spoken lightly of, remember that there is also "a mystery of iniquity," the end of which is the revelation of "that man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God and that is worshipped, so that he, as god, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is god;' ;"* and, when we find "a scheme of human agency," "the true secret of our power," and "the benevolent exertion of God for our good," where before was "the redemption of the world by the death and passion of our Saviour Christ, both God and man, who did humble himself even to the death upon the cross for us, miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death, that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlasting life," it is time for us to awake out of sleep, and beware lest any man spoil us through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

66

I am, Sir,

0.

ON THE TWENTY-NINTH CANON, AND CHURCH DISCIPLINE

IN GENERAL.

MY DEAR I am unable to throw any additional light upon the subject on which "A London Rector," in the November number, asks for information; and think it possible that the prohibition in question had its origin as he supposes. But be that as it may, the regulation does afford an additional security, and adds to the solemnity of an office, which there seems too general a tendency to treat lightly.

My object, however, in writing is not to express an opinion upon the expediency, or otherwise, of retaining the prohibition, (should our church, by God's blessing, ever regain her liberty, and be allowed to regulate her own discipline,) but to ask the "London Rector," what he would gain by the withdrawal of it, so long as the other part of the canon, which prohibits all who are not communicants from being sponsors, remains unaltered? And, if any regard is to be paid to discipline, or to the reason of the case, none, I suppose, will advocate the abolition of this part of the canon on principle, however much, in the extreme laxity of the times, the clergy, in practice, may have ceased to observe it.

I am anxious also to give to your readers the result of ten years' experience in strictly observing both parts of the canon, being able to assure them that I find no greater difficulty (nor so great) in procuring canonical sponsors than my predecessors did in obtaining uncanonical

"If a man will not let me pray to and praise my Saviour, he destroys the exercise of my faith altogether; but I am no way injured by his praying to him as a glorified man, while I pray to him as God." Such are actually the words of Dr. Arnold in his postscript on church reform! Is not this to make the church the temple of religious liberty, where the worshipper is the god, whose rights and honour are to be jealously guarded by a watchful priesthood? I must not be interfered with; the Son of God may be treated as a mere man, but "I am in no way injured" by that! [The theory of Dr. Hampden here noticed is a simple revival of that of Abelard. It will be found in St. Bernard's long letter to Innocent II. on Abelard's heresies, made out just in Dr. Hampden's way. Dr. H.'s doctrine is therefore scholastic.-ED.]

ones; at least, if I may judge from the circumstance that the parish clerk is not called upon to stand so often now as he was before. I never, but in one instance, found much objection raised to my being "so particular;" but, on the contrary, for the most part, the people have readily acquiesced in the reason of the arrangement all the respectable part are pleased; and what with this, and the celebration of baptism always after the second lesson, in the face of the people, I have reason to hope and believe that a far greater value is set upon both sacraments, and a greater reverence paid to them than there was previously. The number of communicants has been trebled.

Let me also suggest to the younger part of your readers, especially, the advantage of keeping a register of sponsors, who, if they be such as the church contemplates, will be found of great service in assisting to guide the young sheep, and in throwing in a word of advice or remonstrance both to the children and their parents in support of the pastor's admonitions.

This, with a parochial register of communicants, and a parochial or diocesan one for those who are admitted to confirmation, will be indispensable to the re-establishment of discipline, and, if generally adopted, would materially pave the way for it, and put us in a condition for resuming it whenever it shall seem good to the Chief Pastor, under God's guidance, to set their hand to such a work.

Nor will the difficulty of accomplishing the restoration of discipline, if it be set about with straightforward and open earnestness, as well as calm discretion, be found, in reality and practice, what it seems to be in imagination and theory. It is not the way of human nature in religious, any more than in civil and military affairs, to respect a man for failing to maintain his authority. Let us be sure that we have a reason, and be ready to make it known, if required, for every step of discipline which is put in force, and we shall find our hands strengthened, instead of weakened, by that attempt. The sincere Christians will rejoice and applaud; the insincere will be abashed and silenced, and all will respect. ALPHA.

OFFICE OF PRIVATE BAPTISM.

MR. EDITOR,-Allow me to preface the subject of my communication with observing that the Office of the "Ministration of Private Baptism" in our books of Common Prayer, is somewhat erroneously so called. It is true, it commences with instructing us, in the rubric, what prayers are to be used in private baptism in houses, and adds the usual prayer of Thanksgiving. The rubric then proceeds" And let them not doubt, but that the child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized; and ought not to be baptized again. Yet nevertheless, if the child which is after this sort baptized, do afterwards live, it is. expedient that it be brought into the church, to the intent that

the congregation may be certified of the true form of baptism, by him privately before used: In which case he shall say thus:" From this place the service is no longer a service of private baptism: it is

public, and not a service of baptism at all, but a form of "receiving into the congregation" such as have been privately baptized; as is clear from these further directions of the rubric-" then shall he not christen the child again, but shall receive him as one of the flock of true Christian people." Having made these preliminary remarks, I would ask (continuing to use my own name for this service), why we have not a service for the "receiving into the congregation" of persons of riper years, as well as infants? The service for the "Ministration of Public Baptism of such as are of riper years" is of no use here, for the candidate has been already "sufficiently baptized, and ought not to be baptized again," and indeed it will be found that there is scarcely a prayer in that service that would apply to him, it being throughout so clearly supposed that the candidate is at one and the same time baptized and received into the church.

Now I have myself thrice in the last four years been called on to "receive into the church" persons of riper years (two of whom were upwards of thirty years of age), who had been, when infants, privately baptized, but who had neglected up to this time to appear publicly in the church with sponsors: a neglect which, it seems, the compilers of our liturgy did not contemplate. The same difficulty has often presented itself to many of my clerical brethren.

I have heard it suggested that, in such a case, the candidate may be dismissed with the assurance that the form is no longer necessary for him, as being now come to years of discretion, and therefore a fit candidate for confirmation. But is this consistent with the rubric in the Office of "Public Baptism of such as are of riper years"-which supposes such persons, notwithstanding their age, to be provided with Godfathers and Godmothers? Or, is any one a fit candidate for confirmation, who has neglected any of the previous ordinances? The only alternative is for the minister to make up a patch-work service out of the several orders of baptism, suited to his purpose; and how, again, is this consistent with his observance of the Act of Uniformity?

*

I can scarcely hope that any of your correspondents will be able to find a remedy for this difficulty; but the insertion of this letter in your Magazine may serve to draw from them some remarks which may, perhaps, throw light upon the cause of the omission of such a service in our liturgy.

I am, Mr. Editor, your obedient servant, H. F. G. T.

Nov. 25th, 1834.

JOHN WICKLIFFE,-MR, VAUGHAN'S LIFE OF WICKLIFFE. IT has often appeared to me to be a great disgrace to the English church that no attempt has ever been made to collect and publish the numerous works ascribed to Wickliffe, which are preserved in our

A difficulty of a somewhat similar kind has occurred in practice to the writer of this note, viz., the want of a form of private baptism for adults. It was a case of long sickness and total inability to move, which terminated fatally. The Bishop kindly directed the writer to use his discretion as to the form.-ED.

public and private libraries. To look for parliamentary aid to such an undertaking in the present times would be, perhaps, out of the question; but surely there are individuals and literary corporations who could do much towards the accomplishment of this great national work. I call it a national object, because, independently of its importance to our ecclesiastical history, the works of Wickliffe would doubtless throw great light upon our political history also, and would be of incalculable importance to the philology of our language. In this latter point of view, the publication of Wickliffe's Bible, which has been recently begun by the University of Oxford, will doubtless do much, and may lead, I trust, to the still more important labour of a collected edition of his remaining works. The difficulties of consulting his scattered writings, and the almost impossibility of giving any correct or faithful account of the rise of his opinions, arising from the impossibility of considering, in juxta-position, his various works, have been complained of by all his biographers, from old John Fox to Mr. Vaughan, and have opposed great obstacles in the way of a satisfactory refutation of the numerous slanders with which his memory and his orthodoxy have been reproached. Thus his attacks upon the mendicant orders (the sectarians of his day) have been represented as attacks upon the whole body of the clergy; and his philippics against the abuses of clerical exemptions and non-residence, at a period when the principal benefices of the country were disposed of, by papal usurpation, to aliens and foreigners, have been quoted as identifying the venerable reformer with the ignorant and foul-mouthed abuse which a certain party, of our own times, now delights to pour forth against the prelates and clergy of the reformed church.

Mr. Vaughan has been more diligent in the labour of studying the remains of Wickliffe, and has attained, perhaps, a more extensive acquaintance with them than any of his former biographers; but Mr. Vaughan, as a dissenter, was naturally anxious to obtain for the principles of nonconformity the authority of our first reformer, and he therefore pays peculiar attention to everything that seems to place Wickliffe in opposition to an established religion, the right of tithes, and the powers of the clergy. Having enjoyed the privilege of access to a library which is particularly rich in MS. remains of our reformer, I have been induced to verify some of Mr. Vaughan's quotations, and I know not how I can better set before your readers the importance of a complete edition of Wickliffe's works than by sending you the proof which the following extracts contain, that the difficulty of consulting those works in their present scattered state are such, that not even Mr. Vaughan has been able to avoid a misrepresentation of his author's real meaning.

In his second volume, p. 285, Mr. Vaughan tells us that Wickliffe was "ever ready to avow it as his doctrine, that, where the priest failed notoriously in his office, the obligation to any species of contribution, on the part of the people, was dissolved. In such cases the clergy might resort to spiritual censures, or enforce their demands by the aids of the civil power; but, in so doing, they were said to follow the customs of the world more than the example of Christ, or the VOL. VII.-Feb. 1835 2 в

maxims of the Gospel." In support of this assertion, Mr. V. goes on to quote several different tracts of his author, in such a manner, as that if the reader was not attentive enough to look into the margin, he would suppose that all the extracts were from the same treatise. I shall give Mr. Vaughan's words in juxta-position with extracts from the original, as I find it in MSS. preserved in the library of Trinity College, Dublin*:

Of Clerkis Poscessionaris. Cap. 3m

Prowde possessionaris ben traytouris of God of lordis & of pe commune peple, Dei ben traytouris of God for pei distroien his ordeynauce Pat he made for clerkis & in stede of mekenesse & wilful pouerti & discret penauce bryngen in coueytise pride & wombe ioyet & idilnesse & Dei bryngen lordis in pis errour of bileue pat pei be in dette to mayntenen the in pis worldly lyf & pt lordis may nougt mayntene cristis ordynaūce i clerkis for drede of antecristis curs & brekynge of there oth by whiche Dei be sworne to mayntene holy chirche

.....

and pei teche pe commune peple pt pei schulen have goddis bless. yng & blisse of heuene gif Pei paien truly there tipis & offryngis to the whāne pei lyuen in open leccherie & couetise & don nothyn there goostly office but bi word & ensample of euyl lijf leden pe peple to helle.

Of Prelates. Cap. Im

And perfore crist first purgide petemple wios his owen hondis as de gospel tell

in tokene dat gif p'stis weren goode be peple schuld sone be amendid and for dis skille trew men seyn ðat platis ben more bounden to p'che treweli de gospel dan dise sugettis ben holden to paie there dymes for god chargeð ðat more and ðanne is dat more p'fitable to bobe pties & more aysy. and Berfore platis ben more cursid to cesse of dis prchynge dan de sugettis gif Bei cessen to paie tides. gel whan ther platis don well ther offis.

Now, how do these quotations prove that Wickliffe taught the doctrine of modern sectarians, that "the obligation to any species of contribution, on the part of the people, was dissolved whenever

they conceived the priest to "fail notoriously in his office"?

• I have preserved the Saxon characters used in the original MS. + Womb-joy, love of the belly, gluttony.

This whole passage is printed in Mr. Vaughan's book without any break or separation,

The character used in the MS. is p; the printer has substituted quence of not having enough of the former.

Ge, yea.

in conse