of theology.' I rather think he was recommended, or proposed to read
Scott's Bible."

"It's easy to bring instances," said Charles, "when you have all your
own way; what you say is evidently all an _ex-parte_ statement."

"Take again Shipton, who died lately," continued Sheffield; "what a high
position he held in the Church; yet it is perfectly well known that he
thought it a mistake to use the word 'Person' in the doctrine of the
Trinity. What makes this stranger is, that he was so very severe on
clergymen (Tractarians, for instance) who evade the sense of the
Articles. Now he was a singularly honest, straightforward man; he
despised money; he cared nothing for public opinion; yet he was a
Sabellian. Would he have eaten the bread of the Church, as it is called,
for a day, unless he had felt that his opinions were not inconsistent
with his profession as Dean of Bath, and Prebendary of Dorchester? Is it
not plain that he considered the practice of the Church to have
modified, to have re-interpreted its documents?"

"Why," said Charles, "the practice of the Church cannot make black
white; or, if a sentence means yes, make it mean no. I won't deny that
words are often vague and uncertain in their sense, and frequently need
a comment, so that the teaching of the day has great influence in
determining their sense; but the question is, whether the
counter-teaching of every dean, every prebendary, every clergyman, every
bishop in the whole Church, could make the Athanasian Creed Sabellian; I
think not."

"Certainly not," answered Sheffield; "but the clergymen I speak of
simply say that they are not bound to the details of the Creed, only to
the great outline that there is _a_ Trinity."

"Great outline!" said Charles, "great stuff! an Unitarian would not deny
that. He, of course, believes in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; though he
thinks the Son a creature, and the Spirit an influence."

"Well, I don't deny," said Sheffield, "that if Dean Shipton was a sound
member of the Church, Dr. Priestley might have been also. But my doubt
is, whether, if the Tractarian school had not risen, Priestley might not
have been, had he lived to this time, I will not say a positively sound
member, but sound enough for preferment."

"_If_ the Tractarian school had not risen! that is but saying if our
Church was other than it is. What is that school but a birth, an
offspring of the Church? and if the Church had not given birth to one
party