ment in doctrine with the Ancient Church."
Presently I go on to speak of sanctity: "Much as Roman Catholics may
denounce us at present as schismatical, they could not resist us if
the Anglican communion had but that one note of the Church upon
it,--sanctity. The Church of the day [fourth century] could not
resist Meletius; his enemies were fairly overcome by him, by his
meekness and holiness, which melted the most jealous of them." And I
continue, "We are almost content to say to Romanists, account us not
yet as a branch of the Catholic Church, though we be a branch, till
we are like a branch, provided that when we do become like a branch,
then you consent to acknowledge us," etc. And so I was led on in
the Article to that sharp attack on English Catholics for their
short-comings as regards this note, a good portion of which I have
already quoted in another place. It is there that I speak of
the great scandal which I took at their political, social, and
controversial bearing; and this was a second reason why I fell back
upon the note of sanctity, because it took me away from the necessity
of making any attack upon the doctrines of the Roman Church, nay,
from the consideration of her popular beliefs, and brought me upon
a ground on which I felt I could not make a mistake; for what is
a higher guide for us in speculation and in practice, than that
conscience of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood, those
sentiments of what is decorous, consistent, and noble, which our
Creator has made a part of our original nature? Therefore I felt I
could not be wrong in attacking what I fancied was a fact,--the
unscrupulousness, the deceit, and the intriguing spirit of the agents
and representatives of Rome.

This reference to holiness as the true test of a Church was steadily
kept in view in what I wrote in connection with Tract 90. I say in
its Introduction, "The writer can never be party to forcing the
opinions or projects of one school upon another; religious changes
should be the act of the whole body. No good can come of a change
which is not a development of feelings springing up freely and calmly
within the bosom of the whole body itself; every change in religion"
must be "attended by deep repentance; changes" must be "nurtured in
mutual love; we cannot agree without a supernatural influence;"
we must come "together to God to do for us what we cannot do for
ourselves." In my letter to the bishop I said, "I have set myself
a