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We entirely concur with the worthy writer in all his views, as here expressed. We have repeatedly, in the BRITISH BANNER, touched on this matter, and must here reiterate our opinions. The right of the parishioner to sepulture in the parochial grounds is undoubted; the duty of the Incumbent, in person, or by deputy, to bury, is equally clear; but we cannot see the consistency of Dissenters in demanding, or even in accepting when tendered, the services of the Parochial Minister at the grave. We have, we think, on former occasions, demonstrated this point, and shown that the Dissenter ought, in justice, to demand, throughout every parish in the kingdom, the RIGHT to have the services of his own minister in this most delicate and touching matter of social life. Every man should be at liberty to use what service he may choose, and to employ, for performing it, whom he may please, or, if he think good, to have, at the ground, no service at all. Thus it is in Scotland; why should it not be thus in England? Is it not with a very bad grace that the Dissenters refuse Baptism and the Lord's Supper at the hands of the Parochial Clergy, and continue to demand burial? There ought to be, out and out, an entire separation. They ought to take all, or decline all!--EDITOR.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

SIR,-The equal of this peaceful exhibition the world may not see again. Its advantages, its possible disadvantages, are all in the future. Expectation bids us say the east and the west, the north and the south will add their portions to the enormous profusion. All tribes and languages will meet to dedicate a temple, not like Babel's, to rival Heaven, but whose fame shall be the glorification of earth and the elevation of man. Africa, with its ivory, gold-dust, and precious gems, will be there; Asia will contribute of her indigenous magnificence; America, as the infant Hercules of nations, will send gigantic specimens of Titanic achievements; and Europe-enterprising, Christian Europewill astonish the world, not by barbaric opulence, nor with oriental splendour, but by the varied combinations of elemental matter. Fire, water, earth, air, by her skill, have been rendered handmaids to science in her most profound discoveries, and genius has been so successful that fact places fiction in the shade, and gives to reality a height of which imagination never dreamed. Yet how tame the conclusion if contemplation stopped here! but far beyond the crystal cope soul seeks an ampler range.

Miserable will be the disappointment, if, "with a soul of vast desires," man grubs merely on gorgeous wealth, or burrows only 'midst riches which the rust will eat, the moth or worm will consume; but from the soul,

"Burning within with restless fires,"

in pacing the galleries of this emporium, will arise a thought that the stupendous grandeur is but an insignificant part of that creation

"Whose temple is all space;"

VOL. VIII.

and as it meditates man's ingenuity, it will remember, however diversified the manipulations, they are but copies, fragile, of designs, eternal. And while all honour should be paid to the creature of a day, who has done something beyond the common mind for his fellow's good, yet (and this thought, while it excites hope, should humble pride) know, O man, Art's speaking marble, or its breathing canvass, is but the mimicry of Nature, and Science but echoes "the breath of His mouth," or makes transcriptions from the autographs of His hand-THE GREAT ORIGINAL!

The following lyric, in connection with the coming Exhibition, was the result of a home musing. The rhyme will tell its own tale:

I musing stood upon the hill,
Where, erst in early day,
With mates forgotten, cold and still,
We merry games would play.
The snug retreat, the rough-thatch'd barn,
Where we in covert lay,

Each on the memory did return,

And held a moment's sway.
Upon the selfsame hill I stood-
Behold the change of Time!—
And as I gathered mental food,
Digested it to rhyme.

A steed* I saw a child might rein,
Yet Titan snortings told;
The hands of Hercules were vain,

This unrein'd horse to hold.
Beside me stood the artizan;

And while I peered around,
The inward vision of the man
Some secret, lo! had found.

I traced him all his uphill course,
The struggles of his lot;

And then five letters fell with force,
Nor let them be forgot:

I will is soul's imperial range,

No power can it arrest;

Time-fettered, still it waits Time's change,
With glory to invest.

One wish sincere-may Woburn's skill
'Neath London's transept find,
'Midst the world's store approval still,
To cheer inventive mind.

But Fame, uncertain, may not sound,
Yet in th' adventure see

Ambition, noble, still is found,

A peaceful rivalry;

And in this contest, 'midst a world's renown, These engines may commend this hill of Woburn town.

Woburn, Beds, March 29, 1851.

CHURCH ORDER.

G. C.

SIR,-Permit me to express my thanks for the Article on "Church Order," in the WITNESS for April. This is a matter which seems to have been too generally overlooked or misunderstood. The relation of individual Church members to the whole Church, and of individual churches to other churches, needs to be enforced upon public attention; and since, as Independents, we are bound by the trammels of no human system but are free to conform in all things to the Word of God, I see no insuperable difficulty in the way of amendment.

* I may have taken a liberty, but Addison will help me :

"Who, like our active African, instructs
The fiery steed."

Surely a steam locomotive is a fiery steed.

Q

Many members go to reside elsewhere, and we hear no more of them. Others remove, but seek a recommendation to fellowship with a church in the place to which they go, and these persons continue, perhaps for years, members, in effect, of two churches at once. They act, commune, and have influence where they reside, and, if any business of importance arises in the church from which they first came-the election of a minister for instance, their vote and influence are both employed. This is a sore evil under the sun.

Some remove their residence, and perhaps return after years, during which they have been unheard of, and resume their place, as if they had not been away a week.

Others go, and, after two or three years, send for a recommendation to another church. Lately, a person, who had been away three years and a month (during which time she, on the one hand, had been out of sight, and, on the other hand, a new minister had been elected), sent for a recommendation of this kind, and desired “dismission." The truth was stated, but a formal dismission refused.

There is another class of cases to which I would direct your attention for one momentcases of discipline. These, alas! have been too common, because too necessary. It appears to

me that when an individual is convicted of some breach of order or dereliction of duty, there are three courses only open to us, if we follow the Scriptures :-

1. If the party has forfeited his Christian character, he must be expelled.

2. If he has acted imprudently, and not from malice prepense, or if he has repented and given proof thereof, he must only be admonished or reproved.

3. If he be cleared, he must be left in possession of his privileges, and be regarded in all things as the same, but an injured man.

It will appear that I think "suspension❞ not founded upon Scripture. There is no instance of it recorded. As a judicial act, it seems merely a substitute either for reproof or expulsion, and is so because it requires less decision, and appears less formidable.

When a member sins, rebuke or exclude him according to circumstances, but never suspend him. If excluded, re-admit him on profession of repentance, but not otherwise.

Much more might be said, but I hope you will -touch upon the subject again. I remain, Sir, Your's truly,

B. H. CowPER.

Moreton-in-Marsh, April 11th, 1851.

Ecclesiastics.

DEACONS. THE CLAIMS OF MEN WHO HAVE SERVED THE CHURCH WITH MORE THAN ORDINARY ZEAL AND USEFULNESS.

THERE is a class of men in the churches whose claims, it appears to me, are often much greater than their reward. Those individuals are generally found either amongst Sabbath-schcol Teachers or in the Diaconate, and in a vast majority of instances they are in humble circumstances a fact which is intimately connected with the very usefulness of which I speak. Their position is in various ways favourable to their piety and their leisure for works of faith and labours of love. They escape a world of temptations which overtake men of opulence, wasting alike their means and their time, in addition to proving injurious to their spirituality. From such evils, the men of whom I speak are free. Dinner parties and great occasions in winter; summer absences and vacation tours, never detain them from the sphere of their spiritual action. Be missed who may, they are at home, and at their post; but I refer simply to those of reduced means-men distinguished by much zeal, great effort, and lengthened service. Many of these worthy men finished their lives and their labours together, and realised the wish of the poet

"To cease at once to work and live;" and so end as they began. Through life, they have all along ate their own bread, while their shroud, their coffin, and their tomb are the fruit of their own provident forethought. But there

is a portion of them to whom a different lot is assigned; after their strength is gone, they linger on the field; wearisome days and nights are appointed to them, and they are not seldom hungry and hard bestead. These are the men for whom I venture to speak a word; I submit that they have claims on the Church; on the score of past services, and that these claims should be specially considered. As to the wisest method of accomplishing this, it is not for me to speak, beyond simply saying, that it should ever be done with the utmost delicacy, and with due regard to the feelings of the individuals. Such men, I think, should not be classed with common paupers. The idea of pauperism should be wholly discarded from the business. Whatever allowance is made, it should be considered as purely honorary. Sometimes it happens that churches have certain funds arising from testamentary bequests, available for such objects. Where such is the case, which, however, is but seldom, the way is simple. Failing this, there are two methods by which it may be done; it may be drawn from the funds of the Church, or derived from sacramental and other collections for the poor. There is another and a very graceful way which I have known to be adopted; a few members in moderate or opulent circumstances meet and talk over the case. Having first ascertained

the exact condition of the party, they conclude upon the amount which it is desirable to raise, and then they apportion it among themselves, rendering one of their own number treasurer and steward. In this way, I have known the closing months or years of holy and exceedingly useful men soothed and cheered, and at length permitted to close their eyes in their own peaceful homes when they must otherwise have been subjected to deep distress, and perhaps have gone to the workhouse. I commend the subject to those it concerns, and am not without a hope that it may redound to the comfort of some of the excellent of the earth, who might otherwise be overlooked. AN OBSERVER. April, 1851.

MUSINGS OF THE OLD MAN IN THE CORNER.

BOTH in town and country, my lot in Providence has been such that I have had considerable opportunities of noticing the various aspects which religious society puts on, and the varieties which chequer pastoral life. As a rule, I regret to state, it is my conviction that, in a great majority of cases, the support of the pastor is inadequate, especially where families are large. Society has established a law which they are bound to obey, under a heavy penalty. They are bound to be " gentlemen," with fulfilment of all that this weighty word implies. Now I have often thought with myself, that where the guaranteed support of the man of God is always at the lowest point, there is no provision made for casualties such as occur in every household. The result is, that the recurrence of these is always attended with difficulty, of which the consequence is necessarily serious. In the case of the man of business and tradesman, one may be set over against another. The losses of this season may be repaired by the profits of the next. Not so with the servant of Christ. His outgoings may vary-his incoming is stationary.

Now, it strikes me that this is not sufficiently

considered, more especially by opulent men, who appear to view themselves as absolved from all concern in this matter; and even, if in office, provided that the guaranteed support be forthcoming, although palpably deficient, even for ordinary and necessary outgoings, they give themselves no further concern. Now, I submit that Pastors, generally, ought to be in the same position as respectable tradesmen. Their vessels should be always in water where they can swim; so that, whether the tide of their outgoings increase or diminish, the keel may never get aground. But where this is not the caseand I deeply deplore that it is, generally, not the case-then an occasion is furnished for wealthy individuals to step forward to meet exigencies. Say that a Pastor's family is the subject of affliction. It may be long, severe, and expensive, or it may be increasing with all the consequent increase of burdens in the shape of food, clothing, and education; or it may be that one or more of them are going forth into the world, necessarily involving an extra expenditure. These are times when Christian generosity may find a suitable, and, to rightminded men, most gratifying outlet by a £5, £10, or £20 note, as the case may be. I have often envied men of wealth to whom God, in this way, has supplied the means of an exquisite luxury. Nothing can be more graceful, and few things will be found to bring a more pure satisfaction to the heart of the doer. I have also known worthy men who, apart from extraordinary occasions, have annually presented a token of respect to the servants of Christ, in the shape of a contribution to himself or his wife; and I have reason to believe that, in many of the larger Churches, these things are not uncom. mon. But, however proper there, it is among the Pastors of the secondary and smaller Churches that they are most necessary. might here enlarge, but my object is not a dissertation, but to present suggestions; for I doubt not that, with a number of excellent men, nothing more than a suggestion is wanted. April, 1851.

Review and Criticism.

The Mass. By WILLIAM ANDERSON, LL.D. Ward and Co. ORIGINALITY is always an element of genius. It not only does things better than ordinary men, but differently. That Dr. Anderson is a man of genius is conceded on every hand; and, from his earliest days, he did everything in his own way, caring right little who praised or censured, who were pleased or who

VIATOR.

I

were angry. Accordingly, having happily fallen foul of the Vatican, and determined to hurl against it his heaviest thunderbolts, he selected his own method of going about it. Eschewing the Sabbath, which he reserved for themes, if not more important, at least more edifying, to simple, pious people, he selected the

Monday evening-an evening, it might have been supposed when, after the toils of the previous day, the pastor might have preferred to rest. No matter he selected Monday evenings, and, instead of fixing upon a church or chapel, his own, or that of some of his brethren, that might be deemed more suitable, from size or situation, he actually selected the City Hall, where he addressed himself in an oration of some two hours, to an assemblage of four thousand persons. This is conducting polemic warfare upon a scale Napoleonic. Dr. Anderson says:

The fear of no man's mocking will make me suppress that boast. I boast of my fellow-citizens. Let the hierarchy of England discipline and educate their aristocracy for the discernment of a scriptural argument as we have done with our Scottish artizans and operatives, and there will be no reason for fearing Popery, except as it threatens us through this flood of ignorance from miserable Ireland, misgoverned by statesmen, and abused by priests: but now, more abused than misgoverned, far.

This is good. We like to hear a man talking after this fashion, and happy he that is in circumstances so to talk. We

are afraid the aristocracy of England, with all its pride, and polish, and beauty, would form but a sorry audience, compared with Dr. Anderson's operatives and artizans. Were we for once to have from on high the choice of a wish, it would have been to let our Presbyterian orator loose upon the Lords and Commons. We vouch for it, he would have given them more light than all the bishops, and left behind him, upon those who had a little candour and the sense to give a small portion of attention, a deeper impression than has been produced by the mass of miserable homilies -we exclude the small number of mas-terly orations-that have been already delivered in the House of Commons. Dr. Anderson piques himself somewhat -and not without reason-on that portion of the volume which refers to the Mass, which, he tells us, was not the hurried production of the present excitement, but the result of considerable vious study. He further submits, that if he has not been able to add much to a subject so often explored, as to render invention impossible, he has yet done something to place it in a clearer light than that in which many of those conversant with it have hitherto realized. The preface is a fair specimen of the tone of the volume. It is noble-that of a redoubtable Covenanter-a man on

pre

whom the spirit of Knox has descended, and in whom it is working mightily for the establishment of truth, and the overthrow of error. There is here no mawkishness, no simpering; the voice is the voice of manhood, of a man who believes what he speaks, who is acquainted with Popery and its spirit; who remembers, with horror, its past crimes, and who anticipates with anguish the thoughts of its revival. The close is characteristic. Let us hear him:

Full of bitterness, scorn, and indignation, as the volume is, I feel great liberty of heart in commending it to the Advocacy of the Spirit of Holiness; conscious as I am, that it has been written more under the influence of the Love of Truth, than under that of the Hatred of Error. Of both influences I desire a greater measure but covet the former as the better gift.

The work on the Mass comprises six sections, thus indicated: Its priest and altar its consecration - the elevation of the host-its oblation as an expiatory sacrifice - its sacramental communion

by the priest its communion by the people. Such are the sections, and every section is a mortar, full of missiles, nails, glass, pieces of broken metal, and all sorts of murderous fragments, which are showered with an irresistible fury upon the Vatican! It is really not saying too much to affirm, that it is incomparably the best disquisition upon the subject extant. We may say with perfect truth, we possess about two hundred dissertations, scattered throughout various works upon this subject, but nothing for a moment comparable to this manifesto of Dr. Anderson. Let no man say we are speaking hyperbolically, till he has examined for himself. The next discourse is "The Man of Sin," which is discussed with great ability; and the last "The Genius and Power of presents Popery," a powerful and a copious, a penetrating and a magnificent production, by the loftiest intellect of the land.

Dealings with the Inquisition; or, Papal Rome, her Priests and her Jesuits. With Important Disclosures. By GIACINTO ACHILLI, D.D. Hall & Co. THE name of Achilli has been permanently before the European public for the last year or two. Much has he been lied against by parties he knew not, and in quarters where he could make no reply. But a foe is to be measured by his knowledge, rather than by numbers. One man such as Achilli is more calcu

lated to damage the Vatican than the forty thousand veteran soldiers of martial France. As late Prior and Visitor of the Dominican Order, Head Professor of Theology, and Vicar of the Master of the sacred Apostolic Palace, he is privy to secrets, and is a most formidable adversary. The reflecting reader can scarcely fail to look upon it as a special providence that has brought him and the Pope into conflict, since ten thousand assaults from without, by the most enlightened and gifted Protestant means, could not have done a tenth part of the execution against the gigantic system of impiety and imposture, which is done by this volume. Dr. Achilli opens with a narrative of the earlier parts of his life, and the stages of his connection with the Church of Rome, his progress in knowledge, his advancement in office, of the circumstances which at last led him to doubt the apostolicity of the system, and the safety of his longer connection with it. From a statement which is here given, it will be seen that so thoroughly is light barred out, and mind pressed down, so completely are feelings blunted, and consciences seared,-so entirely, in a word, is the man divested of everything manly, and the Christian of all that appertains to Christianity,-that nothing short of a special interposition of the grace of God, of an extraordinary character, can ever rescue a human spirit from this fearful abyss of darkness, wickedness, thraldom, and misery! These matters occupy the first and second chapters, which conduct us to the close of the darkest period of his history,just that which, as in the natural day, preceded the first dawn of the beams of morn. At length he gives us a chapter which he designates My Creed," chapter we have read with extraordinary interest. It presents a beautiful delineation of the progress of an honest inquirer, the development of a powerful mind, and the increase of the light of heaven which broke upon him as fast as he was able to receive it. The sketch he gives of the Confessional, and his own experience in relation thereto, is most deeply affecting. It is curious to observe, that just in proportion as intelligence grew, and piety arose within him, he became averse, and still more averse to the exercise, whether as confessing or confessor, till at last he became utterly incapable of either. An interview he gives with one of the Cardinals, who seemed a rare spirit in such a place, is

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If

remarkably striking. The Cardinal seems to have been a man amiable and simple -a man who had some faith in his own system, and who desired Achilli to confess him. Our Author, however, shrunk somewhat in the spirit of John the Baptist, in his refusal to baptise his Lord. This led to discussion and argument, and called forth a complete statement of Achilli of his reasons for refusal, and of his views of the virtue of the so-called Sacrament. The result seems to have been, to shake, if not utterly to confound the Cardinal himself. But the most remarkable feature of this very remarkable chapter, is that which appertains to transubstantiation, which we consider the best refutation of the tenet-the best exposure of the absurdity, that has ever been penned within the same space. any man will read that chapter, we are satisfied he will require to read no more, that he may reach the conclusion, that this is the climax and the consummation of the Popish imposture. He who shall attain to the belief of this, is prepared to believe anything! The mind can stagger at nothing which has succeeded in spite of sight, touch, taste, and smell, to believe, just because the priest says it, that bread is flesh, and wine is blood-the flesh and blood of God made manifest! We should recommend this chapter for separate publication, especially at the present time. It will constitute an excellent permanent tract, apart from all connection with the book, of which, nevertheless, it forms an integral and important portion; it is complete, and calculated to be exceedingly useful.

Paul the Apostle; or, Sketches from his Life. By the Rev. H. J. GAMBLE. Snow.

FILIAL affection has, in every age, constituted a main ingredient in both individual and national virtue. To this point, the Word of God, both in the Old and New Testament, strongly speaks, and all experience sustains and fortifies, while it illustrates, the Divine injunction. In the present day we have somewhere under a dozen public men, writers or preachers, or both, all excellent, and who have all availed themselves of the opportunities the Press has furnished to express their affectionate veneration for their parents. Of this honoured class, London has supplied several-the last of whom is the Rev. J. H. Gamble. All these excellent men, and efficient ministers,

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