Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

to this very question:-Miror sane quid ita volueris, ut de iis quæ variè per diversa loca observantur, tibi aliqua conscriberem, cum et not sit necessarium, et una in his saluberrima regula retinenda sit, ut quæ non sunt contra fidem, neque contra bonos mores, et habent aliquid ad exhortationem vitæ melioris, ubicunque institui videmus, vel instituta cognoscimus, non solum non improbemus, sed etiam laudando et imitando sectemur si aliquorum infirmitas non ita impedit, ut amplius detrimentum sit.*

I remain, Rev. Sir, with much respect, your obedient servant,
THETA LANCASTRIENSIS.

Branwell, Gisburne, 14th January, 1845.

SACRED MUSIC.

SIR,-Not long ago, a catalogue of books, published by one of the leading booksellers in Dublin, reached me by post, and on looking over it, the following advertisement attracted my attention:

FORT

ORTY POPULAR AIRS AND SACRED MELODIES.
The Music arranged for the Voice or Piano-Forte by Mr.
W. H. White. The Words adapted for Social Singing in Christian
Families, Original and Selected. In post 4to, on tinted paper,
cloth, price 4s. 6d., or 3s. plain.

CONTENTS:

Hark! those strains. Air-" Hark! the convent bells are ringing."
Tho' the morning of life. Air-" Savourneen Dheelish."
Vain are all this world's best pleasures.

Awake, my soul, in joyful lays.

"Rousseau's Dream."

In trouble and in grief, O God! Air-" Comfort."

Jesus, I my cross have taken. Air-"La Perdonna."

Oh, thou that dwell'st. Air-" Cameronian's Midnight Hymn."
Life!-'tis a vapour. Air-" Life! let us cherish."

'Tis a point I long to know. Air-" Holyrood.”

Have you heard of that happy land.

Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Air-" Hadyn's Hymn."
Oh! dream not that man. Air-" Fair Isle of the West."

Remember, fond youth. Air-" Remember me still."

Here we suffer grief and pain.

Far, far from Zion, far from God.

Oh! Zion, sacred city. "Chorale composed by Graun."

Cloth'd in robes of purest white. Air-" Scots wha ha’e.”

While doom'd thro' this wide world. Air-" Home, sweet home."

Man like a flower at morn appears.

How sweet the evening hour to spend. "Carolan's Receipt."

Oh! who would inhabit this bleak world alone." Air-" The

last rose of summer."

Let worldly minds the world pursue. Air-" Gramachree.”

In search of enjoyment. Air-" Meeting of the waters."

August. Epist. ad Januar. Those who wish to take a calm and dispassionate view of the present controversy with respect to rubrics, would do well to read the whole of this epistle.

Hast thou at summer's dawn. Air-" Oft in the stilly night."

When for eternal worlds we steer.
The wing of time has brush'd away.
Oh, day of days, shall heart set free.

The heaving of the lead.
Air-" Kelvin Grove."
"Those evening bells."

Dear Saviour, I would fly to thee. Air—“ O Nanny.”
Should, Lord, thy mercies be forgot.

Air-"Auld Lang Syne.”

When the world with its cares has encircled us round. An
original air.

What's this vain world to me. Air-" Aileen Aroon."

Oh! weep not the lad. Air-" Coolin."

A friend there is. Air-" Oh, no we never mention her."

Time, with rapid wing, is flying. Air-" Handel's Harmonious
Blacksmith."

Glory be to God on high. Air-" See the conquering hero comes."
With gleaming sword, with spear and shield.

"All's Well."

Oh, had I but wings like a dove. Original air.

Alone to the shade of Gethsemane's garden. Air-" The Wounded
Hussar."

Tho' clouds of sorrow. Air-"The Deserter."

Oh, when it comes, the hour to part. Air-"Cordon bleu."

It may be hard to determine what is meant by the phrase "adapted for social singing in Christian families;" whether it is that the work is intended for that class of persons who, having discovered that all secular songs and secular music are unsuited for Christians, choose, therefore, to amuse themselves with singing sacred words, and songs on sacred subjects, for recreation's sake; or whether it be meant that the work should be used as a manual in households where singing forms part of the devotional exercises of the family: but, in either case, it appears to me that every sober-minded person must perceive the strong objection which lies against publications such as this. If, on the one hand, it be intended that these "melodies" should be used as a species of recreation, and that they should be sung for amusement, I think that no seriously disposed person should countenance such a thing for an instant. Many of the subjects are of quite too solemn a character to admit of being thus lightly treated. But if, on the other hand, the volume be meant to be employed in devotional exercises, all I can say is, that "Christian families" who can, in the performance of a solemn act of worship to their Creator, divest their thoughts of the associations which airs like these unavoidably bring with them, must indeed be possessed of a degree of spiritual-mindedness rarely to be met with in this "naughty world." The close resemblance of the sacred words, too, to the original words of the song whose music is employed, is, in several instances, managed so pointedly, and with such evident design, that, were we not expressly told that the work is for the use of "Christian families," one would really, at first sight, be inclined to set it down as more suited for a chartist or an infidel assembly, where the design would be to turn solemn subjects into burlesque and ridicule.

The object of noticing such things as this is merely because books like these afford an index to the state of feeling prevalent among a large class of what is known as the religious world.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

P.

OCCASIONAL SERVICES OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN

ELIZABETH.

SIR, The Parker Society, as you know, have resolved to reprint some at least of the occasional services published during the reign of Elizabeth. The difficulty, however, is great to learn where these can be found, scattered as they are by twos and threes among our public and private libraries. It would, consequently, facilitate the labours of the gentleman who has undertaken this office, and contribute materially to the completeness, as well as usefulness, of his work, if any of your readers, well-wishers to the design, would be kind enough to render that assistance which may be in their power, and which would not, perhaps, give them individually more than a very slight portion of trouble.

The assistance meant is the furnishing of information as to the titles and habitats of these services; information which no one man can of himself acquire with any amount of labour. For, had he leisure and opportunity to examine personally all the collegiate and cathedral libraries in the kingdom, there would yet remain a large number, as well parochial as private, of whose existence even he must remain utterly ignorant. Should any of your readers who have access to collections of books, whether public or private, be willing by means of your Magazine to render aid in the manner just mentioned, it will be received with many and sincere thanks.

I have the honour to be, Rev. Sir, your obedient servant,

C.

NOTICES AND REVIEWS.

[THE pressure of documentary matter is so unusually great this month as to render it impossible to find room for the usual Notices of Books and Pamphlets.]

MISCELLANEA.

LETTER OF THE REV. F. OAKELEY ON THE RUBRICAL QUESTION. (From the English Churchman. Corrected by Mr. Oakeley, and reprinted here

at his request.)

SIR, I fear that neither yourself nor some of your readers will go along with me in all I am about to say; but I trust that you and they will, at least, give me credit for a sincere intention in the remarks with which I wish to trouble you on that all-engrossing topic, church ceremonial. And, so far as the suggestions which I shall offer may be found of a pacific rather than of a controversial nature, I really do hope that they will carry with them their own claim to forbearance at least, if not to sympathy, with those who, like myself, are pained by the sounds of discord and confusion which jar on the ear,

drowning even the gracious harmonies of this holy season, and as if rising from earth in proud and obstinate defiance of the angelic invitation," Peace on earth, good-will towards men." Surely, sir, our very bounden duty at such a moment is, to "let our moderation be known unto all men;" to look within, if so be we may discern in our own grounds of adherence to church observances, any even the slightest taint of formalism, or bigotry, or selfcomplacency; and to look without, in order to detect, and when detected, to regard lovingly and display eagerly such redeeming points in the course of our opponents as may induce the utmost practicable consideration towards them. With those from whom we differ in so many grave respects, we should be the rather glad of finding any scope whatever for sympathy.

You will at once suspect that, like the writer of a very interesting letter from Oxford, to which you lately gave insertion, I am not able to sympathize in all the reasons by which certain controverted introductions into the church service have occasionally been justified; in saying which, however, I beg you to believe that, as respects the vast importance of some, at least, of those introductions, I yield to none even of the most ceremonially-minded of your correspondents. But there seems to me, I confess, a line in the matter, which is at once more extreme and more moderate, more catholic and more conciliatory, than that which is commonly taken; and surely, if such a line there be, who is the man that would not desire it to be generally recognised? Mr. Newman observes, somewhere, that anything like an extensive and energetic opposition to principles, however unquestionable, and to courses, however justifiable, is always a call in duty to those who maintain such principles, and follow out such courses, to consider how far a cause good in itself may possibly be suffering through their misconduct. And I cannot but think that this remark is very pertinent to the whole question of that mighty struggle in which many are now engaged. Whether as respects church ceremonial, or that great and harmonious scheme of doctrine of which it is the visible aspect, surely the very largest allowance which is compatible with an unflinching maintenance of the Truth, should be extended to those whose anti-catholic, anti-ceremonial prejudices have been, I will say, nurtured in the system against which many of us have been too slow in protesting. Let us ever remember how short a time has passed since doctrinal orthodoxy presented itself to the eyes of our countrymen in the very most repulsive of shapes; and the only body of men who, as a body, seemed to treat the gospel as a reality, (whatever great exceptions there may have been to the general rule on both sides,) were those very "Evangelicals," against whose principles certain churchmen are now carrying on a resistance-a resistance assuredly so earnest in its conduct, so justifiable in its grounds, that they may well afford to dispense with all those equivocal methods of defence which, though they may secure a momentary triumph, serve in the end but to weaken the best of causes. As respects the great subject of church doctrine, surely enough, and more than enough, has been done, and that, too, in a comparatively short time, to disabuse all who are willing to be disabused, of the notion so prevalent in our youth (although even then precipitate and presumptuous), that dogmatic theology and holiness of life are in some way inconsistent. But, on the other hand, that attachment to the externals of religion is necessarily hollow, formalistic, and pharisaical, this impression, though, of course, as utterly groundless as the other, does not appear to me either so unreasonable or so inconsistent with the experience which is accessible to the majority of English Christians. That there is upon this subject, as upon the other, an immense amount of floating, and most serious error, who can deny? Had the mistakes which seem to me to have been committed on the side of "order and decency" been far more frequent, still nothing, of course, could justify, or even excuse, the miserable shallowness of the objections, or the presumptuous irreverence of the objectors. We have lived to see the day when professing

unfair or

Christians can bring themselves to avow, unblushingly, that they come to church, not as worshippers, but as spies; we have lived to see churchwardens constituting themselves judges of orthodoxy, newspaper editors arrogating the functions of Bishops, and the canons of councils contravened by the resolutions of public meetings. All this would be amusing, if it were not so very shocking; of course, it is not such proceedings as these that any sober person can intend to palliate. But beneath the surface of all this miserable ignorance and presumption, I should not be surprised to find in the general mass of opposition to recent changes, a certain substratum of better feeling; and I am sure that, if such substratum there be, all they who are conscious to themselves of purer intentions, have reason to feel obliged to any one who undertakes the task of disengaging the latent good from the superincumbent weight of baser materials which so much tend to hide it from the public eye, and perhaps even from the minds in which it lurks. I should not wonder to find a Christian, and even a catholic, element, mixed up with this corrupt mass of vulgar "Protestantism;" though heavily encumbered and most seriously discredited by the adjuncts in connexion with which it is practically exhibited. At all events, does not Christianity, and does not catholicism, forbid us to put stumbling-blocks in the way of weak consciences, and to risk charity and peace in a contest for externals, except so far forth as the inward life of religion depends upon them? But if so be that any of us have contended for externals as such, then I cannot think the odium we may have sustained altogether unaccountable, or unmerited, or unwholesome.

Many, I know, say, that in the defence of externals for their own sake, or as mere matters of ecclesiastical appointment, the great principle of obedience to church rule is involved. But is it altogether thus? Whether or not we all go the length of saying, with Chancellor Martin, of Exeter, that “dormant laws are no laws at all" (an opinion to which I confess that I myself incline), at the very least, the revival of dormant laws is surely quite a different thing from the enforcement of acknowledged ones; and consequently objections to the one course belong to a different state of mind from that which is implied in objections to the other. I cannot feel it so unreasonable as others do, to regard revived practices as in effect, though not in fact, essential novelties. Nor, again, can I see, with many, how the existence of rubrics in their favour, practically disowned by our church, even if explicit, can constitute any obligation on the part of clergymen to adopt such practices; though I can feel, and that very deeply, the value of such rubrical provisions or intimations, as a protection, where, for other reasons, it seems desirable or important to do so. Even where a rubric is of the more explicit sort, (as in the case of the offertory,) still I must consider, (so far with the objectors,) that the authority of such rubric has been most seriously impaired, if not virtually superseded, by long desuetude. The executive of our church has undoubtedly concurred, by acquiescence, at least, with the disuse of this law, (admitting it to be such,) and unless the same executive, as represented to each clergyman in his own bishop, distinctly and unmistakeably bring the otiose rule or custom once more into active operation, I do not see how any clergyman is bound in duty to revive it, though he may, indeed, be warranted in expediency in doing so.

On the other hand, it seems equally clear that if the strict rubrical plea be relinquished (and I really do not see how it can be maintained), very important and valuable securities for solemnity and beauty in the administration of our church service might be obtained by a cautious (and always dutiful) recognition of some less stringent, and therefore more variable, obligation. Here one can conceive mere duty operating in a contrary direction; for instance, a positive episcopal inhibition on a point of ceremonial, supposing any bishop could feel himself justified in making it, would, I suppose, be conclusive against even one of the less ambiguous of the rubrics, where no great doctrine was involved. On the other hand, where such positive inhibition is wisely

« AnteriorContinuar »