Leads up to thee. Healing thy garment fills,
And grace and truth the impregnate air distils
Around thy presence. With awe-stricken eyes
We sit with loved disciples round thy feet;
Or, as the growing bread thy love supplies,
From apostolic hands we take and eat.*

IV.

The Persian king, from arm'd Abdera's rocks,
Fetter'd and lash'd free Ocean; who the while,
Not to o'erwhelm him, with a patient smile,
Forebore to shake his spray-bespangled locks:
"Tis thus when man the Almighty's goodness mocks.
The chosen of the vineyard rose, and said,
Come, let us kill the Heir; when He is dead
All will be ours. The word is bold, and shocks
Our boasted reason; yet from age to age
Proud scorners play that descant o'er and o'er.
When the world's minions, or in mirth or rage,
Lifting the scourge o'er crown or shrine, engage,
These be my spoils, these only, and no more.
The Church, forbearing, as that sea forbore,
Moves not to crush, but o'er the rocking main
Looks bright, and breathes o'er her untroubled strain.

Welcome their hate; the good which they dispense
Poisons the proud and pains the lowly soul.
Nor can the spells which this rude world control,
One spirit rescue from the toils of sense,
Or bring one rescued, to the eternal goal;
Thy robe must be thy Master's humble stole,
Watching and fast, and fast and watching, thence
Long midnight meditations, grave and deep,
Rous'd from earth's palsying hand of drowsy sleep
By Persecution's wrath and Satan's hate,
And wafting prayers of saints that on thee wait,
Some Herbert hidden in his rural nook,
Or Kempis kneeling o'er a cloistral book,
And chief of spells, the halo yet unspent,
The latest breath of Jesus ere he went.

VI.

Therefore to you the choirs of heav'n arise
In reverence. Key stones are ye, every one,
In God's sure house; fountains of benison,
Which Christ, the mighty sea of love, supplies;
Visible angels lighting lower skies;

How may we praise-how style you? call'd alone
To sit in sackcloth on Christ's earthly throne,
Channels of living waters? golden ties

It is worthy of notice, that in each of the accounts of both of these miracles, a circumstance, apparently trivial, is recorded, "that he gave to his disciples," and they to the multitude. That these miracles had a typical reference to the holy communion is obvious from the ensuing conversation, which St. John records, John, vi.

From Christ's meek cradle to his throne on high?
Bright shower-drops sparkling from God's orbed light?
We hide our eyes, and ask what vesture bright ·
Shall clothe you, gather'd or from earth or sky,
Ye chiefest servants of a suffering Lord,
The king of shame and sorrow? what afford
Aerial grain sky-tinctured? Other dress
Faith owns not, save her Master's lowliness.

VII.

So not alone Christ's mission-crown on high
Shall gird your brows with radiance, but the urn
Of Heaven's own light in your true bosoms burn;
For the great God who fills eternity

Makes lowliest hearts his temple; such we see
When to faith's earliest morn our eyes we turn,

And round th' all-conquering Cross of shame discern,
Kneeling in light, a suffering Hierachy;

Thence, high and wide, 'mid Persecution's night,
The East and West are with their glory bright;
As on some festal eve in glorious Rome,
Far through the pillar'd shades of Peter's dome,
A thousand glowing lamps fling light on high,
Making their own calm day, their own pure sky
Around the holiest altar cross, whence springs
The mystic dove, shaking her golden wings.

VIII.

"He that despiseth you doth me despise."
Lo! at that call Faith her best robe prepares,
And heav'n to earth lets down the eternal stairs,
Through a long line of more than good or wise,
The high-born legates of the appeased skies
Come down their avenue of sacred years;
Each in his hand Messiah's olive bears.
Ye priestly brotherhood, with reverend eyes
Receive a guest from heav'n, your ancient seat
Open ye, and Religion's deep retreat!

The dust of Time is on him, and Christ's mark,

Worldly reproach; he bears the unquench'd spark

To kindle into life earth's secret womb

To lighten or destroy, cheer or consume;

Through chains, fire, sword, he bears thy last reprieve, "He that receiveth you, doth me receive!"

THE ANCIENT BRITISH CHURCH AND MODERN SCHISMS.

1.

ALAS! Menevia, what of thee remains,
Primeval saintly Church? from Towy's flood
To Conway, springs an ever-teeming brood
Of novelty, to claim thy true domains ;
Religious freedom, worse than Romish chains!
As in the stool where some huge oak once stood,

Some mountain bird now hides his sylvan food.
And, lo! the ancient stock with wonder gains
A doubtful, new, and motley progeny,
Springing in mockery from her aged root,
With coral berries wild and show of fruit.
And here and there, between, the ancestral shoot
Is seen to emulate their pliancy,

Bowing to each wind as it passes by.

II.

Ancient Menevia, I must still love thee.
Not yet is silent thy cathedral song,

Though nought to echo back her solemn tongue,
Save the true emblems of Heaven's constancy,—
The unchanged mountains and unchanged sea,
Which to each other thy deep tones prolong,
And both bear on to Heav'n. What though, among
Thine innocent nuptial feasts and household glee,
Thine harp is silenced in Religion's name,
And discipline become a word of blame,
Mother of love, and nurse of cheerful thought,
While holiest liturgies are set at nought,

To enshrine the feverish dreams of human will-
Ancient Menevia, I must love thee still!

For thou didst take me up unto thy breast,
Pitying my lost and helpless infancy,

And didst engraft me in the living tree.

Still breathe fresh thoughts from thy Plinlimmon's crest;

Still thine own language, in thy mountain nest,

(Indented oft with blue o'erarching sea,)

Keeps thee from airs of foul disloyalty.

Fam'd by the press from England's sad unrest,

Which, like Avernian steams, to heaven's deep roof

Daily ascend, and gathering there aloof,

Hang in tempestuous clouds, if thou wouldst still
Have thy good Angel guide thee free from blame,
Rend not Christ's robe at thine irreverent will,
But wrap it round thee, lest they see thy shame!

THANKFULNESS TO GOD,

I.

THE clear blue sky, the glorious sun,
The song of birds among the trees,

The sweetness of the summer air,

Rich lights, deep shades, scenes soft and fair,

Have I enjoyed, and loved all these,

And, like a beast, like a dull sod,

Warmed by the ray it cannot shun,
Have failed to think of God?

II.

Dear friends! and kindred's dearer ties!
Blest interchange of household love

When the warm heart o'erflows the eyes!
And have I known your holy joys
And failed to look above?

O God! have I thus thankless proved,
Thus from thy good extracted ill,
Thy creatures thus before Thee loved,
And dost Thou love me still?

J. H. B. M.

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Editor begs to remind his readers that he is not responsible for the opinions
of his Correspondents.

BAPTISM DURING SERVICE.

DEAR SIR,-Having for some time been an attentive reader of your Magazine, I have been disappointed to find, that while points of far less importance in our rubric directions have been discussed at length, no notice has been taken of a practice which seems likely to undermine, (as it has already undermined in the ideas of many) the whole system of baptismal ceremonies by which our church has endeavoured to secure to every infant baptized by her all those blessings which are necessary to a continuance and growth in grace and holiness. The practice to which I refer consists in allowing the nurse, or any other person, to bring the child to church to be named, without any appearance or thought of sponsors, and without anything more than one or two collects used in the vestry-room; after which the infant is named and registered, and the whole business is finished and done. This is the practice in our parish; in other places so much of the office for the public baptism of infants is used as does not imply the presence of sponsors, but still the ceremony is perfunctorily gone through, after the services of the church are finished, and when no one remains in the sacred building besides the clergyman, the clerk, and the nursemaid, or some friend of the infant. But as to the idea of performing the ceremony, and causing the infant to make (through the mouth of its sponsors) its "solemn vow, promise, and profession" of Christianity, in the public congregation, according to the directions of the rubric,-all this would be tedious beyond bearing,'-' would be offensive to dissenters,' would be impossible in so large a parish,'or would be a great hardship upon the poorer classes, who have great difficulty in providing sponsors, in the first place, and in providing for them (a feast) in the next,' &c. &c.

Such, Mr. Editor, are some of the reasons which have been urged in defence of an indefensible transgression of both the rubric and the whole tone, spirit, and intention of our baptismal services for infants, as well as of the catechism put forth by authority "to be learned of every person before he be brought to be confirmed by the bishop." VOL. XI.-June, 1837.

40

Though, therefore, any reasoning on the subject is, strictly speaking, inadmissible as an excuse for such a flagrant act of canonical disobedience, still I would crave room to glance seriatim at the allegations advanced.

1. It would be tedious.' I ask, to whom?-to the congregation, or to yourself? If you say, it would be tedious to yourself, which I suspect may be the truth, I have nothing to answer, but must leave you to "excuse or else accuse" yourself as best you may to God, your conscience, and your church, for taking upon yourself the obligations and solemn responsibility of a minister, and yet breaking the clearest rule of duty upon such a frivolous, not say scandalous, equivocation. But if you say that it would be tedious to the congregation, I ask how you have ascertained that fact? I feel confident that no congregation, rightly instructed in the word of God, and in the meaning of our baptismal services, would think the short intervention of an innocent candidate for the membership of Christ's church a tedious or even an uninteresting ceremony. I remember, in the time of the late curate, (and I suppose the same practice is still observed,) that the congregation of Kidlington church appeared particularly interested and gratified (how could it be otherwise?) by the short, but solemnly pleasing, intervention of "the ministration of the public baptism of" an infant, which took place immediately after the second lesson of the evening service. The sponsors were accosted as in a really earnest transaction, and they answered audibly respecting the articles of belief and practice which they undertook for the child. I was then a layman, and with two others had strayed from Oxford to the village church; and I can truly say, that neither myself nor my companions felt the least tedium, bat on the contrary, there was a mutual expression of gratification forced from us all on the occasion. Moreover, being rather later than we expected, we had an opportunity of ob serving, that scarcely a soul was left at home after the church bells had ceased; the whole village appeared with one heart and one mind to have met their respected minister, "with one accord to offer up their common supplications" unto "the throne of the heavenly grace.' This proves that it is not necessary, even to popularity, to break through these baptismal rubrics of our church. So much for the tedium of baptism.

2. But it would offend dissenters.' Admirable doctrine! exquisite reason! ἦ κεν γηθήσαι Πριαμος, Πριαμοιο τε παιδες : and are, then, the dissenters conciliated by our breaking our own church rules to please them? Nay, nay, Mr. Dissenter, do you not, as soon as you have turned your back upon our vestry services, laugh to scorn our bending accommodation, and declare that we would break any of our rules for the sake of being called the state church, and of receiving the fees of office? To be sure you do. Besides, what excuse can there be now, when the new registration act comes into force, for dissenters, in desecrating our holy offices down to the point which happens to suit the notions of those who, after the pearl has been cast before them, are ready to turn and rend us? The dissenters! I would pray for them as a body, or bodies; and I would love and do every civil