ORIGIN, CHARACTER, & PREVALENCE OF PUSEYISM.

Auckland Times, Volume 2, Issue 57, 13 February 1844, Page 4

ORIGIN, CHARACTER, & PREVALENCE OF PUSEYISM.

(From Tlie Lsowfo® Qbsertnee.) The intense and rmversal interest now felt m the srabject of Pnseyfem, will insure &a eager perusal of z. brief statement of tbs eircMcastaeoeis uuder which it originated, and the position it »w occupies. In the year 1833, the late Rev, Dr, Rose of King’s College, the Rev, Mr. Percival, Dr. Pnsej, &®4 two or three other clergymen, met its the hoscse of the first-named reverend gentleman, when, talking over the progress of Dissent and the nnpopu-1 laxity and eve® practical neglect into which High-Chard® principles had fallen of late years, they cause to a resolution to form themselves into a, society, though without any formal organization, to use 1 their utmost efforts to revive and bring ■ into practical recognition the class of j principles to which we have referred. The I celebrated ** Tracts for the Times” had their origin in the meeting in question. These Tracts appeared at irregular intervals, and were published at prices vary ing, recording to the quantity of matter, from twopence to sixpence. The Tracts soon attracted general attention, from the startling doctrines they advanced; and as the I tendency of all of the at was to exalt the authority of the Church, and increase the importance of the clergy, by investing them with a special sacred ness of character, the new class of opinions made rapid progress as*oug them. Every successive Tract became bolder and bolder in its tone, and approached nearer and nearer the doctrines of the Church of Rome. The principal writers were Dr. Posey, the Rev. Mr. Ward, the Rev. Me. Williams, the Rev. Mr. Newman, and one or two others. The series proceeded until it reached No. 90, which so openly aad strenuously advocated Popish principles, that the Bishop of Oxford felt called upon to interpose his authority and put an end to the further publication of the Tracts. The last of the series, No. 90, created a deep sensation, especially as it was soon discovered that it had contributed to make several individuals go openly over to the Church of Rome. The doctrines now held by the Fuseyites, who are sometimes called Tractarians, so closely resemble the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, that there can hardly be said, on most points, to be any essential difference between them. Among the points io which 4lie Puseyites attach a special importance, is the assumption that all the clergy of the Church of England, in common with those of the Church of Rome, have descended in a direct line from the Apostles. This is what is called apostolical succession. They also maintain that all children baptized by the Established clergy are regenerated when the water is sprinkled upon them; but they refuse to recognize the baptism of ministers of'other denominations as baptism at all. They hold that there is no hope of salvation for those who are without the pale of their Church. They denounce the Reformation, and look forward with eager desire to an union between the Church of England and the Church of Rome. They maintain that the Church has an authority above that of the State ;

and that the sovereign ami the renate are bound to submit to the dictum ot the Church. They lay hut little stress upon those doctrinal matters which die evangelical clergy in the Establishment regard as essential to salvation. ! hey attach much greater importance to the writings of the fathers than to the narratives of the inspired evangelists and the epistles of the Apostles. They hold, indeed, that the Scriptures ought not to be read at all by the iaitv, rittless accompanied by the exposition of their meaning, to be found in the Book of Common Prayer. They virtually rejen* the atonement, and set aside as fanaticism what is regarded by other bodies as the religion of the heart. 1 hey look upoa religion as mainly consisting in the observance of forms and ceremonies. They maintain that the bread and wine in the sacrament are converted, when consecrated by the clergy, into the actual flesh a.n<l blood of Christ, and that the sacrament constitutes a kind of continuation of the atonement of Christ upon the cross, ft is for maintaining these two latter points, its a sermon preached in the Cathedral of Oxford, that Dr. Pusey has been convicted of Popish heresy by a board ot divines, and sentenced by the Vice-Chancel lor it* two years prohibition from preaching within the precincts of the university. The board of divines, six in number, separated without coming to a formal decision ; but they afterwards severally gave in their decision, and were nnamasous t« their condemnation of the sensson as advocating heresy. Dr. Pusey has entered tm protest against the decision of the board and the sentence of the ! Vice-Chancellor, on the ground that he was not heard in hi* defence, and the objectionable parts of his sertuon were not specified. A requisition, signed by about sixtv members of convocation and bachelors of civil law, has been forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor, requesting him to point out the objectionable parts in Dr. Pusey’s sermon. The Vice-Chancellor has refused to comply with their request, though before passing sentence, he furnished Dr. "Pusey privately with, the grounds on which he condemned his sermon. Ihe sermon, it is understood, will be published in a few days, and will, doubtless, excite intense interest.

Puseyism has made extraordinary progress i« the Church within the last three years. It is calculated that, out of 12,000 clergy in England and Wales, 9,000, or three-fourths of the whole, are deeply tainted with it. 1« Scotland, again, the whole. <>f the Episcopal clergy, with the exception of three or four, are decided Puseyites, In Ireland, also, the heresy is making alarming progress. It is calculated that the majority of the Bench of Bishops are more or iess deeply tinged with it. Those of the prelates who most openly advocate Foseyite principles are the Bishop of Exeter, the Bishop of London, and the Bishop of Oxford. Among the churches and chapels in London in which Puseyite practices prevail to the greatest extent, Will be found Shoreditch Church and Margaret-street Chapel, Oxford •street. In the latter place, it would be difficult to perceive any difference between the form of worship and that observed in a Roman Catholic Church. In many of the Puseyite churches and chapels,daily worship has been established, and in all of them, we believe, the sacrament is administered weekly. We understand it is likely the subject will soon be brought before Parliament, and the question to be determined will be, whether a Protesfont country ought to be called on to pay from £6,000,000 to £7,000,000 a year to the established clergy for inculcating Popish principles and observing Popish practices in their places of worship, in entire disregard of the solemn engagements they came under at their ordination to maintain the Pro testant Religion of the Land.