"The In the extract given in page 429 from the Tractarian “Questions and Answers," the questionist asserts that the saints "feel for us, and assist us in all holy and kind offices;" and that it is "quite the reverse" of "disrespect to God, to remember the saints with reverence and honour." But what say the Scriptures, "which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus?" Eccl. ix. 5, 6. "The dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward: for the memory of them is forgotten. Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing, that is done under the sun.' And what is the doctrine of the Church of England on the subject? Romish doctrine concerning Invocation of saints is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God." (Art. xxii.) The Scripture saith," (Psal. vii. 9; Rev. ii. 23; Jer. xvii. 10; 2 Chron. vi. 30,) that "it is God that searcheth the hearts and the reins, and that he only knoweth the hearts of the children of men. As for the saints, they have so little knowledge of the secrets of the heart, that many of the ancient Fathers greatly doubt whether they know anything at all that is commonly done on earth." (Homily xix., part 2d.) "He that cannot be saved by Christ's blood, how can he look to be saved by man's intercessions? Hath God more respect to man on earth, than he hath to Christ in heaven? If any man sin,' saith St. John, (1 John ii. 1, 2,) we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiator for our sins.'" (Homily xix., part 3d.) We now come to the Tractarian questions on the commandments. We are arrested by the second: TRACTARIAN DOCTRINE. "Q. What is forbidden by the second Commandment? A. It forbids us to worship idols, or give to any creature the honour due to God. "Q. What is the honour due to God? A. The honour due to God is a supreme and sovereign honour, which can be given to no other; we must worship Him as our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier."(Questions and Answers, p. 37; Suppressed "Short Catechism," p. 42.) "Q. Are pictures and holy symbols allowable in Church? A. Yes; for they movingly represent to us the life and passion of our blessed Lord, and other doctrines of our most holy faith. "Q. Is there any idolatry in honouring the saints and angels? A. No; provided we honour them only with an INFERIOR HONOUR, as the friends and creatures of POPISH DOCTRINE. "Q. What are we forbidden by this precept? A. Not to worship any creature for a God, or to give to it the honour which is due to God. "Q. What is the honour due to God? A. A supreme and sovereign honour, which is called, by divines, Latria; by which we honour him as the great Master of life and death, as our Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and last end."— (Abridgement of Christian Doctrine, p. 46.) "Q. What benefits do we receive by images? A. Very great; because they movingly represent to us the mysteries of our Saviour's passion, as also the martyrdoms and examples of his saints."(Abridgement of Christian Doctrine, p. 49.) "Q. Is it lawful to honour the angels and saints? A. It is with Dulia, an INFERIOR HONOUR, proportioned to their excellency, which they have from God: God, not as God's, nor with God's honour."-(Questions and Answers, p. 38; Suppressed "Short Catechism," p. 43.) it is God we honour in them."--(Ibid, p. 50.) What says our Lord? "It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and HIM ONLY shalt thou serve." (Matt. x. 10.) The distinction between Latria, or the supreme sovereign honour given to the Almighty, and Dulia, or inferior honour given to created beings, has no existence in the Scriptures, and is indignantly rejected by the Church of England, in her Homily on the peril of Idolatry. Our limits allow us to extract only a single passage from the third part of that Homily: "What a fond thing is it, for a man who hath both life and reason, to bow himself to a dead and insensible image, the work of our hands! Is not this stooping and kneeling before them, adoration of them, which is forbidden so earnestly by God's word? Let such as fall down before images of saints, know and confess, that they exhibited that honour to dead stocks and stones; which the saints themselves, Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, would not to be given them being alive; which the angel of God forbiddeth to be given to him. (Acts x., xiv.; Rev. xix.) And if they say, they exhibit such honour not to the image, but to the saint whom it representeth, they are convicted with folly, to believe that they please saints with that honour: for they be no changelings: but now, both having greater understanding and more fervent love of God, do more abhor to deprive Him of His due honour; and being now like unto the angels of God, do with angels flee to take unto them, by sacrilege, the honour due to God; and herewithal is confuted their lewd distinctions of Latria and Dulia: where it is evident that the saints of God cannot abide, that as much as any outward worshipping be done or exhibited to them. But Satan, God's enemy, desiring to rob God of His honour, desireth exceedingly that such honour might be given to him. Wherefore, those which give the honour due to the Creator to any creature, do service acceptable to no saints-who be the friends of God-but unto Satan, God's and man's mortal and sworn enemy." We subjoin a few more specimens, which demonstrate the identity of Tractarianism and Popery. TRACTARIAN DOCTRINE. "Q. Name the seven corporal works of mercy? A. 1. To feed the hungry. 2. To give drink to the thirsty. 3. To clothe the naked. 4. To harbour the stranger and needy. 5. To visit the sick. 6. To minister to prisoners and captives. 7. To bury the dead. POPISH DOCTRINE. "Q. How many are the works of mercy, concerning which particular enquiry will be made of us in the day of judgement? A. Seven. 1. To give meat to the hungry. 2. To give drink to the thirsty. 3. To clothe the naked. 4. To lodge pilgrims. 5. To visit the sick. 6. To vist those who are in prison. 7. To bury the dead."*— —(Dottrina Christiana, pp. 37, 38.) * The following is the original of the passage above given : "Q. Quante sono le Opere della Misericordia, delle quali ci sarà domandato in particolare nel giorno del Giudizio? A. 1. Dar da mangiare agli Affamati. 2. Dar da bere agli Assetati. 3. Vestir gl' Ignudi. 4. Alloggiare i Pellegrini. 5. Visitare gl' Infermi. 6. Visitare i Carcerati. 7. Seppellire i Morti. "Q. Name the seven spiritual works of mercy. A. 1. To counsel the doubtful. 2. To instruct the ignorant. 3. To correct offenders. 4. To comfort the affiicted. 5. To forgive offences. 6. To suffer injuries with patience. 7. To pray for all men. "Q. Is there also a reward given to these works of mercy? A. Yes; for they that turn many to righteousnes shall shine as stars for ever and ever.' Dan. xii. 3."-(Questions and Answers, pp. 46,47; Suppressed "Short Catechism," pp. 68, 69.) "Q. How many are the works of mercy, spiritual? A. Seven also. 1. To give counsel to the doubtful. 2. To instruct the ignorant. 3. To admonish sinners. 4. To comfort the afflicted. 5. To forgive offences. 6. To bear patiently the trou blesome. 7. To pray for the quick and dead. "Q. How show you these works to be meritorious? A. Out of Dan. xii. 3. They who instruct others to justice shall shine as stars to all eternity."—(Abridgement of Christian Doctrine, p. 110.) But (as might be expected) it is on the subject of the Lord's Supper that we shall find some of the most glaring doctrines of Popery introduced. Let the following specimen suffice: The Lord's Supper a propitiatory sacrifice! Could the compiler of the questions, or the reported clerical compiler of the suppressed catechism, have our liturgy and articles before him, at the time he wrote this false and most Popish assertion? What says the Thirty-first Article? "The offering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is no other satisfaction for sin, but that alone." What says our Communion Office?" Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who, of Thy tender mercy, didst give Thine only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death for our redemption; who made there (by his one oblation of Himself once offered,) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world." "We must trust only in God's mercy, and in that sacrifice, which our High Priest and Saviour, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, ONCE offered for us upon the cross, to obtain thereby God's grace, and remission as well of our original sin in baptism, as of all actual sin committed by us after baptism, if we truly repent and turn unfeignedly to Him again." (Homily iii., part 2, towards the end.) The Lord's Supper a propitiatory sacrifice! Well might the Bishop of London say, with indignant eloquence, "We slay no victim, we offer no victim slain: but we commemorate the one great and final sacrifice, properly so called, in the manner appointed by our Lord; and we continually present unto God that memorial, with prayer and thanksgiving, and an offering of our substance, and of ourselves, both soul and body; and so we apply to ourselves, through faith, the results of the one propitiatory sacrifice." (Charge, 1842, p. 11.) It is the doctrine of the Church of England, based on the New Testament, that "Christ ordained two sacraments only, as generally necessary to salvation." (Catechism.) "Those five, commonly called sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction, are not to be accounted sacraments of the Gospel; being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures; but yet have not like nature of sacraments with baptism and the Lord's Supper; for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God." (Art. xxv.) Yet, with these explicit declarations before him, the author of "The Questions on the Church Catechism" has dared to add three other sacraments ("sacramental ordinances" he terms them) to the two which were instituted by Jesus Christ-viz., Confirmation, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.-(Questions and Answers, pp. 79-81; Suppressed "Short Catechism," pp. 64-66.) TRACTARIAN DOCTRINE. "Q. What is Holy Orders? A. Holy Orders is a sacramental Ordinance, by which Bishops, Priests, and Deacons are ordained, and receive power and grace from the Holy Ghost to perform their sacred duties. "Q. What is Matrimony? A. Matrimony is a sacramental ordinance, which gives grace to those who contract marriage with due dispositions, to enable them to bear the difficulties of their state, to love and be faithful to one another, and to bring up their children in the fear of God." (Questions and Answers, pp. 80, 81; Suppressed "Short Catechism," pp. 65, 66.) POPISH DOCTRINE. "Q. What does the Sacrament of Orders confer? A. It gives virtue and grace to the priests and to the other ministers of the Church, to discharge their functions aright. "Q. What does Matrimony do? A. It gives power and grace to those who are lawfully joined together, to live in the state of Matrimony in peace and chastity, to procreate and bring up children in the holy fear of God, to the end they may rejoice in them both in the present life and in that which is to (Dottrina Cristiana, p. 33.) * The following is the original Italian of the above passage: come."* "Q. Che effetto fa il Sagramento dell' Ordine? A. Da virtù, grazia ai Sacerdoti, ed agli altri Ministri della Chiesa, di poter far bene gli officj loro. "Q. Che effetto fa il Sagramento del Matrimonio? A. Da virtù, e grazia a quelli. che legittimamente si congiungono, di vivere nel Matrimonio con pace, e carità, di procreare, ed allevare i figliuoli nel timor santo di Dio; acciocchè ne abbiano allegrezza in questa vita, e nell' altra. We had marked other passages from the Tractarian "Questions and Answers illustrative of the Church Catechism," and from the Romish Manuals of Doctrine, from which we have quoted so largely. But the extent to which this article has already reached warns us to desist from further extracts. We have adduced examples enough to show that the "Questions and Answers" ought to be expelled from every school and every family, on account of the Popery they contain. In the performance of our sacred duty, we have demonstrated (we trust, satisfactorily to our readers) the identity of Tractarianism and Popery in this manual of false doctrine; and we leave to our ecclesiastical superiors the duty of dealing with the author or authors (if clergymen) as they DESERVE. It only remains that we briefly notice the Tracts Nos. 3 and 4 at the commencement of this article. In that intituled the "Identity of Popery and Tractarianism," the tenets of the Tractarians, extracted from their various publications, are placed in juxta-position with the twelve new articles of faith in the so-called creed of Pope Pius IV.; and most completely has the anonymous author proved that identity. In "Tractarianism compared with the Prayer-book," the doctrines of the Church of England and of the Romish Church are exhibited in parallel columns, and these are followed by the Tractarian assertions. Their agreement with Rome, and their contradiction to the Church of England, are very striking. These two pamphlets are seasonable and useful publications. Their cheapness places them within the reach of every one; and we trust they will receive-what they well deserve an extensive circulation. THE NEW YORK ORDINATION.* ALL the great moral revolutions that have taken place in the world, have originated in small and feeble beginnings, to which at their commencement men in general attached but little importance. Were it possible, however, to trace the secret causes of their progress, we should find, *The True Issue for the True Churchman. A Statement of Facts in Relation to the Recent Ordination in St. Stephen's Church, New York. By Drs. Smith and Anthon. New York. 1843. Mr. Arthur Carey. A Letter to a Parishioner relative to the Recent Ordination of By Benjamin J. Haight, A.M., Rector of All Saints' Church, N. Y. Speech of Mr. John Duer, delivered in the Convention of the copal Church of the Diocese of New York, on Friday, the 29th of September, 1843, in Support of the Resolutions offered by Judge Oakley. New York. 1843. |