hat we are
estranged from the great body of Christians over the world. And each
of these two facts is at first sight a grave difficulty in the
respective systems to which they belong." Again, "While Rome, though
not deferring to the Fathers, recognises them, and England, not
deferring to the large body of the Church, recognises it, both Rome
and England have a point to clear up."

And still more strongly in July, 1841:

"If the Note of schism, on the one hand, lies against England, an
antagonist disgrace lies upon Rome, the Note of idolatry. Let us not
be mistaken here; we are neither accusing Rome of idolatry, nor
ourselves of schism; we think neither charge tenable; but still the
Roman Church practises what is so like idolatry, and the English
Church makes much of what is so very like schism, that without
deciding what is the duty of a Roman Catholic towards the Church of
England in her present state, we do seriously think that members of
the English Church have a providential direction given them, how to
comport themselves towards the Church of Rome, while she is what she
is."

One remark more about Antiquity and the _Via Media_. As time went on,
without doubting the strength of the Anglican argument from
Antiquity, I felt also that it was not merely our special plea, but
our only one. Also I felt that the _Via Media_, which was to
represent it, was to be a sort of remodelled and adapted Antiquity.
This I observe both in Home Thoughts Abroad, and in the Article of
the _British Critic_ which I have analysed above. But this
circumstance, that after all we must use private judgment upon
Antiquity, created a sort of distrust of my theory altogether, which
in the conclusion of my volume on the Prophetical Office I express
thus: "Now that our discussions draw to a close, the thought, with
which we entered on the subject, is apt to recur, when the excitement
of the inquiry has subsided, and weariness has succeeded, that what
has been said is but a dream, the wanton exercise, rather than the
practical conclusions of the intellect." And I conclude the paragraph
by anticipating a line of thought into which I was, in the event,
almost obliged to take refuge: "After all," I say, "the Church is
ever invisible in its day, and faith only apprehends it." What was
this, but to give up the Notes of a visible Church altogether,
whether the Catholic Note or the Apostolic?

The Long Vacation of 1839 began early. There had been a