gain in enlightenment and intelligence which the Anglican ministry may receive from the presence of such men can compensate for the damage done to moral habits, and the offence given to moral sentiments by their example.'

To the principle thus broadly and lucidly enunciated, a clerical critic of the Professor takes exception, maintaining that there is a clear distinction between a general assent and an explicit belief in particulars. There is a well-understood agreement that 'Subscription does not imply a literal acceptance of the formula.' If the question be raised how far the principle of 'liberalising interpretation' may be carried, the permissible limits of deviation may be defined by public opinion, by recognised usage, by a general understanding,' or else by the authority—practically the dispensing power-of the bishop. Nor are we left in any doubt as to the kind of doctrines thus presumably held as open questions. The chief instance selected is the birth of Christ from a virgin; which a clergyman, it is held by Professor Sidgwick's critic, may honestly affirm, in the language of the Creed, while really believing that Christ had two human parents-provided he thinks the matter of no spiritual significance.'

It is unnecessary to follow the Professor into his criticism of these views. The whole discussion raises the question whether the requirement itself of Subscription, necessitating so much casuistry, is not itself a mistake—or, shall we say, out of date?

NOTE XVIII. (Lecture VII. p. 265)

Discussion on the Catholicity of Orthodox Nonconformists

The late Dean Alford wrote in 1868 :—

'It was once the lot of the present writer to introduce into a large clerical society, meeting monthly for discussion,

the question, whether an orthodox Dissenter (using, of course, the term orthodox in its well-understood sense, as applied to Christian doctrine) is to be regarded as a member of Christ's Holy Catholic Church. It seemed to him very necessary that his fellow-members should be "brought to book" respecting this matter. Some of them were very high Churchmen, and were in the habit of speaking on it as the clergy of that school usually do-viz. of designating as "outside the Church" all their Nonconformist countrymen, and all non-Episcopal, and some of the Episcopal, foreign religious bodies. At the same time, it was a patent fact that the families of some of these very men were Dissenters, and equally patent that when any members of those families were spoken of by them, it was always as Christians, as living a Christian life, and dying in Christian hope.

'Here then was an inconsistency which obviously wanted clearing up which could only be cleared up, as it seemed to the proposer of the question, in one way, viz. by the abandonment of the high exclusive view in theory, as it was already abandoned in practice. The debate lasted far into the evening, and was adjourned to a second monthly meeting. At that meeting it was at last carried unanimously in the affirmative, that the Dissenter, holding the articles of the Christian faith, is to be regarded as a member of Christ's Holy Catholic Church. And I may mention that among those affirmative votes was that of one who very shortly afterwards left us for the Church of Rome. Magna erat veritas, et prævalebat. When men came once to look this question in the face, and to bring it to the test of their own consciences of their verdict over the holy lives and hopeful deaths of their friends and neighbours—the artificial barriers fell, and the righteous nation which keepeth the truth entered in. The only true test triumphed that propounded

Ꮓ

by our Master: By their fruits (not by their hierarchies) shall ye know them.

'This' (Dean Alford expressively adds) 'was seventeen years ago. How such a debate might now terminate is perhaps doubtful. But any other decision than that at which we arrived is, I submit, impossible to the fair-judging Christian mind. If the term "Christendom" is to be interpreted by facts, and not by a theory prior to facts, it must include those bodies of professing Christians at home whom we call Nonconformists: it must also include those foreign Churches whose form of government differs from our own.'1

1 Contemporary Review, February 1868; reprinted in Dean Alford's Essays and Addresses, 1869, pp. 85-87.

INDEX

The numbers denote the pages; n=note; a= appendix

ABBOT, Archbishop, 132
Agnosticism, Christian, 262
Agreement in opinion, and the
bond of charity, 235
AINSWORTH, Henry, Congrega-
tional Confession by, 138
Albigenses, 82

ALFORD, Dean, on the Catholicity
of orthodox Nonconformists,
336 a
Ambiguities, purposed, in Con-
fessions of Faith, 227
Anabaptists, 82, 174
Anachronisms in Creeds, 175
Anathemas in Creeds, 12; in the

Nicene Creed, 56; in the
'Athanasian Creed,' 73
Ancoratus, the, of Epiphanius, 62
Angelology, an ancient topic of
Christian thought, 260

ANGUS, Dr., his Lectures, I
ANSELM, Archbishop, 83; on
Atonement, 254
Apologetics, Christian, 179
Apology for the Augsburg Con-
fession, 96

Apostles' Creed, the, second in
order, 44; tradition respecting,
45; developments of, 49; its
Latin text, 274a
Arian Controversy, the, 56
Arminianism, growth of, 140;
Articles of, 315a

ARNOLD, Dr., of Rugby, upholder

of the Athanasian Creed,' 76;
on Subscription, 223
ARNOLD, Matthew, on the Ages
of Faith, 187

Articles of Faith, new, 29; added
to the Creed by Romanists, 81;
the Forty-two,' by Cranmer,
127, 296a; the Thirty-nine,'
129, 296a; differences in, from
Cranmer's, ib.; Law of Sub-
scription to, 201
ASKEW, Ann, 125
Assurance, different degrees of,
248

'Athanasian Creed,' the, sudden

emergence and unknown author-
ship of, 68; use of, in the Eng-
lish Church, 74; in the original
Latin, 280 a

Atonement, doctrine of the, 179;
theories of, 254
Augsburg, the Diet of, 91
Augsburg Confession, the, written
in German, 95; signed by
princes rather than theologians,
93; its Articles, 99; English
translation of, 284a

AUGUSTINE, quotations from, in
the 'Athanasian Creed,' 69,
279a

BACON, on vagueness in belief, 9 ;
on essential unity under diver-
sity of expression, 249