part which related to the birthday of Charles,-a change as necessary as the alteration of the sovereign's name, because the celebration of his birthday had been put into the form of prayer as a substitute for the accession service, which could not have been observed on the 30th of January. And on the same right, William III., most probably by the advice of the committee which sat in 1689, changed the service for the 5th of November, which rested also on royal proclamation. Now, if in a case unprovided for by the act of uniformity the mandate of the sovereign prescribing the service for that day be not obligatory upon the clergy, I know not what is ecclesiastical law in this country. Mr. Perceval next proceeds to discuss what service is appointed by the indirect sanction, as he calls it, of the act for changing the style. Now evidently Mr. Perceval does not understand the argument founded upon that note in the calendar which was first brought forward by me. Mr. Perceval confines his view entirely to England; and in England that note does no more, as appears to me, than the similar note affixed to the calendar of 1662-namely, recognises the suspension, for those days, of the act of uniformity. That parliament should have designedly used such words as to confirm the services of 1662, when they had sanctioned, for sixty years, the new services, by appointing preachers and attending some one or other service each year, is a position which does not require a serious answer. I brought forward the clause in the calendar, confirmed by the act for changing the style, solely as relating to Ireland and to the 5th of November. There was not in Ireland any act for the observance of the 5th of November; there was not, as in England, any note in the calendar recognising its observance; and therefore, from the first proclamation of William in 1692, down to 1751, there might certainly, in Ireland, have been a doubt as to the observance, a doubt similar to that which I remarked before as existing with regard to the proclamation of James I. and the act of uniformity of Elizabeth. But in 1751, the revised calendar, with this note, was made imperative in all the dominions of the King of Great Britain; and for fear, I suppose, of any doubt as to the power of the English parliament making such a law for Ireland, an act was passed by the Irish Parliament in 1782, establishing, among other English acts, such as concern the style and calendar. Therefore, from that day, the service stands on the same authority in England and Ireland. I cannot defend the service for the accession on the same grounds. Mr. Perceval says the difference was observed in the royal proclamations until the end of the reign of George II. I have not access to any regular series of the English prayer-books, but I have before me, in an Irish prayer-book, a proclamation of George I., dated Nov. 3, 1715, in which the service for the accession is joined with the other Mr. Perceval says, the calendar was first confirmed by civil statute by the Act 24 George II. cap. 23. But was it not confirmed along with the prayer-book in 1662? I never saw the book appended to the English act of uniformity, but the calendar forms part of the book which is referred to in the Irish act of uniformity. services. Mr. Perceval also states, that "in the reign of Queen Anne a form of prayer and service for the day of accession was put forth* without convocation being consulted." And he gives a proclamation, which makes Queen Anne order the celebration of the Hanoverian accession! "ANNE R. "Our will and pleasure is, that this form of prayer with thanksgiving for the first day of August," &c. &c. It is not stated by Mr. Perceval where he found this curious document. That the accession service makes a collision with the act of uniformity must be acknowledged, and its use must be defended on the same grounds with the observance of a thanksgiving or a fast service. Wheatley, who was certainly not a low churchman, expresses his approbation of the practice. He says:-" As the godly Christian emperors in ancient times, so it appears that our most religious princes since the Reformation have always caused the days of their inauguration to be publicly celebrated by all their subjects with prayers and thanksgivings to Almighty God." Fortunately, I think, for the peace of the church, Mr. Perceval's panacea for these supposed evils can never be adopted. The convocation, in its old form, can never again legally act. There is no legal convocation of the united church of England and Ireland; and did the Queen give the convocation which now assembles at the commencement of a new parliament power to debate upon articles and canons, they could not enact any which would bind the united church. That the Queen could appoint a committee of bishops, or of bishops and inferior clergy, to alter the liturgy, and could get a new form made obligatory by an act of parliament, I have no doubt; but I sincerely hope the experiment will not be tried. I am, dear Sir, yours very faithfully, C. R. ELRINGTON. Trinity College, Dublin, June 4, 1838. ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE. ORDINATIONS. Bishop of Chichester, All Souls' Church, Langham Place June 3. Bishop of Lincoln, Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley Street, London June 10. Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Palace Bishop of London, St. Paul's Cathedral........ ............................... Bishop of Oxford, Cathedral Church, Oxford.......................... June 10. June 10. June 10. June 10. Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, St. Margaret's Church, Westminster June 17. If it be meant that the accession service was then first put forth, Mr. Perceval is mistaken. See Preface to the Service for Accession, in Wheatley on the Common Prayer. His Grace the Archbishop of York intends to hold a general Ordination, at Bishopthorpe, on Sunday, the 5th of August. The Ordination of the Lord Bishop of Worcester is unavoidably postponed to Friday, the 24th of August, being St. Bartholomew's day. The Bishop of Norwich will hold his next Ordination on the 23rd of September. The Bishop of Lincoln's next ordination will be held at Buckden, on Sunday, the 23rd of September. Candidates must send their papers to his Lordship before the 12th of August. The Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells intends holding a General Ordination on Sunday, October 21st. Oxford Abp. of Canterbury Oxford Oxford Oxford Salisbury Camb. Abp. of Canterbury Camb. London Oxford Oxford Oxford Oxford Oxford Oxford Camb. Gloucester and Bristol Oxford London CLERICAL APPOINTMENTS. To the Charge of St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel, Carubbers Close, Rector of Nether Whitacre, Warwickshire, to the Office of Dean Rural Dean in the Deanery of Dorchester. Curate of Ilkley. |