visibility and unity. This also was most important. We all profess that we believe "one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church," which, as expressly stated by St. Paul, is "the pillar and ground of the truth," and which we are bound to hear. It could not be merely the body of sincere believers known to God alone; it must be a visible body, else we could not hear it, nor could it be of any value to us as the pillar and ground of the truth. Then as to its unity. It must continue in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship. It must maintain the body of Christian truth taught by the Apostles, and must retain the apostolic fellowship or succession of ministers.

Now the present state of things existing in the country appeared to me clean contrary to this definition of a Church; and altogether different from the state of things which existed in the time of the Apostles, according to what we read in the Bible. The idea of different denominations refusing to worship or communicate together, and engaged in angry contention, was as different from the notion of one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, in which I professed my belief, as one thing could possibly differ from another. It was certainly wholly unscriptural and wrong. But if so, then clearly those who had wilfully left the true Church, and lived in separation from it, and would not worship or communicate with it, were in a dangerous and sinful state of schism.

To say this of dissenters would, no doubt, appear

* On this subject, and some others, I have dwelt less diffusely, in order not to repeat what has been said on them in the "Portrait of a Churchman ;" besides a variety of other publications which have issued from the press.

to them very uncharitable and illiberal. But what was to be done Were we to keep back the truth? No, surely if truth it was, it must be preached.

III. The next point insisted on in the tracts was, the value of ordinances, especially the sacraments instituted by our Lord, as channels of divine grace. This was closely connected with the former proposition; for if ministers were not duly commissioned, what was the value of the sacraments which they pretended to administer, or of even the commonest ordinances in which they officiated? Then I remembered the little store set on the sacraments by dissenterstheir denial of the accompanying grace of regeneration in the sacrament of baptism—their notion that the holy Eucharist was a mere ceremony in remembrance of our Lord's dying love, and not, at the same time, a communion of His body and blood. Even in our own Church the sacraments had fallen, into sad neglect. In my parish the Lord's Supper was celebrated but thrice a year-the smallest possible number of times; and though the number of communicants had been doubled, yet they were still lamentably few, and consisted not of a third part of the congregation. Again, as to the ordinances; I felt conscience-struck with the fact, that I had utterly neglected the observance of the fasts and festivals, though they are just as much enjoined by the Church as the Sunday service. A clergyman had clearly as much right to close his church on the Sunday as on one of the Saints' days, for which an express service was appointed; and, strange to say, with this total neglect of many of the ordinances of the Church, I not unfrequently preached to the people about the

danger of placing too great a reliance on ordinances ! I could not but confess to myself, that in this matter I had acted very inconsistently and wrongly.

In perusing my bundle of Tracts, I did not neglect to bear in mind the accusation which had been alleged against them, of having a popish tendency. The reason of this is obvious, thought I; but the accusation is not just. Unquestionably the papists exalt the Church, and so do the Tracts. But there is a great difference in their views. The papists exalt their own portion of the Church existing in the present day; the Tracts exalt the Church universal. The papists make the Church superior to the Word of God; the Tracts represent the Church as she is represented in the Articles,* a keeper and witness of Holy Writ, and as having authority in controversies of faith yet not so as that she may decree anything against the same, or enforce anything besides the same to be believed for necessity of salvation. Therefore there is no similarity between the Tracts and the papists in their exaltation of the Church. The papists exalt the Church too much; and the Tracts, it may be, just as they ought. The papists, again, lay great stress on ordinances; and so do the writers of the Tracts. But the Tracts do not advocate the corrupt and superstitious ceremonies of Rome: they only insist on the ordinances of our own Church-those which are enjoined in our book of Common Prayer. Because papists carry ceremonies to excess, there is no reason why we should neglect them. It is surely most unjust for those who disregard the ordinances

* See Article xx.

of their own Church to accuse those who insist on them, of being unsound Churchmen. Besides, when people have fallen into such obvious neglect of ordinances, we ought to be much obliged to those who recall us to our duty.

On the whole, though I had been previously inclined towards the evangelical doctrine, from observing the activity and piety of many clergymen attached to that party-yet, on reading these Tracts, I found that both my understanding was convinced, and my feelings carried along with them. There were, indeed, many passages, which, like that in the first tract already noted, appeared to me overstrained and fanciful; and there were many points on which I desired further information; but the general tenor of them seemed to my unbiased judgment undeniably true, and most important.

BEING much impressed with the extreme importance of the questions which had been presented to my mind; convinced that they were no abstract points of speculation, but subjects which affected the practical working of the whole system of the Christian faith-I determined (to put into immediate effect the plan which I had before conceived, of consulting with Mr. Manwaring, who had been the original cause of my embarking in the inquiry. Accordingly, the next day I rode over to his residence, which was about fifteen miles distant-beyond the usual range of mere visiting acquaintance, which was the reason why I had so seldom met him.

On knocking at the door, I was informed by the servant that her master was at church, and would not return home for half an hour, as there was a full serIt then occurred to me that it was the feast of

vice.