Thirty-nine Articles had always been looked upon as a breastwork against all the errors of popery. This breast^vork was now riddled through and through, and a free way opened for the influx of the whole host of papal errors. Shortly after the appearance of tract 90 Oxford became alarmed. A session of the university authorities declared that the tracts were in no wise of- ficially sanctioned by the university, and that a sub- scription of the Thirty-nine Articles in the sense taught in tract 90 was utterly contrary to the spirit of sub- scription. Also the bishop of Oxford (hitherto friendly to the party) sent a message to Newman, censuring the tract in question, and forbidding their further publica- tion. Other prelates joined in the condemnation. Newman yielded ; and the tracts ceased to appear. A host of hostile writings was now set afloat. The evan- gelical party saw all its fears realized : the Tractarians loere at the threshold of Rome.
The Pervei-ts. — It seemed a hea\y stroke for the Tractarians that their tracts were now prohibited, and that most of the prelates had turned agamst them. But this very crisis was a help to their cause; it occasioned a sifting of the party, throwing out the half-hearted ele- ments, and drawing the genuine Anglo-Catholics into closer ranks. The general drift of the school disap- proved of Newman's crypto-Romanism. Perceval, in
1842, in a book, A Collection of Pajiers connected with the Theological Movement, etc., divided the Tractarian doctrines into two classes : the common teaching, and the private views of certain individuals. The first class embraced four points : apostolic succession, baptismal regeneration, the eucharistic sacrifice, and the infalli- bility of councils called according to the canons of 1571. To the second class belonged five opinions : turning to- wards the east in praj'er, the purification of souls in the middle state, Pusey 's view of sin after baptism, Williams's reservatio, and Keble's notion of mystical interpretation of Scripture. The first four points constituted the gold- en centre of the Tractarian school. Pusey and Keble diverged slightly towards Rome ; and farther still stood Newman, W. G. Ward, and many younger disciples. When, now, the official condemnation of Newman's tract 90 tended to drive the extremists back towards the centre, some had already gone too far to regain their equilibri- um. In a sermon in May, 1843, Pusey taught tran- substantiation so clearly that the authorities suspended his preaching for two years. Soon thereafter his assist- ant teacher in Hebrew, Seager, went over to Rome. The next important case was Ward. He had taught in the British Critic, a quarterly that went down in
1843, and in the Ideal of a Christian Church, 1844, the most offensive Romish views — Mariolatry and mental reservation in subscribing the Thirty-nine Articles. A '•convocation" at Oxford degraded him from his uni- versity rights, and expelled him. In September, 1845, he went over to Rome. Newman thereupon clearly saw that a mid-position between Anglicanism and Rome was no longer practicable. He resigned his position, and followed Ward. Newman's act was the signal for a host. Oakley, fellow of Baliol, and priest of St. INIar- garet's, London, followed. Other perverts were : Collvns, chief pastor at St. Mary's, Oxford ; the poet F. W. Faber, rector of Elton; Thompson, pastor of St. Marylebone; Gordon, priest of Christ Church, Regent's Park. By De- cember, 1846, not less than 150 clergymen and eminent laymen had become Romanists.
It was not merely doctrines, however, but rites also that caused trouble. Several Romish usages were si- lently and gradually introduceil into many churches. These things alarmed the public. The press resounded the cry, "No Popery!" Counteractive societies were formed. An incident gave impulse to a general attack. One (Jorham was nominated to a parish in the diocese of Exeter. The High-Church bishop. Dr. Philpotts, opposed his appointment on the ground that he denied baptismal regeneration. After manifold protests and appeals, Gorham's views were justified by the highest
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tribunal. This spread consternation among the Anglo- Catholics. The Church, said they, is surrendered to heresy, and that too by a court of laymen. How can she. longer 'be a guardian of orthodoxy! It was now feareii that the Sacramentarians would in a body go ovdr to Rome. But the bishops of Exeter and Oxford exhorted to patience and hope. This, however, came too late for some: Palmer, a chief Tractarian, had sought communion with the Greek Church; Maskell, priest in Exeter, had come to the conviction that, with the ex- ception of the Trinity, the English Church had not a single settled doctrine ; Dr. Townsend, of Durham, had sought audience with the pope, and prayed for the call of a council. Others, in deeper despair, had set out to colonize New Zealand, in hope of there realizing their Church ideal. AVhile this agitation was in progress, England was awakened and astonished by the news, in October, 1850, that the pope had raised Dr. Wiseman to the dignity of cardinal and archbishop of Westminster, and distributed England into twelve bishoprics. Noth- ing, however, but regrets and disapproval were possible. The pope had acted uncanonically, said the Tractarians, since England possesses already a sufficiency of Catho- lic bishops. But this ])apal action was severely felt by the Tractarian party : it rendered the Romish Church more inviting and aristocratic, and attracted many of their members into its bosom, especially from the high- er classes. By Christmas, 1852, no less than 200 clergy- men and more than as many la3-men had gone over to the Romish communion. The assumptions of Roman- ism and the political agitation combined to check the extreme Iligh-Church bishops in their patronage of in- novations. The bishops of Exeter, of Oxford, of Bath- Wells, and the archbishop of Canterbury, assumed a more conservative position, protested against the arro- gance of Rome, and counselled their clergy to beware of giving deeper offence. But these counsels were poorly heeded. The leaven of sacramentarianism had been too widely sown. It continued to work, and silently to gain ground. Romanizing ritualism more or less pro- nounced spread far and wide. Auricular confession was introduced in some parishes. In a few cases priests were silenced for indulging in it. This feature is very distasteful to the English sense of personal honor, and has contributed largely to moderate the Tractarian ad- vance. By the end of the year 1862 the whole number of clergymen who had gone over to Rome amounted to about 300.