American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-01-18

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THE BISHOP OF EXErER'S LETTER ON THE
OBSERVANCE OF THE RUBRlC.
Letter TO The Clergy ofthe Diocese Of Exeter on III,
observance of the Rubric in the Book of Con,-
mon Pfayer-by Henry, Lord Bishop Of Ere-
ter.
BlsHoPsTowN Nov, 10, 1874.
REV. AND DEAR BRETHREN,-l address you
on subject of very deep interest to us all
the diversity of practice in the worship Of AL
mighty God-whch, in concurrence with 9TH
er unhappy causes, has threatened to involve
US in state Of painful, had almost said peril
Gus disunion.
That the mischief has not been felt so strong
Iy in this diocese as in some others, while it
calls for our especial thankfulness to Almighty
God, may, we hope, be ascribed in no small
measure to warm and steady attachment to the
Church on the part of the laity, and not less,
rejoice in thinking, to the general soberness and
discretion of you, the clergy.
But even here we are very far from being
exempt from the common evil There are par
ishes in Deyonshre, and still more in Corn
WALL in which grave misunderstanding have
arisen between the minister and the people,
from causes for which neither he nor they have
been primarily responsible.
Discussions of important principles in other
parts of the Church, though they found among
us no vehement partisans on either side, have
led, in several instances to very painful results.
While they have excited, in many of the cler-
gy, a llvelier sense of the responsibility impos-
ed on them by their engagements to the Church,
and have made them solcitous to follow out its
acquisitions to their full extent; they have at
he same time indisposcd the laity to the recep-
ton of any change, by exhibiting too many i'll
stances of the fatal consequences of change,
introduced, as it has elsewhere been, by pri-
vate individuals, whether from simple desire of
novelty,.or as part of systematic attempt to
A., bring back our Church nearer to the corrupt
, usages from which it was reformed.
1t was therefore actual experience of great
and pressing, and growing evils, which recent
ly induced me to have recourse to the unusual,
but strictly canonical, expedient of seeking the
advice of those whose Office and standing and
may truly add, whose high personal qualif-
cations pre-emnently fit them to form the
Council of their Bishop.
Sixteen members of the General Chapter of
the Cathedral of Exeter, together with the
Archdeacons of Totnes and Barnstaple (the
Archdeacon of Cornwall being unfortunately
absent through illness, met in the Chapter
Room, and gave to me the benefit of their uni
ted deliberations. Another distinguished pre-
bendary (reluctantly detained by sickness, sent
to US his Judgment, founded on long experience
II one of the most populous and important dis
, tricts in Cornwall.
They were unanimous in deplorng existing
evils, and in experimenting greater, if some
timely check be not applied. And, if they
were not unanimous i'll advising what that
check should be, this very want of unanimity
10 4 Ia, IA, or c,1I
ing all that could be urged by able and expert
of three hours, more than two-thirds of the
whole number agreed in advising me, that the
only proper, and under God the only efectual
remedy, appeared to be, at once to restrain all
undue change, and to look to the law as our
sole guide. OF that law, the law of the whole
Church of England, including under that COM
prehensive term not the pastors and teachers
alone, but the people also-that is, the State
: of that law, one main and leading object, since
the Reformation, has ever been to establish
uniformity of public prayers, and admnstra-
ton of sacraments, and other rights and cere-
monies"
This object, good in itself, becomes inestima-
BILE when we look to the evils which il alone
can prevent. But uniformity, it is manifest,
can only be secured by laying down one rule.
This the law has done. And, if process time
has introduced some relaxations in practice, is
suing in the great evils we now depore it is a
convincing proof that the true remedy for those
evils must be sought in returning to a faithful
observance of the Act of Uniformity.
That act has, in truth, every claim law
can have, on the dutiful and cordial obedience
of churchmen. Based on the soundest princi-
Piles, recognising and declaring the liturgy it.
selfto be purely spiritual in its origin, and APP
plying temporal sanctions only to enforce the
use of it, the iustrious statute bears on it the
character of solemn compact; by which the
church, having provided for the nation pure
form of Christian worship, received for that
form the assured protection and support of the
crown, and all the estates Of the realm; a
statute which, for this very reason, is holden
to be essential and fundamental, and is 80 de-
clared to be in the great constitutional act, the
act of union between the realms of England and
Scotland.
Now, do not say every departure from any
minute direction of the Book of Common Pray
er, enslIined as it is in the fundamental law,
deserves to be stgmatized as violation of the
National compact; but say, that the duty Of
strict obedience to it cannot be too strongly felt
by any--least ofall, by the clergy. To this duty
we pledged ourselves in our ordination VOWS.
we Iehe"eo lhdI pieuSe, So oiteH ds we unuer-
took the cure of souls, or were otherwise ad-
mitted to serve in any other Office in the house
of God To the strict fulflment, therefore, of
that duty, no faithful minister of Gods word
will think it hardship that his bishop should
now recall him. He WILL rather, gladly recog-
Mise the fitness of recurring to it, at time of
geperal doubt and difficulty, as the one, the
only rule, by which our practice in public pray
er can be honestly or safely regulated.