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5 ^ o ^ 51 iEf > iSrGsr " against ^^~^^ £ — DENISON . A commission , appointed by his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury , consisting of the Right Rev . the Bishop Carr , Rector of Bath ; the Rev . Jl . Pole , Rural Dean and Rector of Yeovilton ; the Rev . Charles Langdon , Rector of Qneen Camel ; the Rev . R . Colston Philips , Rector of Caeklington ; and the Rev . Charles Otway Mayne , Rural Dean and Rector of Midsomer Norton , for the purpose of making inquiry as to the grounds of certain charges , brought by the Rev . Joseph Ditcher , Vicar of South Brent ; against the Venerable George Anthony Denison , the Archdeacon of Taunton , for that he the said George Anthony Denison ; did , on Sunday , the 7 th-day of August , 1853 , on Sunday , the 6 th day of November , in the same year , and on Sunday , the 14 th day of May , 1854 ; in the cathedral church of Wells , preach three several sermons , and afterwardB write and ' publish , or cause to be published , the said Bermons , in which he did advisedly maintain or affirm certain positions or doctrines , to wit : —
" That the body and blood of Christ being really present after an immaterial and spiritual manner , in the consecrated bread and wine , are therein and thereby given to all , and are received by all who come to the Lord ' B table , that to all who come to the Lord ' s table , to those who oat and idrink worthily , and to - those who eat and drink unworthily , the body and blood of Christ are given , and that by all who come to tho Lord ' s table , by those who eat and drink worthily , and by those who oat and drink unworthily , tho body and blood of Christ
are recoived , and that the universal reception of the inward part or thing signified of the sacrament , in and by the outward sign , is a part of the doctrine itselfthat worship is due-to the real though invisiblo andi supernatural presence of the body and , blood of / Christ in the Holy Eucharist under the form of bread and winethat the act of consecration makes tho real presence , that the ac t of consecration makes the real sacrament , through tho operation of tho Holy Qhostj to be Christ ' s body and blood—that in tho Lord ' s Supper ilie-owtward
vexta or signs , and the iiwrard p « te - o ^ tbioge si g « J * 4 P * " * " . ^* TL < w * he » bv the act of eoaaeeration , that , ^ SSS ^ SZ 5 £ *••« £# ¦§ - *¦*¦* . who ^ S ve tite SacBamea * of the- Lord * Sapper-receive JtobSSSd blood of Christ , aU-wMd * positons andh ^ Xs ^ b complai ned : to be directly contrary on ££££ * £ tbTLctrine ofrthe Church . o * Engla «^ SspSally to the artideaof religxon a * by lawesta-.
Dr Phillimore and Mr . A . Kingteke * as deputyre 5 £ r £ * of the court of the A ^ hdea ^ n of Tauinto « , appeared for the Archdeacon , and © n Bayford f t > * th SSrabie discussion- ensued , between the counsel on each side on points rafted zfc Jw » ne by Dr FMlfcmore , who objected to the jurisdiction of ? he ^ omHyBsioB , and urged tha * there beingft ™ parties in the Church of Eng land ^ known as " high and " low * church , there could be no , greater moekerv than to eal * upon a person to defend himsS ^ alSisTa tribunal- stud tou ly . selected , fromthose who held exactly opposite opmsons to the person ^ DrfB ^ yford contended tha * the exceptio judieus JatVince-with the Act of Parliament which authorised the sittings of such a commission , neither was it competent to Iny clerk to object , to his bishop
S ^ princh > ol = proceedings consisted of the ezaonnation / ofseveral ^ itnesses in proo f of the * eUv ery and publication of the sermons , objected to . rne court then considered the validity of ' the doctrine * enunciated , and the «* finding "• was ae * follows : — '" Hie commissioners , after due consideration of the depositions taken before them , and of certain printed sermons numbered 1 , 2 , and 3 , and of - documents annexed to the depositions , declare their unanimous opinion —First , that as respects the preaching and publishing , or making known or public the above sermons by the Venerable the Archdeacon of Taunton , within the diocese of Bath and Wells , there is sufficient prmQ , facie ground for , instituting further proceedings . Secondly ,, the commissioners . having carefully examined the aforesaid
sermons and the charges specified in the commission , declare their unanimous opinion that the . proposition of the Venerable the Archdeacon Taunton , that to all who come to the Lord ' s table , to those who eat and drink worthily , and to those who eat and drink unworthily , the body and blood of Christ are given , and " that by all who come to the Lord ' s table , hji . those _ who eat and drink worthily , and : ^ Y those who eat and drink unworthily , the body and blood of Christ are received , is directly contrary or repugnant to the doctrine of the Church of England , and especially to the . articles ofj religion , and that the doctrines as set forth in the aforesaid sermons with
reference to the real presence in , the Holy Eucharist are unsupported by the articles , taken in then * literal and grammatical sense , are contrary to the dpctrines and teaching of the Church , of England ,, and . have a very dangerous tendency . The commissioners are therefore of opinion , secondly , that there is sufficient -primd facie groundfpE . instituting , further .. proseedwgs ^ JThe commissioners , at the same time , think it . due to the Venerable Archdeacon to state that , in the sermons under consideration , he has expressed bis full , assent and consent to the articles of religion , and that he has . ex animo condemned the doctrines of the Church of Rome , and , particularly tho Roman . doctrine of transubstantiation . " '
The-greatest possible excitement has prevailed at Clevedon , and in the neighbourhood , during the -sitting of the . coramisflioq . The general , opinion . i ? > tha , t the proceedings hare , been , grossly , unfair . The , court ,, is constituted , almost , entirely . of "Low " Cliurohmen * and the Arohdeacon-doej * . no t poasaes tho right held even by a . prisoner , that of challenging , a j ury which may be prej udiced , It may be doubted whether the CUurcli ! is . strengthened , by allowing a court so packed to . decide serious doctrinal points . The following letter from-Dr , Wolff was written in reply to a > remonstrance reoeiyed . from . a friend on accp , upt , o £ the evidence lie . gavo a . t . the inquiry : — - January 10 , 1666 .
"My dear Friend , ' — -I am vory much obliged tQ . you for- your kind present of your sermon on 'Antichrist , ' which I have not yet received . If also-thank you-for the openness with which you write to ma on the subject of the evidenoo I : gave in favour of one of the most sincere of menT—George A , Denisonv ^ In tho yeara 1 & 19-21 I-was , the pupil ; as you are aware , of' that' man of God— 'the- Rev . Charles Simeon . one day declared one of his ( Simeon ' s ) adversaries in
doctrine to bo a heretic , when good old Simeon gently , but seriousl y , reproved me , saying , ' I-perceive that you came lately-- from Iiome ^ where on © heara immediately tho outcry "Heresy ! heresy 1 " Wo ought to bo very cautious in declaring any one who differs from our motto of interpretation a heretic ; and I deplore , ' Simeon continued , ' that such a 'condemning spirit has entered-in a great degree ovon among pious mid sincere men in the Protestant community I ' " Now , my dear friend , these words of good old Simeon have never been forgotten by me , and it wm in consequence of the' admonition I ¦ received front < tfauut man of God . ' that'll declined Bigning any paper-agafaufc Doctor
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mmmmm Ste ^ sfja ^ ssKMs M ^^ S ^^ tS municated to them , and every portion of it frankly and acutely discussed . „_ .. ____^^_ and the roached— ; I .
"AH was now ready , great day , app adavforever memorable in the Church ' s annals—the day in which the : greatest prerogative of holiness , ever conferred on creature—exemption from the stam of ; original sin-was to be dogmatically declared , as it had been firmly believed to belong to the purest of beings , after Him who chose and fitted her to be His mother . "You wilt of course , understand , dearly beloved in Christ , that the Church pretends to . no new revelations , but chwms the unfailing assistance of the Holy Spirit to guide ' her into all ^ riith , and the teaching in her of her divine Founder , to the consummation of the world ; and therefore the perfect assurance that whatever she is found at any time to be universally teaching , and what the Vicar of Christ pronounces to be her doctrine , has been that of the Catholic Church from the beginning , and conseauentlv a portion of that deposit of faith and : l i ' , I i [ ' - \ [ '
a part of that revealed-truth which was intrusted to . Her by the Author and Finisher of her faith . It is . not , therefore ; to ' announce to the world any new discovery , nor to demonstrate by argument a particular theory , that this -venerable assembly was convened in the magniftcenj ; Basilica pf , St . Peter , on the memorable 8 th of December , jusf ; elapsed . It was as successor to him over whose ashes and under the shadow of whose chair he stands to prpnounce a decree of unfailing certainty , that the irnmuitfty . of the ever-blessed Virgin Mother of Godj the eternal Word incarnate , and the Spotless Lamb had been a doctrine revealed from the beginning , and if hitherto only received in blessed faith , henceforth by virtue of his decree to be believed by all with explicit faith— -that is , as . a distinct and separate dogma , no longer involved in the general befief of what the Church teaches . " . ! , I t " '
The pastoral then describes the assembly of the prelates in the Vatican Chapel of the Palace and the opening . cerempnies , and , states that the procession set 'forth and , presented , one of ; the noblest ecclesiastical spectacles eter wjtnesBed -e , ven ~ in Sfc-Peter ' s . It thepa ^ qntiiiufis :-ru wjll not attempt to describe the magnificent cele- ^ brationof the holy sacrifice which followed . All the special : grandeur which accompanies it when offered up by the Sovereign Pontiff in the greatest of churches was this year , immensely enhanced by the additional attendance of' 80 manyprejates . No regal or imperial ceremony could be more august than the procession of these 200 prelates , as each singly approached , to do homage to the
head of the Church before the moss , commenced . The office of Tierce was first chanted ^ the Gospel andrEpistle were , according to custom , sung in Greek as well as in Latin ; . and it waa a quarter past eleven when the last note of ; the Evangelist sounded over the shrine , of St . Peter , ; and a . silenqe took place ,. such as . it is difficult to imagine in a crowd of , 30 , 000 or- 40 , 000 persons who filled the . church . Eyery breath : was held , every , nerve was . strajned , and attention of eye and , ear was keenly directed , towards the Pontiff ' s . throne . The venerable Dean of ) the . Sacrqd * College , the Cardinal Mucchi , in his
8 Cth ypar , but still m enjoyment , of full mental vigour , approached the steps , accompanied by a Greek and an Armenian bishop , as supporters and witnesses of hfe petition , together with twelve senior archbishops of the Western Church , who were assisted at the tlirone by the officers of the household , who are official witnesses of such importanf . transactions . Kneeling there ,, tho eminent postulantt , in the name of his brethren and , the whole Catholic episcopate , supplicated the Holy Father to pronounce , hjs dogmatical definition of the immaculate conceptipQ , of the ever-glorious . Virgin Mary .
" The , Pontiff assented , but called upon all to join him in invoking tho light am ^ grape pf , the Holy Spirit at such , a solemn moment , Hejknclt , aiid in his clear , sonorous ,, and . most musical voice intoned the hymn , 1 Veni . Creator Spiritus . ' Tho choir sung the first verse , and , according to practice , was going to continue , when the entire , congregation , not only of . assembled , bishops nnd clergy , but of , crpwds of people , spontaneously and simultaneously , and with admirable harmony , took up the song ,, and with a loud voice as the sound of many waters , Dut one as the expression of a single heart , filled the whole Basilica
with such a strain as perhaps never before ; struck agitfnst itfs golden vaults . It was grand beyond conception ; it was . sublime ; and came nearer to . the realisation of what . St . Jolin hoard of heavenly muslo thai ) , apything which ho or others have ever bofprq llfltened to and it was repeated at each altornato ve . » w . a 8 perfect a regularity as if the whole multitude nadTbeen trained to answer tho choir . But still more sublime than this glorious strain was tho silence which ensued . Standing at his throne , the Holy Father commenced'the reading of the ' sofcinn decree , by which ,
as Suitor Pastor of * he visate head of >«» tt »>» Ch ^ rfi , a « successor of- the Apostile » St . Peter and-S * . ptul , ^ as vic « : of Jesus Chrkt on ^ h heau ^ tatively and dogmatical ^ pronounced that immunity frWSiginal shtTV in other words , the . immaculate cS ^ S the ever ^ blessed Virgin Mary , the mather otG % L is a revealed docrme . of the Cathohc Church . <^ Be had , however not proceeded far , before hi * tear * and sobs interrupted his speech , and it was only , by au effort which evidently cost him great exerfcion that h ^ could make his w . ords struggle- tiixough the trie of h » emotions , and me audible above the flood of ^ hB Overpowering-feelings . He succeeded ^ ^ ^ mdeed ^ so . ths * we h * d the happmTs s of hearing eveiy word aad ^ glableof ^ it most memorable deore&r but that flood of- tenderdevotion drew after itself corresponding sentiments & « mthe souls of others , so that scarce a day eye was torbe seen amid those who witnessed this touching scene ., k ^ cannon ' s voice gave . . the signal of the happy accpmpl ^ lfcj ment of . so many fecvent desires to the whole city , ajwi the prolonged peals . of : ghidness : from the oldea towers of basilicas and the belfriea of modern churches represented * the clahnof the earUer and hiter peripds of unchange-r able Catholicity . ' ? The Carclinal Dean returned before the throne to , return , thanks , and accompanied by the proper official personages , to request that the official deed should be drawn up of the proceedings , and the Bull issued containing the decree just pronounced . The , mass , then continued , and at the Te I ) eum which closed it ajl the ; people jpined ,, and with the , same overwhehning melody as they had : introduced , into , the invoca } ip . n of , the Holy . ; Ghpst . " ' " j . The paatoisaL after touching , slightly upon the i great festival of the Sunday , following * concludes ; thus :-T— ' " Rejoice , then , dearly beloved ; again , we say , rejoice . Bejoice m the Lord , whp has so graciously bestowed upon His Church so signal a blessing , whereby the piety of her children haa ' been wonderfully excitedj and- their love for their Mother in Heaven greatly increased . " Eejoice that to her fresh glory has been given , and a new jewel to hrighten the crown she wears , that we mayhope for new favours and graces from her affec-v tionate and powerful intercession . Eejoice that through this glorious event the unity of ¦ ¦ the Church , the peace and love that reign among its pastors , their docility to their head , their attachment to the see of Peter , and the piety and learning of so inany ~ of them , have been so convincingly exhibited ; "And , though absent in body , yet in spirit present with you , we rejoice with you , and pray to God that from this special joy He will raise more solid graces , fruit of the blessing which the Holy Father , through our hands , sends down upon you . " Given out of- the Flaminian Gate of Rome , and appointed- to be read in all the churches and 1 chapels of our diocese on the Sunday following . its publication , this 14 th day of December , 1854 . " N . Cabdinal Wiseman . "
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 13, 1855, page 34, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2073/page/10/
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