Transcribed from the [1883?] Elliot Stock edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org THE NEW DEPARTURE; OR, Thoughts for Loyal Churchmen. * * * * * BY THE REV. E. HOARE, VICAR OF TRINITY, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, AND HONORARY CANON OF CANTERBURY. * * * * * (Reprinted from “The Churchman.”) * * * * * LONDON: ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW. _Price One Penny_. * * * * * THE NEW DEPARTURE; OR, _THOUGHTS FOR LOYAL CHURCHMEN_. IT is one of the difficulties of perfect fairness in controversy that we are often unable to ascertain with accuracy the real opinions of any considerable bodies of men. This is especially the case when people are not united as a corporate body, and therefore there is no dogmatic or authoritative statement of their opinions. If, for example, we are brought into discussion with those who term themselves “The Brethren,” we may be perfectly satisfied that we are giving a fair and faithful representation of what we believe to be their teaching; but still we cannot prove our statements by authority; for there are no authoritative documents, and what one “brother” admits, another may deny. It was, doubtless, this difficulty that led to the peculiar language of the 31st Article. The Council of Trent did not define the doctrine of propitiatory sacrifice in the mass until the year A.D. 1562, and consequently in A.D. 1552, when the Article was drawn up, the framers of it could not refer to any authoritative document, but could only condemn what they knew to be the current teaching of the Church of Rome. They therefore used the expression, “_in which it was commonly said_.”