knows, and if he does declare his sentiments, and knows them to be true, yet he need not insist upon them with rigour, if the point contested be of a slight nature or value in comparison to the Church's peace. Let him enjoy his own liberty in that case, and let others have theirs too-and so all will be right. Let them differ so far by consent, and yet live together in peace and charity. But then as to weightier matters, it concerns us carefully to observe, that rules of peace are but secondary and subordinate to those of piety or charity, and must veil to them. Peace must be broken in this world whenever it is necessary to do it for the securing salvation in the next for ourselves or others, and a breach of peace in such instances is obedience to the higher law of charity, is conforming to the primary and great commandments, the love of GOD and the love of our neighbour. Therefore peace in such cases must be sacrificed to truth and charity, that is, to the honour of GOD and the eternal interests of mankind. Waterland (Importance of the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity: Introduction). UNITY, VISIBLE-Adaptation of the Church of England as a Centre of: (B.) Her Scriptural Character. I may say, without fear of any imputation of vanity, that I have now seen and made myself acquainted with all the branches of the Catholic Church, and with all the sects now existing on earth; and I have not shunned to sit at the feet of the bishops in the Roman Catholic Church, in the Armenian Church, in the Chaldean and Abyssinian Church, with Wesleyans, Independents, and learned Baptists; and the result of my investigations is, that the Church of England is the pearl of price and jewel of the earth, and the mightiest masterpiece of Bible illustration which the world has witnessed since it fell under the yoke of sin. Dr. Wolff (Travels in Bokhara). UNITY, VISIBLE-Adaptation of the Church of England as a Centre of: (C.) Her Philosophical System. It is no small witness to the Anglican Church and to the work that is before her, that the band of learned and robust thinkers who have broken with the Church of Rome on account of the Vatican Decrees, have found rest in a system the philosophy of which is similar to that of Anglicanism, both in its appeal to history and in its respect for nationalism; and that what took place in the case of Cassander, De Dominis, and Grabe (when the highest intellects of Europe found refuge in the Church of England) is being repeated among the brave hearts and sound heads of the Old Catholic movement in Germany. The Church to which we belong has ever thrown itself on the primitive rule, "Quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus." She has grounded her belief deep in the facts of history; she accepts no doctrine that will not bear the test of universal tradition. She rejects all local colouring; she aims at universality; for the "consensus sanctorum est Vox Spiritus Sancti." But this must not be pressed on the negative side only; it is not enough to say that we reject doctrines that will not bear these tests; there is a positive side also. We must say, "We hold, we grasp with unflinching tenacity, all the doctrines which are rooted and grounded on antiquity, are sanctioned by universality, and have ever been certified wherever the name of CHRIST is named.” 66 A. P. Forbes, D.C.L., late Bishop of Brechin (Last Charge). UNITY, VISIBLE-Adaptation of the Church of England as a Centre of: (D.) Her World-Wide Influence and Sympathies. Every year Lambeth is becoming more and more a centre to which the whole Anglican communion directly looks; and that communion seems to me to be more and more every year becoming itself a centre for all the Churches of Christendom which protest against Roman usurpation. There are at least a hundred and sixty-two bishops of the English or Anglican communion, with dioceses scattered throughout the world, with all of whom, more or less, I find it necessary to be in communication. You are aware that, two years ago, a hundred of these fathers of the Church gathered under my roof at Lambeth for a month's deliberation; and you will remember the expressions of filial regard with which that great assembly of bishops worshipped in our metropolitical cathedral at Canterbury, and called to mind the associa tions which bound them to the birthplace of what we commonly call Anglo-Saxon Christianity.... And our brethren of the United States of America have, ever since Archbishop Longley's wise resolve to invite them to the first conference at Lambeth, so far thrown in their lot with us that their work and ours has become more directly intertwined by distinct relations of friendship and co-opera tion. connected with Rome on the coast of Malabar, which has long claimed the interest and the sympathy of our missionaries in India. But why do I recount the names of all these comparatively little-known Eastern Churches? .. England has its commercial and colonising relations with every part of the globe, and Englishmen cannot escape from the responsibility of sending the knowledge of Christian truth to those who lie in utter darkness. Moreover, the generation in which we live has awakened to a more real understanding But in our zeal for the heathen we are not than its predecessor of the force of the Ger- tooverlook our fellow-Christians. The Roman man proverb-that behind the hills (and we Catholic Church, indeed, separates itself from may add beyond the seas) there are people, us by so sharp a line of arrogant exclusiveness Christian people, with an old descent, quite built on a superstructure of false doctrine, unconnected in their origin with either Rome that our hopes of influencing it must be very or Canterbury, with the same episcopal form slight without some fundamental change in of government as ourselves, cherishing the old its whole system. But these Oriental Chrisliturgies, which are the basis of our Common tians show a lively interest in our co-operation, Prayer-Christians who have maintained their and have of late years expressed their desire faith through long centuries of oppression, to know more of us, and to act with us in a whose trials have been such as we English- fraternal spirit. We shall do well, then, to men, thank God, have never been exposed to, support the efforts of which Lambeth is in a and who at the present day stretch out their sort the centre, for encouraging such attempts hands to England with an earnestness of to foster a truer brotherhood between oursupplication inspired by a confidence of help selves and these scattered Christian comunknown in former times. Let mere worldly munities. . . . The various efforts after interpoliticians dispute as to the wisdom or un-nal reform in the several Catholic Churches wisdom of England's undertaking great responsibilities to help the distressed, and extend the blessings of civilisation through the suffering tribes in those dark places of the earth in Asia, where practically there is no law and no justice, no liberty and no security of property, or even lifee-we English Churchmen can have no doubt of our duty as Christians to do all in our power to remedy these detestable evils, when they are brought distinctly to our notice. The Churches of the Fast one after another-Syrian, Armenian, Chaldean, Nestorian-implore our aid. . . Blessed fruit of that great position to which the kindness of our GOD has raised our nation, that even in these remote regions the public opinion of Christian England is not without its force; and that people who are known to have a clergyman of the English Church among them, will feel nearly as secure as if they were under the protection of some regular emissary of the English State. of the Continent, also, greatly increase our responsibilities, and I commend them to the careful attention of all true-hearted English Churchmen. The time has gone by when we could rest in our insular position.. The boundaries of separation, further, between us and Continental Protestants who hold fast by the fundamentals of the Gospel fade to an indistinct line; and shall we not, from our necessary connection with these, learn many lessons to guide us in our dealings with our nonconforming brethren at home, and their representatives in the United States of America? In fact, it will be our own fault if all the Protestant communities throughout the world, episcopal and non-episcopal, do not feel that their cause is indissolubly united with ours. . . . The Church of Christ throughout the world would, it must be remembered, be deprived of a vast proportion of its worshippers if we left out of sight of our Christian brotherhood, non-episcopal congregations at home, and the overwhelming mass of such congregations in the United States of America. Thus, I trust, we English Churchmen are learning-more and more-to realise once again that great idea which was so powerful of old to stir men's hearts and make them help each other-that there is a vast community cemented by their faith and principle, which, amid all national and other special We cannot approach the Holy Communion without confessing, "I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church." In our Litany we pray for "the Holy Church Universal," and not for our bishops only, but for "all bishops," all, accordingly, throughout the whole world, east and west. In our Ember Weeks we pray, "Our Heavenly Father, who hast purchased to Thyself an Universal Church by the precious Blood of Thy dear SON, mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of Thy servants, the bishops and pastors of Thy flock." We pray, accordingly, for GOD'S special guidance of the bishops of the Universal Church. At Holy Communion we pray God to " inspire continually the Universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord," and for "all bishops," not our own only. Certainly, since prayer is the voice of the soul to GOD, we express not our inmost belief only, but a loving belief that the Church is one. How it is one the Church nowhere defines; but the faith is kept alive by prayer more than by definitions. Rev. E. B. Pusey, D.D. (Eirenicon). UNITY-Prayer for. Our Father which art in heaven-One GOD the FATHER ALMIGHTY, One LORD JESUS CHRIST, One HOLY GHOST proceeding from the FATHER and the SON, have mercy upon us, Thy children, and make us all one in Thee. Hallowed be Thy Name-Thou Who art One LORD and Thy Name One, have mercy upon us all, who are called by Thy Name, and make us more and more one in Thee. Thy Kingdom come-O King of Righteousness and Peace, gather us more and more into Thy Kingdom, and make us both visibly and invisibly one in Thee. Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in heaven -Thou Who hast declared unto us the mystery of Thy Will, to gather together in one all things in CHRIST, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, conform us, O LORD, to that Holy Will of Thine, and make us all one in Thee. Give us this day our daily bread-Thou in Whom we, being many, are one Bread and one Body, grant that we, being all partakers of that one Bread, may day by day be more and more one in Thee. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us-Thou Who didst say, Father, forgive them, for those who were rending Thy blessed Body, forgive us the many things we have done to mar the unity of Thy mystical Body, and make us, forgiving and loving one another, to be more and more one in Thee. And lead us not into temptation--As Thou didst enable Thine Apostles to continue with Thee in Thy temptations, so enable us by Thy grace to abide with Thee in Thy true Church under all trials, visible and invisible, nor ever to cease from being one in Thee. But deliver us from evil-From the enemy and false accuser, from envy and grudging, from an unquiet and discontented spirit, from heresy and schism, from strife and debate, from a scornful temper and reliance on our own understanding, from offence given or taken, and from whatever might disturb Thy Church, and cause it to be less one in Thee-Good Lord, deliver and preserve Thy servants for ever. Amen. Rev. John Keble, M.A. (Sermons, Academical and Occasional). UNIVERSE-Hymn on the. Roll on, thou sun! for ever roll, And cherubim, with star-drop wing, With ocean's azure beauty bound; Behold thy tints of mount and stream Roll, planets! on your dazzling road, For ever sweeping round the sun; What eye beheld when first ye glowed? What eye shall see your courses done? Roll in your solemn majesty, Ye deathless splendours of the skies! The incense of creation rise. Ye that through boundless nature roam, Ye monarchs on your flame-wing cars, Tell us in what more glorious dome What orb to which your pomps are dim, UNIVERSE-The: Its Spiritual Root. Rev. Brooke Foss Westcott. UNJUST-The, and the Just. The unjust mind cannot, seeing GOD is justice itself, be after the image of GOD; the blood-thirsty hath it not, for GOD is charity and mercy itself; falsehood, cunning practice, and ambition, are properties of Satan, and therefore cannot dwell in one soul together with GOD. And, to be short, there is no likelihood between pure light and black darkness, between beauty and deformity, or between righteousness and reprobation. And though nature, according to common understanding, have made us capable by the power of reason, and apt enough to receive this image of GOD's goodness, which the sensual souls of beasts cannot perceive; yet were that aptitude natural more inclinable to follow and embrace the false and dureless pleasures of this stage-play world, than to become the shadow of GOD, by walk. ing after Him, had not the exceeding workmanship of God's wisdom, and the liberality of His mercy formed eyes to our souls as to The powerful centre of revolving worlds! fear and dread GOD; and this is the sum of my simple life." In this story you see how GOD loveth those that follow their vocation and live uprightly, without any falsehood in their dealing. This Anthony was a great, holy man, yet this cobbler was as much esteemed before GOD as he. Hugh Latimer. USEFULNESS-To Him that Hath shall be Given. There is a law of Gon of which we cannot too often be reminded, that "use" is the inevitable condition of brightness. Seek to lock up and hide from the light of day any precious treasure; let it be so placed that it can do nothing for you and bring nothing to you, and the rust of corruption speedily settles upon it. "To him that hath" (that is, hath used and employed) "shall be given," is the language of life, as it is the language of Scripture. Rev. Geo. Dawson, M.A. ("Dove Wings:" R. C. Trench, D.D. (Archbishop of Dublin). USEFULNESS-Live not for yourself Alone. UPRIGHTNESS. The truly upright is inflexible in his uprightness. Francis Atterbury (Bishop of Rochester). UPRIGHTNESS Greatly Esteemed of God. We read a pretty story of St. Anthony, who, being in the wilderness, led there a very hard and straight life, insomuch as none at that time did the like, to whom came a voice from heaven, saying, "Anthony, thou art not so perfect as is a cobbler that dwelleth at Alexandria." Anthony hearing this, rose up forthwith and took his staff, and went till he came to Alexandria, where he found the cobbler. The cobbler was astonished to see so reverend a father come to his house. Then Anthony said unto him, "Come and tell me thy whole conversation, and how thou spendest thy time." "Sir," said the cobbler, "as for me, good works have I none, for my life is but simple and slender. I am but a poor cobbler. In the morning when I rise I pray for the whole city wherein I dwell, specially for all such poor friends and neighbours as I have. After, I set me at my labour, where I spend the whole day in getting my living; and I keep me from all falsehood, for I hate nothing so much as I do deceitfulness. Wherefore when I make to any man a promise, I keep it and perform it truly; and thus I spend my time poorly with my wife and children, whom I teach and instruct, as far as my wit will serve me, to It is a great satisfaction, at the close of life, to be able to look back on the years that are past, and to feel that you have lived not for yourself alone, but that you have been useful to others. You may be assured also that the same feeling is a source of comfort in this world is so good as usefulness. It and happiness at any period of life. Nothing binds your fellow-creatures to you, and you to them; it tends to the improvement of your own character, and it gives you a real importance in society, much beyond what any artificial station can bestow. Sir Benjamin Brodie. |