.

Last evening, for the first time in. the present
winter, the special services were resumed in the
dome area of the metropolitan cathedral, and there
was as large a congregation as on any previous
occasion. Nearly 3,000 people, it is said, can be
seated below the dome and be brought within
the compass of a preacher's voice. The great body
of the congregation, as on previous occasions,
entered by the great western door, for which no
tickets nor any pass of any kind are ever required,
and probably about a tenth of the whole number
were admitted by tickets by the south entrance to
the reserved seats and the choir. The grand organ
played as usual by Mr. Goss, the organist of the
cathedral, was again brought into requisition, ac-
companied by a choir of about 400 voices, led by
Mr. Buckland. From the first 'the choir at the
Special Services has been mainly, if not wholly,
composed of amateurs, many of them being young
women. The building was lighted as usual, and
most effectively, by a single row of gas jets round
the base of the dome throughout its whole eircurn-
ference. The respobses were sung to the Music by
Tanis, and Mercer's Church Psalter and Hymn
Book were again in use, as they have been from
the very first of the Special Services. Of this
standard work a new, or, as it is designated, the
Oxford edition, has just been published, with many
improvements, and containing about 50 tunes newly
introduced, in place of some of less beauty.
The Lord Bishop of London preached the sermon
on-tlittloecasioxi, taking-for his text, front tlhe-hook
of Isaiah, the words, " In quietness and confidence
shall be thy strength." The discourse was specially
designed to influence the thoughts and feelings of
the congregation at the commencement of a new
year. Towards its close the right rev. prelate thus
adverted to existing dissensions within the Church :
Was it true, he asked, as was said, that faith was
endangered by an: evecactive reason ; was it true,
as some said, that conviction was imminent ; were
there faint-hearted men who feared lest the two
could be reconciled ? God watched over all his
people, and certainly watched over their Church.
The Church of England had a great trust from its
Lord and Saviour. The very position of our na-
tion put us in the fore front of the battle for
Christ's Gospel. It had to proclaim that Gospel,
to spread the Scriptures wherever the British name
was known, and here at home how overwhelming
the responsibilities, how great and glorious the
work which the Saviour had committed to His
Church ! And shoal they not trust in Him who
laid these responsibilities on them to bring them
safe through every trial? Who brought that Church
through the great crisis of the Reformation 300
years ago, rearing it up to be the defender of the
old faith while Ile gave it at the same time a heart
to sympathise with the world's growing intelligence ;
who brought it safe through those trials, and to re-
sults of which the unworthy human instruments
whom He employed, and who thought only that
their own purposes were good, never dreamt ; who
saved that Church again from a wild fanaticism

beating down the Throne and Altar, or from the
worse scourge of an Atheistical reaction ; who, 180
years ago, brought them safe through that treacher-
ous atrempt to give them up again, 'bound hand
and foot, to the old tyranny ; who, 100 years
ago, saved them from an insidious Arianism
eating into the heart of Christ's Gospel, while.
men, in the deadness of a formal morality, cared so
little for the Gospel that they would not have missed
it if it had disappeared; who, 50 years ago, brought
by the Holy Spirit new life, new love of Christ,
with an appreciation of Gospel doctrines, new care
for souls, and new missionary zeal throughout the
Church and nation; who, within their own memory,
had saved it from being torn asunder by inevitable
differences of sentiment and opinion which must
burst forth when zeal abounded ? God had kept
them safe hitherto. They had known greater trials,
and God to these, too, would put an end. God had
great things for that Church to do, and for all its .I
sons and daughters. They would be saved from j
anxiety if they would do their work quietly and
calmly as in His sight, not prating of controversies,
not anxiously carping at their brother faith, but
looking carefully to their own, doing their own,
work as in God's sight, seeing that their own hearts,
their own families, and their own neighbourhoods
were made to reflect the pure and eternal Gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. If they did that in quiet-
ness and confidence and as faithful Christians, for
the Church, for the nation, or for themselves, there
need be no anxiety.