THE following Sermons were preached at St. Mary’s, West Brompton, in
November and December, 1866. They are now printed as a humble
contribution towards the defence of the Catholic doctrine of the
priesthood, the altar, and the sacrifice, in days when there seem no
limits to assault upon it, when there prevails every conceivable
confusion between what is Catholic and what is Roman, and when there is
the widest misapprehension of the principles of our Reformation. If this
small volume should contribute in any way to a better understanding of
those principles, and to the vindication of the loyalty to our own Church
of such as, maintaining its Catholic character, desire equally to be
loyal to the Church Universal, (and believe in truth that there is no
antagonism between them,) it will not, I trust, be wholly useless. If,
further, it should lead any, in the spirit of candour and of prayer, to
give more consideration to this doctrine than perhaps hitherto they have
done, and especially to consult larger and more learned works upon the
subject, I shall have great additional reason to be thankful.
It is, I hope, hardly necessary to add that there is no intention or
desire in anything here said to pass judgment upon individuals, either
within or without our own communion. It will be found stated in the
following discourses how readily we believe that many receive the
benefits of the Christian altar and sacrifice who are yet unconscious of
them; whilst it is also willingly acknowledged, even as regards those who
more directly deny Catholic doctrine, that the present divided state of
Christendom, and the wide differences of teaching within our own
communion, make it a very different thing to be unable to see, (or even
to oppose,) the truth than would be the case if the Church were still
united, as of old, in one harmonious voice and one external communion, or
if there were a perfect unanimity among ourselves. When, alas, even
priests are found to repudiate their priesthood, it must be admitted,
without reserve, that there is too much excuse for the laity being
uncertain and perplexed. Whilst this teaches us to award the largest
measure of charitable construction to those who differ from us, it gives
only the more urgent cause both to state and vindicate the ancient faith,
and to shew that it was in God’s mercy preserved to us at the
Reformation.
I must not omit to say that I am indebted to Mr. Carter’s excellent
treatise for many facts, suggestions, and illustrations, even beyond
those which the references given explicitly acknowledge.