Birth of the Movement-Its Secret Teaching-Promoters dislike their names being known to the Public-Tract "On Reserve"-Newman writes against Popery-"Eats his dirty words "-Ward on Equivocation-Newman Establishes a Monastery-Pusey gives his approvalNewman's double dealing about it-Lockhart's experience in this Monastery-Mark Pattison's experience-"Stealing to Mass at the Catholic Church "-Faber's visit to Rome-Faber kisses the Pope's foot-Desanctis on Jesuits in Disguise-Midnight Secret Meetings at Elton-Dr. Pusey privately orders a "Discipline with five knots"Dr. Pusey secretly wears hair shirts-Ritualistic Sisters of Mercy to take the "Discipline"-A Ritualistic Sister whipped most cruellyRomanists sell articles of "Discipline "" to Ritualists - Maskell's Testimony as to Tractarian evasions and trickery.

THE late Cardinal Newman, the first leader of the Tractarians, has stated in his Apologia that he ever considered and kept July 14th, 1833, as the start of the Tractarian Movement. Within three months from that date he published his work on the Arians of the Fourth Century, in which the "Disciplina Arcani," or the "secret teaching," which found such favour with a few of the early Fathers, was held up to the admiration of English churchmen of the nineteenth century. It was most appropriate that a religious movement in which secrecy has played so important a part should be inaugurated by the publication of such a work. It has served as a seed from which many a noxious weed has grown. Closely connected with the "Disciplina Arcani" is what is termed the "Economical " mode of teaching and arguing. The difference between the two is

thus defined by Newman himself. "If," he writes, "it is necessary to contrast the two with each other, the one may be considered as withholding the truth, and the other as setting it out to advantage.' As an illustration of this "Economy" he quotes with approval the very objectionable advice of Clement of Alexandria :

"The Alexandrian Father," he affirms, "who has already been quoted, accurately describes the rules which should guide the Christian in speaking and writing economically. Being fully persuaded of the omnipresence of God,' says Clement, and ashamed to come short of the truth, he is satisfied with the approval of God, and of his own conscience. Whatever is in his mind is also on his tongue; towards those who are fit recipients, both in speaking and living, he harmonizes his profession with his thoughts. He both thinks and speaks the truth; except when careful treatment is necessary, and then, as a physician for the good of his patients, he will LIE, or rather utter a LIE, as the Sophists say. Nothing, however, but his neighbour's good will lead him to do this. He gives himself up for the Church.'"2

As to the "Disciplina Arcani," Newman justifies it on several grounds, and affirms that in the Church of Alexandria the Catechumens were not taught all the doctrines of the Christian Faith. Many of these were treated by their teachers as secret doctrines to be held in reserve. "Even to the last," he asserts, "they were granted nothing beyond a formal and general account of the articles of the Christian Faith; the exact and fully developed doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation, and still more, the doctrine of the Atonement, as once made upon the Cross, and commemorated and appropriated in the Eucharist, being the exclusive possession of the serious and practised Christian.” 3 It is worthy of note that Newman affirmed that these secret doctrines were not learnt from the Scriptures. "Now first," he writes, "it may be asked, How was any secrecy practicable, seeing that the Scriptures were open to everyone who chose to consult them? It may startle those who are but acquainted with the popular writings of this day, yet, I believe, the most accurate consideration of the subject will lead us to acquiesce in the statement, as a general truth, that the doctrines in question [i.e., the secret doctrines of the early Church] have never been learnt merely from Scripture." And then he adds:"Surely the Sacred Volume was never intended, and is not adapted to teach us our Creed."4 Thus early in the Tractarian Movement were its disciples taught not to look to the Bible only for what they should believe. The traditions of men were set up as of equal value with the Written Word. No wonder that such a Movement led to many and grievous departures from Christian truth. ~ Teaching like this was eagerly inbibed by the disciples of Newman, who very naturally, though without sufficient reason, inferred that, if the Alexandrian Fathers were justified in hiding certain

1 Newman's Arians, p. 65. Seventh Edition.

2 Ibid., pp. 73, 74.

3

Ibid., p. 45.

4 Ibid., p. 50.

doctrines of Christianity from the popular gaze, as secrets to be made known only to the initiated whom they could trust, the Tractarians of the nineteenth century might lawfully imitate their example. Accordingly, they, at first, from their pulpits preached the ordinary doctrines of the Church of England, as they had been taught for nearly three hundred years; while secretly, and to those only who could be trusted, they taught those Romish doctrines and practices which they dare not then expose to the light of publicity. There was a measure of secrecy observed even in the formation of the Tractarian Movement. As early as September 3rd, 1833, one of the party--the late Professor Mozley-writing to his sister, after announcing that with his letter she would "receive a considerable number of Tracts, the first production of the Society established for the dissemination of High Church principles," proceeds to give particulars of the plans of the party; but finds it necessary, before closing his letter, to add this caution for her guidance:-"But for the present you must remember all these details I have been going through are secret." Here, it will be observed, the real object of the Movement is frankly revealed. It is to be a Society for "the dissemination of High Church principles." But when the prospectus of the Society was made public, there was not one word in it which might lead the public to suppose that "The Association of the Friends of the Church"-as it was termed-had the slightest desire to promote High Church views. That, the real object, was kept back in reserve, to be imparted only to the elect of the party. In a letter to a friend one of the members of the new Association actually went so far as to assert: "We want to unite all the Church, orthodox and Evangelical, clergy, nobility, and people, in maintenance of our doctrine and polity.'

"There was, indeed," writes one of the leaders of the Tractarians, the Rev. William Palmer, "much misapprehension abroad as to our motives, and we had no means of explaining those motives, without the danger of giving publicity to our proceedings, which, in the then state of the public mind on Church matters, might have led to dangerous results.” 7

This dread of the light of day was fully shared by Newman, who, writing from Oriel College, Oxford, to his friend, Mr. J. W. Bowden, on August 31st, 1833, remarks:-"We are just setting up here Societies for the Defence of the Church. We do not like our names known, but we hope the plan will succeed." The very same day Newman wrote to another intimate friend, Mr. F. Rogers--subsequently known as Lord Blachford-as follows :—

"Entre nous, we have set up Societies over the kingdom in defence of the

3 Mozley's Letters, p. 33.

Palmer's Narrative of Events Connected with Tracts for the Times, p. 212. Edition, 1883.

7 Ibid.,
p. 108.

8 Newman's Letters and Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 448.

Church. Certainly this is, you will say, a singular confidential communication, being shared by so many; but the entre nous relates to we. We do not like our names known."9

This dread of having their names "known" to the public is still felt by the members of several Ritualistic societies of the present generation. It is a noteworthy fact that for fifteen years-from 1880 to 1896-no list of the Brethren of the secret Society of the Holy Cross-though a fresh list is printed and circulated every yearcame into Protestant hands. When the "Suggestions" for the formation of "The Association of the Friends of the Church" were printed and circulated, care was even taken that no outsider, into whose hands a stray copy might chance to fall, should be able to discover from it whence it came, or who were responsible for it. This was a matter for astonishment on the part of Mr. J. W. Bowden, who, writing from London to Newman, on November 4th, 1833, mentions that :

:

·

"Those to whom I have shown the 'Suggestions' say, 'But where are the names? Who are they? Where are they? For even the word Oxford does not appear thereon. For aught the Suggestions' say, the founders of the scheme might belong to the operative classes of Society, and their headquarters might be in some alley in London. The year, too, should be put; a reader might, if he found a dirty copy, suppose the whole scheme ten years old." 18

Amongst the prominent laymen who supported the Tractarian Movement was Mr. Joshua Watson. He drew up the first Lay Declaration organized by the Tractarians at the close of 1833. His brother wanted to know too much about the objects of the Declaration, and was refused the information by Mr. Joshua Watson in the following terms:

If

"As to the query, whence it comes and whither it goes, the only answer is, what does that signify? Never mind, if it dropped from the clouds. you like it, sign it; if you do not, let it alone. As to its ulterior destination, I reply that, without the gift of second sight, I pretend not to answer.' "11

Dr. Pusey, at this time, had not publicly joined what Newman termed "the grand scheme." 12 But on November 7th, 1833, the latter was able to announce to the Rev. Hurrell Froude, then the most advanced Romaniser of the new party, that Pusey was circulating the recently issued Tracts for the Times.13 Six days later Newman privately informed Mr. Bowden that Pusey had joined the new party, but he adds the caution that his name must not be mentioned as of our party." 14 914 It is interesting to note that

9 Newman's Letters and Correspondence, Vol. I., p. 450. 11 Memoir of Joshua Watson, by Archdeacon Churton, Edition.

12 Newman's Letters, Vol. I., p. 478. 18 Ibid., p. 476.

66

10 Ibid., p. 472. p. 209. Second

14 Ibid., p. 482.

NEWMAN EXPECTS TO BE CALLED A PAPIST.

5

Newman, at the same time mentioned that Mr. Gladstone "has joined us." At this period Newman was writing a series of anonymous articles in the Evangelical Record, over the signature of "Churchman.” 15 It is certain that if he had made known his High Church views to the then editor of that paper, his articles would have been refused.

Already Newman was himself practising his doctrine of Reserve. He had departed, in his own mind, from several of the Protestant doctrines of his forefathers, but the world knew nothing at all about the change in his views. What he kept secret from the public, he made known to his trusted friends. Thus, for example, he wrote, on November 22nd, 1833, to the Rev. S. Rickards :—

"I must just touch upon the notice of the Lord's Supper. In confidence to a friend, I can only admit it was imprudent, for I do think that we have most of us dreadfully low notions of the Blessed Sacrament. I expect to be called a Papist when my opinions are known. But (please God) I shall lead persons on a little way, while they fancy they are only taking the mean, and denounce me as the extreme." 16.

9917

Here a truly Jesuitical spirit manifests itself. Hurrell Froude acted in a similarly underhanded manner. In one of his letters to a friend, written only one month after the commencement of the Movement, he remarked:-" Since I have been at home, I have been doing what I can to proselytise in an underhand way.' Is there not reason to fear that many of the clergy, who do not call themselves Ritualists, are in our own day imitating the bad examples shown by Newman and Froude, more than sixty years ago? The danger is to be looked for in nominally Evangelical parishes, as well as in those under avowedly High Church management. In looking through the privately printed Annual Report of the Merton College (Oxford) Church Society, for 1892, which supports several Ritualistic causes, and advocates reunion with the corrupt Eastern Church, I was surprised to read in the list of members, the names of several clergymen who at the present time hold Evangelical incumbencies or curacies. These gentlemen would, no doubt, be considerably annoyed were their connection with this private Society made known to their present congregations. It may, however, be fairly asked, why should they in secret be members of a High Church Society, while in public they profess to be Evangelicals? Let them be consistent, and if they do not hold High Church views, withdraw from such an organization. I do not assert that these gentlemen are insincere, for we cannot read the secret thoughts of others, but, until they cease to be members, I cannot help wondering whether they are acting on the Ritualistic principle of "Reserve in Communicating Religious Knowledge."

Newman's views on Reserve and Economy when first published in 1833, created a great deal of interest; but this was as nothing when

15 Newman's Letters, Vol. I., p. 483.
17 Froude's Remains, Vol. I., p. 322.

16 lbid.,

p. 490.