The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1867-01-30

Arminians of Holland. The philosophy
of Locke has already been mentioned as
acting in the same direction. 1t took
the part of the Revolution of 1858, and
stood by the Wings, by William Ill, and
by the House of Hanover. The genius
of its principles is adverse to display or
proselytism; and though it has had con-
spicuous writer's amongst Anglican di-
vines, it has not numbered many follow
ers till the last ten years, when, irritated
by the success of the Tractarians, taking
advantage of the conversion to Rome of
some of their principal men, and aided
by the Importation into England of Ger
man literature, it has suddenly come for
ward on the public stage, and has propa-
gated itself with such wonderful rapidly
among the educated classes, that it would
seem as if, in the next generation, the
religious world will be divided between
deists and Catholics. Indeed, its princi-
plies and modes of reasoning do not stop
at deism.
ST the Anglican communion simply
consisted of these three parties, it could
not endure. 1t would be broken up by
it's internal dissensions. But there is ID
far larger party in it than these three
theological parties, which created by, and
availlins, -isself of, the legal status of the
church, it's endowments, and its fabrics of
worship, is the ballast and bond of union
of the whole. This is the party of order,
or the Conservatives, or, as hitherto they
have been called, the Tories. 1t is not
religious party; not that it does not in
clude large number of religious men in
its ranks, but that its principles and
watchwords are political, or at least &C.
clesiastical rather than theological. Its
members are not Tractarian, nor Evan
gelcal, nor Liberals; or, if they are, they
are so in a very mild and inofensive
form; for in the eyes of the world their
chief characteristic is that of being advo-
Gates of an Establishment, and of the Es-
Enlistment; and they are more eager
that there should be National Church
than careful what that National Church
processes. 1t has been said above that
the great principle of the Anglican
Church is its dependence upon and its
subserviency to the civil power, Or what
its enemies call its Erastianism. AS on
the one hand this is its great principle,
so on the other is that principle embodied
in SO large party, both of clergy and
laity, that party is scarcely fitting word
to use of them. They constitute the
mass of the church; especially the cler-
gy, throughout the country, bishops,
deans, chapters, cures, have ever been
distinguished by their Toryism. In the
seventeenth century they held the Divine
right of Kings; and they have ever since
gloried in the doctrine that the King is
the Head of the Church, while their
dinner toast, Church and King, has been
their collateral protest that of course the
spirituality of the realm is more precious
and sacred than the temporarily. They
have ever shown an extreme aversion to
what, they consider the usurped power
of the Pope. Their chief theological
tenet is, that-the Bible contains all ne
cessary truth, and that there is q Divine
promise that every individual Christian
shall be able to find it there for himself.
They preach Christ as the one Mediator,
redemption by His death, renewal by his
Spirit, and the necessity of good works.
This large body of men-the true repre-
sentatives of that good sense for which
England is, for good and evil, SO famous
look for the most, part with suspicion
on all theology and all theological par
ties; and in particular on the three which
have already been described. In the
seventeenth century they opposed the
Latitudinarians; in the middle of the
eighteenth they opposed the Methodists
and Evangelicals, and in our time they
were first strong against the Tractarians
and now against the Liberals.
"This party of order, or Establishment
party, has, of course, many subdivisions.
,E.g. the country clergy, being in easy
circumstances, and on terms of intimacy
with the country gentlemen, and being
always kind, charitable, are, in conse-
quence of their position, though not in
consequence of their doctrines, held in
great respect and attachment by the lower
classes. Many of those who have had
large incomes and little to do, as the
members of chapters in cathedral towns,
have before now fallen into the habit of
self-indulgence. Those who have had
prominent situations in large cities and
towns, have grown into habits of pomp
and hauteur, while they have boosted of
precise orthodoxy, which was cold and
almost lifeless. The self-indulgent clergy
have before now been nicknamed two
bottle orthodox, as if their highest zeal
for religion was shown in toasting Church
and King, in port wine; and the pomp-
Gus dignitaries in large town parishes
have been .nicknamed high and dry
"Three other words have to be ex-
planned, which stand in contrast with
each other, and one or more of which are
used in this work-High Church, Low
Church, and Broad Church. About the
last of these, indeed, there is no difficult
ty; for the word broad answers to
'Latitudinarian, and by the Broad Church
therefore is meant the Liberal party
But High and Low Church can not at
once be understood.
"By High Curch, then, is meant that
teaching which makes much of the pre-
negatives and authority of the church;
however, not so much of the church's
III ~ &C -, ,,;,,u ]