New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-26
THE OXFORD MOVEMENT.
A NOTABLE WORK BY DEAN CHURCH.


When Dean Church died fourteen of the nineteen
oapers that compose this volume had been finished for
publication by him. One more he had all but pre-
pared for publication. The last four were MAINLY VI
the condition in which, six years ago, ne hso u'eui
privately put in type. except that the editors nave
tried, with the aid OF his notes, to Drlhg teni "s
nearly as possible into the form which they believed
he wopld have had them take. The book is not a
fragment therefore, but is substantially what lh
author intended IT TO be, contemporary rccou Vi oie
oxford movement and Of the men VINO were the ohiei
actors in 1t. And such IL Is a most Valuaoie ooh
rlbution to the religious history of the time Dean
Church was himself one Of the most conspicuous Eng
lsh clergymen of his day. we'll fitted by sympathy ana
personal knowledge to write about the great religious
renaissance of oxford. man OF sohd iearnihs anu
many sided culture whose deep reverence Tor the past
was tempered by his clear view OF the tenoencies Vi
modern secular and religious life, he STOOD iorth as
lyrical Anglican theologan OF the rugged honest sorV
fv conscious NJ the Churchs many defects and lima-
tons Int also fully conscious of its glorious heritage
from the mast and It's splendid possibilities in the
future 1t was hardly possible for Dr. Church 10 say
ANYTHING new about the oxford movement, ana lhueeu
he does not attempt to do So HIS aim was ralIeI W
draw a picture OF It from his point of view, frankly
emnbas,1,np the fact that It his point of view. HIS
hook is therefore contribution to the literature Oh the
movement rather than a complete history of it, the
time for writing such history has haruiy oo"o.
prt when Il has come the record Of Dean Church VIII
40
of the various records that have appeared
The sketches OF the actors in the movement, OF
which the volume is largely made up are hfelke ana
discriminating. They stand out before US IN oolu
outline John Kebe, the sanity poet, VINO sought
oblivion In a country parish and found fame as the
preacher Of the which struck the Keynote Oh the
movement; Richard Hurrell Froude the fiery Boaner-
pes of the movement whose biting irony was feared
nv its enemies and sometimes dreaded by It's riends
Isaac Williams, whose robust old-time Angncanlsm
acted as break to the impetuous radlcahsm OF Ills
colleagues; Charles Marriott, whose nature OF eA
quisite sweetness, purity, and nobility was il-con
cealed in his big ungainy body Pusey the great ana
learned college don, who though himself utterly IN
different 10 the importance of ritual vet found
his attached TO system OF worship that IN uie
popular mind meant ntualism ana notmng eise'
Thomas and James Mosey, who so clearly saw the
fundamental difference between the nascent Anglo
Catholicism and Roman Catholicism; William Palmer
the learned Interpreter OF the Anglican offices; W. e.
Ward at once the most tolerant and ntolerant man
In Oxford at the time aunty and serious, whose
logical mind love of truth led him finally to the
question whether the Anglican Church could be Cath
Ole: and last of all, John Henry Newman. who first
gave to the movement his splendid leadership and then
gave II what at the time seemed to be its deahblow
all these great figures are sketched with truthful fe
ncity and sympathetic insight. And when all abate-
ments are made. they were most remarkable group
of men. II not simply that they were earnest,
appeared at critical epoch in the life OF the English
Church when the old truths and ideals which that
Church stood seemed to be dccadent and religion ap-
peared TO be regarded as little more than decent
conformity to few outward ordinances which derived
their sanction, not from God, but from the State
Against this theory of the Church. the oxford mallg
nants" as they came to be called, passonately pro
tested and it Is not to much to say that their pro-
test revolutfonized the Church Whatever we may
think of the emphasis which the oxford movepent
came finally to lay On certain sacerdoal theories Of
Christianity, all Anglican Churchmen to-day must
acknowledge the great debt which their Church owes
TO 1t. For, humanity speaking, it saved Anglcism
from intellectual and spiritual death.
What the Church was when the Tractarians ap-
peared the well described in the following
passage THE idea Of clerical life had certainly sunk,
both in fact and in the popular estimate Of It,
Men afraid of principles the thing most they
shrunk from the suspicion of enthusiasm. Bishop
LavingtOn wrote book to hold up TO the en-
thusasm of Methodists and Papsts. The
typical clergyman in English pictures of the manners
of the day. . Is represented, often quite I'M
suspciOusly, a kindly and respectable person, but
certainly not alive to the greatness of his calling He
was often much, very much to the society around him.
49,. We may truthfuy and thankfully recall that
among the clergy of the day there not few, but
many, instances not only of gentle and warm
benevolence and cultivated intelligence but OF simple
piety and holy life. But the fortunes Of the Church
not safe in the hands OF clergy OF which great
part take their obligations easily"
This state of affairs had already produced profound
discomfort before the oxford movement started. Two
oxford teachers, Dr. Whatey and Dr. Arnold had tried
in different ways TO institute reform But they failed
because of their vagueness. Mems hearts burned
within them something less speculative and vague.
something reverent and less individual, more in
sympathy with the inherited spirit Of the Church.
OF Mr. Keble's famous Assize sermon, National
Apostasy." preached July ID, 1888. Dean Church
speaks thus:
This memorable sermon was a strong expression Of
the belief common to large body Of Cbr[chmen amid
the triumphs Of the Reform bill that the new gov
errors of the country were preparing to invade the
rights and TO- alter the eSTrc F ana even ne pun
Irish blshoprcs in defiance of Church opinion showed
hghhanded way with the old adjustments of the rela,
lions OF Church and state do not see
said Mr. Keble. how any person can devote himself
too entirely to the OF the Apostolic Church in
these realms. There may be- as far as he knows but
wait long and very likely pass out of this world, be
fore he sees any abatement IN the triumph OF as
possesses to the Utmost the personal consultations of
good Christian ana as ,rae Chnrehman ne mas the
impat in the same degree; he is calmly. sobery, de-
monstraby sure that sooner or later his VIII be the
universal eternal"
Commonplace as these words seem to-day, when
similar utterances heard in hundreds of Anglican
pulpits they were startling when uttered by Kebe.
Men saw in them the evidence OF deep conspiracy 70
overthrow the old easy going Erastiansm which was
lie creed OF average Churchmen and the preacher at
oDce became a marked man. Then followed the meet
ing of Rose Palmer. Percival and Froude at Hadeigh
parsonage from which resulted the Tracts for tho
Times. Speaking OF these tracts, from which the
movement got Of it's names, Dean Church says:
The ring OF these early tracts was something very
different from anything OF the kind yet known in Eng
land They were clear, brief stern appeals 10 con
science and reason, spang Of words, utterly without
ator Iu%onz In
sharp utterances Of in pain and danger and press
ing emergency The first one gave the keynote OF the
series Mr.. Newman " had out Of his own head begun
the tracts" He wrote the opening one In a mood
which he has himself described. He was in the e1-
ultation OF health restored and home reganed. !
had a supreme confidence in our cause we were up
holding that primitive Christianity which was de
uvered for all time by the early teachers OF the Church.
and which registered and atteeted in the Anglican
formuaes and by the An glican dvlnes That ancient
religion had we'll nigh faded out OF the land thr0us