LVII.-The Sacraments not to be refused at the hands of [Ministers, who, through age or infirmity, have discontinued Preaching.] Altered to correspond with the alteration in the title.

LVIII.-Ministers not Graduates, to wear black hoods.

Every Minister, who is not a Graduate, shall wear with his surplice, and upon other occasions when Graduates wear hoods, a decent hood of plain black silk.*

LIX.-Ministers to Catechize on Sundays.

In every parish church, where there is a school connected with it, shall the scholars, of both sexes, be examined in their Catechism, by the Minister before evening prayer on six Sundays at the least, some of which Sundays to be in Lent, and some in Advent. And likewise shall he, at the same time, examine in their Catechism any children, servants, and apprentices, whom those over them may bring, or send, for that purpose. And if any Minister neglect his duty herein, let him, for the first offence, be reproved by his Bishop, suspended for the second, and excommunicated till he be reformed for the third.

LX. Confirmation to be performed once in three years. As in Prayer Book.

LXI.-Ministers to prepare Children for Confirmation.

As in Prayer Book.

LXII.-Ministers not to marry any persons without Banns, or Licence.

(Altered verbally,) and instead of "between the hours of eight and twelve in the forenoon," say "between the hours of eight in the forenoon and twelve at noon, if the marriage is by banns, and between the hours of eight in the morning and sunset, if the marriage is by licence; provided always that marriage by licence shall not entitle the parties to have the solemnity performed later than three in the afternoon without the consent first obtained of the Minister to a further postponement."

In this suggested Canon, I suppose the black hoods of Oxford and Cambridge, substituted for some other colours, which would be desirable for these reasons: They look inferior in dignity to some below them; and they are scarcely distinguished over black gowns, so that, to a stranger, a Bachelor of Divinity might pass for a Non-graduate. There are many beautiful hoods that might be chosen instead, such as crimson, green, blue lined with white, &c. &c.

LXIII.-Ministers of Exempt Churches not to marry without
Banns, or Licence.

To be altered, so as to abolish all Peculiars, except the Royal Chapels, and any others, to which the objections to Peculiars in general do not apply.

LXIV.-Ministers solemnly to bid Holy Days.

Altered verbally, as the censure would be a pretty long lecture in the case of such a man as Doctor Free.

LXV.-Ministers solemnly to denounce Recusants and Excommuni

cates.

This must be expunged, or very much altered, so as to apply to excommunicated Ministers, or other officers of the church; as now so many different sects are tolerated, which was never contemplated by the framers of the Canons.

LXVI.—Ministers to confer with Recusants.

This Canon must also be altered; but it may be made a good one, so far as using judicious means to prevent and lessen dissent.

LXVII.-Ministers to visit the Sick.

To be altered verbally a little.

LXVIII.-Ministers not to refuse to Christen or Bury.

This Canon must be altered, there being such a contradiction between it and the civil law. No one is more convinced than I am, that heresy and schism, (making proper allowance, with St. Augustine, for ignorance from education, mental weakness, or want of opportunity of embracing the truth,) are grave offences; and therefore I would not, at a funeral, advocate any Minister seeming to regard them with indifference. Also though, from the laxity of modes of thinking in the present age, excommunication is little regarded, except from any worldly inconvenience, I think nothing can be easier deduced from the New Testament Scriptures, and the practice of the first ages of the Universal Church, that the Church possesses the power of excommunicating for various causes. But, in the case of Dissenters brought for burial, I think the Clergy may, without compromising their principles, perform the usual office without remark, charitably assuming the possibility that the deceased may, before he expired, have repented of his schism; for they have, in the New Testament, one instance of most distinguished acceptance with God before baptism, viz. in the case of Cornelius, (Acts x. ;)we may say, indeed, without baptism; for had Cornelius died after the vision, and before St. Peter's arrival, we cannot doubt his salvation just the same, for we are expressly told that God had "cleansed" him, that he was no longer therefore to be considered

common and unclean," or a heathen, though ostensibly so. And here I may add, that this chapter alone is sufficient to assure us, with reference to the attacks that are sometimes made upon the damnatory clauses of the Athanasian Creed, that in it, as well as in our Saviour's words, exceptions are to be understood, some of which may be virtuous heathen, who, through the Divine mercy, may be held to be "cleansed," or believers. It is true that Cornelius believed in the true God; but we must remember that he had the advantage of that being suggested to his mind by being so much thrown in the way of Jews (" of good report among the nation of the Jews," verse 22;) this alone could not be the cause of the favour he received, or at all events, unless we conclude that, with more confined opportunities of acquiring knowledge, his prayers, such as he had been taught to make, and his alms, were accepted on account of his honest heart through the merits of him, who, we are told in the catechism, redeemed "all mankind." But I do not see how we can dissent from the conclusion, that Cornelius's Unitarian belief is insufficient in the case of one, who, from his natural understanding, his education, and his opportunities of investigating, might have embraced the true faith.

LXIX.—Ministers not to defer Christening, if the Child be in danger.

As in Prayer Book.

LXX.-Ministers to keep a Register of Register of Christenings, Weddings, and Burials.

Some verbal alterations wanted; and, among the rest, "every Sabbath Day" should be changed to "Sunday," or "Lord's Day, as the term "Sabbath Day" was evidently put in involuntarily, and would not have been allowed to stand, had it been observed by the members of Convocation. I cannot conceive many affecting to doubt this, as the terms Sunday," and "Lord's Day," are so carefully preserved, in, I believe, every other part of these Canons, and throughout all the directions, and rubrics, in the Prayer Book.

LXXI.-Ministers not to Preach or Administer the Communion in Private Houses.

Altered so as to allow noblemen, and others who are entitled to domestic chaplains, to have private chapels in their houses, and constant service therein; and allowing domestic chaplains for actual service, and private chapels, to all, who can satisfy the Bishop of their ability to maintain them decently. This, perhaps, would not often be taken advantage of at present; but it would be a boon to some invalids, and I am convinced there would be sound policy in allowing it, and that, in this respect, Roman Catholics have a great advantage over us, and that their Priests know it to be so.

LXXII.-Ministers not to appoint public or private Fasts or Prophecies, or to Exorcise, but by authority.

Title altered, and a little alteration in the Canon.

LXXIII.-Ministers not to hold Private Conventicles.

A little verbal alteration.

LXXIV. Decency in Apparel enjoined to Ministers.

The true, ancient, and flourishing churches of Christ being ever desirous that their Prelacy, and Clergy, might be had, as well in outward reverence, as otherwise regarded for the worthiness of their ministry, did think fit, by a prescript form of decent and comely apparel, to have them known to the people, and thereby receive the honour and estimation due to the special Messengers and Ministers of Almighty God: we, therefore, following their grave judgment, and the ancient custom of the Church of England, do constitute and appoint, that all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, do not intermit to use their respective apparel, as herein under-mentioned, viz. that Archbishops, Bishops, Deans, Masters or Wardens, Archdeacons, and Chancellors, wear coats with standing collars, after the fashion usually worn for many years past by Bishops; that, in private society, Bishops, when not in mourning, wear purple coats, with waistcoats and breeches of black silk or satin; that all Clergymen wear, at all times, black knee-breeches; and that those who do not ordinarily wear shoe-buckles, do not fail to wear them in full dress; that all Ministers wear no boots whatever but those generally called Bishops' boots, that is, long black boots up to the knee-band; that all Ministers discard that unbecoming and "new-fangled" fashion of starched high shirt-collars; but that they wear plain white stocks, buckled behind, or cravats of as similar appearance as may be; that all Clergymen (except those whose hair is considerably grey, and who may use their own discretion) wear, at all times, hair-powder; that they abstain from wearing wigs in imitation of natural hair, but that those who choose to wear wigs, wear only those similar (without any tails) to the wigs of Scotch Judges; (Bishops to wear only, if they wear not wigs with their gowns, those wigs called Bishops' wigs;) that all Bishops, with their robes of all kinds, always wear wigs of the fashion afore parenthetically said; that all Deans, Masters or Wardens, Archdeacons, and Chancellors, wear, with their robes of all kinds, wigs of the Scoth Judges' fashion aforesaid; that all Bishops wear a gold medal, with, for a device, a figure of the Holy Bible surmounted with the cross, and having under the royal crown and sceptre, and the episcopal mitre and crosier, suspended round their neck after the fashion of officers of the orders of knighthood, from a purple riband two inches and a half wide, (Archbishops three inches,) except at Court on Collar Days, in cathedrals on principal Feast

Days, in the Universities on what are called Scarlet Days, and with full-dress convocation robes, when it is to be suspended by a gold chain; (Archbishops to have a chain of six ounces more weight than the Bishops;) that all Deans not Bishops, Masters or Wardens, Archdeacons, and Chancellors of Churches, wear a gold medal with a black riband, and chain of half gold and half silver; that, for devices, the medals to be as aforesaid, only instead of the mitre and crosier, Deans, Masters or Wardens, and Archdeacons and Chancellors, to have the representation of their respective churches, and two keys crossed; that they never appear in public without these medals, only that in undress they may be worn over the waistcoat; and that all the Prelates, Chancellors, Deans, and Registrars, of orders of knighthood may be excused from wearing, with their respective ribands, the professional riband aforesaid, but may substitute a small riband, with the medal attached, fastened by a gold buckle to the left side of the ribands of their respective orders; that silk collars and sleeves to the full-dress coats with gowns, be forthwith disused, and that plain single-breasted black cloth coats with standing collars be substituted; that none, under the degree of Doctor in Divinity, except Bishops, Deans, Masters or Wardens, Archdeacons and Chancellors, wear cassocks with their gowns; that the short cassock be altogether discontinued ; that no Clergyman wear full sleeve gowns, but those entitled to them by their degrees; that all others wear black gowns of the fashion consistent with their several degrees, without hoods, except on those occasions upon which the Bishops wear their chains; that Non-graduates wear gowns of the same fashion as Bachelors of Arts; that on chain occasions, when the rochet is not worn, Bishops wear gowns of purple velvet lined with black silk, Deans, Masters or Wardens, Archdeacons, and Chancellors, gowns of 'black velvet, and Doctors, of the different kinds, gowns of scarlet cloth; that the rochet of Deans, Masters or Wardens, Archdeacons, and Chancellors, be like that of Bishops, only the chimere, or back, to be of silk instead of satin, and without any train; that Bishops have trains for one train-bearer only on state occasions, Archbishops trains for two; that, besides going to churches to officiate in gowns, all ministers shall, when not most manifestly inconvenient, wear their gowns when attending divine service without taking any official part in it; that the full-dress convocation robes be only worn in going to, or receiving, the King, or his Commissioners, in attending divine service in convocation state, and by the Bishops at Court, on the King's and Queen's birth days, with their usual addresses, and at coronations; that in convocation debates the black silk gown be worn; that Bishops, Lords of Parliament, except the Reader, wear their rochets only on chain days, that, at other times, except when the Parliamentary robes are worn, they appear in their black silk gowns and cassocks; that Bishops, not Lords of Parliament, if any are present, shall wear their gowns, except that when the King is there they shall wear their rochets; that with robes of