Let me now, dear brethren, place before you I. The circumstances under which the words of my text were uttered. II. The force of these words under those circumstances. III. The condition of the poor amongst ourselves. And IV. Our duty in relation to the poor. May the poor man's best friend, the Lord himself, by his Holy Spirit pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity," and teach us our duty, and incline us to do it cheerfully! I. The circumstances under which the words of my text were uttered were remarkable. tremble, manifesting as it did the divine omniscience of Christ, added, "What thou doest, do quickly." 3. The disciples mistook our Lord's words, which probably were uttered in an under tone, and were distinctly heard only by the disciple leaning on Jesus's bosom and by the traitor. They misunderstood the address of Jesus, and "thought, because Judas had the bag," was the treasurer, bursar, or steward of the party," that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast," viz., the sacrifices and offerings required for the morrow; "or, that he should give something to the poor." These words, then, were spoken under a misapprehension of our Lord's real language and its meaning. II. Nevertheless, the words uttered under those remarkable circumstances had, and still have, a peculiar force. Let us attend to this point. 1. The time was one of deep and solemn interest. "Jesus knew that his hour was come," the hour when he would go down to the lowest steps of his self-humiliation for the sins of men-to the lowest depths of that Some thought that Jesus had told Judas poverty by which the poorest of the poor may" that he should give something to the poor." now be made rich for ever, even the beggar I infer from this that it was the custom of be raised from the dung-hill, and set among Jesus, the custom of the whole party, by comthe princes of the heavenly kingdom. He mon consent and out of the common purse, had just stooped to the occupation of a menial to "give something to the poor," and that servant, washing the feet of twelve poor, sin- Judas himself was made their almoner. Yes, ful men, and one of them his own betrayer. he, who as man was the bright example of What an example! The time was that of every grace and excellence, though poor himthe highest Jewish festival, the feast of the self, often with no place where to lay his passover; and Jesus, with his disciples, were head, at times without money enough to pay celebrating it. They were partaking of sacra- a small tax, was wont to give of the little mental food-the unleavened bread and the which at other times he had, to relieve the roasted lamb-fit emblems of himself as necessities of the poor. For many such there "the bread of life," and "the Lamb of God." always would be at Jerusalem, the capital of 2. The person to whom these words had the country; and more numerous than usual reference was one who sustained high offices, would the poor in Sion then be, when gawhile his personal character was dark and thered from all quarters to keep the passover. was about to become infamous. This was The poor man would be helped, that he and Judas Iscariot, a disciple, an apostle of his family might eat the feast, and rejoice. Jesus; a man who had professed himself In this, and in many other ways, would Jesus Christ's friend, follower, and servant; who evince that he was the personage foretold by had preached in his name, and who in that the prophets, who should be a strength to name had wrought miracles. The little com- the poor, a strength to the needy in his dispany had just witnessed something very un- tress." Poor as the disciples were, poor as usual in their Lord's manner : He was he their Lord and Master was, there were troubled in spirit;" and his mental agitation poorer still; and these were to be neither had evidently appeared to them. Their forgotten, nor neglected. The very mistake of minds, too, were distressed when they heard the disciples, therefore, in this instance, undehim say, "Verily, verily, one of you shall signedly brought out into view a most lovely betray me." "Lord, who is it?" asks the feature in the character of Jesus. It was affectionate John, in the name of Peter and his custom to "give something to the poor." the rest. Yea, each one, scarcely allowing John to finish his question, eagerly and sorrowfully inquires, "Lord, is it I?" The guilty one is immediately pointed out by the gift of a piece of bread dipped in the paschal dish. At that moment the prince of darkness entered the dark heart of Judas; and his Master, with a look of mingled pity and majesty, which must have made even Satan And Judas was wont to be the almoner! The relief was wont to pass through his hands, for he filled the office of treasurer. "He had the bag, and bare what was put therein," as we read partly in this same verse, and more fully in the sixth verse of the previous chapter. Only six days had gone by since Judas had officiously obtruded upon general notice his pretended concern for the poor. At the house of the generous Mary Jesus had been very hospitably entertained, and more than usual honour had been paid him. Costly, very costly ointment of spikenard had been poured upon his sacred feet. Judas saw this with an evil eye. Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" Mark the comment of the inspired writer: "This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." Our Lord justified the conduct of Mary, though he never countenanced extravagance or waste. "The poor," added he, " ye have always with you, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have not always." Still "Judas had the bag;" and I think it very likely that Mary, her sister and her brother, would take that very opportunity of replenishing the scantily-supplied "bag" with fresh means of doing good to the poor at the approaching feast. It might be their knowledge of this fact which in part led the disciples to expect that at the passover Jesus would command that "something should be given to the poor." Probably this had already in part been done, and that to an extent beyond what the greedy and selfish pursebearer liked; for he could not now secretly appropriate to his own use so much as he coveted, and hence partly his readiness to get thirty pieces of silver for himself by the betrayal of bis master. How mysterious it seems that men of his stamp should so often as they are be entrusted with wealth which they have not the heart to employ for the benefit of others! They have "the bag," but they do not like to open it, to give any thing to the poor. III. Let me place before you the condition of the poor amongst ourselves. They are a numerous class. They always are the many; while the wealthy are the few. At some seasons their condition may be as blessed and happy as that of the more affluent, possibly even more so. When the poor have health and employment and "godliness with contentment," the voice of joy is as often and as sweetly heard in their humble homes as in the dwellings of the wealthy. Especially is this the case when "God hath chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom." But at all times there are many poor whose pathway through life is dark and joyless, whose sorrows and sufferings are many, and whose comforts are few. The sick, the aged, the orphan, the widowed, alway are numerous. The poor generally are subject to the same afflictions as those in easier circumstances, while they have not the same means of relief or alleviation. Other seasons, however, there are when the poor suffer as such, and almost universally. A severe winter, for instance, like the present, forces its way into every poor man's dwelling. He cannot, like those in better circumstances, bar his door against it. To multitudes a hard, long frost is the entire suspension of labour; and with that comes a dearth of the means of support. Then follows debt for the necessaries of life, and pawning of the few articles of clothing or furniture procured in the bright and summer day. Look at the parents and children clothed with thin, cheap garments, the produce of our worst manufactories. Examine the miserable bed of a few tattered rags, with scarcely any linen, and with but a solitary blanket, if even that. See the last faintly-burning embers in the scantily-furnished grate. Mark illness coming in to aggravate every one of these circumstances of destitution. You have here but a feebly coloured picture of the condition of the poor around you. The serious deficiency of agricultural employment through the late beautiful, but also very dry summer, has materially added to the wants of the present winter. We could detail to you instances in proof of our descriptions which would make your hearts bleed. It may be said that many of the evils of poverty are augmented and even caused by the improvident and intemperate habits of the poor. Much awful truth is contained in this statement; and for the sake of the poor themselves, for the sake of their temporal and everlasting interests, these facts must be stated, deplored, and condemned. But if the first stone is to be thrown at the poor man only by his better-off neighbour, who himself is without sin on the score of improvidence and wastefulness, the question will soon have to be asked him, Where are those thine accusers? Improvidence, waste, and intemperance are not confined to the poorest classes. To the same causes also might be traced many of the casualties and maladies which fill our hospitals. If none were admitted there but such as are guiltless of their own sufferings, the number of patients would soon be lessened. But— IV. What is our duty to the poor? For it is with them as poor that we have to do. Their very condition places them in a certain relation to those who are not poor: "The poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land." Our duty then is plain: "Give something to the poor." "Give." Let none reply," We pay CHURCH OF ENGLAND MAGAZINE. be correct, but not in all; for conscience is not always a judge, that cannot be bribed. Rather give as in the sight of God, as though the Saviour were standing by and saying, "Ye do it unto me.' Yes, "give something to the poor" for Christ's sake; because it is his will, because true charity bears his image, because he gave himself for you. All you give, aye, if you give all your goods to feed the poor, it cannot save you, or blot out one sin. But, if you give because you love Christ, it will be an evidence that you are his people, and that his bright presence is your inheritance. Therefore, "give something to the poor." poor-rates enough: let them go to the parish, and get relief there." If all were to follow your advice, and reduce themselves to pauperism, when want arises and when winter chills them, you would soon have to pay in rates for more than you are now likely to give in charity. You pay poor-rates by compulsion; it is the law of man; and in this he can and will be obeyed. But it is the gracious will of him on whom you are as dependent as the poorest of the destitute, that you should not merely pay, but also "give." And "the Lord loveth a cheerful giver." We do not say that you are to give indiscriminately. Far from it. The widesthanded and the largest-hearted charity should give discreetly. The economy of charity is one of its most valuable properties; not the economy of avarice, which will give as little ON THE PROPER PERFORMANCE OF PUBas it can, but the economy of a wise liberality, which will give as much as it can, and make that tell as far as possible upon WHILE paying a visit to England, some months the real wants of the children of poverty. "Give." Do so, if possible, by your own hand. Visit the poor yourselves. Select your own cases, adopt your own objects. Be like your Saviour, who went about doing good. All may do some good by their own hands. If you are precluded from personally doing so, thankfully employ the hands of others, of your ministers, and of those who make it one of the ends for which they generally live to visit the poor, the widow, and the fatherless in their affliction. "Give something to the poor." As a general rule, it is wiser and better to lay out money for them than to give it to them-I mean as a gift. If they work for money-wages, they have a right to what they work for; but, if they are the recipients of your bounty, its precise character and mode must be left to your discretion. Yet certainly they are the best friends of the poor who provide employment for those who can work. None are to be encouraged to eat the bread of idleness. Still it may be quite our duty to add to the comfort of those who are employed. Does not our Father in heaven of his free grace give us more thau bare necessaries, more than we ask, more than "daily bread?" "Be ye therefore merciful, even as your Father which is in heaven is merciful." Do you ask how much shall we give? I answer, LIC WORSHIP. "I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord."-Ps. cxxii. 1. ago, when I went to church I was much struck at the great apparent want of devotion which the congregations there showed, by their total silence during the service. Except in one or two instances, not a single response or "amen" could be heard, save from the one individual who re sponded for the whole-that one the clerk-I am inclined to think a very useless appendage, and sometimes of actual harm; because many do not think of reading or speaking aloud when they have a person appointed to do it for them, who would not object to do so if no such officer was recognized. In some of our churches here [in Ireland], or rather chapels of ease, we have no clerks; consequently, the responses are audibly spoken by a large majority of the people, and the psalms read alternately by the clergyman and his congregation, instead of between himself and only one other. I say, then, I was struck by the apparent want of devotion exhibited in the English churches I attended. I do not for a moment mean to intimate that there was a real want of devotional spirit; but it must be admitted that the responses ought to be spoken, and the psalms read aloud, by the whole congregation. Let us examine this. Our liturgy, after the exhortation, begins, as the rubric says, with "a general confession to be said of the whole congregation after the minister." And Wheatley comments on this: "For which reason," says he, alluding to the necessity of confession," the church has placed this at the beginning of the service for the whole congregation to repeat after the minister, that some may be witnesses of each other's confession. And this," he continues, "is consonant, as we learn from St. Basil, to the practice of the primitive Christians, who, he tells us, in all churches, immediately upon their entering the house of prayer, made confession of their sins with much sorrow, concern, and tears, every man pronouncing his own confession with his own mouth." "Confess your faults one to another," says the apostle James (v. 16). Again, see the rubric which precedes the Lord's prayer. I will quote it here, because, though every one has it in his prayer-book, yet I believe these and meet together," we should tell "each other"— testify aloud-our belief, that our neighbour may hear us. instructions are seldom if ever read by the gene- Now we come to the beautiful psalm, so appropriate for the position it holds in the liturgy: "O come let us sing unto the Lord." Nor is this either intended by our church to be merely read by the minister and his clerk. It is a song of praise, an acknowledgment of the omnipotence of God, of his mercy to man in allowing him to say, "For he is the Lord our God." And surely, unless this is read aloud, that is, unless the response or alternate verse is read aloud by the whole congregation, or, to say the least, a large portion, can it have the effect of proving that the people have assembled to praise their great Creator ? Nay, it seems as if they had met as a mere matter of form on the sabbath morning, to continue a habit they have been educated in, and would therefore think it wrong to abandon. After the psalms of the day and the lessons have been read, we come to the "Te Deum""We praise thee O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord." Who are the we? The minister and the clerk? Those two of the whole congregation are the only people who say (whatever the rest may think), "We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord;" and so on. Observe now the rubric preceding the apostles' creed “Then shall be sung, or said, the creed by the minister and the people, standing." What is What is the object of this creed forming part of our liturgy? Is it not because it is the duty of every Christian to make a public acknowledgment of his belief in its articles? As it is a part of our duty when we meet for the purpose of worship at God's house to praise him, so it is equally incumbent on us to acknowledge our belief in him and in his Son and in his Holy Spirit. The creed, then, should be read aloud by the people, "the more expressly," says Wheatley, "to declare their belief of it to each other," that is, more is required of us than merely in our hearts to say, "I believe in God;" but, when we "assemble 66 There are two kinds of prayers used in our liturgy, which have been termed "orationes" and preces; the former intended to be spoken aloud only by the minister, to which the people are to say amen;" the latter those which are to be said aloud by both together, or almost together. Of these two kinds, that most beautiful "general supplication," our litany, is composed. This is not generally considered. The four first sentences are of the latter class, the "preces;" and should be said by the clergyman and the whole congregation together. Then come the former class, when the people should respond: "Spare us, good Lord;" "Good Lord deliver us;" and, "We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord." Then, at the conclusion of the litany, the "preces" are again taken up; and all those sentences beginning, Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us," down to the end of the Lord's prayer, which immediately follows, should be all said with the minister. And it will be seen that our prayer-book expressly shows this; for it will be observed that these sentences are not divided, or rather distinguished; as those, for instance, which are first used in the opening of the service, where it is written Priest: "O Lord open thou our lips." Answer: "And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise." And so after the Lord's prayer, which nearly finishes the litany, the distinction is made thus-Priest: "O Lord, deal not with us after our sins." Answer: "Neither reward us," &c. Then, as a further confirmation, after the prayer beginning, "O Lord arise," the "preces" are resumed; and the distinction is again made after have finished the sentence, "Graciously hear us, O Christ:" for it is written you Priest: "O Lord, let thy mercy," &c. Answer: "As we do put our trust," &c. And one word more with regard to the " orationes." To each of these, as indeed to both classes, the word "amen," is affixed. Most peo ple, when there is a clerk, never think of such a thing as repeating this very important, though small word; but it should be considered that it is as much their duty to say this as to say any other portion of the service; for what is its import? "So may it be:" may the prayer be heard which has just been offered. "The people shall answer here, and at the end of all other prayers, Amen,' says the rubric, after the absolution. And here I would again call to the reader's mind that it is the people who are to perform this and the other duties now generally performed by only one individual. The rubric does not mention such a person as the clerk at all, but the people. It is told us in the Acts (iv. 24): "And, being let go (Peter and John), they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And, when they heard that, they lifted up their voice with one accord, and said," &c. Observe, they "lifted up their voice" (npav pwvny) with "one accord" (oμoOvuador), and prayed. And now, having, I hope, shown the repeating and praying aloud is a part of the Christian's duty when at church, allow me, in conclusion, to ask every reader of this, if he has not already adopted that plan, to do so in future. For, first, is not a church a place set apart for public worship? When we enter our closets to pray, we "pray in secret," as we are directed by our blessed Lord to do; but, when we assemble at church at a fixed hour, so that all who are inclined may come at the same time, that is for the purpose of public not of private worship. And the mere assembly of a number of people can hardly constitute public worship, unless they perform the service in a public manner, that is, so that each may know that his neighbour as well as himself is engaged in the worship of God. Next, the advantage of this. The proper mode of conducting our most beautiful liturgy is, as I quoted before, that it "quickens the people's devotion." It is also an incitement to religion in a two-fold way. It leads one to a deeper feeling of devotion and anxiety to worship "in spirit and in truth;" and it stimulates our neighbour, who may be deficient in this respect, to follow our example and share our feelings-truly two great objects to be attained. Lastly, how delightful it is to see, on the sabbath, that the people have in reality assembled for the purpose it is intended they should, to hear their voices "lifted up" with "one accord" in prayer and praise! And, on the other hand, how painful it is to hear the whole of our beautiful service conducted by only two persons-no response from the crowds who sometimes throng the pews and the aisles, not even a solitary "Amen" from frequently hundreds who pretend to have met for worship! What can this indicate but a coldness, a deadness, a total absence of fervour? and, as I said before, must it not appear as if nearly the whole of a parish or a district had met together to perform a "lifeless ceremony," ," to keep up a mere form, which, as respectable people, people with common-place characters, they feel bound to do? R. H. D. THE RELAXATION OF THE PEOPLE*. "THOSE games should not be overlooked which are of a manly kind, and likely to be coutinued in after-life. This brings us naturally to think of the play-grounds for children of a larger growth. Hitherto there has been a sad deficiency in this matter in our manufacturing towns, and almost every where else. Can any thing be more lamentable to contemplate than a dull, grim, and vicious population, whose only amusement is sensuality? Yet, what can we expect, if we provide no means whatever of recreation, if we never share our own pleasures with our poorer brethren, and if the public buildings which invite them in their brief hours of leisure are chiefly gin-palaces? As for our cathedrals and great churches, we mostly have them well locked up, for fear any one should steal in and say a prayer, or contemplate a noble work of art, without paying for it; and we shut people up by thousands in dense towns with no outlets to the country but those which are guarded on each side by dusty hedges. Now, an open space near a town is one of nature's churches; and it is an imperative duty to provide such things. Nor, indeed, should we stop at giving breathing * From "Literary Gazette," on "The Claims of Latour." Pickering, 1844. | places to crowded multitudes in great towns. To provide cheap locomotion, as a means of social improvement, should be ever in the minds of legislators and other influential persons. Blunders in legislating about railroads, and absurd expenditure in making them, are a far greater public detriment than they may seem at first sight. Again, without interfering too much, or attempting to force a 'Book of Sports' upon the people, who, in that case, would be resolutely dull and lugubrious, the benevolent employer of labour might exert himself in many ways to encourage healthful and instructive amusements amongst his men. He might give prizes for athletic excellence or skill. He might aid in establishing zoological gardens, or music meetings, or exhibitions of pictures, or mechanics' institutes. These are things in which some of the great employers of labour have already set him the example. Let him remember how much his work-people are deprived of by being almost confined to one spot; and let him be the more anxious to enlarge their minds by inducing them to take interest in any thing which may prevent the ignorant present,' and its low cares, from absorbing all their attention. He has very likely some pursuit, or some art, in which he takes especial pleasure himself, and which gives to his leisure, perhaps, its greatest charm: he may be sure that there are many of his people who could be made to share, in some degree, that pleasure or pursuit with him. It is a large, a sure, and certainly a most pleasurable beneficence to provide for the poor such opportunities of recreation or means of amusement as I have mentioned above. Neither can it be set down as at all a trifling matter. Depend upon it, that man has not made any great progress in humanity who does not care for the leisure hours and amusements of his fellow-men.' 66 And, above all, we cordially join with the author in earnestly recommending the allotment system, and we agree with him in believing that it will be more beneficial in manufacturing than in agricultural districts. Over them may it be speedily and largely extended. For 'it would form an additional means of support; it would tend to endear home to the working man; it would provide a pleasing change of employment for him in good times; it would render him not so listless when out of work; and it would give him knowledge, an additional topic of conversation, and an interest in various things which he might never, otherwise, have felt the least concern for. Moreover, it amuses and occupies the little ones in a family; and it leaves less temptation for parents to employ children too early in factories or workshops, when they can find something else for them to do which may be profitable. In this respect, indeed, any improvement in domestic comfort, or any additional domestic pursuit, is likely to be beneficial, as it enlarges the sphere of household duties, and creates more reasons for the wife and children being left at home. Again, as there is hard labour to be done in a garden, this allotment system might occasionally prevent the sense of an almost unnatural dependence being so much exhibited or felt, when the children are employed in some factory and the grown-up people are not. This is one of the greatest evils that at present attend the state of manufactures. Some of the |