Dean Stanley On Westminster Abbey.

DEAN STANLEY ON WESTMINSTER ABBEY .

LONDON , SATURDAY , AUGUST 25 , 1866 .

Everything emanating from the pen of the Dean of Westminster must command the respectful attention of Englishmen . His great abilities are universally acknowledged , even by tliose who may not quite accord with all his

theological opinions . When we have him then discoursing on the noble building , the decanal chair of which he so ably fills—in the presence of the Prince of Wales and before the Eoyal Institution of Great Britain—we must feel that

everything connected Avith the subject is intensely interesting to all , but especially to the members of the Masonic Order , for was it not our brethren who reared the splendid structure Avhich formed the theme of his discourse , and of which Ave are

justly so proud ? l $ or are we disappointed . Dean Stanley has , in the paper now before us , manifested the accustomed vigour and beauty of his mind , Avhich have rendered his " Sinai and Palestine " and the other

numerous works that he has produced , so fascinating to a large and increasing circle of readers His very first passage arrests and arouses our attention" Like some tall palm the noiseless fabric sprang " was the well-known line of Reginald Heber ,

describing the rise of Solomon ' s temple . "Like some tall palm , " not only the JeAvish temple , but many a Grecian temple , many a Roman basilica has sprang into existence . The growth of Westminster Abbey requires a more

complex figure to do justice to its formation—a venerable oak , with gnarled , irregular growth , and spreading roots , and decaying bark , and twisted branches , and hollow trunk , and feeble shootsthe very counterpart of our English history in Church and State .

The great point of interest attaching to this venerable cathedral , according to the Dean , is that it has " been entwined by so many long continuous threads of diverse elements with the history of a whole nation . "

"I might , " he says , "trace its gradual ori gin from its geographical situation in the Isle of Thorns ; from the charm of the name of St . Peter ; from its neighbourhood to the palace of Westminster ; from the strange enthusiasm of

Edward the Confessor . I might SIIOAV hoAV architecturally it represents the three great epochs of our national buildings ; IIOAV under its first founder it was the earliest monument of Norman , European civilisation planted on our barbarous

Anglo-Saxon soil ; how under its second founder it was intended to be , and was , the . most complete and beautiful specimen of the most beautiful style that the Middle Ages produced ; hoAV under its third founder it exhibits the last magnificent

decay of medieval art , in the chapel of Henry VII . I might describe its close connection Avith the whole course of English history — IIOAV it has Avitnessed the coronation of all ,. the burial of far the larger number of our sovereigns , from the

Conquest downwards ; hoAV , Avhilst it has been the seat of royalty , it has been the cradle of liberty ; hoAV out of its erection directly sprang , and within its precincts was first sheltered , that great assembly AA'hich at this moment

concentrates on itself the thoughts of the whole nation . " "I might describe all the various assemblies and institutions Avhich it has thus guarded under its wings , not only the House of Commons , but the ancient Treasury of England ; the first Eng-lish

printing press ; the early Councils of Westminster ; the Westminster Assembly of Presbyterian Divines , the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury . I might show IIOAV it is the seat of the great school Avhich has endeared the name of Westminster to

the earliest years of so many illustrious Englishmen ; how it has been the seat of the most honourable , the most ancient , and the most meritorious Order of English Knighthood . I might describe its peculiar jurisdiction , its venerable

sanctuary , the refuge of kings as Aveli as of outlaws ; its political position , and its religious functions as the metropolitan church of the great city of Westminster ; the long succession of abbots and of deans , Avith the privileges and

exemptions which render them and the institution over which they preside one of the most peculiar in the Church and State of Ems-land "

Such was the programme from which Dr . Stanley might have selected subjects for his essay . He has , however , laid them aside , we trust , hut for a season , and that on some or all these topics , we may have the privilege of hearing him again

expatiate , and confines himself to one single aspect of Westminster Abbey , viz ,, its importance as the burial place of our celebrated men . " It is this aspect , " he remarks , " more than