human form," is substituted for "thou didst not abhor the virgin's womb." After the Apostles' Creed, the whole of the Rubric, the subsequent versicles before the Lord's Prayer, and that prayer itself, are omitted. The Prayer for the Clergy and People is permitted to remain without alteration in the Morning service, but in the Evening one we read it thus,-" Almighty and everlasting God, the author of every spiritual gift." In the Apostles' Creed we have "hades" instead of "hell." The two petitions in the Litany beginning with "By the mystery of thy holy incarnation," "By thine agony and bloody sweat," are totally omitted. Instead of "all women labouring of child," we have "all women suffering under the pains of parturition." Instead of the word "after" we have "according to our sins:" and where our Prayer Book teaches us to pray for deliverance from those evils “that we most righteously have deserved," the author of the specimen substitutes the adverb "rigorously." In the prayer for the High Court of Parliament, the epithet "almighty" supersedes our appellation of "most gracious God." The Lord's Prayer is used only once; and the much calumniated Creed of Athanasius is altogether rejected! 2. Come we, after this detail, to consider the means of effecting these alterations. When the Churchman tells us that the trifling alterations which he contemplates, might almost be carried into effect by the same authority, which in the prayer for the Parliament substituted the word "dominions" for "kingdoms," he forgets that the clause of 13 and 14 Car. II. under which that particular change was made, expressly limits the alteration to those prayers, "which do any way relate to the king, queen, or royal progeny," and cannot, therefore, be extended to the general reform of the Church service, which we are now considering. But, let us hear the learned Barrister on this point. He is speaking of a royal commission under the great seal, and he expresses himself thus: "If a commission could be obtained, then the Commissioners would, in all probability, be all Churchmen, and many of them Bishops, and empowered to call for returns from each clergyman in every diocese in answer to queries; one of which queries should be in general terms, and request the opinion of each individual on the whole subject. Any other classes or individuals might be called up, and examined by the Commissioners. After these inquiries, a report should be drawn up, and a Prayer Book be printed, and both thrown into extensive circulation for a year or more. At the end of this period, the Commissioners might see grounds for changing their first scheme: and if so, the same process should again be gone through, until a Prayer Book and Bible were ready to be recommended to Parliament. And the recommendation might be, that any creeds or prayers of the Old Prayer Book that were rejected entirely, should thenceforward be discontinued; but as to any other changes, the Old Prayer Book should be left in use, and the new ones put in use, at the discretion of each clergyman for such a period, and under such restrictions as Parliament think proper; until, at the end of the period fixed, the new ones should rily supersede the old ones. The acts of parliament to authorize the new ones should be passed for the duration of each Parliament, and one year more; so that, upon each succeeding enactment, any change, which were approved, might easily be made. Due notice, and the report of a Committee previous to such change, would of course be necessary."-Hull, p. 164. But this is not all: our Barrister goes yet further. He is not satisfied with the changes, which might be effected by one act of the legislature; nor yet with the additional improvements, which each successive Parliament might in its wisdom introduce into the services. of our Church. He pleads for a wider discretion to be intrusted to the ministers of religion: "Some power to shorten and vary the services on week-days, if not on Sundays, might well be vested in each parish priest: and, while such precautions are taken to prevent the incompetent from taking upon themselves holy orders, more discretion might be vested in those, who have been found competent, and therefore ordained."-Hull, p. 184. 3. The expediency of these liturgical innovations is the last point, to which we would earnestly summon the attention of our readers. To borrow the strong language of the preface to the Book of Common Prayer, we say of the alterations proposed, that "some are of dangerous consequence," (witness the change in the Absolution; witness the attacks made on the Athanasian Creed ;) "as secretly striking at some established doctrine, or laudable practice of the Church of England," whilst others are "of no consequence at all, but utterly frivolous and vain." To imagine that the proposed reform of our Book of Common Prayer would recal the wayward sheep, who have quitted the fold of the Established Church,-some from a bitter dislike to all precomposed forms of worship, others from an overweening reliance upon we know not what strange notions of an inward illumination, which supersedes the use of external means of grace,—some from motives of worldly interest, and others from a wild spirit of republican liberty,is to forget the abortive issue of all bygone schemes of conciliation, and to read the admonitions of history in vain! "The signs of the times" forbid us to entertain such chimerical fancies! The epoch has passed, in which objections to our Book of Common Prayer were wont to be urged in justification of seceders from the pale of the Establishment. Some virulent invectives, indeed, and some furious Philippics against her discipline, her doctrines, and her ceremonies, are permitted to swell ever and anon the chorus of dissent; but the ground of objection to her Liturgy, however occasionally occupied by Nonconformists, has been tacitly, we think, surrendered for the liberal and latitudinarian plea of "liberty of conscience;" and men are found now-a-days to defend their schism, not so much by any scruples of religion, as on the pernicious pretext of the " indefeasible right," (thus it is called,) which each man challenges of worshipping God in future management of the Observatory. This report recommends that the Professor's salary should be augmented to 500l. a-year; that the two Assistant Observers be appointed by the Professor himself, with salaries to be determined hereafter; and that five members of the Senate be appointed by grace, who, with the Plumian Trustees, and the Lowndian and Plumian Professors, shall form a Syndicate, which shall be empowered to order instruments, repairs of the Observatory, &c. 2. To adopt the regulations proposed by the Syndicate appointed to consider the practice of degrading. By this grace it is determined, that from the 10th day of October, 1830, no person who has degraded shall become a candidate for University Scholarships, or for any University honours, during his Undergraduateship, unless he shall have previously obtained special permission for so doing from a Syndicate to be appointed for that purpose, consisting of the Vice-Chancellor, the Public Orator, the Greek Professor, and the two Moderators for the time being. 3. That candidates for the degree of M. B. in addition to the examination of the Regius Professor of Physic, be examined by the Professors of Anatomy, Chemistry, and Botany, each in his own science, previously to the performance of the public exercises in the schools, and that every candidate attend at least one course of lectures on each of the above subjects. He may offer himself for examination any time during his fifth year from admission, but not earlier. 4. That no person be permitted to pass to the degree of M. B. without having been admitted of any College, who, after this date, shall, during the time of his being in statu pupillari, have been engaged in the practice of pharmacy or midwifery, or in any trade whatever. BACHELORS IN CIVIL LAW. Rev. Henry Roxby Maude, Trinity Hall. Barton Lodge, Corpus Christi Coll. The Rev. W. Spencer H. Braham, M. A. of Lincoln College, Oxford, has been admitted ad eundem of this University. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. A Review of Dr. Townson's unpublished Volume is scarcely admissible. The Sermon which we selected from it, in our Number for October last, is a fair specimen of the whole; and we have little doubt that an extensive sale would be the result of publication. The Vicarage of Haltwhistle is not yet filled up. Our readers will correct the error in our last Ecclesiastical Intelligence. "C. H. T." and "M." have been received. THE CHRISTIAN REMEMBRANCER. MAY, 1829. REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. ART. I.—1. An Inquiry concerning the Means and Expedience of proposing and making any Changes in the Canons, Articles, or Liturgy, or in any of the Law's affecting the Interests of the Church of England. By WILLIAM WINSTANLEY HULL, of Lincoln's Inn, Barrister at Law, late Fellow of Brasennose College, Oxford. J. Parker, Oxford; Rivingtons, London. 1828. 8vo. Price 78. 2.-Church Reform. By A CHURCHMAN. London: J. Murray and J. Parker. 1828. Svo. Price 6s. 6d. 3.-Hints for a Revision of the Book of Common Prayer, with the Morning and Evening Service, as a Specimen; after the Plan recommended by Bishop Porteus, Bishop York, and Archdeacon Paley. London: Hurst, Chance, & Co., 65, St. Paul's Church-yard. 1828. small 8vo. 4.- The Common Prayer Book of the Sect of the Thirty-nine Articles, (still whimsically enough styling itself the Church of England,) made Scriptural in point of Language, if not in its mode of Address, to the one only true God, viz. the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for the use of Children at Scriptural Schools, and other not "almost only, but altogether" Protestant Christians, who have not an opportunity of attending any other Place of Worship than the Parochial Building of the aforesaid Established Sect. To which are added a few words of Note and Comment on the AUTHORIZED Version of the Scriptures. T. Lake, Printer, Uxbridge. 8vo. We have classed these four tracts together, in the order of their merits, for the purpose of discussing the common topics, to which they relate. They embrace, our readers will observe, a wide field; and as the changes which they advocate are, in our estimation, of the highest moment to the interests of the Church, we shall feel it necessary to extend our critique beyond the limits of the present article; and we purpose to commence it with the subject of the the manner which may best accord with his own private judgment, prejudice, or caprice! We are assuredly persuaded, that for one solitary Dissenter, who entertains an honest objection to our Book of Common Prayer, and would be prepared to hold communion with our Church upon a revision of her services, we could count "number without number, numberless," whom no change in our formularies of devotion would reconcile, and whose hostile prejudices no concessions would mollify! Whether our beautiful form of sound words were curtailed, or amplified; whether its phrases were rendered more scriptural, or more tuneful to the fastidiousness of schismatical ears; whether the Creed of Athanasius were partially pruned, or totally eradicated; whether we meekly petitioned for absolution, or authoritatively declared it; whether the Catechism were enlarged or not; whether we profess our belief that Christ descended into "hell," or into "hades ;"-whatever in short were the concessions made, or the changes adopted, we are compelled to think, that men, who glory in their nonconformity, would never be persuaded by such reforms to join the Established Church in the friendly fellowship of peace and charity! Ere, then, we begin this perilous work of innovation in things long hallowed in the feelings, and interwoven with the habits of the nation, let us have the caution to count the cost; let us have the prudence to ask to whom such changes can be expected to prove either salutary or acceptable? "CUI BONO?" We may be taunted, we are aware, with that dread of innovations in religion, of which Paley has said, "that it seems to have become the panic of the age" (Moral Philosophy, b. 5. c. 5;)-we may be ridiculed, we know, as the superannuated upholders of antiquated forms;— we may be reviled, we do not forget, with the heinous crime of being attached to the wisdom of our ancestors;-yet, reckless of these taunts, regardless of these aspersions,-fearless of this ridicule,— we say with Hooker, that "the love of things ancient argueth stayedness;" '—we remember the apothegm of the wise king, and therefore "meddle not with them that are given to change;-and we would say with Burke, and repeat the saying till it assumed the currency of a proverb, that "to innovate is not to reform.” The Barrister has told us plainly, that "there does not appear any sufficient reason for retaining any creed, as part of the daily service in the church! If any one be retained for Sundays or Holidays, or the Communion Service, the Apostles' Creed would generally be preferred; and then its phrases and articles might perhaps be reviewed with advantage." (P. 182.) What!!! are we thus to dishonour our faith by not acknowledging it? What !!! are we thus to cast a contumely upon the author of our faith, |