A Review of Mr. Newman's Lectures on Romanism [Lectures on the Prophetical Office of the Church] with General Observations on the Oxford Tracts [&C.]. (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. 1839. Excerpt: ... questions of practice, not of principle, and the distinction he professes to draw between our Church and that of Rome is, therefore, of comparatively little consequence. I shall pass over these lectures entirely now, as I mean to quote passages from them when I come to the indefectibility of the Church. The fifth lecture is upon the use of private judgment. "By the right of private "judgment in matters of religious belief "and practice, is meant the prerogative, "considered to belong to each individual "Christian, of ascertaining, and deciding: "for himself from Scripture what is gospel "truth, and what is not. This is the prin"ciple maintained in theory, as a sort of "sacred possession or palladium, by the "Protestantism of this day. Romanism, "it is equally clear, takes the opposite ex"treme, and maintains that nothing is left "to individual judgment; that is, that there "is no subject in religious faith and con"duct on which the Church may not pro "nounce a decision, such as to supersede "the private judgment, and compel the "assent, of every one of her members. The "English Church takes a middle course "between these two. It considers that on "certain definite subjects private judgment "upon the text of Scripture has beeu su"perseded, but not by the mere authorita"tive sentence of the Church, but by its "historical testimonies, delivered down "from 'the Apostles' time." Now supposing the English Church has taken the extraordinary course here attributed to her, it becomes a serious question to the private Christian what "certain definite subjects" must be understood to mean. If the Church makes this definition, he clearly has no right of private judgment left. If he is to make it, his right of private judgment is unlimited. At this time the Church may ...