The Eclipse of Faith | Page 5

disguised. Tractarianism is seen to be
what many had proclaimed it,--the strict ally of Rome. The hopes it
inspired were the causes of the Pope's presumption and of Wiseman's
folly; and, by misleading them, it has, to a large extent, undone the
projects both of Rome and itself. But even before the recent attempts,
its successes were very partial.
The degree to which the infection tainted the clergy was no criterion at
all of the sympathy of the people. Too many of the former were easily
converted to a system which confirmed all their ecclesiastical
prejudices, and favored their sacerdotal pretensions; which endowed
every youngster upon whom the bishop laid hands with "preternatural
graces," and with the power of working "spiritual miracles." But the
people generally were in little danger of being misled by these
absurdities; and facts, even before the recent outbreak, ought to have
convinced the clergy, that, if they thought proper to go to Rome, their
flocks were by no means prepared to follow them. Except among some
fashionable folks here and there,--young ladies to whom ennui,
susceptible nerves, and a sentimental imagination made any sort of
excitement acceptable; who turned their arks of embroidery and
painting, and their love of music, to "spiritual" uses, and displayed their
piety and their accomplishments at the same time,--except among these,
I say, and those amongst the more ignorant of our rural population
whom such people influenced, the Anglican movement could not boast
of any signal success. In the more densely peopled districts, and
amongst the middle classes especially, the failure of the thing was often
most ignominious. No sooner were the candles placed upon the "altar"
than the congregation began to thin; and by the time the "obsolete"
rubrics were all admirably observed, the priest faultlessly arrayed, the

service properly intoned, and the entire "spiritual" machine set in
motion, the people were apt to desert the sacred edifice altogether. It
was a pity, doubtless, that, when such admirable completeness in the
ecclesiastical, equipments had been attained, it should be found that the
machine would not work; that just when the Church became perfect, it
should fail for so insignificant an accident as the want of a
congregation. Yet so it often was. The ecclesiastical play was an
admirable rehearsal, and nothing more. Not but what there are many
priests who would prefer a "full service," and an ample ceremonial in
an empty church, to the simple Gospel in a crowded one; like Handel,
who consoled himself with the vacant benches at one of his oratorios
by saying that "dey made de music sound de ner." And, in truth, if we
adopt to the full the "High Church" theory, perhaps it cannot much
matter whether the people be present or not; the opus operatum of
magic rites and spiritual conjuration may be equally effectual. The
Oxford tracts said ten years ago, "Before the Reformation, the Church
recognized the seven hours of prayer; however these may have been
practically neglected, or hidden in an unknown tongue, there is no
estimating what influence this may have had on common people's
minds secretly." Surely you must agree that there is no estimating the
efficacy of nobody's hearing services which, if heard by any body,
would have been in an unknown tongue.
I repeat, that the people of England will never yield to Romanism,
--unless, indeed, it shall hereafter be as a reaction from infidelity; just
as infidelity is now spreading as a reaction from the attempted
restoration of Romanism. That England is not prepared at present is
sufficiently shown by the result of the recent agitation. Could it
terminate otherwise? Was it possible that England, in the nineteenth
century, could be brought to adopt the superstitions of the Middle Age?
If she could, she would have deserved to be left to the consequences of
her besotted folly. We may say, as Milton said, in his day, to the
attempted restoration of superstitions which the Reformers had already
cast off; "O, if we freeze at noon, after their easy thaw, let us fear lest
the sun for ever hide himself, and turn his orient steps from our
ungrateful horizon justly condemned to be eternally benighted." No, it
is not from this quarter that England must look for the chief dangers

which menace religion, except, indeed, as these dangers are the
inevitable, the uniform result of every attempt to revive the obsolete
past. The principal peril is from a subtle unbelief, which, in various
forms, is sapping the religion of our people, and which, if not checked,
will by and by give the Romish bishops a better title to be called
bishops in partibus infidelium than has always been the case. The
attempt to make men believe too much naturally provokes them to
believe too little; and