The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-09-12 00:00:00

received by all who communicat

as worthily receive ti

same (the sacra

and the blood of Christ) they have a wholesome effect or
operation • but they that receive them unworthily, pur-
chase to themselves damnation, as St. Paul saith. 8. That
worship-is due to the body and blood of Christ, superna-
turally and invisibly, but really present in the Lord's Sup-
per, ' under the form of bread and wine,' by reason of the
Godhead, with which they are personally united. But that
the elements through which ' the body and blood of Christ'
are given and received, may not be worshipped." The
archdeacon relies for proof of his opinions mainly on the
first part of the service, concerning the sacrament of the
2nd Book of komilies, and on the 25th and 28th of the 39
Articles of religion. The "articles" against the venerable
archdeacon are promoted by the Rev. Joseph Ditcher,
M.A., vicar of South. Brent, near Weston-super-Mare, in
the diocese of Bath and Wells.

RESIGNATION OF
_ARCHDEACON

WILBERFORCE

The following correspondence has just been published
Burton Agnes, Aug. 30, 1854,

MY LORD ARCTIBISIIOP,—The step which I now take
would have been taken somewhat sooner but for the
rumours that my work on the Holy Eucharist would be
made the subject of legal investigation. I find it difficult
to believe that the intention is seriously entertained, for
the warmest opponents of the work deny baptismal re-
generation, the priestly commission, and the validity of
absolution. Now, these doctrines are so positively affirmed
in the formularies of our Church, that for one passage in
them which presents difficulties in my system, there are
hundreds by which that of my opponents is plainly con-
tradicted. I can hardly imagine that they desire a rigour
in interpreting our formularies which. must be fatal to
themselves. Bat I should have felt it due, both to my
opinions and to those who shared them, to defend myself
to the utmost against such an assault.

My book, however, has now been nearly a year and
four months before the public, and no legal proceedings,
so far as I know, have been commenced.' And in the
meantime my attention has been drawn to another part of
our Church's system, with which I have become painfully
conscious that I can no longer concur. I refer to the royal
supremacy. lam as ready as ever to allow 1

Majesty

to be supreme over all persons, and in all temporal causes
within her dominions, and I shall always render her, I
trust, a loyal obedience ; but that she or any other tem-
poral ruler is supreme "in all spiritual things or causes"
I can no longer admit. If the Act of 1832 were all on
which my difficulties were founded I might justify myself,
as I have heretofore done, by the consideration that it
was probably passed through inadvertence, and had received
no formal sanction from the Church. But my present
objection extends to the Act of 1533, by which this power
was bestowed upon the King in Chancery, and to the Ist
article in the 36th canon, which is founded
With the

Urrace, thong

Inds of my objection I need not trouble your
I shall shortly state them to the public
To your Grace, however, I desire to
ption to the Ist article in
to the law

_ h the press.
state, that I recall
the 36th canon, as

throug

believing it to

tion was a col

of the Church

my resignation to y
archbishop, your Grace

main, my Lord

BERFORCI

g. 31, 1854

le contents of your letter just

vary for me now to enter upon
alluded to in your letter. Bul

If the question

I may, I

accept of your resignation of the pref

You are aware, however, that 1:

effect to your intentions, a f
made before myself in person, or be

could be

With eve

I and esteem,

I remain, my dear sir, your faithful
The Rev. R. I. Wilberforce.

T. EBOR

e the date of

le above communic

of the East Riding of York

d of the Vicarage of Burton

Lgnes, the two appoint
intention to explain fully the objections allud
letter he will carry out by means of a wort
issued in a few days, entitled "An Inquir:
ciples of Church Authority, or, Reasons fo]
) Subscription to the Royal Supremacy

Leld in the dioces

quenti

Burton A

hat it was stated

le-calling my

last Saturday, that your Grace had, at length, dete
to commence legal proceedings against me for my t
the Holy Eucharist.