doctrine of image-worship, as now established, that of transubstantiation, of purgatory, of indulgences, &c.; and since the very men who were foremost in the former, were also eminently distinguished as patrons of the latter, as Aquinas and Bonaventura, (the latter, the chief devotee of the Virgin Mary,) what are we to anticipate from the introduction of precisely the same doctrine of Justification among Protestants? Is its natural strength abated? Call it by a Protestant, or a Romish name, set it up at Oxford, or at Trent, is it not the same; the old righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, and as able as ever, to lead men to go about "establishing their own righteousness, not submitting themselves to the righteousness of God?" The light abroad may face it down; the barrier around, of better principles, may hedge it in. But can it live now in a Protestant land, without having, and exerting, and manifesting those same old tendencies, especially upon such as shall receive it at second or third hand, from its original propagators ?-The present aspect of the Oxford system, so far as its practical developments have had room and time to appear, answer impressively, No. There is enough in what has been already exhibited, as will appear more fully by and by, to show that the strong tendency is now precisely as it was in the days of the Schoolmen; more restrained indeed by circumstances-more refined in its tastes, by higher intellectual culture; but strongly bent, as of old, upon the taking of its doctrine from man's wisdom, to the serious disparagement of the authority of Scripture; and to the introduction, though under better pretensions, and a more attractive type, of divers overt corruptions of Romanism. This tendency seems to be at present quite as strong and active, and is doing its work quite as fast, considering the differences of age and circumstances, as in the days of Aquinas.

We are very far from meaning that the leaders of this new school are conscious of all this tendency, or see all the way in which they are being led in the wilderness they have entered upon. We have no expectation that they will ever get to the full advocating of Image-worship, Purgatory, &c. We speak of the tendency of their system. It has weaker minds, and more unfixed hearts, and incautious heads, and reckless hands than theirs to work on. A generation of unfledged disciples is to swarm around the Master of the Sentences, and suck honey and poison out of his flowers, choosing which they please; unfolding principles which the Master left in bud; applying principles which the Master left in abstract; marching boldly and proudly, where he feared to tread but slowly and

humbly; mounting upon his shoulders, and therefore reaching higher, and seeing further into reserved mysteries, than he. They may see by his aid a need and a reason and a fitness in Imageworship, and Purgatory, &c., which he did not dream of. What the Master would revolt at, the School may boast of. There is such a thing as growing wiser than our Teachers. "Transubstantiation (says Dr. Pusey) was at first connected with high and reverential feeling for our Lord, and no one could have anticipated beforehand that this one error would have had effects so tremendous." True-and this error of Justification may be connected with reverential feeling of no little depth; and yet who knows what desolating "Let us fear!" consequences may ensue therefrom?

As we have found a striking resemblance in this divinity to the mystic and subtle doctrine of Romanism in the 13th Century, it may not be out of place, before closing this chapter, to point out its resemblance to what is much supposed, we think without reason, to have been the opposite extreme to Romanism, viz., the mysticism of the early Quakers. Few things would seem, at first sight, more unnatural than to associate Mr. Newman and Thomas Aquinas with Robert Barclay and William Penn; but mysticism is a feature common to them all-the fog in which, unknowing and unknown, they all row one way, and meet at last at the very Ostia Tiberina, from which Barclay supposed he was so distant and Mr. Newman is so confident he has turned his back. Strange meetings often occur in a mist. Besides, there is no knowing in what company a man may find himself who goes much abroad. A disciple of Penn once went to Rome to convert the Pope. But the Pope converted the disciple of Penn. "The light within," of the latter, was no new light to Romanism. In that great monastery, are many cells, furnishing accommodations for any sort of idiosyncracy. But to the likeness between Oxfordism and the Quakerism of Penn and Barclay.

By this holy birth, to wit, Jesus Christ formed within us, (says Barclay) and working his work in us, as we are sanctified, so are we justified in the sight of God." *

By the light which they call the Spirit, the Grace, the Word of God, Christ within, the flesh and blood of Christ which came down from heaven, they do not mean 'the Essence and Nature of God precisely taken.' They make it a distinct and separate thing from man's soul and all its faculties." Mr. Barclay says, with Mr. Knox, we know it to be a substance;" with Mr. Newman, " by this seed,

* Apol. prop. 7. p. 364.

(the Christ within) we understand a spiritual, heavenly, and invisible principle, a real spiritual substance, in which God, as Father, Son and Spirit dwells."*

Though the light within, is by them supposed to be the immediate efficient cause of Justification; yet they believe the sacrifice of our Saviour, through whose obedience and sufferings the Light is purchased, that thereby this birth, (by which we become regenerate, sanctified, justified, &c.) might be brought forth in us; I say, they believe the sacrifice of Christ to be (what we may call) the meritorious cause thereof." But, says Mr. Barclay, "not so as to exclude the real worth of the work and sufferings of Christ IN US." "They do therefore (says Bennet) attribute a real worth, 1, to the work of the Light shining in them, and bringing forth righteousness.-2, to the sufferings of Christ in them;-for he being united to such as resist not the Light, is said to suffer, when any evil is inflicted, on them.— 3, to the Intercession of Christ, that is, to his intercession within them, by the Light's stirring, moving, and enabling them to pray unto God. For my Author (Barclay) distinguishes this intercession of the Saviour, from his intercession without us in heaven." +

The cross set up within was a favorite expression of the Quakers. To this, they ascribed the formal cause of Justification as well as of Sanctification. "It is by this inward birth of Christ in man (said Barclay) that man is made just, and therefore so accounted by God. Wherefore, to be plain, we are thereby, and not till that be brought forth in us, formally (if we must use that word) justified in the sight of God. Because Justification is both more properly and frequently in Scripture taken in its signification for making one just, and not reputing one merely such, and is all one with Sanctification." +

William Penn maintained, just as Romish and Oxford Divines, that the remission of sins, in the case of a sinner first turning to God, is only for the merits of Christ; but like them also he made the ground of subsequent acceptance to be an inherent righteousness, and like Oxford Divines he was charged with Popery for it, and he vindicates himself precisely as they do. "We would provide (he says) against the malice of those who rank us among the Papists as pleading for the merit of Good Works. For we lay not this second sort of Justification (precisely what is called second in Romanism) and much less the first, upon any exterior works-as merely exterior, be they acts of Justice, Mercy, Charity or such * Bennet on Quakerism, pp. 111, 112, 113. † Ib. pp. 125, 126.

‡ Ib. p. 168.

like; but upon the holy working of God's power and Spirit in the heart, and the creature's believing it and resigning himself up unto God, to be by him renewed, ordered, &c. So our wills thus daily submitted to the holy will of God, which is Sanctification, is the ground of our daily acceptance with God, and being received (not as just by the non-imputation of sins formerly committed, for that alone depends on Repentance and Faith in God's free love to remit; but) as just by being actually and really made so through the participation of the Just and Righteous Nature of Christ." *

The mysticism of the early Quakers, of the ancient Schoolmen, and of the present Schoolmen of Oxford, is the same thing, allow ing for modifications arising out of varieties of learning, and of general circumstances.

* Penn's Quakerism a new nick-name for Old Christianity, 1672, pp. 152, 153.

CHAPTER V.

THE DOCTRINE OF THIS DIVINITY, AS TO THE

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JUSTIFICATION,

COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT.

Recapitulation-Language of the Council of Trent-State of the Question at the Reformation, and now, from Chemnitz, Jackson, Hall, Usher, HookerHoliness required at least as much by Protestants as Romanists-Tractarian interpretation of single passages of Scripture, compared with those of Romish divines-Three particulars in which Oxford divines claim to be regarded as' not conformed to Romanism-These considered, and shown, to make such conformity only the more obvious-The vindication drawn from the Romish claim of merit, answered-Hooker's argument against the Romish doctrine of merit shown to be applicable, in the same way, to this system-Concluding remarks.

BEFORE proceeding to an exhibition of the doctrine of the Church of Rome, as at present established, the reader is requested to bear in mind, that in making out the doctrine of our Oxford divines, the following prominent features were made to appear— viz:

1. That the righteousness by which we are justified before God, is exclusively internal and infused, a righteousness within us, inwrought, by the Holy Ghost.

2. That by the acknowledgment and strong assertion of Mr. Newman, this justifying righteousness is "really one" with Inherent righteousness, or Sanctification, so that the terms are convertible;— the distinction afterwards attempted, instead of showing any difference, only making the identity the more certain, by its purely imaginary character, and rendering the sameness of the whole doctrine with that of Romanism only the more certain.

3. That the regenerate can, and do, so fulfill the Law, that their indwelling righteousness has in it a satisfying and justifying quality, and does satisfy and justify them before God.

4. That this Justification is progressive, increasing and decreasing according to the degree of Sanctification.

We now proceed to show that such are precisely those character