weak men who, we may hope, will return, but who ought never to be allowed to reassume the ministerial functions; others again, vain superficial youths, who are no loss to the Church, although for their own sakes we lament their perversion.

Finally, we commend ourselves, our efforts, and our readers to the care of the great Head of the Church, earnestly praying that we may be made instrumental in spreading the knowledge of his true and life-giving word.

LONDON, December, 1845.

THE BRITISH CHURCHMAN.

JULY.-1845.

ORIGINAL PAPERS.

TRUE CATHOLICITY.

A MIGHTY movement is at work in our Church, is at work in society at large. Men are not contented with the shadows which have but too long replaced realities. Earnestness they look for in their rulers; earnestness, above all, they demand in their Church.

The mutual influences of apparently unconnected objects are truly most surprising. The discipline of our Church fell into disuse, and this loss of discipline was speedily followed by a weakening of faith. This again, of course, reacted upon all the classes of society. What was the result? An age of conventional honesty, conventional honour, conventional piety or rather impiety-an age of false diamonds and false hearts-an age which professed to govern on principles it never realized, and extolled a faith which it despised. Melancholy, indeed, was the condition of both State and Church during the greater part of the eighteenth century, when words had taken the place of things, and the dress was more than the human being enclosed in it. Young and ardent minds with high desires and noble tendencies were naturally disgusted by such a state of things as this. But, alas! what effect had it on them? Naturally that of leading them to despise the principles thus prostituted, and the religion thus "decently" reviled. Thence, to a certain extent at least, may we gather the reasons for the appearance of the Satanic school amongst us, the school which rejected laws because abused, and confounded 66 measures with men.' That school has passed away. At least its influence is now slight indeed; and VOL. III.-No. XIX.

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written by discontented and disappointed men.

"We have attacked enough, we have destroyed enough!" Thus feels the vast majority of the reading public. "Now let us consolidate-yet more, let us uprear again!" The truth of Christianity is generally admitted. But men desire to realize that truth, to bring it home to themselves, and hold it as their own personal property. It is not sufficient to assent to any great truth. That truth must be possessed. It must be mine, or, after all, it cannot be truly valuable to me. How is this end to be attained? How is this true Christianity to be brought home to the hearts of all? Mainly, we would say, if not entirely, through the medium of true Catholicity; firstly, as embodied in the discipline and doctrines of the visible Church on earth; secondly, as exemplified in that true spirit of Christian charity which "hopeth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things."

And first, for the former of these two mighty agents. Church discipline is the foundation of Christian faith and practice. That discipline must be neither too slight nor too severe. If the latter, it injures the expression of Christian individuality, and tends to convert man into a machine; if the former, it gives too great licence to the lawlessness of man's egotism, and promotes eventually both irreverence and infidelity. The first condition for the existence of true Church discipline is the superior sway of the Episcopacy as constituted by our Lord and Saviour, and recognised by his apostles. Other things all follow in their course, but this is the very bond of their existence, the corner-stone, as it were, of ecclesiastical well-being.

Be it not imagined that we absolutely deny validity to the efficacy of Presbyterian ministrations. We think that the Church of Christ may possibly exist, and does exist (in Germany and Switzerland for instance), in a most imperfect state of discipline-nay, in a state of non-discipline. Nay, we go even further than this. We look upon ordination, which, if it have any validity whatever, must be based on apostolical descent; we look on this as only relatively, not absolutely necessary. The Presbyterian minister claims a descent from presbyters, originally appointed by bishops, or by the apostles themselves. He therefore, though under another form, asserts with us the doctrine of apostolical succession. But let us imagine the case of a body of Christians thrown on a savage island, where they remain during many generations without coming into contact with any of their fellow-christians. Are they to remain without Christian rites during all this period? Are they not to partake of the blessed sacraments? Are they not to hear the word of God? Can more than one answer be given to such questions? Must they not set apart with prayer, and consecrate and ordain those members of their body who feel themselves especially called to the work of the ministry? Must they not adopt a system of discipline as closely approximating as possible to that of the Apostles and of Holy Writ? Thus would they obtain bishops, priests, and deacons, nor should we be justified in regarding their first ordination as invalid, because every

baptized man under the Christian covenant holds the dignity of a priest under the old dispensation, and may exercise high powers by virtue of his Christian standing, when necessarily called upon so to do. This, it is true, is merely a case of necessity. Presbyterian government, however, may be defended on a similar principle, as a substitute indeed, but not an absolutely invalid substitute, for truly Christian discipline. The Churches of Germany and Switzerland were deserted by their bishops. What remained for them but to act without those bishops, or perish for the lack of spiritual food?

The old distinction must be held fast betwixt the being and the wellbeing of a Church. Presbyterian communities we see, alas! but too naturally disposed to slide into the arms of Socinianism and infidelity. The loss of Catholic discipline would naturally bring this about. Germany and Switzerland are but too-memorable proofs of the truth of this assertion. The exaltation of discipline into ecclesiastical tyranny, with its disastrous effects, are seen in the Churches of the Roman communion. The usurpation of absolute sway over the minds and consciences of men promotes only profanity and impiety in the end. Let Spain be the illustration of this great truth!

Perhaps absolute perfection will ever be sought for vainly on earth. Thus the Church of England has many mighty advantages, many characteristic differences for good, compared with the Churches of other Christian countries; but she is certainly far from faultless. Her discipline is too lax, and consequently her faith is not sufficiently earnest— not, as it should be, the one sole business of her life. Still such as she is, and will be, she is destined for the great agent in the regeneration of this nation; nay, even now she is the salt that leavens the mass, and saves it from corruption. By the maintenance of her true discipline, and the consequent soundness of her faith, she will attract the masses to her altars, and Christianise the wealthy and the poor. But the work is a mighty one: it dare not be delayed. We must have no more clergymen whose highest boast is the possession of a character for goodfellowship-no more bishops who slumber over their sacred duties, and declare themselves afraid to move on principles of political expediency. Earnestness is, above all, what we require. Self-devotion, a fervent wish to save and serve Christ's little ones, and, as a bond of this truly Christian spirit, a reverential deference to ecclesiastical superiors. All these things we must and shall have, we have in part already. Vast improvements are taking place daily. Thus catholicised, thus disciplined, the Church shall really force the substance of religion upon the attention of all, and woe be then to those who neglect the gracious message from on high.

The second great agent in the regeneration of the nation (of which we will now speak very briefly) must be the diffusion of the philosophy of loving charity amongst us. Never shall we gain men by insulting and reviling them. Errors indeed, arising from the natural selfishness of men, we cannot too strongly denunciate; but those which are merely founded on faults of the judgment, however fearful in their character,

should be more mildly dealt with. We would conciliate all men; such shall be our chosen task. But this must be effected, not by the abandonment of one single truth, but by the bringing home of all truth to the minds, but more especially to the hearts, of those who hear us. The sinful pride of man, which leads him naturally to reject whatever is authoritatively announced to him, we must, indeed, castigate, but we would do even this in a spirit of loving pity! How difficult is it to resist love! more especially when that love is based on and supported by reason. If Providence permit us to be at all influential as a secondary agent in the mighty work we speak of, oh! then may it keep in our hearts the spirit of love and charity! May we never be tempted into virulent abuse, or mere party rancour! We must denounce, indeed, what is evil; we must do this boldly, unflinchingly, but let us do so lovingly also. The mistaken Dissenter would we woo back to the paths of Christian discipline and orthodox faith; the erring Papist more especially would we lead to the ranks of true Catholicity; the unhappy infidel (for, be it firmly believed, no infidel was ever truly happy), him would we convince of the untenableness of his intellectual position and the fallacy of his views-him would we still more gladly gain by an appeal to his affections, the nobler instincts of his earthly uature-him would we teach to recognise the truth thus simply expressed by a mighty living bard,

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LOVE, HOPE, FEAR, FAITH, these make humanity!

Thus opposing indeed argument to argument and reason to reason, we would at the same time war most convincingly by the weapons of Christian love. And that which we would do, must be done by all. Away with bitter controversies and angry retorts! Away with all minor differences whatever, in as far as they may be allowed to interfere with our true Catholic unity! Catholicity, in its double bearings, should be ours, whether viewed as orthodoxy, or in the light of Christian love. May our labours be not altogether unavailing for the attainment of this goal!

DEVELOPMENTS OF THE PAPACY.-No. I.

BY MRS. E. SMITH.

History contains the experience of the world and the wisdom of ages."

Ir is singular that the period of time contained in what are termed the dark ages was prolific in events and productive of characters which have produced results that still influence mankind, and whose gigantic