ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



clergymen of the Church of England, asking for 

 a recognition of the practice of confeition, and 

 particularly that the House consider the ad- 

 visability of providing for the licensing of 

 " duly-qualified confessors, in accordance with 

 the provisions of the canon law." This peti- 

 tion also recited that the Prayer Book made 

 no provision for processions, for the presenta- 

 tion of pastoral staves to bishops, for the use 

 of processional crosses, banners, credence- 

 tables, colored altar-cloths, and other Catholic 

 usages extensively promoted by or under 

 Episcopal patronage. Instead of altering the 

 Prayer Book in an un-Catholic direction, the 

 petitioners desired to see certain additions 

 made which would tend to the more distinct 

 enunciation of the real presence, of adoration, 

 and of sacrifice. 



The object of the petition was severely con- 

 demned by most of the speakers in the debate 

 which followel its presentation. The subject 

 was referred to a committee of the whole 

 House, who at the next meeting of the Con- 

 vocation, July 23d, presented the following 

 report : 



In the matter of confession the Church of England 

 holds fast those principles which arc set forth in 

 Holy Scripture, which were professed by the Primi- 

 tive Church, and which were reaffirmed at the Eng- 

 lish Reformation. 



The Clmrch of England, in the 25th Article, affirms 

 that penance 1 i* not to be counted for a sacrament of 

 the Gospel; and, as judged by her formularies, 

 knows oo such word as " sacramental confession." 



Grounding her doctrine on Holy Scripture, she 

 distinctly declares the full and entire forgiveness of 

 gins, through the blood of Jesus Christ, to those 

 who bewail their own sinfulness, confess themselves 

 to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment 

 of life, and turn with true faith unto Him. 



It is the desire of the Church that by this way and 

 means all her children should find peace. In this 

 npirit the forms of confession and absolution arc set 

 forth in her public services. Yet, for the relief of 

 troubled consciences, she has made special provision 

 in two exceptional cases. 



1. IB the ease of those who cannot quiet their own 

 consciences previous to receiving the Holy Com- 

 munion, but require further comfort or counsel, the 

 minister is directed to say: "Let him come to me. 

 or to some other discreet and learned minister of 

 God's Word-and open his grief; by the ministry of 

 Ood's Holy Word he may receive the benefit of ab- 

 (olution, together with ghostly counsel and advice." 

 Nevertheless, it is to be noted that for such a ease no 

 form of absolution ha been prescribed in the Book 

 of Common Prayer; and further, that the rubric in 

 the fret Prayer Book of 154S, which sanctions a par- 

 ticular form of absolution, has been withdrawn from 

 all subsequent editions of the said book. 



2. In the order for the visitation of the sick it is 

 directed that the sick man be moved to make a 

 special confession of his sins if he find his con- 

 icienee troubled with any weighty matter; but in 

 uch ease absolution is only to be given when the 

 aick man shall humbly and heartily desire it. The 

 special provision, however, does not authorize the 

 ministers of the Church to require from any who 

 may repair to them to open their grief in particular, 

 or detailed examination of nil their sins, or to require 

 private confession as a condition previous to receiv- 

 ing the Holy Communion, or to enjoin, or even en- 

 courage, any practice of habitual confession to a 

 priest, or to teach that such practice of habitual con- 



fession, or the being subject to what has been termed 

 the direction of a priest, is a condition of attaining 

 to the highest spiritual life. 



The discussion of the rubrics proposed by 

 the commissioners for the revision of the Rit- 

 ual was continued in the Lower House of the 

 Convocation of Canterbury during its sessions 

 in May and July. A new table of psalms was 

 adopted for the days of Advent, Circumcision, 

 Epiphany, Annunciation, Maundy Thursday, 

 Easter Even, Trinity Sunday, St. Michael and 

 All Angels, and All Saints. Greater liberty 

 in the use of hymns was given by the adoption 

 of a rubric, to the effect that "in all churches 

 and chapels such hymns may be used as shall 

 not be disallowed by the Ordinary." The ques- 

 tion respecting the attendance of non-commu- 

 nicants at the administration of the Sacrament 

 excited considerable discussion. It was settled 

 by the adoption of the following rubric : " At 

 the time of the celebration of the Holy Com- 

 munion, a pause having been made to allow 

 those who desire to withdraw, and the com- 

 municants being conveniently placed for the 

 receiving of the Holy Sacrament, the priest 

 shall say this exhortation." The following 

 additional mbric to the burial-service was 

 adopted : " If the person to be buried, having 

 been baptized, have died in the actual commis- 

 sion of some open and notorious sin, it shall 

 be lawful for the minister, when they come to 

 the grave, to read only the thirty-sixth Psalm, 

 a lesson taken from St. Matthew, xxiv. 35^13, 

 and the four sentences appointed to be said 

 while the corpse is made ready to be laid into 

 the earth, concluding with the words, 'Lord, 

 have mercy, 1 etc., the Lord's Prayer, and ' The 

 grace of,' etc., at the end of the Office." 



On the 5th of May a deputation represent- 

 ing the Church Association waited upon the 

 Archbishops of Canterbury and York, at Lam- 

 beth Palace, to present to them a memorial 

 designated as " against Romish teaching in 

 the Church of England." It urged the arch- 

 bishops to take steps to enforce the decrees 

 which the Association had been the means of 

 obtaining in the courts of law, and particu- 

 larly that they would use their influence to 

 secure the entire suppression of all those cere- 

 monies and practices in the churches which 

 had been in those decisions judged illegal. The 

 petition was signed by 60,200 laymen. It was 

 stated that among the signers were " four- 

 teen noble lords, seventeen baronets, seven- 

 teen knights, five honorables, eleven members 

 of Parliament, fifteen mayors, two hundred 

 and sixty-eight justices of the peace, and three 

 hundred and twenty-eight church-wardens, 

 besides army officers and other persons of in- 

 fluence and importance in society." Several 

 members of the deputation addressed the arch- 

 bishops, saying that they had been contending 

 against the danger of the illegal practices be- 

 coming privileged through exemption from 

 censure. The archbishops stated that, they 

 were prepared to do every thing possible to 



