310 "WHILE WE HAVE TIME, LET US DO GOOD." Ay, for the present only is our own, And who can know the dangers of delay, Not ours the future, though we fondly dwell Upon its promise; yea, how bright for some- Let us do good, while youth's all-daring powers, Behold, how swiftly manhood's noontide strength And age and apathy creep on at length, As evening shadows fall. Too brief the longest span of life appears ; And all seems vanity save good deeds done While we have time, ere each his sentence hears : "THOUGHTS on Present Church Troubles," is a collection of four sermons preached in Advent, 1880, by Canon Liddon in the Cathedral Church of S. Paul in London. There is, however, a preface of forty 1 "Thoughts on Present Church Troubles." Four Sermons preached in S. Paul's Cathedral in December, 1880. With a Preface and Appendix. By H. P. Liddon, D.D., Canon Residentiary of S. Paul's, and Ireland Professor at Oxford. Riving tons. one pages, which speaks with clearness and precision on the subject of Church Troubles; the references to that subject in the sermons are but few, though they are marked and emphatic. The sermons are four in number, and are appropriated to the teaching of the Church for each of the Sundays in the Holy Season, as their names indicate : The Coming of the Divine Kingdom, S. Luke xvii. 20, Second Sunday in Advent. The Attractiveness of the Saints, S. Matt. xi. 7, Third Sunday in Advent. The Law and the Gospel, Gal. iii. 21, Fourth Sunday in Advent. The Power of Martyrdom, Acts viii. 1, S. Stephen's Day. About forty pages are given to each, so that the forty-one pages of preface would indicate full treatment of the subject, but it must be mentioned that. the type of the preface is of larger size than the rest of the book. The important passages in the sermons which contain direct and powerful reflections of "Present Troubles" are found pp. 58, 59, 81, &c. They are striking in the same way that all Canon Liddon's utterances are striking, they are forcible, vigorous, easily comprehended, reach home, and are expressed in language which it is always pleasant to read. In the Preface we find more of the subject indicated by the title. And we wish to recommend it especially to our readers who wish to see clearly why it is that some of our best and most hard-working priests have been lately handed over to "the tormentors." Many people who are shocked at the result, are at a loss to understand why the victims of the Church Association have resisted, and have been bewildered by confusing and ignorant criticisms in the daily press, and the virulent sarcasms of those who hate to see sturdy maintenance of principles carried out by voluntary suffering. Lord Penzance, an Ecclesiastical Judge (by hypothesis) has not conformed to the rules laid down by the Canons on the quality and oath of judges, and is therefore in the eyes of the Church not an Ecclesiastical Judge at all. He has a Parliamentary authority, but does not administer justice "as this Church and Realm" hath received the same. Men who believe that they are bound by the solemn pledge they took at their ordination to observe that concurrence of the Church and Realm and obey it-cannot obey the assumed spiritual jurisdiction of one who according to the laws of the Church has not qualified himself -who claims exclusively the right as a parliamentary judge, and they are willing to suffer for their conviction-because they see that the consequences of admitting this anomaly are extremely prejudicial. All this is clearly and circumstantially set forth-and as it is generally useless to try to set those people right who have already made up their minds that black is white, we think we may turn to those who wish to see the question clearly and distinctly put—and to understand in what position those of our priests stand, who have been committed to the common gaol with felons, and thieves, and other disreputable characters, for the simple fault of conscientiously denying obedience to an authority which they believe to be a usurpation, and to admit which would be to subject the great objects of the Christian Church to the control of a House of Commons, that not only had no sympathy with the Church's claims, but deprives her by its acts of her rights secured to her by previous legislation and Royal grants-and which in these latter days, has not thought itself disentitled to its control over the Church of CHrist, although on behalf of its own members it has abolished the necessary qualification of belief in a Supreme Being. That it may please GOD to bring out of this discord, and disaster, happier times for the Church is what all her faithful sons and daughters must desire, and for which they must constantly pray. (Coll. for 22nd Sunday after Trinity.) “THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED.” S. LUKE XXIV. 32. "An Easter Morn on Patmos. ... What to him, most loving, and most loved Of all the King's Apostles, is the light That flickers on the heaving wave? . . . he stands Breathless with haste, and ecstasied with joy.. DR. NEALE. "Thine is the Kingdom-and the Power-and the Glory— For ever and ever :"-yea-ever and for ever: Thine is the Wonderful, Pathetic, Golden Story, From Inspiration's page, obliterated never. Thine is the Kingdom-Holy JESUS-One and Trine- Thine is the Power-Virgin-Born-of Royal Race- With love that hath no end—and "without measure grace"- Thine is the Glory-list-the trumpet's warning sound- "The LORD is risen indeed"-O Blessed Day of Days- C. A. M. W. Reviews and Notices. For the small sum of two pence any one may now procure from Messrs. Masters a copy of The Form and Manner of Making and Consecrating of Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, put forth in the reign of Edward VI., A.D. 1549. The Document possesses more than a mere historical interest, for it is approved in our present XXXIX. Articles as containing nothing "superstitious and ungodly." The "Ornaments" here enjoined are— Cope, Alb, Tunicle, together with the mixed Chalice and round Wafers. Is it not preposterous then that Clergy should now be prosecuted for using these same things which the Rubric at the beginning of the Prayer Book directs shall still "be retained and be in use ?" Does not this Book form a reasonable basis on which to construct at least an allowable Ritual? It may be mentioned that it is one of these Rubrics that alone authorizes the Pastoral Staff, which Bishops have been so ready to adopt as a personal "ornament." Self-Culture for All, (Ward and Lock,) is intended for that large class of persons who have to carry on their education late in life. Grammars of two or three languages, and elementary treatises of such subjects as Geology and Geography are already begun, and the whole is illustrated by many good original engravings. In this last particular the series surpasses all its predecessors by Chambers and Cassell. Writers of poetry undoubtedly often err by attempting too high a strain but the author of Hymns for Children of the English Church (W. Poole) has certainly erred in the opposite direction. The "Verses for every Sunday and Holy Day in the Christian Year" are, there is no doubt, “simple,” and some of them may suit children well enough. But others are really not poetry at all, nor even prose versified as for instance : "A certain man invited all his friends To a great supper, but they did not come; Pray all the guests to hasten quickly home.” Letters and pamphlets on the present crisis in the Church multiply so rapidly that we can only chronicle a few of them. 1. A Plea and Plan for the Toleration of Ritualists, (Wells Gardner,) by the Rev. J. C. Norton. 2. From the same publishers a small tract by the Rev. George Venables, "Heal the breaches and sores thereof, for it shaketh." 3. A long Letter to Mr. Gladstone on the Relation of Church and State, by the Rev. Francis King, (Parker.) 4. A Letter to the Bishop of Manchester, in which that Prelate is rather sharply handled for some of his hasty statements, by the Rev. Coker Adams, late Fellow of New College, (Rugby, Tait and Hopewell.) We are glad to be able to draw the attention of our readers to a singularly beautiful little work which has appeared most opportunely, and will be found eminently useful at the present sacred season. It is entitled Beneath the Cross, Readings for Children on our LORD's Seven Sayings, by Florence Wilford, edited by Charlotte M. Yonge, with a Preface by the Rev. R. F. Wilson, M.A., Vicar of Rownhams. (Masters, London.) The imprimatur of the author of "The Heir of Redclyffe," and the well known Vicar of Rownhams, would have been sufficient to prepare us for undoubted excellence in a book to which they give their public support; but a careful perusal of it has satisfied us that it required nothing beyond its intrinsic merit to obtain the thorough appreciation it deserves. The object with which it has been written is one that will call forth the gratitude of all who have experienced the difficulty of enabling children to pass reverently and feelingly through the most sacred of all days-that of our LORD's Crucifixion. The Service of the Three Hours with its Meditations, for the most part far above their comprehension, and its long periods of silent prayer, is a strain to which they are wholly unequal, and yet they themselves, and their friends for them, feel strongly that even their childish souls should lie beneath the shadow of the Cross during that solemn time. These readings are therefore framed to engage their attention and interest their minds while their elders are engaged in deeper devotions, and nothing more admirably suited to its purpose could have been devised. Each of the Seven Last Words of Him Who is shown throughout to be, in life and in death, the Great Example for all human souls, is dealt with in a separate chapter. The divine lessons to be drawn from them are explained in a very felicitous manner, and illustrations are given from the history of GOD's Saints in all ages, which apart from their high and pure teaching will prove very interesting to children as stories. The language used is extremely |