munions, and this is attributed in part to Napoleon Buonaparte, who is said to have inspired a M. de Beaufort with the idea, and he published a Projet de réunion, présenté à S. M. I. et R. The Archbishop of Besançon, M. Rabaut, Junior, and others, criticised the scheme. An account of the controversy will be found in the work of Abbé M. M. Tabaraud on this subject.1 This has little to do with the reunion of the Church of England and that of Rome, but the book seems to have inspired the well-known Roman Catholic lawyer, Charles Butler, with the thought of writing on this subject. Of all Protestant churches, the national church of England most nearly resembles the Church of Rome. It has retained much of the dogma, and much of the discipline of Roman-Catholics. Down to the subdeacon it has retained the whole of their hierarchy; and, like them, has its deans, rural deans, chapters, prebends, archdeacons, rectors, and vicars; a liturgy, taken in a great measure, from the Roman-catholic liturgy; and composed like that, of Psalms, Canticles, the three creeds, litanies, epistles, gospels, prayers, and responses. Both churches have the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist, the absolution of the sick, the sign of the cross in baptism, the reservation of confirmation and order to bishops, the difference of episcopal and sacerdotal dress, feasts, and fasts.2 It may be remarked that this Mr. Charles Butler was legal adviser to Dr. Shute Barrington, the Bishop of Durham, whose desire for reunion has been spoken of above. A curious work, with a somewhat misleading title, Discussion amicale, was published in London but in the French language in 1817. Very little of it is friendly to the Church of England; but the last chapter of the second volume3 suggests that no moment like the time of the present writing has been so favourable to the return to unity. No explanations are even hinted at on the part of Rome. The mode of discussion is very like that of Dr. Shute Barrington, only from different points of view. About the same time there appeared another eirenikon, from a High-churchman, Samuel Wix, Hospitaller of St. Bartholomew's and a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Society of Antiquaries, so [M. M.] Tabaraud, De la réunion des communions chrétiennes, Paris, A. Le Clere, 1808, p. 450. 2[Charles Butler,] On the Reunion of Christians, Essay iv. § iv. in An Historical and Literary Account of the Formularies, London, Longmans, 1816, p. 194. * Discussion amicale sur l'Établissment et la doctrine de l'Église anglicane, Londres, Juigné, 1817. Par un licentié de la maison et société de Sorbonne. [J. F. Lepappe de Trévern, successively bishop of Aire and Strassburg.] It passed through three editions. that he would appear to have been a man of some note in his day. In his preface he states that "the Roman Catholics, it is believed are greatly misunderstood, and cruelly calumniated," and that the British and Foreign Bible Society is "the grand modern engine of religious Schism and Insubordination". He allows that it is impossible for the Church of England to seek for union with those "who persist in denying the prominent articles of the Christian Faith," such as are the Socinians and the Quakers; but No solid objection prevails against the Church of England attempting an union with the Church of Rome; since the Church of Rome is acknowledged by the Church of England to be a true apostolical Church. She denies no article of faith which the Church of England maintains to be requisite to salvation; though she entertains, in addition, opinions which the Church of England considers unnecessary or erroneous; many of which the Romish Church, on kind consultation, might be disposed to renounce or to modify or to some of which the Church of England might manifest a charitable forbearance. In the Council which it is proposed should be called, the custom of the Church Service being in a language not understood by the common people, might be considered, and be consequently abandoned. Other customs in the Roman Church, might also be dispassionately reviewed, particularly the offering up of prayers for the dead; the consecrating of oil for anointing the sick; the burning of incense at the altar, and the mixing of the sacramental wine with water.1 The last attempt at reunion between the Church of England and the Church of Rome that falls within the limits of our period is a correspondence between Dr. Doyle, Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, and certain Anglican laymen. The Bishop's first letter is addressed to a member of Parliament, Mr. A. Robinson, afterwards Lord Ripon, and is dated May 13, 1824. Like Samuel Wix, spoken of above, he suggests a meeting of "Protestant and Catholic Divines of learning and a conciliatory character," to be "summoned by the Crown to ascertain the points of agreement and difference". He declares that: The chief points to be discussed, are, the Canon of the Sacred Scriptures, Faith, Justification, the Mass, the Sacraments, the authority of Tradition, of Councils, of the Pope, the Celibacy of the Clergy, Language of the Liturgy, Invocation of Saints, Respect for Images, Prayers for the Dead. 1 Samuel Wix, Reflections concerning the expediency of a Council of the Church of England and the Church of Rome being holden, with a view to accommodate Religious Differences, London, Rivington, 1818, pp. 28, 33. On most of these, it appears to me that there is no essential difference between the Catholics and Protestants.1 The proposal of Dr. Doyle was received with something like enthusiasm by Mr. Thomas Newenham, yet his letter was but coldly answered by the Bishop; and Mr. Alexander Knox, a leading Irish Churchman, who, it will be remembered, is looked upon by many as a pioneer of the Oxford movement, wrote to Mr. Newenham to announce that in his judgement "no other union between the church of England and that of Rome is possible, but such as would involve a complete re-subjugation of the former to the latter ".2 This ended the correspondence. Of this proposal for reunion, Mgr. Bernard Ward says: "it is probably correct to say that Dr. Doyle's scheme is the only one in modern times which has ever been put forth by a Catholic bishop ".3 Apparently the proposal of Mgr. Lepappe de Trévern, successively bishop of Aire and Strassburg, just spoken of, is not considered to be serious. Dr. Johnson is reported by Boswell to have said (June 25, 1763): For my part, Sir, I think all Christians, whether Papists or Protestants, agree in the essential articles, and that their differences are trivial, and rather political than religious. Dr. Johnson was a sturdy Churchman as well as a pious man; and yet he agrees with Lord Melbourne, a cynical politician of indifferent morals, prime minister of England in the first half of the nineteenth century. Lord Melbourne thought himself safe in repeating an assertion that the main opinions of that Church [Rome] being essentially the same as that of our own, it is not fitting, etc.1 But again, this was written before 1870. And Lord Melbourne did not foresee the effect of "Catholic Emancipation" upon the English Roman Catholics, and the results of the flooding of the Roman Church in England with converts who had previously been what are called "spikes," and who, if prudence had been at the helm, would never have been re-ordained. 1 Letters on a Re-union of the Churches of England and Rome, from and to the Right Reverend Dr. Doyle, R.C. Bishop of Kildare, John O'Driscol, Alexander Knox, and Thomas Newenham, Esquires, Dublin, Tims [1824], pp. 8, 9. See also The Life, times, and correspondence of the Right Rev. Dr. [J. W.] Doyle, ed. by William John Fitzpatrick, Dublin, Duffy, 1861, vol. i. p. 320. 2 op. cit. p. 26. 3 Bernard Ward, The Eve of Catholic Emancipation, Longmans, 1912, vol. iii. p. 150. 4 Memoirs of the Right Reverend Richard Mant, Dublin, 1857, p. 333. INDEX. ABDY, S., on observance of Sunday, 245. Adams, Parson, on gaming, 239; Christmas, Adaptation of Roman books, 345. Agnus Dei, use of, 58. Ainsworth, T., on Apostolical Succession, a Alb, at Bledlow, 160, 163, 357, 362, 373; All Souls' day, sermon on, at St. Mar- Annand, William, Fides Catholica, 21, 22, Anne, Queen, reception of Communion, Anselm's, St., bones, 9. Apostolical Succession, 382. Archdeacons' courts, powers of, 257. Astell, Mary, her community, 284; euchar- ist in, 33. Athanasian Creed, prized by the Greek Atterbury, F., as a Nonjuror, 16; attempted Augustine, St., on fasting communion, 53. 420 Ayres, Philip, translates a French tract on BANGORIAN Controversy, 8. Barbier de Montault, Mgr., on the chasuble, Baring head in church, 171. Barrington, Shute, hopes for reunion, 415. Basire, Isaac, experiences in the East, 394. Basons, for Baptism, 166. 336; on the Ornaments rubric, 382. Beeke, Chr., on the Eucharist, 71. Bells, at funerals, 200, 201. Bennet, Thomas, on the Ornaments rubric, Berkeley, George, Bishop of Cloyne, II; on confession, 274; convents, 289; Best, W., on daily service, 85. Beveridge, William, weekly Eucharist at St. Peter's Cornhill, 22; on daily Bezant, offering of a, 206, 228. Bisse, T., on "table prayers," 76; Apostoli- Blackstone, Sir W., the sermons of his Bledlow, inventory of church, 160; cited, Blessing, asked from parents, 168; from Bona, Cardinal, adaptations of his works, Bonwicke, A., attends daily service, 98; Books of prayer and spiritual reading, etc., Bossuet, his message to Dr. Bull, 410. Bowing, to the altar, 173; at the sacred Burnet, G., 10; discountenances project for a nunnery, 284; project for a Butler, Charles, on reunion, 417. awake," 34; on Peploe's visitation of Cassock, 376, 378; non-removal of, held to Centlivre, Mrs., The man bewitched, 196. Chamberlayne, E., his project for a religi Chamberlayne, John, on religious societies Chardon, Dom C. M., on reunion, 414. Chasuble, question of its identity with the Chesterfield, Lord, 2, 3. Children, asking blessing of their parents, Choir offices, see Service. Church, R. W., on the "Church party," 15. Church Societies, 281. Churches; furniture and decorations of, Christmas, observance of, 204; ending of, 210; Wesley's daily celebration during, 30. Cibber, Colley, The Nonjuror, 19. Clayworth, number of communicants at, 38, 39; communion for the sick at, Cleaver, William, on the Eucharist, 74. Comber, Thomas, on the Eucharist during the Rebellion, 21, 24; daily Eucharist, CAMPBELL, Archibald, on prayer for the Commandment, fourth, 243. dead, 327. Candlemas, observance of, 211. Cannes, Christmas decorations at, 205. Carlisle, state of churches in diocese, 122. Caroline, Queen, wife of George II., 98. Communicants, number of, 37. |