“Considering, 1.  That the only way of salvation is the partaking of the body and blood of our sacrificed Redeemer;

“2.  That the mean expressly authorized by him for that purpose is the holy sacrament of his supper;

“3.  That the security by him no less expressly authorized, for the continuance and due application of that sacrament, is the apostolical commission of the bishops, and under them the presbyters of the church;

“4.  That under the present circumstances of the church in England, there is peculiar danger of these matters being slighted and practically disavowed, and of numbers of Christians being left, or tempted to precarious and unauthorized ways of communion, which must terminate often in vital apostasy:—­

“We desire to pledge ourselves one to another, reserving our canonical obedience, as follows:—­

“1.  To be on the watch for all opportunities of inculcating, on all committed to our charge, a due sense of the inestimable privilege of communion with our Lord, through the successors of the apostles, and of leading them to the resolution to transmit it, by his blessing, unimpaired to their children.”

Then follow two other resolutions:  one to provide and circulate books and tracts, to familiarize men’s minds with this doctrine; and the other, “to do what lies in us towards reviving among churchmen, the practice of daily common prayer, and more frequent participation of the Lord’s Supper.”

The fourth resolution, “to resist unauthorized alterations of the Liturgy,” I have already quoted:  the fifth and last engages generally to place within the reach of all men, accounts of such points in our discipline and worship as may appear most likely to be misunderstood or undervalued.

These resolutions were drawn up more than seven years ago, and their practical results have not been contemptible.  The Tracts for the Times amount to no fewer than ninety; while the sermons, articles in reviews, stories, essays, poems, and writings of all sorts which have enforced the same doctrines, have been also extremely numerous.  Nor have all these labours been without fruit:  for it is known that a large proportion of the clergy have adopted, either wholly or in great part, the opinions and spirit of the Tracts for the Times; and many of the laity have embraced them also.

It seems also, that in the various publications of their school, the object originally marked out in the resolutions quoted above, has been followed with great steadiness.  The system has been uniform, and its several parts have held well together.  It has, perhaps, been carried on of late more boldly, which is the natural consequence of success.  It has in all points been the direct opposite of what may be called the spirit of English protestantism of the nineteenth century:  upholding whatever that spirit would depreciate; decrying whatever it would admire.  A short statement of the principal views held by Mr. Newman and his friends, will show this sufficiently.