ILLUSTRATIONS OF SOME OF THE RITES AND

CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND,
ACCORDING TO THE LITURGY, RUBRIC,

AND CANONS.

"OF ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS."

When a bishopric is vacated by death, translation, or otherwise, the sovereign, or more commonly the prime minister of the crown, fixes upon an individual to fill the vacancy; and in this selection the politi cal principles of the intended archbishop or bishop are pretty generally one of the considerations of fitness for the office: this is but a reasonable requisite, seeing that the archbishops and most of the bishops have seats and votes in the House of Lords. When the person is decided upon by the Government, a document or mandate is issued to the Church authorities of the vacant see, called a 66 conge d'elire," meaning in English," leave to elect." The document requires them to assemble and appoint a fit, meet, and godly man, to the office,-with many other directions, exhortations, and instructions as to the care to be exercised in their selection and appointment. All these instructions and advice, are however merely for form's sake, as cathedral authorities have not the slightest choice in the matter: an individual is recommended to them to be appointed, and they have no power to disregard the recommendation and appoint one of their own choice. They may, if they see just cause, object to elect the crown's nominee; but in that case presently a mandamus is issued for them to shew just cause for their refusal, and the case is then tried before the authorised court, but with no chance of success to the objectors. The crown's nominee is never refused, the crown having too many good things in its gift to make it a wise course for the cathedral authorities to offer any opposition..

When the "conge d'elire" has been issued, in due time the consecration takes place, and the fortunate individual is to be created a descendant of the Apostles, and the Holy Ghost is to be imparted to him as in the following service, with power to transmit it to all bishops or priests he may afterwards have to consecrate and ordain, with a palace, and a great revenue, town house, &c., &c.

"Man, proud man, drest in a little brief authority; most

ignorant of what he's most assured, his glassy essence; like
an angry ape, plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven,
as make e'en angels weep."—SHAKESPEARE.

The following is the most recent consecration

CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS.

(From the "Times.")

The interesting ceremonial of consecrating the Rev. Dr. Colenso as Bishop of Natal, and the Rev. Dr. Armstrong as Bishop of Graham's Town, took place at St. Mary's Church, Lambeth, in the presence of a large number of the clergy and distinguished members of the nobility and gentry.

The right rev. prelates, the clergy, and others taking part in the proceedings, assembled at the archiepiscopal palace, and proceeded thence to the church, passing up the aisle to the communion-table in the following order :——

The Sexton.

The two Beadles.

The Rector's Warden, Mr. Rossiter.

Mr. Churchwarden Taylor, Mr. Churchwarden Hughes, Mr.
Churchwarden Stratton.
Mr. Barber, Apparitor.

Mr. Felix Knyvett, Secretary to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Mr. Dyke, Registrar-General.

Dr. Swabey, and Dr. Travers Twiss, Vicar-General. The Rev. R. J. Thomas, Chaplain to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Revs. the Chaplains of the Bishops Elect.

The Right Revs. the Fathers in God the Bishops, two and two.
The Right Rev. Father in God the Bishop of Cape Town, and
the Right Rev. Father in God the Bishop of Adelaide.
The Right Rev. Father in God the Bishop of Guiana, and the
Right Rev. Father in God the Bishop of Lincoln.
The Right Rev. Father in God the Bishop of Oxford, and the
Right Rev. Father in God the Bishop of London.

The Most Rev. Father in God his Grace the Archbishop of
Canterbury.

The Rev. C. B. Dalton, the Rector.

The three Curates-the Rev. H. D. James, the Rev. R. Easum, and the Rev. R. Gregory.

The Bishops Elect-the Rev. Dr. Colenso, Bishop Elect of Natal, and the Rev. Dr. Armstrong, Bishop Elect of

Graham's Town.

The Archbishop and Bishops having taken their stand at the communion-table, morning service was performed, the prayers and lessons being read by the Rev. R. J. Thomas and the Rev. H. D. James. After morning prayers the 67th Psalm, verses 1, 2, 3, and 4, was sung, and the doxology.

The Archbishop then read the communion office, and the Bishops of London and Lincoln read the epistle and the gospel in the consecration service.

The Nicene Creed having been said, the organ played while the preacher, the Right Rev. the Bishop of Oxford, ascended the pulpit.

The Right Rev. PRELATE then preached a most eloquent and impressive discourse, taking as his text the 2nd and 3rd verses of the 13th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles-" As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, 'Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them; and when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they sent them away.' He said there had been previous intimations to the church of this Gentile apostleship; but Paul was chosen as God's instrument to bear witness to Christianity among the Gentiles, and it was left to him to accomplish the setting up of the kingdom of Christ. There were in the Church of Antioch certain prophets, and in the midst of these the voice of the Holy Ghost arose, and it said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." The Holy Ghost was with the congregation, and spoke from the midst of them.' He had work for them to do, and he chose these two men as instruments in carrying out that work. They could now understand why such power was placed in the hands of feeble men, and why a human ministry was called on to perform a Divine work. It was because the Holy Ghost was among them. They could see the danger of resting on bare forms; but, on the other hand, they could see the risk of making light of them; for through them God worked, and when they rejected them they cast Him away. Arraying His apostles with His own power, He wrought with these earthly instruments, and there was thus brought about the marvellous union of man's impotence with the power of the Holy Ghost. That was the foundation of the office to which two of their brethren were now to be called. It was a separated office; it had been endowed with a substantive being by God, for had he not said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them?" They had now gathered together to admit those whom God had separated from among them. And to these he would say, with a full consciousness of his manifold errors and sins, quickened by the remembrance that this very day was the ninth anniversary of the day on which he had himself been separated from the rest, a few words in all humility. He would speak to them of the risks and requirements of their office. Let not a keen sense of their own infirmities, or the unbelief of those around them, or the slander of many tongues draw them from the reality of their ministry, or make them desert their calling and their mission. To them, and to their elder brother in the ministry, whose many prayers God had answered by setting them beside him in the work, was the task confided of converting South Africa, and bringing about the fulfilment of the mercy of God in a long-benighted land. Let them remember that He would be with them in that work if they sought from him strength to fulfil it. Let them well weigh their requirements in the solemn service they had undertaken. More would have to be dared and to be done by them than by their brethren at home for God and for His cause, because they would not conly, like their brethren at home, have to kindle and

maintain the fire of Divine truth, but they would have to form and fashion an infant church. In the time of the church's prosperity the bishops led the van in her spiritual victories; but she fell away when her bishops were slothful, or lovers of ease or of praise. In the times of her difficulty the fires of persecution fell on the leaders of the flocks; in the times of her peace they were marked out by the sharpest arrows of detraction; and the times of the church's deadliest apostacy had been brought on by bishops leading the defection. The office was most glorious in its gifts, most exalted in its rewards, but most fearful in its risks. They would not dare to go, and their brethren at home would not dare to send them, unless God had said, " Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." They were added as two links to the ever-lengthening chain of Christ's anointed, and was it not a matter of great rejoicing and thanksgiving that a single bishopric which a noble-hearted lady had founded in a distant land had been so soon multiplied, and that three bishops should now be associated in the apostolic work of spreading the Word of God in those benighted regions? The right rev. prelate concluded his discourse with a fervent and eloquent appeal for the Divine blessing on those who were now called away in the service of God.

The organ then played while the bishops elect proceeded to change their dress previous to the consecration service. They then advanced, and were presented to his Grace the Archbishop, who was seated in the chair within the rails of the chancel, by the Bishops of Oxford and of Cape Town in the usual form.

They then remained standing outside the rails while the Royal mandate appointing them to their respective sees was read and the oaths were administered. The bishops elect then retired to put on their robes, and, having returned, the consecration service was performed.

(See next page.)

(From the Consecration Service in the Church of England Common

Prayer Book.)

Then the Archbishop and Bishops present shall lay their hands upon the head of the elected Bishop kneeling before them upon his knees, the Archbishop saying,

RECEIVE the Holy Ghost, for the Office and Work of a Bishop in the Church of God, now committed unto thee by the Imposition of our hands; In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And remember that thou stir up the grace of God which is given thee by this Imposition of our hands: for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and soberness.