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This was, indeed, an adventurous step, the straight forward and manly bearing of which none could question, though of its prudence and policy a considerable portion of the tractarian host had serious doubts. But a bold stroke often succeeds, where the cunning of artifice fails. Deeds of high daring, rash and reckless as they may be deemed by more cautious spirits, frequently intimidate opposition, throw confusion into the ranks of the enemy, and inspire the more feeble of their own party with an enthusiasm to follow on where bravery leads. Such was the strength of Mr. Ward's party, their spirit and energy were so well known, so little discouragement had they received from high quarters, and such was the critical state of things in the church itself, that any decisive measures against this party would be apparently attended with so much danger as to render it highly probable that the university would decline any effective interference; and should this be the case, the great point would be gained, silence would be construed as consent, whether willingly or reluctantly given, the university might be filled by those who had embraced 'the whole cycle of Roman doctrine,' who might go on unmolested with their work of unprotestantizing, till either the church of England should become a kind of minor papacy, or be reconciled to the church of Rome, and again received into her maternal bosom, as a somewhat profligate, but at length, penitent daughter. But so startling and alarming was this daring movement of the coadjutor of Mr. Newman and Dr. Pusey, that numerous and strong appeals were made to the vice-chancellor on the imminent danger which now threatened the protestant establishment, and the necessity of adopting some decisive measures to meet the present exigency. Accordingly the Hebdomadal Board met on the 13th of December, and announced their resolutions, which, as they have been copied in most of the journals, and our space is limited, we need not here repeat further than to say, that, after selecting several passages from his book, condemning in strong terms the English reformation, extolling the church of Rome, from which the church of England had sinfully departed, and to which it should return with deep repentance, declaring that the spirit and teaching of the Articles and the Prayer Book were absolutely contradictory,' that it is by divorcing the 'dry wording of the Articles from their natural spirit' that 'an orthodox believer' accepts them, and that thus their prima facie meaning is evaded, and the artifice of their inventors thrown back in recoil on themselves; that though the 'XIIth Article is as plain as words can make it on the evangelical side, its natural meaning may be explained away,' and that he himself subscribes it in a non-natural sense,' rejoicing that he finds 'the

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whole cycle of Roman doctrine gradually possessing numbers of English churchmen,' and declaring that he said plainly three years ago, that in subscribing the Articles he renounced no one Roman doctrine.' After producing these extracts, the propositions which were now to be submitted to the house of convocation, on the 13th of February, 1845, were stated; these were to condemn Mr. Ward's sentiments, to deprive him of his degree, and to procure in future a bond fide subscription.

Before we proceed, a few words on the constitution and government of the University of Oxford, as far as the proceedings against Mr. Ward are concerned, may not be superfluous. This university comprises nineteen colleges and five halls, each of which, with its principal, master, warden, or provost, its viceprincipal, &c., and its fellows, tutors, and other officers, has its separate jurisdiction. Everyone who enters any college or hall, has, at his matriculation, to sign the Thirty-Nine Articles. On taking a degree, he has again to subscribe these articles, and also the three articles mentioned in the thirty-sixth canon of 1603, in the presence of the proctors. The chief officer of the university is the chancellor, who, with considerable powers, is chosen for life. The vice-chancellor, however, who is head of one of the colleges, performs the principal duties of the office, and though annually elected, generally retains office for four years. The laws by which the university is governed, are a body of statutes, which the convocation may, to a certain extent, alter or amend from time to time. A weekly council is held, called the Hebdomadal Board, consisting of the vice-chancellor, the heads of houses, and the two proctors, who are annually chosen from the colleges and halls in rotation. This board alone has the initiative power in all proceedings in convocation, which is composed of the heads of colleges and halls, or their deputies; the doctors in divinity, medicine, and civil law; professors, and lecturers, with certain limitations; and masters of arts whose names have been kept on the books of some college or hall these, when assembled together, form the House of Convocation, under the presidency of the chancellor, or his deputy, the vice-chancellor. The proceedings, except by special permission, are all in Latin. A majority of the house, or the chancellor or vice-chancellor alone, or the proctors alone, may negative any proposed decree; but no party in convocation has power to originate a measure, or to propose an alteration or amendment.

As the university authorities deeded it incumbent on them to meet the case, they proposed to deal with it in the only way which appeared fairly open to them, and to treat Mr. Ward not as a theological, but a moral delinquent. They charged him,

therefore, as one of their body, with a breach of faith, with holding his station in the university by subscribing articles which he did not believe, and openly maintaining errors which they are most evidently intended to condemn. No sooner are these resolutions of the Hebdomadal Board made public, than a storm of pamphlets rages. Week after week, and almost day after day, some new messenger of the press claims a hearing from the vice-chancellor or the members of convocation; some come forward to justify the members of the board, and to cheer them onwards in their work; but by far the greater number dissuade, threaten, denounce, and prophecy all manner of evils to church and state, if the proposed measures should be carried. There were, as we have seen, three distinct propositions to be submitted to convocation; the first, that a declaration should be made, on evidence furnished by Mr. Ward's book, that he had broken faith with the university; the second, that he should be deprived of those degrees, which it was considered he had forfeited by his violated engagement; and the third was, that the statute respecting subscription should be so amended as to give additional security for a fair and honest subscription, by rendering prevarication almost impracticable. All these measures were attacked by some, the second and third by many more, and the third by not a few who approved of the others. Among the combatants of this field were, Mr. Oakeley, determined, if possible, to save his friend or to share his danger, who endeavoured to prove historically the hypocrisy of the compilers of the Articles, by shewing that, however apparently they condemned the tenets and practices of Rome, it was intended that papists, by signing them should gain access to the church, with its honours and emoluments ;-Mr. Keble, who protests against the proceedings as being unfair and cruel in themselves,' and 'likely to be ruinous under our present circumstances;'-Dr. Moberley, head master of Winchester college, who ridicules the Hebdomadal Board as a set of noodles, incapable of writing with either sense or grammar, but in their own bungling manner determining to do what is neither legal, nor just, nor wise;-the Rev. F. D. Maurice, professor of literature in King's College, London, who, though condemning Mr. Ward's opinions and practice, deprecates his trial before a tribunal comprising a miscellaneous mob of gentlemen from London clubs and country parsonages ;' -and Mr. Winstanly Hull, barrister of Lincoln's Inn, who while admitting that Mr. Ward has broken faith with the university, and what is of far more consequence, broken also his ordination vow,' condemns the proposed measures, and would have the case carried before some ecclesiastical tribunal, and treated theologically. These are some of the principal, though

but a few of those who took part against the proceedings of the Hebdomadal Board. On the other hand, Mr. Garbett, professor of poetry in the university, advocates at some length, and with considerable warmth and power, the whole of the measures ;Mr. Bricknell, one of the Oxford city lecturers, strongly urges the board to go forward; and Dr. Tait, head master of Rugby school, in a very lucid manner, supports the first and second propositions, but dissuades from the third. In addition to these, a case, drawn up by the friends of Mr. Ward, with much ingenuity, and submitted to Sir J. Dodson, Queen's advocate, and R. Bethell, Esq., Q. C., together with the opinion of these gentlemen, is published, who decide that The House of Convocation has not the power of depriving Mr. Ward of his degrees in the manner or on the grounds proposed;' that 'the court of Queen's Bench would, by mandamus, compel the university to restore Mr. Ward to his degrees;' and that the 'new sense' which is to be annexed to subscription, is contrary to law, which requires the clerical subscribers to take the Articles in their literal and grammatical sense.' But other counsel having been consulted on the part of the university authorities, an opposite opinion is obtained, which decides that the university has the power to degrade,' in such circumstances; and that the extracts set forth in the notice contain sufficient cause to justify the House of Convocation, as representing the university, in coming to a decision on the subject, with a view to the degradation of Mr. Ward.' This opinion had the sanction of Sir F. Thessiger, solicitor-general, Sir C. Wetherall, Messrs. J. Addams, and J. Cowling.

As to the points of law which have been raised respecting the competency of the tribunal appointed to decide on Mr. Ward's case, we confess we feel but very little interest; but as lookers on, we are in a favourable position to form an opinion on the moral part of the question. The most direct and natural mode of treating such a case, would seem to be by an ecclesiastical proceeding; Mr. Ward, being by his own confession a Roman catholic in principle, while enjoying the emoluments of a protestant establishment, and sustaining the office of minister in a protestant church, should, in all fairness and honesty, be compelled to relinquish those emoluments, and to resign that office, to say nothing of the inconsistency of his remaining a member of a community, to the founders of which, and to their principles, he professes a 'burning hatred.' But unhappily, in the church of which Mr. Ward is a member, secular and spiritual concerns are so mixed up and confounded together, that we know of no mode of proceeding which could have been adopted by any ecclesiastical authority, of which, as conscientious be

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lievers in the New Testament, we could have approved. It would have been more accordant with our sense of justice, and with the views we entertain of the qualifications which literary degrees should designate, had Mr. Ward been deprived of his fellowship, and his ministerial office, and allowed to go over to the church of his devout affection and admiration, with 'all his blushing honours thick upon him.' But the Hebdomadal Board were not at liberty to follow out their own notions of equity; they were, to a certain extent, bound by statutes; the university had been openly challenged to take up the case, or to allow judgment to go by default in favour of signing protestant articles in a popish sense; and, observes Dr. Tait, as the bishops of our church seemed unwilling to move in the case, the thanks of the community are due to the heads of houses in Oxford, for taking upon themselves the odium and trouble of this most painful conflict.' (Letters to the Vice-chancellor, p. 9.) The points at issue between the university authorities and Mr. Ward, and on which the House of Convocation had to decide, were these: they aver that he has broken faith with the university, by abjuring the very doctrines, the declared belief of which was a necessary condition of his obtaining and enjoying certain academical advantages; and that therefore the representatives of the university ought to deprive him of these advantages. Mr. Ward's advocates deny the charge advanced, and denounce the punishment proposed. As to the kind of punishment, we have already stated our doubts whether it is of the most appropriate character; but considering the nature of the delinquency, we cannot pronounce it severe. The conduct of Mr. Ward and his associates appears to us to exhibit insincerity so gross and palpable, to be such a sacrifice of truth and honesty to expediency, that every upright mind not bewitched and fascinated by the mother of abominations,' must regard it with the deepest reprobation.

And what is it which the advocates of this tortuous policy, this jesuitical craft, this double-faced theology, plead in defence of such conduct? It is curious to know by what process these tractarian Rosicrucians propose to convert falsehood into truth, deceit into sincerity, and earthly cunning into heavenly wisdom. The following are some of the manipulations which become apparent; whether there may not be others hidden from the observation of the uninitiated in the dark recesses of mental reservation, it is not for us to say. 1. The natural spirit,' of an article, unfavourable to Roman catholicism, is separated from its dry wording,' so that the real meaning of the words, by a kind of dissolving view, strangely disappears, and some thing essentially different rises on the same canvass. Every proposition which is difficult to be managed, like the ob

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