The Christian Remembrancer (Volume 56) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1868. Excerpt: ... of their education has been shaken, to find their way to Romanism than to Anglicanism. Yet no other body makes any claim as of Divine right to our allegiance, and the English Church has at least this advantage still, that it is the Church of the nation; the Church a change into whose communion would seem less violent than if a sudden plunge were made into all the modern developments of the Roman system. The prejudice of any candid inquirer among Dissenting bodies would certainly be in favour of the English rather than the Roman Communion, though to many an intellectual Dissenter the appearance of unity pervading the Roman Church, and its fearless dogmatism, will be more attractive than the open questions and manifest divisions in the Church of England. Such persons, too, are in general brought more in contact with Anglicans than Romanists, and the national feeling will be likely to have more weight than the cosmopolitan idea. The principle of deference to the Bible alone has held together much longer than could reasonably have been expected; it has been shivered to atoms by Dr. Colenso and his friends; and it is certain that no new Bible such as that which seems contemplated by the new school, will ever have much weight, except with its compilers. People must believe something, and some of them will be led to enquire why they believe it, and on whose authority. And assuredly the answer that most will give themselves will not be because they find the doctrines reasonable. The time for a reasonable religion died out with Locke and Tillotson; and though many people are so unfortunately placed, owing to the various schemes that exist, that they have to depend more or less on reason for their choice, they will never be content that the doctrines of their relig...