in the accustomed place of the church, chapel, or chancel*, Mr. NELSON, in his admirable work on the Feafts and Fafts (at p. 465-6) remarks that" it is plain, even in the times of the Apostles, there were places SET APART for divine worship. The Chriftians at Corinth had a place fet apart for holy purposes: every private house was different from the church, their houfes being opposed to SACRED PLACES, fet apart for religious ufes-a certain place fet apart for divine worship." From thefe teftimonies we afcertain the importance of confecrating churches, and identify that order of perfons who are alone invefted with the proper authority to do it. This is the more effential to be impreffed now, when many chapels, (intended as chapels of eafe) are not confecrated at all; and the fectarian meeting houses burlefque the ceremony atogether, by the ufurpation of mere laymen, who ignorantly ard impudently prefume to invade, not only the priestly office, but the epifcopal character, in open defiance of, and in direct contradiction to the commands of Chrift, and that gospel which they pretend to obey; and the teaching of which they begin by an open violation of its moft facred injunc tions. On the neceffity of dedicating churches, a very orthodox divine thus expreffes himself, in a fermon to his country parishioners, "if it be neceffary to fet apart churches, yet why need they be confecrated ?" There is reafon and univerfal practice on our fide for doing it; for if it be right to follow the nature of things, and the general practice of the worhippers of God, in fetting apart folemnly, and appropriating places to his fervice, it is fcarcely conceivable how this is to be done without the use of fome ceremonies, and it is very hard that they fhould be thought the worse, merely for being cuftomary or appointed. Shall the palaces of kings be entered with refpect, and fhall we enter into the courts of the LORD, without fome token of reverence. IS HIS houfe alone to be treated without ceremony ?-not to prepoffefs men's minds with an holy awe, and a regard for that place, whither, in all their future devotions, they are Bishop Sparrow's Rationale of the Book of Com. Prayer, P. 318, of the dedication of churches, to to bring the most religious difpofitions of heart ?And in parity of reafoning, as much at leaft may be faid for the expediency and neceffity of hallowing Chriftian churches, as of our ordinary meals; and if every creature of God be fanctified with the word of God, and prayer, when received with thankfgiving, as Saint Paul fays, can any Chriftian doubt whether a CHURCH may be properly faid to be fanctified, when thus pioufly CONSECRATED ?" * ン From this circumftance of dedicating churches, arose the cuftom of keeping the FEAST OF DEDICATION, commonly called WAKES; which affords the clergy an additional opportunity of exhorting the people, fince "at thofe times, we are told, they met together from feveral parts to perform or join in divine offices, and to exprefs their mutual love and kindness for, and rejoicing one with the other, the dedications being commemorated once a year, and the folemnity lafting fome days. Hence arofe Wakes; but as in procefs of time they occafioned great diforders and irregularities, they were fuppreffed by public authority; and indeed as they are frequently kept now, they do not much anfwer the primitive defign. Many keep up the feasting part, who fcarcely feem fenfible of the original defign of it; and thefe kind of meetings, instead of being a means of advancing the honour of God, become often the occafion of drunkennefs and excefs, lofs of time, hurtful and unprofitable diverfions, and a neglect of the public worship of God on the Lord's day, (which duty was the chief intent of their inftitution) nay, of a grofs prophanation of that day. I do not mention this as a general practice; feveral who obferve them, are careful not to OFFEND this day."+ As the dedication of churches is a duty incumbent upon Chriftians, from refpect to their God; fo does the dedica * A MS. Sermon on the feast of dedication, from Gen. xxviii. 18. by the late Reverend Oliver St. John Cooper, M. A. Vicar of Thurleigh and Puddington, Bedfordshire, Author of the Endeavour Society's Manual of Orthodox Divinity. Vide, a very useful and appropriate sermon preached to a country congregation, to promote unity in civil life, and reconcile the new stile to the observance of holy days; and on observing the FEAST OF DEDICATION, commonly called WAKES. London, 1753, Price 1s. tion of places neceffarily imply the dedication of perfons to ferve therein, and hence the ORDINATION of the minif try, that none may go before they are fent, or prophanely ufurp the minifterial office, by taking that upon themselves, which God has never given them. No man has a right to take it thus, and the lefs are to be blessed of the greater. EPISCOPAL ordination has always been ufed in all the churches; nor was it ever difputed until our prefbyterian fectaries fet the example, which many others have ignorantly been deluded to follow, unwarranted as they are; and undifputed as the apoftolical practice of epifcopal ordination was always heretofore efteemed. Indeed while fo much gain can be made of godlinefs, by defpifing dignities, and fetting at nought the whole counfel of God, we fee there men ready enough to avail themfelves of this or any practice, and fay with their prototype of old, put us into a priest's office that we may eat a piece of bread; and while a fixpenny licence will legally enable a man to call himfelf a gafpel preacher, and THEREBY fecure him certain privileges, and exclude him from many troublesome parish offices, and loyal demands, his pocket and his courage are laid at reft, and he remains fecure in the perverted peace of that golpel, which he knows fo little about, that he is inadequate even to fpell the word. * For fuch things we may well fay with the prophet, the land mourneth and groaneth. When will its day of deliverance arrive? Here indeed, Mr. Editor, may your excellent motto from Skelton be moft forcibly and unanfwerably applied, We may, indeed Jay with truth that THE CHURCH IS IN DANGER, while religion is fo coldly regarded by numbers, WHOSE IMMEDIATE OFFICE IT IS to SUPPORT its spirit and reputation. + * A most exemplary divine and worthy magistrate, whose various and practical labours are well known, assured me that his official capacity had obliged him to grant these sixpenny licenses to several illiterate men, in one day, as gospel preachers, not one of whom could spell the word gospel right; their orthography placing the letters thus, Gospil, Goospul, Gaspile, &c. &c. Yet these blessed guides were to be teachers and leaders of the people. + See motto of the number of the Orth. Churchm. Mag. for Aug. 1807. PPA Vol. XIII. Churchm. Mag. for Oct. 1807. Thefe These evils have ever made ordinations be very seriously regarded; "ordination days," fays Burnet, "were dreadful days to me," and indeed, whoever confiders the vast importance of the charge conferred, and the nature of the miniftry," may well afk, who is fufficient for these things? and when the ordination offices, which the wifdom of our church hath appointed, are confidered, the momentous question arifes, how far the PRECEPTS AND PRACTICE correfpond? The public, the private, the inceffant duties of the clergyman give him conftant employment and conftant anxiety, and now particularly, how much additional labour has he to use in his endeavours to drive away all frange doctrine, which he has bound himself to do! how much does it call upon and oblige him to teach his people, at every opportunity, the nature of the church, and the fin of fchifm: for the purpose of counteracting the arts of the wily fectary, who fheltering his ignorance under the pretence of infpiration, forgets that, in the beginning of Chriftianity, knowledge was deemed fo neceffary for the preachers of the gofpel, that it was communicated to the apoftles by a miracle; and who being without any regular call by the appointed outward means, he pretends to have that inward call, which is to exclude the other; forgetting at the fame time, that even a miraculous call from Chrift himself, was not fufficient, by St. Paul, who was sent to Annanias for ordination; nor did our bleffed redeemer himself affume the minifterial office, till baptized by John. Let the clergy then expofe the artifices of thefe men, and thereby undeceive the people, whom they lead captive by delufions, and make a prey by craft. Newington Butts, JUVENIS, SENR. 1 Review of New Publications. The duty of the Clergy to enforce the frequent receiving of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, a Sermon preached at the Vifitation holden at Southampton, 1806. By the Rev. SAMUEL CLAPHAM, M. A. Vicar of Christ Church, &c. 8vo. pp. 26. Rivingtons. WE E have expreffed our approbation of Mr. Clapham's productions on former occafions. When he publifhed his first volume of SELECTED SERMONS, we recommended the publication to our readers as deferving their attention. The fecond volume we confidered as entitled to Rill higher approbation; and we took occafion to mention in particular his own difcourfes, more especially those on Methodism, on Perjury, and Parochial Vifits. The fermon before us, far from fhrinking from examination, challenges it. We fee the zealous preacher folely occupied with his fubject; his foul is grieved that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper should be fo very generally neglected; he, therefore, recommends to his reverend auditory to imprefs ftrongly upon their respective hearers the indifpenfable duty of communicating. And although the fubject is not placed in a new light (for to do this furpaffes human ability) we affure our readers that they will find in this eloquent discourse, clear reasoning, fervent piety, and evangelical animation. The text of this fermon is happily chofen. John vi. 53, 54. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whofo eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life. Mr. Clapham opens PP 2 his |