had no sensible means of communication, without approaching too nearly to that address which is the property of God alone. But it would be only fair to ask of the Romanist why he does not supplicate all saints living, as well as those departed? He never dreams of asking those to pray for him on earth whom he knows will never hear of his petition. If he betake himself to such speculations as those of the schoolmen, we answer at once that we know nothing of what he speaks; and although we cannot agree with Bucer that it is a sin to pray for that which we do not know will be granted; yet to offer petitions which we cannot tell whether they even be heard or no, seems wholly inconsistent with the confidence which should attend every act of Catholic worship. Whether, indeed, we believe that the "claritas Dei," or the "speculum Trinitatis," or any other such fancy, is an adequate account of the knowledge which invocation presupposes, it does seem to us certain that the majority of people are unable to divorce the notion of omniscience from such an idea, and so are incapable of regarding those to whom they pray, otherwise than as, in some sense, and that a very full sense, ubiquitous and divine. We hold it to be practically impossible to invoke the saints, and, at the same time, to remember that they are but men. We have said nothing of scriptural or Catholic teachings upon this subject, because we have only touched upon it incidentally, and in a cautionary manner. Enough, however, it is hoped, has been said to convince the reader, that they who believe in the fact of the intercession of departed saints, as well as of living, do yet shrink from all idea of addressing them, as much as any Protestant can desire. But we undertook to show the practical influence of which the true doctrine of the middle state is capable, and which we are bound to give to it. Before, however, we state two reasons which principally weigh with us, it may be permitted us to remind our readers, that the best method of correcting or warding error is to establish truth; and that no defence, therefore, against the doctrine of Purgatory can be so sound, so likely to remain, so free from the evils attendant upon controversial statements, as the clear affirmative practical teaching of our Church's doctrine upon this subject. And, moreover, to know the truth, whatever it be, is a thing in itself desirable; and when that truth is a doctrine of Scripture, and of the Church, so that our minds cannot be in unison with their teaching unless they receive it, it is surely no indifferent thing whether men are right or wrong upon this point. First, then, to believe in this doctrine of the Middle State, is to see (which has been already noticed,) the parallel between our Redeemer's history and our own. It is only by believing that as He died, was buried, descended into Hades-which was a paradise or blessed place, a boon to the penitent thief, and a meet dwelling for the souls of the righteous and rose again in the flesh, a perfect man, with human soul and human body reunited, before he ascended into heaven; so we shall follow in His steps, rising as He rose, and because He rose, and as part He argued against prayers for the dead, on the ground that "whatsoever is not of faith, is sin."-Tracts for the Times, vol. iii. p. 58. + See Bramhall's Answer to M. De La Milletiere. of Him, and therefore resembling Him throughout; it is only by. this belief that we can recognise the completeness of our regenerationin Him, of the gradual restoration of our fallen race through the incarnation, and life, and death, and grave, and resurrection of the First-born among many brethren; it is only thus that we can feel that He was indeed as we are, that we might be as He is. III. Against the notion of the sleep of the soul, we would urge its probable effect upon many minds. To bad men, distance of punishment seems security; and, in the same way, as Aristotle justly affirms, that death comes to be less feared from its remoteness, so vengeance loses much of its power of terrifying, if it is deferred. There may seem to be little in this to many of our readers, but if they have stood by the death-bed of a sinner, whose earthly agonies almost prevent all thought of future sufferings, they will know that, to a man in this state, it is not the same thing to speak of an immediate transition to greater misery, and of a state of unconsciousness which may last for ages, and which seems like a blessed sleep to the fevered frame. To good men, also, it is a different thing to speak to them of immediate happiness after death; to tell them of friends conscious, and blessed, and waiting to receive them, and to speak to them of a long time of waiting, even though it should pass away as a moment. We cannot expect all fully to sympathize with us in these remarks, but with ourselves they are the result of a long standing, and deep feeling upon the subject. It may be hoped, also, that the feeling that there is a communion of saints, would be strengthened by a right belief of this doctrine, as often as the thought of departed friends, martyrs, and apostles, and of all whom we have loved in history or by personal intercourse, crosses our hearts, as of those who are caring for us, and waiting for us, and are incomplete without us. We will meet one more possible objection, and conclude. It may be feared, by some, that to hold out the existence of a conscious state after death, would be to suggest hopes of improvement and of a preparation for the Judgment neglected to be made on earth. But if it be distinctly stated in the language before-quoted, that each is gone to "his own place," a place from which there is no removal, and which is but a foretaste of that eternity of joy or woe which shall follow upon the promulgation of our everlasting sentence, there can surely be nothing to be feared. It may be stated, too, that punishment, as distinguished from chastisement, estranges the wicked yet more from God; and that despair, and not repentance, will ever be the fearful consequence of sufferings which cannot be removed. To show that they who believed the doctrine for which we have been contending believed this sad truth also, we can accompany our teaching with the powerful words of S. Clement (Epist. ii. § 8); "We are clay in the hands of the maker; for, like as the potter, if he form a vessel, and have twisted it in his hands, or crushed it, remoulds it quite afresh; but if he have previously cast it into the furnace of the fire, he can no longer do any good to it; so, also, we, whilst we are in this world, let us repent, from the bottom of our hearts, for all the evil deeds which we have done in the flesh, that we may be saved by the Lord, while we have time for repentance; for after we have left this world we can no longer confess ourselves there, or repent any more." We subjoin an extract from some anonymous lines which are in the possession of a friend, and are illustrative of some of the points for which we have been contending, and would refer our readers to Archbishop Tillotson's Sermons on 2 Cor. v. 6, and Rev. xiv. 13, and to Mr. Newman's most interesting Discourse on Rev. vi. 11, in vol. iii. of the Parochial Sermons : "The world has triumph'd o'er the will, Th' uplifted hands have fall'n, and still The head has sunk upon the breast, And soft successive breath Alone declares that fearful rest Sleep, sleep, worn frame; but far away And pass'd before her joyful day, To th' home of th' happy dead. She rests beside the gentlest stream; Nor piercing cold, nor scorching heat, Break in upon that summer sweet Nor wrath, nor care, nor pain, nor dread, Disturb the peace of Love, And holy joy for ever shed By angel hands above. Pure spirits dwell with spirits pure, In closest unity; And fond hearts, of each other sure,' There hold communion high. Sweet is the peace of Paradise, The weary race is run; But when, Ŏ when will day arise, With one perpetual dawn 'How long? How long?'*-O calmly rest, Ye spirits of the Lord! Yours is the peace of Abraham's breast, And yours th' unfailing word. The summer moons are waning fast; Rev. vi. 10. † Rev. xiv. 15,16. DEACONS. Of Oxford.-J. W. Evans, B.A. Trin.; E. J. Of Dublin.-F. A. Bickmore, Trin.; J. W. PRIESTS. Of Oxford.-T. H. Mynors, B.A. Wad.; J. U. Robson, B.A. Magd. H.; G. Shand, E.A. Queen's; G. F. Turner, B.A. Trin.; W. C. Ward, B.A. All Souls. Of Cambridge. -H. S. Anders, B.A. Caius; T. A. Anson, B.A. Jesus; E. Bellman, B.A. Queen's; W. P. Borrett, M.D. Caius; T. W. Boyce, B.A. Sid. Sus.; T. H. Chase, B.A. Queen's; W. Collett, B.A. St. Peter's; C. N. Cooper, B.A. Corp. Chris.; G. Crabbe, B.A. Queen's; J. M. Cripps, St. John's; G. W. Darby, M.A. St. John's; H. Golding, B.A. Trin. ; T. G. P. Hough, B.A. Caius; G. Jackson, M.A. Caius; C. W. Lohr, B.A. Corp. Chris.; H. P. Marsham, s.C.L. Trin. H.; D. B. Moore, Queen's; J. Postle, B.A. Corp. Chris. ; R. Surtees, B.A. Corp. Chris. Alford, W............ Muchelney, P.C.......... (Budahaven, St. Mi Avery, J. S........chael's, c. ........ Birks, B. H......... (Arley, Great Bud worth, C......... P.C. Diocese. B. & W...... W. Long Patron. Chester...... R.E. E. Warburton, Esq. Norwich.... The Crown................. B. & W...... Mrs. Frobisher............ Bramall, J.......... Du Pré, S. ........................ 110 ..... Heriot, G.......... {St. Anne, Newcastle,} Durham.... Rev. Robert Green Powell, T............ Dorstone, v........... .... ....... ..... Name. PREFERMENTS-Continued. Preferment. Diocese. Patron. Val. Pop. £1023 950 2314 Snow, H............. Bibury, V.................. G. & B...... Lord Sherborne ........ Upwood, T. T...... (Terrington, St. Cle- Norwich.... The Crown.......... ments, v......... Walker, G...................... Belford, P.C..... Williams, J.. ...... ...... 1466 147 2030 Garnett, J., at Firbank. Goff, T., of Hale House, Hants. Howell, E. L., B.A., Curate of Little Malvern Irwin, A. L., M.A., Principal of the Collegiate Knox, Dr., Head Master of Tonbridge School. Whytehead, T., Chaplain to the Lord Bishop MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. to the old common law of England, constitute an actual marriage, but only an obligation to celebrate one. The intervention of a priest was necessary to establish matrimony. On this day, however, Lords Brougham and Campbell intimated their dissent from this opinion, and declared their conviction that England did, anterior to the Marriage Acts, recognise the Law Christian of Europe, which upheld the validity of the marriage contract, even when gone into without the intervention of a priest. Lord Denman, it was intimated by Lord Brougham, was of the same opinion with himself. The views of Lords Lyndhurst and Cottenham have not yet been laid before the House; so that the case stands over till next session. It seems likely, from an intimation given by the former, that it will be argued over again by ecclesiastical lawyers. |