The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-03 00:00:00

lania 4inx4

LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1844.

According to the statement in the Heraldof yesterday
morning, the British Magazine—whose last Number
we have not yet seen—has become the resolute op-
ponent of the Tractarian tenets. For some years
this periodical was one of their staunchest advocates,
and not a few of Mr. NEWMAN'S subtlest works first
appeared in its pages. But a great change has come
over it of late. It now clearly sees—what it ought to
have foreseen long since—that the tendency of these
tenets is decidedly towards Bomanism, and conse-
quently is subversive of the Protestant Establishment.
We quote the passage in which the British Maga-
zine announces its change of opinion, as it is some-
what curious :—" For a considerable period persons ,
whose charity led them to put the most hopeful
construction on the language and conduct of
the Tractarians, did persuade themselves that what
Mr. NEWMAN and his friends called Church princi-
ples and Catholicity, differed in nothing substantial
from the old-fashioned orthodoxy of the Church of
England. Whether such close and jealous attention
as the importance of the movement demanded was ,
paid to the gradual development and disclosures by ,
which the movement has at last reached its present
form and attitude, are questions which do not come
within the scope of the present inquiry. But, of the
fact itself, there can be no doubt whatever, that per-
sons utterly opposed to any Romeward tendencies did
think thus charitably and hopefully. Every ves-
tige of this hope, however, has long been at an
end." In the above passage the British Magazine
frankly intimates that it did not pay such " close and
jealous attention" to the doctrines and movements of the
'Tractarians as the importance of the subject de-
manded, which is an act of negligence of no slight
order, for surely if there were one question of more
moment than another, and which should have been
,discussed and investigated with the utmost keenness,
the question of Tractarianism was that one. As re-
gals& the tendency of the tenets of this party, the
Britisi Magazine has now only discovered what The
San discovered and proclaimed years since—nau ely,
that Tractarianism was nothing more than the wolf
in the sheev's clothing—that is to say, Popery in a
;masquerade dress. We added that if those who pra•
Leased these tenets were but allowed rope enough,
they would infallibly hang themselves, and our pre-
diction has been fulfilled to the letter ; for they
have at length thrown off all disguise, and openly
avowed their sympathy with Rome, and the conse-
quence is, that a reaction has already set in against
them, and the moral influence which they once ex-
ercised is daily verging to its decline. We have said
that they have thrown off all disguise. Here is a
vassage from one of their publications, which the
Y
iiN.itish Magazine quotes in justification of its newly-
rous ed hostility to them :—" He, WILFRID, mate-
rially aided in the blessed work of riveting more
tightly , 'be happy chains which held England to ST.
PeTeies ~Le.r—chains never snapped, as sad expe-
rience tells bus, without the loss of many precious
Christian tisil,gs I" It is impossible to mistake
the animus of this ruatark, or to doubt for
who penned it, and
, an instant that he
..lsde,),llWAt)prove it, are Catholics at heart, how-
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