,transcribed from the #ahda ,j4 ,s4     
,gowing edition by ,david ,price4       
,a ,,letter                             
,,to ,,the                              
,,rev4 ,,charles ,n4 ,,wodehouse1       
,,canon ,,of ,,norwich1                 
,,occasioned ,,by ,,his ,,recent        
,,publication1                          
,,entitled1                    8,,what  
,,is ,,the ,,meaning ,,of               
,,subscription80                        
,,with ,a ,,few                         
,,observations ,,on ,,the ,,speech      
c4                                      
,,of ,,the                              
,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,norwich1         
,,on                                    
,,subscription4                         
,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,charles ,,campbell1 
,,vicar ,,of ,,weasenham4               
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,london3                           ,j4 
,g4 ,,and ,f4 ,,rivington4              
,,matchett1 ,,stevenson1 ,,and          
,,matchett1 ,,norwich2                  

,,and                           ,j4 ,s4 
,,gowing1 ,,swaffham4                   
#ahda4                            ,price
 ,two ,shillings4                       
99 99 99 99 99        8,the ,liturgy of 
the ,church of ,england hath advantages1
 so many and so      considerable1 as   
not only to raise itself above the      
devotions of      other ,churches1 but  
to endear the affections of all good    
people to be      in love with          
,liturgies in general 4 4 4 ,the        
,rubrics of it were wrote      in the   
blood of some of the compilers1 men     
famous in their      generation1 whose  
reputation and glory of martyrdom1 hath 
made it      immodest for the best of   
men now to compare themselves with them4
      ,and its composure is so          
admirable1 that the most industrious    
arts of      its enemies can scarce find
 out an objection of value enough to    
make      a doubt1 or scarce a scruple  
in a serious spirit 4 4 4 ,there are    
also      in the ,offices forms of      

solemn ,absolution and ,benediction1 and
 if      they be not highly             
considerable1 there is nothing sacred in
 the      ,evangelical ,ministry1 but   
the ,altars themselves are made of      
unhallowed turf40                       
,bishop ,jeremy ,taylor4          ,a    
,,letter1  ,,etc4      ,,dear ,,sir1    
,it was hoped that the little excitement
 occasioned by the debate of last       
,session on a petition to the ,house of 
,lords for some alteration of our       
,articles and ,liturgy1 had been        
suffered to subside2 and it was with    
regret we received the announcement of  
your recent publication1 entitled       
8,what is the meaning of ,subscription80
    ,i am not aware that any of the     
clergy of this ,diocese1 during the last
  nine years1 that is from the date of  
your first publication on this  subject1
 namely1 8,a ,petition to the ,house of 
,lords for ,ecclesiastical              
,improvements with ,explanations10 have 
shewn any disposition to  intermeddle   

with your proceedings1 or to 8condemn   
you for doing the best  you could in    
your own cause10 singular as they may   
have thought1 and  singular as you admit
 to have been 8the mode adopted by you  
to obtain  your object40 #a    ,whatever
 they may have thought1 they have       
hitherto been silent1  influenced ,i am 
persuaded more by feelings of respect   
for your personal  character1 than from 
conviction of the strength of your      
position and the  consequent weakness of
 their own4  ,i can answer for myself1  
and ,i am  satisfied that ,i am speaking
 the general sense of the clergy of the 
,diocese1 in saying that they not only  
could1 but had it been from any         
circumstances necessary1 would have     
borne their ready and willing  testimony
 to the truth and faithfulness of the   
eulogy pronounced by your  ,diocesan on 
your 8character and conduct as a        
clergyman and a gentleman40    ,they    
must naturally therefore be the more    
inclined to wish that it had  consisted 

with your views to stop short of a      
public avowal that you could  not with  
any regard for 8truth and honesty10 make
 the declaration to  which they hesitate
 not ex animo to subscribe4    ,richard 
,baxter has said1 8that many are apt to 
think that this is  right1 because the  
best and strictest people are of this   
mind40 #b;a  ,with 8many0 therefore1    
your opinions will have their weight2   
and if the  ,subscription of the clergy 
is to be judged by your views of it1    
their  situation would seem to be any   
thing but an enviable one4    ,and as   
these your views must seem to be        
strongly corroborated by the  congenial 
sentiments of our ,diocesan2 should ,i  
in the course of the  following         
observations1 which ,i take the liberty 
of addressing to you1  hazard also a few
 remarks upon his ,lordship's reasons   
for deeming an  ,expansion of           
,subscription desirable2 ,i trust ,i    
shall find that ,i have not  been misled
 by your example1 but that to me also1  

8it may be allowed to  differ from my   
superiors without disrespect or         
offence40 #b;b    ,allow me then1 to    
express my regret1 that 8res dura et    
regni novitas10  as you may apply the   
royal excuse to your own novel position1
 should  have compelled you to resort in
 your own case to a course you so       
decidedly object to in others2 more     
especially as you appear to have had    
your misgivings1 to have foreseen the   
possibility of 8harm accruing from  it10
 and very justly to have anticipated    
that the perusal of a  publication      
written with the object you appear to   
have had in view1 would  8call forth a  
painful feeling in the minds of         
,christians and ,churchmen40  #c;a      
8,no one10 you say1 8can object more    
decidedly than yourself to the common   
practice of publishing correspondence   
between individuals on matters  relating
 merely to themselves40 #c;b    ,but the
 practice is usually resorted to by     
others1 as it seems to have  been by    

yourself1 under an impression that the  
publication is in some way  or other    
8important to their own defence40 #c;c  
,you would however1 and naturally       
enough1 persuade yourself that yours is 
8a very different case10 a case         
8relating strictly to a public          
question1 one affecting the whole       
,church1 and indeed all ,christians in  
the nation40 #c;d    ,i will not stay to
 enquire whether viewing it in this     
light1 the voice of  the ,church ought  
not to have been heard above your own4  
,but ,i must think  that something more 
than you have advanced is requisite to  
constitute a  public question1 and      
enable us to see the difference between 
your own  case and that of others1 8who 
publish correspondence on matters       
relating  merely to themselves40    ,it 
is true that your case has been publicly
 discussed in parliament1 and  so has   
the case of many another individual2 but
 ,i must think a  distinction is to be  
drawn between a person dragging his own 

affairs  before the public and a public 
affair2 and any weight that you would   
attach to the discussion you allude to1 
as giving to your case the  character   
and importance of a public question1 may
 perhaps be lessened by  a consideration
 of the manner in which that discussion 
was brought about4  ,the ,bishop of     
,lincoln rose1 not to the question1 but 
8at the particular  desire of the ,rev4 
,mr4 ,wodehouse10 wishing to have his   
case brought into  notice2 the ,bishop  
of ,norwich said that he 8should not    
have risen1 had  not the name of the    
,rev4 ,mr4 ,wodehouse been introduced20 
and the ,bishop  of ,london 8would not  
have entered into the discussion1 had it
 not been  for some observations which  
had escaped from the ,bishop of         
,norwich40  ,no  temporal ,peer rose4   
,strictly relating then as you would    
consider your  case to be a public      
question1 there appeared but little     
indication of its  being so considered  
by the ,house of ,lords1 and as to the  

opinion of the  clergy1 the ,bishop of  
,lincoln observed1 8,i am not aware that
 any general  desire for such           
alterations exists1 on the contrary1 ,i 
believe1 that  never did the great body 
of the clergy deprecate more strongly   
any change  in the ,articles and        
,liturgy than at the present moment40   
,the discussion however seems not a     
little to have disquieted you--but      
having raised the whirlwind1 though you 
have failed to guide it--ought you  not 
to have been less impatient of the      
storm8        ,leniter ex merito        
quicquid patiare ferendum est4    ,it is
 difficult to believe that on calmer    
reflection1 a mind like yours  will     
experience no uneasiness at the         
recollection of having endeavoured  to  
turn an intended kindness to the        
prejudice of those who had  conferred   
it1 and in that light all must view the 
evident wish on the  parts of the       
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 and the     
,bishop of ,london1 to  resolve your    

doubts1 and as far as their private     
opinions could  avail--restore peace to 
your mind4  ,i allude to the use you    
have made of  private conversations1 ,i 
say private1 for up to a certain time   
you  appear to have so considered the   
opinions that were then given you4  8,i 
have been favoured10 you say in a letter
 to one of the ,bishops1 8with the      
private opinions of many persons ,i am  
bound to respect40 #e;a  ,i  admit that 
for your further satisfaction you       
received permission to  mention1 or as  
you say 8make known what passed at these
  interviews40--,still1 although it     
would have made no difference as to the 
permission granted1 had they even       
contemplated such a circumstance2 ,i    
suspect that the ,archbishop of         
,canterbury and the ,bishop of ,london1 
must  have felt a little surprised to   
find that their every word had straitly 
been observed--        ,set in a note   
book1 conn'd and got by rote1      ,to  
cast into their teeth--eleven years     

afterwards6    ,yet1 by the aid alone of
 these communications1 you have         
endeavoured to  fix upon the ,archbishop
 of ,canterbury and the ,bishop of      
,london the  following charge1 namely1  
8that in the debate of the #bfth of     
,may1 #ahdj1  his ,grace the ,archbishop
 of ,canterbury and the ,bishop of      
,london more  decidedly endeavoured to  
crush the very idea of the same         
latitude1  which they had on other      
occasions most unequivocally allowed and
  approved40 #e;b    ,i hesitate not for
 a moment to say that it is a charge    
unsupported even  by the shadow of a    
proof4  ,and let us first examine your  
evidence as it  bears upon the          
,archbishop of ,canterbury4    ,the     
points to which you direct our attention
 in substantiation of your  charge are  
these3--,his ,grace's conversation in   
,may1 #ahbi--;his letters of  ,may #ab1 
#ahcj--;and ,march #ah1 #ahdj--;and his 
speech in the debate on the  ,petition4 
,in his letter of ,march #ah1 #ahdj1 his

 ,grace says1 8,i shall be much         
surprised if expressions are found in   
any letter of mine1 which can be        
considered as an intended justification 
of your opinions10 an  observation at   
variance1 as you have persuaded yourself
 with his letter  of #ahcj1 and his     
conversation with you in #ahbi4    ,in  
the first place ,i would submit that a  
distinction obtains between not         
condemning an opinion and intending to  
justify it4  ,it is possible  that his  
,grace may take higher views of the     
power committed to the  stewards of the 
mysteries of ,god than you do4  ,but    
agreeing perhaps with  you that 8the    
power of the keys0 cannot as you have   
elsewhere observed1  be 8beyond a doubt 
defined40 #f;a  ,his ,grace might be    
unwilling to  condemn your lower views1 
but you could scarcely have construed   
this into  an intended justification of 
them4  ,he had besides told you 8that   
the  absence of censure did not imply a 
tacit acquiescence in your  opinions40  

#f;b    ,but what was the latitude which
 his ,grace thought fairly allowable1   
and  how far will it justify you in     
saying that in his speech he endeavoured
  to crush the very idea of that same   
latitude being allowed8    ,your        
conversation with his ,grace seems to   
have turned on the three  points        
mentioned in your petition1--the        
,athanasian ,creed1 the ,absolution1    
and the words used in a part of the     
,ordination ,service4  ,upon your       
mentioning the different opinions given 
by various eminent writers of our       
church as to the ,athanasian ,creed and 
its condemnatory clauses1 his ,grace    
observed1 8,well--none of these opinions
 has been condemned1 take  whichever    
suits your own views1 and be satisfied40
 #g;a  ,but you  cannot be satisfied1   
and although repeatedly told by his     
,grace1 and also  by the ,bishop of     
,lincoln1 that you could not1 so long as
 ,convocation  remained in abeyance1    
obtain the authoritative sense of the   

,church on  these points1 you persist in
 pressing for it4  ,to a request to this
  effect conveyed in a letter to his    
,grace1 you again refer to the subject  
of your conversation4  ,to this his     
,grace replies1 8,with respect to the   
subject of your letter1 ,i have only to 
refer you to our former  conversation1  
in which ,i expressed an opinion that1  
on points where  writers of eminence    
have differed without slur on their     
orthodoxy1 a  certain latitude of       
interpretation is fairly allowable4     
,but with respect  to the authoritative 
sense of the ,church on the points      
mentioned in  your petition1 no         
individual has a right to declare it1 if
 it is a matter  of doubt3 and if1      
during a long succession of years1 some 
difference of  opinion is found among   
writers eminent for learning and piety1 
the  silence of the ,church1 under such 
circumstances1 may be taken as an       
indication of her unwillingness to      
abridge the liberty of her members on   

these points40 #g;b    ,i can see       
nothing here like an intended           
justification of your opinions4  ,his   
,grace would give you it appears no     
decision in private1 he nowhere  led you
 to infer that he even approved of your 
opinions1 and could  hardly have        
intended you to conclude that he meant  
to justify them4  ,he  tells you 8he    
could not see how your position would be
 mended by an open  declaration of his  
opinion1 even if favourable to that     
exposition which  would suit your       
views10 #h which seems at least to imply
 a doubt1 and  where there is a doubt1  
the judge usually directs the jury to   
give the  prisoner the benefit of it1   
but this does not involve the judge's   
approval or intended justification of   
the prisoner's case4    ,yet this is all
 that his ,grace admitted1--and to what 
had this admission a  reference8  ,to a 
certain latitude of interpretation      
allowable under  certain circumstances4 
,and ,i think ,i can safely defy you to 

point out a  solitary expression in his 
,grace's speech on the #bfth of ,may1   
#ahdj1 in  which he attempts to evade   
this admission1 or1 in the language of  
your  accusation1 8endeavours to crush  
the very idea of the same latitude      
which on other occasions he had         
unequivocally allowed and approved40    
,his ,grace's approval however is       
nowhere apparent4    ,his ,grace        
addresses himself in his speech to the  
prayer of the petition1  8which he      
apprehends their ,lordships will not    
countenance in the least  degree40  ,and
 what is the prayer8  8,it prays1       
amongst other things1 your  ,lordships  
to consider what measures ought to be   
adopted to make the  ,prayer ,book and  
the ,subscription of the ,liturgy       
consonant with the  practice of the     
clergy1 and the acknowledged meaning of 
the ,articles of  the church40  ,and    
what is the imputed practice of the     
clergy8  ,according to the statement of 
the petitioners it is their 8general    

practice to deviate from the authorised 
forms and positive  obligations of the  
,church10--when with reference to your  
own case1 the  three points on which you
 consulted his ,grace1 you can prove    
that to  deviate from or omit the       
,athanasian ,creed--the ,absolution--and
 the  words used at the ,imposition of  
,hands--is the same latitude1 which with
  reference to their interpretation1 he 
had thought fairly allowable4--,you  may
 then boast that you have convicted the 
,spiritual ,head of the ,church  of     
inconsistency and duplicity1 and no one 
will attempt to controvert  your        
insinuation that his ,grace 8has one    
opinion at ,lambeth1 and another  in the
 ,house of ,lords40 #i;a    ,your charge
 as it affects the ,bishop of ,london1  
rests on similar  evidence4  ,his       
,lordship's conversation in #ahbi--;a   
letter of #ahcj--;and his  speech in    
#ahdj4  ,you consulted his ,lordship in 
#ahbi on the same subjects1  and        
received in substance the same reply as 

had been given to you by the            
,archbishop4  ,and ,i can as confidently
 defy you to point out in his           
,lordship's speech in #ahdj1 a passage  
that can give any colouring of  justice 
to your charge2 unless you can shew that
 to deprecate an  alteration of our     
,articles and ,liturgy is the same thing
 as to admit  that certain parts of them
 may bear a difference of               
interpretation1 or  show that there is  
no difference between an existing       
8elasticity0 and a  further 8expansion40
    ,your evidence then1 if anywhere1   
must be found in his ,lordship's letter 
of #ahcj4  ,the letter of which you     
complain to the ,archbishop as 8unkind  
and inconsistent with former advice40   
#i;b    ,but as you seem to me to have  
conversed with his ,lordship on one     
subject1  and to have written to him1   
the following year1 upon another1 ,i do 
not  see how you make it appear that his
 ,lordship's letter was inconsistent    
with his former advice4    ,it does not 

appear that you had asked his ,lordship 
8in what sense you  would be expected to
 subscribe0 in future1 but whether      
having  subscribed1 certain opinions    
which you had taken up1 were consistent 
with your ,subscription4  ,his ,lordship
 thought that they were4    ,but nine   
months afterwards1 on being called upon 
to renew your  ,subscription1 you inform
 his ,lordship that you had determined  
not to make  it again but with a sort of
 protest4--,by ,subscription1 you are   
called  upon to declare that 8the ,book 
of ,common ,prayer and of ordering      
,bishops1  ,priests1 and ,deacons1      
containeth in it nothing contrary to the
 word of  ,god1 and that the ,articles  
are agreeable to it30 but to this you   
will  not assent1 unless you may at the 
same time be permitted to declare that  
you do not believe it4  ,you must       
explain1 you tell his ,lordship1 the    
sense in which you shall have no        
objection to subscribe1 and that through
  the medium of a petition to           

parliament4  ,now there appears nothing 
in  your report of the conversation to  
lead to the inference1 nor can ,i       
easily bring myself to think that his   
,lordship could have led you to  infer  
that a qualified ,subscription was      
admissible either from  candidates for  
orders1 or other clergymen4  ,a         
different exposition of the  general    
doctrine laid down in several of our    
,articles1 may be fairly  allowable2 the
 letter of our ,liturgy may in several  
parts admit of a  different             
interpretation1 and if taking our own   
views of these points1  believing them  
not inconsistent with an allowable      
interpretation of the  words1 we can    
unreservedly subscribe1 well and        
good--but for my own  part1 ,i should   
scarcely expect it of a ,bishop to      
receive a qualified  ,subscription from 
me1 the precedent ,i must think would be
 a bad one1 and  the practice subversive
 of the very object of ,subscription1   
independent  of the awkward             

acknowledgement it involves1 that our   
,church exacts from  her members a form 
of ,subscription1 which cannot be made  
without a  salvo4    ,you scarcely could
 have inferred from his ,lordship's     
advice1 that he  8unequivocally allowed 
and approved of this latitude40  ,but as
 he had  told you that he thought your  
interpretation of certain points        
admissible1 and that you might openly   
hold your opinions1 you might  have     
inferred that he also considered them   
consistent with an  8unreserved         
,subscription1 and that according to the
 literal sense of  the words0--for the  
question is1 will not the literal sense 
of the words  bear a different          
application8  ,you subscribe            
unreservedly1 at least  you have given  
us no reason to suppose otherwise1 to   
the ,apostles' ,creed1  in which we are 
told that ,christ sitteth at the right  
hand of ,god1 but  the literal meaning  
of the words is at variance with the    
truth1 that  8,god is without body1     

parts1 or passions40 #aa  ,i must think 
that you  have conjured up a greater    
difficulty on the score of ,subscription
 than  in reality obtains4  ,at all     
events you must detail some further     
particulars of his ,lordship's          
conversation1 before you will enable us 
to  detect its discrepancy with the     
subject of his subsequent letter4       
,but if his ,lordship's private opinion 
on the allowable interpretation of  the 
points on which you consulted him1      
failed to remove your doubts and        
scruples1 and you were after all fully  
persuaded in your own mind that  the    
words in question could by no           
possibility bear the only               
interpretation with which you could     
conscientiously subscribe to them2  ,i  
cannot see how the open sanction of the 
,church could affect you to  the 8easing
 of your conscience40  ,for surely if   
the words will not bear  a certain      
sense1 the ,church cannot make them--the
 sanction of all the  ,bishops in       

,christendom could never make black mean
 white4  ,if you are  of opinion that it
 could1 for a ,protestant you must      
entertain rather high  views of the     
power of the ,church--and yet such would
 seem to be your  opinion1 for in the   
8,circular0 which you sent a day or two 
before the  presentation of the petition
 last year1 to 8all the ,peers whose    
,london  residences could be            
ascertained20 after alluding to these   
opinions  which you had received from   
the ,archbishop and the ,bishop of      
,london1 you  say1 8my answer was1 if   
such be the case1 let these statements  
be openly  sanctioned1 and ,i am        
content4  ,but ,i cannot with truth and 
honesty  subscribe1 not according to the
 literal meaning of the words1 unless   
such latitude be authorised by the      
,church40    ,now if the ,subscription  
is still to be made to the same form of 
words1 it  is very difficult to see how 
the authority of the ,church can impart 
to  them a meaning1 to which without    

that authority truth and honesty would  
forbid you to subscribe4  ,if you do not
 take care1 the ,editors of the  ,oxford
 ,tracts will mark you for their own1 in
 spite of yourself4    ,but in what     
position do you now stand8  ,you have   
done what you informed  the ,bishop of  
,london1 you could 8not be comfortable  
without doing40  ,you  have made known  
to the world1 and that by the means you 
proposed to  yourself1 namely1 a        
petition to parliament1 what your       
opinions are1 and  the world interferes 
not with them1 nor does the ,church     
condemn them2 you  have only therefore  
to arrange the matter with your own     
conscience--if  that condemns you1 your 
course is a clear one4  ,but why should 
it condemn  you more for the next       
fourteen years1 than it would seem to   
have done for  the last fourteen8       
,during that time you have held your    
preferment with  your opinions1 and why 
should you not continue to hold your    
opinions with  your preferment8    ,you 

tell us that your object was eleven     
years ago to 8ascertain with  certainty 
whether you held any opinion which the  
,church condemned40 #ac  ,you were      
informed that the authoritative sense of
 the ,church on the  points you wished  
for information could not in the        
abeyance of  ,convocation be obtained2  
but you were at the same time told1 and 
that1 by  many whose opinions probably  
would have had great weight in          
,convocation  had it been immediately   
convened for your satisfaction1 that    
they  considered your opinions          
allowable1 that the ,church did not     
condemn them2  and ,i think it would    
have been a reasonable inference with   
which to have  quieted your conscience1 
that had the ,convocation been          
assembled1 the  authoritative sense of  
the ,church would not have been against 
you4    ,and certain passages in your   
ministerial career had led us to hope   
and to  infer that you had come to that 
conclusion1 that having unburthened your

  mind1 you were at rest4  ,for in      
#ahcf1 you presented a second petition  
to  the ,house of ,lords1 but from that 
time1 as far at least as we could judge 
from your proceedings1 you seemed to    
have given up your pursuit1 at all      
events1 it appears that you rested upon 
your oars till #ahdj4  ,and in the      
interim1 in the year #ahcg1 after having
 abstained for some years1 and in       
consequence as it was supposed of your  
scruples1 we saw you again  voluntarily 
coming forward1 and in your character of
 a ,presbyter1  officiating at the      
ceremony of the ,imposition of ,hands1  
co-operating  with the ,bishop during   
the recital of the very words at which  
your  conscience had taken such alarm1  
and with respect to which in your former
  petition1 8you had humbly and         
earnestly prayed that such steps might  
be  taken as should seem good to their  
,lordships1 in order to effect those    
alterations in the ,liturgy which would 
relieve the conscience of their         

petitioner40 #ad;a  ,and we had also    
subsequently read the resolution you    
had come to1 and deliberately published 
in #ahch4  ,in a note to a sermon  which
 you published in that year1 you say1   
8,in the absence of all  authoritative  
censure1 ,i conclude as many others do1 
that a silent change  has taken place1  
#8from the diversity of times and men's 
manners4'  ,in  that conclusion ,i      
abide1 repeating what ,i have often     
said1 that  whenever ,i am pronounced   
wrong on authority1 ,i am ready to meet 
the  consequences40 #ad;b    ,i can     
myself say1 and ,i am sure that all who 
have had any opportunity of  knowing    
you1 will say it with the same          
sincerity1 in that conclusion we  most  
heartily wish that you would abide--that
 you would continue to  discharge your  
pastoral duties1 your deliberate and    
solemnly accepted  engagements to the   
8,chief ,shepherd0 in the same exemplary
 manner that has  marked your hitherto  
career1 until you are pronounced wrong  

on  authority--or called from your      
stewardship to render up your account   
with  joy4  ,in what estimation you may 
hold the opinions of your brother       
petitioners1 the ,messrs4 ,hull1 ,i know
 not1 but they say1 8,our clergy  cannot
 leave the ,church--their ordination    
vows are upon them40  ,and  besides1 my 
dear sir1 to rush upon martyrdom in the 
absence of all  persecution1 or1 as far 
as the public can see1 any apparent     
necessity1  will at best obtain for you 
but an ,empedoclean sort of fame4  ,and 
as  nothing has occurred since you      
published your resolution in #ahch1 to  
affect your situation differently from  
what it had been for nine or ten  years 
before1 save the failure of another     
petition2 should you resign in          
consequence of that circumstance1 it    
would look almost as if you resigned    
merely to spite the ,archbishop4    ,but
 under the little difficulty that exists
 of ascertaining with any  certainty    
what your intentions have been1 or even 

now are1 we earnestly  trust they may   
not result in the alternative of a      
resignation1 to which  in the course of 
your correspondence you have made such  
frequent  allusions4  8,an alternative10
 which as ,bishop ,heber says1 8it is   
easy to  suggest in the case of a       
brother1 but which every man in his own 
case  receives with difficulty40 #ae;a  
,a few days before the presentation of  
the last petition you wrote to his      
,grace thus1 8,if ,i fail on this       
occasion 4 4 4  ,i consider myself      
pledged  to resign my preferment40 #ae;b
  ,the result of that petition was      
unfavourable4  ,but ten months          
afterwards1 that is1 in your last       
publication1 you call upon his ,grace to
 pronounce that judgment which he  had  
told you he 8was unwilling to pronounce 
on scruples which he hoped  time might  
remove10 #ae;c--8and should that        
judgment require such a  step1 you will 
with ,god's permission resign next      
,december1 unless a  clear expression of

 public opinion should intervene        
appealing against the  judgment         
pronounced40 #ae;d    ,let us hope then 
that you will abide in this your latest 
resolution1  for ,i think from the      
evidence with which you have furnished  
us1 we may  venture to conclude that no 
such judgment will be pronounced as     
shall  call for any expression of public
 opinion4    ,i shall now proceed to    
hazard a few observations on the reasons
 assigned  by the ,bishop of ,norwich in
 favour of an ,expansion of             
,subscription1  seeing that they are    
considered by many so strongly to       
confirm the  correctness of your own    
views1 and as you have told us that you 
cannot  consistently with truth and     
honesty make the required ,subscription1
 we  cannot but apprehend that in the   
proportion that those views are believed
  to be substantial and correct1 the    
character of the clergy must be         
prejudiced1 at all events in the eyes of
 those1 who unwilling or unable  to     

investigate the matter for themselves1  
take up the opinions of others1  and    
arriving through them at a corollary of 
their own1 hesitate not to go  as far as
 to declare that 8all the clergy are    
perjured40    ,as ,i can devise no      
better1 ,i shall pursue the plan you    
have adopted with  respect to the speech
 of the ,bishop of ,london1 that is1    
giving such  extracts from his          
,lordship's speech as bear upon the     
subject of  ,subscription1 with a       
running comment of my own4  ,i will not 
however1  introduce my remarks with the 
preface you have affixed to your 8plain 
story10--giving us to understand that it
 is intended to be 8a refutation  of    
almost every statement in the ,bishop of
 ,london's speech40 #af  ,lest  having  
led my readers to exclaim        ,quid  
dignum tanto feret hic promissor hiatu4 
,i should leave them to conclude that ,i
 had been labouring under what the      
faculty1 ,i believe1 term 8a false      
conception40    ,his ,lordship's first  

reason for wishing for a more expanded  
,subscription1  is that--        8,,if  
it be true that there is anything       
approaching to the appearance      of   
insincerity on the part of those making 
the ,subscription1 if we      seem to   
confess with our lips that we do not    
confess and believe in      our hearts  
we give our opponents a vantage ground  
of which they will      not be slow to  
avail themselves40    ,there is said to 
be much virtue in an ,,if1 and e virtute
 nos  involvissemus1 had not his        
,lordship torn the covering away1 and   
8left us  naked to our                  
enemies10--self-convicted of 8confessing
 with our lips that  we do not confess  
and believe in our hearts40  ,for says  
his ,lordship--        8,,in ,,fact1    
with respect to ,subscription1 ,i have  
never yet met with      a single        
clergyman 7and ,i have spoken with      
almost numberless      individuals on   
the subject71 who ever allowed that he  
agreed in      every point1 in every    

iota to the ,subscription which he took 
at      ordination40    ,it would not be
 treating his ,lordship with candour to 
give to his  observation an offensive   
meaning1 which it was not intended to   
convey4  ,it is more with reference to  
the mal-construction and malicious use  
of it  by our opponents1 that we are led
 to wish that it had not been made4     
,since his ,lordship's subsequent       
pamphlet1 from which we collect the     
sense  in which he was viewing          
,subscription1 when he made the         
observation1 a  sense in which1 for     
instance with reference to those clauses
 of the  ,athanasian ,creed1 which are  
commonly1 and unjustly1 called          
damnatory1  few ,i suspect do subscribe1
 being1 in my opinion1 in no wise bound 
to an  application of the clauses1 so   
manifestly at variance with the spirit  
in  which the formulary was imposed on  
us by our ,reformers2--since ,i say1    
this  pamphlet can obtain but a very    
small part of the circulation of the    

speech itself1 where the observation    
stands unqualified2 the general         
impression of his ,lordship's meaning   
must be that the clergy subscribe  ex   
animo1 to that which ex animo they do   
not believe4    ,at the same time ,i    
have never seen the necessity of        
responding to those  appeals through    
which the clergy of this ,diocese have  
been called upon to  take some public   
step1 to repel the observation as an    
implied libel upon  them4  ,i would     
rather it should be remembered that his 
,lordship1  comparatively speaking1 has 
been but a short time amongst us1 and   
that  for anything we can tell1 the     
enquiries of which he speaks may have   
been  chiefly made amongst the clergy of
 another ,diocese1 7indeed1 considering 
that it is not a likely question for a  
,bishop to put to candidates for        
,orders1 or his clergy generally1 the   
inference must be that they were71  and 
if their 8withers should be galled10 let
 them respond to these  appeals1 8ours  

are unwrung40    ,it must1 however1 be  
admitted that any insincerity in the    
matter of  ,subscription1 would         
deservedly expose us to the contempt of 
our  opponents4--,but a generous mind   
would shrink instinctively from         
inferring  insincerity from any thing   
approaching only to its appearance4     
,decipimur specie ought to hold with    
respect to evil not less than  good4    
,still1 alas6 to the jaundiced eye every
 object presents itself  in colours not 
its own4  ,and ,i fear that the opinion 
which his ,lordship  would seem to      
entertain of the actuating spirit of our
 opponents1 is but  too well founded1   
and amply justifies his apprehension    
that they would  not be slow to avail   
themselves of the appearance1 caring    
little to  dissipate the 8mentis        
gratissimus error10 by ascertaining     
themselves of  the non-existence of the 
reality4  ,that accomplished1 but       
embittered  infidel1 the historian      
,gibbon1 did not scruple to declare that

 the  clergy1 one and all of them1 made 
their ,subscription either 8with a sigh 
or a smile20 but ,i trust that the      
clergy1 as a body1 can afford to leave  
such opponents in the unmolested        
possession of their imaginary vantage   
ground4  ,until ,mordecai was removed   
from his seat at the gate1 the soul  of 
,haman could not be quieted within      
him--nor will the souls of our          
opponents1 until the ,church is brought 
down to a level with their own  sects4  
8,if it 7,subscription7 is to be        
understood in the literal1 most         
strict1 and most stringent sense1 it    
would create difficulties1      which   
must weigh heavily upon scrupulous and  
tender consciences40    ,but even       
supposing this--where there is no       
compulsion1 there no violence  can be   
done to the conscience1 and no one is   
compelled to 8enter the  church10 and in
 using the expression1 ,i confess ,i    
cannot perceive with  the ,messrs4      
,hull1 that it is redolent 8of a very   

popish error10 it  certainly means1 as  
they observe1 8taking orders20 and ,i   
should think  that the last persons     
likely to present themselves to a       
,bishop for that  purpose1 would be     
those whose consciences were already    
overborne by the  pressure of their     
scruples4    8,tenderness of            
conscience10 says ,bishop ,jeremy       
,taylor1 8is an equivocal  term1 and    
does not always signify in a good       
sense40 #ai  ,i am far from  meaning to 
impeach the sincerity of the            
petitioners1 but if his ,lordship       
applied the term in any other than a    
good sense1 he might seem to have  paid 
them but an equivocal compliment1 and if
 he used it in a good sense  with       
respect to them1 the great body of the  
clergy who have subscribed1  and felt no
 pang1 might suspect his ,lordship of   
meaning to imply that  they were gifted 
with consciences of a somewhat tougher  
texture than is  altogether to be       
envied4  ,some have chosen to draw this 

inference2 ,i will  not however believe 
that they have done his ,lordship's     
deliberate  sentiments justice in so    
doing4        8,and by continuing these 
difficulties 7of ,subscription7 we      
should leave the way open only to those 
whose consciences have no      scruples1
 and who would enter the ,church only   
with a view to the      profits and     
secular advantages40    ,i would submit 
that a man may enter the ,church with a 
view to its  secular advantages1 without
 being justly involved in the suspicion 
of  insincerity1 or of necessity1 laying
 himself open to the imputation of      
entering it only with a view to its     
profits4  ,for instance1 should a       
gentleman have in his gift what is      
commonly called a family living1 he  may
 design it as a provision for a younger 
son1 who enters upon a course  of study 
and trains himself for the ministry1 and
 that without  necessarily discarding   
all view to the secular advantages of   
his  profession1 knowing that 8they     

which preach the gospel should live of  
the  gospel30 but so far from its       
following that he enters the ,church    
with no  other or higher motive2 how    
frequently do we find it the case with  
those  whose lot has thus been cast1 as 
it were1 for them1 that they prove not  
merely exemplary parish priests1 but    
eventually rise to adorn the  ,episcopal
 ,bench4  ,his ,lordship will not object
 to my adducing his own  successful     
career as a case in point4    ,but if   
such characters as his ,lordship speaks 
of1 can even now in the  teeth of all   
the imputed difficulties1 enter the     
church1 if they be so  disposed1 ,i do  
not clearly see how removing these      
difficulties will  mitigate the         
evil--how widening the portal will tend 
to obstruct the  entrance4  ,nor1       
although it stands so recorded in his   
,lordship's speech1  will ,i believe it 
to be1 his deliberate opinion1 that by  
leaving the  matter of ,subscription as 
it now stands1 we leave the way open    

only  to those whose consciences can    
feel no scruples4  ,if these expressions
  of his ,lordship are to be taken only 
in a good sense1 ,i trust for the       
credit of the ,church that his ,lordship
 is not the only exception to the       
general rule4  ,the ,messrs4 ,hull1 in  
their animadversions on the ,bishop  of 
,london's speech1 draw a nice           
distinction between 8opening the door10 
and 8leaving it open40  ,in cases of    
burglary ,i believe the distinction     
involves a difference2 we may venture   
therefore to hazard a guess to  which of
 the brothers1 the lawyer or the divine1
 we may attribute that  contribution to 
the joint stock pamphlet4 #ba           
8,but there is an answer commonly given1
 and a weighty one1 to      this        
objection4  ,the ,church has a sort of  
elasticity which allows      and        
graduates the differences that exist40  
,yet on the use of the word 8elasticity0
 by the ,bishop of ,london1 you say1    
8,i confess myself entirely unable to   

distinguish between the #8expansion'  of
 the one prelate or the #8elasticity' of
 the other40 #bb;a  ,if there is  no    
difference between the existing         
elasticity and the expansion pleaded    
for1 for what boon did the petitioners  
pray8  ,i anticipate your answer1  and  
will reply to it presently4        8,it 
does not become the ,church of ,england1
 a ,church founded on      liberty of   
conscience and the right of private     
judgment1 to say      that there shall  
not be a certain latitude of opinion40  
,this observation has been the theme for
 much discussion4  ,it has been  pretty 
roundly insinuated that his ,lordship's 
meaning had been wilfully               
misapprehended by the ,bishop of        
,london4  ,i see myself but little      
ground  for the insinuation4  ,it will  
at all events be admitted that his      
,lordship  did not qualify or define the
 sense in which he used the observation4
  ,he  has however explained his meaning
 and the extent to which he applied it  

in his pamphlet1 or as you term it      
8brief defence0 of his speech4    ,after
 quoting the 8passing remarks of a      
country newspaper10 as  elucidatory of  
his ,lordship's meaning1 you say1 8,i   
cannot believe the  ,bishop of ,london  
could be blind to a distinction so      
obvious40 #bb;b  ,for  the present1 be  
it so4  ,in the same page in which this 
expression of your  incredulity as to   
his ,lordship's blindness occurs1 you   
quote another  passage from his speech1 
that in which he observes of            
,subscription1--8it  is not required    
from all members of the ,church1 but    
only from the  ministers of the ,church1
 as a security against a greater evil1  
c40  ,upon  which you exclaim1 8can we  
forget that all graduates at the        
universities are required to subscribe1 
that these are all laymen80  ,not very  
easily1 ,i admit4  ,and which would you 
wish us to suppose8  ,that  his         
,lordship had forgotten it1 or that he  
was ignorant of it1 or that he  intended

 to palm upon the audience before which 
he spake such an  assertion as a literal
 fact8  ,as ,i am inclined to think that
 you  suppose neither one nor the other1
 ,i must say1 8,i cannot believe that   
you  could be blind to his ,lordship's  
meaning10 and could not help exclaiming 
on reading your ready imputation against
 the ,bishop of ,london--8,physician6   
heal thyself40    ,but whilst so many   
explanations have since been given of   
the meaning in  which this observation  
was made by the ,bishop of ,norwich1 and
 so many  insinuations levelled at the  
,bishop of ,london for not choosing to  
see it1  ,i am disposed to think that   
his ,lordship did not feel himself      
called upon  to dive into the thoughts  
of the ,bishop of ,norwich1 but         
intending to give  a direct negative to 
an unqualified affirmative1 meant to    
re-repudiate  the notion that 8the      
church of ,england1 was founded on      
liberty of  conscience1 and the right of
 private judgment10 and to assert with  

reference to the well-known fruits of   
such a principle1 that the ,church  was 
founded on 8truth40  ,but the ,bishop of
 ,norwich contends that the  expression 
is an 8incorrect0 one1 and that had he  
been speaking of 8the  only true        
foundation of the true ,catholic ,church
 itself10 he should have  said that it  
was 8founded on the ,apostles and       
,prophets1 ,jesus ,christ  himself being
 the chief corner stone40 #bd;a  ,the   
,bishop of ,london could  scarcely have 
thought the periphrasis necessary1      
considering before  whom he was         
speaking1 he would probably reply to the
 imputed  incorrectness of the          
expression1 that he always considered   
the foundation  of which the ,bishop of 
,norwich here speaks1 to be 8truth10 and
 that the  ,church was the interpreter  
of the ,apostles1 and ,prophets1 and    
,jesus  ,christ1 or in other words of   
the ,gospel of ,christ4  ,he meant also 
,i  should suppose1 to repudiate the    
notion1 that the ,reformation of the    

,church proceeded on such a principle1  
and in effect to affirm that from  the  
days of ,archbishop ,cranmer to these of
 ,archbishop ,howley1 no such  principle
 had ever been recognized by the        
,church1 as that of admitting  8liberty 
of conscience and the right of private  
judgment10 to have any  directive       
influence in ,church affairs2 a fact1   
which if not  sufficiently proved by the
 mandate of ,edward the ,sixth1         
enforcing under  the penalties of       
8sequestration1 suspension1             
excommunication1 and such  other        
coercion1 as to ordinaries or others    
having ecclesiastical  jurisdiction1    
shall seem convenient1 straitly charging
 and commanding his  loving subjects to 
observe the injunctions of #aedg10      
#bd;b--would be amply  established by   
your own observations respecting ,bishop
 ,hooper1 for the  sending of the good  
old man to prison in the matter of the  
vestments1 and  that by the ,reformers  
themselves1 would seem but little to    

favour the  notion that our reformed    
,church was founded on 8liberty of      
conscience and  the right of private    
judgment40    ,but that ,i may not also 
be accused of misapprehending his       
,lordship's  meaning1 ,i will here quote
 his explanation of the sense in which  
the  observation was made--        8,it 
is of course plain that ,i was neither  
speaking of the ,catholic      ,church  
at all1 nor even of the ,church of      
,england1 except in its      character  
of a ,reformed ,church1 founded as such 
on the principles      of the           
,reformation1 which ,i again            
deliberately assert to be liberty       
of conscience and the right of private  
judgment1 in opposition to      that    
,church from whence it separated1 in    
which the authority of      ,popes1     
,councils1 and ,priests1 superseded all 
appeal to the      scriptures           
themselves1 and by which of course      
freedom of judgment      was strictly   
prohibited40 #be;a    ,not that it bears

 upon his ,lordship's argument1 still ,i
 would  respectfully submit whether our 
alleged separation here from the ,church
  of ,rome be strictly correct2 we threw
 off our allegiance to the usurped      
authority1 temporal and spiritual1 of   
the ,pope2 we reformed the abuses of    
our own ,church1 but we separated from  
no mother ,church4  ,the  episcopal     
,church in ,england existed long before 
the ,pope cast his eye  upon it4--8,in  
the acts of the ,council of ,arles1     
which was held ,a4,d4 #cad1  we find the
 ,subscriptions of three ,british       
,bishops40 #be;b    ,but ,i would       
further question whether in his         
,lordship's qualified sense  of the     
observation it can with any strictness  
be said1 that our  reformed ,church was 
founded on the principle he contends    
for4    ,it will1 ,i think1 be admitted 
that whatever was done with reference to
  the ,church by that 8,postilion of the
 ,reformation10 as ,burnet calls him1   
the ,papist ,henry1 was done by him more

 with a view 8to cudgel the ,pope  into 
a compliance with what he desired10     
#bf;a than from any desire to  reform   
our religion4  ,at all events1 we must  
give up any attempt to  reconcile his   
8six acts0 with 8liberty of conscience40
    ,the reformation of our religion had
 its commencement in the reign of  his  
successor4  ,here1 if any where1 we must
 look for the principle in  question4   
,but can it be said that our religion   
was reformed 8in  opposition to the     
authority of ,popes and ,councils10 when
 it is so well  known1 that 8the ,bishop
 of ,rome's usurped power and           
jurisdiction was of  most just causes   
taken away and abolished10 #bf;b in the 
preceding  reign8  ,neither can it1 ,i  
think1 in strictness be said1 of that   
time1  that the ,priests superseded all 
appeal to the scriptures1 seeing that   
it was by the ,bishops themselves that  
the scriptures were chiefly caused  to  
be circulated4  ,i am speaking not of   
the ,german ,protestant ,church1 but    

that of which his ,lordship speaks1 8the
 ,church of ,england1 in its  character 
of a reformed ,church40  ,and ,i have   
before shewn on your own  authority in  
the matter of ,hooper1 that she         
recognised nothing so  little as the    
principle of 8liberty of conscience40   
,that sectarism or  separation from the 
,church is founded on this principle1   
will be  admitted4    ,it has always    
appeared to me1 that the hacknied       
phrase1 8liberty of  conscience and the 
right of private judgment10 applied to  
an associated  body1 is a pure fallacy1 
,i had almost said1 a cobweb to catch   
the fly  popularity1 quite as valuable  
as an appeal1 8ad captandum vulgus10 as 
the cry--8,nolumus leges ,angli mutari10
 to which 8catch-word10 his  ,lordship  
attributes the defeat of the attempt to 
revise the ,liturgy in  #afhi4  ,you    
also attribute this defeat to 8the      
violence of party20 but  there are      
those1 and the late pious and excellent 
,bishop ,jebb amongst  the number1 who  

ascribe it to the 8special interference 
of ,providence40  8,but the special     
interference of ,providence did not     
terminate with the  first establishment 
of our ,liturgy 4 4 4  ,even within the 
,church itself1  some were found whose  
integrity cannot be impeached1 who were 
on the  point of introducing alterations
 which could not have failed to prove   
equally injurious to the cause of truth 
and piety40 #bg;a  ,even ,bishop        
,burnet1 one of the ,commissioners1 with
 reference to the probable result  of   
those contemplated alterations of #afhi1
 imputes the failure of the  attempt to 
a 8very happy direction of the          
providence of ,god observed in  the     
matter40 #bg;b    ,the ,church1 however1
 coerces the conscience of no man1 every
 one is at  liberty to take his own     
religious course1 and ,i confess ,i     
cannot see why  that which is conceded  
to all other societies should be denied 
to the  ,church--the right of being     
governed by her own constitutions1 and  

the  right also of judging what         
constitutions are most conducive to the 
welfare and good order of her community4
    ,if ,i could not conscientiously    
conform to the doctrines and discipline 
of  the ,baptist or the ,independent1 ,i
 question if they would allow me to     
give my conscience the liberty to act   
amongst them according to its  dictates4
  ,they would no more deny than we do   
ourselves1 the abstract  principle1     
neither would they 8fine10 nor put me in
 8the pillory10 but ,i  suspect they    
would 8exclude0 me1 and with very good  
reason1 from their  ministry4  ,to talk 
of conceding the abstract right of      
private judgment1  has always appeared  
to me a good deal like talking of       
conceding to a  person with sound lungs 
the privilege of breathing4  ,but to    
contend for  the principle and talk of  
certain latitudes and limits1 seems to  
me to  involve a contradiction--once    
assign any limits to the 8right10 and   
you  destroy the principle4  ,but       

although his ,lordship pleads for the   
principle being1 as he contends1 that on
 which our ,church is founded1 and      
ought to be acted upon1 he would        
circumscribe it within 8a certain       
latitude of opinion40  ,he would not    
have it trench upon 8the  distinguishing
 features and essential doctrines of the
 ,christian ,church40  ,but who is to be
 the judge of these doctrines8  ,two of 
the petitioners1  the ,messrs4 ,hull1   
repudiate the very idea of the ,church  
being the  authorized interpreter of the
 truth4  8,if10 say these brothers1 in  
allusion to a remark by the ,bishop of  
,london1 8the word #8authorised' bear   
its usual signification1 such a remark  
would indeed be inconsistent with       
liberty of conscience and the right of  
private judgment40 #bh;a    ,again1     
arguing from the abuse of ,subscription 
by 8unconscientious and  unscrupulous   
men10 they say1 8it is on that account  
that the simplest  ,creed1 and the truth
 to which the term #8necessary' is      

directly applied in  our bible1 are     
enough to justify a call into the       
ministry40 #bh;b    ,but let any one    
compare the following passage1 from ,mr4
 ,belsham's first  letter to a former   
,bishop of ,london1 with his exposition 
of the  ,unitarians' ,creed1 as it is   
given at the end of that lucus a non    
lucendo--his 8,calm ,inquiry40  8,that  
the ,unitarians believe everything  that
 is essential to salvation is evident   
from the unequivocal  testimony of the  
,apostle ,paul himself1 who in the      
,epistle to the ,romans1  x4 #i1        
expressly teaches that if we confess    
with our mouth the ,lord ,jesus1  and   
believe in our heart that ,god hath     
raised him from the dead1 we shall  be  
saved40  ,here then we have a professed 
believer in the simplest  creed--but    
will it 8justify his call into the      
ministry80  ,take again the  case of the
 ,baptist1 agreeing with us ,i believe  
on all the essential  doctrines of      
,christianity1 admitting the necessity  

of ,baptism1 but  differing from us only
 on a question of time4  ,with our views
 on ,infant  ,baptism should we be      
justified in admitting him into the     
ministry8 and if  not1 what becomes of  
liberty of conscience and the right of  
private  judgment8  ,might not the      
professed believer in this simple creed 
and the  ,baptist1 under the            
contemplated restrictions of the        
principle complain  with you 8that the  
same invasion of ,christian liberty     
remains8  ,fines1  and imprisonment1 and
 the pillory1 have vanished2 exclusion  
remains 7to  them7 in the same unabated 
force40 #bi  ,let us then remove the    
corrective remedy of ,subscription to   
,articles of ,faith1 and where shall  we
 stay the progress of the gangrene8     
,how shall we exclude 8the naughty      
seducers80        8,i consider that by  
in any way expanding the sense and      
meaning of      ,subscription1 a boon   
would be granted1 and a great benefit   
conferred upon the scrupulous and tender

 consciences of those who are           
among0--it might be asked how they came 
there--8or may become the      brightest
 ornaments of the establishment40       
,but if these ornaments can only be     
secured at the risk1 ,i do not say with 
the 8intention0 of letting into the     
ministry together with them1 men  who   
hold things contrary to sound doctrine1 
however exemplary may be  their lives1  
however brilliant their acquirements1   
still should they be  in error          
concerning the ,faith1 shall we not have
 purchased them at too  high a price8   
,brighter ornaments we may never hope to
 see than that army of martyrs1  those  
profoundly learned and eminently pious  
men1 the sanctity of whose  lives1 the  
fervour of whose holy zeal in the cause 
of ,christ have shed an  undying lustre 
on the religion they professed when     
living1 and who being  dead yet         
speak--and in the accents of            
encouragement to the tenderest          
conscience1 seem to breathe a crede     

nobis1--the ,church in the holy         
communion of which ,,we lived and died1 
proffers nothing to be received as  an  
article of faith1 that is 8not agreeable
 to the word of ,god10  nothing as a    
point of discipline 8that is contrary to
 it40        8,i would remove every     
obstacle in the way of ,subscription1 by
      which tender consciences of       
unquestionable orthodoxy1 agreeing on   
every point essential to ,christianity1 
might be relieved from                  
difficulties1 which ,i know weigh much  
with men of honourable and      high    
feeling40    ,but when ,subscription is 
objected to as it is by the petitioners1
 because  they think it pledges them to 
an assent to things unscriptural1 as for
  instance 8the unscriptural character  
of the ,athanasian ,creed10 as it is    
viewed by the ,messrs4 ,hull1 and the   
non-agreement of it1 and other  matters 
in the scripture as they are viewed by  
yourself--when the  alternative is to   
give assent to matters that are contrary

 to  scripture1 or to sacrifice 8truth  
and honesty10--surely the expression  of
 a tender conscience is incorrectly     
applied to men like these4  ,for  what  
must be the toughness of theirs who     
could submit to the  alternative8       
,but although the ,bishop of ,norwich   
would not allow 8liberty of  conscience0
 to extend so far as to trench upon the 
8essential doctrines  of the ,christian 
,church40  ,nevertheless1 having alluded
 in his speech to  the difficult        
circumstances in which the reformers    
were placed1 and in  consequence of     
which 8the ,articles of the ,church were
 framed on a  reference to the opinions 
of a very wide body who differed among  
themselves on many important points40   
,his ,lordship contends in the  8brief  
defence0 of his speech1 8that it only   
requires the full carrying  out of this 
principle into practice1 to meet the    
difficulties of the  present case40 #ca 
,the radical reformer of the ,state     
contends that it only requires the  full

 carrying out of the principle of the   
,reform ,bill1 to give  universal       
suffrage and universal satisfaction to  
the people1 and ,i am  inclined to think
 that the result in either case would be
 pretty much the  same--equally         
disastrous to the ,church as to the     
,state4    ,but it has been contended   
during the present movement1 that if    
alterations be made in our ,liturgy to  
meet one tender conscience1 a  similar  
boon should be extended to all4  ,upon  
this objection his ,lordship  argues1   
8if this be true1 it is much more true  
that if no latitude is  to be allowed in
 any subordinate point1 we cannot make  
exceptions in one  case more than       
another40  ,but this appears to me to be
 a petitio  principii1 it is assuming   
that there is no existing 8elasticity10 
no  departure from an iota admissible1  
no latitude in any point1  subordinate  
or otherwise already recognized1 and if 
so1 seeing that on  most of the points  
on which your objections hinge1 his     

,lordship would  seem1 from his         
pamphlet1 to coincide with you in your  
views1 it might not  unreasonably be    
asked1--how ,dr4 ,stanley came to be at 
this moment1 ,bishop  of ,norwich4      
,still1 ,i think it may reasonably be   
asked1 as it is1 if this principle of   
concession in consideration to tender   
consciences be once admitted1  where are
 the probable demands upon it likely to 
find a limit8    ,the question would    
seem then to resolve itself into a      
choice of evils1  and e malis minimum1  
we must ask therefore1 which would be   
most  conducive to the welfare and      
respectability of the ,church1 to       
require  ,subscription to be made       
unreservedly and according to the       
literal meaning  of the words and sense 
in which they were imposed1 or to allow 
such a  latitude as may enable every one
 to subscribe in what sense he          
please8--8,quicunque vult1 is an ill    
preface to a law40    ,a proposition    
similar to the last has been stated and 

canvassed by  ,bishop ,jeremy ,taylor1  
and he says of it--8,this is the last   
remedy1 but  it is the worst1 it hath in
 it something of craft1 but very little 
of  ingenuity1 and if it serve the ends 
of peace or external charity1 or a      
fantastic concord1 yet it cannot serve  
the ends of truth and holiness1  and    
christian simplicity40 #cb    ,how far  
the ,bishop of ,norwich may be disposed 
to go in carrying out his  benevolent   
object 7and ,i speak it in perfect      
sincerity1 for ,i believe his  ,lordship
 to be actuated by the very best        
intentions71 of giving relief to  tender
 consciences and promoting peace and    
unity amongst ,christians1 ,i  pretend  
not to say--for his ,lordship's pamphlet
 leaves the matter more  doubtful than  
his speech1 inasmuch as amongst those   
whose sentiments his  ,lordship quotes  
as being most in accordance with his    
own1 and with  reference to whom        
8compared with many of their modern     
opponents10 he  says--        ,mallem   

magis cum ,platone errare quam cum istis
 rect sentire4    ,his ,lordship quotes 
the opinion of ,bishop ,warburton1      
namely1 that  8schism which all must    
admit to be an evil1 is one which       
nothing but  the ,church widening her   
communion1 can prevent or cure40 #cc    
,i confess ,i could never clearly see   
how the ,church can conscientiously     
widen her communion4  ,what are the     
pleas for separation8  ,they hinge  not 
on letters and iotas1 nor on this or    
that particular passage in  our         
,liturgy1 they resolve themselves into  
two--our ,doctrines and our  ,church    
,government4  ,one or other of these is 
the plea alleged by every  denomination 
of separatists1 from the frigid         
,socinian1 to the  fanatical ,jumper4   
,giving these separatists therefore     
credit for  seceding or keeping aloof of
 us on these grounds1 and1 that for     
conscience sake--we can only expect to  
8prevent schism10 by leaving the        
divinity of our ,saviour 8an open       

question10 and abolishing ,episcopacy   
altogether4    ,but may we not ask1 if  
tenderness of conscience is to be       
respected when  it takes offence at     
non-essentials1 why is it to be         
disregarded when it  stumbles at the far
 more important matters1 the essentials 
of  ,christianity1 the 8distinguishing  
features of the ,christian ,church80 and
  is not ,episcopacy a distinguishing   
feature8  ,but with the exception of    
the ,roman ,catholic1 there is not a    
separatist in the three kingdoms who  is
 agreed with us on that point4  ,are the
 divinity of ,christ and the  atonement 
essential doctrines8  ,but the so called
 ,unitarian1 in the  exercise of his    
private judgment1 pronounces them to be 
falsehoods4  ,is  ,infant ,baptism a    
distinguishing feature8  ,but the       
,baptist1 as he styles  himself1        
condemns it as a senseless and          
unscriptural rite1 nor will the  liberty
 in which he indulges his conscience    
permit him to hold communion  with any  

,church that practises it4  ,is the     
,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper  a    
distinguishing feature8  ,but the tender
 conscience of the ,quaker  rioting in  
the liberty wherewith ,christ hath made 
him free1 will not  deign to return to  
these 8beggarly elements10--8the policy 
of ,satan  busying people with outward  
signs40 #cd;a    ,since then we must    
give up the pleasing hope of bringing   
schismatics  back to the fold1 we may   
narrow the question1 and limit the      
proposed  revision of our ,articles and 
,liturgy1 to the removal of every 8cause
 of  uneasiness0 to the tender          
consciences of our brethren within the  
pale4  8,this10 as you justly observe1  
8would probably occasion some trouble   
and  difficulty10 #cd;b not that this   
ought to be objected if the charitable  
object could be effected by any         
reasonable sacrifice4  ,you admit that  
already 8more is proposed that is either
 necessary or desirable40 #cd;c  ,the   
,bishop of ,london #cd;d 8would not be  

disposed to go as far as you10  whilst  
some perhaps with the modesty of old    
,richard ,baxter1 might  propose to put 
the unclean thing away altogether1 and  
to substitute a new  and much improved  
,liturgy of their own4  ,let us once    
open the commission1  institute this    
,court of ,relief for tender            
consciences1 and we shall have  no lack 
of appellants4        ,utor             
permisso--caudque pilos ut equin1       
,paulatim vello--demo unum1 demo etiam  
unum1      ,dum cadat elusus ratione    
ruentis acervi4 #cf;a    ,the           
difficulties of the subject seem to be  
confessed by all1 except it  may be by  
the ,brothers ,hull1 who seem to see    
none or very few4  ,but the  ,bishop of 
,norwich observes1 8,i agree that there 
are what to some may be  deemed almost  
insuperable difficulties in the way of  
any change in the  ,liturgy1 and perhaps
 in the ,articles40  ,nor would these   
difficulties  seem to be lessened1 if   
his ,lordship's view of the present     

state of the  ,church be correct1 it    
being his opinion 8that there never was 
a period  perhaps of our ,church        
,history with so little harmony within  
the pale1 and  so fearful a prospect of 
fiercer and wider dissention40 #cf;b    
8,there is  a lion in the way0--and for 
my own part ,i am craven enough to say  
there  let him lie--couchant he is      
likely to be less troublesome than      
rampant4  ,and the better part of valour
 is discretion4    ,and as his ,lordship
 tells us that 8he believes the ,clergy 
as a body would  not consent to any     
change0 in the ,liturgy4  ,we may infer 
that that  absence of harmony to which  
his ,lordship alludes1 from whatever    
other  causes it may arise1 originates  
in no want of unanimity in the ,church  
on  the score of ,subscription1 and that
 there would seem but little  necessity1
 for the sake of peace1 to embark upon  
the dangerous  experiment of a revision4
    ,it being then admitted that 8the   
,clergy as a body would not consent to  

any change in the ,liturgy or           
,articles10 we must presume that they   
can  unreservedly make the ,subscription
 in its present form4  ,and putting     
aside your own peculiar case1 we must   
also presume of those persons who       
recently petitioned parliament1 in the  
character of ,clergymen of the  ,church 
of ,england1 that although they might   
think some ,expansion of  ,subscription 
desirable1 in consideration to others1  
did nevertheless make  their own with a 
safe conscience and with the honest     
intention of  fulfilling their          
engagements1 by a general conformity to 
the prescribed  ,services of our        
,church4  ,they subscribed1 we must     
presume1 with no such  latitude of      
opinion as would admit of an habitual   
deviation from1  either by alteration or
 a summary omission1 of such parts of   
our  ,services1 as they could not       
satisfactorily reconcile with their own 
private opinions4  ,mr4 ,maty1 a former 
seceder from our establishment1  could  

not consider such a latitude of the     
construction of his  ,subscription      
compatible with his honesty4  ,in a     
letter to ,mr4 ,lindsey1  he says1      
8finally1 ,i can neither submit to      
acquiesce in silence1 after  having made
 my objections known1 nor take upon me  
to alter the ,service of  the ,church as
 long as ,i continue to profess myself a
 minister of it40  #cg    ,properly     
appreciating this sentiment1 we must    
conclude that the ,bishop of  ,norwich  
understood the prayer of the petitioners
 with no reference to  such a practice  
as ,mr4 ,maty here condemns1 when he    
represented them as  praying 8that that 
which is consented to and allowed       
privately1 may be  the avowed and       
acknowledged sentiments of the ,church  
at large40  ,yet in  their 8explanation 
of the statements of the petition10 and 
the object  which they had in view1 the 
,messrs4 ,hull1 enumerate amongst these 
deviations from the authorized forms and
 positive obligations of the  ,church1  

sanctioned as they assert by general    
practice2 the omission  of the          
,athanasian ,creed1 the change or       
omission of certain sentences in  the   
,burial ,service1 and the substitution  
of other lessons than those  appointed  
by the ,church4  ,now ,i must think1    
that if a complaint were  preferred     
against a ,clergyman to his ,diocesan   
for habitually and  advisedly deviating 
thus from his positive obligations1 the 
complainants would scarcely be told that
 such things were consented to  and     
allowed privately by the ,church4  ,if  
so1 for consistency's sake it  might be 
as well to expunge in future from the   
,churchwardens' ,articles of  ,enquiry  
exhibited at ,episcopal ,visitations1   
any such query as the  following1 8,doth
 the ,incumbent or ,curate regularly    
read service with the  ,litany and      
,creeds1 exactly according to the       
,rubric of the ,book of ,common         
,prayer1 without omission1 addition1 or 
alteration80 #ch    ,you represent the  

petitioners 8as having presented to     
parliament the  sound and reasonable    
prayer1 that the law and the practice   
should be  assimilated40  ,you mean1 ,i 
presume1 that some regard should be had 
to  the nature of the thing practised1  
otherwise ,i must think your  principle 
a very unsound one4  ,for instance1 it  
is to be feared that a  habit prevails  
sadly too much amongst both high and    
low1 of neglecting  the observance of   
the sabbath day and keeping it anything 
but holy4  ,but  ,i would not therefore 
assimilate the law to this practice and 
go to  parliament for an act to legalize
 sabbath breaking4  ,and even in respect
  to the prayer of the petitioners1 ,i  
should say that the ,archbishop's       
proposition that steps should be taken  
to assimilate the practice to  the law1 
was the sounder one of the two4    ,but 
the ,messrs4 ,hull in their view of the 
matter1 represent the  ,bishop of       
,norwich--8as pleading strongly for that
 privilege which should  be conceded to 

every ingenuous mind1 to mean what it   
says1 and to say  what it means40  ,a   
form of ,subscription such as would     
admit of every one  saying what he      
means1 seems to have been the view which
 the ,bishop of  ,london took of the    
object of the petitioners1 and called it
 very  truly1--8expansion with a        
vengeance40    ,but you would make us1  
by our present ,subscription1 say much  
more than we  mean1 and mean much more  
than we say1 for instance1 you would    
contend  that we declare by             
,subscription1 8that every word of the  
,homilies1 is  agreeable to the word of 
,god10 the laity1 you say 8feel not what
 it  is to subscribe literally to every 
word of the ,homilies1 ,rites1 and      
,ceremonies10 #ci;a and again1 8if a    
,subscription to the ,liturgy as        
agreeable to the word of ,god is still  
maintained to be indispensable10  #ci;b 
and further1 the petition states1 that  
the ,clergy are 8commonly  understood to
 be bound to the observance of all the  

,canons40 #ci;c  ,now1 ,i cannot think  
that you give quite a correct view of   
,subscription4  ,amongst your           
illustrations1 you say1 8our            
,subscription literally taken  calls    
upon a person to declare that the       
delivery of a marriage ring and  the    
,apostles' ,creed are equally agreeable 
to scripture60 #dj  ,but the  very      
letter of our ,subscription is opposed  
to this view of it4--,we know  of       
nothing in scripture agreeable to or    
agreeing with any part of our  marriage 
ceremony1 unless it be a supper2 neither
 have we any 8scripture  warrant0 for   
our custom of kneeling when receiving   
the sacrament1 none  for signing with   
the sign of the cross1 no direct warrant
 baptizing  infants1 in short1 literally
 we do not subscribe to the ,liturgy as 
being agreeable to the word of ,god1 but
 containing nothing contrary  to it4    
,neither do we 8subscribe literally and 
to every word of the ,homilies0  as     
being agreeable to the word of ,god4  ,i

 could produce you many a quaint        
passage from their exhortations1 to     
which we should be puzzled to find      
anything agreeable in scripture1 though 
nothing perhaps contrary to the  spirit 
of them4    ,and as to the ,canons1 so  
far from feeling ourselves bound to a   
voluntary observance of them all1 ,i    
have no recollection of pledging  myself
 by any ,subscription at my ordination  
to the observance of any of  them4  8,as
 to the ,canons10 says ,archdeacon      
,sharpe1 8to which we are  not bound by 
any formal promise1 but only by virtue  
of their own  authority4  ,i believe no 
one will say that we are bound to pay   
obedience  to them all1 according to the
 letter of them40  ,say then1 that there
 are  amongst them some1 which as the   
petitioners allege 8could not in these  
days be acted upon10 if so1 they are the
 less likely to cause them any          
grievance4  ,and as to the alleged      
inexpediency of acting upon others1 let 
us leave that to be judged of by our    

superiors1 whom we are bound to  obey1  
at least so ,i understood my ordination 
vows4  ,but our objection to  a revision
 of our ,laws ,ecclesiastical arises    
from no over-weaning  affection for     
these inoperative canons1 but from a    
desire rather to        8 4 4 4 bear the
 ills we have      ,than fly to others1 
that we know not of40    ,but to the    
observance of the ,rubric1 we are       
unquestionably pledged4  ,and  it is    
preferred by the ,messrs4 ,hull1 8as a  
charge against the  ,archbishop of      
,canterbury and the ,bishop of ,london1 
that at their  ordination they pledged  
themselves to observe the ,rubric1 and  
so to  confirm in a given way4  ,but    
they do not confirm in that way1 and do 
confirm in another10 ergo valet         
consequentia4  ,but1 after mentioning in
  the strongest terms our obligations to
 a strict observance of the ,rubric1    
,archdeacon ,sharpe says1 8this indeed  
we must always take along with us1  that
 our obligations to observe the ,rubric1

 how indispensable soever1 are  subject 
to this proviso--namely1 that the thing 
prescribed be a thing  practicable40    
,and as the ,messrs4 ,hull admit that   
8the ,bishops from  the multitudes of   
candidates1 could not confirm according 
to the  ,rubric10 we will leave the     
,bishops to settle this matter with     
their own  consciences1 believing that  
their characters are not so far         
compromised  by the deviation1 as to    
render it imperative upon them1 to      
plunge at all  hazards into a revision4 
,our ,articles were agreed upon1 as you 
observe1 8for avoiding diversities  of  
opinions1 and for the stablishing       
consent touching true religion40  ,in   
accomplishing this1 you seem to think   
that they have signally failed4  ,in    
those cases1 however1 where the ,article
 has advisedly been drawn up for  the   
purpose of admitting men holding certain
 differences of opinion on  the general 
doctrine contained in it1 the           
contemplated result can  scarcely be    

looked upon as indicative of any failure
 of the object4  ,but  ,i cannot see    
that the existence of one evil in a     
system1 if the extent to  which this    
latitude goes be one1 which ,i do not   
admit1 is a sound  argument for the     
bringing in of many more4  8,if10 says  
,dr4 ,randolph1  8the best method we can
 think of to avoid diversities of       
opinion and  establish consent touching 
true religion1 has through the          
perverseness  and corruption of mankind 
a contrary effect1 surely not we1 but   
these  hypocrites1 are to blame4  ,but  
we cannot think it a good reason for    
throwing down all the fences of our     
vineyard1 because some wild boars  will 
sometimes break through them40 #db  ,it 
appears1 however1 that you  would only  
leave a few gaps in the fence1 the      
thirty-nine ,articles you  would abolish
 at one fell swoop1 and from the passing
 of your proposed  ,,bill for the       
consolidating the laws of religious     
tests1 or ,subscriptions1  c4 8you would

 have it enacted1 that nothing be       
required but assent to  the doctrines   
set forth in the three ,creeds1 as      
agreeable to scripture2  assent to the  
truth of the scriptures themselves2 and 
that they contain  all things necessary 
to salvation40    ,i perceive1 however1 
that you would still have a 8declaration
 of  conformity to the ,liturgy of the  
,church of ,england1 as it is now by law
  established40--,by now1 ,i presume you
 are speaking of the ,liturgy1 as it    
shall be set forth hereafter1 when every
 pebble of offence shall be  taken away1
 and 8every cause of uneasiness         
removed40  ,but hic labor1  hoc opus    
est--take for instance the ,athanasian  
,creed1 you might be  contented with the
 proposition of #afhi respecting it2 but
 your brother  petitioners the ,messrs4 
,hull exclaim1 8let ,subscription       
henceforward  apply to a ,prayer ,book  
which does not contain the ,athanasian  
,creed40  #dc;a  ,now1 if this 8erroris 
expulsio10 as it has been termed1 was   

considered indispensable to the         
exclusion of the ,arian 8wolves10 even  
after the imposition of the ,nicene     
,creed1--are these wolves  exterminated8
  ,or is their nature so changed that   
they would harmlessly  lie down with the
 lambs of our fold1 were it not for     
those invidious  fences that prevent    
their approach1 nor seduce them from the
 fold1 even  were it fenceless8  ,but1  
argue the ,messrs4 ,hull1 fences are of 
no use1  for a wolf once upon a time got
 through one1 meaning ,bishop ,hoadley4 
,but they forget that like that         
treacherous one we read of in the       
nursery  legend1 the 8,little ,red      
,riding ,hood10--he disguised himself to
 effect his  purpose4  ,we have lately  
read of a chimney sweeper insinuating   
himself  into her ,majesty's private    
apartments1 but we have not heard in    
consequence of the abolition of the     
police force4    ,but let it be admitted
 that our ,liturgy1 8that admirable     
book1 next to  the bible1 the treasure  

and glory and safeguard of our reformed 
,church10  #dc;b is not faultless2      
still1 who when he looks upon the       
heterogeneous  mass of so called        
improvements that have been already     
suggested1 would  not exclaim--8,let us 
but have our ,liturgy continued to us as
 it is1 until  the men are born who     
shall be able to mend it or make it     
better1 and we  desire no greater       
security against either altering this or
 introducing  another40 #dc;c    ,but as
 the subsidence of the dissidia         
mutuasque suspiciones1 is a             
consummation more devoutly to be wished1
 than1 ,i fear1 in these times1  to be  
looked for2 ,i will in conclusion make a
 few observations in defence  of the    
,subscription of the ,clergy generally1 
to those three points  which you esteem 
so 8indefensible20 but as my            
observations have already  extended far 
beyond the limit ,i had contemplated1 ,i
 must of necessity1 be  more brief than 
,i could wish1 or than justice to such  

subjects might seem  to require--and    
first of the ,athanasian ,creed4        
8,full of information10 as ,hooker      
observes1 8concerning that faith which  
,arianism did so mightily impugn1 and   
which was both in the east and  west    
,churches accepted as a treasure of     
inestimable price1 by as many  as had   
not given up even the very ghost of     
belief40 #dd;a    ,but my ,diocesan     
tells me1 that 8literally understood    
this ,creed makes  no distinctions1 no  
contingencies1 but unconditionally and  
unequivocally  asserts that all who     
receive it not1 are doomed to           
irretrievable  perdition40 #dd;b  ,god  
forbid6  ,but if it be so1 literally the
 ,saviour  of mankind has pronounced the
 same uncontingent1 undistinguishing1   
unequivocal doom1 upon all who believe  
not the gospel4  8,he that  believeth   
not shall be damned1 #dd;c whosoever    
believeth on him shall  not perish1 but 
have everlasting life10 #dd;d the       
converse is1  whosoever believeth not   

shall perish everlastingly2 for 8he that
  believeth not shall not see life1 but 
the wrath of ,god abideth on  him1 #dd;e
 they all shall be damned1 who believe  
not ,,the truth40 #dd;f    ,but we      
cannot bring ourselves to think that it 
can consist with the  goodness of ,him  
8whose tender mercies are over all ,his 
works10 to doom to  8irretrievable      
perdition10 millions of ,his creatures  
for the  non-performance of an          
impossibility4  ,we consequently limit  
this awful  sentence against those who  
8love unrighteousness10 and wilfully    
reject  the offer of salvation4  ,the   
context forces us to this application of
  the anathema4  ,but ,i am not asking  
in what sense we are to understand  the 
threat of scripture1 but applying to it 
the same reasoning through  which the   
,athanasian ,creed is attacked2 and ,i  
assert that literally  understood1 the  
texts which ,i have quoted1 as          
undistinguishingly doom to  perdition   
all who do not believe the gospel1 as   

does the ,athanasian  ,creed all who do 
not hold the ,catholic ,faith4    ,but  
if we are to ascertain the sense of     
scripture by comparing it with          
scripture1 the text with the context1   
why are we to be debarred from          
ascertaining the sense and meaning of   
our ,church formularies1 by the         
application of the same canon of        
interpretation8  ,why are so invidious  
objections to be conjured up and bruited
 abroad against our ,church1 by  tying  
us down to the letter of her forms1 to  
the utter disregard of  their meaning1  
and the spirit in which they have been  
imposed8  ,i cannot  express my own view
 of these monitory clauses1 better than 
in the  language of a contemporary      
divine1 8their connection and relative  
force  is this3 whosoever desires to be 
saved it is necessary that he hold the  
,catholic ,faith1 and if he who has this
 faith keep it not1 for he cannot  keep 
it except he has first had it or held   
it1 he cannot be saved1 but  without    

doubt shall perish everlastingly4  ,the 
warning1 therefore1 is  directed to him 
only who keeps not the faith which he   
has been taught1  which has been put    
into his hands1 which he has had hold   
of40 #de    ,but my ,diocesan affirms1  
and although it is your own opinion     
also1 ,i take  the liberty of canvassing
 it in his ,lordship's statement1       
feeling that  the sentiments of the     
,spiritual ,head of the ,church in this 
,diocese1 must  carry with them even    
greater weight than your own4  ,his     
,lordship says1  8granting 7though the  
,creed makes no such concession7 that   
five hundred  millions and upwards of   
,pagans and ,heathens1 out of eight     
hundred  millions inhabitants of our    
globe1 are not meant to be included in  
this  sweeping anathema1 it should be   
remembered that the whole ,greek        
,church1  professed ,christians as they 
are1 must of necessity be included1 as  
its  members after mature consideration 
are at variance with other ,churches    

respecting the procession of the ,holy  
,ghost40 #df;a  ,as a point of  doctrine
 ,i am much disposed to question the    
8mature consideration10 ,i  should      
rather impute the schism to the         
imperious and unbending  dispositions of
 the respective parties1 the ,patriarch 
versus the  ,pontiff4  ,but be that as  
it may1--,i would exonerate our ,church 
from the  odium of gratuitously         
condemning to irretrievable perdition1  
those who in  her own opinion           
substantially differ nothing from her in
 this respect1  but do keep undefiled   
the ,catholic ,faith4    8,they do not10
 says ,archbishop ,bramhall1 8add the   
word filioque to  the ,creed1 and yet   
they acknowledge that the ,holy ,ghost  
is the ,spirit of  the ,son1 which is   
the very same thing in sense40 #df;b    
,and again--8,peter  ,lombard1 ,thomas  
,jesu1 ,cardinal ,tolet1 and many       
others1 do make the  question about the 
procession of the ,holy ,ghost to be    
verbal only1  without reality1 and that 

the ,grecian expressions of ,spiritus   
,filii and  per ,filium1 do signify as  
much as our ,filioque40 #dg;a  ,bishop  
,pearson1 ,bishop ,beveridge1 ,dr4      
,waterland1 and many others of our own  
divines are of the same opinion4    ,in 
explication of the doctrine of the      
,personality of the ,holy ,ghost1 the   
,athanasian ,creed says--8the ,holy     
,ghost is of the ,father and of the     
,son10  the ,greek ,church holds that   
which as ,bishop ,pearson says1 plainly 
contains this truth1 that the ,spirit is
 of ,god the ,father1 and of ,god  the  
,son4  ,the ,creed says1 8neither made1 
nor created1 nor begotten1 but          
proceeding10 and beyond a procession1   
distinguishing ,him from the  ,father   
and the ,son1 but whether this          
procession be temporal1 eternal1  or    
both--whether from the ,father and the  
,son1 or from the ,father only1  the    
,creed determines nothing--and the      
distinguishing property ascribed  by the
 ,greek ,church to the ,holy ,ghost1 is 

a procession1 4  #dg;b  8,the ,greek    
,church10 says ,dr4 ,bennet1 8does      
unanimously maintain  the temporal      
procession of the ,holy ,ghost1 from    
both the ,father and  the ,son4  ,and   
since this ,creed may be understood in  
that sense1 therefore  in the use of it 
we do necessarily declare no more than  
what the ,greek  ,church does as        
cordially profess and contend for as    
ourselves40    8,though the             
distinction10 says the same writer1 8was
 so well known to all  our ,reformers in
 this nation1 yet their prudence and    
moderation would not  suffer them to    
take notice of it in any public and     
authentic manner4  ,they would not      
recede from ,rome any further than was  
necessary1 upon  the account of the     
,roman corruptions1 and therefore they  
did not reject  the filioque from the   
,nicene ,creed or the ,creed of ,st4    
,athanasius1  nor did they declare      
themselves against the ,greek ,church by
 adding any  such term1 as must         

necessarily determine in what sense they
 understood  the procession40 #dh;a     
,literally taken1 therefore1 the ,greek 
,church  is not of necessity included in
 this sweeping anathema1 and as his     
,lordship states it1 8excluded from the 
merits of the ,redeemer's death         
hereafter10 any more than five hundred  
millions of ,heathens are condemned  to 
irretrievable perdition by the literal  
acceptation of ,mark xvi4 #af4    ,to   
affirm the necessity of the ,catholic   
,faith to salvation1 is simply to  say  
what our ,lord himself says1 in the     
above text4  ,to affirm that he who     
having had the ,catholic ,faith rejects 
it1 is to say no more than is  said1    
,heb4 vi4 #d1 ,luke ix4 #fb1 ,matt x4   
#ac1 and #b ,peter ii4 #ba1 with many   
other like places4    ,it would appear  
then from page #ea of your pamphlet1    
that we differ  nothing in our          
application of these clauses2 the only  
difference between  us is1 that taking  
this view of it1 ,i can unreservedly    

make my  ,subscription1 and             
conscientiously hold with our eighth    
,article1 that this  ,creed 8ought      
thoroughly to be received and believed40
  ,but if in my  conscience ,i believed 
that such an application of them was    
untenable1 ,i  confess ,i could not so  
easily lay aside my scruples1 as it     
would appear  you were ready to do1     
provided you could obtain the 8sanction 
of the  opinion of the ,archbishop of   
,canterbury10 an opinion which being not
 ex  cathedra1 but private and personal1
 his ,grace would not permit you to     
consider as 8of greater value than that 
of any other individual1 who  may       
possess in an equal degree the          
qualifications of a competent judge in  
such a matter40 #dh;b    ,but you ask   
8whether when we read ,mark xvi4 #af1 we
 can find in that awful  threat against 
those who do not receive the ,,gospel1 a
 sanction for the  even more appalling  
threat contained in the ,creed40 #di;a  
,in what sense  it is more appalling you

 have left us to discover4  ,but by this
  observation1 you would seem to aim at 
some distinction between not  receiving 
the ,gospel and rejecting the 8very     
essentials of  ,christianity40    8,the 
,creed10 you say1 8consists of a series 
of propositions deduced by  fallible    
man40  ,this of necessity would be the  
case1 since the truth  was by the wisdom
 of ,god committed to the keeping of    
fallible man1 and  with it1 the command 
to 8take heed to ,,the doctrine40  ,but 
the question is  are they correct       
deductions from the infallible word of  
,god8  ,you admit  that they are1 all   
8must admire10 you say1 8the            
extraordinary subtlety  and acuteness   
with which erroneous theories are       
rejected1 and the  correct deductions   
from scripture are maintained10 #di;b   
and again 8the  matters treated of in   
this ,creed are of such fundamental     
importance and  so including the very   
essentials of ,christianity40 #di;c  ,if
 so1 if the  deductions be scriptural1  

the spirit of the clauses cannot be     
otherwise1 for 8he that believeth not   
shall be damned10 and ,i presume  that  
by believing you would contend for the  
necessity of a sound  faith--8the truth 
as it is in ,jesus40    8,you are not10 
you say1 8so feverishly sensitive as    
many good men of our  ,church as to     
,trinitarian definitions1 esteeming a   
lively #8faith working  by love1' the   
grand desideratum of the gospel10 #di;d 
and so no doubt in  a right sense it is4
  ,but ,south draws a distinction       
between a lively  and a living faith1   
8our faith must not only be living but  
lively  too40  ,admitting this          
distinction1 how far behind you does the
 ,unitarian  7or rather ,humanitarian1  
if sects would but assume their most    
appropriate designation71 fall in the   
profession of a like faith8  ,he  holds 
after a fashion1 ,st4 ,paul's 8word of  
faith10 ,rom4 x4 #i1 and in  works of   
kindness to his fellow creatures and    
morality1 falls nothing  behind the most

 orthodox ,trinitarian4  ,in this sense 
his faith is lively1  and artlessness   
and simplicity are the boasted          
characteristics of his  ,creed4  ,he    
8confesses with his mouth the ,lord     
,jesus0--but then it is that  he 8was a 
man constituted in all respects like    
other men1 subject to the  same         
infirmities1 the same ignorance1        
prejudices1 and frailties1  that he     
suffered death1 not to appease the wrath
 of ,god1 not as a  satisfaction to     
divine justice1 not to exhibit the evil 
of sin1 nor in  any sense whatever to   
make atonement to ,god for it2 for this 
doctrine1  in every sense1 and according
 to every explanation they explode as   
irrational1 unscriptural1 and derogatory
 from the divine  perfections1 but as a 
martyr to the truth1 and as a necessary 
preliminary to his resurrection40 #ej   
,they confess ,jesus with the  mouth1   
but they deny the gospel of ,jesus      
,christ our ,redeemer4  ,and is  this   
believing to the saving of the soul8 is 

this a 8confession unto  salvation80    
,is this ,,the doctrine8  ,but the      
rulers of ,christ's ,church are  to     
charge some that they teach no other    
doctrine1 than the doctrine  which is   
according to godliness1 and great is the
 mystery of godliness4  ,they are to    
rebuke sharply that men be sound in the 
faith4  ,we must in  short teach the    
truth as it is in ,jesus1--,,the faith  
and not ,a faith2 and  woe to us if from
 any mistaken notions of ,christian     
charity1 of that  charity which         
8rejoiceth in the truth10 we hesitate to
 declare that to  reject 8the very      
essentials of ,christianity10 is a      
8drawing back unto  perdition40  ,at the
 same time when in the fulfilment of our
 bounden duty1  our positive            
obligations1 we declare the threat of   
scripture1 for we  declare no more1 we  
might hope at all events from those     
whose every  sentiment would seem to    
breathe of ,christian benevolence1 to   
have credit  for declaring it in the    

spirit of that charity which 8hopeth all
  things40    ,of the form of absolution
 in the ,service for ,visiting the      
,sick1 you  say1 8no small harm is done 
to our reputation by sanctioning that   
which  in plain honest language cannot  
be defended40 #ea;a    ,the ,roman      
,catholic will tell you that you cannot 
in plain honest language  defend any    
construction of the words 8this is my   
body10 but their own4  ,you put1        
however1 a different construction upon  
them1 and with no harm  done to your    
reputation4    ,the ,bishop of ,norwich 
says of this form1 8,i have heard many  
,clergymen  express the pain they felt  
in uttering it1 shrinking1 as           
conscientious  minds ever must1 from the
 assumption of a power of so awful a    
character1  while others from equally   
conscientious motives1 abstain          
altogether from  pronouncing it40 #ea;b 
,i hope ,i do not misapprehend his      
,lordship2 but the impression of his    
opinion left on my mind by this passage1

 is1 that no conscientious mind  can    
comply with our ordination vows but with
 pain to itself4  ,with what  pain and  
reluctance then must his ,lordship cause
 these solemn vows to be  administered1 
and trusting that they are              
conscientiously made1 how from          
conscientious motives a man can abstain 
from the observance of them1 ,i  confess
 ,i cannot clearly see4  ,nor1 can ,i   
think it quite just to the  great body  
of his ,clergy to take a weak conscience
 as the standard by  which to measure   
the integrity of1 perhaps1 a better     
informed one4    ,but if his ,lordship  
so construes our formularies1 as        
implying an  assumption on the part of  
the ,minister1 of a power1 the          
arrogating of  which can fall nothing   
short of blasphemy1 namely1 that 8unless
 we as  ,ministers of the ,church1 #8do 
forgive' and #8absolve1' the sins of a  
dying  man must descend with him to the 
grave1 with all their fearful pressure2 
and that if we choose to retain them1 he

 cannot escape their  consequences10    
#eb;a--in other words1 assuming a power 
like the false  ,prophets of old1 8to   
slay the souls that should not die1 and 
save the  souls alive that should not   
live10 #eb;b--if such be his ,lordship's
 view  of our forms1 a man need not be  
gifted with an over-sensitive conscience
  to shudder at the arrogance1 the use  
of them must involve4    ,yet in such a 
sense1 his ,lordship would seem to say1 
that our ,church's  absolution was      
viewed and 8believed by many of our     
earliest ,reformers40  ,let us then try 
the ,service in question1 not by its    
iotas1 but by its  obvious sense and    
meaning4  ,let it be made its own       
interpreter1 and we  must at once be    
convinced that such was not the spirit  
in which it was  imposed by our         
,reformers1 that they contemplated no   
such construction of  its words1 as that
 of implying a power1 of 8loosing of the
 debt of  eternal death10--or as ,bishop
 ,burnet says1 to 8pardon with relation 

to  ,god40    ,for if so1 why remind the
 sick person1 that 8after this life     
there is an  account to be given to the 
righteous ,judge1 by whom all must be   
judged  without respect of persons40    
#ec;a  ,does the form objected to imply 
any  such arrogant assumption on the    
part of the ,minister8  ,on the         
contrary1  is not the commencement of it
 precatory8 to the effect that ,christ1 
not the ,priest1 8would of his great    
mercy forgive the penitent his          
offences40  ,does the ,priest pronounce 
the absolution in his own name8  ,on    
the contrary1 he pronounces it in the   
name of ,him who sent him to declare    
the forgiveness of sins4  ,does he      
declare it on any other than the  gospel
 terms8  ,he declares it only to those  
who 8truly repent and  believe in       
,christ40  ,but can he see the heart8   
,how then can it be  supposed that he   
should himself believe1 or what danger  
is incurred of  deceiving the dying     
person into the fond hope1 that he      

shall1 in virtue  of the ,priest's      
absolution1 be clear when he is judged  
hereafter8  ,or if  for a moment1 the   
dying person had so deceived himself1   
must not the  delusion be dissipated1 on
 hearing the ,minister after he had     
pronounced  his absolution1 put up to   
the throne of mercy that earnest and    
affecting petition1 in behalf of him    
8who most earnestly desireth  pardon and
 forgiveness0--but to what purpose1 if  
he believed that he had  but the moment 
before forgiven him8 what can be more   
utterly at variance  than this prayer1  
with the imputed arrogance of the form  
of absolution8  8,the truth is1 that in 
the ,priest's absolution1 there is the  
true power  and virtue of forgiveness   
which will most certainly take          
effect--nisi  ponitur obex--as in       
,baptism40 #ec;b    8,but who10 you ask1
 8shall venture to put these words into 
the mouth of  fallible men1 and         
authorize them in any sense to apply    
them40 #ed;a    8,you believe us10 you  

say1 8to be in the fullest sense        
ambassadors of  ,christ1 charged with a 
message of reconciliation40 #ed;b  ,but 
say that  you were delivering this      
message at the bed of a dying person1   
and he  replied to it1 yes sir1 so ,i   
read in my bible4  ,how would you lead  
him to  believe that your ambassadorial 
declaration of his forgiveness1 was     
likely to be of more avail to him1 than 
his reading the message for  himself8   
8,sin10 says ,hooker1 8is not helped    
unless it be assured of  pardon40 #ed;c 
,but what assurance can you give the    
penitent1 beyond that  he can read for  
himself1 unless you have authority to   
declare his  pardon in virtue of your   
official character8  ,if it be not so1  
the  distribution of the bible may be   
considered as having in a great measure 
superseded the further necessity of a   
,christian ,ministry1 and rendered  our 
,saviour's institutions of none effect4 
8,but why10 you ask1 8assume to execute 
our commission in terms which  under any

 construction are presumptuous40  ,under
 their proper  construction ,i would    
submit that they argue no assumption or 
presumption  whatsoever4    ,let us say 
that you had recently been sent out as  
8an ambassador in the  fullest sense10  
to ,canada1 in pardoning the rebels in  
accordance with  your instructions1 and 
a compliance on their parts with the    
terms1 should  you have deemed it a     
distinction involving any important     
difference1  implicating you in an act  
of presumption1 or derogating any thing 
from  the prerogative of your           
sovereign1--had you said1 ,i remit you  
your  outlawry1 and absolve you from all
 your offences4    ,but ,i should much  
question1 supposing the rebels had by   
some means  possessed themselves of your
 instructions1 and having ascertained   
from  them the terms on which pardon was
 offered to them1 whether they would    
have considered reading this document to
 each other1 the same thing as  having  
the gracious message of pardon delivered

 to them on authority4  ,the former is  
the principle of sectarism4  ,but if you
 believe that there  is any virtue in   
your office1 if you believe that you are
 empowered to  declare the message of   
reconciliation with more effect than a  
layman1  define your position with      
regard to your heavenly ,master1 assert 
your  delegated authority1 that of being
 in the 8fullest sense an ambassador of 
,christ20 prove that it means something1
 or give up your claim to an empty      
title4  ,if there is nothing analogous  
in the office1 why assume to be an      
ambassador8 or why should the ,apostles 
have led us to infer a delegated  power1
 by declaring themselves to be          
ambassadors1 ministers of the  gospel1  
and stewards of the mysteries of ,god8  
,but for a weak and fallible man to     
assume a power in any sense1 to remit   
or retain the sins of another1 how shall
 we divest such a notion of             
presumption1 or reconcile it with the   
enlightened and enquiring spirit of  the

 nineteenth century8    ,we are         
baptized1 as ,i have always understood1 
for the remission of  sins4  ,say then1 
that a person desired baptism at your   
hands1 but that  on examination you     
thought you had found him wanting in the
 necessary  qualifications1 that he had 
not faith4  ,would you baptize him8     
,but if  part of the grace of ,baptism  
be the remission of sins past1 by       
withholding from him the sacramental    
means whereby they are remitted1 do  you
 not retain them8  ,and under such      
circumstances1 would not the  virtue of 
your commission--the 8power of the      
keys10 be brought home to  you8  ,and   
considering the life-giving effect of   
,baptism1 if you are  tempted to measure
 ,god's ways by our ways1 must it not   
strike you as the  very height of       
presumption1 to say as you do--,i       
baptize thee8  ,but as  the remission of
 sins is a result of ,baptism1 and as we
 have not  according to the old         
puritanical objection1 any 8scripture   

warrant0 for  the words with which we   
administer that mystery1 would it argue 
greater  presumption to say in words    
that mean no more1 8,i absolve thee of  
all  thy past offences80  ,the ,greek   
,church seems to have viewed the matter 
in  this light1 for as we learn from    
,bingham1 they perform the rite in the  
optative form4  8,baptizetur servus     
,christi in nomine ,patris1  c4--let the
 servant of ,christ be baptized1 c40 #ef
    ,but say1 that you had mistaken the 
thoughts of the heart of the would be   
convert1 would not 8the tremendous      
responsibility0 of which his ,lordship  
speaks be neutralized as it respected   
both the convert and yourself1 by  the  
comforting consideration that there is  
an after appeal to ,one that  judgeth   
righteously1 at whose tribunal the act  
or sentence of ,his  official on earth  
will be reversed1 if pronounced in      
error1 but  everlastingly confirmed if  
otherwise8  ,is absolution therefore a  
matter  of indifference8  ,why then was 

the ,christian ministry ordained1 and   
its  authority sealed by the assurance  
of its divine ,founder1--8he that       
despiseth you despiseth me1 and he that 
despiseth me despiseth ,him that  sent  
me80    ,your third objection lies      
against the words1 8,receive ye the     
,holy ,ghost10  as they are used in our 
,ordination ,service4    ,the old cavil1
 as it is mentioned by ,hooker1 was     
8,the ,holy ,ghost we  cannot give1 and 
therefore we foolishly bid men receive  
it40 #eg;a    ,your objection to the use
 of these words would seem to be1 that  
in their  literal sense they imply a    
power of commanding his gifts4  ,but    
surely  there is a wide distinction     
between the dispenser of a spiritual    
gift1  and the giver of it4  8,god10    
says ,jeremy ,taylor1 8is the fountain  
of  the power1 man conveys it by an     
external rite 4 4 4  ,god is the        
consecrator1 man is the minister2 the   
separation is mysterious and  wonderful1
 the power great and secret40 #eg;b     

,now1 if a ,bishop really believes that 
the ,imposition of ,hands is a  divinely
 instituted rite1 the means ordained by 
inspiration of ,christ1  and used by his
 ,apostles1 whereby the gift of the     
,holy ,ghost is conveyed  and received1 
for the ministration of the mysteries of
 the gospel  dispensation3--if he       
believe that he is a minister of the    
,spirit1 an  apostolically appointed    
steward of these mysteries1 ,i can see  
nothing  8foolish10 nothing presumptuous
 in his saying at the very moment that  
he  believes that he is dispensing the  
gift--8,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost for 
the office and work of a ,priest in the 
,church of ,god1 now committed unto  you
 by the ,imposition of our ,hands40  ,it
 would1 at least1 tend to show  that he 
had faith in the efficacy of his        
ministration4  ,but to imitate  the     
significant act of our ,saviour and his 
,apostles1 ever performed by  them with 
a specific object1 and ever resulting in
 a blessing1 in the  communication of   

some spiritual gift1 to have recourse to
 the sign1  with no faith in the thing  
signified1 esteeming it but a barren    
ceremony1--would seem to me to be but   
little short of an 8indefensible0       
mockery of an external rite1 hallowed to
 spiritual purposes by the  authority of
 inspiration4    ,if you can believe in 
the mystery of the sacraments1 if you   
can believe  that 8the bread which we   
break1 the cup of blessing which we     
bless10 do1  by the prayer and solemn   
invocation of the ,priest1 become1 in   
some  inexplicable and mysterious       
manner1 the 8,communion of the body and 
blood  of ,christ1 which are verily and 
indeed taken and received by the        
faithful  in the ,lord's ,supper30 if1  
in this faith1 you hesitate not to give 
the  consecrated elements to the        
communicants1 manifesting the           
signification  of the rite1 by the      
words1 the 8body and blood of ,christ1  
take1  eat--drink30--,i can see but     
little reason why you should stumble1 at

 the  not more mysterious communication 
of the spiritual gift for the office    
ministerial1 by the ,imposition of      
,hands4  ,they are mysteries2 but the   
whole gospel dispensation is a          
mystery3--we must become as 8little     
children0 or we cannot receive them--for
 no sooner do we grow wise  enough to   
ask 8how these things can be10 than we  
are certain to reject  them as          
8foolishness40  ,some boldly1 like the  
,socinian1 as requiring a  8prostration 
of intellect10 too humiliating to be    
submitted to--others  hiding from       
themselves their want of faith1 under   
the garb of humility1  under which garb1
 ,i wish1 that frequently something more
 of rationalism  may not lurk1 than its 
wearer would either willingly suspect or
  acknowledge4    ,but you request the  
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 8that it may
 be allowed by  his ,grace's authority  
or sanctioned by his opinion1 that in   
this form1  all that relates to the gift
 of the ,spirit0 7the ministration of it

  rather1 since the ,bishop is not the  
fountain of the power--not the  giver71 
8may be considered precatory40          
#ei;a--,precatory6--8the great          
mysteries of our religion are all by way
 of solemn prayer40  8,the form  of     
words10 says ,jeremy ,taylor1 8doth not 
alter the case1 for ,ego  benedico1 and 
,deus benedicat is the same1 and was no 
more1 when ,god  commanded the ,priest  
in express terms to bless the people40  
#ei;b    ,but what is there in the      
words1 8receive ye the ,holy ,ghost10 to
 prevent  your taking them in the sense 
which would seem 8to suit your own      
views80    ,you take1 ,i doubt not the  
form1 in which the bread and wine in the
  sacrament are administered in a       
precatory sense4--8,the body of our     
,lord  ,jesus ,christ which was given   
for thee1 preserve thy body10 c4--but in
 the  absence of any auxiliary verb1 you
 must imply the precatory sense--you    
might mentally substitute shall or will1
 for may1 for anything that  there is in

 the form itself to prevent you4    ,but
 you object also to the words as being  
an innovation1 and contend that  the use
 of them was unknown in the purer ages  
of ,christianity4  ,this1  however1 you 
must permit me to say1 you have signally
 failed in your  attempt to prove4  ,the
 authorities you adduce1 are those of   
,morinus and  ,bishop ,burnet4  ,on     
these authorities 8you hope to make it  
appear beyond  all doubt that no such   
form of ordination was ever thought of1 
nor any  resembling it for eleven       
centuries after the publication of      
,christianity40 #ei;c  8,prayer and the 
,imposition of ,hands1 were the only    
rites we find practised by the          
,apostles10 says the ,bishop4  ,but they
 were  two distinct rites3 8when they   
had prayed1 they laid their hands on    
them40 #fj;a  ,but they have left us no 
form of prayer used by them upon  the   
occasion--how then do we know what form 
they used8  ,and are we to  suppose that
 the ,imposition of ,hands was given in 

silence1  unaccompanied by any words to 
indicate its signification to the person
  ordained1 or to the faithful who were 
present8  ,but nothing is left on       
record4  ,how then can you undertake to 
say that they used not1 as they  most   
probably would1 the very form of the    
primitive commission8  ,christ  was     
designated for his ministry by the      
visible descent of the ,holy ,ghost1    
and by an efflux of the ,spirit3 ,he1   
having received the gift without        
measure1 in like manner designated his  
,apostles for theirs--8,as my  ,father  
hath sent me1 even so send ,i           
you0--,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost4     
,and there can be no doubt1 that the    
,apostles in ordaining others1 would    
declare both by word and deed3 8,as     
,christ hath sent us1 so send we  you40 
8,stir up the gift of ,god that is in   
you by the putting on of my  hands40    
#fj;b    ,but ,morinus is to set this   
question at rest4  8,his authority must1
 you  suppose1 be considered conclusive 

on this point40 #fj;c  ,but to what does
  it amount8  ,his collected ,,ms4 forms
 of ,ordination take you back to about  
the middle of the eighth century2 and   
these you adduce as conclusive  evidence
 of the practice of the primitive       
,church4  ,now admitting1 as in  candour
 we must1 that his earliest authority is
 a proof of still earlier               
usage1--still1 as to any evidence of the
 practice of the primitive  ,church1 he 
leaves you with a yawning and somewhat  
unmanageable hiatus  upon your hands4   
,could no written summary of the        
,christian faith1 or any traces of such 
summary be discovered1 anterior to the  
date of that of ,nice2 you would  hardly
 argue that for the three preceding     
centuries the ,church had always  used  
the ,nicene ,creed3--the inference would
 be that no human explication  of the   
8word of faith10 had been found         
necessary3--and in like manner1 the     
absence of any proof to the contrary1   
affords a strong presumption1 that  the 

primitive ,church had adhered to the use
 of the words of the  primitive         
commission4  ,at all events1 before you 
undertake to inform us  what form was   
not used in the ordinations of the      
primitive ,church2 it  is incumbent on  
you to show what form it did            
use4--8,but10 says  ,bingham1 whom you  
quote thus far1--8the solemnity in      
giving superior  orders1 was always     
performed by the ,imposition of ,hands  
and prayer40  ,this has never been      
disputed1 but he also observes--8,it is 
not to be  imagined that one and the    
same form was used in all ,churches1 for
 every  ,bishop having liberty to frame 
his own ,liturgy1 as there were         
different  ,liturgies in different      
,churches1 so it is reasonable to       
suppose the  ,primates or ,metropolitans
 had different forms of consecration1   
though  there are now no remains of them
 in being1 to give us any further       
information40 #fa;a    ,throwing you in 
two centuries and a half beyond your    

earliest authority1  ,i dare not attempt
 with ,bishop ,burnet and yourself to   
jump the  remaining hiatus1 with any    
hope of reaching your conclusion1--8that
 if we  ask of the antient time what is 
best1 and of the latter time what is    
fittest1 some alteration of the form of 
ordination is both proper and           
expedient40 #fa;b    ,our compilers     
thought it both 8best and fittest0 to   
adhere to the words  of the primitive   
commission1 nor attempt to define the   
mystery1 or  enquire 8how can these     
things be30--and they would probably    
have replied  to the modern cavils in   
the spirit of ,hooker's                 
observation--8,seeing  therefore that   
the same power is now given1 why should 
the same form of  words expressing it1  
be thought foolish80 #fb;a    ,to this  
form of words the ,clergy do literally  
and ex animo subscribe1  and            
notwithstanding your objections1 ,i     
trust without impeachment either  of    
their truth or honesty4    ,in a note to

 your ,sermon published in #ahch1       
speaking of 8controversial  publications
 by ,clergymen in defence of our        
,church10 you observe1 8the  occupation 
is in most cases neither happy nor      
improving40    ,ought not such a        
consideration to have withheld you from 
challenging your  brother to take so    
questionable a course as you consider   
its defence1 by  publishing such        
opinions of the ,subscription required  
and made by the  ,clergy1 as must1 if   
correct1 involve them in the suspicion  
of being  either ignorant of its        
meaning1 indifferent to its obligations1
 or  insincere in their acceptance of   
them8--warning them at one time against 
the unhappy occupation of self-defence1 
and leading your readers at  another1 to
 draw an inference to their prejudice1  
from their silence2 for  you say with   
reference to 8your objections1 no       
attempt at a refutation of  them has    
appeared1 so far as you know1 from any  
quarter10 #fb;b and  further1 that our  

,diocesan's pamphlet1 in 8defence0 of   
his speech on  ,subscription1 so        
strongly corroborative of your own      
objections 8remains  unanswered40 #fb;c 
,i must1 therefore1 request of you to   
share any blame that may attach to  us1 
in consequence of the courses1 offensive
 and defensive1 which we  have          
respectively taken in this matter4    ,i
 am fully conscious of the very         
questionable position in which it places
  me1 as one of his subordinate ,clergy1
 with respect to my ,diocesan4  ,and ,i 
trust ,i feel it with as becoming a     
sense of the doubtfulness of its        
propriety1 as you must your own with its
 reference to our venerable and         
universally respected ,metropolitan4    
,but when his ,lordship is informed of  
the alacrity with which our  opponents  
have availed themselves of his published
 opinions1 to cast them  8unbated and   
envenomed0 against the bulwarks of our  
,zion1 ,i feel assured  that the well   
known liberality of his ,lordship's     

sentiments1 will dispose  him to make   
for me every allowance4    ,i could have
 wished that the silence the ,clergy    
have hitherto preserved1  and which has 
been construed to their disadvantage1   
had been broken by  some one better     
qualified than ,i am to do justice to   
the subjects ,i have  presumed to       
handle2 by some one1 whose name would   
have carried with it1  far more weight  
than ,i have the vanity to imagine can  
attach to my own4  ,indeed1 ,i have     
sometimes hesitated whether to affix it 
to this ,letter1  but as you have shrunk
 from no responsibility by withholding  
your own1  from your published          
objections to our ,subscription1 ,i have
 felt it due to  you not to shelter     
myself under the irresponsibility of an 
anonymous  address4  ,in penning which1 
if ,i do not deceive myself1 ,i may hope
 to  stand acquitted of having been     
influenced by any unfriendly feeling4   
,if  in any part of it my style may seem
 to border upon anything savouring of   

discourtesy--let me hope it may be      
considered by you as seeming only4  ,and
 should ,i have misapprehended your     
sentiments and done you thereby any     
injustice--        ,let my disclaiming  
of a purposed evil      ,free me so far 
in your most generous thoughts1         
,that ,i have shot mine arrow o'er the  
house      ,and hurt my brother4--      
,in which light1 as a ,clergyman of the 
,church of ,england1 ,i hope long to    
have the opportunity to consider you1   
believing as ,i do1 that your  scruples1
 though the creations of a conscientious
 mind1 are more  imaginary than         
substantial--and with this persuasion   
and in that hope1 ,i  beg to subscribe  
myself1                                 
,very faithfully yours1                 
,,chas4 ,,campbell4                     
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,gowing1 ,,printer1 ,,swaffham4        
,,footnotes4      #a  ,mr4 ,wodehouse's 
,letter to the ,bp4 of ,llandaff1 p4    
#fi4    #b;a  ,cure of ,church ,div4    

,direct4 #dh1 ,pt4 #c4    #b;b  ,mr4    
,wodehouse1 p4 #ej4    #c;a  p4 #d4     
#c;b  p4 #ce4    #c;c  p4 #d4    #c;d   
p4 #ce4    #e;a  p4 #fg4    #e;b  p4    
#bf4    #f;a  ,petition with            
explanations1 p4 #ca1 published #ahcb4  
#f;b  p4 #ha4    #g;a  p4 #cj4    #g;b  
p4 #dc4    #h  p4 #ed4    #i;a  ,letter 
to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 p4   
#fc4    #i;b  p4 #de4    #aa  ,article  
#a4    #ac  p4 #da4    #ad;a  ,petition 
of #ahcc4    #ad;b  ,ordination ,sermon1
 #ahch4    #ae;a  ,heber's ,life of     
,jeremy ,taylor1 p4 cv4    #ae;b  p4    
#hb4    #ae;c  p4 #ha4    #ae;d  p4 #hd4
    #af  p4 #d4    #ai  ,epist4 ,ded4 to
 ,sermon on the opening of ,parliament4 
#ba  ,my readers may wish to know who   
the ,,adelphi are to whom ,i have more  
than once alluded4  ,they are the       
authors of a pamphlet1 entitled         
8,observations on a ,petition1 7the     
,petition of last ,session71 for the    
,revision of the ,liturgy1 c4 written by
 two brothers1 a ,clergyman and a       

,layman40    ,these brothers1 by the    
impetuosity of their onslaught1 are said
 to be  distinguished amongst the       
petitioners as the ,,castor and ,,pollux
 of their  little phalanx4    ,and as   
there are in their pamphlet some things 
which might render  questionable the    
logical acumen of the one1 and tend to  
cast a shadow of  suspicion on the      
orthodoxy of the other--they have       
acquired credit for no  indifferent tact
 in putting forth this ,,siamese sort of
 production1  inasmuch as to any        
sentiment which might not be thought    
creditable to the  divine2 the barrister
 is ready with fraternal consideration  
to assert his  claim1--8,,meus ,,hic    
sermo est10 and that which might not be 
highly esteemed  for its soundness in   
the learned and honourable society of   
,lincoln's ,inn2  the divine with       
reciprocal affection is at hand1 to     
exclaim--8,adsum qui  feci0--in short1  
the ,barrister will be responsible for  
the divinity1 and  the ,divine for the  

points of law4        ,diligat et semper
 socius te sanguinis illo               
,quo pius affectu ,castora frater amat4 
#bb;a  p4 #aac4    #bb;b  p4 #ajg4      
#bd;a  ,bishop of ,norwich ,pamph4 p4   
#ah4    #bd;b  ,sparrow's ,collection1  
c4 p4 #ab4    #be;a  ,bp4 of ,norwich's 
,pamph4 p4 #ah4    #be;b  ,hart's ,eccl4
 ,records1 p4 #b4    #bf;a  ,burnet     
,pref4 vol4 i4    #bf;b  ,sparrow's     
,collection1 c4 p4 #a4    #bg;a  ,bishop
 ,jebb's ,pastoral ,instructions1 ,disc4
 iii4 p4 #fa4    #bg;b  ,history of his 
,own ,times1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cc4    #bh;a  
,john and ,w4 ,w4 ,hull's observations  
on the petition1 p4 #bc4    #bh;b  p4   
#bi4    #bi  p4 #ag4    #ca  ,bp4 of    
,norwich's ,pamph4 p4 #ad4    #cb  ,rule
 of ,conscience1 b4 iii4 c4 iv4 r4 #bc4 
#cc  ,bp4 of ,norwich ,pamph4 p4 #bi4   
#cd;a  ,barclay's ,apol4 p4 #bg4        
#cd;b  p4 #fg4    #cd;c  ,petition with 
,expl4 p4 #dg4    #cd;d  ,i have        
introduced the name of the ,bishop of   
,london1 as it gives me  an opportunity 

of doing fuller justice to his          
,lordship's sentiments with  respect to 
a ,,revision ,,of ,,the ,,liturgy than  
,i have yet seen done them in  any of   
the publications in which his name has  
been introduced in  connection with the 
subject4    ,his ,lordship admits1 that 
since the ,,liturgy is a human          
composition1 it  falls short of         
perfection1 and is consequently         
8susceptible of  improvement40  8,i     
should be deficient in candour10 says   
his ,lordship1 8if  ,i did not          
acknowledge that ,i think the ,,liturgy 
susceptible of  improvement1 it would be
 little short of a miracle were it      
otherwise1 4 4 4  and ,i heartily pray  
that the time may come when the question
 can be  looked at with calmness and    
candour1 and if the recent conduct of   
dissenters forbids us to look forward   
with any sanguine hope to an  extensive 
comprehension of those who differ from  
us1 that something may  be done for the 
satisfaction of many who are sincere and

 zealous members  of the                
,church40--,such is the sum and         
substance of all that his ,lordship  has
 admitted that may seem to favour the   
views of the revisers1 and here  most of
 them have been satisfied to stop short 
in their quotations from  his           
,lordship's charge4    ,from a passage  
in the ,bishop of ,norwich's pamphlet1  
,i should be led to  think that his     
,lordship had been content to take his  
quotation from his  brother ,bishop's   
charge at second hand1 for after quoting
 the above  passages1 his ,lordship     
says1 8,i have only to add1 that had the
 ,right ,rev4  ,prelate who expressed   
these his deliberate sentiments in      
#ahcd1 manifested  in his speech of     
#ahdj1 a disposition to follow them out 
in their true  spirit and legitimate    
results1 the conscientious men who      
signed the  ,petition1 might have       
entertained a just hope that he would   
have lent his  powerful aid in          
supporting its prayer40 #ce;a    ,i will

 take up his ,lordship's charge where   
the ,bishop of ,norwich and you  have   
left it--        8,,but10 says his      
,lordship1 8when ,i consider the        
circumstances in which      we are now  
placed1 and the advantage which would be
 taken from      different quarters1 of 
any door which might be opened to       
change1 ,i am      led to adopt the     
sentiment of a pious and sagacious man1 
#ce;b      uttered nearly forty years   
ago3--#8,as to our liturgy1 ,i am far   
from      thinking it incapable of      
amendment2 though when ,i consider the  
temper      and spirit of the present   
times1 ,i dare not wish that the        
improvement      of it should be        
attempted1 lest the remedy should be    
worse than the      disease4'0 #ce;c    
,had these his ,lordship's sentiments as
 8deliberately expressed0 as any  other 
part of his charge been more generally  
made known1 ,i must think  that the     
conscientious men who signed the        
,petition1 could have expected  nothing 

so little as his ,lordship's powerful   
aid in support of its  prayer4    ,to   
these sentiments his ,lordship appended 
a note supporting his own views  by the 
authority of ,archbishop ,secker and of 
,dr4 ,balguy4  ,from that note  you have
 quoted the well deserved terms of      
praise in which his ,lordship  speaks   
of1 8the candid and christian spirit    
which breathes throughout  your         
preface10 to your reprint of ,dean      
,prideaux1 in which praise all who  have
 read the work will readily join4  ,but 
as it illustrates his  ,lordship's      
views1 we may as well give the remainder
 of the note4  ,the  quotation from     
,archbishop ,secker is as follows3--    
8,et hc eadem velim sibi in memoriam    
revocent1 qui ,liturgiam item           
recenseri reformarique flagitant4       
,ornatior quidem1 accuratior1           
plenior1 brevior1 et ,,potest ,,ea      
,,fieri ,,et ,,debet2 sed modesta       
tractatione1 sed tranquillis hominum    
animis2 non temerariis1 qualia          

vidimus et videmus1 ausis1 non inter    
media dissidia mutuasque                
suspiciones40    8,some of the faults   
imputed to our public service are10 as  
,dr4 ,balguy  says1 8of such a nature as
 to admit of no alteration4  ,in these  
instances  we must renounce our faith   
before we can consent to reform our     
worship2  to reform it1 ,i mean1 in the 
only way which can stop the complaints  
of  its adversaries40--,discourses1 vol4
 #a1 p4 #ajc4 #cf;c    ,not having      
arrived at your conclusion--8,that the  
,bishop of ,london1 who  came forward as
 the principal opponent of the          
,petition1 is an unfit guide  for public
 opinion on such a subject40 #cf;d  ,i  
have thought it but just  that the      
public should know what his ,lordship's 
sentiments on the subject  of a         
,revision of the ,,liturgy really are4  
#ce;a  ,bp4 of ,norwich's ,pamp4 p4 #de4
    #ce;b  ,rev4 ,john ,newton1         
,apologia1 p4 #i4    #ce;c  ,bishop of  
,london's ,charge1 #ahcd4    #cf;a      

,hor4 ,epist4 ,,ii4 i4 #de4    #cf;b    
,bishop of ,norwich's ,pamph4 p4 #e4    
#cf;c  ,bishop of ,london's ,charge1    
,appendix ,n4    #cf;d  p4 #c4    #cg   
,nares ,bamp4 ,lect4 p4 #dff1 note #c4  
#ch  ,articles1 c4 in the ,primary      
,visitation of ,edward1 ,bishop of      
,norwich1 #ahch4    #ci;a  p4 #ah4      
#ci;b  p4 #ib4    #ci;c  ,hull1 #ae4    
#dj  p4 #ad4    #db  ,visitation        
,charge1 #agga4    #dc;a  ,hull1 p4 #ai4
    #dc;b  ,bishop of ,london's ,charge1
 #ahcd1 p4 #dj4    #dc;c  ,south's      
,serm4 vol4 ii4 ,epist4 ,ded4 to ,univ4 
of ,oxford4    #dd;a  ,eccl4 ,pol4 b4   
,v4 s4 #db4    #dd;b  ,bishop of        
,norwich's ,pamph4 p4 #bh4    #dd;c     
,mark xvi4 #ad4    #dd;d  ,john iii4    
#ae4    #dd;e  ,john ix4 #bf4    #dd;f  
#b ,thess4 xi4 #ab4    #de  ,vogan's    
,bampton ,lect4 p4 #cge4    #df;a       
,bishop of ,norwich's ,pamph4 p4 #bh4   
#df;b  ,just ,vind4 of the ,church of   
,england1 ,disc4 iii4    #dg;a  ,schism 
,guarded1 iv4 ,sect4 x4    #dg;b  ,see  

,pearson on the ,creed1 ,art4 #h1 note4 
#dh;a  ,paraphrase on ,com4 ,prayer1    
,append4 ,numb4 #c1 p4 #bib1 second     
edition4    #dh;b  p4 #ed4    #di;a     
,pet4 with ,expl4 #bg4    #di;b         
,petition1 c4 p4 #be4    #di;c  p4 #bd4 
#di;d  p4 #bc4    #ej  ,belsham's ,calm 
,inquiry1 pp4 #bia1 #bib4    #ea;a      
,petition1 c4 p4 #ca4    #ea;b  ,bishop 
of ,norwich's ,pamphlet1 p4 #cd4        
#eb;a  ,bp4 of ,norwich's ,pamph4 p4    
#cc4    #eb;b  ,ezek4 xiii4 #ai4        
#ec;a  ,service for ,visiting the ,sick4
    #ec;b  ,,ms4 ,note by ,bishop       
,overall4    #ed;a  ,petition1 c4 p4    
#ca4    #ed;b  p4 #cc4    #ed;c  ,eccl4 
,pol4 ,b4 vi4    #ef  ,antiquities1 vol4
 viii4 ,append4 p4 #bci4    #eg;a       
,eccl4 ,pol4 b4 ,v4 s4 #gg4    #eg;b    
,div4 ,inst4 of ,off4 ,min4 pp4 #bbe1   
#bbf4    #ei;a  p4 #ea4    #ei;b  ,div4 
,inst4 of ,off4 ,min4 ,sect4 vii4       
#ei;c  ,petition1 c4 p4 #cg4    #fj;a   
,acts vi4 #f4    #fj;b  #a ,tim4 i4 #f4 
#fj;c  ,petition1 c4 p4 #ch4    #fa;a   

,antiquities1 b4 ii4 c4 xi4 sec4 #i4    
#fa;b  ,petition1 c4 p4 #db    #fb;a    
,eccl4 ,pol4 b4 ,v4 s4 #gg4    #fb;b  p4
 #eh4    #fb;c  p4 #aje4