ONE WORD MORE ON THE " VESTIARIAN CONTROVERSY."
[To Tam EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—As a further illustration of my friend Mr. Davies's position, that a church inventory is no proof of actual user of the articles contained in it, I may point out that an interesting paper by the Rev. W. Benham, on the "Registers of Margate Parish Church," published in Macmillan's Magazine for January of this year, shows us an inventory for the year 1641, drawn up under aVicar who is stated to have been a Puritan, and enumer- ating among other "goods and imployements as are belonging to the prshe. church." "a saints' bell," which cer- tainly could never have been used by the Vicar in question. A "surplus and a hoade " are the only vestments mentioned in this inventory ; but it is obvious that chasubles and the like might perfectly have figured beside the saints' bell, without affording the least ground for supposing that they were used.
To me, the mere fact that the Court of the highest autho- rity in such matters has put a definite construction on so ill-judged a rubric as that on the ornaments of the Church, is an inestimable boon. The attempt to argue the Church out of that boon appears to me, consequently, a deplorable one. The being of God is openly denied in our land, and those who bear his Son's name are squabbling about vestments, positions, and genuflexions. Imagine St. Paul, who would eat no meat while the world stood, lest he made his brother to offend, convulsing the Church for the sake of a sacramental garment or a position.
[St. Paul's resolve to eat no meat while the world stood, rather than cause a brother to offend, is precisely what confirms us in holding that in indifferent matters, such as we regard these vestments to be, the conscience of the congregation -ought to decide, and not ours, especially if the law be on their side. As to the saints' bell, Mr. Ludlow misses the point. The saints' bell was perfectly legal, and exists in many churches -still. The question is not as to what was used, but what was legally usable. The Puritan Vicar may have used the bell or not, according to his own prepossessions, but assuredly he was at liberty to use it when he lik-ed.—En. Spectator.]
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