A SHORT TREATISE ON THE THEORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH, WITH REMARKS ON ITS PECULIARITIES; ITS PRESENT POSITION; ITS FUTURE PROSPECTS; BY WILLIAM GRESLEY, M. A., PREBENDARY OF LICHFIELD. "Spartam nactus es, hanc exorna." LONDON: JAMES BURNS, 17, PORTMAN STREET. MDCCCXLIV. PREFACE. IN the present position of the Church, it seemed to me desirable to set down, in a clear and succinct manner, what are the views entertained by those, who believe themselves to be consistent advocates of the principles and practices of the Church of England; and to bring together in their relative bearing to each other, those topics, on which, especially, it is necessary for Churchmen, of all classes in society, to be informed. I wished to confine myself, as much as possible, to the statement of simple facts; but have found it necessary, in some instances, to diverge into the field of argument. In stating the position, and principles, of the English Church, it was necessary to advert to some of the objections made against them. If any of my readers should find my arguments too compressed to be satisfactory, I would beg to refer them to the great Divines of our Church, whom I have consulted, as Bishop Jeremy Taylor, Barrow, Leslie, and others, by whom all the points of difference between the Church of England, and other Bodies, have been fully and copiously discussed, While preparing this volume, I have been anticipated in several of the topics contained in it, by Mr. Palmer's "Narrative of events connected with the publication of the Tracts for the Times," and by an able review of the same, in the Christian Remembrancer, as well as by a well-known Article in the Foreign and Colonial Review. Still I have thought the subjects treated of in this volume, so necessary to be presented to all classes of readers, that the publication would not be deemed superfluous. CONTENTS. The Subject of the Treatise-Anglo-Catholicism, as distinct from Catholicity, or Christianity. In what way different Churches may differ from Page. Shewing that the Anglo-Catholic Church retains all the Essentials of a true Church-the Bible, the |