The Catholic World, Vol. 03, April to September, 1866Various
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 03, April to September, 1866
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
faith is in Scripture, in an improper sense, in the sense that
_tradition_ is able to recognize and determine it there. You do not
profess to dispense with tradition; nor do we forbid the idea of
probable, secondary, symbolical, connotative senses of Scripture, over
and above those which properly belong to the wording and context. I
hope you will agree with me in this.
3. Nor is it only in isolated passages that you give me a place in
your volume. A considerable portion of it is written with reference to
two publications of mine, one of which you name and defend, the other
you tacitly protest against: "Tract 90," and the "Essay on Doctrinal
Development," As to "Tract 90," you have from the first, as all the
world knows, boldly stood up for it, in spite of the obloquy which it
brought upon you, and have done me a great service. You are now
republishing it with my cordial concurrence; but I take this
opportunity of noticing, lest there should be any mistake on the part
of the public, that you do so with a different object from that which
I had when I wrote it. Its original purpose was simply that of
justifying myself and others in subscribing to the Thirty-nine
Articles while professing many tenets which had popularly been
considered distinctive of the Roman faith. I considered that my
interpretation of the Articles, as I gave it in that Tract, would
stand, provided the parties imposing them allowed it, otherwise I
thought it could not stand; and, when in the event the bishops and
public opinion did not allow it, I gave up my living, as having no
right to retain it. My feeling about the interpretation is expressed
in a passage in "Loss and Gain," which runs thus:
"'Is it,' asked Reding, 'a received view?' 'No view is received,'
said the other; 'the Articles themselves are received, but there is
no authoritative interpretation of them at all.' 'Well,' said
Reding, 'is it a tolerated view?' 'It certainly has been strongly
opposed,' answered Bateman; 'but it has never been condemned.' 'That
is no answer,' said Charles. 'Does any one bishop hold it? Did any
one bishop ever hold it? Has it ever been formally admitted as
tenable by any one bishop? Is it a view got up to meet existing
difficulties, or has it an historical existence?' Bateman could give
only one answer to {51} these questions, as they were successively
put to him. 'I thought so,' said Charles; 'the view is specious
certainly. I don't we why it might not have done, had it been
tolerably sanctioned; but you have no sanction to show me. As it
stands, it is a mere theory struck out by individuals. Our church
_might_ have adopted this mode of interpreting the Articles; but,
from what you tell me, it certainly has not done so.'"--Ch. 15.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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