which was a large cross. There were beside, two standard candlesticks, each with twenty-five candles (not burning); -two banners, on one of which was a representation of the patron-saint, on the other, a representation of Christ as "The Good Shepherd," with a lamb in His arms; and a processional cross of polished brass.

There were thirty officials in white flowing vestments, one in black, with a girdle round the waist, one in undress, and from twelve to sixteen sisters of mercy, their black cloaks and hoods giving to the part of the church which they occupied, a weird, sepulchral aspect. Twenty-four choristers were ranged in lines on the north and south sides of the chancel; three acolytes, or attendants, on the steps leading up to the altar; and three priests before the altar, the celebrant, or chief minister, apparently in full sacerdotal vestments-cassock, amice, alb, stole, maniple, and chasuble, the last looking like a gorgeous opera-cloak, embroidered with a large cross on the back.

The church is without pews,-a few benches are placed in the lower part of the nave for the school children; the upper part is filled with rush-bottomed chairs. The chancel is greatly in excess of the usual proportions, occupying a considerable part of the building. It seemed to be constructed with two steps and a dais, another two steps and a dais, two steps more and the altar, which was thus considerably elevated as if for scenic effect. Entering a little late, we were struck with the sweet tones of the organ, a superior instrument, and played with taste; the voices of the choristers blended with the low subduing music in a manner which, if not quite perfect, was far more artistic than we could have expected in the neighbourhood of the Thames Tunnel and Shadwell.

Of the service it would be difficult to give an idea to persons who have not

visited High-Church shrines. It was intoned throughout, and carried on apparently in complete obliviousness of the congregation. Certainly it was a realization of the ideal of" The Directo66 scientific rium Anglicanum." It was as well as "theological," and there was far more of the science of motion and posture, than of theological or biblical truth. The backs of the ministers being to the congregation the greater portion of the time, it was utterly impossible to understand what was said, and, though striving to follow, with a book in our hand, not one sentence of the service could we make out-only such familiar words as Jesus, Christ, and these were seen in the bowing, rather than heard.

The sermon was a most subordinate part of the service. The Superior of the Mission was the preacher. After uttering the formulary used in Roman Catholic chapels, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen," making, at the same time the sign of the cross, he announced as his text, John i. 14. The sermon contained nothing that was calculated to instruct the ignorant, or impress the careless; but, as delivered in a church recently consecrated by the Bishop of London, as part of an Establishment which is by law declared to be "Protestant," it was remarkable in giving great prominence to the Popish doctrine of the Real Presence. The sacrament of the mass is evidently the centre of the whole system at St. Peter's, and was therefore made the chief point of the service, to which everything else was subordinated.

The bowing, the genuflexions, the frequent changes of position, were to us, uninitiated, completely puzzling. What was symbolized by the celebrant and the two attendant ministers standing in a row before the altar; what, by their standing in single file on the steps of the altar; what, by one of the ministers kneeling behind the celebrant, and, as

if moved by irrepressible curiosity, lifting the upper garment, the chasuble, by the hem, we could not divine. The elevation of the host was the chef d'œuvre; the choristers bowed in worship, and the acolytes fell flat on their faces. The celebrant turned to the congregation, holding the wafer or bread, with the points of the fingers of both hands high above his head, almost to the length of his arms away from him; one of the assistant ministers stood on his left, looking towards him, with the chalice held high in a similar manner; the other minister stood on his right, likewise looking towards him. The three, with the worshipping acolytes and choristers, presented as complete a tableau as could be witnessed on the stage of a theatre. The posture and countenances of the group were expressive of mingled reverence, wonder, and awe. For a considerable time they remained in this position, not uttering a word, not moving a muscle, nor a feature. Had a stranger then entered the church, he might have thought he was gazing, not on living men, but on lay-figures, draped, and placed in position, to represent the superstitions of the mediaval ages.

A few weeks before, we were present at the celebration of mass, on an ordinary occasion, in the Roman Catholic chapel, Moorfields; no essential difference could we trace in the celebration of the mass in St. Peter's, Old Gravel Lane. In the latter, however, the parts appeared to have been more carefully studied and rehearsed, and the worshipping prostrations were far more profound. The celebrant alone communicated. A churchman, on retiring, said to us, "this is abominable: I had no idea things were carried on here in this fashion."

Our deep feeling of sadness in beholding such a mockery, in the substitution of the material for the spiritual in Divine worship, were somewhat relieved by looking round upon the

congregation. Had the missionary fitness and power of Ritualism attracted hundreds to take part in this splendid ceremonial? No! The congregation proper, not reckoning the officials, and those under their care in the schools, consisted of only twelve men and twelve women, and some of these were evidently but visitors like ourselves. The sisters of mercy exceeded in number the whole female part of the congregation, and the officials were almost three times as many as the

men.

Thinking that after ten years' labour, with abundant means, and irrepressible zeal, this Ritualistic Mission ought, if there is power in it, to make its success more tangible than this, we were disposed to conclude that some unaccountable cause had kept the regular congregation from church on this high festival; but no,-one who took part in the service informed us, that there were as many present as usual. We know from reliable authority, that the congregation on the following Sabbath morning numbered fifteen men and ten women; the Sabbath after that, seven men and nine women, the Sabbath following, six men and sixteen women. The attendance at the other church of the St. George's Mission is no more in favour of the power of Ritualism to arouse the masses to a regard to religion. The whole congregation at this place on the Sabbath morning after Christmas day amounted to nine men and thirteen

women.

Probably in London there is not a more barren soil than that which the St. George's Mission has undertaken to cultivate-it would be unreasonable to expect such results there as elsewhere-still, after ten years' labour, with an expenditure of tens of thousands of pounds, and in addition to this, with means to minister most abundantly to the temporal necessities of the people (£2,000 was

received by this Mission for the relief of cholera cases alone, last year, which was so far in excess of the need, that, when the last report was issued, £600 remained in hand to be given away during the winter months)-we say that, with all these appliances, if there were in Ritualism the power claimed for it to influence favourably the lowest classes of our population, that power would be manifested in St. George's on a larger scale than the above facts shew. There are humble missionrooms in the district, where much larger congregations assemble, without the slightest prospect of temporal aid, to hear from the lips of the missionary "the Gospel of Christ," which is "the power of God unto salvation."

receive in connection with St. George's Mission is most likely to issue in their becoming intolerant Papists, or scoffing infidels. That the adult population will be much influenced, we do not fear. If the Ritualists could succeed in making their worship gastronomic instead of asthetic, so that devotion could be measured by eating and drinking, they would then become formidable rivals of "the stage, the club, and the gin-palace," to which they themselves explicitly point as to their schools of instruction in the Ritualistic "art."

We want something better and stronger than music and flowers, processions and performances, to reach the deep degradation of the masses, and this God has given to us in the ministry of reconciliation, accompanied by His own Spirit.

"Should all the forms that men devise Assault my faith with treach'rous art, I'd call them vanity and lies,

And bind the Gospel to my heart."

MEN AND BRETHREN :

On the 21st of January there was held in London an assembly such as probably was never held before-a Conference between a considerable number of working-men, on the one hand, and a considerable number of ministers and others, representative of various Churches, on the other, for the purpose of inquiring into the causes why, to so large an extent, the skilled artizans of England hold aloof from the religious institutions of the country. "It was assumed," in the invitation to this Conference, to use the words of the chairman, Mr. Edward Miall, “that, proportionally speaking, existing institu tions and ministrations, the aim of which is to commend Christianity to men's consciences and hearts, have

succeeded less with working men than with other classes. Why with them less than with others? What are the special characteristics, whether of form in these institutions, or of spirit in those ministrations, which go to account for that want of success?" Such was the basis and such the scope of this memo rable Conference.

It is not necessary for my present purpose that I should inquire how far it is true that the working-men of England, the skilled artizans, are alienated or hold aloof from religious institutions in proportion to other classes. There are some other classes of the community which are supposed by not a few careful observers to be alienated from Christian worship in a still larger proportion. But, if it be so,

it only renders the picture of English society doubly dark and painful. Enough for the practical ends which the Conference contemplated that it is undeniably true that, however it may be with other classes, a very large proportion of working men, in some parts of the country at least, are practically alienated from Christian ordinances. Why is this?

As to the Conference itself, you, working-men, must admit that your representatives had their full share, and more, of the talk. They came, perhaps every one of them, prepared to speak, and glad to have the opportunity of saying all that was in their hearts, on the subject. The ministers and others who represented the Church of Christ, came for the most part to listen, and, unable to foresee the course which events might take, many of them allowed the opportunity of saying what, perhaps, they ought to have said, to slip from them. For my own part, I am free to confess that I regard the Conference as, in some respects, a failure. Notwithstanding the perfect freedom and good temper which characterized it, I am not aware that we know more about the workingclasses and their reasons for absence from the house of God than we knew before. This, perhaps, may be accounted for, on the supposition that there is really no secret to be revealed in regard to the matter-the facts of the case being already well known. But the failure of the Conference was mainly in this-that there was little or no sifting of the representations made of the reasons alleged for the non-attendance of working-men on Christian ordinances-of the reality, or of the validity of the reasons.

A. B. says that he does not attend a place of worship, and does not think it worth his while to attend because so and so; and he proceeds at once to identify himself with his class, and says, We do not attend, because so and so.

But, before we know the value of A. B.'s testimony, we must put him into the witness-box, and cross-question him. You do not attend because, &c. We believe you. But on what authority do you say that others are influenced by the same reason? To what extent are others influenced by your reason? How do you know it? As to the reason itself, is it a good reason? Is it, after all, anything better than an excuse? If Christianity is true, which you profess to believe by your presence here, can the reason which you allege satisfy either your judgment or your conscience? A cross-examination of this sort, closely pursued, would have reduced some fluent talkers at the late Conference to very small dimensions, and would have reduced their reasons to the condition of an air-ball when it is punctured. Bear with me in saying this. I felt it when listening to several very bold and self-confident speakers at the Conference, and subsequent reflection has confirmed the impression of the moment. There was much alleged by way of explaining nonattendance on Divine worship which I am persuaded is not to any considerable extent the real cause of non-attendance, and much that may be admitted as a real cause

cannot be admitted to be a valid

cause.

The failure of the Conference to bring out the truth in these respects cannot be regarded as the fault of either the projectors or the members of the Conference. The meeting was altogether of a novel and experimental character. And it is perhaps well that things were allowed to go as they did. But to render such meetings of any real service in future, wherever held, care must be taken to have statements which are very confidently made sifted then and there; otherwise the speakers will go away with the impression that they have gained a great victory, and have made out a good case in defence of