not, as it now appears, a division of the service, but simply a part of the communion. I accordingly swept away at once the psalm,* the black gown, and the prayers, and walked straight up into the pulpit, and gave out my text. Then, after the sermon, I returned to the altar, and went on with the service which follows; namely, the offertory, and the prayer for the Church militant, or, as old Simon used to call it, the "prayer militant."

It is true there is a canon which directs, that "before all sermons, lectures, and homilies, the preacher and minister shall move the people to join with him in prayer, in this form, or to this effect, as briefly as conveniently they may :-Ye shall pray for Christ's holy Catholic Church," &c. This is apparently at variance with the rubric; and, of the two, the rubric is decidedly the most binding. At any rate, it is quite clear, that if any prayer is to be used, it ought to be this bidding-prayer, or one to the same effect; and therefore they who use long extemporaneous effusions of a different character, or even a simple collect from the liturgy, conform as little to the canon as those who use none. But I was inclined, after a good deal of consideration, to think that the rubric and canon are reconcileable in

*I do not say that the psalm is unlawful-only, that it is not ordered; and I question whether that is a good place for it. The singing authorized in our Prayer-book is the chanting of the Psalter, the hymns, and the anthem after the third collect, which, in the Morning Service, comes before the Litany. But as, in many churches, a regular anthem would be too difficult, it seems very proper to substitute, in its place, a psalm from a metrical version which has received the royal authority.

this way that the bidding-prayer is to be used before all sermons when there is no service-a circumstance which took place very frequently in former days, and is still continued at the universities; and that when there is a service, then we should conform to the rubric, which orders that after the Nicene Creed shall follow the sermon. This opinion seemed strengthened by the consideration, that the biddingprayer appears an unnatural break in the service; it does not seem reasonable to bid people to pray for what they have but just done praying for in the previous service.* The topics also contained in the bidding-prayer are precisely the same as those in the prayer for the Church militant, which follows the sermon. To use any other prayer in that place except a bidding-prayer, and the Lord's prayer, is unquestionably wrong, at least there is no authority for it; but I judged on the whole, that the most suitable plan was, to use no prayer at all before the sermon. It gives an unnecessary prominence and consequence to the sermon, which has in the present day arrived at a pernicious height-people often going to church only to hear the sermon; and therefore any plan which would have the effect of bringing the sermon down to its proper level, and avoiding the unnecessary break which occurred in the service, appeared to me desirable. These arguments I stated plainly to the churchwardens, and they were perfectly satisfied.

* In accordance with this view, it is ordered, in the Injunctions of Edward VI., that when there is a sermon or homily, the bidding-prayer shall be substituted for the prime and hours.

Had they been otherwise, I should have referred the case to the bishop, and abided by his decision.

Besides the Sunday sermons, I continued my predecessor's plan of having a weekly lecture, only altering it from the Thursday to the Wednesday, that being a day which the Church seems to mark for more special observance. I preached a series of discourses. on the Prayer-book, beginning at the title-page, and going straight on through the preface, showing the occasion of its institution, the reason why some rites were retained and some abolished, the principles on which the calendar was formed, and so proceeding to the Order of Morning Service. The people I found very attentive to these things. They began to see the reason of the different services, and to value them more, and would, I am convinced, be less disposed to leave them for any other communion.

I have to thank God that my labors were blessed with an evident success. Not only were the Sunday congregations as numerous as heretofore-indeed, as I was assured, rather more so- -but there was an improvement in their devotion, which is a very good symptom. We can judge but by outward signs; and surely there is no greater proof of improvement than in those little traits of devoutness which it rejoices one so much to witness. A crowded congregation listening to a popular preacher is a poor sign of sinners won to ways of holiness; but when reverence and devotion are plainly seen-when the congregation come evidently to worship, and not only to hear-one has a right to hope the best.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Who, uncalled by Thee,

Dare touch Thy spouse, Thy very self below?
Or who dare count him summoned worthily,

Except Thine hand and seal he show?

KEBLE.

THE CASE OF DISSENTERS.

THERE was only one body of men who viewed my proceedings with dissatisfaction. These were the dissenters, who abounded in the parish when I arrived there, but, am thankful to say, have since much diminished in numbers. Manifold were the expedients to which they resorted in order to prejudice me in the eyes of my congregation. Of course, the principal charge against me was, that I was an abettor of popery. What could be so popish as to keep fasts and festivals? What so uncharitable as to revive the Athanasian Creed? What so monstrous as the doctrine of the apostolic succession, which unchurched all those who did not belong to the Establishment? Then there was the soul-destroying heresy of baptismal regeneration-a doctrine which my predecessor had had the good sense to drop. "Well," said they, "let him go on, and the people will soon find him out. He is popular now, because he is a new comer; but give him rope enough, and-we shall see."

However, the result anticipated did not come to pass. I continued to preach the doctrines of the Church; and my congregation, so far from disliking them, began to understand them, and to be able to make use of them against the dissenters. For though I made a point of never alluding to the dissenters by name (except when I could not avoid it), yet the topics which I introduced into my sermons were indirectly a reproof to them. To preach on the unity of the Church, implied blame on those who separated themselves from it, and refused to worship or communicate with their brethren. To explain that God's ministers were appointed by divine commission, of course implied that those who were not so commissioned were not God's ministers. In fact, the whole Church-system which I set forth was tanta> mount to a protest against dissent. Another thing which vexed them (though I really could not help it) was my refusal, for conscientious reasons, to meet them on neutral ground, or to have any religious communion whatever with those who would not worship with me in the Church. And, surely, if they thought so ill of Church-people as to refuse to join their worship, it was most unreasonable that they should complain if Churchmen were not cordial with them on less important matters. But the principal cause of their anger was the progress which Church-opinions made, and the secession of some of their own members from the meeting-house. All these things gave ample scope for discussion in a small community like that of High Kirkstall. I was attacked several times, with some bitterness and scurrility, in the radical papers; but of this I took no notice. Tracts and handbills