tion of 1688 is called "rebellion ;" while, as we have recently seen, some have put the copestone on the whole system, by expressly denying the Right of Private Judgment, and vindicating the maxims and practices of persecution. We must now notice some of the general characteristics and tendencies of this School. 1. It is a very suspicious circumstance, that the whole system tends to the increase of the power and glory of the EPISCOPAL CLERGY. This is the case with the principal doctrines themselves,-apostolical succession, the thaumaturgic efficacy of the sacraments as exclusively administered by them, the restriction of the name and privileges of the "Church" to the communities in which they exercise their functions. The same result may be calculated upon, in proportion as Christianity is transmitted into a religion of rites and symbols. As such rites and symbols become the objects of awful veneration and superstitious dependence, (as they are sure to do, conjoined with the convenient system of "reserve," and the inculcation of an "implicit faith,") the people will look to the hierophants who perform, or exhibit them, as the very arbiters of their eternal destiny. Such a tendency is further fostered by the blind, unquestioning acquiescence in the Priests' dicta which these writers so strongly enjoin. Their deluded victims will do well to remember the old and quaint saying, that "though they may believe by proxy, they must be damned in person." The same general tendency is observable, if we consider how earnestly-almost exclusively-these doctrines are insisted upon by the writers of this School. Marvellous, indeed, is the difference in this respect between the Apostles and these successors of the Apostles. The former are intent almost exclusively intent-on those great themes which render the gospel "glad tidings;" the latter, almost as exclusively, in magnifying their office; the former absolutely forget themselves in their flocks; the latter wellnigh forget their flocks in themselves: the former, if they touch on the clerical office at all, are principally intent on its spiritual qualifications and duties; the latter on its prerogatives and powers.* To hear these men talk, one would imagine that, by a similar ûdrepov porspov with that of the simple-minded monk, who "devoutly thanked God that in his wisdom he *The first volume of the Oxford Tracts contains no less than eight distinct papers on "apostolical succession" alone. had always placed large rivers near large towns," they supposed the Church of Christ to be created for the sole use of the clergy; and the doctrine of "apostolical succession" to be the final cause of Christianity. The tendency, in question is most suspicious; but we are far from charging the chief founders of this School with the sordid aims of priestcraft, although we cannot help thinking that, with many of their followers, an unconscious bias in this direction affords the true solution of their conduct. Some of them, we fear, are not altogether unconcious of the bias. 2. The next characteristic of the system is, that it tends to rob Christianity of its chief glory as a spiritual and moral institute, and to render it a system of mere formalism-to substitute for the worship founded on intelligent faith, a devotion which is a species of mechanism, and rites which operate as by magic. The doctrine of Apostolical succession itself, is neither more nor less respectable than that of the hereditary sanctity of the Brahminical caste; while the prayer-mills of the Tartars afford a fair illustration of the doctrine of sacramental efficacy. The stress laid on rites and symbols, and outward observances, and the attempt indefinitely to multiply them, tend the same way. It is true, that as religion appeals to every part of a man's complex nature, rites and symbols have their use, and are not to be neglected. Still, whether they be beneficial or not, will entirely depend on the place they hold in the system. The Divine Founder of Christianity, as if in wise jealousy of a tendency which may be so easily abused, has confined the ceremonial of his religion within the straitest limits: while no element of our nature which can be subordinated to religious use is wholly neglected, each is appealed to only in the precise degree in which it can be rendered tributary to the great object. Would that all who have taught this religion had taken this significant intimation of superwisdom as their guide! As the history of corrupt religion shows, nothing is more difficult than to prevent the material from corrupting the spiritual-the senses and the imagination from assuming an undue influence. Let the balance be destroyed, and the ritual and symbolical is immediately substituted for religious sentiment and emotion. Let rites and symbols be multiplied, perpetually insisted upon-made unduly prominent and spiritual truth will be forgotten; they produce an effect on the great doctrines which they are professedly employed to illustrate, analogous with that consider that if a man is holy who says a hundred prayers a-day, he is twice as holy who says two hundred; and that if he who fasts four-and-twenty hours has some merit, he who fasts eight-and-forty has twice as much. 3. Another signal characteristic of this School is its disposition to vilify and traduce reason. They do well to hate it; for, as Hobbes well said, "when reason is against a man, a man will be against reason." Reason, they feel, is their implacable foe, and blinded indeed it must be before it will admit their pretensions. "My Lord Understanding's house," says John Bunyan, "was too light for the Prince of Darkness, and he therefore built a high wall to darken all the windows." which a minute system of casuistry produ- the dial, or their number by the beads-to ces on our views of morality. Let but the great principles of a noble and ennobling system of Ethics be sincerely received, and human nature may be safely left to determine the modes in which they are to be applied in particular cases; it will choose to take counsel of what is great, generous and magnanimous, rather than ask just how much is scrupulously lawful. But let the casuist come with his scale and weights, or his foot-rule, and determine within how many grains an action is of being strictly unlawful, or how far, to an inch, we may proceed in a certain direction without committing crime-under what circumstance a man may consider himself not absolutely compelled to do what his noblest instincts tell him he ought to do, and in what way he may obey the letter of a law and violate its spirit; and the essence of morality is gone -it is well if even the form be retained. It is much the same with Religion and its ritual. Let but the great doctrines be fully and adequately received, and little need be said on the ritual; it will adjust itself. But if a man be taught (especially after acquiescing in the doctrine of "reserve," and being told that implicit faith will answer the purpose very well) to gaze in stupid wonder on an exhibition of rites and symbols, whether it be on the gorgeous and solid magnificence of the Romish Church, or the mimic gilt and tinsel of our Puseyites-let him be taught to make much of wax-candles burnt at noon-day-the cross of the crucifix-painted windows-garlands of flowers, triangles, and fishes-vestments, black and white-pulpit-hangings and altar-cloths -postures and attitudes-and his religion stands a chance of being about as much worth as that of him who was thus praised by Dr. Johnson: "He never passes a church without pulling off his hat-this shows he has good principles." Let his attention be principally or much directed to these things, and the process of degeneracy is inevitable. It was so with the ancient Church, which we are now so earnestly exhorted to take as our model. No one can read the writings of the Fathers without feeling that they gradually became more intent on the circumstantials of religion than on the essence of it; more solicitous about the modes in which religious duties should be performed, than about the spirit of them. It is all over with religion when this is the case. The process of corruption is soon complete. The next thing is to count our prayers to measure the value of devotions solely by their frequency, their length by In inviting us to lay down our reason, they remind us of the wolf who counselled the sheep to get rid of their watch-dogs. Their constant plan is to inveigh against the sin of "rationalism," as they call it, in relation to the "mysteries," of religion-by which they mean any tendency to question their dogmas. They thus avail themselves both of the prejudice against the first term, and of the awe inspired by the second. That there are "mysteries" both in philosophy and religion about which it is irrational to speculate, is true; but we receive them, though not on intrinsic, yet on sufficient evidence; and reason is still judge as to whether that evidence be sufficient to justify their reception, though it be not able to speculate on the mysteries themselves. The existence of God is a great mystery; but if we do not admit it, we must admit manifold contradictions and absurdities:-the permission of evil is a great mystery; but it would do us no good to deny its existence as a matter of fact:-Christianity is itself full of mystery; but we receive it on proofs so manifold and various, that we feel it impossible to resist them. Give us similar reasons for believing "apostolical succession," and we faithfully promise that it is not its being a mystery that shall startle us. But to hoodwink our reason, and receive any absurdity without examination, because some piece of solemn inanity shakes his head, and assures us it is too awful to reason about, is not to be tolerated. Yet this is the continual artifice employed to protect the "Church principles," and imposes, we have no doubt, upon thousands. We have already adduced some remarkable specimens of this species of logical artifice. "Beware how you rationalize on these great truths," is the constant cry-"how much better is it to obey than to speculate-to be- | terpolations of ancient works. Such things lieve than to reason!" A plain understanding cannot well be managed in these days of would say "Both very well in their place, "unreserved communication of knowledge." reverend sir; what God hath joined togeth- There is as much difference in point of er let no man put asunder: I think it better audacity between the "pious frauds" of to believe than to reason, when I have rea- ancient days and the humble imitations of son to believe that God has spoken; I think Oxford, as between open burglary and petty it better to reason than to believe, when I larceny-between forgery on a large scale have reason to believe that it is only Dr. Pu- and passing a bad sixpence. But with the sey or Mr. Newman." In fact this artifice is little arts of fraudulent misrepresentation, itself the highest insult to reason, since it they do in our judgment stand chargeable. involves a quiet assumption of the whole They are well skilled, as Mr. Taylor exquestion in dispute-namely, whether the presses it, "in packing their evidence," and mysteries of the Oxford Tract School are "in schooling their witnesses." They can supported by the evidence which proves leave out, if they do not put in-insulate a that they are worthy of being believed in plausible sentence or two from a qualifying spite of their transcendental character. Of or refractory context, and manage commas Course the Papist uses the same plea for his and colons to admiration. Some ingenious transubstantiation. Doubtless even the examples of this literary joinery may be Egyptian priest of ancient times often used found in M'Ilvaine's work, (p. 232.) For the same plea, when he had to defend the instance, they cite a passage from the Hodivinity of" cats and onions" against the ra- milies, which appears not unfriendly to a tionalists of those days, at whom he would doctrine they affirm; but on reference to unquestionably shake his head, and tell them the original, it is found that they have tahow superior after all was faith to logic! ken only the beginning and end of the paraAbout as reasonable is the defence which graph, the intermediate part which they the Oxford writers employ, and about as have omitted, being altogether against it ; reasonable the dogmas for which it is re- but no breaks-asterisks-dots-or other sorted to. "The first principle, or univer- indications-are employed, to suggest that sal axiom," says Mr. Taylor, "of modern revivers of Church principles, is the abjuration of that integrity of reason to which the inspired writers always appeal, and of which they enjoin the exercise and culture. *. there has been any solution "of continuity' in the citation; on the contrary, the disjecta membra are represented as so immediately connected, that they are separated only by a semicolon! Similar traces of unfairness To doubt is a sin. To adduce evidence, are most conspicuous in their construction given in relation to common facts of history, of those curious things they call the Cateand to judge of it according to the common ne Patrum, by which they attempted to rules of historical inquiry, is to be a 'ra- prove something like a catholic consent of tionalist.' To distrust the pretensions of "testimony, on the part of the writers in St. Dunstan, or the genuineness of the 'True Cross,' is an offence as grievous as to reject the Trinity; both are disobedience"*. the later English Church," to their peculiar 4. Amongst other characteristics which belong to these writers in common with the Romish Church, we must reluctantly include a tendency to the use of "pious frauds." Let not the reader be startled. We do not charge them with such wholesale forgeries, such magnificent crimes, as those which were perpetrated and justified by some of their venerated Fathers. As their whole system is Romanism in miniature, so it is in this respect also. They do not, as the ancients did, write books, and inscribe them at once with some venerable name to make them pass current. They do not draw a bill of doctrines, and indorse it with the name of Cranmer, Ridley, or Hooker. now abandons it. Neither do we charge them with actual in * Ancient Christianity, No. 6, p. 225. names pleaded in behalf of a system in no respect entitled to such protection." Of the unscrupulous use by these writers of the vulgarest arts of sophistry, we need say nothing. Enormous examples of petitio principii, suppressio veri, and almost every other species of logical delinquency, have been given in preceding articles, or in the present. But examples of all will be found in Number Ninety itself; that singular monument-not are perennius certainly, for it is "brass" itself-of logical pettifogging. tells us, "suppose that our blessed Lord is, as it were, throughout the inspired writings, hiding and concealing himself, and going about (if I may so speak reverently) seeking to whom he may disclose himself." There are numberless passages of this kind, which may mean any thing the interpreter is pleased to imagine; although in reality they contain nothing but very pioussounding nonsense, which would have been quite in character in Jacob Böhmen or Emanuel Swedenborg. Thus, "so to speak," and "as it were,' the author often seems to say something, when in reality, and without any so to speak" or "as it were," he says nothing. His style perpetually reminds us of Bardolph's explanation of the word accommo man is, as they say, accommodated; or, when a man is-being-whereby-he may be thought to be accommodated; which is an excellent thing." We question, however, whether these writers have not derived still more service from that obscure, imposing, and truly Delphic style, of which, as Archbishop Whately says, the "effect is to convey at first to ordinary readers a striking impres- dated. "Accommodated; that is, when a sion, with an appearance of being perfectly intelligible at the first glance, but to become more obscure and doubtful at the second glance, and more and more so, the more attentively it is studied by a reader of clear Should any be disposed to charge us understanding; so as to leave him utterly with treating grave subjects over-lightly, in doubt, at the last, which of several we have to reply, first, that we sincerely bemeanings it is meant to convey, or whether lieve that this is just one of those cases in any at all." This is especially which the maxim of Horace applies, the case with the tracts on "Reserve" and "Mysticism," of which it may be truly said that they seem to have been written after preferring, and obtaining, a plenary answer to that prayer * "Of darkness visible so much be lent, "Ridiculum acri Fortius et melius magnas plerumque secat res ;” secondly, that we recommend the objectors to a careful perusal of the Eleventh of Pascal's Lettres Provinciales, in which he As half to show-half vail the deep intent." shows Qu'on peut réfuter par des railleries les erreurs ridicules; thirdly, that amongst The one writer is most "reserved on the Christian privileges of which our opporeserve," and the other most "mystical on nents would deprive us, we trust they do mysticism." Seldom is any thing said not intend to include what Ben Jonson calls plainly and absolutely, but with a perpet- our "Christian liberty of laughing" at ually tortuous and guarded expression. what is laughable; fourthly, that if they Scarcely two sentences are found together would have us repress our mirth, it must be without a 66 so to speak," or "as it were," by exhibiting a system of doctrines less iror "if so be," or "it may be after a cer-resistibly comic; and lastly, that we are tain secret manner," &c. Thus, endeavor- perfectly aware that the artifice of inculing to prove our Lord's systematic conceal-cating an awful and reverential manner" ment of his miracles, the writer on "re- of treating absurdities such as those on serve" says of the feeding of the five which we have animadverted, is the apthousand, "even here it would appear as if proved receipt, as the history of all superthere was somehow a sort of secret character stition shows, of sanctifying, in the estima about the miracle." Another specimen. tion of the timid and the credulous, the "Notwithstanding that a spirit of true cha- most enormous deviations from truth and rity has a natural desire to communicate common sense. Nor is it amongst the itself, and is of all things the most expan- least causes of the disgust we have felt in sive and extending, yet in all such cases perusing the writings of this School, that [of good men] we may still perceive the their authors, even while propounding docindwelling of Christ in them, still seeking, trines which are equally insulting to the as it were, to hide himself; for I think they Bible and to human reason, and defending are all marked by an inclination, as far as them by methods which are disgraceful to it is possible, of retiring and shrinking morality, have yet been able to maintain from public view." "The Fathers," he that sanctimonious air, that pious gravity, VOL. II. No. III. 2.5 which distinguish certain writers of the school of Loyola. CLEVERNESS. A TALE BY MRS. S. C. HALL. From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal. We must not conclude without pointing out to the reader the works which, in our judgment, furnish the best confutation of IT would be difficult to picture a more delightthe tenets of the Oxford School. These ful village than East-court; its fine old manorare, Archbishop Whately's Essays on the house, combining the architecture of half a dozKingdom of Christ, (a truly admirable en reigns, bound together by ivy, the growth of work ;) Goode's Rule of Faith, which is at least two centuries; its straggling grotesque learned and full; M'Ilvaine's Rome and houses, with high gables and tall chimneys, Oxford, and Taylor's Ancient Christianity here and there into various patterns-owls, and Christianity-fenced along the road by broad yew hedges, cut of both of which we have already spoken; peacocks, and arches, where small birds ́had and Mr. Lindsay Alexander's learned and nested time out of mind. able work, just published, entitled AngloCatholicism not Apostolical. Meantime we await the progress and issue of the great contest without appre hension. Terrible as are these hurricanes of controversy, pernicious as may be their immediate effects on the faith of some and the temper of many-they serve from time to time to purify the atmosphere, and render it salubrious. Let us but be true to ourselves, and we have no fear lest we should be "re-involved," to use the strong language of Milton, "in that pitchy cloud of infernal darkness, in which we shall never more see the sun of Divine Truth again, never hope for the cheerful dawn, never more hear the bird of morning sing." Let us never forget that Christianity was planted, and has grown up, in storms. Discussion is always favorable to it, and has ever been so. Let the wintry blast come. It will but scatter the sere leaves, and snap off the withered branches; the giant tree will only strike its roots deeper into the soil, and in the coming spring-time put forth a richer foliage and extend a more grateful shade. Yes; East-court was a pleasant village. There was, in the centre of a sort of common green that flanked one side, a pond, large enough lake." But the people of East-court having to entitle it to the dignity of being termed "a originally been an unambitious race, were satisfied that the pond should be simply called a pond-and a beautiful pond it was. Two noble willows extended their branches nearly to the water's midst, and a clump of mingled holly, and tapering feathery birch, was so beautiful in its growth and color, that an artist once came ten miles to sketch it; a fact which the old landlord of the Three Bee-Hives" repeated several times each day of his life, forgetting altogether, good old soul, that every one in East-court was aware of a circumstance so flattering to the beauty of their long-loved home. The cottages at East-court were so disposed, as to add to the effect of the larger dwellings-pretty white and brown erections; the walls as white as lime and labor could make them; and the dark-brown thatch nearly covered by those sweet and beautiful climbers which belong of right to the cottage homes of England. On the very summit of an abrupt conical hill, that sprung up suddenly at the back of the manor-house, was a windmill, with wide-extended arms and snow-white sails; and at the foot of the hill on the other side, guarded by some venerable trees, stood Eastcourt church with the adjoining parsonagehouse. There were but few shops at East-court, for the village was only three miles from the country town. But the very shops partook of the picturesque character of this truly English THE AERIAL MACHINE.-"What think ye, Tam. hamlet; and many persons declared that there mas, o' this new faughet project o' fleein through never was so quiet, so venerable, and yet, withthe air like a wild duck; is'na it a maist extraoral, so cheerful a village as East-court, or, as the dinary thing, man?" Naething vera startlin' very old people called it, "East-court o' the about it ava, Archie. Auld as I am, I expect to Hill." live to see the day ween, wi' a wee steam-engine It might well be a cheerful village; the gentleaneath my oxter, and a pennyworth o' coals in my coat pouch, I mak a tripe to Kalmarneock, and man who resided in the manor-house was a come back within half an hour! Wonderfu'! nae magistrate, and landlord of every adjacent dwellthing would surprise me noo-a-days, gift it warena ing. He was, in all acts of love and charity, a an advertisement frae the man in the moon, o' second Sir Roger de Coverley; and had a furnished lodgings to let, or a project to a big half-brother, a physician, who had one wing of the way house atween his domicile and the yerth."Scotch Paper. COPYRIGHT. A deputation of booksellers and literary men waited on M. Guizot a few days ago, and presented to him a note on the best means of suppressing book piracy. They suggested the expediency of acknowledging the copyright in France of all works published by foreigners in their respective countries.-Examiner. old manor-house fitted up as a surgery and dispensary; but he never took fee for advice, or payment for medicine, from any human being; feeling--at least so it would appear, from the alacrity with which he dispensed both-that he was under particular obligation to all who took his prescriptions, and was never happy after a baby was born in the parish until it was vaccinated. It was rare indeed, to meet with such |