The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-29 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,----,Having observed that you occasionally de-
vote a portion of your columns to topics connected
with our nation:a church, I am desirous of inviting
the consideration of your readers to a most important
branch of the great question of Church Reform,
which now engrosses so large a share of public at-
tention.

As a minister of the establishment, and as de-
votedly attached to that part of its church militant
here on earth, I cannot look upon those discussions
in which the public mind is s-) engaged without in-
tense interest. It seems impossible to cast evert a
hasty glance around our ecclesiastical horizon with-
out gathering from " the signs of the times "
strong conviction that our church is fast approach-
ing a momentous crisis. Every appearance is big
with this indication. The subject of Church Re-
form in its most comprehensive sense has been
brought before the Christian world, and our rulers,
spiritual and temporal, in an able work anonymously
published, but usually, and I believe correctly, at-
tributed to the Rev. Mr. Berens. The more limited,
but by no means less interesting question of the
Revision of the Liturgy has been discussed in a
systematic and detailed manner, and in a more re-
cent publication, by the Rev. R. Cox, Minister of
Stoitehouse, Devon, a clergyman already known to
the world as the author of several ,theological pub-
lications.

To this work, Mr. Editor, I request permission
to direct your attention, for the purpose of bringing
this most interesting question before your readers.
The method adopted by the author, is that of a cir-
cumstantial review of the Liturgy ; his object he
a+on•s to be no other than that of obtaining from
the Government and our Hierarchy " An improved
Edition of an invaluable Publication."

His phins for that purpose, with your leave, I
shall now examine in the order observed in the
work, and since he candidly avers " he has not the
vanity to suppose theta]] his alterations will be deemed
unobjectionable, much less that they will be regarded
as the most sensible that might be proposed," he
will doubtless rather court than shrink from fair
discussion.

Mr. Cox grounds his arguments in favour of a
revision of the Liturgy, on the general principle, that
the original compilers of that venerated form of
devotion, so far from having completed the grand
undertaking of reformation, confessedly left the
illustrious work, so happily begun, to be carried on
to perfection by their successors. The historical
review of the progr►ss of the Reformation in
England, from Henry VIII. to the Revolution, in
proof and illustration of this position, is drawn
with much truth, fidelity, and clearness. The real
character of the Defender of the Faith has been
seldom, if ever, more felicitously depicted than by
Mr. C. in a clever antithetical sketch.

" That tyrannical Monarch had separated from
the Pope, but not from Popery.' The Protestant
Who dared to deny the real presence in the sacra-
ment, was no less the object of his displeasure than
the Papist who ventured to question his supremacy.
To proceed too fast cr too slowly in the work of
reformation equally excited his indignation; to fall
short of or to exceed the royal standatd of ortho-
doxy,wasalike punished by this modern Procrastes."

Inferring froin the facts in this historical epitome,
that the Liturgy was never declined by its com-
pilers as complete, far less, as immaculate, the
author urges a revision of their incompleted work,
to be immediately undertaken. He regards the
present juncture as most favourable to the attempt,
when, as he declares, " We have Bishops inferior to
none of the Reformers in piety, superior to them all
in literary attainments, and abundantly better qua-
lified to revise and complete our Liturgy than those
who originally framed it."
Waiving any doubts which might be raised as to
the accuracy of this view of present circumstances,
I proceed to examine Mr. C.'s proposed alterations
and emendations. A lively impression of the " long-
someness" of the service appears to have been 'a
chief incentive to the author's projected revision.
To obviate this prolixity, and to avoid repetition,
are evidently among the objects nearest his heart.
His plan for effecting the former of these objects is
that of dividing the present morning service into
two separate portions; thus providing a morning
and afternoon ritual. The first to consist of the
morning prayer (strictly so called), and the second
of the communion service, both to undergo certain
alterations. By this means the evening ser-
vice would be performed in the evening in churches
where there are three services, obviating those
repetitions which now necessarily arise from using
the same service for afternoon and evening.:
Another plan of abridgement is the cancelling of
all repetitions. It is objected that the Lord's prayer
occurs five, and not unfrequently six or seven, times
in the morning service. This our author strenu-
ously urges should be used only once, and in like
manner, he is anxious to confine the use of the Gloria
Palri to the end of all the psalms, instead of repeat-
ing► it as at present, at the end of every psalm.
Allowing the justice of many of the arguments ad-
duced in support of this opinion, I cannot regard
them as sufficiently cogent to establish the position
that every repetition should be avoided. " Vai❑
repetitions" we have the highest authority for avoid-
ing, but the words of our Lord himself, and the
model of prayer which he left us, should surely be
placed upon very different grounds from ever,- other
portion of the Liturgy. And whether our reformers
retained it merely because they found it in the
three original separate services, or not, it appears
highly desirable, and altogether expedient to record
our veneration and deference for his divine autelogy
by using it more than once.

The same remarks, it is admitted, will not apply
to the Gloria Patri. And yet there does seem a
simple grandeur, a religious sublimity, in the frequent
'repetition of this laudatory recognition of the holy,
blessed, and glorious Trinity. It is a constant
;memento to worshippers of the might and majesty
;of the triune Jehovah. Moreover, it bears a strik-
:ing and a gratifying affinity to Hebrew worship—to
'that ancient and venerable ritual which Jehovah
lihimself designed to institute—which Itmnanuel,
God with us, condescended to employ. To many
a mind it doubtless marks in a most impressive man-
ner the distinction between the holy and the com-
mon. Past ages have been disposed to veil the rites
and ceremonies of the church in undue and supersti-
tious mystery. Now, the propensity of the times is
'to run into the opposite extreme—to level every
distinction between the sacred and the profane—and
to render the most solemn,' the most holy language
of devotion, as familiar and as common as household
words.

While this proposed abridgment of the morning
4rvice, and the appointment of a separate service for
the afternoon, have many solid advantages to recom-
'mend their adoption, I am by no means so sanguine
its the author appears to be, as to the facility of
he execution of such a plan ; and I am far from
ptiing satisfied, with him, that they are " inconsider-
ble..alterations ;" still less can I believe that they
iwould be acknowledged as improvements by all.
'Nor is my assurance scarcely less than positive, that

the writer who flatters him t "no tithe!,
would be made on the rtalieg, at,; jedices of Oa,
most sensitive," by reele a cheage, has not duly c•ti•
mated the strong hold %vhich eduea,..!l, and
association takes upon the mind, even of the most
open and candid.
Again, it doe 3 not seem satisfactorily made out
that " the greater part, if not the wln of thrse
emendations, mi?:lit be carried into t ffact by an au-
thority similar to that which appoints suitable
prayers for the seasons, set apart for humiliation or
thanksgiving; or ‘..-hich occasionally directs, that an
additional name should be inserted in our prayers
for the Royal Family." To alter the fame-work
of our Liturgy, so far as to'leake three services out
of two, is surely a matter of far greater weight, and
involving consideration of much deeper interest than
the temporary appointment of a suitable prayer
for a fast or thanksgiving day, or the interpolation of
an additional name in the prayers for the Royal
Family. While in the same page Mr. Co: depre-
cates any intention of proposing alterations which
should have a tendency to unsettle the minds of the
people, or to diminish their attachment to our ve-
nerable Liturgy, I can scarcely suppose so important
a change as that conteraplated, could be entrusted
to this summary method of procedure without in-
curring the charge of rashness—thus exciting a pre-
judice against the undertaking, which only refers to
the method of conducting ir.
Having trespassed so largely upon your indul-
gence, I shall not venture in my present letter be-
yond those topics which are comprehended within
Mr. Cox's introductory chapters, but shall, with
your permission, resume the subject in a future
number.

A COUNTRY CLERGYMAN.
, near Plymouth, Devon, Dee. 23.

TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Your correct remarks upon the imperfec-
tions of the laws of this country induce me to lay
before your readers, through your valuable columns,
a view of the Court of Chancery, which does not
appear to have presented itself to you.
A bill is filed, which, after due delays in excep-
tions, references for imperfections, amendments, and
other et-cetera, is answered—wittiesses are exa-
mined, and at an expense of from one to ten thou-
sand pounds, the cause is, at the end of four or five
years, brought to a hearing—the plaintiff obtains a
decree, with a reference to the Master—he sees the
money almost within his hands, and is frantic wiih
joy—the fool !! ! He gets into the Master's office,
fresh evidence is produced, two or three years more
are consumed, 500/. more are expended, the f‘iss-
ter probably reports there is nothing due to him, and
the plaintiff has to pay the costs ! So much for his
decree!

But we will suppose the Master reports that
every farthing ha seeks to recoN er:is due to him—
his joy is again excessive, he fancies he has only to
go back to the Court to get the Master's report con-
firmed, and to melte his money—poor maniac ! ! !
he dors not dream of exceptions being filed to the
Master's report. This hangs the cause up for another
year at least—new briefs must be prepared and de-
livered, and another 5001. expended. At length
the exceptions are argued, and perhaps allowed—
the_cup of bliss is dashed from the mouth of the
dreamer of happiness, and he finds himself awake in
a prison for the costs.

It mny be observed, the exceptions may be allowed
in part, and it may be referred back to the Master
to correct his report. Another year or two, at least,
consumed—another 5001. expended—the cause
comes back to the Court with a report which strips
the suitor of all his hopes, and ho is thus plunged
in distress and ruin.

'We will, however, assume that the report is fa-
vourable—it is coVirmed—and although the man
and his family hare suffered ten, fifteen, or twenty
years of torturing anxiety, he is grown old, and,
with his family, reduced almost to starvation and
beggary by the draining Chancery suit; but he is
now about to receive what he has been for so many
years unjustly kept from the enjoyment of; and
although he is worn out with constant harrazsing,
his heart and spirit are broken and bowed to the
earth by the long and expensive isuit, and the pri-
vations to which he has been subject in consequence
of it ; he has, however, the :consolation of hoping
And expecting that his family will enjoy the fruits
of his wretched and tedious perseverance—stop—
an appeal is filed—the suit is again hung up for two
or three years—another 50W. must be raised and
expended: and here again he runs the risk of a
reversal of all the former judgments, and even at
this stage his claim may be crushed, and the plain-
tiff end his miserab!e existence in a gaol, with the
knowledge that his family are miserable homeless
wanderers and beggars in the street—rendered so b♦
his attempts to obtain justice in a Court of
EQUITY ! !

I assure you, Sir, I have not by any means co-
loured this picture highly; I have assumed that the
suitor would be able to find money to carry on the
suit—l have not taken into consideration the deaths
of parties and bills of revivor consequent thereon—
the issues and trials at law which may be directed
by the Court—the numerous motions arising out of
the suit which it may from time to time be necessary
to make—the different tricks to which the practice
of this Court allows a defendant to resort, in order
to delay a plaintiff and put him to enormous and use-
less expense—the want of ability or application on
the part of some of the Vicers of the Court, not
excepting some of the Masters themselves—the dif-
ficulties of getting before the Masters more than
about twice a week, and then only for an hour at a
time, so that the Master can catch the merits of the
cause but by bits and scraps, and consequently can-
not possibly acquire a clear and comprehensive know-
ledge of the case—l say I have not taken into con-
aideratien these, and a thousand other disadvantages,
discouragements, and delays, arising in the course
of a hostile and prolonged suit—l have set forth a
comparatively smooth and straight-forward case.
That such a Court is a disgrace to this country
cannot be denied, and that a man must be an idiot
who would not at once sacrifice almost his last shil-
ling rather than plunge into the vortex of such a
Court, is a fact equally clear; but how is it to be
remedied—by lopping off some of the fringes ?
No; by a commission directed to LAWYERS, who have
been all their lives immured in the Courts of Law or
Equity, whose minds are warped, and their
hearts hardened by the repeated, nay, constant
scenes of distress and injustice, which they witness,
and in which they are engaged?—Men whose whole
lives have been devoted to learn the QUIBBLES and
tricks of their profession, and in applying them for
the benefit of their client be his cause ever so un-
just,—and totally regardless of the ruin, distress,
and desolation they deal around them ?-2I say, are
such men likely to discover and apply a remedy ?
No, no, let a commission be directed to some men
of liberal and expanded minds, NOT LAWYERS, with
power for them to call for and examine lawyers and
other persons if they please; and I, for one, shall
be greatly surprized if they do not destroy the old
and INFERNAL machine of the Courts of Chancery,
and erect one of a much less complicated and less
expensive nature—where:patronage, expense, and
delay will no longer be the ruling principles—but
where a man will have an opportunity of stating his
.case and obtaining a final decision with as little (or
less) delay and expense as he now experiences in
bringing his cause to an issue and termination in a
Court of Common Law.