The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-02 00:00:00

MAGAZINES (CONTINUED).
THE CONGREGATIONAL MAGAZLNE.
This periodical, always well conducted, is gra-
dually assuming a higher tone, and is now evidently
under the influence of the more •educated and liberal
minds of the dissenting community. The present
number is enriched by a very valuable review of
several works on "the Oxford Controversy," in
which the whole hearing of the subject upon the
slates of the Church itself, is discussed in a calm and
temperate manner, but with a clearness of statement
and a force of reasoning that must command atten-
tion. The writer proceeds to the business of his arti-
cle in his first sentence, by asking the plain question,
"Is the Church Protestant or not ?" He then points
out the anti-Protestant character of the Oxford move-
ment; and inquiries what has been done in the Church
to repel that movement, and to vindicate the Establish-
ment from the charge of sanctioning it. On this
head, he shows clearly that the opposition offered in
the Church has been of a very light kind ; that such
a; it is, it consists of the opinions of individuals
merely, by which the Church is not bound; and that
the Tract people can gain strong support from citing
the opinions of many of the (so called) standard
divines of the Church. The contradictory articles of
the Quarterly Review, and the clever rejoinder of the
British Critic, ur:on this part of the argument, are
ably analysed, showing, as they do, the schisms that
prevail in the Church on great and vital questions,
and the vacillating policy pursued in high questions.
The writer thus warns the Church, that she puts her
own existence in jeopardy by indecision on such im-
portant subjects, and exhorts the body to which he
belongs to adhere stedfastly to the great principles of
the Protestant reformation. The impression left on
our minds from the perusal of this article is that the
Church as a body has not met, and dares not meet,
the Oxford controversy, in an open straight forward
manner. Yet it must be so met, or the Church
will lose ground daily, not merely with the mob, but
with the reflecting and intelligent portion of the
community. The public mind is divided on those
questions all over Europe; and there is no middle
course between them. The Romanists take one side
fearlessly, claiming supremacy for the clergy, and
assigning the people to hopeless mental degradation.
Consistent Protestants as fearlessly take the other
side, claiming supremacy fcr the Bible alone, insist-
ing on the right of private judgment, and maintain-
ing the freedom and the consequent responsibility of
man. There is no medium between the two, and the
Church must take one side or the other. In darker times
she might manage to mince, and palter, and hesitate,
but education is now rapidly advancing, and thousands
of active inquisitive minds are on the watch. Equi-
vocation will not long be. found possible, and the
question must he answered, "Is the Church Pro-
testant or not?" If the Bishops are not competent to
answer, then, we say, let us try the Convocation ! If
this cannot, for State reasons, be allowed to meet,
then we say that, sooner or later, and however un-
suitable or inconvenient the tribunal may be, the
question will have to be settled by the House of
Commons, and determined by that very practical,
but very unspiritual thing, an Act of Parliament!
We commend the above article to the special atten-
tion of the moderate men of all parties, particularly
clergymen, and hope to see more such in the same
publication. The question involved, as has been wdl
said, is " more than a question of Church and Dis-
sent;" serious practical attention to it ought to be a
part of the business of every man in England, and
we are glad to see it discussed upon great and com-
prehensive principles.