The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-22 00:00:00

TRACTARIANISM AND PROTESTANTISM

WHICH 'ls THE WAY TO ROME ?

(From the Recnrd.)

A most lamentable controversy has been carried on for
some weeks past between Mr. Sibthorp, on the one hand,
and Messrs. Dodsworth and Palmer, on the other. Lament-
able, we mean, for the cause of truth and of the Church of
England, which, in the hands of such champions as these
last-named gentlemen, cannot but 'suffer the most open and
manifest defeat. _ _

We purpose not. however, to enter into a question, the
full merits of which, within our confined limits, could never
be made intelligible. We merely allude to it for purpose of
noticing a most fallacious, and, we cannot help saying, very
impertinent passage, Which Mr. Thirls*Orth places at the
commencement of his first Letter. Indeed, from the em-
phasis with which it is given (with italics, capitals, &c.,) we
cannot help suspecting that its publication was a chief object
with Mr. D., in addressing Mr. Sibthorp at all.
" You have' omitted to state circumstances which, I have
no doubt, seemed to you unimportant, but which must be
regarded as- exercising_ a very important influence on your
recent change. You do not mention THE SCHOOL OF RE-
LIGION into which you were thrown for by far the larger
period of your ministration in the Church of England. This
omission, the privilege of formerly enjoying y our acquaint-
ance, enables me in a measure to supply. You were or-
dained, I believe, as curate to the Rev. John Scott, of Hull,
the son of. the Calvinistic commentator on the Bible, who
inherited, along with his father's piety, the peculiar doctrines
of his school. I remember you at that time an ardent, de-
voted minister, zealously preaching (so called) Low-Church'
doctrines, a great favourite with Dissenters, and an eloquent
speaker at Bible Societies, &c. * * * *
" In a later period of your Protestant life you became the
colleague.of Mr. Baptist Noel, in tie ministry of St. John's
College, Bedford-row. * * *
" Why do I recal these incidents in your religious history ?
Not, I am sure yon will believe, that I may remind you of
anything personally offensive to you, but because a knowledge
of these facts is essential in order to show the nature of your
transition from Protestantism to Romanism, and because
these circumstances will. in the minds of many persons,
afford the best explanatioU of the change. * * *
" It is nothing new to say, that one extreme leads to 'ano-
ther, or that the way to Rome is through Geneva."—p.
6-9.
Mr. Dodsworth here asserts, that his object in adverting
to these circumstances, is, "to show the nature of Mr.
Sibthorp's transition," and to remind us " that the way to
Rome is through Geneva."
To which'we reply; that if Mr. D. has really so far injured
his reasoning powers, by the study of Tractarian casuistry, as
to be capable of seriously believing that Mr. Sibthorp's
Low Church" oninioui led him into Romanism, it is quite
time that he left off inflicting his advocacy on any cause. But
it is indeed taxhig one'* credulity to an extreme point, to be
obliged to' deal with 'iuth- representations with gravity and
courtesy at all. ' •

. Let us try the same mode of reasoning on a different case.
A. B. goes to Mr. Dodsworth's chapel, perhaps from 1831
to 1835'; joins the congregation in. all religious ordinances;
cultivates Mr. D.'s acquaintance ; expresses an interest in
serious things ; and, in short► is reckoned by all who know
him as one of Mr. D.'s followers. _ _

A. B. in 1836 gets into some attractive but dangerous
society ; loses his relish for religion ; becomes first gay, then
dissipated ; and by degrees falls into open profligacy, joined,
as it usually is, 'by‘a profession of infidelity.
Now what would Mr. Dodsworth say, if the relatives of
this last young man were everywhere to declare that the real
cause of his ruin was to be traced to his connection with that
congregation ? What, if they were gravely to assert, that
" the best explanation of the change" was to be found in
" the school of religion" to which he had attached himself
some ten years back ?
Yet this would be exactly the same sort of reasoning which
Mr. Dodsworth himself applies to Mr. Sibthorp's case.
The " best explanation' of his change of views, we are
told, is not to he found by inquiring, as all reasonable men
would, what he had been doing in 1841 ? what in 1840? what
in 1839? &c., but by going back some ten or fifteen years,
to find out what was then his bias.
Every one sees at a glance that this is not a rational mode
of proceeding, nor would it be convenient even to Mr. Dods-
worth himself or his Oxford friends.
It was of Dr. Pusey himself that the late,Mr. H. J. Rose
observed, in 1828, that—
" Mr. Pusey avows what, in the rant phrase of the day,
would be called, ' very liberal opiniwts' in theology."
Nor was Mr. Newman, we believe, at that time reckoned
at all a " high churchman."
Was Mr. Dodsworth himself, when he first became resident
in London, quite free from Presbyterian and Irvingite con-
nexions? His friend, Mr. Drummond, assuredly was not.
He alto, like Mr. Dodsworth, is now becoming a zealous
Tractarian. But how many "conventicler" has he been
instrumental in raising?
Surely Mr. DOdsworth must see that in this way no satis-
faction is to be obtained. .Instead of "furnishing the best
explanation" of any man's change, a reference to his views
a dozen years since will generally only lead to delusion and
p mistaken view of the case. Any'man of common sense and
ordinary experience, if he found that a friend of his had been
seduced into Romanism, would not waste his time in asking
what he had been doing ten or twelve years back. "'Tell
me," he would say, " what books he had been reading—what
companions he had been associating with, RECENTLY."
Now, the facts of Mr. Sibthorp's case, as every one knows,
are these. A dozen years ago he was what Mr. Dodsworth
calls " a low churchman." If he had remained in that mind
he would never even have approximated towards Romanism.
He would have known no danger, no seduction of the kind.
It was when he was " a low churchman" that he preached
and printed that sermon against Popery, which recent events
have naturally recalled into notice. But during the last five
years he has been gradually changing into a " high church.
man.". He has become a student of the Tracts for the Times,
and a follower of their instructions. He has set up candles,
and crosses, and an " altar" in his chapel ; put down the
singing of hymns, and substituted chaunting by a hired choir;
and, in a sermon at Oxford, he designated the miserable
woman who burnt to death in England, in the short space of
about five years, an archbishop, four bishops, twenty-one
clergymen, fifty-five women, and above two hundred other
persons—" the calumniated Mary !"
Mr. Sibthorp, then, had changed from a " Low Church-
man" into a " High Churchman ;"—from a supporter of the
Bible and Tract Societies, into a student of the Oxford
.Tracts;—from a preacher of Reformation doctrines, into an
apologist for Queen Mary. Now, upon Mr. Dodsworth's
r'hypothesis, he ought to have been thus getting further and
further from Rome, and rendering his apostacy to Popery
more and more improbable. But, in our opinion, he seemed
to be rapidly approaching Rome, and Tendering hii fall into
her arms a thing to be expected. Which of these views has
been justified by the event ?
One other observation, and we have done. " Low Church
principles." according to Mr., Dodsworth, " lead men to
apostatize to Popery ; the way to Rome is through Geneva."
Of course, then, all the " Low Churchmen," to whose
party Mr. Sibthorp formerly belonged, are in danger of fall-
ing into Popery. Mr. Baptist Noel, for instance, and the
Scotts, and the abettors of the Religious Tract Society, upon

whom, specifically, Mr. Dodsworth lays the blame of Mr.
Sibthorp's secession—these must all be, themselves, in great
danger ! We would seriously ask Mr. Dodsworth—Does he
really believe all these absurdities?
On the other hand, safety against the blandishments of
Rome is to be looked for in " High Church principles."
Had Mr. S. been brought up in High Church views, argues
Mr. Dodsworth, he would never have become a Papist.
But what say the factS which on every side surround us ?
Does experience indeed show, that Tractarianism keeps peo-
ple out of Popery ? or does it not show quite the reverse ?
Dr. Pusey, and Messre. Newman and Keble, are among
the leading members of a committee, lately formed, for print;
ing what they term a "Library ofAnylo- Cat holic Theology.'
This library is to consist of the works of Laud and Heylin ;
of Hickes and Leslie and other Nonjurors ; of Hammond,
Thorndike, &c.
We turn to Dr. Pusey's recent Letter to the Primate, and
at page 36 we find that Mr. Gooch, of Oxford, who has
recently left Mr. Newman's church for the Popish chapel,
" ascribes the change to his private study of Hammond,
Thorndike," &c.
Again, we take up the British Critic* of October, 18,11, and
there we read the following panegyric :
" Mr. Sibthorp's sermon on the commemoration of foun-
ders and benefactors, preached in Magdalen College Chapel,
on the feast of St. John the Baptist, is a beautiful instance
of the revival of Catholic recollections," &c.—P. 510.
In less than three months after, we find this same Mr.
Sibthorp becoming a professed Papist.
Once more :—On the very same page of the October Bri-
tish Critic, we meet with another notice in these words :
" Bishop Wllvaine's work on Oxford Divinity has raised
un a very sufficient antagonist in the person of Mr. Vanbrugh
Livingstone, of New York, whose Remarks on the Oxford
Theology, chiefly in connexion with the doctrine of justifica-
tion.by faith, appear very much to the purpose."
Again we find the road to lie, not " through Geneva," but
through Oxford, to Rome. Mr..Liviagstone, to the great
satisfaction of the Tractarians, replies, or professes to reply,
to Bishop Wllvaine. But what follows? Mr. Livingstone
finds, like Mr. Sibthorp, that Tractarianism and Church-of-
Englandistn are not reconcilable. Mr. Livingstone, like Mr.
Sihthorp, has become a Papist
We trace all these parties, then, distinctlyfrom Tractarian-
ism into Popery. Can Mr. Dodsworth furnish us with a
single instance of a low churchman who has lapsed into Bo-
mish error, except by first yielding to the selections of Trac-
tarianism?

* A publication advocating extreme tractarian views,

CHASE AND CAPTURE OF A BURGLAR

(From the Preston Pilot.)

On Sunday morning, about half-past -five o'clock, the
attention of Joshua Wardley, the Market-place watchman,
was attracted to a light which seemed to be moving backwards
and forwards in the shop of Messrs: Wilson and Jesper,
tailors and. drapers, Cheapside, which be regarded for some
time, and on going near the premises he felt satisfied that
some unlawful visitor had gained admission, whereupon he
dispatched a person to Mr. Jesper's, in Cross-street, to give
notice of the discovery, he himself going to the back part of
the premises, to watch the exit of the marauder if he should
attempt to make one. On looking up he saw one of the
room windows open, through which it is supposed an entrance
had been effected, and at which the man intended to make
his escape ; as, however, on coming to it for that purpose,
he perceived that his motions were observed by Wardley, he
suddenly retreated, and presently afterwards was beard break-
ing the skylight on the roof, and he succeeded in getting
through it on the house top. His next attempt was to gain
a safe footing on terra firma; but as he was closely pursued
by Wardley and others who were drawn to the spot, he fore-
bore to hazard a descent for a full half-hour, during which
he wandered along the roofs of different houses, but could
never succeed in baffling his pursuers, amounting by this
time to about twenty in number. As, however, further delay
seemed only to increase the difficulties by which he was sur-
rounded, lie determined at all hazards to make a descent,
and he accordingly effected one from the roof of Mr. Thorn-
ley's house, and having gained the ground he went with all
speed into Mr. Sumner s yard, and made his way into a
buildity, used as a clogging shop, closely followed by the
watchful pack in pursuit. Finding then that the clogging
shop as no safe retreat, he bolted through one of the win-
dows and thence made his way into Mr. Wren's yard, and by
this double he succeeded in putting his pursuers at fault for a
short time ; but the trick was not to be permitted to be ulti-
mately successful, for although he had baffled the biped pack,
a more sagacious quadruped, a dog of Mr. Burrow's, gun-
smith, gave note of alarm that he had intruded himself into
forbidden ground, and the musical sound at once attracted
Wardley to the spot, when he had his game in view, and
again the exciting chase was resumed, the pursued and pur-
suers almost clearing the wall dividing the back premises of
Mr. Burrow and the garden of Mr. Manchester, into which
they both got, and then on a shade at the end of the garden,
on which they were both at the same time. It now became
evident that the sport must speedily terminate, as all possible
chance of escape was cut off, Wardley being close up in the
rear, and others of the pursuers ready to snatch him the
moment he made the fatal leap off the shade. But he deter-
mined to die game, and, like the " 'prentice boys of Derry,"
make "no surrender," and acting on this desperate resolve,
he boldly dared to gain the ground, and was then captured
by a man named Brown, a nailor.

A meeting of the friends of Mr. Oastler was held in Lon-
don on Thursday last, Lord Feversham in the chair, for the
purpose of forwarding the subscription now raising for the
benefit of Mr. Oastler and his family. The formation of
committoes•in the various towns through the country was
strongly recommended.