CHAPTER XXII.

"Thus far and no farther," when addressed
To the wild wave, or wilder human breast,
Implies authority that never can,

That never ought, to be the lot of man.

COWPER.

THE LATER TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

THERE was a short pause in the conversation, which was again broken by Mr. Flavel.

"I thought," said he, "that you and your friend Mr. Manwaring had rather cooled in your admiration of the Oxford Tract-writers, and were not disposed to defend them quite so warmly as he, at least, did on a former occasion."

"Nothing," said Mr. Manwaring, "except their actually joining the Romish communion,-which, after their explicit declarations,* and indeed the gene

• Let the following extract from Mr. Newman's "Lectures on Romanism and Popular Protestantism," suffice as a specimen :— "Viewed in its formal principles and authoritative statements, it professes to be the champion of past times; viewed as an active and political power, as a ruling, grasping, ambitious principlein a word, what is expressively called popery-it exalts the will and pleasure of the existing Church above all authority, whether of Scripture or antiquity, interpreting the one, and disposing of the other, by its absolute and arbitrary decree.

"We must take and deal with things as they are, not as they

ral tenor of their writings, I conceive to be as unlikely as that the Archbishop of Canterbury himself should become a papist,-nothing short of this shall ever induce me to retract my fixed opinion, that the Tract-writers (taking their writings as a whole) are the ablest and truest maintainers which our Church has had for many years. They have raised the tone of feeling in the Church and country, and have revived principles and doctrines respecting the Church, for which I think that even you, Mr. Flavel, will acknowledge that they have done good service."

Mr. F. "Why, in what they have brought forward as to the dignity of the ministerial office, the duty of keeping to the discipline of the established Church, and the impropriety of dissent, I agree with you, that what they have written has been of some use. The dissenters have certainly gone of late to unwarrantable lengths."

It should be observed, that Mr. Flavel had found himself quite unable to manage the dissenters in his parish; and had recently had a controversy with the Independent minister, against whom he was glad to avail himself of the aid of high-Church doctrines, when others had failed him, as they necessarily would do.

pretend to be. If we are induced to believe the professions of Rome, and make advances towards her, as if a sister or a mother Church, which in theory she is, we shall find, too late, that we are in the arms of a pitiless and unnatural relative, who will but triumph in the arts which have inveigled us within her reach. No; dismissing the dreams which the romance of early Church-history and the high theory of Catholicism will raise in the guileless and inexperienced mind, let us be sure that she is our enemy, and will do us a mischief when she can."-P. 100:

"But then," continued he, "the Church would have righted herself without the aid of these Oxford men, who have only marred the good work."

"There I cannot at all agree with you," said Mr. Manwaring "the credit of restoring Church-principles is due, under Divine Providence, to them almost exclusively, or, at least, far more than to any other individuals."

Mr. F. "But what a mass of trumpery they have brought in with their Church-principles ! many of their doctrines and practices are little short of rank popery. What business have they to appoint a service for Bishop Ken's day?"

Mr. M. "I am not prepared to adopt all the doctrines or practices of the Tract-writers-indeed, there are some which I regret should have been brought forward; but it is not in human nature to keep exactly to the right mark. We all more or less overshoot or come short of it; especially men of their ardent mind, embarked in a great cause, might have been expected to go beyond what more sober-minded persons would deem correct. It should, however, be remembered that, to a generation which has fallen into the disuse or forgetfulness of particular doctrines, the revivers of those doctrines will, of necessity, appear more venturous than they really are. I agree with you in regretting that they should have published the service you allude to. Not that Christians may not religiously keep particular days in honor of their departed friends, or of eminent and excellent members of the Church. No one would dispute, I should think, that it is quite consistent with the conduct of a good Christian to do so. And

I must say, that those persons who religiously keep all the festivals of the Church, and Bishop Ken's day into the bargain, are nearer the right mark than those who keep no festivals at all."

Mr. Flavel did not venture to contradict this position; but shifted his attack to the subject of fasting.

Mr. F. "I am told that some young clergymen of the Oxford school actually fast so much that they cannot get through their service; and that one lady has positively killed herself by inches."

Mr. M. "I am surprised, sir, that you do not perceive that such cases as these can form no legitimate ground of objection against the practice itself. If I preach on the duty of charity, would it be just to blame me, if some person were to give away much more than he ought? So, if the Tract-writers recommend the duty of fasting-a duty enjoined in Scripture, and prescribed for appointed seasons by the Church-a duty sanctioned by the example of the holiest men, and of our Lord Himself,-surely no just accusation can be brought against the advocates of this precept, if some who hear them should fast excessively. I quite agree with you in thinking those persons blameable who fast to the injury of their health, or so as to interfere with the right performance of their duty; but it is unreasonable to allege such cases as these,-if any such exist, which I rather doubt, as objections to the duty of using such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may obey the godly motions of the Divine grace, in righteousness and true holiness."* Surely, it is not

6

See the Collect for the first Sunday in Lent.

judicious to bring forward the cases which you have mentioned, in such a manner as to furnish excuse to lukewarm persons for the entire omission of this salutary means of grace."

"You have plenty of excuses in store for your friends," said Mr. Flavel (not in the least acknowledging the injustice of his mode of attack); "I trust, however, that you are not so far gone in Pus-I mean Tractarianism,-as to approve of that Tract in which they recommend that the great doctrine of the atonement should be kept back from the people?"

Mr. M. "What Tract do you allude to ?"

Mr. F. "I really cannot tell the number; but you will know it by the description."

Mr. M. “I suppose you mean that on 'Reserve in communicating Religious Knowledge.'"

Mr. F. "Exactly."

Mr. M. "That is a very different thing from keeping back from the people the doctrine of the atonement. However, I confess I do not quite like the title of the Tract, as it is open to misinterpretation; and, in fact, is inconsistent with the practice of the writers themselves; for, so far from exercising any 'reserve in communicating religious knowledge,' it would be difficult to mention any set of men who dealt forth religious knowledge in such lavish profusion."

Mr. F. "Well, that is not to the purpose. I maintain that they have no right to keep back from the people the great doctrine of the atonement."

Mr. M. "I am not aware that they advocate any such procedure, at least, in the sense of withholding or suppressing that great doctrine. When an English man-of-war reserves its broadside, it is not in order