The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-29 00:00:00

THE sUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1840,

FOREIGN LETTERS.

There seems to be a very general and erroneous
impression that the postage of foreign letters can-
not be paid by means of stamps. The 3d and 4th
Vic., c. 06, sec. 12, authorises that stamps may
be used for foreign letters outwards. In those
cases, where the stamps are insufficient, and the
payment of the foreign postage is compulsory, the
letter is returned to the sender ; but where the pay-
ment is optional, the letter is forwarded and
charged " with such postage as if no stamp had
been thereon or affixed thereto." The crowds which
inconveniently assemble at the last moment to pay
their letters in money at Lombard-street and St.
Martins-le•Grand would be much lessened if let-
ters, both inland and foreign, were posted in stamps.

WHAT IS PUSEYISM?

TO TEE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sett,—A Correspondent of your's some short time
since asked the question—" What is Puseyism ?" In
answer I would reply that Puseyism is the advocating,
by Dr. Pusey and his adherents, of the same construe•
Lion being placed upon the rites and ceremonies of the
Established Church and the Book of Common Player,
as was promulgated by Dr. Anthony Sparrow, Bishop
of Exeter, in 1676, in his " Rationale upon the Book
of Common Prayer of the Church of Ecgland." This
work may be looked upon as the text book of the
Puseyites ; it has recently been republished by the
Oxford Tract Society, but as some of your readers may
he curious to know something of this book, without the
payment of five shillings, I have made several extracts
from an original copy, and also from a sermon appended
to the same work. After your Correspondent has read
these extracts, I consider that he can be under no mis-
take as to " What is Puseyism ?"
I am, Sir, your's, &c.,
ROBERT WILLIAM DICKINSON.
Ilfracombe, Dec. 22,1840.

ExTizacTs from a Sermon entitled " A Caution against
False Doctrine," preached at Truro, in Cornwall, by
i
Dr. Anthony Sparrow, Bishop of Exeter, at his primary
visitation. Published in London, 1676.
" Let every soul he subject to the h ghee powers, to
him that bears the sword not only for wrath, hut also for
conscience sake, and whoever resists shall receive damna-
tion."—Romons xiii. "Be subject to every ordinance of
man, for the Lord's saka, whether it be to the Kin', as
supreme, or unto Governors who arc ,c'nt, by him."—l Pet.
11. 13. Which words are as plain as can be spoken, and
cannot admit of any other interpretation.
" Ile that will not hear the Church, let hiss be to thee
as an heathen and publican."—Mat. xviii. 17.
" Not forsaking the public assembling of ourselves,"
Het). x. 25; " According; to the commands of those who
are our governors."—Heb. xiii. 17.
Remember it is God who commands in those plain texts
before mentioned, and none but himself can discharge any
obedience ; and therefore you must obey till you find the
particular commands of your superiors forbidden by as
plain texts as those which in general require you to oliey.
Keep stcdfast in the faith of all such truths as the
Catholic Apostolic Church hath believed and delivered as
necessary.
t• The Church is the ground and Pillar of truth," I Tim.
5 : " Into her bosom and registry the apostles com-
mitted all necessary truths. as ouc Lord commanded them,"
Mat. xxriii. 19, 20. '' Go teach all nations "to observe
all things whatsoever T. have command ad you. They hoe
their Lord's commands, and were true to their trust in
teaching them accordingly. These necessary truths thus
laid up in the treasury of the Church arc domestic house-
hold doctrines, which all cf that family should hold fast,
end not he carried about by every wind of strange
or
for, ign doctrine.— Ileb. xiii. 19. Th-sa necessary
truths, committed by the Apostles to the churches of their
oa,n plantation, God }lath womised (Mat. xxviii. 20)
should be delivered down to the end of the world. L. 3. I
am with you (namely, in the teaching all that I have com-
manded) to the end of the world. What ti.eiefore loath
been constantly &livered and believed as commands of
Christ by the general testimony of the universal Church
in all ages, ought to be fcmly b..lieved upon the same con•
sentient testimony we receive and believe the Canonical
Scriptures to be the Word of God.
Doctor Anthony Sparrow's ( Bishop of Exeter) " Ra-
tionale upon the Book of Common Prayer."
'rue Common-Prayer-Book contains in it many holy
efices cf the Church : as prayers, confession of faith, holy
hymns, divine lessons, priestly absolutions, and benedic-
tions : all which are set and prescribed, not left to private
men's fancies to make or alter,

Lord bo with you"—is a most excellent and seasonabblee 1
prayer for the people, in effect thus much, tls Lord
with you, to lift up your hearts and raise your devotions to
his service. The Lord be with you, to accept your services.
The Lord be with you, to reward you hereafter with eternal
life. The people answered," and with thy spirit," which form
is taken:out of 3 Timothy iv. and is :as much as this,
Thou art above to offer up prayers and spiritual sacrifices
for us, therefore we pray, likewise for thee, that He, with-
out whom nothing is good and acceptable, be with thy
spirit, while thou art exercised in these spiritual services,
which must be performed with the spirit, according to St.
Paul, 1 Cor. xiv, 15. Thus the Priest prays and wishes
well to the people, and they pray and wish well to the
Priest. And such mutual salutations and prayers as this
and those that follow, where Priest and people interchange
ably pray for each other, are excellent expressions for the
" Communion of Saints."

VERSICLES AND ANSWERS.
After the Lord's Prayer follow short versicics and
answers taken out of Holy Scriptures. The Priest,
when he begins these short prayers, is directed to stand.
It is noted :that the priest in the holy offices is some-
times appointed to kneel, arid sometimes to stand. The
reason of this we shall once for all inquire.
The priest or ministar being a man of like infirmities
with the rest of the congregation, a sinner, and so stand-
ing in need of grace and pardon as well as the rest, in all
confessions of sins and penitential prayers, such as the
Litany is, is directed to beg his pardon and grace upon his
knees. He, being moreover a priest or minister of the
moat high God, that hath received from him an office and
authority, sometimes stands, to signify that his office and
authority ; which office may be considered either in rela-
tion to God or the people. As it relates to God, to he is
God's ambassador (2 Cor. v., 20), to whom is committed
the ministry of reconciliation, in which respect he is to
teach, bsptize, consecrate the holy Eucharist, bless
and absolve the penitent ; and in all these acts
of authority which he does in the name and
person of Christ, he is to stand. As his efficc
relates to the people, so he is in their stead,
for them appointed by God to otter up gifts and sacrifices
to God, particularly the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiv-
ing, together withtheir prayers ; so we read, Hebrews v., 1.
" Every high priest or priest (so the words are promiscu-
ously used, Hebrews viii., 3 4) taken from among men, is
ordained for men, or in their stead, in things pertaining to
God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins"—which de-
finition of a priest belongs not only to a priest of the law,
but also to a priest or minister of the gospel. For St.
Paul from this definition proves that our Lord Christ, who
was after the order of Melchizedec, not of Aaron, a priest
of the gospel, not of the.law, ought nof;to call himself (ver.
) , but was appointed by God ; and moreover, that he
ought to have gifts and sacrifices to offer (Hebrews viii. 3),
because every high priest or priest is ordained to offer gifts
and sacrifices.
These arguments of St. Paul, drawn from this defirii-
ties, are fallacious and unconcludiug, unless this be the
definition of a gospel-priest as well as a legal. Seeing,
the.), that we must not conclude St. Paul's arguments to
ha unconcluding, we must grant that the ministers Of the
Gospel arc appointed ky Gol to offer up the sacrifices of
prayers and praises of the Church for the people, thus to
stand betwixt God and them ; and to show this his office
in these services he is directed to stand. By this we may
sae what advantage it is to the people that their prayers
are offered up by a priest. For God having appointed hint
to this office, will certainly assist and accept his own con-
stitution ; and though the minister be wicked or undevout
in his prayers, yet God, that will punish this neglect in
himself, trill certainly accept of his office for the people.
Upon this grotto(' probs'aly it was that God sent Abime-
kelt to Abraham to pray for him, fur he was a prophet.—
Genesis xx., 7.