at half-past One (Special). Also on Tuesdays, January 16th,
23rd, and 30th, at Three o'clock.

N.B.-All Council Meetings will commence at 3 p.m.

unless notice is given to the contrary.

VOLUME OF C. U. G. FOR 1876.

The Volume of the Church Union Gazette for 1876, bound

in cloth, will be ready shortly, and will be sent from the Office,

post free, for 35.

Every Branch Secretary and District Union Secretary

should provide himself with a copy for reference, charging

the cost, if necessary, to "Expenses of Branch or D. U.,"

towards which a grant is made by the Council.

There are a few copies left of the Volumes for 1871, '72,

'73, 74, 75; for the prices of these see Tract Committee's
List (page 35).

12

13

14

16

Hastings and S. Leonard's; Hatcham, New Cross, and Peckham;
Newcastle-on-Tyne and Gateshead; Oxford..

Anniversary of the Paddington Branch..

Penrith Plymouth, Devonport, and Stonehouse

Anniversary of the Retford and Bassetlaw Branch

Rochester and Chatham; South Liverpool

Sunderland; Sydenham

17

19

SUBSCRIPTIONS.

31

34

The following days and hours have been fixed for Meetings

during the year 1877-

FEBRUARY-Thursday, 8th

:-

APRIL-Thursday, 19th

JUNE-Annual Meeting and Anniversary.

8 p.m.

3 p.m.

Days and hours will be duly announced in C. U. G.

DECEMBER-Thursday, 13th

...

...

8 p.m.

Ritual, to enforce Discipline. Hence to a Civil court, which professes to leave as open questions the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment and of the Inspiration of Holy Scripture, of Baptismal Regeneration, and of the Real Presence, I reply that the Church has long ago closed these questions for ever. Or again, should a secular judge direct me to wear this or that Vestment or to stand here or there at the Altar, I must remain as and where I am, for the Thirty-nine Articles teach me that "the Church hath power to decree Rites and Ceremonies as well as authority in Controversies of Faith;" while finally, as is more to my present purpose, a sentence of suspension of a Priest from his Spiritual Functions, or of interference between him and his Communicants, is (unless pronounced canonically by his Bishop) null and void.

Yet the Catholic is not lawless because he repudiates the law of Erastianism. Nay, he binds himself the more loyally to the Ecclesiastical Courts, For the Church has her Courts as well as her Synods. She has judicial as well as legislative power. And while I could not recognize Lord Penzance or the Privy Council (with or without Episcopal assessors) as possessing any Canonical authority, I should be the more bound by my ordination vow to submit myself to my Bishop, sitting in Diocesan Court, or to the Provincial Court of the Archbishop with his Suffragans.

I offer, my dear friends, no apology for laying before you my own convictions as to the true Discipline of our Church, for I should be doing you a wrong if I were not to indicate to you in this day of peace my view of the battle-field. Unless we Priests and People work out together a clear conception of the spiritual organization of the Church, be sure that the deluge of disestablishment will come, suddenly sweep off our material fabrics and endowments, and leave us without an Ark. It is for us, therefore, to abide in the Ship."

Correspondence.

66

THE NUMERICAL STRENGTH OF THE E. C. U. (To the Editor of the "Church Union Gazette.") DEAR SIR, -Your readers will doubtless be glad to learn that the Union has made a nett gain of nearly 1,000 Communicants during the past twelve months,

Our numbers on Jan. 1, 1876, were 13,280; they are now 14,225.

Dividing the Members into Clerical and Lay, I find that we have 2,508 Clergymen on our Roll, of whom 7 are Bishops, and 11,717 Lay Communicants.

The large and continually increasing number of the Laity enrolled in our Union is in itself an answer to the absurd cry of an alienated Laity." On the other hand, the fact that already more than one-tenth of the whole number of the Clergy of the Church of England are enrolled in the Union should show our rulers in Church and State the impolicy, to say the least, of trying to push to extremities a School of thought in the Church which is by no means insignificant, either in numbers or in influence.

The proportion of men in the Union is 8,300 as against 5,925 women.

I mention these facts not as showing that we may be satisfied with the extent of our organization, but, rather, as showing what a good basis we have to start from in the present state of our Roll, and how easily we may, if all our Members will but put their shoulders to the wheel, increase our strength to 20,000 during the coming year.—Yours faithfully, T. OUTRAM MARSHALL, Organizing Secretary E. C. U.

Jan. 1, 1877.

Proceedings of District Unions and Branches.

BRISTOL DISTRICT UNION.

The Committee of this District Union resolved early in the Autumn to provide some public lectures for Bristol on Ecclesiastical subjects of general interest, with the object of trying to remove some of the dense ignorance on Church matters which, thanks to the Simeonite Trustees, prevails in Bristol. The first of these Lectures was delivered on TuesCounties District Union, who took for his subject "True and day, Nov. 28, by Colonel Bagnall, President of the Midland False Notions of the Reformation." Mr. Todd Walton, President of the Bristol District Union, was in the chair, and briefly introduced the lecturer, who was received with loud applause.

After noticing the fact that some Reformation was admitted by all to have been necessary, he dwelt carefully on the principles of the German and Swiss Reformations, showing their entire difference from the principles of the English Church. He entered fully into the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist, to show that it was a false notion that at the Reformation the English Church gave up the Sacramental System or the old truths of the Priesthood and the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Some of John Wesley's hymns, which were quoted at length, showed most plainly his belief in the last mentioned truth. Another false notion was that a new authority, that of the State, was introduced into the Church, and on this point Colonel Bagnall quoted some striking passages from the letters of Bishop Gray of Capetown. A third false notion was that all the old Ritual was abolished at the Reformation, whereas it is a fact that in the Second Year of Edward VI., to which our present Prayer Book refers us as our standard of Ceremonial, Incense-boats, Censers, Candlesticks, Crosses, and Pyxes were in use in the country. The inventories of the Edwardian spoliators proved this, and therefore according to the Prayer Book these Ornaments still" shall be retained and be in

use.

The Rev. R. W. Randall, who was most warmly greeted, proposed, and Dr. Swayne seconded, a vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was carried with acclamation. Several Calvinistic Protestants were present and endeavoured to interrupt the lecturer from time to time by remarks and hissing. They showed as usual great ignorance of Holy Scripture, one person objecting very strongly to the words of he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him." Another S. James in connection with the Anointing of the Sick, "If cried "No, No," when Col. Bagnall spoke of the Church as "built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets." One person was anxious to know if the New Testament was among the "Ornaments" of King Edward's Second Year. These people were in a very small minority, just numerous enough to afford amusement without doing harm. Among the lecturers already announced who are shortly to follow are the Hon. C. L. Wood and the Rev. Nicholas Pocock.

GLOUCESTER BRANCH, AND CENTRAL GLOUCESTER D. U.

The joint Annual Commemoration of the Branch and of the District Union was held at Gloucester on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

The Holy Eucharist was Celebrated for the Intention of the Union at S. Aldate's Church at 8 a.m.

The Annual Meeting of the Gloucester Branch was held at the Spread Eagle Hotel, Gloucester, at 1.30 p.m., T. Gambier Parry, Esq., in the Chair.

The Report of the Committee was read and adopted, and

in this matter. He thought that the real thing that was wanted was that our method of Election should be altered, though that system was not so much worse than the election of Bishops in the Middle Ages. The Increase of the Episcopate under present circumstances would be most disastrous, and they would have sixty Popes instead of thirty.

Mr. J. A. Shaw-Stewart said that he thought that some of the Bishops ought to have been present that evening, so that they might hear what was said of them, and say something in self-defence. The two last speakers had been unduly severe. He agreed with Dr. Littledale that the Prime Minister to some extent represented laymen, and for some time to come the Bishops would be selected by the Crown. They wanted Bishops in some of their large towns, to be the heads over the Clergy there. It was utterly impossible that thirty Bishops could do all that they had to do. He thought that an increase in the Episcopate would be a great blessing to the Church, but that the Bishops would be better without seats in the House of Lords. Their worldly rank injured their spiritual life and influence (loud applause). In conclusion, he hoped that there would be Bishoprics in all our large towns, and a subdivision of our overgrown Dioceses.

The Rev. Brymer Belcher asked if the Episcopate which was sufficient 300 years ago could suffice for the present population? The congè d'élire must be made a reality, and the Clergy regain a real voice in the appointment of the Bishop. With regard to the present mode of appointment, he thought the nominees of the State contrasted favourably with those made by the people-e.g., the three late appointments to India and that to the See of Melbourne. If Dr. Littledale's doctrine of the diminishing importance of many Bishops held good, then surely fourteen would have more influence than twenty-eight. A Bishop for all Cornwall want influence! A Bishop for all Devon! He believed that the Bishopric in Cornwall would win numbers of Wesleyans to the Church (loud applause). Referring to the Bishopric of S. Alban's, he could say from personal knowledge that Dr. Harold Browne had nothing to do with that scheme. He had offered to sell Winchester House for the endowment of a new See in Surrey, and that plan would have been carried out but for persons high in authority in the Church. He hoped to see two more Sees before next session was over, as Mr. Cross had undertaken to introduce a Bill for this purpose into the House. He could not understand those who disparaged our existing Episcopate. Let them think of the Bishops of the present age, Wilberforce, Alexander, Wordsworth, Trench, Moberly, and he thought that they got as good Bishops under the present mode as they would get by popular election.

Dr. Irons, rising to reply to Dr. Littledale, said he did not think there was any substantial difference among the speakers. Dr. Littledale had spoken of things as they were de facto; but he on the other hand, having to consider the whole question, had treated it from a different point of view. As to the influence of Bishops, he did not think a good man's influence could be small even though he were poor (applause). Bishop Wilson was not a nobody because he was poor. A Bishop who has in him the spirit of God will in a prison make statesmen tremble (loud applause). He trusted our Lord's own promise, "Lo! I am with you, even unto the end of the world," and he did not believe that anyone appointed by Him would be a nobody (applause).

Dr. Phillimore said that the subjects of the Increase of the Episcopate and the mode of Electing Bishops were closely connected. He agreed with much that had been said by the previous speakers; but he did not think that the Prime Minister, though he represented the nation, represented

Churchmen. He was elected by Nonconformists, Jews, and Mohammedans, and he need not even be a Churchman. This was at least an incongruity. The speaker then thanked, in the name of the meeting, the gentlemen who had spoken on the subject that night.

The meeting was then closed with the Office.

**The Secretary of the West London District Union desires to express his obligations to the Editors of the Church Times and Church Review for giving such full reports of the meeting.

BRADFORD BRANCH.

Eddowes in the Chair.

A Meeting of the Bradford Branch was held in S. Jude's Schools, Bradford, on Monday, November 13, the Rev. J. A paper was read by Mr. J. R. Dore, of Huddersfield (Secretary of the South-West Riding Yorkshire D. U., and Author of "An Account of the Various Versions of the English Bible"), on "The History of the English Printed little book which Mr. Dore has written on the subject, and Bible." The lecture was a short summary of the excellent the interest which naturally attached to the subject was increased by the lecture being illustrated by original copies of nearly all the various Translations which have been published in English. Many other rare and valuable Bibles and Prayer Books and Manuscripts were also exhibited by the lecturer and by some of the Members of the Branch.

At the close of the meeting a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the lecturer on the motion of Mr. J. M. Miall, seconded by Mr. J. E. Williamson.

BRITISH GUIANA BRANCH.

A Meeting of this Branch was held on Wednesday, July 19, at S. Philip's Parsonage, Georgetown, at 2.30 p.m. In the absence of the Chairman of the Branch, the Rev. C. P. Wood took the Chair.

A considerable discussion arose as to the causes of the little interest taken in the work of the Union by the laity of the colony generally, and the following resolutions were carried:

(1.) Proposed by Rev. A. C. Hoggins, seconded by Rev A. Gwyther:

"That the special work of this Branch is to extend the principles of the Union by the distribution of tracts, and by spreading information in other ways."

(2.) Proposed by Rev. A. C. Hoggins, seconded by Rev. C. P. Wood:

pledges himself to add, if possible, at least one layman to the roll of the Branch before this time next year."

"That every Member of this Branch who is present to-day

would probably be absent for some months from the colony, It having been mentioned that the Secretary of the Branch the Rev. A. Gwythers undertook to supply his place until his The meeting was concluded in the usual manner about

return.

5 p.m.

BURWELL AND NEWMARKET BRANCH. A Meeting of Communicants was held in the National Schoolroom, Burwell, on Friday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m., the Rev. J. W. Cockshott, Vicar of the Parish, in the Chair.

The Rev. T. Outram Marshall attended, and gave an Address on "Church Work and Church Union," which was listened to with great interest by all present. He concluded by appealing for support for the E. C. U., a Branch of which had been formed a few weeks previously for that neighbourhood.

the following were elected as the Officers for the ensuing year :-Chairman, T. Gambier Parry, Esq.; Vice-Chairman, A. H. Maule, Esq.;_Secretaries, Rev. H. M. J. Bowles and R. Groves Morris, Esq.; Treasurer, Rev. H. M. J. Bowles. At 2 p.m. the Central Gloucestershire D. U. (which comprises the Cheltenham and Gloucester Branches) held its Annual Meeting, T. Gambier Parry, Esq., again in the Chair.

There was a very large attendance of Members, but few other Communicants. Considering that some years have passed since the District Union has held any Meetings, it is a matter of congratulation that the attendance was so good. The following were elected as Officers for the ensuing year:-President, T. Gambier Parry, Esq.; Vice-President, Lieut.-Colonel Basevi; Delegate to the Council, Rev. J. Edwards; Secretary, J. P. Balmer, Esq.; Treasurer, Rev. G. Faussett.

The Rev. T. Outram Marshall gave an Address on "The Present Position of the Church of England and the duty of Churchmen therein."

A resolution of sympathy with Rev. T. Pelham Dale and Rev. A. Tooth was afterwards proposed by Rev. H. M. J. Bowles; but as the meeting had by this time become very thin, and no notice of the motion had been given, nor had leave to introduce it been asked before the discussion of the Agenda, it was thought better to act in strict accordance with the Rules, and not put the motion to the meeting.

A vote of thanks was given to Mr. Marshall for his Address by the Chairman in the name of the meeting.

Mr. Marshall suggested that the strength of the Union in Gloucestershire would be very much increased if the Gloucestershire Branch was divided into two or more local Branches, so that meetings might be held at several different centres, and within easy reach of all the Members.

WEST LONDON DISTRICT UNION. The Annual Commemoration of the West London District Union (comprising the Branches at Kensington, Brompton, and Chelsea, S. George's, Hanover-square, West Kensington and Notting-hill, and Westminster), was held on Tuesday, Nov. 28. There were early Celebrations at churches within the district for the intention of the Union; and a special Evensong at S. Thomas's, Regent-street, with a sermon by the Rev. H. D. Nihill, Vicar of SS. Michael and All Angels', Shoreditch. The preacher dwelt principally upon the virtue of humility as the root of the Christian life and the soul of public worship, and deprecated a confident and blustering tone in speaking of our attitude under persecution. Those who were loudest in their words were often most timid in their acts. We should be content to pray for strength to do the right thing, and trust humbly that God would answer that prayer.

The money collected at the conclusion of the Service, amounting to £2 5s. 4d., was devoted to the funds of the District Union.

The Annual Meeting was held immediately after Evensong in the S. John's Lecture Room, Cambridge-street, kindly lent for the occasion by the Rev. H. N. D'Almaine. The attendance was very good. The President, Dr. Walter G. F. Phillimore, was in the Chair.

The Office having been said by the Rev. W. J. Richardson, Vicar of S. Thomas's, Regent-street, the Secretary, Mr. Bowes A. Paice, read the minutes of the last meeting; and these being duly confirmed,

The President, who was warmly received, delivered his address, as follows:

The numbers of our District Union are nearly the same as at our Commemoration last year. We had then 481 on our

Roll; we have now 486. In the S. George's, Hanover-square, and the Westminster Branches there has been a decrease; in the Kensington, Brompton, and Chelsea, and much more in the West Kensington and Notting-hill Branches, there has been an increase.

122 in all.

The S. George's Branch had last year 65 men and 69 women, 134 in all. It has now only 58 men and 64 women, The Kensington Branch had last year 77 men and 66 women, 143 in all. It has now 76 men and 71 women, 147 in all. The West Kensington Branch had last year 36 men and 35 women, 71 in all. It has now 45 men and 46 women, 91 in all.

The Westminster Branch had last year 93 men and 43 women, 136 in all. It has now only 88 men and 38 women, 126 in all.

I think that in our old-established Branches hardly enough is done by the Clergy of our Churches to bring the principal members of their congregations into the Union. I feel satisfied that there are many persons in those congregations who could in this manner be added to our ranks. We have not even enrolled all the Clergy and Churchwardens and Choirmen. And yet in these times the only body which can give succour of any kind to a Priest and his congregation when attacked by opponents of their Ritual is the Union. this year, as last, two meetings in common. The S. George's and the Westminster Branches have held At one of these the Burials Bill," and at the other the important question "Ought we to appear before the New Court ?" were discussed. This latter question also formed the staple of a meeting of the Westminster Branch by itself, while the S. George's Branch by itself discussed "The Increase of the Episcopate."

The Kensington and Brompton Branch has had one meeting, at which the Burials Bill and the Prosecutions under the Public Worship Regulation Act were the subjects of discussion.

The West Kensington and Notting-hill Branch has had, I believe, one meeting, at which the position of the Defendants in the recent suits under that Act has been discussed.

One change in our local affairs since last year cannot but be an improvement, and may be fraught with considerable advantage to the Catholic cause. The important Church of S. George's, Hanover-square, has at length got a new Incumbent. I am afraid we cannot claim him as exactly a sympathizer with us; but he is an earnest zealous man, who will do much to revive the dormant religious energies of the parish, and that cannot fail ultimately to benefit the cause we have at heart.

certainly satisfactory, and those who knew well the neigh. The tone of the recent Church Congress was quiet, but bourhood in which it met were surprised at its Catholic spirit.

We have not yet had a decision from the Privy Council on

the questions of Ritual brought before it. Till that decision has been given it would be premature to determine what must necessarily and in all cases be the attitude of Churchmen towards those Ecclesiastical tribunals which the State has set up. It may be that the decision may be so in harmony with the Law and teaching of the Church that we shall be spared the arduous and painful questions and "cases of conscience with which we have been lately threatened. If these decisions were to be in our favour we should be saved from having to decide on our attitude towards these tribunals, because we should not need to have any attitude at all. Our adversaries would have no encouragement to hale us before them, and we certainly shall not hale our adversaries.

It may be, however, that these decisions will be adverse to us, and that the questions which now press upon the Clergy and congregations of S. Vedast's, Foster-lane, and S. James's, Hatcham, may come upon all of us and require general solution.

I have lately expressed at a meeting of one of our Branches