The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1856-02-02
REACTION IN OXFORD.

hGAO1ION LIN OAE OGO,
1t was predicted when the Oxford move
ment appeared in England, that it was an
impulse that could not be stationary, but
must end, with every logical mind, either
in Popery or Infdelity. The brothers New
man illustrated this prediction in a few
years, when one, Francis), became openly
infdel, and the other John Henry, went
over to the Church of Rome. This alarmed
the Tractarian party, and the road to Rome
was blocked up, but the current only turn
ed with stronger force to Germany, and
now the reaction begins to appear. A
High-Church and Tractarian correspondent
of the Church Journal of New York, writ
inc from Oxford, and dating his letter
Christmas, for he would be Mortified to be
guilty of the profanity of writing Dec 25,)
speaks in rather responding tone Of the
state of things there, and makes the fol-
lowing statements.
81 wish that l could speak of internal as
well as external improvements in the Uni
versity. But | cannot. The strength Of
the Latitudinarian or German party be-
comes more apparent, and with the spread
of their principles, the religious land the
moral tone of the place becomes deterio-
rated. spoke in a previous letter of MIR.
Jowett's Commentary. In this book the
whole doctrine of the Atonement is argued
away, the theory of a sacrifce-of the One
Sacrifce-cast aside, original sin denied,
and we are left with maze Of words which
may express some form of religion, but
certainly not Christianity. Mr.. Jowett is
the man whom Lord Palmerston has select
ed out of the whole University to honor
with a Regius Professorship. Mr.. Jowett
is Regius Professor of Greek-not because
he knows more of Greek than any other
man who might have been selected at ran
dom, but because he is Liberal, not a
Tractarian, and has sat upon some Govern
ment Committee, and had to be paid for
his work. Already the sycophantic folly
of such as were willing to yield up our Ii
berries has become apparent. The man is
a more dangerous foe than the stag, and
Government influence is and will be hostile
to the Church Mr.. Jowetts doctrines
have, however, raised a feeling of antago-
nism which may issue in good. Honest
hearted believers in the Creeds and the
truths of Christianity feel that they hold
common ground against an adversary, whe-
Their they are called High Churchmen or
-Churchmen, Tractarian or Evangelical.
Two clergymen well known as belonging to
the last named school denounced the often
sive doctrines to the Vice Chancellor. In
doing so they carried the sympathies of
High-Chrchmen with them. The Vice
Chancellor required Mr.. Jowett to sign the
Articles, and this he did at once in spite of
Articles XIV. and XXXI. In a 'Tracta-
rian' this would have been Jesuitism,' but
Commanders may do as they please as yet.
When a sufficient number of souls has been
wrecked upon the shore of unbelief, then
the public will come to see that it is time
to leave off abusing 'Tractarianism,' and
look to the effects of Germanism. At pre-
sent the followers of DR.. Arnold and NJ.
Bunsen are in high favor, and have access
to almost all the chief organs of opinion:
The last Quarterly Revie,O contained spite
full article against Radley, written by Mr..
the author of Church PARTIES
which appeared some time ago in the Edin-
bmgh Rerie,o. The Theology of the OUR
teriy is now quite untrustworthy."
To understand this state of facts it may
be proper to say, that legal steps have been
instituted in England by the Anti-Tracta-
ran party to compel those who are Anti
Protestant at least to abandon their posi-
tons of influence and emolument in a
professedly Protestant Church, and come
out in their true colOrs. The case of Arch
deacon Denison has been frozen up in the
Arctic regions of the English courts, for
some time, moving occasionally with the
drift, and on the whole rather moving to-
ward the open sea, to the dismay of the
Puseyite party. Another very celebrated
case has just been decided in the ConSis-
tory Court, by Sir S. Washington, against
the Tractarians. The case was that Of the
churches of St. Paul and St. Barnabas, that
had been be-Puseyised as shockingly as
the good people of Lystra tried to do to
their illustrious namesakes, on one occasion,
and which had Paul and Barnabas seen
they would have rent their clothes with as
solemn a protest as they did against the
idolaters of Lycaonia. These movements
have aroused the Tractarians, and they