A Charge, to the Clergy of the East Riding, Delivered at the Ordinary Visitation, A. D. 1846 (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from A Charge, to the Clergy of the East Riding, Delivered at the Ordinary Visitation, A. D. 1846In noticing the improvements which have taken place in our parish Churches, it is ground of satisfaction that a resto ration of the fabric has usually contributed to an increase in the congregation. At first sight this may seem surprising. The external building is of course only subsidiary: the assembly of god's people is that house not made with hands, in which is His real presence, and their place of meeting, whether it be crypt, catacomb, or chamber, has equal promise of those superhuman visitations of His ascended humanity in which individual devotion falls short of the worship of the great congregation. Hence' the ancient rule, ubi tres ibi ecclesia. Now this fact might have been supposed to furnish sufficient motive for men's assembling themselves together. What can move a man who is unaffected by the certainty Of Christ's near presence? What is more awakening than the solemn realities of death and judgment.? But man is a compound being, whom we must be content to take as we find. Enough, if by any means we may save some. Indeed, it has been matter of charge against the system of our Church, that it is too stiff and unaccommodating As early as the publication of the second book of Homilies, complaint is made of the infrequent attendance at Church, consequent on the proscription of certain attractive accessories to public worship. And the tendency of those days was so plainly towards superstition, that its suppression might be fitly pur chased by a temporary unpopularity. But however jealous our reformers of questionable forms, however disposed to throw their weight in an opposite direction, we must not for get that their decision was in favour of an abundance of usages, -which subsequent times have abandoned. A whole body of customs has passed away, by which the system of the Church was then rooted in the affections of the people. Even the significancy of those several seasons which recall our Lord's birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, seem in danger ere long of being forgotten. Whether men will be happier or more religious because they no longer consider it unseemly to marry in the holy season of our Lord's suffer ings, and because His Open sepulchre calls forth no cheerful acclamations that the Lord is risen, we need not now inquire.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.