a discussion of the secondary
causes, by means of which a system of doctrine may be embraced,
modified, or developed, of the variety of schools which may all be in
the One Church, and of the succession of one phase of doctrine to
another, while it is ever one and the same. Thus I was brought on to
the subject of Antiquity, which was the basis of the doctrine of the
_Via Media_, and by which was not implied a servile imitation of the
past, but such a reproduction of it as is really young, while it is
old. "We have good hope," I say, "that a system will be rising up,
superior to the age, yet harmonising with, and carrying out its
higher points, which will attract to itself those who are willing to
make a venture and to face difficulties, for the sake of something
higher in prospect. On this, as on other subjects, the proverb will
apply, 'Fortes fortuna adjuvat.'"

Lastly, I proceeded to the question of that future of the Anglican
Church, which was to be a new birth of the Ancient Religion. And I
did not venture to pronounce upon it. "About the future, we have no
prospect before our minds whatever, good or bad. Ever since that
great luminary, Augustine, proved to be the last bishop of Hippo,
Christians have had a lesson against attempting to foretell, _how_
Providence will prosper and" [or?] "bring to an end, what it begins."
Perhaps the lately-revived principles would prevail in the Anglican
Church; perhaps they would be lost in "some miserable schism, or some
more miserable compromise; but there was nothing rash in venturing to
predict that "neither Puritanism nor Liberalism had any permanent
inheritance within her." I suppose I meant to say that in the present
age, without the aid of apostolic principles, the Anglican Church
would, in the event, cease to exist.

"As to Liberalism, we think the formularies of the Church will ever,
with the aid of a good Providence, keep it from making any serious
inroads upon the Clergy. Besides, it is too cold a principle to
prevail with the multitude." But as regarded what was called
Evangelical Religion or Puritanism, there was more to cause alarm.
I observed upon its organisation; but on the other hand it had no
intellectual basis; no internal idea, no principle of unity, no
theology. "Its adherents," I said, "are already separating from
each other; they will melt away like a snow-drift. It has no
straightforward view on any one point, on which it professes to
teach; and to hide