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 L I B RAFLY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 U N I VERSITY 
 
 or ILLI NOIS
 
 s 
 
 CHARGE, 
 
 DELIVERED BY THE RIGHT REV. 
 
 GEORGE, LORD BISHOP OF ROCHESTER, 
 
 CLERGY OF HIS DIOCESE, 
 
 TRIENNIAL VISITATION, 
 
 HOLDEN IN OCTOBER 1843. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR J. G. F. & J. RIVINGTON, 
 
 ST. Paul's church yard, 
 
 AND WATERLOO PLACE, PALL MALL. 
 
 1843.
 
 LONDON : 
 GILBERT AND KIVINGTON, PRINTERS, 
 
 ST. John's square.
 
 TO THE 
 
 REV. THE CLERGY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER, 
 €ifi^ Cljavge, 
 
 PUBLISHED AT THEIR REQUEST, 
 
 IS INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY THEIR FAITHFUL FRIEND AND SERVANT, 
 
 G. ROCHESTER.
 
 , UIUC ^
 
 CHARGE, 
 
 Sfc. 
 
 Reverend Brethren, 
 
 I was induced to defer meeting you, until 
 a later period of the year than usual, in the ex- 
 pectation that the Bill, which was brought into Par- 
 liament for the regulation of the Ecclesiastical Courts, 
 would have conferred on me the peculiar jurisdiction, 
 at present exercised in this Diocese by our Metro- 
 politan, in which case I was desirous that an oppor- 
 tunity might be afforded me of including the Peculiars 
 in my present Visitation. The measure in question, 
 as you are aware, was withdrawn at the conclusion 
 of the session, and it now appears to be doubtful 
 whether, in the event of its being hereafter adopted, 
 the jurisdiction of the Archbishop will cease until 
 further meditated changes shall take place in this 
 Diocese. 
 
 Amidst the controversy which at present unhap- 
 pily exists in our Church, I have so strongly felt the
 
 6 
 
 difficulties which have presented themselves to my 
 mind, previously to addressing you on this occasion, 
 that I have not thought it desirable to call upon 
 any of you for an expression of your oi^inions on 
 those points, which are usually comprised in a Visit- 
 ation sermon. I feel assured that you will give a 
 favourable interpretation to my motives, and not 
 consider, that in omitting a customary practice, I 
 evince any doubt as to the soundness of your doc- 
 trinal opinions, for which, I am happy to say, the 
 Clergy of this Diocese are distinguished, or, that I 
 suppose you are likely to be led to adopt any of 
 the novelties, with respect to certain ceremonial ob- 
 servances, which have been introduced elsewhere. — I 
 call them novelties, for although some of them may 
 be authorized by ancient practice, change of times 
 and circumstances and long desuetude have rendered 
 them obsolete for several generations. Not being 
 essential, they are therefore unnecessary innovations, 
 which disturb the minds of our congregations, not so 
 much, perhaps, from any real objection to the cere- 
 monies themselves, as from an apprehension that 
 they lead to something more than they appear to 
 indicate, and to the restoration of other observances, 
 which our Church thought fit to lay aside, as tending 
 to create superstitious feelings amongst the ignorant. 
 It is my duty to state my opinion on some of the 
 points in dispute, and, in doing so, I am anxious, as 
 far as possible, to avoid giving offence to those who 
 may differ from me ; and more especially, in what-
 
 ever may fall from me this clay, I desire to be under- 
 stood as speaking with due respect of the pious and 
 learned men, to whose agency the introduction of 
 the novelties to which I allude is principally to be 
 attributed. I entirely disapprove of the intem- 
 perate conduct of some of their adversaries, who not 
 only apply to them the bitterest terms of reproach, 
 ascribing to them motives and intentions far distant, 
 as I believe, from their minds, but also adopt the 
 same language towards those prelates of our Church 
 who have rebuked their errors, but not, as they 
 think, with sufficient harshness and severity. On the 
 contrary the opposite party, in advancing their opi- 
 nions, have never departed, as far as I have read in 
 their sermons and other publications, from the spirit 
 of mildness and Christian charity which becomes the 
 ministers of the Gospel ; and they evinced their 
 regard for discipline and order, and their respect for 
 those who bear rule in the Church, by the ready 
 obedience they at first paid to their Diocesan, in 
 ceasing to continue the publication of the Tracts, 
 some of which he had felt it his duty to condemn ; 
 and I cannot but hope that the opinions which have 
 been so generally expressed by the Bishops of our 
 Church, of the evil tendency of some of the doctrines 
 and practices advocated in the Tracts in question, 
 will induce the authors to abandon the further pro- 
 j)agation of opinions calculated to produce the most 
 lamentable schisms and divisions in our Church, 
 already too much divided against itself
 
 The approbation with which their proceedings have 
 been viewed by one of the most distinguished of the 
 Roman Catholic priests in this country ought, I think, 
 to be sufficient to create some suspicions and misgivings 
 in their minds that all is not right. He says, " It is 
 impossible to read the works of the Oxford Divines, 
 and especially to follow them chronologically, without 
 discovering in them a daily approach towards our 
 Holy Church both in doctrine and affectionate feel- 
 ing. Our saints, our popes have become dear to 
 them by little and little, our rites, our ceremonies, 
 our offices, nay, our very Rubrics, are precious in their 
 eyes, alas ! beyond what many of us consider them. 
 Our monastic institutions, our charitable and educa- 
 tional provisions, have become more and more objects 
 with them of earnest study, and every thing in fine 
 that concerns our religion deeply interests their 
 attention. I know that some will say that all this 
 interest is of an interested character, and that they 
 only wish to take so much from us as may serve to 
 give consistency to their own Church, but have no 
 idea of advancing further. This suspicion is, I con- 
 ceive, unjust and ungrounded. It is based upon 
 ignorance of the true character and feelings of those 
 writers. Their admiration of our institutions and 
 practices, their regret at having lost them, manifestlt/ 
 spring from the value they set upon every thing- 
 Catholic : and to suppose them (without a degree of 
 inconsistency with which we have no right to charge 
 them) to love the parts of a system, and to wish for
 
 9 
 
 them, wliilst they would reject the root and only 
 source and support of them, the system itself, is to 
 my mind revoltingly contradictory*." 
 
 Whether the writer of the above observations is 
 sincere in this expression of his opinion, or is only 
 endeavouring to sow the seeds of discord and dis- 
 union amongst us, I will not take upon me to say ; 
 but I fear that he has too much reason for arriving at 
 some of the conclusions he has formed, which having 
 been happily published may serve as a beacon to 
 warn us of approaching danger. 
 
 The low notions which have been entertained by 
 some of the Clergy with respect to our sacramental 
 ordinances and the services of our Church, have, T 
 fear, in a great degree, led to the adoption of ex- 
 treme views in an opposite direction ; and if I were 
 obliged to unite with either of the parties, I should 
 certainly much prefer the opinions of those wdiich 
 exalt, to those which depreciate the value of these 
 sacred rites. Thus I cannot entertain any unity of 
 rehgious feeling with a body of Christian ministers, 
 who having declared that they will conform to the 
 Liturgy of the Church of England, and having been 
 admitted to partake of its endowments, offer up the 
 prayers of that Church with their lips, whilst they 
 disbelieve the doctrines involved in them, and return 
 thanks to Almighty God that the children they bap- 
 tize are regenerated, when they at the same time 
 deny that any such influence of the Holy Spirit has 
 
 ' Letter to the Earl of Shrewsbury.
 
 10 
 
 been exercised in their behalf. There is, however, 
 a middle course, equally removed from puritanism 
 and the errors of popery, which we may safely follow. 
 That middle course has been very generally adopted 
 by our Bishops and Clergy since the Reformation, 
 and from it I hope we shall not depart. 
 
 Whilst, however, I differ from and condemn 
 many of the opinions which have been advanced 
 by the authors of the Tracts, I applaud them for 
 having been the means of exciting a greater degree 
 of attention to order and discipline, greater venera- 
 tion for our Liturgy and sacramental ordinances, and 
 greater regard for the honour of Almighty God, by 
 rousing the spirit which is now abroad for the 
 restoration, where it can be effected, of our sacred 
 edifices to their primitive splendour and beauty. I 
 applaud them for the sanctity of their lives, for their 
 earnestness in the discharge of the duties of their 
 high and holy calling, and will only add that I wish 
 they were as eminent for sound judgment and dis- 
 cretion as they are for their piety and zeal in pro- 
 pagating their opinions. Desirous as I am to give 
 them all the praise which is justly due to their exer- 
 tions for the revival of a spirit of greater holiness, 
 and more ardent devotion to our religious duties, I 
 feel myself compelled to oppose some of their 
 opinions, more particularly those advanced in the 
 Eighty-first and Ninetieth Tracts; in the latter of 
 which the articles of our Church are wrested from 
 their plain meaning, to mitigate and soften down
 
 11 
 
 the condemnation which is therein attached to cer- 
 tain doctrines of the Church of Rome. Thus the 
 Invocation of saints, the Sacrifice of the mass, and 
 the Infalhbility of general councils, are admitted by 
 the authors of the Tracts, in a sense they are pleased 
 to attach to these doctrines ; whilst they are decidedly 
 rejected by our articles. It has, indeed, sometimes 
 been alleged, that in the collect for St. Michael and all 
 Angels our Liturgy recognizes the invocation of saints. 
 But it is not so. We therein only pray to God, that 
 by his appointment they may succour and defend us 
 on earth ; but no prayer is offered up to them, and we 
 have no reason to believe they could hear us were 
 we so to address them. If by invocation is only 
 meant that we pray God will be pleased to allow 
 them to watch over and protect us, there certainly 
 can be no objection to our entertaining such a belief 
 in their suj^erintending care. I by no means, how- 
 ever, admit that in the collect in question our 
 Church intended to include the saints who have 
 departed this life, with St. Michael and the Angels 
 who do service in heaven ; but, at all events, we are 
 expressly forbidden in Scripture to pay even to them 
 any degree of worship, and when some of the Colos- 
 sians were inclined to do so, we find that St. Paul 
 rebuked them, by saying, " Let no man beguile you 
 of your reward in a voluntary humility and worship- 
 ping of angels, intruding into those things which he 
 hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind -." 
 * Col. ii. 18.
 
 12 
 
 Again, I cannot agree in the opinions advanced in 
 the Eighty-first Tract with regard to the Sacrament 
 of the Lord's Supper. It is therein asserted that 
 the mysteries of the Holy Eucharist have been de- 
 preciated by our Church, in departing from the pri- 
 mitive doctrine of the fathers ; namely, that in the 
 Eucharist a continued oblation and sacrifice is made 
 to God under the form of bread and wine: and the 
 anxiety which is now manifested for the substitution 
 of the term Altar for that of Table of the Lord, ap- 
 pears to be intended to give countenance to the 
 doctrine of a continued sacrifice of the body and 
 blood of Christ being offered up by the priest ; that 
 is to say, a commemorative sacrifice, not the comme- 
 moration of, or a feast upon a sacrifice. In one sense, 
 indeed, it may be called an altar, inasmuch as we 
 offer the sacrifice of our praise and thanksgiving, of 
 our alms and oblations, and of our souls and bodies, 
 in token of our gratitude to God for the blessings of 
 which we are partakers by the mysterious commu- 
 nication of the body and blood of Christ, spiritually 
 conveyed to us in the form and manner appointed 
 by our Lord ; but in this we are recipients. There 
 is no offering up again of the one full, perfect, and 
 sufficient sacrifice and oblation, but only a participa- 
 tion of the benefits of Christ's death and passion, 
 through the means appointed for their reception. I 
 cannot then admit that in the Prayer for the Church 
 Militant, the word " oblations " is intended to mean 
 more than the offerings of the communicants in
 
 13 
 
 token of the gratitude and tliankfnlness to God, 
 which they are bound to evince when about to par- 
 take of the body and blood of Christ. The elements 
 of bread and wine were, indeed, formerly taken out 
 of the general offerings of the people ; and by 
 degrees the term " ohlatce " was used in the Romish 
 Church to signify the consecrated wafer which was 
 OFFERED up by the priest. 
 
 In our Service, the alms and oblations having 
 been first presented and placed on the table, the 
 priest is afterwards directed to place thereon so 
 mucli bread and wine as he shall think sufficient ; 
 not as the oblations, for they have already been 
 presented and placed there. The prayer that fol- 
 lows, in which we beg God to accept them, is only 
 expressive of our thankfulness, and is a preparatory 
 step to our becoming spiritually partakers of the 
 body and blood of Christ after the bread and wine 
 shall have been consecrated according to the direc- 
 tions and after the example of our Lord. 
 
 It is no doubt right that the elements about to be 
 consecrated to so divine a mystery should be placed 
 on the table with due reverence, but there is nothing 
 of a sacrificial nature in this act^ nor do I believe that 
 the word " oblation" refers to this part of the service. 
 If it could have been so intended, it would scarcely 
 have been placed after " our alms," and as a secon- 
 dary object. Moreover, it frequently happens that 
 strangers partake of the Holy Sacrament in our 
 Churches, who have borne no share in the oblations.
 
 14 
 
 and therefore in what is so essential a part of the 
 service as to be described in Tract Eighty-one, as 
 " one of the higher mysteries of the Eucharist, this 
 awful part of our devotions." 
 
 In the first part of the homily concerning the 
 Sacrament, it is said, " We must take care, lest of 
 the memory it be made a sacrifice." Again, "Thou 
 must have faith, that Christ made upon the cross a 
 full and sufficient sacrifice for thee — a perfect cleans- 
 ing of thy sins. Herein thou needest no other man's 
 help, no other sacrifice or oblation, no sacrificing 
 priest, no mass, no means established by man's inven- 
 tion." Wheatley, in his " Commentary on the Com- 
 mon Prayer," in speaking of the sentences at the 
 offertory, observes, that, "from the sixth to the tenth, 
 they refer to the Clergy ; and this," he adds, " he 
 supposes was the reason why, at the last review, 
 there was a distinction made between alms for the 
 poor and the other devotions of the people." Now 
 this remark, coupled with the fact that, at the last 
 review the word "oblations" was added, proves, I 
 think, contrary to his opinion, that what are called 
 " other devotions of the people," answers to the 
 term " oblations ;" and that neither have reference 
 to any offering up of the elements. Archbishop 
 Seeker, as a later authority, says, "Those sentences 
 of the offertory which regard the Clergy are seldom 
 or never read to the people, lest they should seem to 
 plead their own cause, excepting in some few of our 
 churches, where the primitive practice of giving
 
 15 
 
 oblations to the minister is still preserved." The 
 directions in the Rubric immediately preceding the 
 Prayer for the Church Militant appear to me to 
 afford further proof of the true meaning to be 
 attached to the word "oblations ;" for it is there said, 
 "And when there is a communion, the priest shall 
 place on the table so much bread and wine as he 
 shall think sufficient ; after which he shall say the 
 prayer which follows." To which there is this note : 
 "But if there be no alms or oblations, these words 
 shall be omitted." The bread and wine, however, 
 have already been placed on the table ; how, then, 
 can there be no oblations if the word refers to the 
 elements about to be consecrated ? 
 
 The following passage occurs in the Eighty-first 
 Tract with reference to the word in question, in 
 which some mysterious allusions are made to the 
 restoration of certain privileges, of which we are led 
 to imagine the Church of England has been long de- 
 prived : — "The substitution of the term 'table,' 
 'holy table,' for that of 'altar,' which is in King 
 Edward's first book, as well as ' God's Board,' is a 
 strong instance of this our judicial hmiiliation. For 
 what is it but to say, that the higher mysteries which 
 this word 'altar' represents are, not taken away from 
 us, but partially withdrawn from view? and doubt- 
 less, therefore, lost to many who consider not the 
 Lord's body. Such a loss is doubtless, therefore, a 
 great one, which withholds the altar from our due 
 acknowledfrment. But who reads not in this the
 
 IG 
 
 visitation upon children's children of the sacrilegious 
 liollution it has under gorie in this country f Still, 
 however, we have a great privilege in the insertion 
 of the word 'oblations' in the last review of the 
 Liturgy. We have that which prophets and kings 
 desired to see, — that which Charles the First and 
 Bishop Andrews had not. And with regard to the 
 oblation itself, is not the case significative of our 
 position? For it is not that no oblation is made, 
 for we pray that our oblations may be accepted ; but 
 that it is made in silence. Is not this silence expres- 
 sive ? May it not be considered eloquently significa- 
 tive, more than any other word, of our condition, 
 that the higher part of the service, which looks more 
 like the privilege of sons, is performed in humiliation 
 and silence?" 
 
 Here I cannot but observe how painful it is to 
 read the remarks which are contained in this and 
 other passages in the Tracts, directed, as it seems, 
 against the Reformers, and other holy men who laid 
 down their lives in defence of the Protestant faith, 
 and in proof of their love to God ; and not only 
 against them, but the greater number of their suc- 
 cessors who have ministered in the Church for so 
 many centuries. It would appear from the opinions 
 now advanced, that for this length of time they have 
 entertained and taught low and unworthy notions 
 of our religious duties, and evinced an unpardonable 
 degree of ignorance of the true doctrines of our 
 Church. The discipline thereof, I admit, may have
 
 17 
 
 been impaired, and the spirit of devotion may at 
 some periods have been less eminent than at others, 
 or than it now ought to be ; but I trust that the 
 outworks of our Zion have not been so neglected 
 as to admit the intrusion of a spurious faith, and 
 that in fundamental points of doctrine, we have 
 never departed from any one of the principles of 
 the Catholic Church, as recognized at the Reforma- 
 tion. I believe the Holy Eucharist is a commemo- 
 rative feast, upon the one perfect and sufficient 
 sacrifice once offered up, and not again to be re- 
 peated. By the consecration of the bread and wine 
 according to the example, and in obedience to the 
 commands of our Lord, his spiritual presence is 
 in a mysterious manner vouchsafed to us through 
 the medium of these elements, the emblems or 
 representation of his body and blood, thus verily 
 and indeed taken and received by those who feed 
 on Him in their hearts by faith with thanksgiving. 
 We must rest satisfied with our Saviour's declara- 
 tion, "This is my body;" but how the Holy Spirit 
 operates we know not, and if we could obtain such 
 knowledge as would render the mode of communi- 
 cation evident to our senses, the Eucharist would 
 cease to bear the character of the holy mystery we 
 acknowledge it to be. 
 
 In the consecration of the bread and wine, we 
 do not believe that any change takes place in the 
 elements, but that they become the channels for con- 
 veying spiritual blessings to the faithful recipient. It
 
 18 
 
 must be borne in mind, however, that when we 
 speak of human benedictions and their efficacy, we 
 mean not that they have any real virtue or efficacy 
 in themselves^ or under any consideration, but as 
 founded on a Divine promise from God to man, and 
 whatever degree of consecration or sanctification is 
 imparted in this sacrament to things or persons, it 
 all proceeds from God in the Divine warrant and 
 promise that a blessing shall accompany it. The 
 effect then, which the words of our Lord, " This is 
 my body," may be supposed to have, may be stated 
 as follows : — 
 
 We do not conceive with the Church of Rome, that 
 the pronouncing the words make the consecration, 
 but that the words of our Lord once spoken operate 
 now, as virtually conveying with them a rule for 
 all succeding ages of the Church ; and that what was 
 then done, when our Lord Himself consecrated the 
 bread and wine, will always be done in the celebra- 
 tion of the Eucharist according to its original ap- 
 pointment. If the elements were then sanctified so 
 as to be representative symbols of Christ's body and 
 blood, and if the worthy recipients were then parta- 
 kers of the true spiritual food on receiving the sym- 
 bolical; and if all this was implied in the words, 
 " This is my body ;" so the same blessings are now 
 imparted to us, and what the sacrament then was 
 in virtue and effect, so it is also at this day. Such 
 was the line of argument which some of the Fathers 
 adopted on this subject, and it was under this view
 
 19 
 
 of the holy mystery they contended that the words 
 of our Saviour, once spoken, were to have their true 
 effect in every subsequent consecration of the ele- 
 ments of bread and wine, as being declaratory of 
 what then was, and promissory of what should be in 
 all times to come. The whole matter is thus well and 
 clearly stated by Archbishop Sharpe; and I quote 
 his authority more especially, because the authors of 
 the Tracts claim him as one of the divines who is in 
 favour of the views they take of the Eucharistic 
 sacrifice. " We offer up our alms, we offer up our 
 praises, our prayers, and ourselves, and these we 
 offer up in virtue and consideration of Christ's sacri- 
 fice represented before us and before God by way of 
 commemoration, nor can it be proved that the 
 ancient Fathers did more. This whole service was 
 their Christian sacrifice, and this is ours ^" 
 
 ' " First of all in this service we bring our offerings to God for 
 the use of the poor. We do not appear before Him empty, but 
 make a present to Him of our substance, every one according to 
 his ability. Whereby we both acknowledge Him for the Lord 
 of the world and the Giver of all good things, and also show our 
 charity to our indigent brethren, with which kind of sacrifice, as 
 St. Paul tells us, God is well pleased. These gifts our Church 
 calleth by the names of offerings and oblations, and in the first 
 solemn prayer in this ofB.ce, we beg God to accept our alms and 
 oblations." — Archbishop Sharpe, concerning the Sacrifice of the 
 hordes Supper. 
 
 " In these three things consisted the whole of the Christian 
 sacrifice, as it was held by the primitive Fathers. They first 
 offered to God of their substance, then they offered their prayers 
 
 B 2
 
 20 
 
 We cannot, then, I think, speak of the Lord's 
 table as an altar with reference to the one perfect 
 oblation once offered, although it may, in a secon- 
 dary point of view, be so called, as the place where 
 we more immediately devote our souls and bodies to 
 the service of God, and offer up our prayers and 
 thanksgivings. It is in this point of view that the 
 words " altar" and " table" have been used indiffer- 
 ently ; and although the former is not recognized in 
 our Rubric and services, I admit that in common 
 parlance, both terms have been very generally applied 
 to indicate the same thing. An attempt is made in 
 the Eighty-first Tract, page 21st, to revive what was 
 once, as it is asserted, the practice of the Universal 
 Church, namely, the offering up of prayers for the 
 dead in connexion with the Eucharist. The author 
 says, " Our Church has excluded the more solemn 
 
 and their praises, and at the same time they commemorated to 
 God the death and sacrifice of Christ, and prayed that their 
 oblations and themselves might be accepted." — Ihid. 
 
 "Was it ever heard that the henefit of a sacrifice was to 
 be applied to men by means of offering up another sacrifice ? 
 How can any thing be applied to men by being offered up and 
 applied to God ? It is just as if we should apply physic, or the 
 salves that are prescribed, not to the patient or the wounded 
 person, but to the physician." — Ihid. 
 
 " The learned writer (Mr. Robert Nelson) then proceeds to 
 the confutation of those who hold the last supper to be a 
 Eucharistic sacrifice commemorative of that on the cross, hut with 
 this neither /, 7ior, as 1 appiehend, the Church of England hath 
 any thing to do." — Bishop Warhurton.
 
 21 
 
 commendation to God of the dead, which is a mwiing 
 tJioiight, for may we not venture to consider it in this 
 light, that we are by the exclusion, as it were, in 
 some degree disunited from the pure communion of 
 the saints, as if scarce worthy to profess ourselves 
 one with them ? 
 
 " It is in his Son that the whole Church is, not- 
 withstanding her manifold deficiencies and unfaith- 
 fulness, still acceptable to God ; and so in Christ, all 
 the several members of the one body who sleep in 
 Christ, are in Christ. AYhy then should we take 
 upon ourselves to say, that they who are his mem- 
 bers as well as we, have no interest in this which is 
 offered foi' a memorial for all, or why should man 
 think it an uuhappiness or imperfection that they, 
 the dead, should obtain additional joys and satisfac- 
 tions thereby ?" 
 
 In the Prayer for the Church Militant, we return 
 thanks to God for those who have departed this life 
 in the faith and fear of his holy name. And this is 
 a commemoration of their virtues ; but it is not a 
 commendatory prayer on their behalf. And if it is 
 admitted that our Church in her services has ex- 
 cluded prayers for the dead, is any professed minister 
 of that Church justified in attempting to revive a 
 practice which, after repeated consideration, was 
 finally rejected ? I have briefly touched on the sub- 
 ject of the Holy Eucharist to call your attention to 
 the question, whether it be, as the authors of the 
 Tracts assert, a continued commemorative sacrifice,
 
 22 
 
 or only the commemoration of a sacrifice ? It is a 
 subject far too extensive to be properly discussed on 
 the present occasion. I will not attempt farther to 
 enlarge upon it ; but refer my younger brethren to 
 the works of Dr. Cudworth, of Dr. Waterland, to 
 the Sermons of Archbishop Sharpe on the Eucharis- 
 tic Sacrifice, to Bishop Warburton, and to two Ser- 
 mons by the late Bishop Cleaver, published in the 
 year 1787 ; in which you will find the doctrine on 
 this important subject, as laid down in Scripture and 
 antiquity, fully discussed and explained. I do not 
 think you will discover therein any marks of our 
 Church having been visited by a '^judicial humilia- 
 tion^'' or of the proper view which the altar repre- 
 sents having been withdrawn from those learned 
 men; or that we shall now only begin to have '■Hhat 
 which prophets and kings desired to see^'' by adopting 
 the sense which the authors of the Tracts attach to 
 that word. 
 
 With respect to the authority of the writers to 
 whom I refer, and of tradition generally, — for they 
 quote largely from the Fathers, — we must admit that, 
 for the right understanding of Holy Scripture, it is of 
 great importance to ascertain what opinions the 
 writers, ancient or modern, have held on the ques- 
 tions respecting which we desire to obtain informa- 
 tion ; and, more especially, to observe on what points 
 they universally agree. In such cases, the concur- 
 ring sentiments of the Christian world ought to 
 prevail against any modern interpretations. But
 
 23 
 
 then we must be satisfied tliat there is such a con- 
 currence; and this requires much reading and re- 
 search. 
 
 The learned Hooker observes, with respect to the 
 Holy Communion, "that all sides have agreed on 
 this, that it is instrumentally a cause of the real par- 
 ticipation of the body and blood of Christ. All," as 
 far as he could see, " were come to a general agree- 
 ment on this point; all approve and acknowledge 
 this doctrine, and admit that there is nothing but 
 that which is alone sufficient for a Christian man to 
 believe concerning the use and force of the Sacra- 
 ment. Finally, nothing but that wherewith the 
 writings of all antiquity are consonant, and all 
 Christian confessions agreeable." I am not, how- 
 ever, disposed to adopt a blind admiration of the 
 Fathers on many other disputed points of doctrine ; 
 for it is well observed by Melancthon, "Quoties 
 lapsus est Hieronymus, quoties Augustinus, quoties 
 Ambrosius, quoties ipsi inter se dissentiunt, quoties 
 sues errores retractant? et quid multis? Una est 
 Scriptura, coelestis Spiritus, pura et per omnia verax, 
 quam Canonicam vocant." 
 
 I next proceed to the ceremonial and other ob- 
 servances, which there is now a desire to revive. 
 In these (so-called) enlightened days, I could scarcely 
 have conceived it possible, that the question, as to 
 the use of the surplice in the performance of Divine 
 service, could have created so much excitement in 
 the public mind. This habit has always been adopted
 
 24 
 
 in the pulpits of our cathedrals, and by a great num- 
 ber of the parochial Clergy in different parts of the 
 kingdom ; and, as a matter of convenience, I fre- 
 quently so used it when I officiated as a curate in 
 the diocese of Lincoln. In our cathedrals it is rather 
 a mark by which the immediate members of the 
 collegiate body are distinguished, as I believe 
 strangers, when preaching, are usually habited in a 
 gown. In general it is an indifferent matter which 
 is worn ; and if, from the temper of the times, you 
 consider that your congregations are likely to take 
 offence by a change from the custom which has 
 usually been, followed in your respective churches, I 
 recommend you to pay deference to their prejudices ; 
 and they will probably discover, when the htat of the 
 present controversy shall have passed away, that they 
 need not have apprehended any great danger to the 
 Protestant faith from a practice which, in so many 
 cases, for the last two hundred years, has not been 
 found to produce any evil effects. The disputes 
 about the habits and usages of the Church during 
 the reign of Queen Elizabeth were managed, we are 
 told, with great heat and indecency by the Dissenters ; 
 and the indiscretion of some zealots broke the people 
 into parties, created misunderstandings, and weak- 
 ened the authority of the government in Church and 
 State. I hope we shall derive wisdom from their 
 example, and that so puerile a question will not be 
 I suffered to disturb the mind of the public, nor to 
 lead them to suppose that it is one which in the
 
 25 
 
 slightest degree affects our devotional services. More 
 especially let it not be made a badge of party distinc- 
 tion, which shall cause us to look upon each other 
 with distrust as to our religious opinions. 
 
 Much stress is now laid on the position of the 
 desk from whence the prayers are offered up. The 
 Rubric only directs " that the Morning and Evening 
 Prayer shall be used in the accustomed place of the 
 church or chancel, except it shall be otherwise deter- 
 mined by the ordinary." I do not know of any rule 
 which directs that we are to turn to the north or 
 south, or any other point of the compass. The plain 
 and sensible injunction is that which we find in King 
 Edward's first Book, " that the minister so turn as to 
 be best heard by the people," and the reading-desk 
 ought now to be placed so that this object may be 
 best attained. In 1554 the Bishops issued directions, 
 " that the Common Prayer be said or sung decently 
 and distinctly, in such place as the ordinary shall 
 direct, according to the largeness and straightness 
 of the choir, so that the people may be best edified." 
 Turning in any other direction, so that they cannot 
 distinctly hear the minister, I have no hesitation in 
 saying, involves the popish notion of praying for, and 
 not with our congregations. 
 
 Again, the form of the desk is made a matter of 
 importance, the Lessons to be read one way, and the 
 Prayers another. I confess, that this solemn trifling 
 creates in my mind any other than feelings of respect 
 for the good sense of those persons, who can take
 
 26 
 
 an interest in such distinctions. If indeed it is only 
 desired that the form of the reading-desk shall accord 
 with the architecture of the church, that Grecian 
 models shall not be erected in Gothic edifices, or the 
 reverse, I entirely agree in opinion with those per- 
 sons, who are anxious to establish greater uniformity 
 in this respect ; for we must admit that the additions 
 and repairs which were executed in our churches, 
 subsequent to the great Rebellion, introduced the 
 most flagrant breaches of architectural rules. The 
 wild and destructive spirit of puritanism had pre- 
 viously destroyed the greater part of the beautiful 
 and ornamental works with which they had been 
 adorned, and I rejoice in the spirit which is now 
 evinced for the restoration of our sacred edifices to 
 their former splendor and beauty. But this may be 
 done without the introduction of a superstitious 
 attention to mysterious forms and symbols, to which 
 some persons are disposed to attach so much im- 
 portance. 
 
 I would not advise you to use the Litany in any 
 other than the accustomed place, by which I mean 
 the place where your congregations have from time 
 immemorial been used to hear it read. In short, in 
 the present state of the public mind, depart as little 
 as possible from the usages of the Church to which 
 they have long been accustomed : provided nothing 
 is done in a slovenly and irreverent manner, or so far 
 in contradiction to the directions of the Rubric, as to 
 give reasonable cause of offence. In such case, if
 
 27 
 
 complaint shall be made to me, I will give the 
 directions I may think necessary, and to which, from 
 the attention you have always paid to my advice, 
 I doubt not you will yield a ready obedience. I will 
 only add, that the pulpit or reading-desk cannot 
 legally be taken down, and removed from the accus- 
 tomed places, without my sanction having first been 
 obtained; and I call the attention of the church- 
 wardens to this regulation, and desire they will act 
 accordingly. 
 
 Another innovation which gives offence, is the 
 omission of the singing of the Psalms, at the periods 
 of the service in which it has been the custom to 
 introduce this act of devotion. I am of opinion, that 
 in this respect, I mean as far as regards the time for 
 singing, there was a suflficient degree of uniformity in 
 the practice which was generally observed in our 
 churches ; but we have had much reason to complain 
 of the introduction of unauthorized versions of the 
 Psalms, and hymns often of an objectionable nature. 
 The directions in the Act of Uniformity are as fol- 
 low, " that from henceforth the whole realm shall 
 have but one use." I hope we shall return to this 
 practice, and generally adopt the new version of the 
 Psalms which was published by authority in the year 
 1698, for it often happens that a great number in 
 our congregations are excluded from joining in the 
 Psalms, from the introduction of versions, a copy of 
 which they do not possess. 
 
 I do not approve of a practice which is adopted in
 
 28 
 
 some of our churches, of administering the Holy 
 Sacrament to many communicants at the same time, 
 without addressing each individual. I am aware, 
 that in populous towns the numbers may be so great, 
 as to render it physically impossible for the minister 
 to do so, and in such cases my observation will not 
 apply; but I think that by more frequent Com- 
 munions, this difficulty might be obviated, and the 
 feelings of the recipient be gratified by a personal 
 application of our Blessed Lord's institution to each 
 individual. 
 
 With respect to ceremonies in general, we are not 
 to go back to the reigns of Edward, or Elizabeth, or 
 any other sovereigns previous to that of Charles the 
 Second. The Act of Uniformity, which was then 
 passed with the full approbation and consent of the 
 Convocation, is now our proper guide, as far as it can 
 be obeyed without manifest inconvenience. It is 
 stated that some ceremonies were then laid aside ; 
 what they were does not appear, but such as are to 
 be retained are clearly defined, for we read in the 
 first page of the Prayer Book, " The rites and cere- 
 monies of the Church according to the use of the 
 Church of England ;" and, therefore, what we do not 
 find therein ought not to be practised. It is said, 
 and truly said, that if one minister is allowed to dis- 
 regard any particular injunction, another may take 
 the same liberty in some other respect ; but I must 
 here observe, that there is a great diiference between 
 omitting the repetition of a prayer, the substance of
 
 29 
 
 which has been already offered up during the service, 
 as in the case of the prayer for the Church Militant 
 (in consequence of the union of three services in one), 
 and the systematic rejection or mutilation of certain 
 prayers or creeds involving doctrines of which the 
 minister does not approve. I allude especially to 
 the omission of the Athanasian Creed, and to altera- 
 tions in the Baptismal and Burial Services, of which 
 offence some of the Clergy are I am afraid guilty, 
 but not to my knowledge in this Diocese. In some 
 places offence has been taken at the bowing of the 
 head on approaching the communion-table, or on 
 entering or leaving the church. This is an observance 
 which I cannot say that I am in the habit of prac- 
 tising myself, but of which no one has any right to 
 complain, or to find fault with his brother for adopt- 
 ing. If it affords any satisfaction to pious minds, 
 why should we object to so innocent a mode of 
 expressing their reverence for the supposed presence 
 of the Deity ? No one is compelled to do the same, 
 and the injunction of St. Paul may well here be 
 followed. " Let not him that eateth despise him 
 that eateth not, and let not him that eateth not, 
 despise him that eateth ; let us not judge one ano- 
 ther any more, but follow after the things that make 
 for peace, and things wherewith we may edify each 
 other." 
 
 Turning to the east during the repetition of the 
 Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, has generally been the 
 practice in our churches, and it is a pleasing and
 
 30 
 
 laudable custom, as an outward mark of the profes- 
 sion of the great truths of the Christian religion by 
 the whole congregation : but I think the officiating 
 minister ought not to do so, because if, as I suppose, 
 it is principally intended to evince the general assent 
 of the people to the doctrines contained in the 
 creeds, there seems to be no occasion for such 
 proofs of orthodoxy on his part. Moreover, as 
 many persons cannot read, he ought so to turn 
 as to be heard by them, that the articles of our faith 
 may, by frequent repetition, become impressed on 
 their memory. It appears to be especially directed 
 in the Rubric that he shall so turn when reciting 
 the Nicene Creed*, and therefore I think the rule is 
 equally applicable to the Apostles' Creed. 
 
 The last question to which I shall at present refer, 
 is that which relates to the obligation on the Clergy 
 publicly to perform daily service. In this respect I 
 am bound to say, that in conforming to the Rubric 
 you cannot do otherwise than well ; but I am satis- 
 fied, in our country parishes, it in most cases is im- 
 practicable, and incompatible with the discharge of 
 the other parochial duties of the Clergy. With 
 regard to the people, situated as many of our 
 churches are at a remote distance from the resi- 
 
 * " The Priest standing as before." It is doubted by some 
 persons in what sense these words are to be taken; I am of 
 opinion that the minister is to turn to the people, as he is pre- 
 viously directed to do.
 
 31 
 
 dence of the parishioners, a congregation could not 
 be daily assembled ; nor do T think that the other 
 necessary duties of life could be carried on, if they 
 should be required to perform this act of devotion. 
 In large and populous towns the Clergy may be able 
 to comply more frequently with the directions of the 
 Rubric, and I know that they have done so with 
 good effect. I leave this question as it stands in the 
 Rubric : " All parsons and vicars are to say daily the 
 morning and evening prayers, either privately or 
 openly, not being let by sickness, or other urgent 
 cause. And the curate that ministereth in every 
 parish church or chapel, being at home, and not 
 being otherwise reasonably hindered, shall say the 
 same in the parish church." Of the reasonableness 
 of the hindrance the Clergy have hitherto been 
 allowed to judge for themselves. But although a 
 strict obedience to the Rubric in this respect is not 
 practicable, and, as far as I can learn, has never been 
 insisted upon, I trust that you will not omit the 
 fasts, festivals, and saints' days, for which special 
 services have been appointed, whenever there is a 
 probability of a congregation being assembled to- 
 gether. 
 
 With respect to some other questions which are 
 now mooted, such as the introduction of a weekly 
 offertory, and reading the prayer for the Church 
 Militant, I recommend you to follow the practice 
 which has from time immemorial been adopted in 
 the church in which you are called to officiate. I
 
 32 
 
 have not hitherto, in this diocese, had reason to 
 complain of any material neglect in your ministerial 
 duties ; and it will be time enough for me to signify 
 disapprobation of your conduct, when I shall find 
 any just occasion for my interference. I close these 
 observations with the advice which was given by 
 our Most reverend Metropolitan to the Clergy of his 
 Grace's diocese, with which I cordially agree : " In 
 the celebration of divine service the introduction of 
 novelties is much to be deprecated ; and even the 
 revival of obsolete usages, which, having the appear- 
 ance of novelties to the ignorant, may occasion dis- 
 satisfaction, dissension, and controversy. In cases 
 of this nature it may be better to forego even advan- 
 tageous changes, and wait for the decision of autho- 
 rity, than to open fresh sources of misapprehension 
 and strife by singularity." 
 
 Having given you my advice with respect to your 
 public ministrations in the church, I shall conclude 
 with a few observations to my younger brethren on 
 those of a more private and parochial nature. 
 Preaching and the public services are principally cal- 
 culated for the common wants and circumstances 
 of the congregation at large, but there are many 
 cases in which individuals need peculiar comfort, 
 exhortation, and advice, and these you are required 
 to supply. You must be prepared to meet the 
 doubts, the fears, and the sorrows, which may be 
 laid before you, and must therefore be acquainted 
 with the consolations, the instructions, and the sup-
 
 33 
 
 port you ought to administer. Tiie house of mourn- 
 ing and the bed of sickness present opportunities for 
 " turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wis- 
 dom of the just," of which you should endeavour to 
 avail yourselves. To convey reproof is perhaps the 
 most difficult duty you will have to discharge. In 
 most cases it should be done in private, and with 
 the meekness, forbearance, and gentleness of the 
 Gospel. In visiting the sick and the dying, our 
 Church requires that you move them to make spe- 
 cial confession of their sins, and on the expression of 
 their sincere faith and repentance, the power of 
 absolution is confided to you ; but all the real com- 
 fort and effect to be derived from it, depend upon 
 the satisfaction of the person's mind as to the sin- 
 cerity of his repentance. There is, therefore, much 
 difficulty in satisfying yourselves and the conscience of 
 the sick man on this important point. You will 
 sometimes meet with persons utterly ignorant of 
 their religious duties, and wdiose lives have been 
 jiassed without one serious thought of another world. 
 Can you venture to apply to them all the promises 
 of grace and pardon, M'hen their consciences appear 
 only to be awakened by the fear of death, and the 
 terrors of another world ? Such distressing scenes 
 require much judgment and discretion ; on the one 
 hand, you may not limit the mercy of God ; and yet 
 you may not encourage presumption, or lead him to 
 break forth in the language of rapture and confi- 
 dence, which is now, at the hour of death, too often 
 
 c
 
 34 
 
 assumed by tlie most profligate and abandoned 
 sinner. 
 
 In addition to such extreme cases, there are 
 others which will require your earnest attention. 
 How, for instance, to satisfy a doubting conscience 
 as to its sincerity. How a sinner, who has relapsed 
 after repentance, may be convinced of the reality of 
 bis conversion. These, and many other cases of a 
 similar nature, will show you how necessary it is 
 that you should apply your minds to the study of 
 such doubtful and important questions ; for " the 
 priest's lips should keep knowledge, and the people 
 should hear the law at his mouth, for he is the 
 messenger of the Lord of Hosts." 
 
 Whoever considers the many difficulties in which 
 our stations involve us, will feel that it requires the 
 utmost exertion of mind, the greatest circumspection 
 in conduct, and the most earnest devotion to our 
 high calling, so to discharge its duties that " we may 
 approve ourselves to God as workmen that need not 
 be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth ;" 
 and even he who thus devotes himself to the 
 ministry will often be constrained to exclaim, " Who 
 is sufficient for these things ?" The answer is given 
 by St. Paul : " We have the treasure in earthen 
 vessels, that the sufficiency may be of God." All 
 the difficulties to which I have called your attention, 
 and many others to which time will not allow me to 
 allude, have been successfully encountered by faith- 
 ful men, and by the cloud of witnesses who have
 
 35 
 
 gone before you ; and if you will conscientiously 
 endeavour to follow their example, you will not find 
 that any necessity exists for your adopting those 
 novel views of your duty, which are now insisted 
 upon by the self-appointed and unauthorized re- 
 formers of our Church. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Gilbert & Rivington, Printers, St. John's Square, London.
 
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