Page:Catholic Thoughts on the Church of Christ.djvu/11



object of the following Pages is to present some suggestions respecting the Aim and Constitution of the Church of CHRIST and of the Church of England which may assist Ecclesiastical Students in the formation of opinions at once just and comprehensive. A time seems to be coming when it will be highly advisable for even the private Christian to be conversant with Ecclesiastical Theories: a time it is believed has already come when it is quite necessary that they should engage the earnest consideration of the Clergy of the Church of England. And it is as a contribution of assistance to any of his Brethren who, though far more qualified, may have less opportunity for investigation than himself, that the present writer proposes to record the views he is enabled to take of some Principles involved in all ecclesiastical arguments; revising them from time to time for some considerable period, if it shall please GOD to continue to him his present health and leisure. The tendency of his ecclesiastical opinions and the tone of his religious feeling he believes are such as will be characteristically permanent: but he also believes that it would ill accord with the experience of every thoughtful mind not to expect that in the course of years they will receive many material modifications. But however this be, this expectation may serve continually to suggest a lesson which he is very anxious to teach, and which he is sure it is for any man a blessing to learn, namely, the great wisdom which there is in gentleness of judgement: and at the least it cannot be unwise to mature in times of quiet opinions which must shortly become