finitesimal, if you once recognise the fact, as declared in our Ordinal, that every priest properly and duly ordained has authority to act, in Christ's stead—that is, as His ambassador and representative; that the commission to remit and to retain sin is a true commission; and that when exercised upon earth its decrees are ratified in heaven. If we believe this, which is only to believe our Lord's own words, we shall not only find that our former objections will cease to exist, but with deep gratitude we shall gladly avail ourselves of a means of grace whereby we attain the assurance of pardon for the past, and ghostly counsel to help us for the future.'

After a few more remarks from Mr. Clarkson, the discussion ceased, and it was arranged that the next meeting should be held about the middle of October, Parfitt consenting to open the conference upon the subject of 'The decencies of worship, falsely called Ritualism,'

CHAPTER IV.

RITUALISM.

A DAY glowing with autumn sunshine brought a large number of friends to the Vicarage upon the afternoon fixed for the third conference. In addition to all the ordinary members of the party, there were present two clergymen from London, who were spending their well-earned vacation in the neighbourhood of Hartham, and had been invited by the Vicar to join the conclave.

When all had assembled at the usual trystingplace, of which we have already made mention, the Vicar opened the meeting, as was customary, with a few short and appropriate prayers, and then called upon Mr. Parfitt to begin the discussion. The subject being 'Worship, and its accessories.'

Parfitt. There is scarcely any subject which has so deep and so wide an interest for humanity as worship. All, to a greater or less extent, acknowledge a want which can be satisfied by this alone. The philosopher who may unhappily have released himself from the bands of the faith will nevertheless pay a cultus either to science or to nature, or to that which he is pleased to call reason. The clown, how

ever ignorant of letters, will recognise the existence of a powerful Being, whose law ordains and governs the seasons of sowing and reaping, of heat and cold, of light and darkness. The religious, whether Jew, Christian, Mussulman, or Hindoo, will demand a God or Gods, and even the lowest type of mankind, the African savage, will claim his fetish. Man, constituted as he is, of body, soul, and spirit, cannot be satisfied with that which appeals only to the senses he possesses in common with the brute creation, but craves an object upon which he can exercise his faith, and which he may invest with powers of life and death. Hence the universal inclination to worship. Passing, then, from the consideration of worship generally, let us confine our attention to that which. belongs to Christianity in particular. What is Christianity? Is it a religion without antecedents?—that is, a religion which sprang from a source independent of that which had preceded it; or is it not rather the complement of that which had existed beforehand? For was not its Founder, after the flesh, a Jew-one who was born a Jew, lived a Jew, was obedient to the law of the Jews, and died a Jew? And His holy apostles, were they not Jews also? who, until the destruction of Jerusalem, and so, even after the day of Pentecost, were constant in their attendance upon the services of the Jewish Temple? Christianity, then, was never a new religion, but the development of Judaism, the fulfilment of the Mosaic dispensation, the substance of that which

was but the shadow of good things to come. The object worshipped was identical, the One God, who in times past spake unto the fathers by the prophets, but now speaks unto us by His Son, the Word, who, in the beginning, was with God, and was God.

'Now one of the attributes of God is immutability. S. James writes, "Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Likewise S. Paul, writing of our Lord Jesus Christ, declares that He is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." We have, then, two facts established: first, an intimate connection between Judaism and Christianity, as close, indeed, as that which exists between the shadow and the substance; and secondly, that God, in His relation to mankind, is unchangeable.

It will be well to keep these two points in remembrance, in order to follow the arguments which I am about to advance. We have seen that the object of both Jewish and Christian worship is identical. Let us then, in the next place, consider the principal features which characterised worship under the Mosaic dispensation; bearing in mind that the authority for every detail came directly from God. Himself.

'First, there was a divinely appointed priesthood, whose chief duty was to offer sacrifice.

Secondly, there was an altar, upon which the sacrifice was made.

'And thirdly, none but the priests were permitted to officiate at the altar.

‘In a word, then, the principle which pervaded the religion which God revealed to mankind was emphatically sacerdotal.

Again, the Tabernacle was pitched, and subsequently the Temple was erected, upon each of which the most profuse expenditure was lavished; vessels of gold, costly gems, gorgeous vestments were provided. The services were rendered by a numerous and efficient choir musical instruments of different kinds were employed. And, further, men were inspired to execute under the direction of the Holy Ghost the smallest minutiæ, and every particular detail, as well of the Temple itself as of the ornaments with which it was decorated. The whole, whether we contemplate the building or the services conducted therein, was of the most elaborate, ornate, and magnifical character; and all this was effected in obedience to the commands of God, who Himself expressly and directly gave the injunction. This was the kind of service which Jehovah enjoined; this too is the only earthly service of which mention is made in Revelation. This then was essentially God's service; the service which He ordained and appointed; the service of Him with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning; of Him who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Are we not justified therefore in supposing that a service of this kind is the service which He requires from His reasonable creatures? and seeing that the Christian