Tract No. 47 (Ad Clerum)
The Visible Church
Letter IV.
{1} I AM
sorry my delay has been so considerable in answering your remarks on my
Letters on the Church. Indeed it has been ungrateful in me, for you have
given me an attention unusual with the multitude of religious persons;
who, instead of receiving the arguments of others in simplicity, and
candour, seem to have a certain number of types, or measures of
professing Christians, set up in their minds, to one or other of which
they consider every one they meet with belongs, and who, accordingly,
directly they hear an opinion advanced, begin to consider whether the
speaker be a No. 1, 2, or 3, and having rapidly determined this, treat
his views with consideration or disregard, as it may be. I am far from
saying our knowledge of a person's character and principles should not
influence our judgment of his arguments; certainly it should have great
weight. I consider the cry "measures not men," to be one of the many
mistakes of the day. At the same time there is surely is contrary
extreme, the fault of fancying we can easily look through men, and understand
what each individual is; an arbitrary classing of the whole Christian
family under but two or three countenances, and mistaking one man's
doctrine for another's. You at least have not called me am Arminian, or
a high Churchman, or a Borderer, or one of this or that school, and so
dismissed me.
To pass from this subject. You tell me that in my
zeal in advocating the doctrine of the Church Catholic and Apostolic, I
{2} "use expressions and make assumptions which imply that the
Dissenters are without the pale of salvation." So let me explain myself
on these points.
You say that my doctrine of the one Catholic Church
in effect excludes Dissenters, nay, Presbyterians, from salvation. Far
from it. Do not think of me as of one who makes theories for himself in
his closet, who governs himself by book-maxims, and who, as being
secluded from the world, has no temptation to let his sympathies for
individuals rise against his abstract positions, and can afford to be
hard-hearted, and to condemn by wholesale the multitudes in various
sects and parties whom he never saw. I have known those among
Presbyterians whose piety, resignation, cheerfulness, and affection,
under trying circumstances, have been such, as to make me say to myself,
on the thoughts of my own higher privileges, "Woe unto thee Chorazin,
woe unto thee Bethsaida!" Where little is given, little will be
required; and that return, though little, has its own peculiar
loveliness, as an acceptable sacrifice to Him who singled out for praise
the widow's two mites. Was not Israel apostate from the days of
Jeroboam; yet were there not even in the reign of Ahab, seven thousand
souls who were "reserved," an elect remnant? Does any Churchman wish to
place the Presbyterians, where, as in Scotland, their form of
Christianity is in occupation, in a worse condition under the Gospel
than Ephraim held under the Law? Had not the ten tribes the schools of
the Prophets, and has not Scotland at least the word of GOD? Yet what would be thought of the Jew who had maintained that
Jeroboam and his kingdom were in no guilt? and shall we, from a false
charity, from a fear of condemning the elect seven thousand, scruple to
say that Presbyterianism has severed itself from our temple privileges,
and undervalue the line of Levi and the house of Aaron? Consider our SAVIOUR'S discourse with the woman of
Samaria. While by conversing with her He tacitly condemned the Jews'
conduct in refusing to hold intercourse with the Samaritans, yet He
plainly declared that "salvation was of the Jews." "Ye worship ye know
not what;" He says, "we know what we worship." Can we conceive His
making light of the differences between Jew and Samaritan? {3}
Further, if to whom much is given, of him much will
be required, how is it safe for us to make light of our privileges, if
we have them? is not this to reject the birth-right? to hide our talent
under a napkin? When we say that GOD
has done more for us than for the Presbyterians, this indeed may
be connected with feelings of spiritual pride; but it need not. We may,
by so saying, provoke ourselves to jealousy; for we dare not deny that,
in spite of our peculiar privileges of communion with CHRIST, yet even higher saints may lie
hid (to our great shame) among those who have not themselves the
certainty of our especial approaches to His glorious majesty. Was not
Elijah sent to a widow of Sarepta? did not Elisha cure Naaman? and are
not these instances set forward by our LORD
Himself as warnings to us "not to be high-minded, but to fear;" and,
again, as a gracious consolation when we think of our less favoured
brethren? Where is the narrowness of view and feeling which you impute
to me? Why may I not speak out, in order at once to admonish myself, and
to attempt to reclaim to a more excellent way those who are at present
severed from the true Church.
And what has here been said of an established
Presbyterianism, is true (in its degree) of dissent, when it has become
hereditary, and embodied in institutions.
Further, it is surely parallel with the order of
Divine Providence that there should be a variety, a sort of graduated
scale, in His method of dispensing His favour in CHRIST. So far from its being a strange thing that Protestant
sects are not "in CHRIST,"
in the same fulness that we are, it is more accordant to the scheme of
the world that they should be between us and heathenism. It would be
strange if there were but two states, one absolutely of favour, one of
disfavour. Take the world at large, one form of paganism is better than
another. The North American Indians are theists, and as such more
privileged thorn polytheists. Mahometanism is a better religion than
Hindooism. Judaism is better than Mahometanism. One may believe that
long established dissent affords to such as are born and bred in it a
sort of pretext, and is attended with a portion of blessing, (where
there is no means of knowing better,) which does not attach to those who
{4} cause divisions, found sects, or wantonly wander from the
Church to the Meeting House;—that what is called an orthodox sect has
a share of Divine favour, which is utterly withheld from heresy. I am
not speaking of the next world, where we shall all find ourselves as
individuals, and where there will be but two states, but of existing
bodies or societies. On the other hand, why should the corruptions of
Rome lead us to deny her Divine privileges, when even the idolatry of
Judah did not forfeit hers, annul her temple-sacrifice, or level her to
Israel?
I say all this, merely, for the purpose of
suggesting to those who are "weak," some idea of possible modes in which
Eternal Wisdom may reconcile the exuberance of his mercy in CHRIST to the whole race of man, with the
placing of it in its fulness in a certain ordained society and ministry.
For myself I prefer to rely upon the simple word of truth, of which
Scripture is the depository, and since CHRIST has told me to preach the whole counsel of GOD,
to do so fearlessly and without doubting; not being careful to find ways
of smoothing strange appearances in His counsels, and of obviating
difficulties, being aware on the one hand that His thoughts are not our
thoughts, nor our ways His ways, and on the other, that He is ever
justified in His sayings, and overcomes when He is judged.
OXFORD,
The Feast of All Saints
[NEW EDITION.]
———————————————————————
These Tracts are continued in
Numbers, and sold at the price of 2d. for each sheet, or 7s. for 50
copies.
LONDON: PRINTED FOR
J. G. F & J. RIVINGTON,
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD, AND WATERLOO PLACE.
1840.
Top | Contents
| Works | Home
Newman Reader Works of John Henry Newman
Copyright © 2007 by The National Institute for Newman Studies. All rights reserved.
|