to a vote in Convocation, Mr. Williams would be rejected, and thus the crisis arrive in which they would be thrown back upon their pledges, it was of great importance that such a disaster should not be allowed to supervene. Accordingly, as soon as the certain failure of Mr. Williams was ascertained, his prudent friends put forth a "feeler," through the Times newspaper, urging how much it would conduce to the peace of the Church for each party to withdraw its candidate. The bearing of the matter on both sides being as above stated, such an anonymous proposal was simply ridiculous, and was of course disregarded. But at length a veritable memorial to the same effect was concocted, and a large number of highly respectable signatures were procured to give it weight; but of the subscribers not a few were known full-grown Tractarians and zealous party men; others were Tractarians half-fledged; some did not wish to be committed on either side; some, though not Tractarians, were afraid, as Lord Dungannon stated, that the rejection of Mr. Williams would be a triumph to what his Lordship called a party within the Church, "fit to become members of a Presbyterian synod;" some had, to say the least, connived at the Oxford Tracts, instead of opposing them; others merely wished for peace, and considered the contest inexpedient: so that, after the list, respectable as it is, was thus weeded, there was but a very small number (if any) of names of those who had taken, throughout, a decided stand against the Tracts, not merely in regard to a few outrages, but as respected their general spirit and character as anti-Scriptural and anti-Anglican. Under these circumstances, Mr. Williams's Committee could not but rejoice to have the opportunity of withdrawing their already beaten candidate upon the preposterous condition that the victorious committee would withdraw theirs, against whom there was not a shadow of objection: but it is preposterous to hold them up as models of conciliation and forbearance for acceding to a proposition which would rescue their party from all the perils above alluded to, and turn a signal defeat into a drawn battle; a verdict of guilty into the withdrawal of a juror. Mr. Garbett's committee did act in a spirit of peace and conciliation; for they agreed to abide by a comparison of promises, instead of going to the vote in Convocation, thus relieving the Tractarians from the inconveniences of an authoritative academical condemnation. The comparison gave 921 to 623; about two to one; which shews that it would have been an act of gross injustice to Mr. Garbett to have listened to a scheme of party tactics which was to sacrifice him to prevent the general discomfiture of the Tractarians. "The We would respectfully solicit the attention of our readers to the suggestion of a correspondent in our present Number, for memorialising the proper authorities respecting the puerile, absurd, bombastical, and often profane nomenbastical clature of our national ships. We take up the Times newspaper for the day on which we happen to be writing, and there under ship news we read, "The Vindictive left the Downs, in company with the Warspite." "The Revenge, Captain the Hon. W. Waldegrave, is daily expected at Spithead." Warspite has left Malta for Corfu ; and the Devastation for Jerusalem, having on board the bishop of Jerusalem." There are other notices respecting the Thunderer, the Hecate, the Polyphemus, the Prometheus, and the Cyclops; and all this in one column of a single newspaper, being an average daily specimen. One might almost fancy that vessels were appropriated to special services for vulgar jest or insult. The episcopal messenger to Salem, (Peace) goes out in the Devastation; when the Bishop of London went to the continent to administer confirmation, it was in the Spitfire; the conciliatory envoy to the United States sails in the Warspite; Captain Waldegrave being a remarkably amiable man, and a member of the Church Missionary Committee, is appointed to command the Revenge; and a few days ago it was announced that "The Vixen towed out the Queen." We would boldly urge in the proposed memorial not only that a new system of nomenclature should be adopted; but that many of the present names should be at once changed, as being unbecoming the character of the nation, and often morally and religiously offensive. We are reminded, by a paper upon Insanity in our present Number, of the very interesting and important facts which have lately come before the public, regarding the treatment of persons suffering under that direful calamity. The Lunatic Pauper Asylum at Hanwell, under the humane and enlightened management of Dr. Conolly, has become a model for such establishments. Chains, handcuffs, coercion-chairs, leg-locks, gags, and we know not how many other contrivances, which ignorance, idleness, cruelty, venality, or supposed necessity, have multiplied in so many other lunatic asylums, are banished from this. The patients are carefully watched, guarded, and soothed; but are allowed to walk about within and without doors, and enjoy life as much as their affliction permits, and no injury has resulted to themselves or others from the system. Where special restriction is necessary, it is mild, and confined to the particular exigency. We earnestly hope that the example will be followed throughout the kingdom; and that the legislature will interfere for the protection of lunatics to a far greater extent than it has yet done, notwithstanding much good has already been effected. The patient should not be subjected to any unnecessary hardship; and his friends should have the satisfaction of knowing that his heavy calamity is not made still greater by negligence, unskilfulness, or inhumanity. We would recommend all who take an interest in this painful subject to peruse the statistics of lunacy which have appeared in parliamentary papers and other documents; the results of which have been ably commented upon by Mr. Farr. The following are among the chief of the immediate or exciting causes of disease among 201 male and 171 female patients at Hanwell: Moral causes.Poverty, M. 22, F. 21; Reverses, M. 15, F. 5; Disappointed affections, M. 4, F. 11; Domestic unhappiness, M. 8, F. 19; Religious enthusiasm, M. 5, F. 10; Fright, M. 6, F. 9; Grief, M. 4, F. 11; Mental anxiety, M. 1, F. 7. Physical causes.- Intemperance, M. 60, F. 9; Epilepsy, M. 24, F. 19; Injury of Head, M. 17, F. 3; Paralysis, M. 12, F. 9. In higher stations of life the scale differs. We lament to record the decease of Bishop Shuttleworth, who has followed his beloved predecessor, Bishop Otter, after the short space of a year and a few months. In our notice of his nomination to the episcopal office, we expressed our opinion that he had done much service to the Church of Christ, and our own branch in particular, by forcibly delivering his testimony against the Oxford Tract doctrines in three sermons preached before the University; in the preface to which he says: "The doctrines of justification through faith, of the free pardon of sin through the Gospel covenant, and of the entire sufficiency of Scripture as our guide to salvation, are no longer, as formerly, accepted by all parties within our Church as almost trite and undeniable truths. Within the last few years a strong and extensively organized effort has been made, if not openly to controvert them, at least to weaken their evidence, and practically to super sede them. Minute and unessential points of practice have been rigidly insisted on; inferences, either derived from Scripture by a strained exaggeration of particular texts, or purely and simply the product of human caprice, have been oracularly brought forward as indispensable parts of faith; and thus, whilst men's attention has been drawn away from fundamental principles, a system of theology has been set up, not of that soul-stirring and yet simple character taught by the apostles, but blended with many of the super-additions, not to say cold superstitions, of a later and far less pure period. Under such circumstances it would seem to be incumbent upon every sincere friend to the principles of the Protestant Reformation, and (as I conceive them to be) of Evangelical truth, openly to declare their dissent from doctrines which, if they are doing nothing more, are at least disarming those principles of their poignancy and efficacy." His Lordship's testimony against these delusions was forcible and seasonable. A heathen regarding his decease so soon after his elevation to the rank, dignity, and affluence, which accompany, though they are not a part of, Anglican prelacy, might exclaim, "O fallacem hominum spem, fragilemque fortunam, et inanes nostras contentiones; quæ in medio spatio sæpe franguntur et corruunt, et ante in ipso cursu obruuntur quam portum conspicere potuerunt;" but a Christian has higher hopes than those of earthly "fortune;" neither were the discussions in which Dr. Shuttleworth took a part "vain contentions," seeing they had reference to concerns of eternal moment. But the lesson recurs with solemn force, that our time upon earth is but as the day of a hireling; and oh! how laborious should be our zeal, how warm our love, how self-denying our exertion, that we may work while it is day, and rest for ever in a world of peace and blessedness. The new bishop is Dr. Gilbert-an appointment highly honourable to all parties. The public has regarded it, and we think not unfairly, as a manifesto of Sir R. Peel against Tractarianism. To say the least, considering that Dr. Gilbert's name was at that precise moment conspicuously before the Church, as the patron of Mr. Garbett in the opposition to Mr. Williams, it evinced in Sir R. Peel more moral courage than is always found in patrons, to do a right thing at the risk of perhaps incurring some personal obloquy. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. P. W.; Πίστις, Τ. Ε. Η.; Amicus; Bradford; N. P. W.; and several CONSTANT READERS, are under consideration. In answer to VINDEX, we need only repeat what we have often stated, that our insertion of a Paper does not imply that we agree in opinion with the writer. We endeavour to afford fair range for useful and well-conducted discussion, both in statement and reply. A MEMBER OF CHRIST'S HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH will perceive, by referring to our Review department, that we have not overlooked Mr. Wordsworth's Sermon at Winchester Cathedral; but it has not convinced us that the doctrine advocated in it is consistent either with Scripture or the formularies of the Church of England. Our correspondent is mistaken in supposing that Mr. Wordsworth's views of penance and absolution are those of what used to be called the "Orthodox" Clergy. So far from it, we will shew, by the following brief citations from the "Elements of Christian Theology" of the late Bishop of Winchester, Dr. Pretyman Tomline, which used to be accounted the very marrow of what was called " orthodoxy," that the divines alluded to (as we have shewn in our Review, in the instances of Burnet and South) are as hostile to the Tractarian view of the subject, as those "called Evangelical." "It is scarcely necessary to observe," says Bishop Tomline, in his remarks on Art. xxv., "that the Penance of the Church of Rome is totally different from the Gospel doctrine of repentance, which consists in an outward sorrow for past sins, and a firm resolution of future amendment. This pretended sacrament has no foundation whatever in Scripture; we are not commanded to confess our sins to priests, nor are they empowered to dispense absolution upon their own judgment. St. James indeed says, 'Confess your faults one to another, but no mention is here made of priests; and the word faults' seems to confine the precept to a mutual confession among Christians, of those offences by which they may have injured each other; but, certainly, the necessity of auricular confession, and the power of priestly absolution, cannot be inferred from this passage.... But though there is not the slightest ground for considering Penance as a Sacrament, nor any authority for requiring auricular confession to priests; yet confession of sins to God is an indispensable duty, and confession to priests may sometimes be useful, by leading to effectual repentance, and therefore our church encourages its members to use confidential confession to their priest, or to any other minister of God's holy word; but this is very different from its being an essential part of a Sacrament instituted by Christ or his Apostles..... The only absolution which our Church authorizes its clergy to pronounce is ministerial, or declaratory of God's pardon upon the performance of the conditions which he has been pleased to require in the Gospel; it always supposes faith and sincere repentance, of which God alone is judge. Nor was any absolution, except declaratory and precatory, known among the early Christians..... The right of requiring confession, and of absolving sins, as exercised in the Church of Rome, must necessarily be the source of an undue and dangerous influence to the clergy, and must, at the same time, operate as a great encouragement to vice and immorality among the people." See also his remarks on Article xvi., where he refutes the Tractarians by anticipation. ERRATUM. WE observe that in our Number for December, p. 760, the Printer has left out part of a sentence from Hooker, as quoted by the Bishop of Chester, and which, being merely a printed extract, did not fall under our revision. When Mr. Burke, quoting Cicero's authority in proof that economy in national expenditure is a mighty revenue, happened to misaccent " Vectigal," and his opponent Lord North repeated the word in a loud whisper as its quantity required, Burke thanked him for the interruption, as it gave him the opportunity of re-qu re-quoting the passage, which he did with startling energy. Profiting by this example, we gladly repeat Hooker's words, which exhibit, with admirable precision, the difference on the subject of justification and sanctification between the Popish and the Tractarian view, on the one side, and that of Scripture and the Anglican church on the other. "There is a righteousness which is inherent, and a righteousness which is not inherent. The righteousness whereby we are sanctified, is inherent, but not perfect. The righteousness whereby we are justified, is perfect, but not inherent." W E find our Blessed Lord constantly adopting, in His teaching, the form of parable, for two causes-one, as related to the persons whom He immediately addressed, -the other, as related to succeeding generations. With respect to the former He declares His motive, in reply to that question of His disciples, "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" And though certainly his reply is not free from difficulty, yet we may clearly gather from it thus much, that His motive was one of mingled judgment and mercy, of judgment, in that they had rendered themselves by their prejudices, arising from wilful blindness and hardness of heart, incapable of receiving fuller light and instruction of mercy, in that He adapted the light to their diseased organs, and taught them in parables, as they were able to bear it. Thus He cloaked those unpalatable truths from which their prejudices would have revolted, and yet left in their minds a deposit of truth, upon which, in after times, and under different circumstances in the season of affliction, during the tedious hours of sickness, or upon the bed of death, the Divine Spirit might advantageously draw for their conversion and edification. As related to succeeding generations, His object apparently was to give universality and comprehensiveness to His discourses: to divest them of a merely temporary, or local, or particular application; and, by freeing them from the shackles of time and place and circumstance, to render them vehicles of abstract truth, immutable and eternal, which applied with power to those whom He immediately addressed; and which spoke with no less awakening personality and conviction to every individual, of every nation and every age, in the words of Nathan to David, "Thou art the man!" A principal subject of those parables is "the kingdom of Heaven :" and as this expression is used in three different significations, sometimes only one of which, sometimes all, are designed to be comprehended in the parable, it is necessary, in order to enter fully into the object and bearing of any one of these discourses, first to ascertain, as far as we may from its general structure, in which sense this term is intended to be understood. Sometimes "the kingdom of heaven" is intended to signify God's kingdom of glory in heaven, to which all true believers pass through the grave and gate of death. Sometimes it means God's kingdom of grace on earth, that is, the invisible "church militant here in earth," and in which Christ's people are trained for heaven. These two meanings indeed are generally linked together, for, in fact, grace is but glory begun, glory grace consummated. But there is another use of it, diverse from those in which it represents the visible Church, comprehending within its visible pale nominal as well as real believers. As the kingdom of glory, it is spoken of where it is said of Christ, He "shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity :" as the kingdom of grace set up, not only in the world, but in the individual soul, where it is compared to a pearl of great price-to hid treasure: -as the visible church, where it is represented by a net cast into the sea, that gathered of every kind. These are instances in which the phrase is used in one sense exclusively; but there are others where it is used in its three different significations, and where the form of parable is adopted for both the causes which I have mentioned; and the parable before us furnishes one of these. In its grand division of the labourers into those who were hired at a stipulated price, and those who entered the vineyard relying on the generosity of the householder, we have a type of the visible Church under its two great dispensations, the Law, and the Gospel. In the former class we see the characteristic feature of the legal dispensation, which accurately defined the rule of duty, and annexed a stipulated reward to its perfect fulfilment, which said, "Do this, and thou shalt live." In the latter class we see the characteristic feature of the evangelical dispensation, which says, "By grace ye are saved; not of works, lest any man should boast: for by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." And it was this part of the parable, as declaring the introduction of the Gentiles, with equal privileges, into the Church, which rendered the form of parable necessary in speaking to the Jews, to whom this doctrine was highly unpalatable; who, perceiving it, murmured against the goodman of the house. But in the subdivision of those who entered the vineyard on evangelical terms, into those who came at the third, the sixth, the ninth, and the eleventh hour, the reference appears to be exclusively to the invisible Church; and designed to represent the different periods of life, and the different circumstances, in which the Gospel appeals effectually to the individual soul. And as this is the view of the parable which is most practical, and in which we, as Christians, are most interested, to this I purpose to confine myself. The householder, who here represents God, the great Proprietor, whose is the earth, and the fulness thereof, is described as going out into the market place that is, the active haunts of the world, the theatre of business or of pleasure, and calling upon those whom he finds there idle, to go and work in his vineyard; and as, in every instance, a part of the day had elapsed, to trust, simply, and without any terms, to his bounty and generosity for their reward, "Whatsoever is right, that ye shall receive." But who are they who stand idle? Are we to suppose that any, previous to the commission of some gross sin upon the one hand, |