Look abroad, then! What you seek is not far to find. Behold the Christian Church. There you have the true worship of Humanity centred, as it necessarily must, in a Person Who is truly human, though He is also Divine, and Who, unlike the ideal saints of your calendar, lives for evermore, though once He died that He might conquer death for His followers."

Surely an effort like this, however faulty in execution, ought to be treated kindly and gently, in the spirit of Him Who promised a blessing on the cup of cold water given, in His Name, to any of His little ones. But I have reached the end of my tether, as regards space, and I must therefore come to an abrupt conclusion.

MALCOLM MACCOLL.

FRAGMENTA VARIA.

No. XIII. AN AMERICAN VIEW OF THE "EIRENICON." THE following has been forwarded to us, extracted from a newspaper critique :

"Dr. Pusey's letter has the following heading; 'The Church of England a Portion of Christ's One Holy Catholic Church, and a Means of Restoring Visible Unity.' It is addressed to the author of The Christian Year,' and was occasioned by the very kind of remarks from Dr. Manning which we have just alluded to; so that from this quarter we are now to learn how unity may be secured. Dr. Pusey's position will give him a hearing by all parties, and hence what he may say has great importance. He writes, too, with that charitable breadth of statement, that spirit of candor and fairness, which is imperatively demanded by such a subject. He has no party to support, unless you say he is determined to uphold the Church of England. His purpose is rather to harmonize the communions that retain the apostolical succession by showing how much they have in common. The bearing of his letter, of course, is chiefly toward the Roman system; and he seeks to show that behind the practical system which comes in between the people and their solid belief there is a substantial agreement between the Roman and Anglican churches as to the chief points in theology, so that on this point which is the most essential there is no reason why the moderate theologians on either side could not bring about a truce and union. This is all done in the utmost kindliness of feeling. The Greek, Roman, and English churches are all compared, and their slight differences in respect of the holding of the ancient and Catholic faith are noted with a loving hand. On pages 26 to 29 the comparison of the Roman and Anglican faith is admirable, and such a passage does much to cultivate the spirit of unity. Then other common ground is brought into view, and the earlier Roman Church is shown to be in substantial agreement with the Anglican."-The Round Table. April 14, 1866.

No. XIV.-A FRENCH BISHOP ON THE RE-UNION MOVEMENT. WE gladly comply with the request of the General Secretary of the A.P.U.C., to whom the letter was addressed, to insert an English version of it.

LEARNED AND VERY REV. SIR,-I request you to accept my

acknowledgment for your kindness in having transmitted to me
through
our common friend, the various books which,
with grateful obligations here offered, I was so glad to receive.
More than seven years ago your excellent Association was
brought before me for notice, and I read at one time and
another with interest and satisfaction of its continued advance-
ment. Having for many years taken a delight in the works of
Unity amongst Christian people, of which, in these last days,
the whole face of Christendom has so sincerely felt the loss, I
was encouraged in my peace aspirations, and strengthened in a
true conviction that, if the separated flocks were to be brought
together again under One shepherd, One on earth, as there is
One in Heaven, it would be accomplished through the inter-
vention of the religious people of Britain. And this all the
more so truly and especially, if, besides the Greek communion,
the Lutheran and other Protestant sects, became the subject of
our hopes and prayers.

I cherished, therefore, a hope that the Confraternity for Prayer
for Unity would be able to gather into its ranks a large number
of thoughtful Christians, who, witnessing the evil mischief
which the wild beast of the field has done to the vineyard of the
Saviour, would lift up sanctified hands that the Father of all
might be graciously pleased to listen to these offered petitions.
That hope has been fulfilled. Your Confraternity, which, in
the active hands of zealous men, such as you, has extended its
works so greatly and widely, and in a spirit of sincere simplicity,
and simple desire for Unity, has not laboured without profit.
I have heard from Count
and M. de
of the
advancement accomplished, and of the many signs of the
Spirit's presence amongst its foremost promoters-evidenced by
the labours shown forth.

One of its fruits is the beautiful treatise of the renowned Dr. Pusey, which, though containing several theological problems and complex dissertations which not, in a direct line, touch unity, nevertheless, by the calm words of their arguments, and the wisdom of their beautiful suggestions, relate to the Union of Churches which, like the Occidental and the Oriental, have been unhappily severed for so many years. Though this reverend Doctor debates at the most length questions arising between his own Church and the Mother and Mistress of all Churches, Rome; yet the proposals which, in the first case, concern us, have an interest to the Oriental, and to Christians everywhere and on every hand.

I am glad, then, Reverend Sir and my friend, that what you wrote to me through. is about to come to pass, and to know, in addition, that, as the Rev. Professor's treatise is more sent forth and perused, as it will be when French and German versions can be purchased, (which I hope,) the opportunity for

considering the Re-union proposition, grafted on to the former Tractarian belief, may more and more bring a weighty blessing upon its promoters and show forth the requirement of Unity in resisting the open and covered aggressions of false Liberality and spurious Reason.

I shall have the honour to send the book for which you make a request. I beg you to accept my true desires for a happy realization of your peaceful hope, and I beseech God, the Author of Unity, to bless your beneficent work.

Receive, my friend and Reverend Sir, therefore, the promise of my prayers; and an assurance of my distinguished considera

tion.

To the Director of the Confraternity of Unity at London.

No. XV. THE RE-UNION RESOLUTIONS REGARDING THE "EIRENICON" AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH UNION.

WE extract the following paragraph from the Church Review of June 19, 1866, as worthy of special notice.

The Vice-President proposed the following resolution :"That this Union rejoices in the publication of Dr Pusey's letter (the Eirenicon) to the Author of the Christian Year, and earnestly hopes and prays that God, in His Own time and in His Own way, will so dispose the hearts and minds of His people, that the sad divisions which now rend the seamless robe of Christ may be healed; and that the whole of Christendom may be reunited into one holy communion and fellowship, to the glory of Our Lord God, and the salvation of the human race." Mr. Gresley, who said he had been requested to introduce this question by the Council, pointed out that both the dying words of Our Blessed Lord, and the hindrances in the way of the Church's progress-resulting from existing divisionsmust bring home to the hearts of all the necessity of union, and of striving both by earnest efforts and earnest prayer to effect it, (hear, hear). We had learnt from the Eirenicon (cheers) that the differences between the English and other branches of the Catholic Church were less real and less numerous than they appeared to be. Still there were some points which were formidable, and prominent among them was the Supremacy of the Pope, but he hoped that the present exaggerated views on that point would be abandoned, (hear, hear.) Another difficulty was the extravagant notions of the worship due to the Blessed Virgin, which he thought could not fail to react, but might possibly in doing so advance the course of re-union. were probably greater hopes of re-union with the Greek Church,

VOL. IV.

21

There

seeing that it was not fettered with the Supremacy, nor with an extreme cultus in regard to the Blessed Virgin. Mr. Gresley then discussed at length the bearings of the Filioque controversy, which, however, he did not think to be of vital importance. He considered that any desirable scheme of re-union should embrace all the baptized, and pleaded especially for the Scandinavian and other bodies, in which the main want was the Apostolical Succession. He did not hold that unity involved absolute uniformity; and where we found the Sacramental system upheld and the Gospel preached, we must not enter too minutely into details. Again, as to interchanging Services with foreign churches, and requiring the use of their pulpits for our prelates and priests, he did not regard these as essential conditions, so long as there was intercommunion abroad. He foresaw a difficulty in this matter on the part of the Roman Church, which would probably require terms-such as confession before communion-which would be inadmissible; but it was not so in the Greek Church, as they knew by the experience of several of their brethren who had recently been received into full communion in Servia and elsewhere. He thought it very desirable that individuals and the Union itself should do their utmost in this matter, but he considered that the question ought to be taken in hand by the bishops who might ask foreign prelates for explanation, upon apparent points of difference with possibly the happiest results, (cheers.)

Mr. Pellew, in seconding the resolution, said it echoed the feelings of thousands of faithful Churchmen, both at home and in the Colonial and American Churches, who thanked God He had put it into the heart of Dr. Pusey to labour in that holy cause, (hear, hear.) In conclusion, he pointed out that one of the most obvious lessons of the Eirenicon was, that controversy should be carried on in a spirit of gentleness and forbearance. Love was quick to see, but passion was blind.

The Rev. Archer Gurney moved an amendment to the effect that, while the Meeting fervently prays that in God's good time the divisions of Christendom may be healed and the whole Church reunited in one body, that result must not be effected at the sacrifice of the distinctive principles of the English Church; the Supremacy of the Pope and prayers to the Saints being especially instanced as points which could not be conceded. In doing so he expressed his deep and fervent regret that the Union was about to fall into the fatal error of committing itself to the apparent consent to reunion with Rome on the basis of the Council of Trent, (ironical cheering.) He ventured, on the other hand, to say that there were many Members of the Union who objected to union with Rome on any terms, (loud cries of "Oh, oh," and dissent.) The Union had paid Dr. Pusey the highest compliment by electing him on the Council, (loud cheers,)