care unremittingly exercised by our predecessors the Roman pontiffs to lend succour, in its hour of extremest peril, to the catholic religion in that realm, and by every means to afford it support and assistance. Amongst other instances of his care, are the enactments and provisions made by the chief pontiffs, or under their direction and approval, for the unfailing supply of men to take charge of the interests of catholicity in that country; and also for the education of catholic young men of good abilities on the continent, and their careful instruction in all branches of theological learning: so that, when promoted to holy orders, they might return to their native land and labour diligently to benefit their countrymen, by the ministry of the Word and of the sacraments, and by the defence and propagation of the holy faith.

Perhaps even more conspicuous have been the exertions made by our predecessors for the purpose of restoring to the English catholics prelates invested with the episcopal character, when the fierce and cruel storms of persecution had deprived them of the presence and pastoral care of their own bishops. The letters apostolical of Pope Gregory XV., dated March 23, 1623, set forth that the chief pontiff, as soon as he was able, had consecrated William Bishop, Bishop of Chalcedon, and had appointed him, furnished with an ample supply of faculties, and the authority of ordinary, to govern the catholics of England and of Scotland. Subsequently, on the death of the said William Bishop, Pope Urban VIII., by letters apostolical, dated Feb. 4, 1625, to the like effect, and directed to Richard Smith, reconstituted him Bishop of Chalcedon, and conferred on him the same faculties and powers as had been granted to William Bishop. When the king, James II., ascended the English throne, there seemed a prospect of happier times for the catholic religion, Innocent XI. immediately availed himself of this opportunity to ordain, in the year 1685, John Leyburn Bishop of Adrumetum, vicar apostolic of all England. Subsequently, by other letters apostolical, issued January 30, 1668, he associated with Leyburn, as vicars apostolic, three other bishops, with titles taken from churches in partibus infidelium; and accordingly, with the assistance of Ferdinand archbishop of Amaria, apostolic nuncio in England, the same pontiff divided England into four districts, namely, the London, the Eastern, the Midland, and the Northern, each of which a vicar apostolic commenced to govern, furnished with all suitable faculties, and with the proper powers of a local ordinary. Benedict XIV., by his constitution, dated May 30, 1753, and the other pontiffs our predecessors, and our congregation of propaganda, both by their own authority and by their most wise and prudent directions, afforded them all guidance and

help in the discharge of their important functions. This partition of all England into four apostolic vicariates lasted till the time of Gregory VI., who, by letters apostolical, dated July 3, 1840, having taken into consideration the increase which the catholic religion had received in that kingdom, made a new ecclesiastical division of the counties, doubling the number of the apostolical vicariates, and committing the government of the whole of England in spirituals to the vicars apostolic of the London, the Eastern, the Western, the Central, the Welsh, the Lancaster, the York, and the Northern districts. These facts that we have cursorily touched upon, to omit all mention of others, are a sufficient proof that our predecessors have studiously endeavoured and laboured that, as far as their influence could effect it, the church in England might be re-edified and recovered from the great calamity that had befallen her.

Having, therefore, before our eyes so illustrious an example of our predecessors, and wishing to emulate it, in accordance with the duty of the supreme apostolate, and also giving way to our own feelings of affection towards that beloved part of our Lord's vineyard, we have purposed, from the very first commencement of our pontificate, to prosecute a work so well commenced, and to devote our closer attention to the promotion of the church's advantage in that kingdom. Wherefore, having taken into earnest consideration the present state of catholic affairs in England, and reflecting on the very large and everywhere increasing number of catholics there; considering also that the impediments which principally stood in the way of the spread of catholicity were daily being removed, we judged that the time had arrived when the form of ecclesiastical government in England might be brought back to that model on which it exists freely amongst other nations, where there is no special reason for their being governed by the extraordinary administration of vicars apostolic. We were of opinion that times and circumstances had brought it about, that it was unnecessary for the English catholics to be any longer guided by vicars apostolic; nay more, that the revolution that had taken place in things there was such as to demand the form of ordinary episcopal government. In addition to this, the vicars apostolic of England themselves, had, with united voice, besought this of us; many also, both of the clergy and laity, highly esteemed for their virtue and rank, had made the same petition; and this was also the earnest wish of a very large number of the rest of the catholics of England. Whilst we pondered on these things, we did not omit to implore the aid of Almighty God that, in deliberating on a matter of such weight, we might be enabled both to discern and rightly to accomplish what might be

most conducive to the good of the church. We also invoked the assistance of Mary the Virgin mother of God, and of those saints who illustrated England by their virtues, that they would vouchsafe to support us by their patronage with God to the happy accomplishment of this affair. In addition, we committed the whole matter to our venerable brethren the cardinals of the holy Roman church of our congregation for the propagation of the faith, to be carefully and gravely considered. Their opinion was entirely agreeable to our own desires, and we freely approved of it, and judged that it be carried into execution. The whole matter, therefore, having been carefully and deliberately consulted upon, of our own motion, on certain knowledge, and of the plenitude of our apostolical power, we constitute and decree, that in the kingdom of England, according to the common rules of the church, there be restored the hierarchy of ordinary bishops, who shall be named from sees, which we constitute in these our letters, in the several districts of the apostolic vicariates. To begin with the London district, there will be in it two sees, that of Westminster, which we elevate to the degree of the metropolitan or archiepiscopal dignity, and that of Southwark, which, as also the others (to be named next), we assign as suffragan to Westminster. The diocese of Westminster will take that part of the above-named district which extends to the north of the river Thames, and includes the counties of Middlesex, Essex, and Hertford; and that of Southwark will contain the remaining part to the south of the river, viz., the counties of Berks, Southampton, Surrey, Sussex, and Kent, with the Islands of Wight, Jersey, Guernsey, and the others adjacent.

In the northern district there will be only one episcopal see, which will receive its name from the city of Hexham. This diocese will be bounded by the same limits as the district hath hitherto been.

The York district will also form one diocese; and the bishop will have his see at the city of Beverley.

In the Lancashire district there will be two bishops, of whom the one will take his title from the see of Liverpool, and will have as his diocese the Isle of Man, the hundreds of Lonsdale, Amounderness, and West Derby. The other will receive the name of his see from the city of Salford and will have for his diocese the hundreds of Salford, Blackburn, and Leyland; the county of Chester, although hitherto belonging to that district, we shall now annex to another diocese.

In the district of Wales there will be two bishoprics, viz., that of Shrewsbury, and that of Minevia (or St. David's), united with Newport. The diocese of Shrewsbury to contain, northwards, the countics of Anglesey, Carnarvon, Denbigh, Flint, Merioneth, and Montgomery; to which we annex the county

of Chester, from the Lancashire district, and the county of Salop, from the central district. We assign to the bishop of St. David's and Newport as his diocese, northwards, the counties of Brecknock, Glamorgan, Pembroke, and Radnor, and the English counties of Monmouth and Hereford.

In the Western district we establish two episcopal sees, that of Clifton and that of Plymouth. To the former of these we assign the counties of Gloucester, Somerset, and Wilts; to the latter those of Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall.

The central district, from which we have already separated off the county of Salop, will have two episcopal sees, that of Nottingham, and that of Birmingham. To the former of these we assign, as a diocese, the counties of Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, together with those of Lincoln and Rutland, which we hereby separate from the eastern district. To the latter we assign the counties of Stafford, Warwick, Worcester, and Oxford.

Lastly, in the eastern district there will be a single bishop's see, which will take its name from the city of Northampton, and will have its diocese comprehended within the same limits as have hitherto bounded the district, with the exception of the counties of Lincoln and Rutland, which we have already assigned to the aforesaid diocese of Nottingham.

Thus, then, in the most flourishing kingdom of England, there will be established one ecclesiastical province, consisting of one archbishop, or Metropolitan head, and twelve bishops his suffragans; by whose exertions and pastoral cares we trust God will grant to catholicity in that country a fruitful and daily increasing extension. Wherefore, we now reserve to ourselves and our successors, the pontiffs of Rome, the power of again dividing the said province into others, and of increasing the number of dioceses, as occasion shall require; and in general, that, as it shall seem fitting in the Lord, we may freely decree new limits to them.

In the meanwhile, we command the aforesaid archbishop and bishops that they transmit, at due times, to our congregation of Propaganda, accounts of the state of their churches, and that they never omit to keep the said congregation fully informed respecting all matters which they know will conduce to the welfare of their spiritual flocks. For we shall continue to avail ourselves of the instrumentality of the said congregation in all things appertaining to the Anglican churches. But in the sacred government of clergy and laity, and in all other things appertaining unto the pastoral office, the archbishop and bishops of England will henceforward enjoy all the rights and faculties which the other catholic archbishops and bishops of other nations, according to the common ordinances of the sacred canons and apostolic constitutions, use, and may use: and are equally

bound by the obligations which bind the other archbishops and bishops according to the same common discipline of the catholic church. And whatever regulations, either in the ancient system of the Anglican churches or in the subsequent missionary state, may have been in force either by special constitutions or privileges or peculiar customs, will now henceforth carry no right nor obligation: and in order that no doubt may remain on this point, we, by the plenitude of our apostolic authority, repeal and abrogate all power whatsoever of imposing obligation or conferring right in those peculiar constitutions and privileges of whatever kind they may be, and in all customs, by whomsoever, or at whatever more ancient or immemorial time brought in. Hence it will for the future be solely competent for the archbishop and bishops of England to distinguish what things belong to the executions at the common ecclesiastical law, and what according to the common discipline of the church, or entrusted to the authority of the bishops. We certainly will not be wanting to assist them with our apostolic authority, and most willingly will we second all their applications in those things which shall seem to conduce to the glory of God's name and the salvation of souls. Our principal object, indeed, in decreeing, by these our letters apostolic, the restoration of the ordinary hierarchy of bishops, and the observation of the church's common law, has been to pay regard to the well-being and growth of the catholic religion throughout the realm of England; but, at the same time, it was our purpose to gratify the wishes both of our venerable brethren who govern the affairs of religion by a vicarious authority from the apostolic see, and also of very many of our well-beloved children of the catholic clergy and laity, from whom we had received the most urgent entreaties to the like effect. The same prayer had repeatedly been made by their ancestors to our predecessors, who, indeed, had first commenced to send vicars apostolic into England, at a time when it was impossible for any catholic prelate to remain there in possession of a church by right in ordinary; and hence their design in successively augmenting the number of vicariates and vicarial districts was not certainly that catholicity in England should always be under an extraordinary form of government, but rather, looking forward to its extension in process of time, they were paving the way for the ultimate restoration of the ordinary hierarchy there.

And therefore we, to whom, by God's goodness, it hath been granted to complete this great work, do now hereby declare that it is very far from our intention or design that the prelates of England, now possessing the title and rights of bishops in ordinary, should, in any other respect, be deprived of any advantages which they have enjoyed here

VOL. XIII.- FOURTH SERIES,

tofore under the character of vicars apostolic. For it would not be reasonable that the enactments we now make at the instance of the English catholics, for the good of religion in their country, should turn to the detriment of the said vicars apostolic. Moreover, we are most firmly assured that the same, our beloved children in Christ, who have never ceased to contribute by their alms and liberality, under such various circumstances, to the support of catholic religion, and of the vicars apostolic, will henceforward manifest even greater liberality towards bishops, who are now bound by a stronger tie to the Anglican churches, so that these same may never be in want of the temporal means necessary for the expenses of the decent splendour of the churches, and of divine service, and of the support of the clergy, and relief of the poor. In conclusion, lifting up our eyes unto the hills from whence cometh our help, to God Almighty and allmerciful, with all prayer and supplication we humbly beseech him, that he would confirm by the power of his divine assistance all that we have now decreed for the good of the church, and that he would bestow the strength of his grace on those to whom the carrying out of our decrees chiefly belongs, that they may feed the Lord's flock which is amongst them, and that they may each increase in diligent exertion to advance the greater glory of his name, and in order to obtain the more abundant succours of heavenly grace for this purpose.

We again invoke, as our intercessors with God, the most holy Mother of God, the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, with the other heavenly patrons of England; and especially St. Gregory the Great, that, since it is now granted to our so unequal deserts again to restore the episcopal sees in England, which he first effected to the very great advantage of the church, this restoration also which we make of the episcopal dioceses in that kingdom may happily turn to the benefit of the Catholic religion. And we decree that these our letters apostolical shall never at any time be objected against or impugned, on pretence either of omission or of addition, or defect either of our intention, or any other whatsoever; but shall always be valid and in force, and shall take effect in all particulars, and be inviolably observed. All general or special enactments notwithstanding, whether apostolic or issued in synodal, provincial, and universal councils; notwithstanding also, all rights and privileges of the ancient sees of England, and of the missions, and of the apostolic vicariates subsequently there established, and of all churches whatsoever, and pious places, whether established by oath or by apostolic confirmation, or by any other security whatsoever; notwithstanding, lastly, all other things to the contrary whatsoever. For all these things, in as far as they contravene the foregoing enactments, although a

5 11

special mention of them may be necessary for their appeal, or some other form, however particular, necessary to be observed, we expressly annul and repeal. Moreover, we decree that if, in any other manner, any other attempt shall be made by any person, or by any authority, knowingly or ignorantly, to set aside these enactments, such attempt shall be null and void. And it is our will and pleasure that copies of these our letters, being printed and subscribed by the hand of a notary public, and sealed with the seal of a person high in eccesiastical dignity, shall have the same authenticity as would belong to the expression of our will by the production of this original copy.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, under the seal of the fisherman, this 29th day of September, 1850, in the fifth year of our pontificate.-A. Cardinal Lambruschini.

RESIGNATIONS.

The Rev. D. Pledge, owing to declining health, has resigned the pastorate of the baptist church, Tenterden, and has retired to Margate, the scene of his former labours, with

The Rev. B. S. Hall, having resigned the pastorate of the church at Shefford, Beds, wishes his friends to be informed that his present address is Bourton-on-the-Water, near Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

The Rev. W. W. Evans, formerly of Calcutta, having been unanimously elected secretary and superintendent to the Birmingham Town Mission, has relinquished his charge at Honiton, and removed to 96, Great Charles Street, Birmingham.

The Rev. John Berg informs us that he has resigned his connexion with the baptist church in Tewksbury, and shall take his final farewell early in the coming year.

ON MR. ROBINSON'S PROPOSALS.

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR, I have attentively read the excellent letter of Mr. Robinson in your last number, and although I cannot perceive that the proposal has any bearing on the "Constitution of the society," as the writer does not advise the investment of the individuals composing the periodical meetings with authority, the leading suggestion appears to me of great importance.

We do want more widely diffused information on the proceedings of the society, not only in its field of labour abroad, but in its councils at home; nor do I imagine the committees have ever been unwilling to supply such information, but, on the contrary, they have incurred considerable expense in the attempt to disseminate it. It would be perfectly in harmony with the existing usages of the society to supply materials such as your correspondent thinks desirable, and I intrude these lines merely to offer a hint as to the manner in which the only difficulty, anticipated by him, may be overcome.

opinions to the committee, and to the churches respecting it. But why create a new organization for these purposes? Would not existing auxiliaries be sufficient? Might not special meetings of those bodies be called as often as it might be thought expedient to hear confidential communications from the parent society, and to consult on the best modes of rendering it more efficient help?

Since churches, as such, have to a greater extent than they formerly did, undertaken the duty of collecting their own funds, the business of auxiliaries has very much diminished; and while the change has doubtless been in most respects for the better, we are in danger of losing the advantages of a common centre, and of mutual encouragement to good works. The auxiliary, of which I am one of the secretaries, never meets but for the the purpose of preparing for the annual public meetings. Why? Simply because there is nothing else to be done. But if such special correspondence as that alluded to, containing information which did not appear in the public organs, were addressed to these affiliated societies, I believe we should all receive new life, and be awakened to efforts better proportioned to an enterprise.

Yours most truly,

C. M. BIRRELL

TITLES OF RELIGIOUS CONGREGATION'S ACT. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine.

DEAR SIR, Communications relative to this important statute having already appeared in your Magazine, I am induced to offer you a further contribution, in order to suggest the propriety of an appointment of new trustees being now delayed until there is some duty for them to perform. The Act having dispensed with the necessity of a transfer of the legal estate, and vested the nomination, where the power of appointment has lapsed, in the congregation or society who have acquired the property, no inconvenience will any longer be experienced should all the old trustees die before the appointment is made. The delay will have the following advantages:

First. The opportunity will be afforded of selecting individuals for the duty who are the most able and willing to perform it, which must be preferable to the chance of finding these qualities in persons already appointed.

Second. Trustees are so seldom required to act, that they will thus be in a great measure dispensed with, and the deed stamp saved.

Third. Sometimes a trusteeship falls into the hands of persons who have gone abroad, or become imbecile, or alienated from the cause they had espoused when appointed, and who possess, under the existing trust deed, the sole power of nominating fresh trustees, which they might not exercise satisfactorily. Your correspondent, Mr. Green, refers to a case of the kind. If the matter is allowed to stand over until there is something for the trustees to do, so many of them will probably have died in the interval, as to transfer the nomination to the congregation or society, by the lapse of the original power of appointment. What will constitute such a lapse seems to be indicated by the clause which enacts that "every such choice and appointment of a new trustee or trustees, shall be made to appear by some deed under the hand and seal of the chairman, for the time being, of the meeting, at which such choice and appointment shall be made." When the number of trustees becomes so reduced as to be insufficient to carry out this provision of the Act, the lapse, I apprehend, follows.

EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT.

There are a few sentences in two otherwise excellent portions of the present number which it may perhaps be thought the editor ought to have suppressed. The manner in which his services are adverted to by Mr. Gurney and Mr. Tritton certainly surprised him; but it appeared to him on reflection, that it would be greater presumption on his part to modify their language than to print it verbatim leaving the reader to make allowance for the partialities of long cherished friendship. He begs that no one will make it an occasion for calling to remembrance the errors and defects with which the editorship of the last thirteen years is chargeable, as he is quite aware that imperfections have been discernible in almost every number, and that he, like most other writers, needs the constant exercise of the reader's candour. It is proper to say, however, that neither of these gentlemen knows what the other has written, or even, we believe, that he has written at all. Irrespective of the one point to which allusion has been made, the friends of the magazine will unanimously thank them both for their benevolent endeavour to increase its efficiency by enlarging its circulation, and we doubt not that their addresses will be made use of by many in a manner accordant with their design. As to the editor, such expressions of approbation cannot fail to cheer him and stimulate him to further exertion, though he confesses that he feels somewhat dismayed at the thought that he will be expected now to evince constantly all the good qualities that have been so liberally imputed to him.

No fewer than four editions of Barnes's Notes on the New Testament are in course of publication, and some of them are very large. This is gratifying; for they are generally speaking well adapted to promulgate evangelical doctrine and assist in the interpretation of scripture. It should be remembered, however, that Mr. Barnes is a presbyterian, and a very decided pædobaptist. In many of his notes, he combats our views of the ordinance of baptism strenuously, being always ready to embrace an opportunity to give us a thrust.

S. B. CLIFT.

Trowbridge, November 9, 18:0.

being circulated by tens of thousands among the sabbath-school teachers and other young people of our congregations. It cannot be expected that the arguments of such a man as Barnes should have no influence. In proportion as the sound part of his writings are valued and useful, will the unsound parts be productive of injury. Something should be