The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-03 00:00:00

inanting mL

LONDON, WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 3, 1845.

The letter of the Rev. W. G. WARD, with its appen-
dix, will be regarded by many as a singular document ;
bat those who know the Puseyites will consider nothing
really singular which proceeds from such a source.
They seem to us to confound right and wrong, truth and
error, and not a few of the other moral principles which
have been regarded by the good in all ages as the surest
guides for a virtuous and useful life. They re-
jest private judgment they reject even the
Bible as an instructor, and overleap at one bound
all the strong bulwarks of the Protestant faith, and
denounce the greatest blessing of modern times—
the Reformation—as a great crime. That we may
not be charged with misrepresenting their tenets, we
quote Mr. WARD'S own words. " Those," says he,
" who care to know my reasons for thinking that the
English Church, whether her voice be listened for in her
formularies, or in her practical teaching, is no trust-
worthy guide (and, I may add, for thinking that neither
the Bible nor antiquity, interpreted by private judgment,
are any trustworthy guides either); I must refer to ray
large work, and to my Address to Members of Convo
cation,' where they will find those questions treated at
length. An objection has lately been made to me
In private against what has just been said, as fol-
lows :—lt has been objected that the English Church
does teach with divine authority the creeds; because,
so far as they are concerned, she speaks ' not as the
English Church, but as conveying to us the faith of
the Catholic Church, such as it was from the begin-
ning.' But let me ask—how do we know that these
creeds contain the faith of the Catholic Church such as
it was from the beginning ? If by our own private re
searches into antiquity, then our rule of faith is not the
English Church, but: antiquity interpreted by private
judgment, which is altogether a different matter." These
are startling assertions, coming from a member of the
English Church, and they become the more alarming
when it is known that a very large proportion of the
men calling [themselves Protestant clergymen enter-
tain the same Catholic doctrines. Should England ever
have the misfortune to fall under the keeping of such
men in regard to religious matters, she would
speedily lose most of the numerous and inestimable
advantages conferred by the Reformation, she would
resign that spirit of free inquiry which has distinguished
her from most nations for centuries, and revert to a
condition little better than that with which she was
cursed during the darkest ages of Popery. If man is
not to be guided by the Bible and his own judgment, the
question comes—who or what is to be his guide ? Mr.
WARP and his party will tell us the priests, the men
who have by some mysterious influence received
mission from on high, and who only are entitit d
to point out and explain the will of the ALMIGHTY.
In other words, the philosophers of the day, the
most celebrated characters in literature, arts, and
sciences, the brightest divines of the Protestant
Church, and the able expositors of the only true rule of
faith are to give up their judgment, and bow before those
divine personages, who, forsooth, are commissioned
by the highest authority to teach the ways of
righteousness to erring man. This is the consum-
mation so devoutly prayed for by these renegade
Churchmen. They would assume all power and
all authority to themselves, they would in time become
seen a more frightful race of priests than the sangui-
airy and despotic Druids, and sanction every cruelt)
and sverz,cliss• that could possibly exalt them above
Oar feLloin4eataree. Were opinions of this cast put
*prat by Eke Tuseyitse as simple individuals, and in
ib• shape of theories to which they wished to attract
public etteutiot, we should regard them as vagaries like