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rate with the death of Christ, and correspond in importance and extent with his atonement and mediation, as they are equally essential to our Salvation :

"As, then, we believe, on the surest

warrant of Holy Writ, in the doctrine of universal redemption by the blood of Christ, so must we believe, on the same authority, in the universality of divine grace. These doctrines, indeed, even as distinct topics of contemplation, may well engage all the faculties of the mind while they correct and elevate the affections of the heart but if we view them in connec

tion, the mercy of God shines forth in brighter colours, and the whole subject assumes a higher degree of sublimity and importance. We then perceive more clearly that redemption, in the widest sense of the word, is not confined to families or to nations. No groundless or arbitrary distinctions are made between those who are children of the same parent. • God hath made of one blood all nations;' he will have all men to be saved and to come to

the knowledge of the truth.' In furtherance of this design he has established such a covenant and provided such means of grace as will comprehend all who are

willing to embrace them. To different persons, indeed, in different ages of the world, he has assigned situations of greater or less advantage, with respect to the knowledge of his will. But this does not affect the main position. It is still true, that in every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him,' and that,' if there be a willing mind

it is accepted according to that a man hath,

and not according to that he hath not.'"P. 83.

It is also true, that nothing but obstinate and wilful transgression, can deprive a man of this grace, which is diffused wherever the Gospel is revealed, and operates wherever it is not resisted or despised which is not denied even to the wicked, until by their obduracy they have excluded themselves from all further participation of the gift, and which is vouchsafed as it is essentially requisite and necessary to every man, who is earnest in his endeavours to fulfil the sublime and arduous duties of Christian morality.

The doctrine of Universal Grace may be thought to conflict, as in truth it corresponds and is connected with, the doctrine of Predestination, a doctrine which it is of high importance to understand, and of which the true knowledge can only be acquired from a severe and diligent examination of the Scriptures. The great foundations of this doctrine are laid in the Epistles to the Romans and the Ephesians: in the former of which the Divine knowledge precedes the decree, and comprehends the means and condition, as well as the end or final result. In the Epistle to the Ephesians the same order is implied. Mr. Strong's argument is conducted on the hypothesis of a predestination of individuals to eternal life: we cannot conceal our preference of the exposition of Mr. Young, in his Sermon on Predestination; a Sermon, conducted on the soundest principles of Scriptural interpretation, most irrefragable in argument, and conveying the most powerful consolation to the perplexed and doubtful mind in a clear demonstration, that the purpose of God, according to St. Paul, respects the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith and privileges of the Gospel.

The doctrine of the Church of

England, concerning this and every other religious truth, is founded in the Scriptures, and it is not possible to read the Discourse of Dr. Winchester on the Seventeenth Article, or the luminous analysis of that Discourse, annexed by Dr. Copleston to his Sermons on Predestination, without observing the scrupulous anxiety of the Reformers, upon whom the discussion was forced by the controversies of the day, to avoid all human exposition, and to adhere to the unsophisticated language of Scripture. The Seventeenth Article is, in fact, a compilation from the Scriptures, and whatever sense the Scriptures can be demonstrated to bear, that sense is the doctrine of the Church of Eng

land.

The Article itself maintains: "we must receive God's promises in such wise, as they be generally set forth in Holy Scripture:"

"The word Predestination is not introduced in the Liturgy, for the best and most obvious reasons, but the doctrine itself is recognized in such manner as may produce a salutary effect on the minds of ordinary men, without exciting any ground. less apprehensions, or drawing their attention to dark and mysterious subjects. In the Burial Service we pray that it may please God shortly to accomplish the number of his elect, and to hasten his kingdom.' Here we profess our beliet that the character and conduct of all mankind, past, present, and to come, are so entirely open to the eye of God, that the very number of those who shall be saved is

absolutely determined." P. 109.

"The number of the elect" is not a Scriptural expression: it occurs in the Epistle of Clemens Romanus, and however definitive the number may seem to be, the elect, in the language of that Apostolical father, is sufficiently comprehensive.

Mr. Strong's last Sermon is on the purity and integrity of the Sacred Text, and on the rules by which that purity and integrity may be as. certained. It is valuable as an ele. mentary discourse on an important branch of professional study, and the remarks on the critical character

of Griesbach and Wetstein will not

be read without profit, if they preserve the reader from an unworthy deference to the authority of great names. The texts (Acts xx. 28.) has been most severely debated, and forms an useful praxis in a Dis course on Sacred Criticism, and affords, at the same time, an occa. sion of practical exhortation to the imitation of the Apostles, and the great Exemplars of our own Church,

There are three appendixes to these Discourses: of which, the first treats of the formation of a part of the Constantinopolitan Creed, and exhibits the ancient Creeds of Jeru salem and of Rome: the second briefly notices Calvin's doctrine of Predestination: the third relates to the authority of the Fathers in ascertaining the text of Scripture, and contains a brief, but curious and interesting, examination of those passages of the Fathers, to which Wetstein appeals in vindication of the reading of Kupiou, in Acts xx. 28., and which are shewn to be utterly irrelevant.

There is nothing in this little volume, of which theologians will not approve, or of which well-educated men should not blush to be igno

rant.

MONTHLY REGISTER.

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE worth, George Gipps, Esq. M.P.

ENLARGEMENT AND BUILDING
OF CHURCHES AND CHAPELS.

THE Anniversary Meeting of this Society was held on the 20th day of May, at the Society's Rooms, in Lincoln's Inn Fields, present, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the chair; Bishop of London, Bishop of Chester, Bishop of Llandaff, Lord Kenyon, Dean of Carlisle, Archdeacon of Cambridge, Archdeacon Watson, Archdeacon Blomfield, Rev. Dr. Shepherd, Rev. Dr. Words

Joshua Watson, Esq. together with a large assembly of subscribers to the institution.

Report.-During the last year, the aid of the Society has been applied for in 68

cases, several of which are still under

consideration. 34 grants have been made, and by this assistance, Church room has been provided for 16,891 persons; and this increased accommodation furnishes 12,764 free and unappropriated sittings,

about three-fourths of the whole number.

The grants made by the Society to promote this object, have amounted to £15,551.

Statement of Contributions.-Donations, £60,321 16s. 10d. Annual Subscriptions, £626 10s.

The Committee have especial pleasure in reporting, that during the last year, the Society has received two anonymous donations of Five Hundred Pounds each.

During the two preceding years, warrants were issued for the payment of £13,212, the amount of 70 grants, and the sum of £11,140, the amount of 44 grants, has been paid during the last year, making the number of grants where the work has been completed 114, and the whole amount.actually paid, £24,352.

Other grants have been voted by the Society at different times, to the amount of £29,281 which will be paid upon the receipt of the usual certificates, that the works have been satisfactorily completed.

The mention of such places as the Island of Serk, the Scilly Islands, the Parish Church of Stapleton, and in that of St. George, comprehending the village of Pill, both in the populous neighbourhood of Bristol; St. Peter's, Nottingham, a town in which the want of Church room is most seriously felt; the Parish Church of Walsall, and Lane End Chapel, the one situated in the midst of the Iron works, and "the other among the Potteries of Staffordshire, will probably be of itself sufficient to shew the inability of the respective inhabitants, to provide themselves with the additional Church room they so much wanted, without some foreign aid. That aid has been given by this Society, and in some cases to a very large amount, where the circumstances seemed not merely to justify but to demand it. In other instances, where the ability of the Parish was greater, and the contribution of the Society has consequently been less, its usefulness has still been as strongly manifested; for it has appeared by acknowledgments received, that without the impulse thus given, the increased accommodation would never have been procured.

These instances, coupled with the general statement of their operations, will serve to shew that the expectation and promise of aid have encouraged and enabled the inhabitants of various parishes to begin and complete the enlargement or improvement of their respective Churches and Chapels. Consequently, they shew the great utility of this Society, and the important results with which it has been mainly instrumental in producing. As far as its sphere of action can extend, it provides for the wants of an increasing population. It has already contributed to fur nish in different Churches and Chapels of

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our Establishment more than 66,000 additional seats, of which nearly 50,000 are free, and unappropriated.

Consecration of Pancras Church.

On the 7th of May the new Parish Church of St. Pancras, the first stone of which was laid by his Royal Highness the Duke of York on the 1st of July, 1819, was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of London.

The Church is situated on the south side of the New Road, having its western front in Euston Square; and is so conspicuously placed, that it has attracted a good deal of public attention during the progress of its erection, by its unusual size, and peculiar style of architecture.

A short account of the building itself, and of the dedication of it to its holy purpose, may therefore be acceptable to our readers.

The doors of the Church were opened at ten o'clock, and at half-past eleven the Lord Bishop of London, and the Lord Bishop of Llandaff, entered at the great western door, where they were met by the ecclesiastical officers of the Diocese, the Vicar, Churchwardens, and twelve of the Trustees of the Church. The Bishop proceeded to the front of the altar, and there received from the Vicar, the Rev. Dr. Moore, the petition to consecrate, which was read by the Registrar. A procession was then formed, according to the usual order, which passed down the middle aisle, the Bishops and Clergy repeating alternately verses of the 24th Psalm, and returned up it to the altar rails, within which the Bishop of London, and his two Chaplains took their seats. The Vicar having presented the Acts of Parliament, and deeds of conveyance, which were laid on the communion table, the Bishop began the first part of the dedication service, at the end of which the sentence of consecration was read by the Chancellor, Sir C. Robinson, signed by the Bishop, and delivered to the Registrar.

The Morning Service, including the Psalms and Lessons appointed for the occasion, was then read from the desk by the Rev. Dr. Burrow, one of the trustees. The Communion Service from the altar, by the Bishop; the Epistle and Gospel, by his two Chaplains, Mr. Oakley and Mr. Jones. An Anthem was sung after the Second Lesson, and another after the Prayers, by the gentlemen and choristers of the Chapel Royal. The 100th Psalm before the Sermon, by the children of the St. Pancras National Schools, of whom, 600 were seated on each side of the organ.

The Sermon was preached by the Vicar, who took as his text Psalm xcvi. 9.; and the service was concluded from the altar by the Right Reverend Prelate.

The propriety with which all the arrangements for the detail of the Consecration had been made, and the exactness with which they were executed, entirely prevented any thing like disorder or interruption. The service, and the scene together were as affecting and as gratifying to the religious observer, as can well be conceived. The day of consecration of its Church will long be remembered in the Parish of St. Pancras, as a proud and happy day, and even by those who are not immediately concerned, with thankfulness to Almighty God, for having brought this work to its completion, to the honour of his name, and the support of the Church of England.

The new building, becoming on its consecration, the Parish Church, has been erected at the sole charge of the Parishioners, who with a most laudable zeal, and a liberality which redounds highly to their credit, have by the authority of a local Act of Parliament, constructed an edifice, which, with regard both to the valuable and substantial quality of the materials (the whole exterior being of Portland stone and Terra cotta, more durable than stone, and the interior of oak ;) and to the provision for accommodating as large a number of the inhabitants as possible without exceeding the compass of the human voice, is not surpassed by any sacred structure in the metropolis, if indeed it be equalled by any. Such a building is not to be finished ať a small expence : and it is a matter of no small praise to the parishioners, that they have cheerfully expended a very considerable sum upon an object so worthy of their generous exertions. It should be known, too, that a large Parochial Chapel is already begun at Camden Town, to be built under the provisions of the same Act, and to be paid for out of the same funds as the Church, collected by an easy rate upon the parish.

As the architectural design is very different from any thing to which the public eye has been accustomed in this country; and as it puts in a claim to consideration in consequence of its being the first attempt to introduce the principles of Gre. cian architecture, as distinguished from the Roman, into our ecclesiastical buildings of magnitude and importance, it may not be amiss to mention the authority which exists for the several parts of the building, and the manner in which the an

tient models have been adapted to the present purpose. The design of Mr. Inwood, which is now executed, was originally selected by the Board of Trustees as being more simple, more commodious, more accordant with the best standards of taste, than any other, out of the many which were submitted to them. The enormous expence of erecting a Gothic, or English Church, equal in durability and execution, to what might be effected in a less elaborate style, determined them against attempting to build a Church, which after all could only be a very bumble imitation of the magnificent cathedrals which attest the endless resources of the hierarchy in the days of Roman Catholic ascendancy, but defy all competition in these more economical and unostentations times. The plan adopted, therefore, was of a different kind; and the models to which it was determined to adhere, as closely as might be practicable, were taken from the spot where science once filonrished in its greatest splendour. The Erectheum, the small Ionic Temple which still stands on the Acropolis of Athens, the eastern portico of which was dedicated to Erectheus, the sixth king of Athens; the western to Minerva Polias, the supposed protectress of the city; and the attached little fane, or southern wing, to Pandrosus, the grand-daughter of Erectheus, has been as nearly copied in the design of St. Pancras Church as difference of circumstances and destinations would allow.

It is understood that the Erectheum was completed about B.C. 400, having been in progress during a period of about forty years, in which the fine arts were raised to their highest pitch of glory by the taste and munificence of Pericles, and the skill of Phidias aud Ictinus. It is to be expected, therefore, that the decorations and proportions of a building of that date should be of the first rank of art; and such the remains of the Erecthenm are esteemed.

In a modern Christian Church it is impossible to adhere servilely to the precise construction of a Pagan temple; nor is it desirable that it should be attempted; but in following the proportions very nearly, and the decorations even minutely, in deviating from the forms and ornaments only where there is necessity—that is, in adapting whatever is admirable in the beautiful remnants of antient art to the character and purposes of a Church of England, all that can be done, is done, for the preservation of good taste. Whatever deviations from the model have been found necessary in St. Pancras Church, they have been

made on the principles, as it would ap.
pear, of Grecian architecture. Thus, for
example, the tower, or steeple, is deemed
a necessary appendage to a Church, and
therefore ought not to be omitted, how-
ever it may interfere with the style of
those ages in which no such things were
allowed to break up the long extended
horizontal line. In submission to esta-
blished custom, the tower of St. Pancras
is raised to a considerable height, and it is
composed, not copied, from the tower of
the Winds, or Clepsydra, at Athens; a
building, indeed, certainly of much later
date, and consequently of less authority
than the temple of Erecthens, but suitable
in many respects (and the only one in
Greece which is so) to the purpose of an
English ornamental Campanulum. As we
find in the Propylæa, or entrance to the
Acropolis, that the portico is Doric, but
the inner range of columns Ionic, most
remarkably brought down to the simpli-
city of the Doric, by stripping them of
their volutes; so here it seems to have
been the intention of the architect to
adopt the least decorated example of Co-
rinthian, because it more nearly assimi-
lated with the Ionic of the portico; by
this means, very judiciously availing him-
self of the effect of gradual transition,
On the sum-
rather than strong contrast.
mit of the tower, which in the original
supported a shifting vane, is planted the
cross, the sacred symbol of our faith. On
that elevated pinnacle it stands (and long
may it stand!) an emblem of the triumph
of Christianity, over the boasted influence
of heathen superstition. It appropriately
terminates the edifice, on the front stone
of which is inscribed, in the character and
dialect used when the Erectheum was
erected,

*Μακάριο φως Ευαγγελιο έτως αει
φωτίξοι της Εθνων αφανείς νεως.
With respect to the construction of the
interior, it appears as if the great deside-
ratum, facility of hearing and seeing in a
large building, were really attained. The
Church contains upwards of 2200 sittings,
and yet simply by avoiding all obstruc-
tions to the voice, all heavy peers and
angular projections, by leaving a free pas-
sage below the galleries, and a large unin-
terrupted area above them, it seems as if
no difficulty would be experienced, on or-
dinary occasions, either by the officiating
miuister, or his congregation, as to speak-
ing and hearing. Upon the whole, the
simplicity which is characteristic of the
style of architecture, and the excellence of
the proportions, which diminishes at least

one-third the apparent magnitude of the building, the beauty of the mouldings and ornaments, combined with the richness of the communion plate and hangings, presented on the day of consecration a fine architectural treat to those who are fond, and are capable to judge, of the niceties of the fine arts, applied to the best of purposes.

The exterior is not yet complete, and is therefore scarcely a fair subject for criticism. It is impossible to judge of the effect of the portico, till the capitals are placed upon the columns, or of the Mausoleum buildings, till the female figures, after the original, are fixed in their intended stations. From what is complete, however, we have reason to expect that every attention will be paid, and every endeavour used to render the whole as great an honour to the age, as the several parts are creditable to the individuals who have executed them.

Tyldesley Banks Church.

TYLDESLEY BANKS has attracted the attention of His Majesty's Commissioners for the Building of National Churches, and, with great propriety, they have determined to apply a part of the Funds, appropriated for the purpose of adding to the number of Churches, to the erection of one at this rapidly increasing town, which is situate in one of the most populous Manufacturing districts of this county,

and during the life of the present proprietor of the land, THOMAS JOHNSON, Esq. has increased from two farm houses, by which the whole site of the present town was occupied on his inheriting the estate from his father, to upwards of 700 houses, and nearly 5000 inhabitants! The want of accommodation for this population in an Established Church, has been of late years, severely felt. A remedy is now in progress. For some time back a great number of workmen have been employed in preparation of the foundation, &c., and on Tuesday last, the 23d instant. on the commeniorating day of St. George, the Patron Saint of England, and in honour of whom the Church is to be named, the chief foundation-stone was laid.

At one o'clock, the Ladies and Gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood, preceded by a band of music, moved from the residence of THOMAS JOHNSON, Esq., (the donor of the land, for the Church and Church-yard) to the ground, where the ceremony commenced, by singing the old version of the 100th Psalm. The stone being elevated, by means of a triangle, &c. Mr. JOHN HUNTER, the superintendant of

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