the foundation of the temple of the LORD,' (i.e., at the rebuilding by Ezra,) they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the name of the LORD, after the ordinance of David, king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD.' "I have brought forward these passages to show what attention was paid, that music should form an essential part of the religious services that we should be reminded on what a grand scale all concerning the worship of the Most High, was conceived and carried out. And it is not presumptuous to suppose that holy men like David, and Hezekiah, and Ezra, and Nehemiah, inspired as they were, were divinely directed; and therefore we have the highest authority, and almost a divine model for our services-and they cannot be perfect unless a portion of them be choral. "Not but that Almighty GOD will accept the humblest tribute where it is the best, and there are many places where, from local circumstances, even the smallest choir cannot be raised and maintained; let us not think that their prayers and praise are less acceptable, or are slower to reach the courts of the Most High, than if they were wafted upwards on the waves of song; nay, there may be an offering more pleasing to God in the plain and unadorned prayers of a little village Church, where all are gathered together in unity of heart and fervency of devotion, than in the far more glorious service of a grand Cathedral, with its swelling organ and full toned choir, where unity of heart and fervency of devotion are not. "But it is our duty, and should be our pride, to do our best to render the public services of GoD's Church as acceptable to Him as we can; and it is for this first and chief object that this meeting was established, which brings us together here to-day; with the hope that several neighbouring parishes uniting together, and working together, might severally improve each other and receive improvement; and that also a kindly Christian fellowship might be excited and retained among us. And I think that to a great extent we have been enabled to see this hope realised, and it will not be out of place if I say that this has been, to a great degree, from the interest shown and the pains taken by the several choirs who are here met together, who have cheerfully sacrificed their convenience to render themselves more efficient and more worthy of their calling. Let them not forget that it is a privilege to be chosen to lead the services in the house of GOD-that if they have been endowed with the gift of a good voice, they ought to be thankful for the opportunity afforded them of so using it to His honour Who gave it them: and the congregation should fully understand that it is simply the office of the choir to lead them, and not to stand in their place in those portions of the service in which they are bid to join; and not only with their voice should they lead them, but by their perfect reverence of behaviour, and humble sincerity, they may be a pattern to the whole congregation, and give evidence that what they sing with their mouths they are believing in their hearts. For what are praises sung in the most perfect harmony by the best choirs better in GoD's sight, than 'sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal,' if the heart do not accompany the lips? nay, far from being acceptable, they must be a mockery and an offence. .6 6 Lastly, let us recall to mind the choirs of the heavenly host which burst forth in the still watches of that eventful night, upon the shepherds of Bethlehem-a multitude of the heavenly host sang together this joyous hymn. Let us lay it to heart, Glory to GOD in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men.' Such, as I have already said, has been our object in our present meeting, ' glory to God' in the first place; next, peace' and Christianly brotherly feeling among ourselves; and lastly, to promote and exercise goodwill' and charity towards men. Therefore, is the opportunity afforded us all, of giving alms and making an offering as a test of our good will. Thus shall we be assisting to carry on this good and useful work, of striving to render God's public service more worthy of Him, which cannot be done without some cost; and in addition, we hope that, by God's grace, you will be disposed so to offer liberally of that means with which you have been blessed, that there may be also a fund to assist members of the choirs in sickness. May God give us devout and grateful hearts! May His honour and glory be the leading principle in all we undertake! And may He mercifully accept our humble tribute of prayer, and praise, and almsgiving, this day offered by us His unworthy children,—and may that heavenly spirit be day by day forming within us, which, through the atoning blood of CHRIST, shall render us fit to be owned by Him at the last day! Oh! happy, if through His merits and mediation, we are found worthy to be admitted into that heavenly company, and mingle our hallelujahs with theirs, and join in the song of the Redeemed for ever." After the morning service, the choirs and several of the Clergy and others present partook of a cold collation, which was laid out in one of the school-rooms mentioned above. Before sitting down, grace was sung by the choirs. The afternoon service commenced at three o'clock, when prayers were said by the Rector of the parish, the Rev. R. Wait. The following were the musical portions of the service : The Sermon was preached by the Rev. C. P. Wilbraham, Vicar of Audley, from Tobit xiii. 18. success. This is a movement begun in a right spirit, and we wish it every The choirs really did their part admirably, and when it is considered that a large proportion are simple country people, who have hitherto had little or no instruction in the principles of music, it may really be considered a wonderful performance. The only drawback was the lamentable deficiency in making the responses; scarcely an "Amen" could be raised in the whole congregation. We hope, that before another of these meetingswhich we believe are to take place annually-the choirs may be taught to sing the responses; for which some very good simple music is given in the "Parish Choir," a periodical which every one interested in Church music ought to possess. We would also venture to suggest that, for the future, that most simple but at the same time, strictly ecclesiastical form of chant, the single chant alone should be used; and especially those admirable patterns for all modern chants, the ancient Gregorian Tones. We understand that an association has been formed at Cheadle for the promotion of Church music, which we sincerely hope may do much good in the neighbourhood by introducing a more decent and correct performance of the services of the Church, and thus promoting the advancement of the praise and glory of GOD. The Cabinet. THE EXILE.-A Christian, who is not sensible of his banishment, has never well known or loved his own Country; and yet the country of a Christian is GOD Himself. He went away from it by sin, he continues at a distance by this earthly body (2 Cor. V. 8) he returns thither by the life of faith, and he enters again into it, and dwells there by glory. Unhappy that we are! why is the time of our exile prolonged? More unhappy still if we love it, and are afraid that we shall be recalled home.-QUESNEL. In the ancient prayers of the Greek Church, the people, after receiving the Priest's blessing, answered, "The LORD keep you, sir, to bless and sanctify us many years;" to show how sensible they were of the benefit of receiving GOD's blessing by His minister.-BP. WILSON. Poetry. THE FLOCK OF CHRIST, "One Fold and One Shepherd."-S. John x. 16. I. FAR as the shepherd's eye can range Along the sunny plain, Where ancient Sarum's hillocks rise Like isles amid the main ; In mystic circle stand "The Parish Choir," Published on the first of every month, price 3d. stamped, 4d. London: John Ollivier. THE MANNA OF THE WILDERNESS. -At length the palm-groves cease, and give place to thick avenues of turfeh-trees, bending over our heads like the alleys of a garden, but with nature's wild luxuriance. The turfeh resembles the weeping birch, but is still more delicate in appearance, and the manna of the peninsula exudes in drops from the extremity of its slender pensile boughs; a small quantity is collected and carried to the convent of Sinai, when it is prepared by boiling, and is then packed in small tin cases, one of which I brought home with me. Thus prepared, it resembles gum in a melted state, with small whitish grains in it, and has a somewhat similar taste, answering well enough in general to the description in the Bible; but the quantity obtained is very trifling. At least so it seemed to me. Dr. Lep sius, on the contrary, speaks of it as very considerable. This general cor respondence (for such I must at least deem it) of the actual manna found in the peninsula with that described Roin Scripture is very remarkable. binson denies that any conformity whatever exists between them: "Of the manna of the Old Testament it is said, 'When the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the desert a small round thing, small as the hoar frost upon the grounds, and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafer with honey. And the people gathered it, and ground it in mills, and beat it in a mortar, or baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp by night, the manna fell upon it.' Of all these characteristics," he says, "not one is applicable to the present manna. And even could it be shown to be the same, still a supply of it in sufficient abundance for the daily consumption of 2,000,000 of people would have been no less a miracle." Between the flavour of "wafers with honey," "fresh oil," and sweettasting aromatic gum, there is certainly a vague sort of conformity, as also between the appearance of "coriander seed" and small drons of gum; but every one must subscribe, in the fullest sense, to the opinion, that if the Israelites were adequately supplied from trees like these, it must indeed have been by the operation of a constant miracle. Drs. Milman and Lepsius both regard this as the manna of Scripture; the former considers that the quantity was miraculously augmented; how then a supply was provided elsewhere, when none exists in the course of the wanderings of the Israelites (this being, in fact, the only part of the peninsula where the manna is found), must be left to these scholars to explain as they are best able. This is, however, but one out of many instances which rise up in passing through this region, to show the fallacy of the present system of accommodation between the natural and the miraculous, and to prove conclusively that no middle term will hold upon a sifting inquiry.-Forty Days in the Desert. THE Churchman's Companion. PART XXXVIII. VOL. VII.] [FEBRUARY, 1850. HENRIETTA'S WISH. CHAPTER XVI. MRS. GEOFFREY LANGFORD had from the first felt considerable anxiety for her sister-in-law, who, though cheerful as ever, began at length to allow that she felt worn out, and consented to spare herself more than she had hitherto done. The mischief was, however, not to be averted, and after a few days of increasing languor, she was attacked by a severe fit of the spasms, to which she had for several years been subject at intervals, and was obliged to confine herself entirely to her own room, relying with complete confidence on her sister for the attendance on her son. It was to her, however, that Mrs. Geoffrey Langford wished most to devote herself; viewing her case with more uneasiness than that of Frederick, who was decidedly on the fair road to convalescence; and she only gave him as much time as was necessary to satisfy his mother, and to superintend the regulation of his room. He had all the society he wanted in his sister, who was always with him, and in grandpapa and grandmamma, whose short and frequent visits he began greatly to enjoy. He had also been more amenable to authority of late, partly in consequence of his uncle's warning, partly because it was not quite so easy to torment an aunt as a mother, and partly too because, excepting always the starving system, he had nothing in particular of which to complain. His mother's illness might also have its effect in subduing him; but it did not dwell much upon his spirits, or Henrietta's, as they were too much accustomed to her ill health to be easily alarmed on her account. It was the last day of the holidays, and Alexander was to come late in the afternoon-Fred's best time in the day-to take his leave. All the morning Fred was rather out of spirits, and talked to Henrietta a great deal about his school life. It might have been a melancholy day if he had been going back to school, but it was more sad to be obliged to stay away from the world where he had hitherto been measuring his powers, and finding his most exciting interests. It was very mortifying to be thus |