THE ALTAR AND THE CREDENCE-TABLE.

WE insert the following simple, manly, Christian statement, lately published by the incumbent of the Round Church in Cambridge, as a specimen not only of what popery is doing, but of the means by which those doings may be met and resisted, where the heart of the minister, or of the flock, separately or conjoined, is right with God. The stealthy, creeping, masked feature of the proceeding is very characteristic of this Guy Fawkes school; and most heartily do we hope that aid to the utmost extent of the requirement may be afforded to this intrepid clergyman.

'An appeal to the Protestant Public respecting the Popish abominations of a stone altar and credencetable, in St. Sepulchre's Church, Cambridge.

MY CHRISTIAN FRIENDS,-Having experienced much sympathy and kindness from many friends of our Protestant Church with their most affectionate assurances of support, I feel myself bound thus publicly to acknowledge, with sincere gratitude, the encouraging assistance I have received from them. I am anxious also to submit to the consideration of others, who have kindly interested themselves for me in the painful and vexatious contest between

the Camden Society and myself, a plain statement of the facts connected with the erection of the stone altar and credence-table in my church at Cambridge.

'It may be necessary to explain the cause why the Society was at first permitted to undertake the restoration of the Church. In September, 1841, a part of the church which was very old fell in, and threatened to bring down a considerable greater portion of the ancient fabric. While the churchwardens and parishioners were engaged in repairing the damage done, the cost of which seemed likely to be attended with an expense far beyond the means of the parish, which is very poor, the attention of some of the members of the Camden Society, who possessed a taste for architectural beauties, was drawn to the church. They came forward and expressed an anxious desire not only to repair the part that had fallen down, but to restore the Church to its former interesting appearance.

"The parishioners, in Vestry, very gladly agreed to the proposition. A Committee was formed, who undertook to raise subscriptions and to guarantee the parishioners from all charges over and above £300, which were to be raised by the parish. A faculty was obtained, and the work went on slowly but satisfactorily, until October, 1843, when the restoration being nearly effected, I discovered the erection of the stone altar which had recently been put up in the church. My absence from Cambridge (the cause of which will be explained), prevented my attendance at the Committee Meetings. My good curate, however, was present, and I did not see any occasion for my being there, as I felt the fullest confidence, at the time, in those who were better ac

quainted with such matters than myself; and, knowing that the alterations were going on under a faculty, I had no reason to suppose that anything not mentioned in that faculty would be done. The church was already provided with a communion-table, in exact conformity with the 82nd Canon; I had not the least idea, therefore, of the erection of a stone altar, or I never would have given my consent, as Incumbent, to the interference of the Camden Society at all. I made oath to this effect by an affidavit at the Consistory Court, at Cambridge, on the 25th of July last, that had I known of the intention to put up this altar and credence-table I should have used all legal means to prevent the erection of them.

'The altar was placed in the church without my knowledge and consent, and while my worthy curate, Rev. Mr. Dalton, Fellow of Queen's College, was from home in the long vacation: but the moment I saw it, I protested against it, used every method to cause its removal, and entreated the Committee of the Camden Society to take it down. A lengthened correspondence on the subject took place between the President and myself. He gave me to understand that it should be removed if I insisted on it; but begged me to be silent about the matter and wait a little. I have his letters now in my possession of November 9 and 11, which positively assure me of this. My worthy Curate, Mr. Dalton, also repeatedly pressed him on this point, when, among other pledges, he distinctly gave the following in writing; "Mr. F.'s wishes will be attended to, common courtesy as well as the rights of his station might make you sure of that." This pledge was forwarded to me

by Mr. Dalton, and we both then considered the matter settled, and concluded that the altar would shortly be taken down. To my great surprise, however, after waiting some time, I found that there was no probability of my wishes being attended to. The President ordered the wooden communion-table to be broken up and destroyed: the Camden Society then, in open defiance of me, and in direct opposition to my expressed wishes connected with the stone altar, actually put up the Popish accompaniment of a credence-table.

'And truly grieved am I to be obliged here to state the painful truth, that the President of the Camden Society, although an Archdeacon of another diocese, Incumbent of another county, and a Tutor of a college, soon afterwards attended a Vestry Meeting in my parish, and used his powerful influence in persuading the churchwardens and parishioners to oppose me in my attempt to remove the altar and credence-table. He encouraged them to go to law, and offered to pay the expenses to which they might be exposed by a lawsuit, if they would resolutely oppose my wishes on the subject. On this unhappy and improper interference on the part of one, who had not long before said to Mr. Dalton, the Curate, "Common courtesy as well as the rights of his station might make you sure that Mr. F.'s wishes will be attended to:" and on whose word I then reliedone who was the representative of a Society, formed professedly to advance the interests and maintain the discipline of the Church,-on this has arisen the present lamentable and severe contest between the people and their minister.

'I am well aware that the parishoners consider

themselves placed under very great obligations to the Camden Society for the restoration of their ancient church. The evil of which I complain is quite lost sight of by them, when they behold and admire its present beauties. The extraordinary exertions of the President in raising such large subscriptions, the valuable time, and liberal sums of money, which, I believe, he has himself expended on this work, certainly call for every acknowledgement. The Camden Society well know how repeatedly and how heartily I have expressed to them, and to their President in particular, my warmest thanks, and I am ready to do so again and again, with the greatest sincerity as far as the architecture of the church is concerned; but I cannot overlook that which I consider to be " an illegal approximation to Rome in one of her worst corruptions of the Christian faith."*

'Had their labours been tenfold greater; had they spent 20,000l. instead of 4,000l. on this their cherished object of attraction, yet if they would attempt to force me to a compromise of principle on this point, I should feel myself instantly released from every obligation under which I was before placed. I would rather that the old church had remained in its unadorned humble state, with its venerable plain oaken communion-table, than that it should have received all the costly decorations and splendid designs of the Camden Society, with those abominations of Popery brought into it, which our forefathers took

*Altars prohibited by the Church of England, an admirable and most convincing pamphlet, by Rev. W. Goode, M.A., F.A.S. Hatchard and Son, 187, Picadilly.