THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.—This congregation, formerly meeting in the above chapel, still carry on service in the Mall Hall very near to it, but the Presbytery are assisting it to acquire a new and commodious church, and delay is mainly occasioned by the great difficulty experienced in procuring a suitable site for the building. It is, however, not improbable that a site will open in the Kensington Park Road, northward, than which a more important one could scarcely be selected.
THE SURPLICE IN THE PULPIT.—A conference of clergy and laity was held on Wednesday, January 24, 1872, at Exeter Hall, to consider the Bishop of London’s recommendation in his recent charge, that clergymen should wear the surplice in the pulpit. The points to be discussed had previously been submitted by circular to 1,250 Evangelical Churchmen. On the motion of the Rev. J. C. Ryle, the following resolutions were adopted, with four dissentients: 1. “That the general adoption of the surplice as the pulpit dress, before the legality of such dress is duly established by law, is highly inexpedient, inasmuch as it is a departure from long established usage, is contrary to the recommendation of the Ritual Commissioners, and is not desired by the laity; and furthermore is likely to give grave offence to many congregations, and to disturb the peace of the church.” 2. “That this resolution be signed by the chairman, and embodied in a memorial, on behalf of the conference and the bodies represented in it, to be forwarded to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and made public in any way the Council of the Church Association and the Committee of the Clerical and Lay Union may think best.” In the course of the discussion, the Rev. Capel Molyneux, Vicar of St. Paul’s, Onslow-square, South Kensington, said that he would never consent to be inveigled by the bishops into giving up first one thing and then another merely to please the Ritualistic Romanisers in the Church. The surplice was the badge of priestcraft, and he thanked God he was not a priest. (A Voice: What are you, then?) He had always preached in his gown, and he would continue to do so until the end. He would urge all Evangelicals never to preach in a surplice, but to let the black gown be a badge of those who faithfully preach Christ. The Rev. J. C. Ryle, the Rev. Mr. Money, &c., spoke in a similar strain, and expressed determination to resist the suggested change of vestment to the end.