,transcribed from the #ahdc ,longman1 ,brown1 ,green and ,longmans second edition by ,david ,price4 ,,subscription ,,the ,,disgrace ,,of ,,the ,,english ,,church4 99 99 99 99 99 -------- ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,c4 ,n4 ,,wodehouse1 ,,canon ,,of ,,norwich4 -------- 99 99 99 99 99 ,,second ,,edition4 99 99 99 99 99 ,london3 ,,longman1 ,,brown1 ,,green1 ,,and ,,longmans4 ,,norwich3 ,,charles ,,muskett4 #ahdc4 ,,subscription ,,the ,,disgrace ,,of ,,the ,,english ,,church4 ,,in human affairs1 when attention is powerfully attracted to some question of absorbing interest1 the effect frequently is as though one half only of the subject were visible to the eyes of the understanding4 ,the mind fixes on some peculiar point4 ,on that a partial light is exclusively cast2 till in time it is discovered that others1 consigned for a while to an unnatural obscurity1 are in reality of greater moment4 ,they have quietly grown in importance--like hardy trees unnoticed by the planter1 as not requiring his care--till they are suddenly developed in their true character and vigour1 to the astonishment of those who had overlooked them2 and demand1 if it be not too late1 the deepest attention and the most active intelligence to control or direct them4 ,while ,charles ,i4 and ,archbishop ,laud were absorbed in maturing their favoured plans for ,church and ,state1 opposite and deeply-rooted opinions1 whose force they never paused to appreciate till it was useless1 were ripening all around them2 and their lives became a sacrifice to their blindness4 ,while ,james ,,ii4 was only intent upon enforcing the dictates of his own one-eyed bigotry1 the ,revolution was already accomplished in the hearts of his people2 and ,william ,,iii41 the instrument to realize their wish1 was almost at the gates of ,london4 ,while ,mr4 ,canning was delighting the electors of ,liverpool with his eloquent1 and to them convincing1 denunciations against the minutest change in the parliamentary representation of this nation2 while he was admonishing them1 with a wisdom then esteemed oracular1 8,spartam nactus es1 hanc adorna10 a few brief years were to give us almost a new ,sparta2 new electoral departments2 new laws and forms of election2 new qualifications1 and thus new constituents2 and1 more than all1 new influences upon electors and the representatives elected4 ,and thus1 as it appears to the writer1 will it come to pass with respect to the subject now to be briefly considered4 ,while the minds of the most able divines in our nation are bent to one point2 are engrossed in discussing the meaning of our ,confession of ,faith1 the interpretation of our ,articles of ,religion2 they are imperceptibly nourishing the growth of a conclusion more irresistible and more unmanageable than even all the complicated questions now so eagerly debated2 for they are1 by their differences and divisions1 demolishing the whole force of the solemn assent required to that ,confession4 ,amidst the present confusion of tongues1 the language of our ,articles has still less than it ever had1 a definite meaning4 ,subscription1 instead of being the tie which is to bind people to certain opinions or truths1 is become a rope of sand4 ,so uncertain is the trumpet's sound1 that it no longer1 as of old1 proclaims the spirit of an united host1 but turns every man's sword against his fellow3 and ,englishmen must soon awake to the conviction that ,subscription1 according to the plain meaning of words1 is blown to the winds1 and become the disgrace and not the safeguard of the ,english ,church4 #b4 ,when the ,saviour of mankind was about to leave this earth1 ,he consoled his dejected followers with the promise of a gift which should even compensate for ,his loss1 and exercise a special influence upon ,christians in all future ages of this world's existence4 8,if ,i go not away the ,comforter will not come40 ,and ,he then announced one of the purposes for which ,he should come4 8,he shall guide you into all truth40 ,of all the qualities which can elevate the character and enlarge the usefulness of man1 truth is the most lovely and powerful4 ,if it be asked1 what is1 in briefest terms1 the occupation of the ministers of ,christ1 it is1 to exhibit truth to their people3 and1 in all their teaching1 this it is which will establish their influence over the human heart1 or at least that without which no wholesome influence can be exerted1 namely1 that each is a lover of truth4 ,but how is truth to be conveyed from man to man8 ,only through the medium of language4 ,and what is language8 ,a set of signs1 or sounds1 or words1 which by general use and agreement mean certain things4 ,but all human provisions are imperfect1 and language is imperfect3 and words may be artfully put together so as to have one meaning with the speaker1 and another to the hearer2 or written language may be twisted from its primary sense1 and forced to a use contrary to the intention of the writer4 ,yet truth is a real thing1 and every honest man knows that it is so2 for whoever speaks that to another which he knows is not understood in his own sense by the hearer2 whoever twists written language from the plain purpose of the writer2 whoever1 by a studied obscurity1 veils his real opinions in order to mislead others1 is a liar4 ,let no one be offended by a plain term which ,scripture sanctions4 ,he who is justly branded with the imputation of such a vice as falsehood1 is1 in the common estimation of the best part of society1 contemptible4 ,but if a minister of the ,gospel1 a divinely commissioned teacher of truth1 shall expose himself to such an imputation2 if1 in so solemn an act as ,subscription to ,articles of ,faith1 or in the interpretation of them1 the plain meaning of words is evaded1 or a sense put upon them which in common discourse between man and man would be deemed dishonourable and wicked1 the character of that person as a teacher of truth must be damaged1 and his influence impaired4 ,he may indeed be surrounded by a set of admirers captivated by his talents1 and their applauses may preserve his self-complacency1 but the final verdict will yet be against him4 ,it is possible that this error of the mind may arise from self-delusion1 and then the guilt is diminished1 but an evil result must still ensue2 for as the root is1 so will be the plant1 and good fruit cannot grow out of falsehood or dissimulation4 ,if we remove the case from one individual to numbers1 the general effect will of course be proportionably worse1 and the conclusion will be drawn that many of the appointed teachers of truth are not lovers of truth4 ,we may take1 however1 a less extreme case1 and suppose only1 that amongst the teachers of truth a great difference of opinion has arisen as to some of the doctrines of which they are called upon to treat1 as to the ,confession of ,faith which they have to maintain1 and as to the terms of the ,subscription by which they declare their assent to it4 ,then the conclusion will be--when this difference is brought in glaring colours before the public eye--either1 that the ,confession itself1 or the form of assent1 is so obscurely worded that it cannot be understood2 or that they are intolerable to the conscience of many subscribers1 and so must be somehow evaded2 or lastly1 that words1 to which a definite meaning has been assigned in past ages1 have now lost that meaning2 and that the learned1 the pious1 the teachers of the nation1 are incapable of discovering and fixing the sense which they are now to bear4 ,let it be fairly considered how far the present state of things in this nation agrees with any of the cases above supposed3 and if it does so agree1 then it is maintained that1 on the principle of a sacred love for truth1 ,subscription is become the disgrace of the ,english ,church4 #c4 ,it cannot be argued1 in mitigation of the supposed evil results1 that the present controversy on this subject is confined to certain classes of society1 the studious1 the well-educated1 the members of our ,church4 ,half our newspapers are teeming with it2 some of our periodicals are almost confined to it2 all1 it is believed1 are occasionally employed in its discussion4 ,it is finding its way into almost every class of society4 ,the commercial travellers' room1 we are told1 has engaged in it1 and much might many a sophistical controversialist learn from that numerous1 acute1 and ubiquitous body of men1 who know more of the real opinions of the great mass of the people than any other class that can be named4 ,when our ,lord remarked1 8,the harvest is plenteous10 ,he pointed to the multitude of unconverted souls2 and surely ,england is not without its full proportion of such1 towards whom the most anxious thoughts and zealous exertions of the ,christian minister are naturally to be directed4 ,the intelligent ,christian1 the well-affected churchman1 may be ready to make every charitable allowance for the imperfections of our ,church--though charity is not the virtue of these days--but the criminal1 the profligate1 the sceptic1 over whom it is most desirable1 yet most difficult1 to obtain an influence for their good1 are proverbially the most acute in discerning the defects of their appointed teachers1 in noting any inconsistency between the lesson and the instructor4 ,suspicion is the very atmosphere they breathe2 and to rejoice in iniquity1 especially where there is a profession of religion1 is1 alas6 too natural and agreeable to them4 ,in whatever degree then the teacher of truth shall expose himself to the imputation of a want of veracity amongst the irreligious1 deplorable is it to contemplate the decline of a wholesome influence which must ensue4 ,the writer has himself witnessed a lamentable instance of this result in one of the most accomplished men of late times1 now no more1 whom he wishes it were allowable to name4 ,could some of our controversialists look into a conclave of youthful profligates1 led on1 it may be1 by some ingenious sceptic1 they would blush to hear the comments on their own writings2 the bitter and triumphant questions--,what is it which these our discordant and subtle instructors really believe8 ,do they believe anything8 ,they subscribe1 and reap the profit4 ,let them tell us what this ,subscription and these ,articles of ,faith really mean1 and then it will be time enough for us to consider about attending to their instruction4 ,add to this the obvious reasoning of the dissenting part of our population4 ,the best amongst them cannot but see some justification of their own separation from a ,church whose teachers are proclaiming throughout the land1 from an hundred pens1 the discordance of their sentiments as to their own ,confession of ,faith3 not mere shades of difference reconcileable with a general agreement in its object1 but a division for instance on1 to them certainly1 a leading question4 ,was the ,reformation a good or an evil8 ,the more worldly amongst them of course hail with delight what they will designate as the quibbles and evasions of men apparently eager to escape the trammels of a subscription solemnly made1 which during three centuries has occasioned troubles1 and persecution1 and separation1 and exclusion in the ,christian fold1 and is yet further than ever from establishing its professed purpose--8,consent touching true religion40 ,a still larger class1 amidst the din of controversy1 pick up a few popular reports which help to confirm their indifference to religion itself1 and their preconceived notions as to ,subscription4 ,these people1 they carelessly conclude1 live by it3 they wish to receive the tithes1 and they must sign the ,articles3 now at least we know from some of themselves how much they believe them4 ,if these views are correct1 and these apprehensions well founded1 may the earnest request of one who has long pondered over these things in sadness arrest the attention of those who are capable of providing a remedy6 ,let not his appeal1 in behalf of a ,church in which he sees the elements of usefulness unparalleled1 to the great body of its ministers and members whom he deeply respects1 and in the cause of eternal truth1 be deemed an unfriendly voice4 ,let him not be considered an enemy because with faithfulness1 yet with humility1 he entreats his countrymen to consider how far ,subscription is become the disgrace of the ,english ,church4 #d4 ,although the present state of things as to ,subscription is so notorious that it cannot be denied1 yet it may be well to confirm what has been advanced by a few particulars4 ,the ,thirty-nine ,articles are our ,confession of ,faith1 though they are hardly entitled to that appellation1 being drawn up rather to meet a special emergency in the history of ,christianity than to present a complete compendium of catholic truths4 ,several points left untouched by them1 or very briefly noticed1 require at this time to be strongly inculcated4 ,they are1 however1 our only ,confession of ,faith1 ever to be valued and revered2 and it is required that every clergyman should declare1 and subscribe1 ex animo1 that he believes them to be agreeable to ,scripture4 ,a similar declaration is required with respect to the ,book of ,common ,prayer4 ,it is not the writer's object to point public scorn against individuals1 neither is it any satisfaction to him to notice at all the supposed defects of other men3 rather is it a source of real sorrow to him to observe how censure has been cast to and fro1 with an unsparing hand1 by ,christian writers and ministers of his own day and church4 ,he speaks simply for the sake of truth1 and in that attempt unwillingly adduces only what is necessary to his purpose4 ,he speaks also in very general terms1 considering it sufficient only to allude to opinions which unnumbered publications have rendered familiar4 ,while the terms of our ,subscription are strong and decided1 several sections of the ,english clergy embrace a different view with respect to it4 ,if there be any conclusion which the history of ,england irresistibly conveys to readers of honest minds1 it is this1 that our ,reformers in forty-two ,articles1 and afterwards in thirty-nine1 intended to put forth a strong and unequivocal protest against the errors and corruptions of ,romanism4 ,much would it have startled them to be told that the time would arrive when ,english clergymen would subscribe to these ,articles1 and then proceed to contend that they are not to be estimated as a protest against the anti-,protestant proceedings of the ,council of ,trent4 ,they were accustomed1 no doubt1 to insincere subscription from men still ,romanists at heart2 but the deed was secret1 it shunned the light2 it was1 with a very few exceptions1 practised without open defence4 ,it is not intended to affirm that an interminable war is to be carried on by us against the ,romish church3 rather it is our duty to desire1 without compromise1 union with all ,christendom4 ,subscription alone is now in view2 and while that remains as it is1 and ,english words retain their meaning1 and an ,english history of facts can be found1 and any clear apprehension of the meaning of truth remains with us1 the perversion of our ,form of ,subscription1 and the misrepresentation of our ,articles1 attempted by any who argue that they were not intended to condemn ,romanism1 whether as held before or after the ,council of ,trent1 ought to excite1 in every honest mind1 an indignation which it is a virtue to feel1 and a duty to express4 ,if it be questioned where such views have been advanced1 it is sufficient to refer to ,tract ,no4 #ij1 now before the writer of these pages1 though other instances might be cited from authors who have subscribed the ,articles4 ,if we turn to another section of the ,english clergy1 that most opposed to the views of the tractarians1 however they command our respect from their piety1 and zeal1 and hearty attachment to ,scriptural truth and sound doctrine2 yet some of them cannot be esteemed clear of all blame on the question now considered4 ,the writer can here speak from personal knowledge4 ,in their views as to baptismal regeneration1 certainly opposed to the strict language of our formularies2 in their dislike of other parts of our services1 and sometimes in the disuse or change of certain terms1 is to be found a proof that to them ,subscription is not altogether satisfactory2 and the often-avowed concession1 that the excellence of our system of doctrine and worship1 as a whole1 reconciles their minds to some imperfections1 is enough to show that1 in subscribing1 some violence is done to simple truth4 ,they argue1 and justly1 that no human work can literally demand an unqualified approbation1 but our ,subscription does require it4 ,such arguments1 then1 cannot be altogether satisfactory to him who uses them1 or to many to whom they may be offered2 and truth1 it cannot be denied1 is to some extent dishonoured and damaged in their use4 ,in that section again of subscribers who embrace ,calvinistic doctrines1 though the writer considers that some of the ,articles are more unequivocally favourable to them than their opponents1 yet it cannot be forgotten how frequently and decidedly it has been declared1 ex cathedr1 that theirs are not the doctrines of the ,church of ,england4 ,another large section of the ,english clergy may be now comprised under the name of old-fashioned high-churchmen2 and of that title1 it is believed1 they will not themselves complain4 ,many of them would gladly extract the honey from the tractarian school1 without sufficiently considering how poisonous the plant whose growth they are to some extent fostering4 ,they insist often on an exact compliance with ,rubrics1 and must forgive me for saying that few amongst them have fulfilled these in their own practice4 ,till very lately1 it would indeed be difficult to find many clergymen1 or one bishop1 within the last fifty years1 who have strictly observed the ,rubrics--still less the ,canons4 ,some of them speak also of a literal subscription2 but here again the writer can of his own knowledge state1 that numbers claim and use a considerable latitude in subscribing1 and are satisfied with asserting their general attachment to the ,formularies of the ,church4 ,of their ,arminian views as to doctrine1 it is hardly necessary to call to mind how much they are opposed to others amongst their brethren1 and1 in the writer's judgment1 to the ,articles themselves4 ,in another section may be comprised those who desire improvement in many things relating to the spiritual affairs of our ,church4 ,some have openly expressed this desire2 a far larger number cherish it in silence4 ,they who have spoken out have strongly stated their conviction1 that a ,church1 without the means of even entering upon deliberation as to one general improvement in its spiritual concerns1 is in a false and unscriptural position4 ,with respect to the ,forms of ,subscription and the interpretation of the ,articles1 some have formally requested a change1 or rather an authoritative solution of the many doubts and uncertainties which now embarrass the question4 ,thus while we perceive the variety of opinion prevailing amongst these several sections--a variety which1 were it not impeded by subscription1 would find a harmless or beneficial vent in a free inquiry after ,scriptural truth--we see also that from some amongst them all1 more or less1 ,subscription is requiring that which1 in the ordinary affairs of life1 high-minded men would abstain from2 namely1 the necessity for qualifying the plain and straight-forward use of language4 ,is this a condition favourable to the reputation of teachers of truth2 and is it too strong a conclusion1 at least from some parts of the above account1 to affirm1 that ,subscription is the disgrace of the ,english ,church8 #e4 ,it may be well to look at the result of such a state of things under another view4 ,the differences above mentioned are now rendered notorious by innumerable publications4 ,the laxity as to truth1 that is with respect to the ,articles1 which they display1 will be learnt and adopted4 ,it will be justified by the example of clergymen who are indeed at one time censured by persons high in ecclesiastical station1 yet by others in the same station applauded or defended1 and never authoritatively censured or restrained4 ,in another age a new set of opinions may arise equally differing from the literal sense of our ,articles and ,formularies4 ,and who1 with the precedent of these days before him1 could proceed with confidence against the authors and abettors8 ,the errors of a ,socinian or an ,arian may be of a more deadly character2 but neither the one nor the other1 in affixing his own interpretation to the ,articles1 or in subscribing with such doctrinal views1 would depart a jot further from the true meaning of words than the author and the defenders of ,tract ,no4 #ij4 ,if that tract has driven one reader to such a conclusion1 a conclusion which he states with pain and sorrow1 it may encourage hundreds to the same2 and1 ere long1 an ,arian or ,socinian subscription may be as common as in times past perhaps they were1 with this lamentable aggravation1 that in an age of better religious feeling1 8men of piety and talent10 so publicly designated by ,bishops of the ,church1 have taught the way to justify the deed4 #f4 ,the manner in which the present controversy is conducted greatly aggravates its evils4 ,it is not only that differences exist and are eagerly discussed before the public as the judge of clerical orthodoxy1 but that1 owing to its character1 the discussion assumes a peculiarly offensive form4 ,it is not merely an inquiry after truth in which some warmth and zeal might be excused1 but clergymen are imputing to clergymen dishonourable conduct3 dishonourable on this ground1 that a person holding the opinions impugned cannot be an honest subscriber1 ought not to remain a minister of our ,church4 ,on all sides this discreditable course has been pursued1 and it would be easy to furnish the proofs4 ,the writer is bound frankly to own that what he condemns in others may be now charged upon himself2 but never would he have entered upon these remarks except in the humble yet anxious hope that he may induce others to attempt a remedy for the evil4 ,imagine such a state of things in any other profession4 ,imagine the ,officers of the ,army and ,navy for years together accusing one another of dishonourably retaining their commissions4 ,it is no answer to say that the remedy with them would be bloodshed1 and that this alone restrains their pens2 for this is not the fact4 ,the accused would demand inquiry and trial1 and the scandal would cease4 ,the ,clergy enjoy the unenviable singularity of continuing to accuse one another1 of dishonourable conduct2 of acting upon mercenary motives2 of a desire to make their convictions somehow square with their ,subscription1 that thus they may retain their position or emoluments as ministers of the ,church4 ,the controversy is disgraced throughout by an irritating reproach against character1 which is neither becoming to the station of clergymen1 or the manners of gentlemen2 and degrades a profession which ought to be the last to exhibit such an example4 ,it seems to be perpetually saying1 such is the sense of our ,confession of ,faith2 ,i have proved it1 but you are subscribing in a different1 in a false sense4 ,thus it is that ,subscription1 in its present state1 has rendered what ought to be an inquiry after ,scriptural truth1 a perpetual and disgraceful taunt upon the honesty of the parties engaged4 ,character is damaged1 or at least assailed1 and no satisfactory result1 no remedy ensues4 #g4 ,the circumstance last mentioned deserves consideration as another cause which1 under present circumstances1 helps to render our ,subscription a disgrace to the ,english ,church4 ,differences as to its meaning abound on all sides4 ,even they who uphold and would enforce a strictly literal subscription are obliged to allow of some latitude4 ,yet what is to be the extent of this no one can say2 and in the midst of all this confusion1 no one attempts a remedy4 ,let us turn again to the ,army and ,navy1 and suppose their ,officers discussing publicly for several years the meaning of some of the ,articles of ,war2 deluging the country with printed statements of their differences2 banded into parties1 each following the notions of some favoured leaders2 attacking not only the sense but the honour of their opponents2 professing unbounded respect for their generals1 and at one moment pronouncing them almost infallible2 yet the next1 if they should offer an adverse opinion1 combating it in no measured terms4 ,suppose all this1 if possible1 going on for years without a remedy1 without a decided attempt to devise one4 ,once1 perhaps1 it was the case2 and it was at last remedied1 so far as he might1 by the strong arm of ,cromwell3 but no remedy of any kind is now attempted amongst the clergy4 ,the ,articles of ,war for the ,army are susceptible of an annual revision1 which is to be sanctioned by the ,crown1 and embodied in the annual ,mutiny ,act1 and confirmed by ,parliament4 ,those for the ,navy have existed since the time of ,george ,,ii41 but they are modified so as to meet existing views and circumstances1 by 8,the ,instructions and ,regulations for ,her ,majesty's ,service at ,sea10 which are altered whenever deemed advisable2 and by other expedients well known to the profession4 ,in every other profession1 trade1 or calling1 and in every legal document relating to them1 from a ,royal ,charter to a poor boy's indentures1 we have a judge or authority competent to interpret and decide when a doubt arises4 ,but ,christians in ,england are either too timid or too indifferent1 for wisdom it cannot be termed1 to attempt an authoritative settlement of the discreditable differences and difficulties arising out of the various interpretations of their own ,confession of ,faith4 ,in assuming that this is not the path of wisdom1 we have high authority4 ,in ,may #ahdj1 thirty-six clergymen1 who saw the evil in its true light1 and it is now immeasurably increased1 signed a ,petition to the ,house of ,lords requesting attention to the subject4 ,it was presented by ,his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,dublin to a full house4 ,twenty-two ,bishops were present4 ,his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,canterbury concurred in the propriety and necessity of some interpreting power4 ,so also did the ,bishops of ,london1 and ,lincoln1 and ,norwich1 and upon this point there was no dissenting voice4 #h4 ,the present state of ,subscription is also discreditable to the ,english ,church when we consider the position in which it leaves the ,bishops4 ,whoever wishes well to the institutions of his country1 and desires to promote the peaceful happiness of the people1 will watchfully cherish respect for all who are in authority4 ,the ,christian is taught to consider them as ministers of ,god to us for good2 and the clergy are bound1 not only by this universal sanction but also by their ,ordination vows1 to reverence the ,bishops of the ,church3 and any circumstance which occasions a breach in this duty ought to be to them a cause for regret4 ,there is a popular error that a clergyman1 when in doubt upon any question of ,christian faith or practice1 has only to apply to his ,bishop1 and that he has authority to settle the question4 ,some recent writers have helped perhaps to foster this notion by their ill-considered professions of entire deference to episcopal authority4 ,no circumstance has contributed so largely to expose the very limited extent of it as the controversies of the present day4 ,a ,bishop1 in fact1 has scarcely any discretionary power amongst the greater part of the clergy as to questions of doctrine4 ,he can refuse ordination to a candidate1 or a license to a curate1 subject1 however1 to an appeal4 ,if he should refuse institution to a benefice1 the civil courts would demand the reason4 ,he may institute a suit for heresy2 and this must be proved by a reference to the ,scriptures and four general councils1 not to the ,articles or ,book of ,prayer4 ,yet of late great deference to episcopal authority has been expressed1 and the ,charges of ,bishops have been anxiously looked for4 ,the manner in which they have been received by some exposes the hollowness of the deference professed1 the absence of the power supposed1 and the true reason for the anxiety to receive them4 ,they are estimated as the works of partizans in a controversy1 not of judges in a cause4 ,they are extolled by those to whose opinions they lean2 they are criticized without reserve1 and sometimes with very little respect1 by any who are dissatisfied with them4 ,the truth is shown in all its nakedness1 that ,bishops have no more power on such questions than other men1 and less influence perhaps than some other writers4 ,yet the ,bishops of the ,church appear to stand somewhat in the same position as our judges4 ,but how differently are the dicta of the latter received6 ,their decisions indeed are open to argument from their inferiors in the same profession1 but before a superior court1 and not by calling on the public to be the judge of written controversy between the parties4 ,their decisions may be reversed by a superior court1 but in a solemn1 respectful1 and orderly manner1 without being rudely assailed2 and the ultimate appeal being to the ,house of ,lords1 or the ,privy ,council1 no judge1 who properly feels the liability to error in the wisest1 can sustain a shock to his feelings or character if such superior tribunals should differ from his own judgment4 ,very different1 as we have remarked1 is the fate of an ,episcopal ,charge in these days2 and1 until the cause is removed1 there is no prospect of remedying a state of things so discreditable to the ,church3 the probability is that it will be worse4 ,the ,bishops1 in fact1 are endeavouring to settle that which they have not the power to settle--the meaning of ,subscription1 the interpretation of the ,articles1 the true doctrine of the ,church4 ,and whoever in a public station attempts to exercise a greater power than his office assigns1 exposes a weak point1 perhaps before unnoticed1 and instead of gaining new authority1 may lose a part of that long-established and deferential respect1 which is the most valuable part of all authority4 ,a country magistrate is discreetly silent when a case is brought before him which the law does not empower him to decide1 and abstains from lowering his authority by an interference which may be disputed4 ,it is altogether unsound in theory1 and utterly fruitless in practice1 to expect that points relating to doctrine can be settled by ,episcopal ,charges dropping one by one from the press1 and unconnected with each other4 ,the interpretation of a ,confession of ,faith or of the terms of ,subscription belongs to the ,church in some way represented and convened4 ,an ,episcopal ,charge is pastoral advice4 ,when there is in the ,church a proper authority to legislate or interpret1 that advice will be received with respect and thankfulness1 and contribute much in directing the minds of men to a right decision1 which is its proper office4 ,but when it usurps the province of a judge or legislator1 or from circumstances is improperly brought to stand in their place1 it will only provoke the opposition we now witness1 and ultimately lose a part of that just deference which it ought ever to receive4 ,the recollection that there is no ,convocation or other ,ecclesiastical ,body competent to settle the perplexing questions recently agitated1 may have induced the ,bishops charitably to venture upon a forlorn hope4 ,their ,charges1 however1 are powerless in the attempt2 and however thankful numbers are to receive their pastoral advice1 yet when we observe the boundless liberty of reply1 and the entire want of authority to enforce their conclusions1 respect for the episcopal office almost suggests the wish that in these days they were not published4 ,supposing1 however1 the case were otherwise2 suppose a real and unbounded deference to the least word of a ,bishop to prevail amongst the clergy and people2 suppose that they had each authority in controversies of faith2 what1 unfortunately1 should we reap in the present state of things but increased perplexity8 ,the judges--so to term them--are divided in opinion2 and1 though this in the parallel case of legal judges is stripped of injury by an appeal to a superior court1 the ,church possesses no such appeal4 ,in the meanwhile1 two-thirds of our ,bishops1 perhaps1 are ranged on one side in the present controversy1 and have spoken strongly4 ,the remainder have spoken with a leaning more or less strong in the opposite direction1 or are as yet silent4 ,as to deciding1 then1 the true and proper interpretation of our ,articles and ,subscription1 nothing has been gained by ,episcopal ,charges4 ,only the unpleasing truth has been openly displayed1 that they may be treated like the pamphlet of any anonymous partizan4 ,thus the present state of the question as to ,subscription operates in overthrowing respect to the office and authority of our ,bishops1 and this it cannot do without being discreditable to the ,church4 #i4 ,they who have studied even cursorily the history of ecclesiastical affairs in ,england since the ,reformation1 may trace in ,subscription another circumstance discreditable1 if not disgraceful1 to the ,english ,church1 and one which present times bring before our view4 ,the most earnest and devoted section of the clergy1 whatever their peculiar views in past or present times1 have been frequently branded by the imputation of departing from the literal sense of the ,articles1 and of the ,subscription required to them and the ,book of ,common ,prayer4 ,they have been censured also as disaffected to the ,church1 sometimes to its doctrines1 sometimes to its rites and ceremonies4 ,the next step has been to speak of them as unfit to remain in the ministry1 and to desire their exclusion4 ,no candid man can doubt the piety1 the ability1 the zeal in their ,master's service1 of the puritanical divines4 ,yet many of them were excluded at the ,restoration1 and thus the ,church lost a large body of ,christian men1 and itself laid the foundation of a considerable portion of our present non-conformity4 ,at the end of the seventeenth century1 the eminent divines who attempted to repair by healing counsels the damage thus occasioned were branded as latitudinarians1 and denounced as disaffected to the ,church4 ,in the last century no attempt was made to turn into a more regular channel the zeal of ,wesley and ,whitfield1 and their associates4 ,they were excluded as unsound in doctrine and dangerous to true religion4 ,with difficulty for a long time did the evangelical clergy1 who sprung from them1 maintain their position as a proscribed race1 condemned as disaffected to the ,church4 ,suppose in all these cases that the charge of objecting to some parts of the ,articles and ,liturgy1 and to the ,subscription required1 were true2 yet to what does it amount8 ,with these assumed errors1 did not these persons believe the ,bible and love it8 ,did they not believe all the main ,articles of the ,christian ,faith1 as taught by the ,church8 ,was it not the earnestness of their belief which made them what they were8 ,were they not the very men1 who1 by their faith and energy1 were calculated to accomplish the object of the ministry1 namely1 to win souls to the ,redeemer's kingdom1 and to form a peculiar people zealous of good works8 ,what then was the ground of exclusion or objection8 ,subscription--assent to the ,thirty-nine ,articles and the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 according to the strict and exact terms imposed by the ,church4 ,there was not an objection1 nor even indifference1 to the smallest portion of the ,word of ,god2 but in some non-essential points they wished for alteration or liberty4 ,subscription caused the difficulty4 ,whatever opinion may be now entertained of the tractarian party1 the praise of zeal1 ability and piety cannot be denied to the leaders of it2 yet they are censured as disaffected to the ,church1 and their exclusion not obscurely suggested4 ,for some of their opinions the writer can be no advocate4 ,he believes them to have fallen into errors equally lamentable and dangerous if persisted in3 yet were the choice given him between such instructors and others who pass uncondemned in ruinous indolence and indifference1 he would not hesitate in giving his preference to the former4 ,nor1 when he remembers the want of earnest men1 and the ever-varying forms of human opinion1 can he hesitate in desiring their continuance as ministers in our ,church4 8,we are not only uncertain of finding out truths1 in matters disputable1 but we are certain that the best and ablest doctors of ,christendom have been actually deceived in matters of great concernment2 which thing is evident in all those instances of persons from whose doctrines all sorts of ,christians1 respectively1 take liberty to dissent4 ,the errors of ,papias1 ,irenus1 ,lactantius1 ,justin ,martyr1 in the millenary opinion2 of ,st4 ,cyprian1 ,firmilian1 the ,asian and ,african fathers in the question of re-baptization2 ,st4 ,austin in his decretory and uncharitable sentence against the unbaptized children of ,christian parents2 the ,roman or the ,greek doctors in the question of the procession of the ,holy ,ghost1 and in the matter of images1 are examples beyond exception4 ,the errors that attach to the minds of men are numberless4 ,now if these great personages had been persecuted or destroyed for their opinions1 who should have answered the invaluable loss the ,church should have sustained in missing so excellent1 so exemplary1 and so great lights80 8,since those opinions were open and manifest to the world1 that the ,church did not condemn them1 it was either because those opinions were by the ,church not thought to be errors1 or if they were1 yet she thought fit to tolerate the error and the erring person4 ,and if she would do so still1 it would1 in most cases1 be better than now it is40--,bishop ,jeremy ,taylor4 ,in our own case1 what would be gained by the exclusion of the persons just referred to8 ,the past may teach us that this will not silence men earnest in their convictions1 or promote the unity we desire4 ,but1 if their opinions are to be tolerated within the ministry of our ,church1 then1 in common justice1 and for the credit of that ,church1 the stigma ought to be removed which now attaches to them as insincere subscribers4 ,it is this which makes the present controversy so bitter and disingenuous4 ,remove the irritation occasioned by this perpetual taunt1 and is there not ground to hope that it would settle down into an unfettered inquiry after ,scriptural truth1 and that the result would be a more universal deference to the ,word of ,god8 ,such is the trust which the writer cannot but entertain4 ,to wait charitably in patience and hope on the one hand2 and on the other to concede all that can be conceded without compromise of truth1 for union and unity1 are ,christian duties2 but it is not the dictate of wisdom or charity to repel hastily from the ministry1 zeal and piety which cannot be spared1 and which the providence of ,god may eventually overrule and direct to the great good of the people4 ,and if ,subscription involves us in the danger of repeatedly excluding the most zealous portion of our clergy1 it is a disgrace to the ,church which continues to enforce it4 #aj4 ,about two years ago the writer ventured to name a remedy for the evils and inconveniences arising out of the embarrassed state of the ,subscription now required4 ,his proposal was1 that a clergyman should subscribe to the ,three ,creeds1 instead of the ,articles and ,liturgy1 retaining the other tests or pledges now in use4 ,within the last twelve months he has had the satisfaction of observing1 that1 on an occasion of great interest to ,christians in this and other nations1 a plan very closely resembling this1 as he understands it1 has been adopted under the sanction of the highest ecclesiastical authority4 ,on the appointment of an ,english ,bishop for ,jerusalem1 which was effected1 as is well known1 in conjunction with ,his ,majesty the ,king of ,prussia1 it was determined to make such regulations that the subjects of that ,king1 employed either as missionaries or ministers of congregations in ,palestine1 might receive the full benefit of episcopal sanction and superintendence4 ,this was effected in the manner described by the following ,letters1 which appeared in the ,prussian ,state ,gazette of ,july #abth1 #ahdb4 ,,the ,,bishopric ,,of ,,jerusalem4 ,,berlin1 ,,july #aa4 ,his ,majesty has been pleased to address to the minister of ,ecclesiastical ,affairs the following orders in respect to the relations of the ,bishop of the ,united ,church of ,england and ,ireland in ,jerusalem with the ,german congregation of the evangelical religion in ,palestine3-- 8,i send you herewith a letter from his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 ,primate of ,england1 which contains the definite proposals respecting the relations of the ,bishop of the ,united ,church of ,england and ,ireland in ,jerusalem with the ,german congregations of the evangelical religion in ,palestine1 which are inclined to place themselves under the jurisdiction of the latter4 ,you will see from this letter that the ,prelate secures to the congregations of the ,german ,protestant faith in ,palestine the protection and pastoral care of the ,english ,bishop at ,jerusalem1 without any other conditions than such as the exercise of the protection itself requires4 ,the publication of these proposals will be the best means to dispel the misunderstanding of some well-meaning persons1 and to render the misrepresentations and calumnies of the evil-minded of no effect4 ,though there are at present no ,german ,protestant congregations in ,palestine1 but the formation is still to be looked for under the influence of favourable circumstances1 yet young divines of the ,german ,protestant ,church1 whom the increasing interest in the labours of the missions for the conversion of the ,jews induces to go to ,palestine1 will certainly think it desirable to avail themselves of the offers contained in the letter of the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 to obtain a greater freedom of action and a more successful result of their labours1 by accepting the protection and care of the ,bishop of the ,united ,church of ,england and ,ireland4 ,i am very ready to support1 in a suitable manner1 young divines of this kind1 when they have been examined and found duly qualified1 and especially proved themselves to be thoroughly grounded in the doctrines of the ,protestant faith1 according to the ,augsburg ,confession1 and ,i invite you to point out to me any such persons4 8,,frederick ,,william4 8,to the ,minister of ,state1 ,eichhorn40 ------ ,lambeth1 ,june #ah1 #ahdb4 8,sire1--,as it seems to me to be desirable that your ,majesty should be thoroughly acquainted with the relations in which the ,german congregations in ,palestine will stand with respect to the ,bishop of the ,united ,church of ,england and ,ireland in ,jerusalem1 ,i take the liberty most respectfully to submit the following proposals1 which ,i hope will be agreeable to your ,majesty3-- 8,the ,bishop will consider it as his duty to take under his pastoral care and protection all the congregations of the ,german ,protestant faith which are within the limits of his diocese1 and are inclined to place themselves under his jurisdiction1 and will afford them all the support in his power4 ,the ,german ,liturgy1 which has been carefully examined by me1 which is taken from the liturgies received in the churches of your ,majesty's dominions1 will be used in the celebration of divine service by the clergymen who are appointed1 on the following principle3--,young divines1 candidates for the pastoral office in the ,german ,church1 who have obtained your ,majesty's ,royal permission to this end1 will exhibit to the ,bishop a certificate from some authority appointed by your ,majesty1 in which their good conduct as well as their qualification for the pastoral office is in every respect attested4 ,the ,bishop will1 of course1 take care1 in the case of every candidate so presented to him1 to convince himself of his qualifications for the especial duties of his office1 of the purity of his faith1 and of his desire to receive ordination from the hands of the ,bishop4 ,as soon as the ,bishop has fully satisfied himself on these points1 he will ordain the candidate on his subscribing the three ,creeds1 the ,apostles'1 the ,nicene1 and the ,athanasian1 and1 on his taking the oath of obedience to the ,bishop and his successor1 will give him permission to exercise the functions of his office4 8,with respect to the confirmation of young persons of such congregations in ,palestine1 the ,clergyman of the congregation will prepare them for that purpose in the usual manner1 will subject them to the requisite examination1 and receive from them1 in the presence of the congregation1 the profession of their faith4 ,they will then be presented to the ,bishop1 who will confirm them according to the form of the ,liturgy of the ,united ,church of ,england and ,ireland4 8,with the most profound respect1 8,i have the honour to remain1 ,sire1 8,your ,majesty's most sincere and humble ,servant1 8,w4 ,,canterbury4 8,to his ,majesty ,frederick ,william ,,iv41 ,king of ,prussia40 ,it is of course impossible to suppose that such a step was taken without much deliberation3 and here we see1 first1 that an ,english ,bishop1 regularly consecrated by the ,archbishop of ,canterbury and other ,bishops at ,lambeth1 is authorised to confer ,holy ,orders1 requiring from the persons ordained ,subscription to the ,three ,creeds only4 ,when it is remembered how long the ,christian ,church has been divided and rent1 and how the ,protestant part of it is again subdivided into numerous sections1 sometimes in the same nation1 any approach towards the establishment of a sound and primitive catholic test1 which may enable a larger number of ,christians to enjoy communion with one another1 ought to be viewed with thankfulness4 ,more especially ought it to be so viewed by ourselves1 if there be a hope that the example can be adopted as the means of promoting peace amongst the ministers and members of the same ,church--namely1 our own--now so unhappily disunited2 and if the great ,truths in which they agree could be thus prominently exhibited to the world4 ,and1 if the rule laid down with reference to our ,christian brethren of the ,prussian ,church be sound and judicious2 if it has been wisely and charitably selected as calculated to unite many who have hitherto been separated in communion1 though not materially in doctrine2 why should it not be applied to secure similar advantages amongst ,englishmen1 and to heal some of the wounds which are daily inflicted on the peace of the ,church by its own ministers and members8 ,let not such a proposal be hastily rejected from an unexamined apprehension that the doctrines of the ,reformation are to be surrendered4 ,let it at least be calmly and candidly considered4 ,the remarks hitherto offered may be disputed as incorrect2 but no one can possibly deny that the state of the ,english ,church is unsatisfactory1 perhaps unsafe4 ,the writer can in all sincerity declare himself1 in the fullest sense of the word1 a ,protestant3 yet he may1 very consistently1 with such a declaration1 desire to see ,protestants ,catholics1 and1 in fulfilment of the pledge given at ordination1 8to maintain and set forwards1 as much as in him lieth1 quietness1 and peace1 and love1 among all ,christian people40 ,these are what the ,universal ,church now requires for her prosperity and success4 ,while the above-named catholic test was adopted to meet the peculiar situation and duties of the new ,bishop in ,jerusalem1 we see that it was at the same time provided that candidates for ordination1 subjects of the ,king of ,prussia1 should be examined generally as to their qualifications for the ministry2 and also as to their being thoroughly grounded in the ,augsburg ,confession1 the foundation of our ,articles2 and further1 that a certificate of their having satisfactorily passed such an examination should be laid before the ,bishop of ,jerusalem1 who will also take care to convince himself of their fitness to receive ordination at his hands4 ,if we were to transfer this whole precedent1 as the writer understands it1 to our own ,church1 the change it would make would be simply this1 namely1 that it would be left to the ,bishops1 each exercising the discretionary power now vested in him1 to judge1 upon examination1 of the doctrinal views of a candidate1 instead of requiring him to subscribe to the ,thirty-nine ,articles4 ,and if we draw this out into practice1 the loss as to security for any particular doctrines would be none4 ,each ,bishop would of course exercise the discretionary power as he now does1 and the same candidates would be admitted2 but the evils now attending upon ,subscription would be remedied1 or immeasurably diminished4 ,a candidate would be examined as to his general qualifications1 and also by questions on the ,thirty-nine ,articles1 according to the judgment of each ,bishop1 and might be received or rejected1 as is now the case4 ,whatever point in the ,articles might appear to each ,bishop to require particular attention1 would be made a subject of examination1 as is now the case4 ,any question relative to doctrinal views1 deemed necessary1 might be put1 and the ,bishop would have the actual view of the candidate in his own words2 and1 if his word will not bind a man1 will his signature8 ,if a candidate1 for instance1 professed that he considered the ,reformation injurious or imperfect1 the ,bishop might reject him1 or not2 and if he did not profess this1 but afterwards came to that opinion1 the case would only be as it is sometimes now4 ,possibly ,bishops might differ as to their mode of conducting such examination2 and in one diocese a candidate might be received who might fear being rejected in another2 for so it has been1 and may be again2 and thus persons of various shades of opinion are admitted to the ministry1 probably to the benefit of the ,church4 ,after examination1 and previous to ordination1 each candidate would subscribe to the ,three ,creeds1 #cc and engage to conform to the ,liturgy4 ,at his ordination1 as a priest1 he would promise before the congregation to study the ,word of ,god1 to teach nothing contrary to it1 and to fulfil the duties of the ministry according to the solemn and comprehensive pledges of our ,ordination ,service1 to which the writer requests a particular attention in connection with this subject4 ,there is here no want of security so far as pledges can give it2 and every advantage really secured on the present plan would be retained4 ,the present ,subscription does not produce consent touching true religion1 whereas an assent to the doctrine of the ,creeds would be almost catholic4 ,the present ,subscription does not secure attachment to the doctrines of the ,reformation4 ,what advantage then does it realize which would be lost on the plan proposed8 ,they who love the ,reformation and revere our ,articles1 would love and revere them still4 ,it is not ,subscription which draws forth their attachment1 but conviction--the conviction that they are founded on the ,word of ,god1 coupled with a thankful recollection of the men and the times which gave them to us4 ,let it not be forgotten that1 whatever power the laws now give for restraining or punishing those who impugn the ,articles or ,liturgy1 would remain untouched4 ,and in all cases where the law does speak1 it ought to be the test of wrong doing4 ,so long as it was not called forth1 the just presumption would be that no such offence had been committed2 and controversy1 which must always exist while truth is loved1 would be carried on without the discreditable concomitants detailed above4 ,the precedent adopted then1 on the appointment of a ,bishop for ,jerusalem1 suggests an unobjectionable improvement2 #cd and it carries with it this further recommendation that it would bring the law and the practice together1 which is always considered sound legislation when the practice has become so established that the law is virtually repealed4 ,instances of this kind are well known4 ,the repeal of the ,corporation and ,test ,acts was little more than a formal abrogation of a law no longer in force2 and the repeal of the present form of ,subscription would1 in like manner1 only legally confirm that latitude of interpretation with respect to it which already prevails4 #ce #aa4 ,if1 however1 the above-named precedent be rejected1 there are yet unquestionable grounds for desiring that something should be done in the present state of things4 ,it is asked1 not in a hostile or unreasonable spirit1 but seriously1 soberly1 and earnestly--for the peace of the ,church2 for the credit of its ministers and members2 and for the sake of truth itself--that we may be told in what sense ,subscription may be1 or ought to be1 made4 ,it has been of late advanced as an argument against those who would set up various human authorities as arbiters of truth1 that the ,church has already declared the truth by her interpretation of ,scripture1 that she has given us that interpretation in our ,thirty-nine ,articles1 and bound it upon us by ,subscription4 ,we answer simply1 that the interpretation itself is disputed1 that the sense of it cannot be fixed4 ,we want1 therefore1 a new decision4 ,it has been argued again that ,subscription preserves truth within the ,church4 ,we simply ask1 what truth8 and affirm that the constant use of our ,liturgy preserves pure doctrine more effectually1 and always will4 ,it has been advanced also1 somewhat inconsiderately1 but by high authority1 as an argument against alteration1 that any change might make matters worse1 by making ,subscription more strict4 ,we answer that1 if it requires an assent to that which is scripturally true1 it cannot be too strict4 ,let it then be strictly and literally enforced3 but1 if this be deemed unadvisable or impossible1 let it be interpreted anew1 or repealed4 ,in its present state it cannot be too plainly or repeatedly affirmed1 that it is a disgrace to the ,church4 #ab4 ,it may be pronounced absurd or presumptuous in an individual to propose a change in such a matter as ,subscription to ,articles of ,faith1 but in truth a great change has already taken place4 ,there have been in past ages considerable variations as to doctrinal views prevailing at different times3 of late a new character has been given to ,subscription2 new certainly to this generation1 and new altogether1 as proceeding from persons remaining in the ministry2 for the principal abettors of similar views in past times are found amongst the non-jurors1 and were seceders from the establishment4 ,a few years ago it was pronounced by a ,bishop to be little less than a libel on the ,church1 to say that the clergy did not subscribe literally to the ,articles4 ,since that time another ,bishop has designated a system of interpretation put forth and defended by clergymen1 as 8so subtle1 that by it the ,articles may be made to mean any thing or nothing40 ,several episcopal charges have spoken to the same effect1 and almost innumerable publications from other authors4 ,yet the principles on which that system is founded1 are disseminated with unabated zeal and increased influence4 ,the ,tracts for the ,times1 silenced only by name1 are issued in reviews1 magazines1 pamphlets1 poems1 and novels2 and the same views as to the ,reformation and the ,articles are maintained1 though the application of them1 in the manner proposed by ,tract ,no4 #ij1 may be partially disowned4 ,a great change then has taken place2 and the result is1 that ,subscription has received a blow from which it can never recover without some decided measure4 ,it must become an object of general ridicule or contempt1 of which1 indeed1 some indications have already appeared4 ,to this the writer desires to invite attention4 ,if he has ventured to propose a remedy1 it is principally on this ground1 that whoever points out a defect in existing institutions is commonly asked1 what improvement can you offer8 ,although1 then1 convinced that the remedy he has named is calculated to meet the evil1 it is rather his wish that others should be induced to come forward and so to deal with the change which has taken place that it may cease to be a reproach to the ,church4 ,with this object before him1 he believes himself engaged in the cause of truth1 and will continue to devote to it the limited powers he possesses while life is spared4 ,and let it not be deemed presumptuous if1 under an humiliating sense of his own insufficiency1 he yet perseveres in recommending what is so far beyond his power to accomplish4 ,no one can reasonably expect visible success in any undertaking4 ,it is enough to enjoy the assurance that we are persevering in a right path4 ,the result may well be left to the ,supreme ,disposer of all things4 ,nor are instruments in ,his hands weak1 as man estimates power2 but the weakest may be permitted to sow the seed destined to bring forth much fruit4 ,it is the progress of conviction wrought in the minds of men which prepares the way for improvements4 ,it is the open statement of these convictions1 here and there1 which leads to action4 ,few improvements1 if any1 in the moral world can be novelties4 ,they are only a return to some good old principle which the great innovator1 time1 or rather the great deteriorator1 human corruption1 hath thrown into the shade4 ,an age there was1 perhaps a better than this1 when human ,articles were unknown to the ,church2 an age also when the shortest of our ,creeds sufficiently expressed the faith of a believer4 ,it does not require learning or talent to state all this1 and to beg others to recollect that1 if heresies call for ,articles1 a folio would scarcely suffice4 ,simple minds may state such simple truths1 and ,god may cause their voice to be heard4 ,nor can it be justly affirmed that1 to expose even in strong terms prevailing defects1 is any proof of disaffection to the ,church in which they exist4 ,the writers of ,scripture1 although ,divinely inspired1 are yet a pattern to their less favoured followers4 ,and who can peruse the writings of the ,prophets and ,apostles without being struck by their bold and uncompromising denunciations of the sins and errors prevailing amongst high and low1 learned and ignorant1 teachers and people8 ,if it be disaffection to the ,church1 to describe faithfully and plainly an evil which requires a remedy1 then is ,isaiah to be condemned in his first chapter1 and ,st4 ,paul in his most celebrated ,epistles1 instead of being our examples and instructors in the path of ministerial duty4 ,if the remarks above offered be well founded1 they cannot be a matter of indifference1 for they affect all to whom truth1 and religion1 and the credit of its ministers1 and the national honour are dear3 and all such might1 without compromise of any principle or opinion1 as the writer believes1 join in an address to the following effect3-- ,to ,her ,most ,gracious ,majesty ,queen ,victoria1 over all persons and in all causes ,ecclesiastical and ,temporal within ,her ,dominions supreme4 ,we your ,majesty's faithful subjects have observed with pain the ,controversies now for some time carried on with respect to the true interpretation of the ,thirty-nine ,articles of ,religion and of the ,subscription by law required to them and to the ,book of ,common ,prayer2 and we humbly pray your ,majesty to institute such measures as to your wisdom shall seem fit1 with the advice of your ,majesty's ,privy ,council1 in order to provide a remedy for the uncertainty prevailing upon this subject4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,it is with reluctance that ,i add to the above remarks any that relate merely to myself4 ,some circumstances1 however1 appear to require a few brief observations4 ,in a former publication on the ,meaning of ,subscription1 #da occasioned by the extreme uncertainty and perplexity in which this subject is involved1 ,i stated my readiness to resign my preferment1 if called upon to do so within a certain time by ,his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,canterbury4 ,that call has not been made4 ,it may1 however1 be supposed that the remarks now offered on the same subject are published1 not so much with a view to any general improvement as from a desire to obtain relief for my own difficulties4 ,i wish therefore distinctly to state that this is not the case1 and that those difficulties are removed1 for the present1 on the following grounds4 ,within the last three years a departure from the plain and obvious meaning of the ,articles has been displayed1 to an unparalleled extent1 amongst the ministers of our ,church2 yet no call has been authoritatively made upon any of them to resign1 and they retain their situations1 with the exception of two or three who have voluntarily seceded4 ,in this state of things1 ,i can hardly imagine any diversity of opinion with respect to the ,thirty-nine ,articles which calls for the resignation of a clergyman2 indeed1 it appears to me that it would be simply absurd in any one to resort to such a step1 unless under a decided wish for communion with some other church or body of ,christians4 ,it can hardly be necessary to say1 after what has been already offered1 how far ,i am from desiring that such a state of things should continue1 however unfavourably a change might affect myself3 for ,i still maintain1-- ,that the condemnatory clauses of the ,athanasian ,creed1 in their literal sense1 are an un-,christian appendage to a document of extraordinary merit1 yet such that a true ,christian may innocently differ from some propositions set forth in it4 ,that a ,bishop is not authorized by the ,gospel to address a candidate for ,ordination in the literal sense of the words1 8,receive the ,holy ,ghost3 whose sins thou dost remit1 they are remitted1 and whose sins thou dost retain1 they are retained40 ,that a ,christian minister is not authorized by the ,gospel to address any one in the literal sense of the words1 8,i absolve thee from all thy sins40 ,entertaining these views1 ,i yet venture to conclude that ,i could subscribe the ,articles and ,liturgy with as near an approach to a literal assent as most of the clergy1 and certainly with a far more cordial approbation of them than many who might be named4 ,it has been said that the objections just mentioned are trifling4 ,whoever has marked the course of the controversy now existing in our ,church will see how great a stress has been sometimes laid on two of the above points1 as materially supporting the views of tractarian writers4 ,may #ca1 #ahdc4 ,,postscript ,,to ,,the ,,second ,,edition4 ,,in the first edition ,i briefly alluded to the ,rev4 ,c4 ,green1 of this ,diocese1 as having made some comments on a former publication of my own4 ,i am sorry to find that this reference was a mistake1 ,mr4 ,green not having mentioned my name1 as ,i erroneously supposed he had1 writing from an imperfect recollection4 ,having explained to him how the mistake arose1 ,i have now publicly to offer my apology for it1 which ,i tendered in private as soon as it became known to me4 ,since the first edition of this publication1 many of the views here offered have been confirmed by no mean authorities4 ,on ,july #dth1 ,his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,dublin1 on presenting a ,petition to the ,house of ,lords relating to ,church ,government1 will be found1 on a reference to his speech1 to have used several arguments exactly similar to some of those here advanced4 ,in the very able ,dedication prefixed to a ,sermon on 8,the ,unity of the ,church10 by ,archdeacon ,hare1 recently published1 will be found again a similar coincidence on other points4 ,in the ,charge of the ,bishop of ,calcutta1 also very recently published in this country1 the following passages so strongly confirm the main argument and title of this publication that ,i am tempted to transcribe them3-- ,page #fj4 8,but it is useless to speak of their manner of defending themselves1 after the incredible attempt of the ,ninetieth ,tract1 which brought down upon them that merited disapprobation of their respected ,diocesan1 the disavowal of the ,heads of ,colleges at ,oxford1 and the contempt or pity of every ,protestant ,divine4 ,nothing so dishonourable to a clergyman--the word is strong1 but in my judgment not too strong--has occurred in our ,church since the time when the blessed ,reformation exempted us for ever1 as we hoped1 from these ,popish errors40 ,page #ajj4 8,i must confess for myself that1 after reading with all the attention in my power ,mr4 ,newman's ,lectures on ,justification1 ,i consider them the greatest insult--not intentionally1 of course1 but in fact1 the greatest insult ever offered to our ,church and the whole body of our ,reformers1 by any divine of talent and reputation for orthodoxy since the #afth ,century40 ,page #ajh4 8,the substantial disagreement of these divines with ,holy ,scripture1 and their substantial agreement with the ,romanists1 are as clear as the day4 ,to speak of their disagreement with our ,articles and ,homilies after the incredible sophistry of ,tract ,no4 #ij1 would be useless40 8,give me the principles of interpretation by which justification is thus1 as by a magic wand1 enchanted away1 and ,i will prove or disprove anything4 ,let me apply such a process to the word sanctification or glorification1 or faith or law1 and ,i will disprove all the doctrines of the ,gospel40 8,nay1 give me these principles--,i speak it with awe--and ,i will defend the ,arian1 the ,socinian1 the ,antinomian1 the ,neological1 the ,rationalist heresies40 ,in any other profession such opinions as these could not be published without compelling the individuals thus censured to take some steps to vindicate their character4 ,laudable endeavours are on foot to prevent duelling4 ,the only profession clear of that practice ought to be foremost in showing that means can be provided for guarding the reputation of its members4 ,at this time no clergyman knows how to meet such a reproach as that conveyed in the above ,charge4 ,there is no individual or body of men to whom he can appeal as possessing1 in public estimation1 authority to clear him from the reproach1 or to direct his conduct4 ,thus1 language is continually used amongst clergymen which1 if it became common in all professions1 would lower the standard of ,english manners1 and1 thus far1 degrade the national character4 ,if only for the credit of the clergy1 and to check the injury of a bad example in a quarter where it should be especially guarded against1 some authoritative decision ought to be pronounced on the meaning of ,subscription4 ,august #bc1 #ahdc4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,norwich3 ,,printed ,,by ,,charles ,,muskett1 ,,old ,,haymarket4 ,,footnotes4 #cc ,in proposing this test1 it is assumed that the view of the late ,professor of ,divinity1 ,bishop ,marsh1 with regard to the condemnatory clauses attached to the ,athanasian ,creed1 would be thenceforward considered as established in our ,church4 ,his words are1 8,i do not mean to defend those anathemas4 ,they are no part of the ,creed itself40 #cd ,the establishment of such a test in our own ,church might materially assist1 as an example1 in securing a great collateral benefit4 ,they who are interested in missionary exertions know how great an impediment to their success arises from the differences and divisions amongst the ministers sent forth from various churches and societies4 ,one mischievous effect of these is1 that the general consent which really exists as to catholic truths is obscured4 ,the differences on other points are always on the surface4 ,thus they command an undue degree of attention and importance2 and1 not to mention other evils1 the conclusion must occur to unbelievers1 that no one certain system of truth can be collected from that which is proposed to them as a ,divine ,revelation4 ,to separate the points of difference from the common bond of union1 by affixing some decided mark of preference and distinction on the latter1 would be something gained in attempts to evangelize the world4 ,it might be better still1 if one ,creed1 the ,nicene1 were chosen as the test4 ,a very large portion of ,christian missionaries1 it is presumed1 would cordially bear testimony to its truth4 ,thus it would present some common bond of union amongst them in 8preaching the ,gospel to all nations0--an imperfect one1 it may be said1 yet apparently the best which can be secured4 ,for almost every doctrinal point beyond that ,creed is controverted2 and1 at the end of eighteen centuries1 every church must be content to see its distinctive claims to reception rest on argument rather than authority4 #ce ,private opinion1 or judgment1 it is very clear1 cannot be controlled by ,subscription1 or by any other means2 yet peace might be preserved1 to a great extent1 if the ,church had the power to enjoin silence on any particular point amongst its ministers4 ,in some respects it would be dangerous to grant such a power2 but the wisest human arrangements are frequently only choosing the least of two evils4 ,the recent sentence on ,dr4 ,pusey may be very proper as regards the religious instruction offered to students at an university1 but will of course decide nothing as to the general controversy4 ,only the voice of the ,church can effect this1 and it is time that the ,church should at least be able to speak1 though its first decision might endanger the existence of the ,establishment4 ,faith1 however1 is a better counsellor than ,fear4 #da 8,what is the ,meaning of ,subscription80 ,longmans4 #ahda4