SERMONS bearing on Subjects of the Day. By JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, B.D. London: Rivingtons. 1843.

"JUDGE nothing before the time," is the apostolic injunction. We are glad, and feel relieved, in applying such an injunction to such cases as those of Mr. Sibthorp, who has left our Church, and of Mr. Newman, who has not left it.

Many are apt to pass judgment on Mr. Newman without much difficulty or hesitation. The description hypothetically put by Mr. Palmer in his late Narrative,' they apply unreservedly and undoubtingly to Mr. Newman, and thus class him at once with the vilest of traitors. We fear to speak with so much decision; although we are constantly perceiving tokens and tendencies in Mr. Newman's course which fill us with a fearful apprehension.

It is true that the system of morals avowed by Mr. Newman may be held to authorize the pronunciation of the strongest censure on him. The doctrine of the concealment or distortion of truth, maintained by him, is fraught with the most fatal consequences. He calls it "the method of teaching and arguing which " is called economical by the ancients," and which "can scarcely "be disconnected with the disciplina arcani. The one may be "considered as withholding the truth; the other, as setting it out "with advantage." By this system, the teacher "both thinks "and speaks the truth, except when consideration is necessary, " and then, as a physician for the good of his patients, he will be "false, or utter a falsehood, as the sophists say."

Still, there have been many instances of men who have been better than their creed; and if we judge favourably of Ambrose, and Chrysostom, and Athanasius, and Basil, in spite of all their errors, we know not why a man should be utterly anathematized whose chief aim seems to be, merely to throw himself into the mould of their corrupted Christianity.

If the present volume be a fair and candid outpouring of Mr. Newman's mind, then must we pause, and hesitate, before we can decide whether the truth or the error predominates. But if it be merely a piece of Jesuitism,-a publication put forth, as Mr. Newman says some of his former were, as being "necessary to our position," then must we admit Mr. Newman to be indeed a most accomplished master in the art of deception.

"If there be any who are secretly convinced of the duty of uniting themselves to Rome, and who are waiting the moment to declare themselves; while in the meantime they are labouring to insinuate their own persuasion amongst the duped and blinded members of the English Church."-Palmer's Narrative, p. 68.

2 History of the Arians, pp. 72, 81.

We do not on the instant remember whether we ever carefully examined, in this publication, one of Mr. Newman's works. If not, our excuse will be the more readily admitted, if we now bestow some time and space on the present volume. And we propose, in doing so, neither to adopt the absurdly eulogistic tone of his admirers, who constantly speak as if there were no other such man upon the face of the earth;-nor yet the condemnatory style of others, who can see nothing but Jesuitism and deceit in every line he pens or utters.

First, then, there is much that is beautiful and edifying in this volume. We shall offer a few specimens of this kind, before we pass on to advert, as in duty bound, to the faults and errors of the work.

Here is a passage, of sound and excellent advice, as to religious

VOWS:

"I would rather recommend an observance, which is safer and more expedient. Persons who wish to repent of their past sins are tempted to make vows of poverty, or continence, or humble estate, or the like. Now I do not say that they are wrong in wishing for themselves this or that kind of life which the apostles exercised. I do not say that it is enthusiastic, or wild, or fanciful to wish to be like St. Paul, considering that he expressly wished all men to be as he was. I do not say that there is anything eccentric or reprehensible in grudging oneself those comforts which our Saviour refused; but, as things are, it is best to confine ourselves to the wish and the endeavour, and to spare ourselves the solemn promise. I say this, because I think there is something which persons may do, which will practically come to the same thing, yet without the risk of their acting on their own judgment, unaccompanied by the formal blessing of the Church on their act. I mean, they may make it a point ever to pray to God for that gift, or that state which they covet. If they desire to be humble, and of little account in this world, let them not at once make any engagement or profession to that effect, but let them daily pray God that they may never be rich, never be in high place, never in power or authority; let them daily pray God that their dwelling may be ever lowly, their food ordinary, their apparel common, their closet solitary; let them pray Him that they may be least and lowest in the world's society; that others may have precedence of them, others speak while they are silent, others take the first seat, and they the last, others receive deference, and they neglect; others have handsome houses, rich furniture, pleasant gardens, gay equipages, great establishments. Will not such a prayer be a sort of recurrent vow, yet without any of that dangerous boldness which a private self-devised resolution implies? Who can go on day by day thus praying, yet not imbibe somewhat of the spirit for which he prays? As the creed is in one sense a prayer, so surely such a prayer may in some sense be considered a profession. Yet even such a prayer let not a man begin at once; let him count the cost before offering it, for this reason, because, assuredly, it is a sort of prayer which Almighty God is very likely to grant. There are prayers which we have no confidence will be answered; but there are others which, as the experience of all ages assures us, are dangerous ones, because they are so effectual. Often the word has passed the tongue, and is written in heaven, and in spite of our own change of wish, it is accomplished. Among such prayers are prayers for affliction, and for trial; and again, those which I have been describing, for the manner of life of the Apostles and first Christians, or (what may be called by way of distinction) the scriptural life.

Let no one then rashly pray for that scriptural life; lest, before he wish it, he gain his prayer. Yet still, if after much thought he considers he really and deeply covets it, let him pray for it, and pray for grace to endure it; but this will be enough, he need not take any vow."-(pp. 53—55.)

Next, we would quote a series of candid admissions, as to the difficulties attending Mr. N.'s own theory of baptismal regeneration :—

"I say then, we have these startling appearances:-Persons brought up without Baptism may show themselves just the same in character, temper, opinions, and conduct with those who have been baptised; or when these differ from those, this difference may be sufficiently or exactly accounted for by their education.

"An unbaptized person may be brought up with baptized persons, and acquire their tone of thought, their mode of viewing things, and their principles and opinions, just as if he were baptized. He may suppose that he has been baptized, and others may think so; and on inquiry it may be found out that he has not been baptized.

"On the other hand, a baptized person may acquire the ways of going on, and the sentiments and modes of talking of those who despise Baptism, and seem neither better nor worse than they, but just the same.

“An unbaptized person may in after-life be baptized; and if quiet and religious before, may remain so afterwards, with no change of any kind in his own consciousness about himself, or in the impression of others about him. "Or, he may have had a formed character before Baptism, and not a pleasing one; he may have been rude and irreverent, or worldly-minded. He may have improved; he may have had faith sufficiently to bring him to Baptism, and, as far as we can judge, may have received it worthily; yet he may remain, improved indeed just so much as is implied in his having had faith to come to Baptism, but apparently in no greater measure.

Or, he may come to Baptism and improve after it, but only in such way as to all appearance he might have improved without having received it when he did; viz. from the intercourse of friends, from reading religious books, from study and thought, or from the trials of life.

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Again, he may come to Baptism as a mere form, or from worldly motives, and yet in appearance be no worse than he was before. If he had a mixture of good and evil in him before, the same apparently remains.

And again, whether he has received Baptism or not, he is liable to the same changes of mind, to the same religious influences, nay, may run through the same spiritual course, may be gradually moulded on the same habits,-perhaps be affected in some remarkable way, so remarkable that it may be called a conversion, and what he himself may incorrectly call a regeneration, -which it cannot be, if we judge according to scripture, not appearance, since he either has been already regenerated in Baptism, or has not yet been regenerated, being unbaptized. Yet the same religious experience (as it sometimes is called) may befal him, whether he has been baptized or not."(pp. 77-79.)

The following passage, while it gives a glowing and too favourable view of the whole system and school of the Tractarians, will yet be admitted to read some useful lessons to the learners in that school, as to their fondness for a picturesque and cathedralreligion.

"There is at this moment a growing feeling of the beauty of religion, a growing reverence for, and insight into the privileges of the gospel. Persons

begin to understand far more than they did, that Christianity is not a mere law, a Jewish yoke, but a new law, a service of freedom, a rule of spirit and truth, which wins us as well as commands, and influences us while it threatens. Hitherto, it has seemed as if all sense of the privileges and pleasures of religion were possessed by those who had but erroneous views of doctrine, and who, however well-intentioned and respectable in themselves, came more or less of an heretical stock; while men of correcter and more orthodox views seemed to be a cold and forbidding school, nay the less fervent, the less spiritual for their very exactness; but all this is gone by. A more primitive, Catholic, devout, ardent spirit, is abroad among the holders of orthodox truth. The piercing, and thrilling, and kindling, and enrapturing glories of the kingdom of Christ, are felt in their degree by many. Men are beginning to understand that influence, which in the beginning made the philosopher leave his school, and the soldier beat his spear into a pruning-hook. They are beginning to understand that the gospel is not a mere scheme of doctrine, but a reality and a life; not a subject for books only, for private use, for individuals, but for public profession, for combined action, for outward manifestation. Hence there is an increasing cultivation of all that is external, from a feeling that external religion is the great development and triumph of the inward principle. For instance, much curiosity is directed towards the science of ecclesiastical architecture, and much appreciation shown of architec tural proprieties. Attention too is paid to the internal arrangement and embellishment of sacred buildings. Devotional books also of an imaginative cast, religious music, painting, poetry, and the like are in request. Churches are more frequently attended on week-days, and continual service is felt to be a privilege, not a task. And two services are felt to be short of that measure of devotion which the religious mind desires to pay to its God and Saviour.

"Now no one can suspect me of meaning to imply that such signs of the times are not in themselves hopeful ones. They are so; but, O my brethren, be jealous of these things, excellent as they are in themselves, lest they be not accompanied with godly fear. I grieve to say, that the spirit of penitence does not keep pace with the spirit of joy. With all this outward promise of piety, we are jealous of that which alone is its inward soul and life; we are very jealous indeed of personal strictness and austerity. We are alarmed at any call to national or personal humiliation and amendment; we like to be told of the excellence of our institutions, we do not like to hear of their defects; we like to abandon ourselves to the satisfactions of religion, we do not like to hear of its severities. We do not like to hear of our past sins, and the necessity of undoing them; and thus, however gay our blossoms may be in this our spring, we have a fault within which will show itself ere our fruits are gathered in the autumn. 'The sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth.' We are cherishing a shallow religion, a hollow religion, which will not profit us in the day of trouble. We are taking words for things; we are led captive by an unreality. This is no new language on my part; I have said it before men took that interest which now they take in the Catholic doctrine; I say so now. I said then, as now, that the age, whatever be its peculiar excellence, has this serious defect, it loves an exclusively cheerful religion. It is determined to make religion bright and sunny, and joyous, whatever be the form of it which it adopts. And it will handle the Catholic doctrine in this spirit; it will skim over it; it will draw it out in buckets-full; it will substitute its human cistern for the well of truth; it will be afraid of the deep well, the abyss of God's judgments and God's mercies.

...

"Alas! .. we are pretending allegiance to the Church to no purpose, or rather to our own serious injury, if we select her doctrines and precepts at our pleasure; choose this, reject that; take what is beautiful and attractive, shrink from what is stern and painful. I fear a number of persons, a growing

number in various parts of the country, are likely to abandon themselves to what may be called the luxuries of religion, nay, I will even call them the luxuries of devotion; and the consequence of this it is very distressing to contemplate. They are tending to feast without fear.' For this reason I should even look with jealousy on any considerable revivals of weekly communions. We are not fit for them: I am sure, men in general, such as we are, even religious persons, are not fit for them. We need a much deeper religion, a more consistent creed, a keener faith, a clearer insight into things unseen, a more real understanding of what sin is, and the consequences of sin, a more practical and self-denying rule of conduct, before such a blessed usage will be safely extended among our congregations. I really do trust, as I have already said, that the effects of this observance among ourselves have been such as we could desire; but if ever it is introduced into our great towns, much evil will come of it. It is a very merciful provision, if we may thus speak of error overruled for good, that there should be so much opposition to it as there is at present. People say that the holy communion obscures the doctrine of gospel grace; that in obeying Christ's command we are forgetting his atonement; that, in coming for his benefits, we tend to deny his all-sufficient merits. Can any imputation be more preposterous and wild, however estimable the persons may be who cast it? Certainly none. still I say this strange apprehension is doing us service. I am not at all sorry for it, and the clamour that follows upon it; for it hinders a great evil, it represses a luxuriant, rank, unhealthy vegetation in our religious habits.

But

name

Many a man, and especially many a woman, may abandon themselves to the real delight, as it will prove, of passing hours in repeating the Psalms, or in saying litanies and hymns, and in frequenting those cathedrals and churches where the old catholic ideas are especially impressed upon their minds; and they will find, in the words of scripture, that our Lord's is like ointment poured forth,' and his fruit is sweet to their taste.' Yet like the Prophet's roll, though 'in the mouth sweet as honey,' nay almost literally so in a strange way, yet as soon as they have eaten it, it will be bitter, if they have forgotten that 'before honour is humility,' sowing in tears before reaping in joy, pain before pleasure, duty before privilege. Nothing lasts, nothing keeps incorrupt and pure, which comes of mere feeling; feelings die like spring-flowers, and are fit only to be cast into the oven. Persons thus circumstanced will find their religion fail them in time; a revulsion of mind will ensue. They will feel a violent distaste for what pleased them before, a sickness and weariness of mind; or even an enmity towards it; or a great disappointment; or a confusion and perplexity and despondence. They have learned to think religion easier than it is, themselves better than they are; they have drunk their good wine instead of keeping it; and this is the consequence. I need not enter, however, into the full consequences of this incaution; they are very various and sometimes very awful. I am but calling attention to the fact. And then the persons in question will be ashamed or afraid to confide to others what their state is, or will not have the opportunity; and all this the more, because affectionate, sensitive, delicate, retired persons are perhaps more open than others to the danger I have been describing.

"The most awful consequences of this untrue kind of devotion, which would have all the glories of the gospel without its austerities, of course are those into which the dreadful heretics fell who are alluded to in the text; and of which it is well not to speak. Yet it must not be forgotten that even in these latter times, though not in our own Church, and not certainly among persons of high or refined minds, even immoralities have been the ultimate consequents of religious enthusiasm. But one need not dwell upon extreme results, in order to be impressed with the danger to which our Church is at present exposed. What indeed but evil can come of living like the world, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, faring sumptuously, dressing in purple and fine linen, and increasing in goods, and yet affecting