,transcribed from the #ahff ,william    
,skeffington edition by ,david ,price4  
,,the                                   
,,ritual ,,movement4                    
,three ,plain ,sermons                  
,,preached ,,at                         
,,st ,,john ,,the ,,evangelist',s1      
,,hammersmith1                          
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,by                            ,,james 
,,galloway ,,cowan1 ,m4,a4              
,perpetual ,curate4                     
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99          8,let all things
 be done decently and in order40--#a    
,corinthians xiv4                       
#dj4                                    
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,london3                     ,,william 
,,skeffington1 #afc ,,piccadilly4       
#ahff4          ,,sermon ,i4            
#a ,,corinthians xiv4 #dj4              
8,let all things be done decently and in
 order40    ,,these words are a general 

precept about ,church order following up
 a  particular remonstrance4  ,the      
,corinthian ,christians1 divinely       
distinguished by the number and         
excellence of the spiritual gifts and   
privileges bestowed on them1 had1 alas6 
distinguished themselves by  anarchy1   
lawlessness1 pride1 self-will1          
self-sufficiency1  uncharitableness1    
ecclesiastical and moral laxity of      
various forms and  kinds4  ,the ,apostle
 deals with all these offences severally
 and  particularly1 and then he gives a 
general rule--a rule which was to cover 
and guide all their practice1 and the   
practice of every other church3  8,let  
all things be done decently 7decorously7
 and in order0 7according to  system and
 appointment74    ,without further      
preface1 ,i would1 in all solemnity1    
read this precept as  addressed to us1  
brethren1 to the clergy and laity of the
 ,anglican ,church  of this present day1
 and as one which for the glory of ,god1
 and the  edifying of ourselves1 it is  

most needful to fix in our remembrance  
and  to observe with all strictness4    
,and did ,i design my teaching to be    
merely general1 ,i know no more useful  
theme to which to address myself2  for  
as like the ,corinthians we ,anglicans  
have been distinguished by ,god1  in    
that ,he has poured out upon us         
conspicuous and super-excellent gifts   
and privileges1 so like them are we     
constantly distinguishing ourselves  by 
strifes1 irregularities1 and miserable  
assertions of self's importance  and    
self's wilfulness unparalleled1 ,i      
believe1 by ,romans1 ,greeks1 or        
dissenters4    ,but ,i have a special   
purpose1 as you have probably           
anticipated1 in  selecting the subject  
for consideration at this time4         
,there is just now a great agitation    
throughout the land about what is       
called 8,the ,ritual ,movement40  ,after
 many years of sluggish indifference  to
 the ,apostle's precept--it would hardly
 exceed the truth to say of  perverse   

opposition to it1 in doing all things   
indecently and against  order--men on   
all sides are waking up to a sense of   
their neglect1 and to  a desire to      
repair it2 and1 by consequence1 those   
who have not gone with  the movement    
have found themselves surrounded by what
 wears the  appearance of strange and   
even dangerous innovation1 and those who
 have  gone with it--both teachers and  
disciples--have in some cases been      
hurried  along without due care to      
consider1 perhaps without time to       
consider1  whither they were tending4   
,to both these parties--the standers    
still and the hurriers along--how       
wisely speaks the precept1 8,let all    
things be done decently and in  order06 
,and first to the first--the standers   
still--the 8old-fashioned10 the         
contented with things as they were4     
,consider1 my brethren1 what mean ye  by
 the service of ,god in the sanctuary1  
the assembling of yourselves in  ,church
 from time to time4  ,why do you come8  

,who bade you come8 what to  do8  ,you  
come to worship ,god in a building set  
apart for ,his worship2 a  place in     
which ,he may meet you by appointment4  
,and who is ,god8  ,the  great and      
glorious ,jehovah1 in ,whose sight the  
very ,heavens are not  clean2 ,who asks1
 asserting ,his dignity1 8,what place   
will ye build ,me0  7that is worthy of  
,me78  ,my brethren1 if you duly        
regarded ,his ,majesty1  if you1 in any 
adequate degree1 appreciated ,his       
amazing condescension1  would you       
consider any edifice too grand for ,his 
localised presence1 any  expenditure on 
its furniture and ornament too lavish1  
any care for its  arrangement and for   
the reverent honour of its ,all ,holy   
,tenant too  elaborate1 too scrupulously
 particular8  ,you know what provision  
you  would make1 what anxious care would
 possess you to fit your house1 to      
array and order your household1 for the 
due entertaining of an expected  guest  
only just a little above yourselves in  

dignity and in claim to be  respected4  
,you can hardly imagine what you would  
do if your ,queen  condescended to be   
for a while your guest2 but you know    
that at least you  would not err on the 
side of niggardliness1 slovenliness1 and
  indifference2 that your provision     
would be as magnificent as possible1    
your service particular and constant1   
your reverence profound4  ,this  being  
the case--and you know it is the case--a
 lively belief that ,god does           
wondrously vouchsafe to dwell with you1 
that the ,church is indeed ,his  local  
habitation1 that when you enter within  
its walls1 you are in ,his  available1  
,his very tangible presence2 that what  
you do or neglect there1  is done or    
neglected to ,him1 would spontaneously  
beget in you the desire1  and quicken   
the effort1 to make the edifice worthy  
of ,him1 according to  your natural     
notions of worthiness1 to provide due   
accessories of  worship1 to order       
yourselves as real and most reverential 

worshippers4    ,but you are not left to
 spontaneity4  ,when ,god chose for     
,himself a people  to honour and serve  
,him1 to be witnesses for ,his honour1  
to bring in due  time all nations to    
serve and worship ,him1 ,he taught that 
people what  kind of ,house they should 
build ,him1 and with what kind of ritual
 they  should serve ,him2 treating the  
matter of such importance as actually to
  inspire the architects1 to prescribe  
each article of furniture and every     
detail of ornament1 to appoint precisely
 the ceremonies and observances4  ,and  
what did ,he require8  ,that the        
material of house and ornament should   
be of the best and costliest and most   
splendid2 that every act1 every  feeling
 of worship should have its             
corresponding sign in some ritualistic  
observance2 that among the accessories  
of worship should be attractions  for   
means of enlisting men's various senses2
 colour1 and pattern and  ornament for  
the eye1 music for the ear1 fragrant    

perfume for the scent4    ,this is      
,god's pattern of what is decorous3 ,his
 prescription of order4    ,but you     
object3 8,no1 this was ,god's pattern   
and order3 but it was all  appointed    
under a different dispensation from     
,christianity1 for a rude  and childish 
people1 as pictures and types and carnal
 ordinances1 to be  exchanged when men  
were fit1 when the ,messiah should come1
 for inward and  invisible realities1   
for purely spiritual things1 which heart
 and mind  alone could apprehend1 which 
outward sense would rather obscure than 
discover40    ,now1 of course1 ,judaism 
was in some respects a different        
dispensation  from ,christianity1 and   
some even of its divinely appointed     
observances  were merely temporary1 and 
had a significance and use for ,jews    
which they  would not have for us4  ,but
 it is quite an error to suppose that   
these  ,jews were a rude and childish   
people2 they were rather the civilised  
and  cultivated and most spiritual of   

the earth4  ,albeit1 if we might dare to
  say so1 for them more than for us1 or 
for any other people whom ,god has      
since drawn near to ,himself1 an        
elaborate outward and sensuous worship  
7if it were not the right1 the          
necessary1 the permanent accompaniment  
of  inward realities7 was unsuitable and
 fraught with danger4  ,they had just   
come out from the home of idolatry2 they
 were going to dwell among the          
observers of carnal and idolatrous      
rites2 they were themselves hankering   
after visible objects of worship2 they  
would again and again make  stumbling   
blocks for themselves out of the very   
things which ,god  appointed for their  
edification in ,his worship4  ,now      
ascribing to ,god1 as  we must always   
do1 perfect wisdom and clearest         
foresight1 is it  presumptuous to say   
that ,he would have kept these snares   
from the ,jews1  that he would have     
drawn off their minds from the external 
and the  naturally magnificent1 and     

rather would have forbidden than        
enforced  minute ritual and much worship
 of the body1 as things through which   
they  were sure to err1 unless there    
were in the things themselves intrinsic 
good1 unless1 in fact1 they were not    
merely useful accessories of  worship1  
but a very integral and essential part  
of the worship itself8    ,and then1    
again1 my brethren1 where are we told   
that ,christianity is a  purely         
spiritual religion2 that its functions  
are all such as can be  performed by    
mind and heart1 without body2 that1 in  
fact1 the body has no  real part in     
them8  ,the worship of the body is      
indeed no worship by  itself1 for3 8,god
 is a ,spirit1 and they that worship    
,him must worship ,him  in spirit and in
 truth40  ,but is it not ,christianity  
that has redeemed  and consecrated the  
body8  ,has not the second ,adam taken  
away from it all  but its form of       
mortality8  ,has not the ,,lord         
purchased it for ,himself1  imposing    

upon it much work in ,his service2      
commanding by ,his inspired  ,apostle   
that it should glorify ,him2 promising  
it great excellencies and  rewards in   
its future state2 appointing for it a   
glorious worship in  heaven8            
,assuredly1 my brethren1 as man is      
three-fold and has been  redeemed in his
 three-fold nature1 mind1 heart1 and    
body1 so has each  part of him its      
appointed1 its bounden part1 to take on 
its own account  in the positive worship
 of ,god4  ,and were it not so1 were the
 body merely  the case of the soul--its 
link with the material2 its tabernacle  
in the  temporal2 its agent among the   
natural and outward--still1 is it not in
  these respects part of its office to  
exhibit what is in the soul8  ,does  not
 the soul naturally move it when it is  
moved itself8  ,is not the body1  as it 
were spontaneously1 affected by all that
 passes within1 and1 unless  unnaturally
 restrained or physically disabled1 does
 it not always betray  and manifest the 

inward affection8    ,the soul may      
worship ,god sufficiently 7for the whole
 being7 when the body  is taking no part
 by reason of paralysis or prostration1 
or because the  man1 deeming it         
inexpedient at that time that sound or  
sign should escape  him1 is curbing and 
binding it down2 but in health and left 
unrestrained1  the body is such a       
spontaneous sympathizer and persistent  
co-operator  with all within1 that we   
are justified in saying of him who does 
not  speak to ,god with his lips1 and   
bow his head before ,him1 and clasp his 
hands1 and kneel upon his knees1 that he
 does not worship ,god in spirit  and in
 truth6    ,we have reached thus far1   
brethren--if you have gone with me--that
 ,god has  prescribed much ritual1 and  
that man from his very nature must use  
much  ritual in divine worship4    ,of  
course ,god's prescription is liable to 
much modification when it comes  to be  
applied1 not to one people1 but to all  
the nations of the earth2  not to a     

tabernacle in the wilderness or a temple
 at ,jerusalem1 but to  every place in  
which men ask him to record ,his name   
and come unto them  and bless them2 not 
to dim and imperfect types1 but to the  
glorious and  perfect anti-types2 not to
 ,judaism1 which was local and          
temporary1 but to  ,christianity1 which 
is universal and eternal4  ,of course1  
too1 the  details of men's spontaneous  
worship will1 necessarily1 be different 
according to the truth which they have  
to express by outward signs1  according 
to their natural characteristics in a   
warm or cold climate1  according even to
 individual temperament4    ,but this   
principle assuredly holds good for all  
time and for all men3  that ,god having 
once pronounced ,himself in favour of a 
certain kind of  ritual1 and ,his       
,church having consented to express its 
doctrines and its  feelings by certain  
outward signs and rites of its own1 the 
general rule  and form of decent and    
orderly worship has been set and        

established1  which should only be      
departed from by ,divine sanction and   
appointment1  unless1 indeed1 the       
doctrines and feelings which we have to 
express are  so diverse from those of   
the elder ,church that they cannot find 
an  intelligent and real expression in  
the same ritual4    ,you will hardly    
need1 brethren1 that ,i should prove to 
you that our  religion is substantially 
that which ,god gave to the ,jews2 that 
under the  old dispensation as under the
 new1 salvation is offered to mankind   
only  through ,jesus ,christ1 and that  
the general ways of seeking and keeping 
hold of that salvation--humbling        
ourselves before ,god1 initiation into  
,his  covenant1 constant prayer1        
supplication and praise1 constant       
pleadings of  ,his sacrifice1 constant  
feeding on ,his grace1 are the same for 
us as for  them1 unless ,god ,himself   
has changed them4  ,now this we know    
that ,he has  done in some respects1    
taking away circumcision1 the daily     

sacrifice of  animals1 and the          
,passover1 and various rites and        
ceremonies which1 from  the nature of   
the case1 could be only temporary2 or1  
at least1 had real  use and significance
 only for the nation of the ,jews1 or   
for an  expectant ,church4  ,but then   
,he has given us other ordinances in the
  place of those withdrawn1 and these we
 naturally observe in the same  spirit1 
and1 as far as suits them1 with the same
 form as ,he appointed for  the older   
ordinances4  ,god is still the same3 man
 is still the same4  ,the  expression of
 worship which ,he once required1 is    
that which ,he must  surely still       
require in all its essentials1 all its  
characteristics4    ,that the ,christian
 ,church accepted at once this rule of  
worship is  evident from the fact1 that 
the apostles and first disciples        
continued to  take part in the temple   
and synagogue services as long as the   
,jews would  let them2 yea1 and that    
they even still observed those          

ordinances which1  in their necessary   
observance1 ,god had abrogated2 instead 
of which ,he had  appointed other       
things4  ,this1 my brethren1 is most    
worthy of note1  because it shows that  
these men1 full of the ,spirit1         
discerned that they  had still the same 
,god to worship1 and that1 as far as    
circumstances  would let them1 the      
natural way--the right way--of          
worshipping was that  which their       
fathers had followed2 so much so that   
they might even still  retain--as long  
as it could be done without injury1 with
 edification--those  very ordinances    
which1 in their binding1 their          
sacramental character1 by  ,god's       
declaration1 belonged not to            
,christianity6    ,but ,god left it not 
to this pious1 conservative feeling to  
maintain the  dignity and splendour of  
,his worship4  ,as in the ,mount ,he had
 given ,moses  a pattern and a law of   
all things that men should make and do  
for ,his  worship in the ,church on     

earth2 so in ,patmos to the beloved     
disciple1 to  him who had drunk in most 
deeply the spirit of ,christ1 to him who
 was to  teach men more than any other  
prophet of the real1 the abiding1 the   
spiritual1 the heavenly--to him1 ,i say1
 ,god opened a door in heaven1 and      
showed the things that must be          
hereafter1 the worship that is to be    
celebrated and perpetuated in ,his      
fullest ,presence2 and lo6 it was full  
of visible glories and ceremonial       
observances4    8,yes10 men say3 8but   
surely that must be allowed to be       
figurative--to be a  mere pictorial way 
of describing inward and invisible      
truths and  feelings40  ,we are not so  
sure of that1 brethren4  ,heaven must be
 a  substantial and tangible place2     
because those who are to inhabit it will
  have bodies to rest in it1 and eyes1  
and ears and other senses to find       
gratification in it4  ,and if it is such
 a place1 and is full of objects  which 
affect the body1 and which the body may 

employ1 then ,i see not why  much of    
what the ,apostle saw in vision may not 
be a literal  representation of what    
shall actually be4  ,but concede that it
 is only an  image1 a pictorial         
representation1 nevertheless it is ,god 
who has chosen  these things to         
symbolize ,his perpetual worship2 and   
are we best  preparing ourselves for    
that worship--best rehearsing it1 best  
professing  it1 best honouring ,him1    
doing all things decently and in order1 
if we set  aside in ,his worship all    
that ,he once enjoined in letter upon   
,his early  ,church1 all that ,he has   
used--figuratively1 if you will--as     
fittest to  represent to us ,his perfect
 worship in the ,church triumphant1 and1
 ,i  suppose1 to enlist our present     
interest1 and to kindle a hearty        
intelligent desire for a full share in  
it hereafter8    ,but here1 again1 men  
object4  ,they will concede that1       
perhaps1 there may  be something literal
 in this prophetical description2 at any

 rate that  it symbolizes faithfully and
 precisely the spiritual homage1 the joy
 and  adoration of souls which shall be 
in heaven4  ,but they assert that it    
does not symbolize--that1 in fact1 it is
 in very contrast with all the  state   
and feeling which belong to us poor     
wandering and afflicted  pilgrims and   
prodigals on earth4    ,my brethren1 if 
there were no other argument in favour  
of maintaining or  of restoring where it
 has fallen into decay such a ritual as 
,i am  advocating1 this one objection   
would furnish a most cogent reason for  
it1--a very necessity2 for what does it 
show but that men have lost the  truth  
which this ritual embodies and          
expresses--namely1 that while indeed  in
 the world they are still pilgrims1     
still prodigals distant from  home1     
though sighing for and seeking that     
home1 beholders of promises  afar off1  
yet in the ,church they are at home1    
having obtained the  promises4  ,the    
,church is the ark of salvation1 which  

,god has provided to  keep us safe in   
the drowning of the world4  ,it is the  
kingdom of heaven1  whose ,king is now  
in the midst of it4  ,it is the bosom of
 the ,father  whereon each penitent     
prodigal now rests accepted1 the        
,everlasting arms  whose felt embrace   
assures of present peace and joy4  ,it  
is the wedding  feast whereat all the   
friends of the ,king's son are decked   
with glories  and feasted with good     
things2 nay1 it is the ,bride herself1  
adorned for  the ,bridegroom1 the       
,king's daughter1 all glorious and full 
of joy6    ,what present comfort in the 
troubles of this lower life1 what       
cheering in  despondency1 what stimulus 
in toilsome effort do we not miss1 my   
brethren1 by not realizing that in the  
,church we are come unto ,mount  ,zion1 
unto the heavenly ,jerusalem--unto the  
very throne1 into the very  presence1   
within the enfolding arms of the ,god   
who has saved us1 ,who  loves to fill us
 full of peace1 and joy1 and benediction

 now4    ,and1 alas6 what do we not in  
our blindness or misconception withhold 
from  ,god--of that most reasonable1    
that greatly due1 that loudly-demanded  
service--the perpetual sacrifice of     
praise and thanksgiving for the past    
mercies of our redemption1 for our      
continual sustentation through the      
intercession of our ,great ,high        
,priest1 by the grace which ,he         
continually  gives us2 for the coming   
glory which1 being promised1 is sure on 
,his  part1 and most certainly needs to 
be acknowledged with grateful1 hearty1  
and adoring lives6    ,if1 my brethren1 
it is the aim of 8the ritual movement0  
to express all  this grand truth1 and to
 help men to live by it1 then surely    
they are  doing a great work who have   
originated and are carrying on the      
movement2  and we are inconsiderately   
depriving ourselves of much that is     
helpful  and edifying--that1 ,i say1 not
 withholding from ,god due and most     
acceptable worship--if we allow our     

prejudices to oppose the movement1 so   
far as it is lawful1 and either insist  
upon prescribing for ourselves a        
ritual1 or labour to uphold and         
stereotype one that has no likeness in  
the ,old and ,new ,testament1 in the    
,church of any age1 in our own ,book of 
,common ,prayer4    ,some of you may    
think1 my brethren1 that ,i have not    
chosen the fittest  theme for ,lent     
sermons4  ,but recollect that this      
season is specially  appointed for the  
self-discipline and growth in grace and 
in all  godliness of those who are      
already in some sense religious2 and    
then put  it to yourselves whether the  
rooting out of you of stubborn          
prejudices1  uncharitable and unworthy  
suspicions 7with the many bitter1       
unchristian  fruits that follow them71  
and that miserable spirit of formalism  
which  delights in finding objections to
 a form and in refusing conformity1     
would not greatly help you to worship   
,god in spirit and in truth4    ,there  

are dangers inherent in high ritual1 it 
is being greatly abused1  and of those  
who desire it many are wholly           
misconceiving its spirit and  its use4  
,to these ,i shall speak in turn1 if    
,god will1 with the same  affectionate  
boldness and desire to be faithful1     
which have influenced me  in all that ,i
 have now said4    ,meantime1 beloved1  
remember that we are all brethren1 saved
 from the same  destruction1 redeemed   
with the same precious blood1 sanctified
 by the  same spirit1 called with the   
same calling1 and to the same service1  
inheritors of the same heaven1          
worshippers of the same ,god4  ,strive  
not1  then1 with one another4  ,judge   
not1 that ye be not judged4  ,do not    
exaggerate differences2 try rather to   
lay aside differences4  ,seek each  one 
what may edify others1 and all what may 
honour ,god4  ,endeavour to  take1 each 
and all of you1 your due part in common 
worship4  ,ask ,god's  ,spirit to show  
you out of ,his own ,word1 illustrated  

by the testimony of  ,his ,church1 what 
is common worship2 and soon1 if you do  
so1 you will  come to agree with and to 
join fervently and profitably in all    
that is  really essential to the right  
adoration of our ever and all-glorious  
,god4        8,when to ,thy beloved on  
,patmos4 #ac         ,through the open  
door in heaven1      ,visions of the    
perfect worship1         ,saviour6 by   
,thy love were given1      ,surely there
 was truth and spirit1         ,surely  
there a pattern shown1      ,how ,thy   
,church should do her service           
,when she came before the ,throne4      
,o the censer-bearing ,elders1          
,crowned with gold and robed in white6  
,o the living creatures' anthem1        
,never resting day or night6      ,and  
the thousand choirs of ,angels1         
,with their voices like the sea1        
,singing praise to ,god the ,father     
,and1 ,o victim ,lamb1 to ,thee6        
,lord1 bring home the glorious lesson   
,to their hearts1 who strangely deem    

,that an unmajestic worship             
,doth ,thy ,majesty beseem2      ,show  
them more of ,thy dear ,presence1       
,let them1 let them come to know1       
,that our ,king is throned among us1    
,and ,his ,church is ,heaven below4     
,then shall faith read off the meaning  
,of each stately ordered rite1          
,dull surprise and hard resistance      
,turn to awe and full delight2      ,men
 shall learn how sacred splendour       
,shadows forth the pomps above      ,how
 the glory of our altars         ,is the
 homage of our love4        ',tis for   
,thee we bid the frontal         ,its   
embroidered wealth unfold1      ',tis   
for ,thee we deck the reredos           
,with the colours and the gold2         
,thine the floral glow and fragrance1   
,thine the vestures' fair array1        
,thine the starry lights that glitter   
,where ,thou dost ,thy light display4   
',tis to ,thee the chant is lifted1     
',tis to ,thee the heads are bowed2     
,far less deep was ,israel's rapture    

,when the glory filled the cloud4       
,o our own true ,god incarnate1         
,what should ,christians' ,ritual be    
,but a voice to utter somewhat          
,of their pride and joy in ,thee4       
,what but this8 yet since corruption    
,mars too oft our holiest things1       
,in the form preserve the spirit2       
,give the worship angel's wings1        
,till we gain ,thine own high temple1   
,where no tainting breath may come1     
,and whate'er is good and beauteous     
,finds with ,thee a perfect home40      
,,sermon ,,ii4                          
,i ,,corinthians xiv4 #dj4              
8,let all things be done decently and in
 order40    ,i ,,endeavoured last       
,sunday to exhibit the principle and    
rationale of  ,christian ritualistic    
service4  ,i reminded you that ,god had 
,himself  prescribed for ,israel an     
elaborate and splendid ritual1 and that1
  moreover1 ,he had shown in vision to  
the eagle-eyed ,apostle1 either what    
should actually be ,his worship in      

heaven1 or what would1 in figure1 most  
fitly represent it to us1 and stimulate 
us to an interest in it1 and a  desire  
and aim to prepare ourselves for a share
 in it4  ,i further urged1  that man's  
natural feeling1 rightly enlightened as 
to its relationship  with ,god1 would   
spontaneously have prompted him--has1 in
 fact1 prompted  him--to make such a    
manifestation of inward devotion1 such  
an external  homage and worship1 such an
 use in ,god's honour of the things     
which the  senses approve as costly1    
excellent1 beautiful1 edifying1         
joy-inspiring1  joy-proclaiming1        
glorifying4  ,hence ,i deduced the rule1
 that--,god being  always quite the     
same1 and man being always much the     
same--in the absence  of any ,divine    
reversal or modification2 or1 on man's  
part1 of any  realised unsuitableness to
 altered times and circumstances2 the   
same kind  of ritual and service of body
 and offering of substance1 must1 to    
speak  generally1 be upheld and used by 

us as was actually imposed upon the     
,jews  by ,god or by themselves1 and has
 been foreshadowed1 whether in figure or
  letter1 of the ,church triumphant in  
heaven4  ,it had to be conceded that    
,god has made a charge in the details by
 the absolute repeal of some  service1  
and by modifications and substitutions  
affecting ,christians  generally2 and1  
moreover1 that the service of different 
nations by reason  of their various     
temperaments1 and their peculiar ways of
 estimating and  using some of the      
things of which sense takes cognizance1 
must1 to be  natural1 differ in         
particulars from somewhat of that which 
,eastern people  actually did and       
offered4  ,making these concessions1 ,i 
endeavoured to  maintain that such      
ritual as is prescribed in the ,jewish  
law and pictured  in the ,apocalypse is 
to be regarded as appointed or approved 
by ,god for  ,christians2 that its      
observance is necessary to the due      
expression and  offering of intelligent 

hearty and acceptable common worship1   
and that it  is very serviceable to the 
worshippers in kindling1 guiding and    
sustaining the spirit of true devotion4 
,christendom at large has so judged1 and
 has acted upon the judgment from  the  
very first ,whit-,sunday2 using these   
things with the ,jews as long as  it was
 allowed to do so1 and providing them   
for itself as soon as it had  liberty   
and means of providing them4  ,i need   
not occupy your time in  proving this   
statement4  ,all of you probably are    
aware that at least as  soon as the     
,roman ,emperors gave their protection  
and encouragement to the  ,christian    
,church1 and ever since then1 in east or
 west1 in north or south  7till some    
#cjj years ago1 when the rule began to  
be departed from in  practice by the    
,anglican branch71 the ,scriptural rule 
and pattern have  been followed4        
,everywhere1 when possible1 men have    
erected stately and  costly ,houses of  
,prayer2 they have adorned them with all

 the skill which  art could exercise2   
they have furnished them with all the   
magnificence  that the worshippers could
 afford2 they have observed in them a   
grand and  elaborate ritual1 whose      
outline1 whose main features are to be  
found in  the ,pentateuch and the       
,apocalypse4  ,they have employed the   
same symbols  and furniture2 the lamps  
or lights representing the ,divine      
presence2 the  altar of memorial        
sacrifice2 the holy incense1 originally 
compounded  after ,god's own            
proscription and significant of that    
meritorious  intercession of our ,great 
,high ,priest which alone makes         
acceptable and  carries up into heaven  
our poor and unworthy service on earth2 
the white  albs or surplices of the     
officiating ministers--the outward sign 
of the  purity and righteousness which  
the worshippers1 whose leaders these    
ministers are1 should possess2 the      
splendid robe of the ,celebrant1 who is 
the representative1 in all his acts of  

intercession1 absolution1  consecration1
 oblation1 benediction1 of our great and
 glorified ,high  ,priest4  ,read       
,church history from the beginning1 and 
where do you find  7save among          
insignificant sects7 anything different 
from this8  ,go into  any place of      
worship 7out of ,england7 belonging to  
the body ,catholic1  whether of the east
 or west1 and though it will possibly be
 among many  additions1 many perversions
 from their original purpose1 many      
corruptions1 and1 alas6 that it must be 
owned1 often among many  abominations1  
you will still be able to discern all   
the leading features  of the same one   
rule and pattern of ,divine worship4    
,i have said 8out of ,england40  ,you   
know that this would not be the case  in
 ,england or in ,english dependencies4  
,many of you rejoice in the  difference2
 you think you can give a good account  
of it2 you are able to  justify its     
origin2 you are disposed to maintain1 if
 you can1 its  continuance4  8,the      

,reformation did away with all that40   
,the ,reformation did away with all     
that6  ,is it possible that  worshippers
 of ,jehovah1 men who owe all their     
peace1 their privileges and  blessings  
to their membership of ,christ's        
,church1 can for a moment allow  and do 
not rather with horror shout down the   
fearful assertion1 that  their community
 has abolished for itself the ritual of 
,scripture1 and has  cut itself off from
 all the ,church that went before it1   
and all that lies  around it8  ,that is 
what the statement 8,the ,reformation   
has changed all  this10 implies6  ,which
 of you my brethren would not repudiate 
and thrust  it away thus nakedly        
exhibited8  ,which of you would not feel
 that if it  were true the ,reformation 
was a curse1 and not a blessing1 and    
that no  effort must be spared to undo  
it8  ,which of you would not sink to the
  earth beneath what would then be the  
righteous taunt of the  ,romanist3--that
 we have no covenanted part or lot with 

,christ's ,church8    ,do not start away
 from such a statement of the case4  ,i 
am not  misrepresenting the argument4   
,i am not exaggerating minor matters4   
,i am  not denying1 ,i freely own and   
stoutly maintain1 that each branch of   
the  ,church has authority and power to 
change and change again and again many  
of her rites and ceremonies--the        
details1 perhaps1 of every one of       
them--so  long as all be done in        
accordance with ,god's word3 above all  
,i am not  foolishly alleging that altar
 lights1 or incense1 or chasuble1 or any
  such thing is of such importance as to
 make or unmake a ,church1 or is  really
 necessary in the ,christian ,church at 
all4  ,i have mentioned these  things   
only as particular illustrations of a   
system of ,ritualistic  ,service1 much  
of which was taught us by ,god1 and     
which has been adopted  by the universal
 ,church and used everywhere and in all 
ages4  ,and ,i say  that if the         
,reformers had deliberately rejected all

 ,god's pattern and all  ,christendom's 
use1 and had prescribed for themselves  
and for us things  altogether not only  
different but opposite1 then they would 
have  inflicted a curse upon us1 and it 
would be our bounden duty to repudiate  
them and to undo their work4    ,i have 
spoken thus plainly and openly in the   
earnest desire to awaken1 to  a sense of
 what they are countenancing1 those who 
carelessly1 or it may  be deliberately1 
out of honest and zealous prejudice1    
represent the  ,reformation as having   
made all things new4  ,if once men can  
be brought to  feel that it would have  
been wrong to make all things new1 they 
will be  at pains to inquire with all   
anxiety whether they have not           
misconceived  the ,reformation1 and so  
inquiring1 they will come to see what it
 really  did or aimed at1 and hence to  
believe that the ,ritual movement of the
  present day--,i am not1 of course1    
speaking of the extravagancies and      
eccentricities of individuals--so far   

from ignoring1 contravening1 and        
overturning the principles of the       
,reformation1 is the very carrying of   
them out4    ,were ,i not convinced that
 it is so1 ,god forbid that ,i should   
stand here  as a vindicator of the      
movement4  ,for ,i am persuaded that the
 ,reformation  was most righteous and   
necessary1 and that ,god ,himself       
specially wrought  it for us4  ,however 
gently we should always speak in        
controversy1 however  charitably we     
should think of and construe the acts   
and motives of  others1 we must not hide
 from ourselves that the unreformed     
,church of  this country1 in the        
sixteenth century1 was in a very corrupt
 and ungodly  state4  ,the form1 indeed1
 of all the essentials of ,christianity 
was  maintained1 but it was overlaid by 
man's idle1 or even false traditions    
and man's corrupt practices4  ,the power
 of the priesthood was abused2 the  word
 of ,god was withheld from the people2  
the ,holy ,eucharist was  mutilated and 

perverted from the purposes of its      
institution2 in worship1  the creature  
was set side by side with the ,creator1 
if not exalted above  ,him2 the         
substitution of form for spirit and     
substance1 and in many  cases of a wrong
 form1 too1 was generally sanctioned and
 encouraged4  ,from all this the        
,reformers were stirred to rescue us1   
and by the grace  of ,god they did it4  
,but theirs was no hot-headed           
indiscriminate work4  ,they laboured1   
with all the calmness that men in their 
trying  circumstances could command1 to 
distinguish between right and wrong4    
,they wished to retain all that seemed  
edifying1 or even merely harmless1      
though it were of recent growth4  ,they 
sought to restore all things to  the    
primitive rule and pattern4  ,they would
 have counted it sin to have  rejected  
anything that ,god had suggested to ,his
 ,church or that the ,church  in former 
ages had adopted4  ,let any one acquaint
 himself with the  doctrine1 ritual1 and

 practice of the unreformed ,church1 and
 then compare  with them the first      
,prayer ,book of ,edward ,,vi41 and he  
will find that  there is no unnecessary 
deviation from them2 that there is a    
strict  maintenance of everything that  
it was possible to retain without       
fostering error or obstructing          
,christian edification2 that the        
,reformers  even went beyond1 and       
revived and enforced what had been      
disused and  forgotten--if it had early 
sanction--leaving nothing unrestored    
that had  primitive authority1 save only
 the godly discipline of ,penance2 and  
how  they thought of that1 how they     
wished to restore it1 how they hoped    
that  the time would come when it would 
be restored1 let the ,commination       
,office  testify6    ,this was the      
principle of the ,reformation4  ,and how
 was it carried out in  the matter of   
ritual8  ,why6 everything that was      
,scriptural or primitive1  or1 though   
recent1 edifying1 was retained4  ,there 

were the same ,churches1  the same      
altars1 the same symbols and furniture1 
the same vestments4  ,even the same     
services and the same ways of offering  
them were preserved2  only they were    
cleansed from corruptions1 divested of  
things doubtful or  unedifying1         
simplified by making prayers and        
lections more continuous1  and by       
discountenancing those minuti of bodily 
worship--numerous bowings1              
genuflections1 and the like--which1     
however natural they may have been to   
the foreign ,priests who had ministered 
at our altars1 however useful to  the   
people when1 by reason of all being     
performed in an unknown and  muttered   
tongue1 much dumb show and bell ringing 
were necessary1 were  distracting to    
true worship by their multiplicity1 and 
were unnecessary  in an audible and     
intelligible service4    ,i do not say  
that everything which this ritual       
movement seeks to restore  is distinctly
 by name approved and retained by our   

,reformers2 but in its  general         
features1 in almost all its items1 in   
the kind of worship and  confession of  
faith at which it aims1 ,i am sure that 
it has their  sanction and is the taking
 up of their work4    ,how is it that   
this ritual has never been the generally
 used ritual of  the ,reformed ,church8 
,why should it now be revived8--these   
are questions  which1 if ,god will1 ,i  
will answer in detail in my next sermon4
    ,meantime1 my brethren1 strive to   
make profitable and personal use of what
  has been said1 by carefully informing 
yourselves as to the real state of  the 
case2 by trying to root out of you      
prejudices1 and to keep yourselves  from
 uncharitable suspicions of ritualists  
and rash and profane speech  about      
ritual2 by cultivating respect for the  
motives of those who1 in  their labour  
to be loyal to the ,church of the       
,reformers and useful to  you1 have come
 under so much obloquy2 by praying      
earnestly that those in  authority may  

have wisdom given them rightly to       
deliberate and determine  in this       
matter1 and that those under authority  
may have grace to render  all due       
submission3 that each and all of us may 
be animated by the pure  desire to      
enforce and observe the ,apostolic rule1
 8,let all things be done  decently and 
in order40          ,,sermon ,,iii4     
,i ,,corinthians xiv4 #dj4              
8,let all things be done decently and in
 order40    ,,by the good ,providence of
 ,god1 the ,reformation was effected in 
this  country with the sanction1 under  
the immediate direction of the highest  
authorities in ,church and ,state2 by   
men of sound faith1 sober judgment1  and
 calm temperament2 on the righteous     
principle of maintaining as good  and   
necessary whatever of doctrine or       
practice had universally prevailed      
among ,christians1 and of not differing 
unnecessarily1 even in  non-essentials1 
from the medival ,church4    ,the       
conservative and ,catholic feeling which

 animated the ,anglican  ,reformers very
 soon1 however1 came into conflict with 
a radical and mere  ,protestant spirit4 
,i desire not to repudiate              
8,protestantism0 as an  attribute of the
 ,anglican ,church4  ,our ,reformers did
 most stoutly  protest--by speech1 by   
deed1 by enactment1 by                  
suffering--against prevailing           
corruptions and superstitions2 specially
 they protested against the  tyrannical 
assumption of universal dominion by the 
,bishop of ,rome1 and  the capricious   
and lawless issuing by him of           
ecclesiastical prohibitions  and        
indulgences4    ,but their              
,protestantism only asserted what they  
were not2 and certainly  they never     
prided themselves in or contented       
themselves with the mere  assertion of  
the negative and the diverse4  ,in that 
they put away  what was wrong1 or       
corrupt1 or unedifying or distracting or
 burthensome1  they were ,protestant2   
but in their maintenance of the one     

faith in its  integrity and the due     
proportion of its several parts1 in     
their strict  adherence to the principle
 which had ever guided the service and  
ritual  of ,christ's ,church1 they were 
true ,catholics--much more worthy of the
 name  than those who henceforth claimed
 the exclusive right to it4    ,but     
growing up all around them1 and fostered
 and strengthened by  importations from 
the ,continent1 7where the ,reformation 
had unhappily  been brought about in a  
very different spirit1 and was in fact  
almost  another thing1--not the         
reforming of the ,church but the        
abandoning of it7  was a revolutionary  
and indiscriminate ,protestantism which 
sought to  destroy1 root and branch1    
whatever was old1 and was intolerant    
even of  the most harmless conformity to
 the ,church against which it was a     
reaction4    ,let us speak with all     
charity and fair allowance of those     
earnest and  holy men4  ,almost all the 
doctrines of the faith had been         

perverted or  leavened with corruption2 
almost all the ordinances and ceremonies
 were  associated with gross abuses4    
,in the intensity of their awakened     
feeling  against these things1 it was   
natural that many among our own people1 
unable to distinguish between the truth 
and the corruption1 the use and  the    
abuse1 should think that their rulers   
had not gone far enough in the  way of  
change2 while the foreign ,protestants1 
left to act as individuals1  driven to  
form communities of their own 7as their 
,church would not reform  itself7       
unguided by ,catholic influence1        
directed by no intelligent  principle   
7save that which would anyhow get rid of
 false traditions and  gross abuses7 in 
the construction of their creed and the 
ordering of  their services1 determined1
 as the easiest and most congenial      
course1 to  reject the whole system from
 which they had come out1 and to make   
all  things new for themselves4    ,what
 wonder that such men were dissatisfied 

with the ,first ,prayer ,book of        
,edward ,,vi41 that they regarded it as 
a base compromise with ,rome1 that  they
 were horrified by the mention in it of 
8priests1 altars and  sacrifices10 that 
they scorned as 8badges and rags of     
popery0 the  vestments which it         
prescribed2 that they were loud and     
urgent in  demanding its immediate      
revision6  ,not only had they no        
sympathy with1  they had no             
comprehension1 no idea of the principle 
on which its  compilers had acted4      
,their notion was that the only true and
 pure  religion was such an one as      
differed in toto from what they had     
repudiated4  ,they had been misled by   
some traditions2 therefore they  would  
henceforth recognise no traditions4     
,the word of ,god had hitherto  been    
withheld from them3 therefore now that  
they were able to possess it1  they     
would handle it as freely as they       
pleased4  ,the priests had  domineered  
over them3 henceforth they would have no

 priests4  ,sacrifices  had been offered
 amiss2 they therefore abhorred all     
sacrifices6  ,such  were the feelings   
with which our ,reformers had at once to
 deal4  ,should  it be a matter of much 
surprise or reprehension that they dealt
 very  indulgently with them1 that they 
re-cast the service which was objected  
to as 8so like the mass10 that they     
dealt expressions which were            
injuriously misunderstood1 that         
individual ,bishops ordered the removal 
of  the altar lights1 that the celebrant
 was required to wear a surplice  only8 
,recollect3 it was a time of violent    
re-action2 moderation was  interpreted  
as 8compromise20 names1 ceremonies1 and 
vestments represented  to ,protestant   
minds not the things to which they      
really belonged1 but the  abuses which  
had so long been associated with them4  
,in vain was it  argued that the abuse  
does not take away the use4  ,in vain   
was it  protested that the ,book of     
,common ,prayer1 as it stood1 contained 

nothing  that was contrary to the word  
of ,god or to the teaching of the       
primitive  ,church4  ,in vain was it    
maintained that the ,christian ,church  
has and must  have an altar1 a          
priesthood1 a continual sacrifice to    
offer2 that1 while  it is most true that
 ,christ's one sacrifice was once       
offered for  ever1 and cannot be        
repeated1 and that ,he is such a priest 
as knows no  equal1 no successor1 no    
partner1 as alone in fact answers to the
 name of  priest2 still1 as the ,jewish 
,church had its prophetic memorials of  
,his  sacrifice--in its slaying and     
offering of bulls1 and goats1 and       
lambs--and  its priesthood representing 
in the various acts of its office what  
,christ  would do--so have we1 and by   
,his own command1 a historical memorial 
of  ,his sacrifice3 8,this do in        
remembrance of me40  8,as oft as ye eat 
this  bread and drink this cup1 ye do   
show forth the ,lord's death till ,he   
come0--and must have a so-called        

priesthood1 performing sacerdotal acts  
as  ,his representatives4  ,in vain ,i  
say was all this urged4  ,doubtless many
  of the dissentients would have readily
 admitted much of it if they had  calmly
 considered it1 if they could have      
believed that a memorial  sacrifice and 
a representative priesthood were what   
the ,reformers  claimed to retain4  ,but
 they could not be persuaded to listen2 
they could  not calm themselves         
sufficiently to listen2 the spirit      
burned within them  to root out and     
destroy popery2 and every theological   
term1 every  religious ceremony1 every  
ornament or vestment that had been used 
by  papists1 was regarded as of the very
 essence of popery itself6  ,i believe  
that the reformers were justified in    
making temporary concession to this     
state of feeling1 particularly in       
modifying ritual and ornament1 which    
could only be useful so long as they    
were edifying1 which were in fact  doing
 harm to the ,church's cause and to     

individual souls while they were  taken 
as representing and recommending the    
very things which had been  repudiated4 
,they doubtless justified themselves by 
considering that  their second ,prayer  
,book still contained the doctrines     
which the  offending rites and vestments
 were meant to adorn2 they hoped that   
men  might come to understand and hold  
those doctrines when their prejudices   
were disarmed2 at any rate they feared1 
lest1 by a stubborn maintenance  or     
violent enforcement at that critical    
time of anything not really  essential1 
they should endanger the best interests 
of the ,church2 or even  provoke and    
perpetuate among us a mere ,protestant  
reformation4  ,it seemed  well then that
 they should make such concessions as   
the second ,prayer  ,book of ,edward    
,,vi contained4  ,you know what         
followed2 how within a year  popery was 
established under ,queen ,mary1 and how 
both ,churchmen and  ,protestants had to
 flee the land and seek a home among    

,german or ,swiss  reformers2 or1 if    
they remained1 were savagely persecuted 
to the death4  ,it might have been      
expected that the fact of ,churchmen    
being treated as  capital offenders     
against ,rome would have disarmed the   
prejudices against  them and their      
ritual which had hitherto existed1 or at
 least that common  misfortunes would   
have begotten common interests and      
sympathies and so  have led to a truer  
appreciation of one another4  ,this was 
not exactly  what resulted4  ,the       
,protestants retained and even          
strengthened their  prejudices3 the     
,churchmen who had lived in exile among 
them first of all  fell in with their   
habits1 their modes of worship1 and     
their disuse of  all vestments--or the  
substitution for them of a black        
gown--and presently  they also          
contracted their prejudices4            
,accordingly when1 soon after the       
accession of ,queen ,elizabeth1 the old 
law about vestments was re-enacted1  it 

remained except in a few solitary cases 
a dead letter2 men either  hated such   
things1 or they were too indifferent to 
the way of performing  divine service to
 trouble themselves to wear them2 or1 if
 they had right  notions and right      
feelings about them1 they were too poor 
to provide them  for themselves2 and    
their parishioners did not care1 perhaps
 objected1 to  provide them4  ,i cannot 
but believe that it was the knowledge of
 this  fact--the adaptation of law to   
necessity--which led to the framing in  
#afjc  of that ,canon1 7so often quoted 
of late7 which requires parochial       
ministers to wear the surplice only in  
their ministrations1 but directs  that a
 cope shall be worn by the celebrant in 
cathedrals4  ,the  ,convocation1 it     
would seem to me1 knowing how generally 
the vestments had  been destroyed1 or   
rapaciously seized for the sake of the  
gold and  precious stones that adorned  
them1 and how difficult it would be for 
the  clergy generally to provide them   

afresh1 appointed--what had long been   
the  practice1 and could in fact quote  
something like authority for itself in  
the ,royal advertisements--that as a    
minimum of vestment in ordinary         
churches a surplice should be worn1 but 
in cathedrals1 whose endowments  could  
provide it1 the most costly and splendid
 of all vestments--the  cope--should be 
retained4  ,surely it could never have  
been intended to  insist that there     
should be a difference between the      
cathedrals and the  parish churches of  
the same communion2 far less to forbid  
as  superstitious in the latter1 what is
 positively enjoined in the former6     
,but if it were so1 the ,canons1 though 
in their spirit a rule to the  ,clergy  
and faithful laity1 have no force by the
 law of this realm1 and  moreover they  
were almost immediately followed by a   
revised ,prayer ,book1  which contains  
the rubric ordering all the ornaments   
which were in use in  the second year of
 ,edward ,,vi4  ,while at the very last 

revision of the  ,prayer ,book1 nearly  
sixty years afterwards1 when our ,church
 was only just  lifting her head above  
the politico-religious revolution which 
had so  nearly overwhelmed her1 when so 
many reasons cogently pressed her to    
eliminate from her ,book of ,common     
,prayer all that was unnecessary1 all   
that was questionable1 all that she did 
not use or intend to use2 when  the     
,puritans put their finger on this very 
rubric1 and required that it  should be 
left out--for if it were retained it    
might bring back copes1  albs and such  
like2--it was nevertheless deliberately 
determined that the  rubric1 made by    
verbal alteration more explicit than it 
had been before1  should continue to be 
the written rule of our ,church6  ,and1 
brethren1  it is still the written rule1
 confirmed by ,convocation1 enjoined by 
the ,act of ,uniformity4    ,it is at   
length very generally being admitted    
that this is so2 that the  ritualists   
have the written law on their side for  

much of their practice3  but then it is 
urged that precedent as to the          
observance of that law is  utterly      
wanting1 that in fact there has been a  
general consent of bishops  and         
parochial clergy 7for #cjj years7 that  
the law was not to be observed4  ,i have
 shown you my brethren why it could not 
be observed1 why it had to  be repealed 
in ,edward ,,vi4's time4  ,if you know  
anything of the ,marian  persecution1   
and the bitter animosity against        
suspected ,romanism which it  naturally 
begat2 of ,puritanical infatuation and  
its superstitious horror  at the sight  
of a surplice1 its general disuse of the
 ,holy ,ordinance to  which             
8high-ritual0 and glorious vestments    
peculiarly belong1 its  perversity in   
wearing black1 simply because others    
wore white1 in fasting  7as on          
,christmas day7 when others were        
feasting2 if you know anything of  the  
worldliness1 the apathy1 the deadness to
 ,evangelical truth1 the utter          

ignorance of it or utter indifference to
 it1 which characterized the last       
century and the early part of this--then
 you will surely be able to  explain to 
yourselves1 why the ,rubric in question 
has not been generally  observed1 you   
will be surprised to find that any one  
has at any time  observed it4    ,i     
could easily show that it has been1 here
 and there1 in part observed1  almost to
 our own time2 that it was designed by  
those who first inserted  it in the     
,prayer ,book1 by those who restored it1
 and by those who  deliberately         
confirmed and continued it1 to be       
actually used1 as soon as  circumstances
 would allow4  7,surely it is vain to   
argue on the other  side1 in the face of
 the repeated discussions about it1 and 
the  persistent maintenance of it2 in   
the face1 too1 of the fact1 that those1 
by whom it was defended and preserved at
 the last revision1 were among  the men 
who have most distinctly taught the     
doctrines which it embodies67  ,but were

 it otherwise2 were they one and all1   
from first to last1 in  their own       
private judgments and by consent among  
themselves1 against its  actual use1 or 
at any rate deliberately acquiescent in 
its disuse1 are  we to be bound by their
 personal tastes and their private      
judgments1 so  as to yield up what at   
least they have preserved and solemnly  
handed on  to us1 what we have seen to  
have such full ,scriptural sanction1 so 
to  harmonize with the dictates of true 
,catholic devotion1 so to express in    
act1 as1 thank ,god6 our ,liturgy does  
many times in word1 that we  believe and
 confess that we have no way of access  
to ,god but through the  ,veil which    
,christ has consecrated for us1 even    
,his own flesh2 that ,he is  our only   
,sacrifice and the only sustaining ,food
 of our souls2 that ,he  condescends    
ever to plead for us that ,sacrifice and
 to give to us that  ,food2 that on the 
altar ,he makes for us1 by the hands of 
,his  representative1 the ,memorial of  

that ,sacrifice and by the same hands   
gives us of the heavenly ,food--,he     
,himself ,priest and ,victim both8      
,this is  the great1 the glorious1 the  
soul-thrilling truth which 8high ritual0
 is  intended to picture to the eye1 and
 so to bring home to the mind and       
heart2 nor only nor chiefly this1 but   
rather to express it in worship1--in    
intelligent1 open1 adoring1             
thanksgiving1 splendid worship1 to the  
,lamb  that was slain1 that sitteth upon
 the ,throne6    ,if1 my brethren1 we   
believe this to be the rationale of such
  8high-ritual0 as our ,church by rubric
 or service sanctions1 then how can  we 
be patient under its non-observance1    
unless we feel ourselves to be          
hampered1 like our ancestors1 by        
surrounding prejudices and perversities8
    ,now of course there are prejudices 
and perversities still existing and     
many of them4  ,there are men who for   
the love of opposition resist and  cry  
down ritualists4  ,there are others1 who

 in their inmost soul are  smitten with 
a great fear1 lest they should be       
beguiled of their reward  in ,christ1   
and turned into formalists and          
idolaters6  ,it was to be  expected that
 each of these classes would strenuously
 oppose itself to  the ritual movement  
and even that1 though they really have  
little in  common1 they would readily   
make common cause against ritualists4   
,and  were it not so1 did neither of    
them show any outward sign of           
resistance1  misconception1 dislike1    
distrust or contempt2 yet the righteous 
dread of  causing weak brethren to      
offend1 of shaking their confidence in  
those who  should be their spiritual    
guides1 of alienating their affections  
from  their ,church and their ,prayer   
,book and of driving them into schism1  
would  make all wise and loving         
reformers very cautious and slow to     
introduce  even the most desirable      
changes and to revive the most important
  practices1 very painstaking in        

removing prejudices and enlightening    
ignorance1 very patient to wait long1 if
 need be1 for what they  themselves so  
much appreciated and so eagerly desired4
    ,nevertheless it is easy to see that
 there has never been a time since the  
,reformation when men have been so able 
as they are now to discriminate  between
 what is ,catholic and what is ,roman1  
when they could venture to  confess that
 they had made the discrimination1 yes  
and to act upon it  without inevitably  
leading themselves or others back into  
the bondage  from which we have been    
delivered4  ,wherever the experiment has
 been  fairly tried it has thoroughly   
succeeded3 it is only those who have not
  tried it who doubt of1 or deny the    
hope of its success4    ,and as there   
never has been a time when the ritual   
movement could be so  easily effected1  
so has there never been a time when it  
was so loudly  called for as it is now2 
first1 by so many of the worshippers1   
who have  come to appreciate beautiful  

churches1 musical services1 frequent    
celebrations1 devout ceremonies and     
symbolizing acts and ornaments1--and  so
 to crave the perfect development of the
 system to which these things  belong2  
next1 by the circumstances around us1   
the bold denial--alas6 that  it must be 
said even by ministers of the church--of
 the precious ,sacrifice  and           
alone-availing ,intercession of the     
,incarnate ,god1 which this ritual  in  
its every part and phase asserts and    
exhibits2 next1 by the anxious  looking 
towards us of ,eastern and ,western     
,christians1 yearning for the  re-union 
of ,christendom1 expecting that somehow 
the re-union is to be  brought about by 
us2 yet hesitating to give themselves   
into our hands1  because they see not in
 us the due recognition of the ,catholic
 doctrine  of the ,eucharist1 the due   
rendering of objective worship to ,god4 
,i have endeavoured my brethren in these
 sermons to set before you in the  very 
simplest way such a statement of the    

case as may disarm prejudices1  and     
predispose to right thoughts about      
ritual and earnest endeavours to  use it
 duly where it is offered you4    ,it   
remains to say a few words to those whom
 at the outset ,i called  8hurriers     
along20 to those who have gone with the 
movement without  considering whither it
 was carrying them1 or what would be the
 effect on  others who are being left   
behind2 to those who in their conformity
 to  8high-ritual0 are rather indulging 
their taste1 than exercising their      
judgment1 or are regarding as the soul  
of worship1 that which is but  the      
accessory1 the expression1 the body and 
clothing of worship4  ,as ,i  have      
warned you before1 there are great and  
peculiar dangers inherent in            
8high-ritual20 its abuse became a snare 
to the ,jews and led them into          
formalism and idolatry1 even when they  
had inspired prophets and the very      
audible voice of ,god to teach them2 it 
became a like snare to our  forefathers1

 from which they escaped only by giving 
up the use as well as  the abuse2 it is 
a snare now to millions of eastern and  
western  ,christians2 yes1 and it is    
evidently a snare1 a very dangerous     
snare to  many of yourselves4           
,exaggerated in importance1 regarded as 
an end  instead of a means1 followed out
 into very minute detail1--its forms and
  expressions unduly repeated and       
multiplied--it obscures the very truths 
which it was meant to exhibit2 it       
distracts the attention which it should 
fix2 it begets formalism1 it mocks ,god 
with a worship which is not  spiritual  
and true1 and therefore is no worship at
 all2 it leads its  votaries to a       
pitiable self-ostentation1 which        
confirms in their  prejudices the       
anti-ritualists1 which retards the      
restorers of ritual  7who fear to give  
looser reins to those who are already   
running wild71  yea and well-nigh       
frightens them1 in their concern for    
souls1 out of the  continued observance 

of what they have already restored6     
,my dear brethren1 this is sober1       
necessary warning4  ,i pray you try to  
receive it and to regulate your worship 
by it4  ,take heed lest1 being  cumbered
 about many things you neglect the one  
thing needful2 lest1  following right   
observances in a wrong spirit you incur 
the ,pharisees'  condemnation2 lest1 by 
an indiscriminate performance of all the
 bowings1  genuflections1 and crossings 
invented in medival or modern times1 you
  destroy the emphatic teaching of pure 
and dignified ,catholic ceremonial2     
lest indulging your own fancies and     
carrying out your own ritual1 in the    
face of that which the responsible      
officers of the congregation by  precept
 and example enjoin1 you offend         
grievously and culpably against  the    
apostolic precept3 8,let all things be  
done decently and in order40            
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,glory ,,be ,,unto ,,god4              

99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99            ,c4 ,w4       
,,reynell1 ,,printer1 ,,little          
,,pulteney ,,street1 ,,haymarket4       
,,footnotes4      #ac  ,reprinted1 by   
permission1 from #8,hymns and other     
,poems1' by ,w4  ,bright1 ,m4,a4        
7,rivingtons74