The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-04-21

English Theology.

The proceedings instituted in the vice-Chan-
cellor's court by the Rev. DR.. Pussy and two
other canons of Christ Church, Oxford, against
the Rev. B. Jowett, of Balliol College, on ac-
count of his heretcal opinions, as especially set
forth in his commentary on the Epistle of st.
Paul to the Thessalonians. &C., have excited
public controversy, some phases of which are adj
mirably hit off in the following verses from the
London Patriot. Mr.. Jowett and Mr.. Maurice
belong to the Liberal school of theologans; DR..
Pusey and Mr.. Newman have been strongly sus-
pected of leaning towards Popery; while the
Dean of Carlisle occupies the middle ground of
Protestant Orthodoxy.
Dr. Pussy sits in his Oxford chair
W it'll gloomy brow and dissatisfied air,
And he says, says he,
sit seems to me,
That Jowetf is wrong so far as see,
For, though he can cheerfuly sign an Article,
doubt if he really believes a particle;
In his works there is plenty of evidence
That he holds them in "a non-natural sense"
So Ito put it in rhymes)
He writes to the Times,
And proposes to cut Mr. Jowett short
By pulling him into the Small Debts Court,
Then up starts Maurice, reverend knight,
Whose lance is always ready for fight,
And he says. says he,
81 don't agree
Either with Jowett or DIR. P.:''
So he writes letter
Very much better,
To say the two wrongs should have fair bout,
And then from the conflict the truth would
come out.
The non-natural sense, perhaps he may mention,
Was Dr. Pusey's own invention;
But he (Mr. NJ was not one of that sort
Who would settle a creed at Small Debts Court.
Then, rushing in haste over many mile,
Rides into the lists the Dean of Carlisle;
But Francis Close,
As every one knows,
Appears in small print on account of his style;
And he says, says he,
II don't agree
With any one of the other three;
For in whatever sense they sign,
It's nonsense if it's not like mine;
And what non-natural sense they call
Is very much like no sense at all;
So I'd give them an orthodox retort
By putting all three in the Small Debts Court"
Then John Henry Newman continues the story
In voice from the birmingham 0ratory:
ITO believe, says he,
s'Too little, to me,
Is worse than believing too much, do you see?
! wrote No. 80 10 make it appear
That the only sense the Prayer-book will bear
Is that which leads its teachers home
To the feet of the Holy Father at Rome:
And then the Philistines would not sport
Over doctors at war in a Small Debts Court
But amongst the spectators is one of the crowd,
A plain honest man who is thinking aloud;
And he says, says he,
SIT is clear to me
That none of these reverend doctors agree
Their doctrines puzzle me more and more,
For as I'm alive,
Here's number five
Tripping up the heels of the other four;
And how can simple man conceive
What are the things he ought to believer
For the chance is differing from the nave,
And the churchyard is quarreling with the grave;
And it wouldn't surprise many honest people
II the church should soon fall out with the
steeple.''
But he says, says he,
Its a comfort to me
That about one thing there is no misgiving-
The parson will never run off from his living