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single result of the abeyance of Convocation has been fatal to millions and generations of souls. The same might be said with regard to our Colonial Clergy. We should not have been so long without a Church in our Indian Empire, and again, so long without an adequate government for that Church; nor would our Clergy in North America be starved by an Act of Parliament, taking away from them possessions guaranteed by solemn national compacts, and our Clergy in Ireland not allowed even to starve in peace, by a system of more than connivance at the brutalities of the disciples of Dens.

But in truth, men who were formerly designated "low Churchmen" never ventured to hold opinions so derogatory to the rights of Convocation as some that are current with the highest Churchmen of modern days. Archbishop Wake was no great stickler for the privileges of Convocation; indeed he wrote a very bulky and learned folio for the purpose of shewing that Convocations were little more than creatures of the crown, and could have no right apart from the personal interests of the sovereign. But this testimony, to which Mr. Kempthorne has called the attention of Churchmen, is a remarkable contrast to the language of some of the highest Churchmen now: even to that of Wake's excellent present successor, in a charge published a few years since.* Wake says,

"I make no doubt but that it is the duty, as well as wisdom of a christian king, to consult of all these matters, (which concern the state of the Church,) with those who have the government of it committed to them by God; . and neither obstinately to refuse the Clergy liberty to assemble, when they think it would be for the service of the Church, and the benefit of religion, to come together, nor yet unreasonably require their attendance when there is nothing at all, or nothing of any consequence, to be done by them." . . . . “Should it so fall out that the prince should neglect his duty in this particular, in that case I conceive it would be the duty of those, who are the fathers and governors of it, to apply to him for his permission to come together, to remonstrate with humility, but yet with christian freedom too, the necessities of the Church, the evils that are to be remedied, and the reason they have to hope that by their assembling they may provide some remedy for them, and to press him in the name of God, and in pursuance of that trust which the public has reposed in him, to give a favourable answer to their requests. Should we be denied all liberty of these assemblies, though the governors and fathers of the Church should with all their care and interest endeavour to obtain it; should the prince so far abuse his prerogative, as to turn it not only to the detriment, but to the ruin of all true religion and morality among us, and thereby make it absolutely necessary for something extraordinary to be done to preserve both;-in such a case of extremity, the Bishops and Pastors of the Church must resolve to hazard all in the discharge of their duty; they must meet, consult, and resolve on such measures, as by God's assistance they think their unhappy circumstances to require, and be content to suffer any loss, or run to any danger, for their so doing."- Wake, chap. iii. p. 85.—Pp. 50, 51.

To do Mr. Kempthorne's volume justice, it would be necessary to transcribe it. In attempting to give our readers an idea of it, the difficulty lies in selection. But we hope there will be very few much

We have been told, on very good anthority, that his Grace's opinion on this subject is now changed.

longer unacquainted with the whole of its valuable arguments and details. We do not think any of our readers will quarrel with us for spending their five shillings on this recommendation. We proceed, however, to substantiate our criticism with a few extracts.

The absurdity of a Church without a Convocation, and an earnest appeal to Churchmen :

To speak of a society without its consultations, of a christian society without its Synod, is almost a contradiction in terms. A national Church, which has absolutely lost its ecclesiastical councils, will soon probably become, if it be not already,

"ingens litore truncus,

Avulsumque humeris caput, et sine nomine corpus."

It differs but little from a body decomposed, and without a distinct subsistence. Let us then humbly solicit our earthly sovereign to grant an active, but at the same time constitutionally regulated, CONVOCATION. Let us hope and pray, that the convened Bishops and Pastors, trusting wholly in Him who" searcheth the reins and hearts," and whose name is "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS," will, according to his promise, be with them to bless them; and by their means to bless this whole Church and nation.-Pp. 26, 27.

A popular objection wisely answered :

The inactivity of former Convocations is not to the purpose at present.—If we should, for argument's sake, concede, what in fact ought probably on every ground of truth and justice to be controverted, that the virtual suppression of Convocations for more than a century past, since the censure of Bishop Hoadly's publications in 1717, has been wisely ordered; yet in times like these, who would urge the precedent? In times like these, whilst the papal hierarchy hold their frequent Meetings, the Church of Scotland its General Assembly, the Wesleyans their Annual Conference, no man forbidding them ;-nay, whilst the Independents have recently instituted and now hold annual meetings of their General Congregational Union, (county associations they have established long ago,) in spite of the apparent incompatibleness of such meetings with the very essence of Independency,-will his gracious Majesty deny to the Church, which he hath sworn to maintain for the whole nation's sake, the bona fide use of her legitimate Convocations?-Pp. 6, 7.

On the "vexata quæstio" of alteration in the Liturgy :

Still, under present circumstances, the questions have been, and will be, bandied about in various quarters, "What is the present christian duty of the Church of England? Ought certain passages in her Liturgy to be altered or modified, with which many weak and some tender consciences, however unreasonably, have been aggrieved;-witness the successive complainants, from the members of the lower house of Convocation in 1562, (who lost their motion for alterations only by a majority of one,) down to Non-conformists at this day? Or would not such readjustments of her already sound formularies be made at the risk of shaking fundamental principles, or impairing essential truths?" Again; "Ought not we that are strong, to bear," in the present instance, "the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves; but every one to please his neighbour for his good to edification, even as Christ pleased not himself?" (Rom. xv. 1-4.) Or is not this a case in which to please ourselves would be to violate conscience;-a case in which, in order "that the truth of the gospel may continue with us, we must not give place, no not for an hour?" (Gal ii. 5.)

Now where can these questions be set at rest? Where could the revision, if it were really requisite, be prepared for the royal and legislative approbation or allowance? And where, if inadmissible, can the reasons for its rejection be at all definitely and authoritatively set forth, except in an efficient Convo

cation? Without this settlement, will not every speculator be still meddling, and, to the continual injury of truth and peace, be still trying his own feeble hand at corrections, which mighty masters in piety and learning in former times trembled to attempt?-Pp. 86-88.

The constitutional nullity of all ecclesiastical acts, without consent of Convocation; and the means of obtaining the rights of Convocation :— Our civil governors, indeed, themselves seem, at this time, to contemplate the speedy employment of such councils, in the usual form probably of CONVOCATIONS. Otherwise, it cannot be supposed that in the Ecclesiastical Commission, lately issued, (for the Church of England and the nation at large owe doubtless a tribute of gratitude to his Majesty,) a reference would have been made to some new arrangement of episcopal duties, and some new modifications of cathedral institutions. For such measures, when preparatorily made by the Commission, seem to require, of course, at a subsequent period, the consent of the Church herself, as a body; if we may judge from former precedents, and especially from that of the Commission in 1689, which proposed subjects of similar extent, and was objected to by some of the Commissioners themselves and others, and was vindicated on this very ground, that all signified nothing, unless the Convocation approved it.-P. 56.

The conclusion :

Upon the whole, putting these various considerations together, the Church's present peculiar necessities; the suitableness of Convocations, or other more entirely unequivocal Church Synods, for the nation's sake to relieve them; the various ways in which that relief may be imparted, namely, by checking abuses of patronage, by remedying defects in discipline, by calming in reasonable and devout minds eagerness for a revision of the Liturgy, by protesting against erroneous doctrines, by aiding in an explanation or amendment of the Protestant oath of supremacy, by considering 'remedies for statistical defects, and for defects in theological education, by promoting union among Churchmen themselves, and between the Established Church and other protestant communions; putting these considerations together, we may venture, I apprehend, to conclude, that REVIVED, EFFICIENT, AND DULY REGULATED CONVOCATIONS, (to be summoned, if possible, at a different time from the Parliament) or rather, since somewhat of a semi-political character may still seem to adhere to Convocations, that a RESTORATION OF PROVINCIAL AND DIOCESAN SYNODS — İs imperatively called for by the present exigencies of this Church and nation; and would be one of the best adapted means, sometimes the only mean, of defending, ameliorating, and invigorating the Church of England; and thereby would, under GOD, greatly conduce to the diffusion of his heavenly and eternal blessings through the whole realm.-Pp. 153, 154.

It may be scarcely necessary to say, that, however we may approve of diocesan and provincial councils, as subsidiary to Convocation, we would never, with Mr. Kempthorne, endure them as substitutes; much less would we prefer them. And it may be proper here to add, that, with all our admiration of Mr. K.'s work, we would not be understood to approve, without qualification, every allegation it contains. We do not, for instance, concur in his representation of the oath of supremacy: in regard to the impossibility of dissenting ministers obtaining ordination without going to the universities, Mr. K. is mistaken in the matter of fact, as some very recent examples may shew: and, if we mistake not, (though we confess the proof is not palpable) he has in p. 91 a low sacramentarian doctrine, which is not that of the Church of England.

With these, and, it may be, some other minor exceptions, we again recommend this work to general circulation, and trust it will be the honoured instrument of the greatest act of real "Church Reform" which our rulers, in their JUSTICE, can execute.

LITERARY REPORT.

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WE can scarcely conceive nobler evidence on behalf of the Church than is afforded by the Charges delivered by the Bishops within the last five years. The public spirit, the disinterestedness, the calm lofty tone of conscious integrity, the firmness amidst the most threatening dangers, and, more than all, the piety and humility which pervades those Charges, have filled the minds of Churchmen with admiration and confidence, and might convince the enemies of the Church, if, indeed, prejudice could possibly be convinced, how different must be an Establishment directed by such men from all which, in their ignorance and enmity, they had concluded.

Bishop Monk's Charge is what might have been expected from his character -a happy union of moderation with firmness.

Fully impressed with the dangers of the present crisis, the most important in the history of the Church since the Great Rebellion, he enters upon the subject with the spirit of a man who, strong in principle, is assured that his cause will triumph through the full and honest performance of every duty, and who would not have it to triumph by any other means. He suppresses nothing which ought to be told, whether in alluding to evils which oppress

the Church, or in exposing the ma levolence and inconsistency of her enemies.

On the proceedings and particular intentions of the Church Commission, of which he is a member, the Bishop necessarily observes secrecy. He considers, however, that "it is designed to make the revenues of the Church available for efficient duties and useful purposes alone:" and while various preferments, not having the cure of souls, but involving other important duties, will be carefully preserved, all sinecures, in the strict sense of the word, will be made to contribute fully to public usefulness. His Lordship states some gratifying facts in evidence of the improving state of the Church, and the increasing disposition of pastors to exercise their power properly.

During the five years that I have presided over this Diocese, the number of resident incumbents has been considerably increased, without any diminution in the total number of curates employed: in each year several new glebe houses have been erected, and others have been so improved and enlarged as to become residences for clergymen : while the amount of duty performed in most parts of the Diocese has been materially increased. That a corresponding change has taken place in the feelings of patrons is sufficiently proved by this factbefore any alteration has been made in the law, the applications for Dispensations for plurality, in the whole kingdom, are fewer by one half than their former average.Pp. 16, 17.

The whole Charge will afford much gratification to the friends of the Church, and we heartily recommend it for the most attentive perusal.

Aareivos; Lateinos; or, the only Proper and Appellative Name of the Man, whose Prophetical Number in Greek Numerals, is xέs', or 666; Rev. xiii. 18; demonstrated to be the Ecclesiastical Mark or Name of the Beast, "who had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon;" Rev. xiii. 11-18; being none other than the Pope of Rome : whose Church and Kingdom ure, even now, intrinsically and appellatively, Latin. By the Rev. REGINALD RABETT, A. M., of Queen's College, Cambridge, and Vicar of Thornton, Leicestershire. London: Seeley and Burnside. 1835. Pp. xli. 308. WHY will authors forget that amongst the characteristic qualities of "the wisdom that is from above" there is such a thing as gentleness? Can Mr. Rabett imagine that his volume is made more convincing or agreeable by the discourteous manner in which he is pleased, in his zeal for his own opinions, to write of such men as Faber, and Croly, and Woodhouse, and Lee, because they entertain views upon Prophetical topics different from his own? "The manner of his spirit" would challenge rebuke under any circumstances; but when such fierceness is manifested upon a question encompassed above all others with clouds, and darkness, and mystery, intolerant dogmatism and supercilious interpretation are singularly misplaced. These are the besetting offences of the Vicar of Thornton. His learned work contains twenty chapters upon the following points:

1. The subject proposed. 2. Introductory Remarks on Mr. Faber's hypothesis of Apostatès, with objections. 3. Objections to Mr. Faber's hypothesis continued, with Observations on the episèmon s' and the contraction s. 4. Further observations on the numerical Cypher denominated επισημov Fav, or V, or ', as used to denote the Number 6, and to supply the vacuum occasioned by the absence of the obsolete Æolic di-gamma. 5. On the result of that branch of Mr. Faber's hypothesis, which identifies the episèmons' with the contraction 5. 6. On the three episèma, with a numerous selection of authorities for the use of the mark ['] over the episèmon or cyphers'. 7. On the proper use of the mark or accent, when placed above or

below the enconμov Fav, or cyphers', with the probable origin and use of the said episèmon. 8. Containing allusions to the ancient numerical use of the di-gamma, as connected with the subject of the episèmon s'. 9. On the proper distinction to be observed between the use of the three episima, viz. επίσημον Fav, Κοππα, aud Zavi, and the twenty-four letters of the Greek alphabet, in the designation of names and numbers; together with some remarks on the necessity of retaining the exact notation of holy writ. 10. Two tables illustrative of Mr. Faber's word Apostates, exhibiting its palpable inconsistency with the true number xs', or 666. 11. Examples proving the want of identity in the word Apostatès, as applicable to any one particular lapsed church or person exclusively. 12. Containing a refutation of Dr. Adam Clarke's hypothesis of ʼn Aation Bariλeia The Latin Kingdom.' 13. Remarks on the spurious number xis', or 616, which is mentioned by Professor Lee. 14. Five reasons drawn from Irenæus, establishing the moral certainty of his orthography in the name Aareivos, with further remarks on the opinions of Archbishop Laud and Professor Lee. 15. Observations on the diphthong, or the broad, or circumflexed iota in the name Aareiros, Aarivos, that is e, or î 16. Of the authenticity and propriety of the name Aareivos, as applied to the Man, whose number is xs', "666." 17. The general argument for the name Aareivos as definitively and exclusively descriptive of "The Man of Sin," further confirmed. 18. Romanism summarily confronted with Holy Scripture. 19. The subject recapitulated, with a brief notice of the various Latin titles assumed by the Papacy. 20. An historical account of the election, proclamation, and coronation of Pope Innocent XIII. (as recorded by Edward Wright, Esq.) illustrating the genius of Popery.

Mr. Rabett displays considerable acuteness, and demolishes Popery and Socinianism with mortal blows. The object of the Dissertation is to prove that the Pope is the Mystical Babylonish man, or Ecclesiastical Abomination, seen by St. John in vision as the great Corrupter of Christ's Church, and seated upon the seven mountains, which indicate the locality of Rome.

The "wisdom," then, (writes our author) to which we presume we have arrived, is, that by the union of the Papal Mitre with the Triple Crown or Tiara, we have come to the "understanding" that "the Beast,"

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