is not our rest, nor our abiding-place-that we, too, seek a country; we make our pathway so flowery, that we are in peril of forgetting whither it leads that " the flower fadeth, the grace of the fashion of it perisheth," and that the "word of the Lord [alone] abideth for ever." The problem which we seem to have proposed to ourselves is, how to unite the greatest possible enjoyment, intellectual, sensible, social, with our Christian calling-to shew that Christianity is perfectly compatible with the fullest earthly enjoyment; that proposed by our forefathers was, however, in the midst of this world's duties, in everything to win the soul from earth, and fix it on heaven. We heap round ourselves comforts, in our food, our furniture, our sleep, our families, and perhaps from time to time give God thanks for these things, but for the most part take them as things of course; they habitually denied themselves therein, fasted from food, dwelt hardly, endured cold, broke their sleep, night by night, for prayer to God, and thanked God for their abridged ease more than we for our fulness. They chose the pilgrim-life of the father of the faithfull; we, the portion of Lot, and the neighbourhood of Sodom. It will be something gained if we acknowledge this; if all are not tied down to this Procrustean bed of an even mediocrity of attainment or purpose; for conscience will not then sleep; when comfort is not made our principal aim or our idol, then will people abridge their comforts for Christ's sake. This, however, is to all of us an immediate practical question; every one of us has had, from time to time, Lot's choice before us, to take present ease and comfort, or to forego it; we, too, have been tempted to lift up our eyes" on the pleasant land, and we, too, heard our Father's voice within us, calling us to higher things; and, in each single instance, to take up our cross and follow him. We have all of us had many such impulses,-many, "whether we would hear, or whether we would forbear,"—although their permanence and distinctness depended upon our previous obedience. Obey we these, each of them, little or great, and we shall be led further; Abraham was led step by step onwards, till he was brought to Mount Moriah, and was called to sacrifice" his own son, his only son, whom he loved," and, in that sacrifice, was privileged to see his Redeemer's day, "and saw it, and was glad ;" if we choose to dwell near Sodom, we shall never, indeed, be called to Abraham's trial, yet neither shall we have Abraham's reward; it will be a mercy if we escape with Lot, much more if we escape Lot's disgrace and loss. For Lot had not a Christian's privileges or a Christian's covenanted might entrusted to him. E. B. P.

OATH TO OBSERVE THE CANONS.

SIR,-In your June number I had spoken of having taken an oath of obedience to the canons; and it appears from p. 56 of your July number, that a correspondent, "A." has inquired-" When? and by whom such an oath is taken, and where is it to be found?"

To this inquiry is subjoined the laconic observation-"[A.' may well ask.-ED.]"

I shall therefore beg the favour of you to print the following question and answer from the Ordination Service:

"Will you then give your faithful diligence always so to minister the doctrine, and sacraments, and the discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, and as this church and realm hath received the same, according to the commandments of God; so that you may teach the people committed to your care and charge with all diligence to keep and observe the same?

"I will so do, by the help of the Lord."

Here is an oath to minister "the discipline of Christ," not only "as the Lord hath commanded," but, "as this church and realm hath received the same." I cannot tell what interpretation others may put upon this engagement, but to me it seems an oath of obedience to the canons of the church of England, which are an authoritative declaration of the sense in which the discipline of Christ is received by this church and realm as to many particulars of great importance, and are expressly enjoined to be observed by the bishops and other clergy, and all other persons of this realm, as far as lawfully, being members of the church, it may concern them.

July 12.

I am, Sir, your faithful servant,
A COUNTRY CLERGYMAN."

P.S. I should have written sooner, being much surprised at "A.'s" inquiry, and your own observation on it, but from accident did not receive your number so soon in the month as usual.*

TOLERATION OF ERROR.

MR. EDITOR,-Your correspondent, "W. I. R." in your Magazine for March, is in doubt respecting the degree in which the true believer can be justified in the toleration of religious error; and his doubt has not been removed by Mr. Newman's sermon upon the subject. But it seems to me that none of the texts adduced are sufficient to overthrow the authority of that on which Mr. N. relies, and which "W. I. R." has left unnoticed.

St. John, the apostle of love, if I may so call him, guards us with more severity than any other of the sacred writers against false teachers; and there is no doubt of the nature of the heresy to which he alludes. The anecdote, too, of his conduct, in the case of Cerinthus, even if it be false, shews the opinion generally entertained, that his charity to man was never suffered to interfere with his fidelity to

• It is rather amusing to observe this postscript, and then to know that one clergyman wrote to the editor to say, that, although not responsible for the opinions of his correspondents, he was certainly bound not to let anything so very wrong and mischievous appear, as a suggestion that an oath is taken to observe the canons. He certainly cannot interpret the words of the Ordination Service in the sense ascribed to them by " A Country Clergyman," but he must defer giving his reasons till next month, being pressed by business. He would be glad, indeed, if some other correspondent would take the task off his hands."-ED.

VOL X.-August, 1836.

2 A

the truth. Now, in his second epistle, ver. 10, 11, he commands, that "if any man abide not in the doctrine of Christ, we should not receive him into our houses, nor bid him God speed;" and against this positive prohibition the texts quoted by "W. I. R." will be found to avail nothing.

In 1 Cor. x. 27-"If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake." The persons alluded to are idolatrous heathens; and the early Christians, like the missionaries of the present day, must associate with them for the purpose of conversion. 1 Cor. vii. 16, relates to husbands and wives, where one had been converted and the other not, and advises in what manner the parties should act in so delicate a conjuncture. And, lastly, 1 Cor. v. 9-13, has nothing whatever to do with religious error, but merely directs us to avoid the company of vicious men, and "to put away from among us a wicked person.'

The prohibition of St. John, therefore, remains untouched; and the only question is, how far it extends. "To receive a man into your house, and to bid him God speed," seems to me to imply friendship and hospitality; and these we are commanded to refuse, though all other offices of Christian charity are of course permitted. I feel, therefore, no difficulty in complying with this injunction; and I have always felt, that I could not live on terms of intimacy with a man who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ,-I could as soon associate with an atheist. S. B.

QUESTIONS.

SIR, I was much pleased by the observations of " F. V. H.," in your May number, respecting the use and abuse of the rubrics; may I request him to inform me when is the proper time for the first set of communicants to approach the table, as I find the custom here has been for them to remain in their pews until after the minister has received the sacred elements, which does not appear to be the correct plan. I should infer from the several rubrics, as well as from the wording of some of the prayers used previous to the "Prayer of Consecration," that, in former times, it was usual for all the communicants to assemble around or near the table at the same time, probably in compliance with the exhortation," Draw near with faith," &c. I am, Sir, &c.

J. H.

"DAVUS" asks, by way of postscript to the document on the "Founders and Builders of Churches," in the last June number, (1836, p. 663,) why the large and populous parish of Lower Beding, near Horsham, Sussex, is suffered to remain without place of worship or spiritual ministration of any kind." [It is said that two chapels are likely to be built. The district referred to is not a parish, but a part of one which has a church.-ED.]

179

NOTICES AND REVIEWS.

Sanctissimi Domini Nostri Gregorii Papæ XVI. Epistola ad Archiepiscopos et Episcopos Hiberniæ. Translated from the Latin, and now first published. London: Rivingtons. 1836.

THIS is one of the cleverest pamphlets of the kind which has appeared for a long time. The translator is well skilled in papal Latin, and in the Roman controversy. The letter gives a combined view of all the arts practised by the Romanists in Ireland to delude unwary protestants; and the notes contain a very severe castigation of the Irish Commissioners' Scripture Lessons, by a person evidently of most acute mind and extended learning.

A History of British Quadrupeds. By T. Bell, Lecturer on Comparative Anatomy at Guy's Hospital. No. I. London: Van Voorst. COMPARATIVE anatomy is a study of the highest interest; and nothing can be more useful than works of this kind, as every student may have opportunities of pursuing the subject, as far as regards the animals of his own country; and residents in the country are thus furnished with a most interesting object of amusement and occupation. This book is beautifully printed, and the wood-cuts are as delicate and beautiful as any which have appeared. The accounts given appear to be done with the greatest care, and to contain all particulars which can be desirable.

Mammon; or, Covetousness the Sin of the Christian Church. By the Rev. John Harris. London: Ward and Co. 8vo. 1836.

DR. CONQUEST offered a prize of one hundred guineas for the best essay against the love of money. This is turning money against itself. Dr. Pye Smith, and Mr. B. Noel, in a very strangely written and dated preface, assign the prize to Mr. Harris, but strongly recommended the publishing several other volumes, produced by this very mammonish lure. Mr. Harris's seems to contain a great deal of good common remark on this very common subject.

Remarks on that part of the Rev. J. King's Pamphlet entitled “ Maitland not authorized to censure Milner" which relates to the Waldenses; including a Reply to the Rev. G. S. Faber's Supplement, entitled "Reinerius and Maitland." By the Rev. S. R. Maitland. London: Rivingtons.

THIS pamphlet is written in the amusing and lively style which characterizes all Mr. Maitland's works, and which entirely relieves the

⚫ It seems that it has been actually quoted as genuine! and then attacked as a deliberate forgery!

tedium felt occasionally by common readers, in cases of historical controversy. Parts of it, indeed, have perhaps a larger share of Mr. M.'s peculiar humour than any former one. Witness, for example, what he says in p. 50, of a lie being a thing feræ naturæ, which any one may run down, and for which there are no preserves.

Mr. King declared before, that Mr. Maitland wished to "run away from his first pamphlet," and Mr. King's notice of it; and having thus distinctly required the question mooted there to be considered, he has now gained his wish. It remains to be seen whether he will be now satisfied that the silence observed before was not the silence of defeat, but of forbearance. They who are interested in the very important question, as to the worth of Milner's history, must read this pamphlet, and see what value can be attributed to Mr. King's defence of it. They, too, who wish to consider the history of the Waldenses, and to know how dangerous it is to speak after Allix, or Morland, or Leger, without looking to documents, must likewise read it. They will be umply repaid for their time and their money.

A Compendium of Rudiments in Theology, &c. By the Rev. J. B. Smith, B.D., Master of Horncastle School. London: Rivingtons. 12mo. 1836. pp. 608.

MR. SMITH gives in this work a digest of Bishop Butler, an epitome of Graves on the Pentateuch, and an analysis of Bishop Newton on the Prophecies. One of his great objects was to present Bishop Butler's statements in a form not so difficult of apprehension to a young person as they are in the great author's original work,-to put a little water, in short, to the wine which is too strong for the head. This is a very laudable object, and Mr. S. has had considerable success in it. He does not, of course, wish to supersede the study of the invaluable work which he explains. If he smooths the way to it, and induces his readers to study it and Dr. Graves, he will do a great service, and his work will also be useful to many who have not leisure to study the works themselves.

The Case of Maynooth considered, with a History of its Establishment, and Mode of Education, and a Review of the Effect it has had on the Roman-catholic Clergy in Ireland. Dublin Milliken and Son; and Fellowes, London. 1836.

THE object of this pamphlet has been to give as full and correct a history of Maynooth as could be collected; and to make use of the testimony of liberals and Roman-catholics to expose the system pursued in it. The writer hopes it may convince the public that this college is unworthy of support, and ought to be either improved or abolished. His history is full and clear, and the pamphlet is therefore a valuable historical document. The effect he clearly shews to be, what all acquainted with Ireland will bear him out in saying, that the tendency of Maynooth has been to make the Irish priests turbulent and democratic, and to deteriorate their education. They are usually sharp, shrewd