,transcribed from the #ahee ,charles    
,westerton edition by ,david ,price1    
email  ccx#jgdpglaf4org                 
,,is ,,the                              
,,vicar ,,of ,,brompton                 
,a                                      
,,tractarian8                           
,a ,,question ,,for ,,the               
,,parishioners4                         
,,by                                  ,a
 ,,layman4                              
99 99 99 99 99        8,you call me a   
,tractarian1 ,i am not so in any        
sense40--,see the ,letter      of ,dr4  
,irons to the ,editor of the ,record4   
8,he that is first in his own cause     
seemeth just1 but his neighbour         
cometh and searcheth him04--,proverbs   
#ah chap4 #ag verse4                    
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,london3                               
,,charles ,,westerton1                  
,,westerton',s ,,library1               
#bj1 ,,st4 ,,george',s ,,place1 ,,hyde  
,,park ,,corner2                        

,,seeley',s1 ,,fleet ,,street4          
99 99 99 99 99                          
#ahee4                                  
,price ,sixpence4                       
99 99 99 99 99      ,if any profits     
arise from the sale of this little      
publication1 they    will be given to   
the funds of the ,chelsea1 ,brompton1   
and ,belgrave    ,dispensary4           
99 99 99 99 99          ,,prefatory     
,,remarks4      ,,in placing before my  
fellow parishioners this publication1 ,i
 think it  necessary most distinctly to 
disavow any personal hostility to the   
,vicar1  as an individual4    ,i feel it
 the more incumbent on me to say this1  
as my object is not so  much to prove   
the errors and unscriptural teaching of 
the 8,tractarians10  as to make it plain
 7by his own words and actions7 that    
,dr4 ,irons must be  considered as      
altogether identified with the          
8,tractarian0 party4    ,on a fitting   
occasion1 however1 ,i shall be ready    
7the ,lord enabling me7  to shew1 that  

the principles and practices of those   
clergymen who have  unhappily embraced  
8,tractarian0 error1 are as contrary to 
,god's blessed  ,word as they are to the
 ,articles of our ,church2 and that     
these principles  7if honestly carried  
out7 as necessarily lead to ,rome1 as a 
humble and  prayerful study of the      
,bible1 will assuredly lead the sincere 
enquirer  into the light and liberty of 
,gospel truth4    ,it is the policy of  
the more wily amongst the 8,tractarians0
 to keep aloof  in some measure from the
 8,ultras0 of their party1 and to follow
 the  ,jesuitical advice given from a   
certain quarter1 not to be over hasty in
  bringing in ,anglican forms and       
observances amongst their congregations1
  but to win them over by little and    
little4    ,this policy will account for
 much that is going on in our parish1   
where  we have a ,vicar who says that he
 is not a ,tractarian 8in any sense40   
,i feel assured that the parishioners of
 ,brompton are not prepared for  that   

open and undisguised 8,tractarianism0   
practised in some of our  churches2 but 
when ,i bear in mind the fact1 that     
during the past year two  or three of   
the most noted amongst the 8,tractarian0
 ,clergy have been  preaching in the    
,parish ,church1 it shews the necessity 
of being on our  guard to resist the    
insidious attempts made from within1 as 
well as the  endeavours now making from 
without1 to bring us into the bondage of
  8,tractarianism10 or into the more    
open and unadulterated principles and   
practices of ,romanism4  ,it may be well
 for us to remember that at the  recent 
opening of the ,popish ,institution 7the
 ,oratory7 in our ,parish1  there were  
reported as being present twelve ,romish
 priests or laymen1 who  until the last 
few years were clergymen of the         
,established ,church1 and  belonging to 
the 8,tractarian0 party4    ,in making  
use of the word 8,tractarian0 a         
necessity has been laid upon me1  for   
though ,i deprecate the use of party    

names1 ,i know of no other term  7not   
even ,puseyism7 that would so distinctly
 point out the principles  which have   
led to such melancholy results to the   
,church of ,england4    ,we must not    
however suppose these principles are in 
themselves new2  they are as old as the 
earliest ages of ,christianity4  ,the   
,galatian  ,converts were seduced from  
the simplicity of the ,gospel by them2  
and  coming down to the days of ,charles
 the ,first1 our own ,church has great  
cause to lament the progress they made  
at that unhappy period4    ,i am the    
more solicitous that this should not be 
lost sight of1 as ,dr4  ,irons says his 
own views 8were not obtained from the   
,oxford ,tracts40  ,this is very        
possible1 but has nothing to do with the
 fact1 that the  ,reverend ,doctor holds
 substantially all the errors of the    
8,tractarians40    ,that the principles 
of sound ,protestanism still prevailing 
in this  neighbourhood1 combined with   
the faithful preaching of the gospel in 

many  of our churches and chapels1 may  
by ,god's blessing be an effectual      
bulwark against the covert1 as well as  
against the open1 enemies of our        
time-honoured ,church1 is my earnest    
prayer4                                 
,a4 ,e4    #ai1 ,alfred ,place ,west1   
,brompton1           #aath ,december1   
#ahed4          ,,is ,,the ,,vicar ,,of 
,,brompton  ,a ,,tractarian8      ,,in a
 letter bearing the signature of the    
,reverend ,dr4 ,irons1 which  appeared  
some time ago in the 8,record10 there is
 a distinct denial on the  part of the  
,reverend ,doctor as to his being a     
8,tractarian40    ,in making a few      
comments upon the letter alluded to1 ,i 
feel that ,i am not  overstepping my    
duty as a parishioner of ,brompton1 and 
much more my duty  as a professed lover 
of ,scriptural truth1 in opposition to  
,romish and  ,romanizing error4    ,dr4 
,irons says1 in the letter alluded to1  
8,i am not a ,tractarian in any  sense10
 and adds1 8that he has always differed 

from the teaching of some  of the       
,oxford ,tracts40    ,if the ,english   
language is to be understood in its     
plain grammatical  sense1 some refers to
 a few1 or the smaller portion1 and1    
consequently1  ,doctor ,irons does not  
differ from the teaching of the ,tracts1
  generally4    ,i have never met a     
8,tractarian0 who did not profess to be 
at issue with  one or more of the ninety
 ,tracts2 and ,i have no doubt but ,dr4 
,pusey  himself would unhesitatingly    
affirm1 that there was teaching in some 
of  them from which even he dissented4  
,could we have asked the reverend       
gentlemen who have lately apostatized to
  ,rome from one of the churches at     
,stoke ,newington1 ,i can easily imagine
  that they too would have differed from
 the teaching of some of the  ,tracts1  
though their principles and practices1  
before they finally left  the ,church of
 ,england1 were daily giving evidence   
how completely 7as a  whole7 they were  
identified with the party4    ,it must  

be borne in mind that from the time this
 8,tractarian0 blight came  over our    
,church1 it has been the practice of its
 clerical adherents to  deny any        
affinity with ,romish error1 and to     
beguile their congregations  with the   
assurance1 that the holding of          
8,tractarian0 principles was the  best  
safeguard to the ,church of ,england4   
,not only did their most talented men   
write and preach in this strain1 but    
the literary organs of the party still  
say so2 and when1 from time to  time1   
the more honest among them secede to    
,rome1 their friends attribute  their   
apostacy to any cause but the right one1
 sometimes laying the blame  upon the   
evangelical party for protesting against
 their unsound and  unscriptural        
teaching4    ,dr4 ,irons1 in the letter 
referred to1 defends himself from the   
charge of  refusing to sign the         
,anti-,papal ,petition in #ahej3--the   
charge1 however1 is  neither 7as the    
,doctor calls it7 8practically unjust1  

or untrue40    ,dr4 ,irons did refuse to
 sign the ,petition1 and the reason     
given at the  time for this refusal was1
 #f--that a 8rider0 was added to it 7by 
a vote  at the public meeting72 8that   
the ,romanizing principles and practices
 of  a portion of the clergy had        
encouraged the ,pope to act as he had   
done40    ,it is not here necessary to  
prove that the 8rider0 enunciated a     
fact2 it  is sufficient to shew that    
,dr4 ,irons refused to sign the         
,petition1 and to  state the reasons he 
gave for that refusal2 and then to leave
 it to the  unbiased judgment of his    
parishioners to decide between his      
actions1 and  the paragraph in the      
letter1 which says1 8,i am not a        
,tractarian in any  sense40    ,dr4     
,irons refers to the #8,morning ,post'  
and other papers for his  sentiments as 
expressed on the occasion of the        
meeting4  ,i was present at  the        
meeting1 and paid some attention to the 
speech of the ,reverend  ,doctor4    ,i 

do not deny but there was indignation   
expressed against the  8aggression10 but
 this indignation went very little      
beyond what might  have been said1 and  
what was actually said1 by sincere      
,romanists1 ere the  glorious           
reformation of the sixteenth century had
 shone upon our country4    ,our        
forefathers of that period felt the     
galling chain of ecclesiastical  and    
civil oppression laid upon them by the  
,papacy1 but the light of  gospel truth 
had not penetrated their hearts1 and1   
therefore1 in their  opposition to ,rome
 they made no protest against her       
soul-destroying  doctrines4    ,the     
speech of ,dr4 ,irons certainly amounted
 to something more than what  took place
 in ,scotland1 where one of the ,bishops
 of the ,scotch  ,episcopal ,church     
signed a protest against the aggression1
 8because it was  contrary to           
,ecclesiastical order that one bishop   
should intrude into the  diocese of     
another40    ,in referring to the       

#8,morning ,post1' as giving the speech 
of ,dr4 ,irons  at the public meeting1  
it must be remembered that the #8,post' 
was then  7if not now7 an organ of the  
8,tractarians10 and that the tactics of 
the  party it represented were to       
hoodwink us1 and under cover of a zeal  
for  8,church principles0 to disseminate
 ,anti-,protestant views4    ,i respect 
the liberty of the ,press1 and would not
 willingly give up its  great           
advantages1 but ,i bear in mind that it 
would be about as  preposterous to      
expect from the columns of a            
8,tractarian0 periodical any  thing     
favourable to sound ,protestanism1 as it
 would be to look for a true  exposition
 of constitutional principles in civil  
government from the pen  of the ,russian
 ,autocrat4    ,one of the most         
remarkable features in the ,anti-,papal 
demonstration in  the autumn of #ahej1  
was the part acted by a portion of the  
8,tractarians40    ,sensible that their 
party were more than suspected of being 

the origin of  the 8,aggression10 they  
were generally very early in the field  
to hold  meetings1 and to display an    
apparent opposition to ,rome2 but if we 
take  the trouble to look into their    
proceedings at these meetings1 we shall 
find that their principal aim was to get
 credit for zeal against ,popery1  and  
thus to blind the people to their own   
,romish practices1 and prevent  7as far 
as they could7 anything like a real     
expression of ,protestant  feeling on   
the occasion4    ,as to the fact that   
two of the most noted 8,tractarian0     
clergymen in  ,london were lately       
invited to preach in the ,parish        
,church1 ,dr4 ,irons  says1 they were   
his friends2 8one of them a very old    
one20 but if the  ,doctor is not a      
,tractarian 8in any sense10 he might    
have shewn  hospitality and kindness    
under his own roof1 rather than give    
these  gentlemen the opportunity of     
propagating the errors of their         
principles  and party in the pulpit of  

the ,parish ,church4  ,more recently1 a 
third  well known 8,tractarian0         
,clergyman was advertised to preach in  
,dr4 ,irons'  pulpit4    ,there is an   
old homely proverb1 8,shew me the       
company a man keeps1 and ,i  will tell  
you what sort of a man he is40          
,having thus commented upon the         
communication of ,dr4 ,irons in the     
8,record10 ,i would place before my     
fellow parishioners copies of some      
letters which passed between the        
,reverend ,doctor and myself several    
years  ago4  ,my object in doing this is
 not to say harsh things against the    
individual1 but to demonstrate that the 
,doctor is by his own admission a       
8,tractarian40    ,i do not presume to  
sit in judgment on ,dr4 ,irons1 though  
,i should think  more highly of his     
candour and consistency1 if he did not  
deny the  holding of those opinions     
which ,i am constrained to believe he   
does  entertain4    ,i am no admirer of 
a certain bishop in the ,west of        

,england1 but we must  do him the       
justice to acknowledge that he is an    
exception to many of his  8,tractarian0 
brethren4    ,there is no faltering on  
his part as to what his principles      
really are1  and though we differ from  
him entirely1 we recognize that we have 
a  plain-spoken ,englishman to deal     
with1 who would feel it beneath his     
dignity to deny that he does not        
heartily side with the 8,tractarians10  
and endeavour by every means to advance 
their views and opinions4    ,lamentable
 to the ,church of ,england as are the  
proceedings of this  dignitary1 we      
should not think the more highly of him 
were he to assert  that he is not a     
,tractarian 8in any sense40    ,the four
 following letters passed between ,dr4  
,irons and myself soon after  the public
 meeting relative to the ,papal         
,aggression in #ahej4 #h                
8#ai1 ,alfred ,place ,west1 ,brompton1  
8#bnd ,december1 #ahej4    8,,sir1      
8,at the ,meeting of the #aeth          

,november1 one of the speakers alluded  
to the  fact1 that of the many          
clergymen1 who had apostatized to ,rome1
 all1 or  nearly all1 were from the     
#8,tractarian1' or ,high ,church party1 
whilst few  or none were from that      
section of the ,church1 usually known as
 the  ,evangelical1 or ,low ,church     
party4  ,you replied 7or remarked7 to   
the  statement1 #8,six of one1 and      
half-a-dozen of the other4'    8,it     
would not1 sir1 become me to attribute  
to you1 the ,chairman of the  ,meeting1 
an intentional misrepresentation2 but ,i
 may be permitted  respectfully to      
remark that your assertion is entirely  
at variance with  clear and well        
established facts4    8,it is very      
possible that amongst the ,perverts1    
some three or four once  belonged to the
 ,evangelical party1 but in every case  
these clergymen had  embraced ,high     
,church or ,tractarian principles1      
before they finally joined  the ,church 
of ,rome4    8,apologizing for troubling

 you with this communication4           
8,i am1 ,sir1                           
8,your very obedient ,servant1          
7,signed7 8,,arthur ,,ellis4    8,the   
,rev4 ,w4 ,j4 ,,irons40                 
99 99 99 99 99                          
8,brompton1                             
8,december1 #crd1 #ahej4    8,,dear     
,,sir1    8,your note needs no          
apology--,i believe the facts of these  
unhappy  secessions to ,rome1 to be far 
more fatal to the ,evangelical party1   
than ,i  at all implied4  ,i am not able
 to give you a list of the ascertainable
  and presentable names of ,converts1   
though ,i am anxious to get it4  ,my    
belief is1 that a very large majority   
had received a very unsound  religious  
education among the ,low ,church people 
7and some among  ,dissenters71 and      
embraced ,popery1 in consequence of     
having no thorough  hold on the         
principles of their own ,church4        
8,whether in their progress towards     
,popery1 they travelled through our     

territory as travellers1 and not as     
dwellers1 or natives1 does not seem     
very important to me4    8,i know that  
some have gone straight from a          
,dissenting ,chapel to ,popery2  one    
case in particular has been brought to  
my notice2 but ,i do not wish  to cast  
stones at others1 on account of these   
things4  ,i only said what ,i  did1 in  
consequence of the accidental remark of 
the speaker1 and if ,i  annoyed you1 ,i 
am sorry for it4                        
8,believe me1                           
8,faithfully yours1                     
7,signed7 8,,william ,j4 ,,irons4       
8,to ,,arthur ,,ellis1 ,esq41 ,r4,n4    
8,p4,s4  ,mr4 ,sibthorp was a very low  
,churchman1 ,mr4 ,newman was brought up 
an ,evangelical1 and ,mr4 ,pownall's    
son1 and ,mr4 ,capes4  ,if ,i get a list
 ,i  will send it to you4  ,mr4 ,capes  
preached very strongly in my former     
neighbourhood against ,high ,churchmen1 
and ,i said at the time1 it is he  that 
is in danger of ,popery1 and not ,i40   

99 99 99 99 99                          
8#ai1 ,alfred ,place ,west1             
8#abth ,december1 #ahej4    8,,sir1     
8,i have been favoured with your note of
 the #crd instant1 to which ,i  should  
have replied before this time1 had ,i   
not waited for the list  mentioned in   
your postscript4    8,as this list does 
not appear to be forthcoming1 ,i am the 
more confirmed  in the conviction       
expressed in my former communication1   
that your  statement at the ,meeting is 
altogether at variance with clear and   
well  established facts4    8,instead1  
however1 of bringing forward proof as to
 the correctness of  your remark1 you   
are pleased to take a step in advance1  
and to express  your belief1 that a very
 large majority of the clergymen1 7not a
 mere  #8six of one and half-a-dozen of 
the other1'7 who have gone over to      
,rome1  received their religious        
education #8among the ,low ,church      
people4'    8,i do not1 sir1 presume to 
question what you believe3 all ,i ask   

for1 is  something in the shape of      
satisfactory evidence1 that your belief 
has any  better foundation to rest upon1
 than that of ,dr4 ,pusey1 who believes 
that  the ,protestant ,church of        
,england1 and the ,apostate ,church of  
,rome1 #8are  almost identical in their 
views on the doctrines of original sin  
and  justification4'    8,if your       
opinion as to the effect of ,evangelical
 teaching1 had any  foundation in fact1 
how comes it to pass1 that the ,perverts
 to ,rome1  whether from the clergy or  
laity1 are in almost every case1 from   
#8,tractarian' congregations4    8,i    
have not1 sir1 received a ,university   
education1 nor does it require  the     
mathematical powers of a senior wrangler
 to discover1 that if your  premises are
 correct1 the friends and apologists of 
,romish error would be  found not in    
#8,tractarian' ,churches1 but in the    
congregations of ,st4  ,saviour's and   
,park ,chapel1 where from ,sabbath to   
,sabbath1 the blessed  truths of the    

,gospel are preached1 in all their      
,evangelical fulness4    8,i may very   
well leave it to my ,dissenting         
neighbours to answer for  themselves1 if
 they feel inclined to do so2 but ,i may
 be permitted to  remark1 that if your  
belief has any foundation to rest upon1 
the  principles you imbibed at ,oxford1 
may not1 in the opinion of your         
#8,tractarian' friends1 be considered a 
sufficient guard to counteract that     
,evangelical teaching1 which ,i believe 
it was your privilege to partake of  in 
your earlier years #aa and that         
consequently 7reasoning in your own     
belief71 your present position is not   
free from danger3 as you must be  looked
 upon rather as a #8traveller' pursuing 
your onward course to ,rome1  than as a 
#8native' or #8dweller4'    8,i beg     
leave to attach hereto the opinion of   
,cardinal ,wiseman1 as  expressed       
several years ago1 ere #8,tractarian'   
buds had in so many  instances opened   
out into ,romish flowers4  ,the         

,cardinal does not say one  word as to  
his expectations from the ,evangelical  
party2 his hopes are  built on ,oxford1 
and on those #8to whom our ,saints1 our 
,popes1 are become  very dear1 and in   
whose eyes our rites1 our ceremonies1   
nay our very  ,rubrics are precious4'   
8,you are kind enough to say you are    
sorry if you have annoyed me by your    
observation at the ,meeting4  ,i assure 
you ,i was not annoyed2 ,i certainly    
felt pain and sorrow1 similar to what ,i
 experienced when ,i read the  statement
 of ,dr4 ,pusey before referred to4     
8,i believed there was no foundation for
 either of the statements1 and ,i       
thought ,i saw in both of them the fatal
 effects of that teaching1 and  those   
principles which led the present ,romish
 ,priest at ,islington1 to  claim the   
right1 whilst officiating as a minister 
of the ,protestant  ,church of ,england1
 #8to hold all ,romish doctrine1 so long
 as he did not  teach it from the       
pulpit2' and which led another          

individual of the  #8,tractarian' party 
to defend the lawfulness of subscribing 
to the  articles and formularies of our 
,church1 in a #8non-natural sense4'     
8,my paper reminds me ,i must draw this 
letter to a conclusion1 and in  doing   
so1 ,i earnestly pray1 sir1 that ,our   
,heavenly ,father may enlighten  your   
understanding1 dispel from your mind all
 error and prejudice1 and  lead you by  
the teaching of ,his ,holy ,spirit1 to  
retrace your steps from  the perilous   
position you now occupy1 amidst the     
shifting sands of  #8,church            
,principles1' until you find yourself in
 safety in the impregnable  fortress of 
,bible ,truth1 and of that article of   
our church1 which so  truly says1       
#8,holy ,scripture containeth all things
 necessary for  salvation1 so that      
whatsoever is not read therein1 nor may 
be proved  thereby1 is not to be        
required of any man1 that it should be  
believed as  an article of ,faith1 or be
 thought requisite or necessary for     

salvation4'                             
8,i am                                  
8,reverend ,sir1                        
8,your obedient ,servant1               
7,signed7 8,,arthur ,,ellis4    8,the   
,rev4 ,w4 ,j4 ,,irons40                 
99 99 99 99 99    ,the opinion of       
,cardinal ,wiseman referred to in my    
letter4        8,it seems impossible to 
read the works of the ,oxford divines1  
and      especially to follow them      
chronologically without discovering a   
daily      approach towards our ,holy   
,church1 both in doctrine and in        
affectionate feeling4  ,our ,saints1 our
 ,popes1 have become dear to      them  
by little and little2 our rites and     
ceremonies1 our offices1      nay1 our  
very rubrics are precious in their eyes1
 far alas1 beyond      what many of us  
consider them4  ,our monastic           
institutions1 our      charitable and   
educational provisions1 have become more
 and more      objects with them of     
earnest study2 and every thing in fine1 

that      concerns our religion1 deeply 
interests their attention40    ,see     
8,letter on ,catholic ,unity10 addressed
 to the ,earl of ,shrewsbury4           
99 99 99 99 99                          
8,brompton1                             
8,december #acth1 #ahej4    8,,dear     
,,sir1    8,if you really wish to       
believe that all ,converts to ,rome1 or 
most of  them1 come from the ranks of   
#8the ,tractarians' ,i cannot help it4  
,i can  only assure you it is contrary  
to all my experience4  ,in every case   
which  has come under my notice for the 
last ten years1 there is proof of the   
truth of what ,i said in my former note2
 but ,i did not1 and do not1 like  to   
bring a railing accusation against my   
,evangelical brethren1 else ,i  would1  
as you find1 have said1 that my         
experience was quite against the        
assertion now commonly made4  ,i        
supposed1 however1 that other persons   
had  had a different experience from my 
own1 and ,i charitably allowed #8,six of

  one and half-a-dozen of the other4'   
,for myself ,i can only say1 that       
though ,i should like to know well      
enough how the case stands1 ,i should   
attach no importance to the fact1 if the
 balance of advantage were a  trifle on 
one side or other2 much less would ,i   
think of writing to you in  an          
uncourteous or uncharitable tone about  
it4  ,the extract from ,wiseman  which  
you kindly sent me1 ,i easily           
understand4  ,he1 ,jesuit like1 wishes  
to damage ,high ,churchmen1 because he  
knows that ours is the only strong      
ground against ,rome2 #ac just as in the
 days of ,queen ,elizabeth1 ,jesuits    
preached ,calvinism as ,evangelical     
,ministers and ,dissenters1 on purpose  
to  divide and destroy ,churchmen and   
their principles4  ,dr4 ,wiseman never  
abuses ,low ,churchmen4  ,but may ,i    
request1 that as ,i have not time for   
letters on such small points1 you rather
 would1 7if you desire it17 call  on me 
any morning you please1 and in a        

,christian and gentle spirit1  converse 
on any important topic which you may    
desire to discuss4                      
8,i am1 faithfully yours1               
7,signed7 8,,william4 ,j4 ,,irons4      
8,to ,,arthur ,,ellis1 ,,esq41 ,r4,n40  
99 99 99 99 99    ,in the foregoing     
,correspondence between ,dr4 ,,irons and
 myself it will be  seen1 that ,i       
addressed him under the conviction that 
he was one with the  8,tractarian0      
party1 and that his statement about 8six
 of one and  half-a-dozen of the other10
 was offered as a kind of defence of his
  friends4    ,in the answers of ,dr4   
,,irons to my communications1 it is     
quite evident1  that he never thought of
 denying his identity with the          
8,tractarian0  party2 the tenor of his  
letters is not to shew that he is not a 
,tractarian 8in any sense10 but to      
defend 8,tractarianism0 from the charge 
of being the primary cause of the many  
secessions to ,rome from amongst  his   
clerical brethren4    ,compare the      

letters of the ,rev4 ,doctor with his   
more recent statement of  not being a   
,tractarian 8in any sense10 and there   
can be no doubt as to  what must be the 
verdict4    ,there are1 however1 some   
points in both the letters of ,dr4      
,,irons to which  ,i would allude more  
fully1 and comment upon more at length4 
,the ,rev4 ,doctor states that he is    
anxious to get a list of the            
8ascertainable and presentable names of 
the ,converts40    ,if such a list would
 have given so formidable an array of   
,evangelical  ,churchmen and            
,dissenters1 ,i can hardly suppose but  
,dr4 ,,irons 7giving him  all credit for
 not wishing to cast stones at others71 
would have procured  it1 from the desire
 to shew me and other of his            
parishioners1 that the  real cause of   
these perversions was in the 8unsound   
religious education  received amongst   
the #8,low ,church ,people and          
,dissenters1'0 and that  8,tractarian0  
teaching and principles had nothing to  

do in the matter4    ,when ,dr4 ,,irons 
can make good his position by an        
8ascertainable and  presentable list10  
or by any other evidence equally        
convincing1 ,i feel  assured1 that many 
who are now under the conviction that   
8,tractarianism0  is the ,broad ,road to
 ,rome1 will acknowledge their error1   
and confess that  they have done the    
8,tractarian0 party much injustice4     
,in the second letter of ,dr4 ,,irons ,i
 would especially draw attention to     
what he says in reference to the praise 
so lavishly bestowed upon the           
8,tractarian0 party by ,cardinal        
,wiseman4    ,the question1 be it       
remembered1 is not as to the honesty of 
the motives  which led the ,cardinal to 
bestow such eulogiums on his ,oxford    
friends4    ,it is a much more simple   
question and much more easy of          
satisfactory  proof4    ,is the         
,cardinal's opinion of 8,tractarians0   
warranted by facts8    ,let the names of
 ,wilberforce1 ,manning1 ,thynne1       

,haskell1 ,allies1 and a  host of       
others1 now ,priests of the ,church of  
,rome1 give the answer4    ,we must not 
lose sight of the fact in dealing with  
8,tractarians10 that  just in proportion
 as they have received the commendation 
of ,cardinal  ,wiseman and the ,organs  
of the ,romanists2 in like proportion1  
have all  true ,protestants been        
energetic in the condemnation of their  
teaching and  principles4    ,dr4       
,,irons says that ,cardinal ,wiseman    
8never abuses ,low ,churchmen10 but he  
omits to say 7what is much more to the  
point71 that the ,cardinal never        
praises them4    ,when ,romanists shall 
praise ,low ,churchmen and ,dissenters1 
we may be  assured that serious errors  
are creeping in amongst them4  ,if      
friends  condemn1 we may yet be right4  
,but if enemies bestow their praises    
upon  us1 there can be little doubt but 
we are wrong4    ,i will not attempt to 
put my knowledge of ,church ,history on 
a par with  that of ,dr4 ,,irons4  ,a   

life spent on the watery element has    
precluded me  from the opportunity of   
being deeply versant on such subjects2  
but ,i have  always understood1 that in 
the days of ,queen ,elizabeth1 the      
,protestant  ,ministers of the ,church  
of ,england were1 with few exceptions1  
,calvinists3  and the idea of a ,jesuit 
pretending to be a ,calvinist and       
preaching to  ,dissenters in such a     
character in ,elizabeth's reign1 appears
 to me  altogether an imagination of the
 ,reverend ,doctor2 and must have       
reference  to a subsequent period1 when 
principles 7the exact counterpart of    
8,tractarian071 had crept into the      
,church and were bidding fair to lead   
the nation back to ,rome4    ,the       
,puritans of ,elizabeth's reign were not
 ,dissenters1 they had not then  been   
driven out of the ,church4  ,if         
,elizabeth did carry a high hand        
towards them1 her conduct was merciful  
and humane if put in contrast with  the 
tyranny and oppression they suffered at 

a later period1 when the  ,monarchs of  
the ,stuart line were aided by the      
bigotry and persecuting  principles of  
,archbishop ,laud and others1 whose     
memories are held in such  high esteem  
by the 8,tractarians0 of the present    
day4    ,in endeavouring to ignore the  
evidence of ,cardinal ,wiseman in favour
 of  8,tractarianism10 ,dr4 ,,irons     
certainly has the example of high       
ecclesiastical authority4  ,in a        
correspondence lately published between 
a  ,bishop of our ,church 7whose        
8,tractarian0 leanings are but too      
evident7  and an esteemed ,clergyman2   
the ,bishop takes nearly the same line  
of  argument 7if such tortuous reasoning
 can be called argument71 in regard  to 
8,tractarian0 publications highly       
eulogized by the literary organs of  the
 ,romanists4    ,the ,bishop1 however1  
omits to mention1 that these            
publications1 so highly  thought of by  
,papists1 are altogether condemned by   
every sound  ,protestant4    ,in        

bringing this little publication to a   
close1 ,i find it has run out to  a     
length ,i did not look for when ,i took 
up my pen4    ,i would express a hope   
that in any thing ,i may have said of   
individuals1  ,i have not given way to  
unkind or acrimonious expressions4  ,it 
is foreign  to my feelings to have done 
so2 and ,i would desire to remember     
8that the  wrath of man worketh not the 
righteousness of ,god40    ,far abler   
pens than mine have already shown forth 
the true character of  8,tractarianism10
 and unmasked its semi-popish principles
 and practices4  ,if1 in the object ,i  
had in view 7as alluded to at the       
commencement of my  prefatory remarks71 
,i have said any thing to serve as a    
warning to my  ,protestant friends and  
neighbours1 and to lead them to be more 
in earnest  in contending for the faith 
8once delivered to the saints10 ,i have 
an  ample reward4    ,i now leave the   
question 7,is the ,vicar of ,brompton a 
,tractarian87 to the  judgment of those 

who may take the trouble to read this   
,pamphlet4  ,i can  truly say1 ,i shall 
sincerely rejoice to have it made plain 
to me that  what ,dr4 ,,irons says of   
himself is a true picture1 and that he  
is not a  ,tractarian 8in any sense40   
,,footnotes4      #f  ,the official     
statement1 with the names of the 7then7 
,churchwardens  attached to it1 says1   
8that the ,vicar has declined to be a   
party to the  ,memorial in consequence  
of the words in italics being added40   
,these  words were the 8,rider40    #h  
,i asked for1 and obtained1 the sanction
 of ,dr4 ,,irons to publish  these      
letters 7if ,i thought it worth while17 
soon after the  correspondence had taken
 place4    #aa  ,,dr4 ,,irons is the son
 of a respected ,dissenting ,minister1  
who was  held in high esteem by many    
eminent ,clergymen of the ,evangelical  
party4    #ac  8,the nearer the candle  
the safer the moth40  ,such is          
,tractarian  logic4  ,i respectfully    
borrow this apt illustration from the   

8,heir of  ,montresor ,abbey10 a work   
published by ,nisbet  ,co41 and written 
by the  ,protestant ,authoress of 8,the 
,two ,paths40