itself, alike for better and for worse, to all the ways or views of any PARTY in religious matterswhether in or out of the Church-is likely to be shaken in its judgment or its faith, on each debatable point, more by the reasonings of its defenders, than by those of its assailants; to be made a friend by the rashness and sophistry of adversaries, or an adversary by the disingenuousness of friends. §. 4. Are there not again, very many who fear the influence of that prevailing spirit, most falsely calling itself liberal? These, if they cannot sympathise with that extravagant indulgence for the hard-heartedness of unbelief, which seems to take no manner of account what shock it may inflict on the believer, provided only it give no offence to the presumed sensitiveness of the scorner, and if they can perceive in this affected judiced, or very headstrong disputant, who should insist from thence that they are equally intended, and in the same sense, for the like universal and continual employment. In all the practice of the Church, the Articles are shown to beat any rate in their main purpose-occasional securities and landmarks for the guidance of but comparatively few; and those chiefly persons who have partaken, more or less, either of a professional or a learned education. But this only by the way. boast of rationality no more than a revived appearance of an old evil-namely, the attempt to neutralise the word of truth by wrong alliance with a vain philosophy; must form another class who, when they look to probable ulterior consequences, can only grieve in secret for the pride of such as would persuade men to defer thus to man's wisdom, rather than accept, and seek for holiness by guidance of the wisdom which the Holy Ghost teacheth! §. 5. Still more must they be troubled, and disposed to mourn, who cannot bring themselves to think that it can possibly be right, either to deny and to resist, on one hand, the paramount supremacy of Scripture, as our guide and standard; or, on the other, utterly to set at nought the just and "reverent attention due to catholic "consent; such an attention, as aids the true sons of the Church, in understanding what "is within their comprehension, and disposes "them to submit, where the subject clearly "lies beyond the reach of their mental facul With very much the same resemblances and same differences which were just now provided for in a remark respecting modern Arianism and Socinianism. And the like analogy will hold through all perversenesses of this day. "ties." If they, whose sorrow and perplexity of mind I here suppose, could indeed be satisfied that it is necessary, or the will of God to have these two positions, which appear to them so capable of harmony, brought into irreconcileable collision, they would in meekness and in patience be content to set their faces toward that, or any other fearful issue. But they can not perceive, either in wisdom or in conscience, the need of pressing things to a tremendous crisis, involving plainly (if it ever shall be suffered to arrive) no less a consequence than a convulsion of the whole civilized and Christian world. Such, notwithstanding, seems to be the tendency (and, so far as man alone can guide the progress of his own rash enterprises, the inevitable tendency) of many speculations now afloat, and of opinions broached with much fervour-entitled, seemingly, to every This definition is borrowed from the highly interesting "Appendix," attached to the original volume of Sermons published by the present Bishop of Limerick. (Dr. Jebb.) 2d Edit. London, 1816. pp. 367, 8. Should the present Volume meet the eye of that excellent Prelate, he will understand how much the Author rejoices to embrace an opportunity of strengthening himself by his authority, and of recording publicly his sense of personal respect. praise of good intention-and certainly, maintained with no small measure of ability, and no slight intermixture of unquestionable truth. §. 6. But not to multiply distressing suppositions, must there not (to take a last instance) be sorrow in the hearts of many anxious ministers and servants of the Lord, who feel all certain bond of union between their congregations and themselves to be extinguished? It cannot be a state of things that ought to be, in which a 8 The "Natural History of Enthusiasm," for instance, seems at once liable to this objection, and deserving of this praise. I grieve to trace what seems (to me) a like tendency in a considerable portion of religious speculations lately proposed to the world by some distinguished Members of the University of Oxford. These would appear to be a growing and most unhealthy impatience among us, both in politics and religion, of every thing as it is; an unwise desire for a fresh start (if I may be forgiven the use of so familiar an illustration) towards an entirely new race, as if it were capable of being run over a clear course. Let us suppose the rash experiment effected in the department of religion-is there any reasonable ground, either of experienee or of analogy, or (in any way) of sound philosophy, for thinking it likely we could re-construct things on a better platform than that laid by the Apostles? If the infidel, in his wisdom, shall be pleased to scoff at the simple narrative of the confusion of Babel, let the believer take a warning from it. multitude of earnest and sincere teachers find practically that, within the measure of the rule distributed to them, they can retain their own proper disciples to themselves only on the condition of pleasing them. It never can be right, that such instructors should hardly dare to speak of duties and of good works in that more simple and intelligible manner which alone can give them their becoming seemliness that men (speaking generally) should desire them, lest they should be denounced at once as traitors to that doctrine, which from their very souls they would enforce, of salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ alone. Yet such, from one another, has our predicament become, that we most surely find the people in effect dictating divine truth to the priest, rather than " seeking "the law at his mouth ;" and what is more, not even conceding to him a power of discriminating what is, or what is not, " knowledge;" making him an "offender for a word;" and virtually, either compelling him to speak what they will choose to hear, or if he shall persist in speaking only that which he himself believes to be the truth-which therefore he will not exceed-then to behold the house of prayer forsaken one cause or while |