SPECTATOR'S LIBRARY.
VWEOLoOHLAI, CONTROVERSY, The Life and Defence of the Conduct led Principles-of the Venerable and Calum- niated Edmund Banner, Bishop of London iu the Reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI. Mary. and Elizabeth; in which is considered the Best Mode of again Chan- .giug the Religion of this Nation. By a Tmetarian British Critic. Dedicated to the Bishop of London &wiry and Burnside. Flame, Father Connell. By the contra Family. In three volumes Newby.
CIASSMAL LATIRATOSE.
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Edited by William Smith, Ph.D. Illustrated by numerous engravings ow wood Taylor awl Walton.
'A TEACTARIAN'S LIFE AND DEFENCE OF BISHOP BONNER.
THERE is no character in English history so popularly odious as " bloody" BONNER. This evil fame has partly arisen from the nature and number of his atrocities—the persecutions for opinion, the foreign influence that was supposed to have prompted them, and the cruel kind of death inflicted ; but a good deal is owing to the personal character of the man, although, strange to say, it was very English. His coarse burly manner marked his churlish origin, and gave strength and effect to every thing he did. Pliable, not to say supple within certain limits, he had an appearance of sturdiness which rendered his yielding all the more flattering : keen and politic under the guise of outward recklessness, he could frustrate what he disliked by a useless submission according to the literal letter, or put on a bold-faced opposition, as the case re- quired: deficient in oratory, he was ready in repartee, sometimes neat, but more frequently coarse, and neither humanity nor self- interest restrained his joke—he would as readily abuse the judges before whom he was called as the wretched martyr be himself was condemning. These are not attractive qualities even to a man's own party, and generally make bitter enemies. When em- ployed in a cause so unpopular as Popery, and exercised in a mode of execution so repugnant to our insular feelings as burning, it is no marvel if the common hatred settled deep against the memory of BONNER, especially as the persons he burnt were mostly of the people. This, however, may be said for him, that his metropolitan diocese of necessity brought more victitns before him than had he presided over a thinly-inhabited rural district ; and when he himself displayed unwillingness, he was urged on by the peremptory orders of the Queen. Whether BONNER had either conscience or religion has been questioned. Some have asserted that he was an Atheist ; not merely disbelieving the doctrines of Christianity, but the immor- tality of the soul or the existence of a God. That he was not a true Catholic, is clear by his submission to the reforms of HENRY the Eighth ; ;hat he had some opinions on religion, or at least some point of honour upon the subject, would seem equally clear, by his suffering deprivation under EDWARD the Sixth and again under ELIZABETH, for his views. But it may still be questioned whether, • with all his sturdiness and all his seeming boldness, he had not a quick enough sense of personal danger. If he had looked at EDWARD the Sixth with the keen eye which men of his stamp generally possess, he probably foresaw an early death, and knew that then his own turn would again come. His deprivation under ELIZABETH was formally owing to his refusing the oath of su- premacy, an oath which he had taken to HENRY the Eighth ; but to him refusal would have cost not only bishopric but head, as was the case with MORE and FISHER.
Certain articles of faith were, however, really involved in the oath to ELIZABETH, which were not in question in that to her father. These were, the belief in the doctrine of the real presence, the efficacy of prayers for the dead, and the use of the Catholic ritual instead of the modern prayer-book, as well as the opinion that the judgment of the individual reasoner should submit in all cases to the decision of the Catholic Church.
The volume before us is not in strictness a life of BONNER; but, as the theological opinions of the Puseyites and Queen MART'S Bishop agree very closely if they are not absolutely identical, it is chosen as a theme for an attack upon the Tractarians. The author, writing in the character of an Oxford Tractman and reviewer in the British Critic, proposes to follow out the inquiry which induced FRODDE to "think better than he was prepared to do of Bonner and Gardiner." He investigates the theology of the " bloody Bishop," in order to show that the religious opinions of that much- misconceived divine coincide with the views of NEWMAN, FROUDE, and POSEY, and are therefore worthy of all honour ; and although his personal conduct in the matters of politics and persecution is not exactly to be admired in all respects, it admits of excuse or pal- liation ; whilst his demeanour to his prisoners is a mutter explain- able, if not defensible. With this purpose the career and opinions of Bishop BONNER are considered seriatim, and placed pretty distinctly before the reader, so as to furnish a full and even fair enough view of his biography in many respects. But as the aim of the writer is not BONNER but PUSSY and Co., the life of the Tudor divine is ren- dered subordinate to the assault upon the contemporary Oxonians. This is done with great skill and great ability, and, looking at the length of the work and the difficulty of sustaining a double character for so long a space, with great effect. The essence of the superstitions and absurdity contained in the doctrines of the Oxford schismatics are evolved; the singular statements, the un- guarded expressions, even slips of the pen, have been noted, and turned to account ; whilst the conclusion contained in a proposition is rigorously pursued and presented in startling nudity. The style, though often rather careless, is sometimes worked up to a high degree of Strength and polish, without any appearance of labour; and the very difficult point of the double character is well sus- tained: the sarcasm is always biting, but quiet and latent; there are passages from which it might be difficult to determine whether the author was not writing in good faith, if they were con- sidered singly. Into the " tantas liter" it is not for us to enter, nor could it be done in any reasonable space ; but a few quotations will be neces- sary in order to convey an idea of the style of the writer, and of the manner in which old BONNER and the modern Oxonians are brought together. Here is an example of Mr. GLansTorts's " Apostolical succession" pushed to its legitimate conclusion, at least for those who with FROMM hold that a miraculous change may be effected in the bread and wine of the sacrament.
BONNER AND CO. ON THE AUTHORITY OP THE PRIESTHOOD.
The next anecdote or fact related of Bowler meets with the most cordial ap- probation both of myself and my friends. The whole of our system, and the whole of Bonner 's system, as applied by his and our friends, rests upon the Divine authority of the Christian priesthood. Neither shall I quote any pas- sages to vindicate the eulogy of Bonner at the meeting of the Convocation In 1554; when he affirmed, that " priests and elders be worthy of all men to be worshiped, for the dignities' sake which they have of Gad—as in Matt. xvi. Whatsoever ye shall loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven.'" Why shall I hesitate to praise Bonner fin this declaration ? lf, as my friend Froude, so often quoted, affirms, we have the power " to make the body and blood of Christ," then, as Bonner goes on to say, a priest is like the Virgin Mary: as she conceived Christ, the priest makes him. Mary by five words did conceive Christ : the priest by five words makes his very body. Other things he adds ; and he concludes that " the dignity of priests passeth the dignity of angels, because there is no power given by the angels to make the body of Christ. The least priest on earth may do that which the highest angel cannot do in heaven. Oh ! worshipful dignity of priests, in whose hand the Son of God is, as in the womb of the Virgin, incarnate ! wherefore priests are to be honoured before all kings, princes, and nobles. A priest is higher than a king, happier than an angel, maker of Lis Creator." Such are the words of Bowler. The Ultra-Protestant may deride them, but that Tractarian will never deny their justice who believes that the priest can make the body and blood of Christ. This Froude believed: this 'dormer believed. If I love Froude, why shall I not dare with him to love, to admire, to vindicate this our dear Smiler ?
Neither the arguments of the theologian nor the cruelty exer- cised towards the martyrs are neglected ; though the latter is not dwelt upon at any length, or for any purposes of claptrap horror. In the following passage both these features are combined.
" Another object of Bonner, of his coadjutors, of the Queen, the Govern- ment, the Council, and the Clergy, wan the restoration of the prayers for the dead, which I have shown in my Tracts to have been common to all the ancient liturgies without one exception; though I confess that it does nut appear to be supported by the Scriptures either of the Old or of the New Testament. We are most anxious to restore this practice. It is sanctioned by tradition. It was taught in the first Prayer-book of King Edward; and we have urged many arguments, which I shall not here repeat, to convince the people of its antiquity, and. 1 was about to say, of its usefulness, but as this is rather difficult, I shall only say of its adaptation to the affections of human nature and of its gratifying the imaginatiche though without commending itself to the reason, which derives its instruction from the inspired revelation of the written Scriptures, and not from the uninspired opinions of the unwrit- ten tradition. So it is, however, that we both advocate the doctrine that the ' dead in Christ obtain additional joys and satisfactions from the prayers of their brethren ': and if this also is Popery, I confess that we are Papists ; though indeed it is not necessary to make this confession in the pre- sent instance, for our not praying fur the dead is an omission only. The Church of England ' nowhere restrains her children from praying tor their departed friends.' Will you have nobody to pray for you when you be dead ?' said Banner to elawkes, whom he burnt. • No, surely,' was the answer, unless you prove the doctrine by the Scriptures '; an answer which Gardiner declared in another instance deserved the tire ; for be who professed his belief iu the Scriptures only, announced himself to be a heretic, and was only fit for damnation. Will you not grant the prayer of a righteous man to prevail ? ' re- joined Bonner. ' Yes!' was the answer, • for the living, not for the dead.' Not tor the dead ! ' exclaimed Bonner, in contempt and surprise. Hawkes was burnt ; and never, 1 must say, did the Ultra-Protestant cause produce a nobler victim. • Glee us a token, when you are burning in the Raines,' said one of his Ultra-Protestant friends, • whether the pain be so great that it is not pos- sible therein to keep the mind quiet and patient.' • I will do so,' said the sufferer : if the rage of the pain be endurable and may be borne, I will lift up my hands above my head towards heaven before I die.' And lie did so. When his powers of speech had ceased, when his skin had shrivelled like burning parchment on his writhing body, and his fingers had been consumed by the tire, he lifted up the stumps of his arms, made an effort to clasp the wreck of his limbs together, and thus, like the witnesses whom St. Paul enumerates, he quenched the violence of fire.' 1"here was a sense in which the old pro- mise was fulfilled, When thou walkest through the fire I will be with thee, and the flames shall not kindle upon thee.' But 1 am talking like an Ultra- Protests', t."
THE TWO NEWMANS, A PARALLEL.
When John Newman, an ancestor, 1 believe, of my illustrious friend at Ox- ford, but who, I think, was more of a Protestant than my friend, defended his refusing to be reconciled to the Church of Rome, he professed to have been convinced by the teaching of the preachers for seven years, in the time of King Edward, that their view of the Catholic Church was correct. 1 cannot learn from my friend's books, whether be agrees most with his martyred ancestor or with Bishop Bonner. But of this I urn sure, that John Newman of Maidstone, in the reign of Mary, who was burnt by Bouner at Teuterdeu, was much more of an Ultra-Protestant than his descendant John Newman, or Oriel College, Oxford, Vicar of St. Mary's; and 1 am sure also that the opinions ofJohn Newman, who was burnt, on transubstautiation, arc further from the doctrines of the Church of Rome, and I must say also, are more intelligible, than the opinions of the Oriel John Newman on the same subject, lately published : but 1 hail it as one peculiar sign of the times, that an lexfind teacher, clergy- man, and (till he actually becomes a member of the Church of Rome) a Pro- testant clergyman, should rejoice the hearts of my brethren of Rome, by en- deavouring to reconcile the abjuration of the doctrines of trausubstantiatiou with some other novel, not clearly defined notion of the same doctrine. The mo- dern John Newman is a more voluminous theologian than his ancestor. The faith of the latter shone bright in the fire of his martyrdom. The faith of the former, as a Protestant, gleams obscurely in the smoke of his writings. The latter appeals to Scripture—the former to the Church and to the Scripture. The modern Oxford John Newman, speaking theoretically, assures us that the Church of Rome alone, amid all the errors and evils of her practical system, h as given free scope to the feelings of awe, mystery, reverence, devotedness, ten- derness, and other feelings which may be especially called Catholic. The former Maidstone or Tenterden John Newman understood experimentally the real meaning of these kind and courteous words. Free scope was given to his feelings of awe, when he gazed with mournful firmness on the fire which burnt him. Deep was the feeling of mystery which Rome inspired, when be endeavoured to comprehend the doctrine of the sacrament and the possible connexion between t he truth of transubstantiation and the fagots of Smithfield. The feeling of reverence he certainly did not experience so singularly as his descendant of Oriel; neither was the devotedness of John Newman senior to the Church of Rome equal to the devotedness of the modern John Newman junior. With respect to the feelings of tenderness with which Rome inspired John Newman senior, he certainly did not at all understand the tenderness which bound him to the stake, set fire to the fagots, and consumed him to ashes; but with respect to the feelings of tenderness with which Rome inspired John Newman junior, be possibly imputes that to Rome which be may owe to the Ultra-Protestant laws, which he so thoroughly despises; for he may be assured that the tender- ness which Rome now displays to the Protestants, who hate the word " Pro- testant," and pay court to Rome without marrying that lady, is very different from the tenderness it might exert towards them if the strong hand of the Protestant laws did not direct and regulate the manifestation of its love.
Previous page
