The sun., 1890-12-06

been signed, WOuld nAV0 Deon MouoctuAA
for the purpose which he had In view. In
other words. It would not have proved .
good substitute for will.
| While the harmonious agreement Of Mr..
SHAPLEIaH's heirs and next Of kin, however,
has taken any question as to the validity Of
the attempted gift out Of tho fold OF htiga-
ton, 1t Is we'll for every ono who desires to
regulate the disposition Of his property after
death to remember that he cannot mako .
gift which the law will enforce by means OF
his own undelivered promissory note.
A Decision Of Interest to EpiscopalianA.
There Is rituallst party in tho American
Episcopal Church, as we'll as In the Church
Of England, and therefore the decision Of
the Archbishop Of Canterbury In the Bishop
! Of Lincoln's case has been awaited with
almost equal eagerness on both sides Of tho
Atlantic. Had tho decision been against the
ritualists In all important points, they would
have had to conform to the rules laid down,
or else withdraw from tho Anglican Com
munion. Such q schism has been averted
by the Archbishop's judgment. which has
established a modus Uirendi or species OF
compromise between the ritualists and their
| opponents.
1t may be remembered that tho Bishop Of
Lincoln was charged with ommitting q
number of offences against the rubr1o. Tho
acts complained of were first, tho admins
tration Of the mixed chalice. that Is to say.
Of . cup in which water had been mixed with
tho wine; secondly. the performance Of q 30
called ceremony Of ablutlon. by which his ac-
| Ut hot n NM RI Nf tho m
ion service. tho Bishop OF Lincoln poured
what remained Of the wine and water. after
the service into the chalice and drank
it; thirdly. that tho Bishop in tho first
part Of the communion service assumed
an eastward position; fourthly, that he
broke the bread SO that the manual
acts were not visible to the communicates;
filthy. that he permitted the singing
Of the A0nus Dei before tho reception Of
tho elements and Immediately after tho
prayer Of conservation; sixthly. that during
the communion service he permitted the
use of lighted candles. though they were
not needed for the purpose Of giving light;
seventhly, that the Bishop. while pronounc-
ing the absolution and tho benedictton.
made the sign OF tho cross.
Let us now SEQ what view has been taken
OF these controverted acts In the decision.
promising that all of tho assessors con-
CURED In all Of tho Archbishop's conclusions
except one, while upon that point there was
only one dissenttent. As regards tho first
charge, the court found that. although tho
mixing Of water with tho wine during tho
communion service was against the law of
the Church, there was no ground for declar-
ing the use Of cup mixed beforehand to be
an ecclesiastical offence. On this count,
therefore. tho Bishop Of Lincoln was acquit-
ted. The second charge. that OF ablution,
In which 1t was alleged that tho Bishop cere-
moniously washed tho paten and chalice,
and afterward drank the vino and water,
was held to be unsupported by evidence,
and accordingly dismissed. Tho court ex-
planned that q minister was at liberty,
after the benediction. to cleanse the vos-
sci of all elements In q reverent way
before leaving the holy table, and that
such cleansing could not fairly be described
as o ceremony In the ecclesiastical meaning
OF the word.
In dealing with tho eastward position,
which the Bishop Of Lincoln was accused Of
taking during the administration Of the
sacrament. the Archbishop Of Canterbury
went at great length into tho historical as
pect Of the question. His final conclusion
was that tho court had no power to curtail
the liberty of the ceebrant with regard to
time the court held that tho Bishop Of Lin
coin was not justified In 80 standing that
tho communicate could not 500 him break
the bread and take the cup into his hands
according to the rubrio. These two festures
% A. kuIr AA~A
there is no objection to the eastward posi-
ton, provided the minister taking 1t can
perform the manual acts In such wise - to
be visible to the communicates.
The next question decided by tho court
was whether tho singing Of tho hymn
A0nus Del by the choir before tho recep-
tion Of the elements and Immediately after
the prayer Of conservation, is, as 1t had been
alleged, an addition to the service In con-
travention OF the ecclesiastical laws of Eng
land" After carefully tracing the historical
attitude Of the Anglican Church toward this
hymn, tho court concluded that the singing
of tho A0nus Del by the choir is not An
illegal addition to tho communion service.
1t was also declared by the Archbishop of
Canterbury that the mere fact Of two
lighted candles. though not needed for the
purpose Of giving light. standing on the holy
table continuously through the service, does
not constitute ceremony In technical
sense. and is not therefore open to objection.
On the other hand, tho court held that to
make the sign Of tho cross while pronouno-
Ing the absolution or giving tho hnal bone
dictton In the communion service u . dis
tinct ceremony unsanottoned by the usaEes
Of the Church Of England. 1t is an illegal
innovation which must be discontinued.
On the whole. the Judgment rendered by
the Archbishop of Canterbury must DO re-
garded as q victory for tho Bishop Of
Lincoln. that cannot fail to encourage the