ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

Scope of the Essay - For whom intended - Remarks on the tone of certain Writers on Ritual - The Method adopted in this Essay is an Appeal to the New Testament exclusively - Why - How to Search the Scriptures - Illustration of Unscrupulous Controversy from a work by Dr Cumming, Pp. 1 - 25

PART I.

THE CHARACTER OF CATHOLIC RITUAL IN HARMONY WITH THE NEW TESTAMENT.

CHAPTER I. - FIRST PRINCIPLES.

1. The Great Truths of Scripture do not always lie on the Surface - 2. Ritual Unchristian, unless it leads to, or flows from, "Worship in Spirit and in Truth" - Our Lord's Words Examined - Statement of the Catholic View - 3. There is no Code of Ritual in the New Testament - Protestant Argument from this - Catholic Answer, Pp. 29 - 45

CHAPTER II. - SPLENDOUR.

Splendour not essential to Ritual, yet eminently Christian - This is Proved from a Review of the Supernatural Phenomena which accom - panied the Birth, Baptism, Transfiguration, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ, and the Descent of the Holy Ghost - This was God's own Ritual, and the Model on which Catholic Ritual has been formed, Pp. 46 - 62

CHAPTER III. - APOSTOLIC WORSHIP.

Apostolic Worship not Splendid - Protestant Argument from this - Catholic Explanation in the Poverty and Persecution of the Early Church - Proofs that absence of Splendour was not the result of Principle - Protestants misinterpret the Accounts of our Lord's "Simplicity" in the New Testament, as the Jews misinterpreted the Prophecies of the Messiah's "Magnificence" in the Old Testament - Some Contrasts of Holy Scripture which Explain each other, Pp. 63 - 70

CHAPTER IV. - SUPPOSED DANGER OF ABUSE.

Not so great as of the Splendour of Nature - Illustrations from Travellers and Poets - Cardinal Wiseman's Description of the Quaranf Ore, and Coleridge's Description of Mount Blanc - Protestants misjudge the Effect of Ritual on Catholics : 1. Because they do not understand the Influence on Catholics of the Belief in the Real Presence ; 2. Because to Protestants Ritual is strange and perplexing, not to Catholics ; 3. Because Modern Controversies have given Ritual an unnatural Prominence - Is Protestant Simplicity always Spiritual? - Testimonies of Menzel, Hamilton, and Wilson, Pp. 71 - 90

CHAPTER V. - SYMBOLISM.

Strange Mistakes of some Protestants regarding the Effect of Ritual in the Conversion of the Heathen, and on Catholic Populations - Splendour is a Rare Feature in Catholic Worship - Symbolism is an Ordinary Characteristic - Objections Stated to a Multiplied, Minute, and Symbolic Ceremonial - Appeal to the New Testament - Pharisaism' and Ritualism not Identical - False Ritualism and True Ritualism - List of Minute Ceremonies used by Jesus Christ and His Apostles - Conclusions, Pp. 91 - 106

CHAPTER VI. - SYMBOLISM (continued).

Symbolism not proper to the Jews, but common to every Form of Religion - Examples - The Rites of the New Testament nearly all Symbolical - Illustrations - Symbolical Language of Scripture a valid Argument for Symbolical Rites - Refutation of Dr Vaughan - Argument drawn from the Imagery of the Apocalypse - Answers to Objections, Pp. 107 - 126

CHAPTER VII. - MULTITUDE AND OBSCURITY.

Two Objections of the Anglican Reformers - Catholic Ceremonial not a Burden - Some Words of St Peter Explained - Catholic Worship not Theatrical - In what Sense, to what Extent, and for what Purpose, Ritual is Obscure - It is Bke the Holy Scriptures, Pp. 127 - 137

PART II.

THE ORIGIN OF CATHOLIC RITUAL JUSTIFIED BY THE NEW TESTAMENT.

CHAPTER VIII. - TRADITION AND RITUAL.

Scope of the Second Part is to show the Testimony of the New Testament to Traditional Ritual - I. What is Tradition? - "Unwritten" Tradition does not Exclude Literature - Yet Tradition is a Living Witness, Accessible to the most Simple - It is the only Source of Unity - 2. Statement of the Question regarding Tradition - Tradition not merely Supplementary to Scripture - Tradition is the voice of God's Works, especially of Ritual - Illustrations - In the Catholic View Ritual and Divine Tradition do not Admit of Interruption - 3. What would be the Proper Way of Settling the Controversy - Tradition ought to be heard in its own Defence, yet here the Appeal will be to Scripture only, Pp. 141 - 161

CHAPTER IX. - RITUAL A DIVINE WITNESS.

What were the Traditions of the Pharisees - Real and Apocryphal Traditions Distinguished by the same means as Real and Apocryphal Scriptures - Protestant Traditions - The Bible was not intended by God to Supplant Tradition - Proof from History of God's Providence - Arguments in Favour of Tradition from Prophecy, from our Lord's Conduct, from the Conduct and Language of the Apostles, Pp. 162 - 185

CHAPTER X. - TRADITION THE TEST OF SCRIPTURE.

Misconception of Dr Whately - He confounds Protestant and Catholic Tradition - They are utterly Distinct in their Nature - Protestant Society has only the material Custody of Scripture, and its Traditions are professedly Derived from Scripture ; whereas the Primitive Church had its Traditions independently of Scripture, and these Traditions were the Test by which the Scripture Canon was formed - Theory of a Recent Author, regarding the " Verifying Faculty," Refuted - The Verifying Faculty must be Educated - That of the Primitive Church was formed by Tradition - If Tradition is Lost the Verifying Faculty is Maimed - Even if Protestants could Test the Present Canon they cannot Test the Books that were Lost - It is certain that Apostolic Writings have Perished - Protestants can have no Assurance of the Completeness of the Canon - Illustration of these Principles in the Matter of Ritual, Pp. 1S6 - 206

CHAPTER XI. - RITUAL A KEY TO SCRIPTURE.

The Scripture References to Ritual require a Key, and were intended to be Read by Help of the Key of Existing Ritual - This is Proved by a Consideration of all the Passages regarding the two Rites received by Protestants - I. Baptism - Theory of the "Ecce Homo" Examined - The Gospels do not Contain Sufficient Information, nor the Acts of the Apostles - Use of Technical Phrases in Scripture which Tradition must Interpret - The Epistles do not Supply what is Deficient in the Historical Books - The Scope of the Epistles according to Locke - Conclusions - 2. The Eucharist - Testimony of the Gospels and Epistles Examined - 3. Without a Key we could not Learn from Scripture the Relative Importance of Various Rites - Illustrations from the "Washing of Feet" and the Sabbath, Pp. 207 - 230

CHAPTER XII. - PICKING THE LOCK.

Can Scripture be Interpreted like other Ancient Books? - Argument that it cannot from the History of Scripture Criticism - Illustration regard - ing Baptism - Second Illustration regarding the Eucharist - By the Protestant Treatment of Scripture the Sacrament of Unity becomes the Main Cause of Diversity - The Reasons why Scripture cannot be Interpreted without Tradition, are, that it was Written for those who Possessed Tradition ; and those who Reject Tradition can neither Supply its Defect from other Sources nor from Conjecture - Why God thus Inspired Scripture, Pp. 231 - 248

CHAPTER XIII. - "CIRCUMSPICE."

Sir Christopher Wren's Epitaph applicable to the Work of Jesus Christ - In what Sense Scripture is Complete - Why Permanent Institutions like Ritual are only Slightly Touched on in Scripture - From the Nature of the New Testament we should Expect to find Minor and Secondary Matters Occupying a more Prominent Position than others of Primary Importance - Important Conclusions from this Principle - How to Read Scripture, Pp. 249 - 266

THE FORMATION OF CATHOLIC RITUAL BY PRINCIPLES RECOGNISED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

CHAPTER XIV. - THE PATTERN ON THE MOUNT.

How Catholic Ritual grew up - The Pattern on the Mount is the Life of Jesus Christ - The Church is able to create Ritual - Answer to an Objection of Dr Vaughan - Catholic Ritual results from Love of Jesus Christ - Testimony of Lavater, Pp. 269 - 282

CHAPTER XV. - COMPENSATION.

Reparation a Natural Instinct, which has Peculiar Scope in the Religion of Jesus Christ - Singular Reasoning of some Protestants - The Magi - Sermon before the Fathers of Ephesus - Passage from Dr Newman - Mary Magdalen - The Procession of Palms - Application to the Holy Eucharist - Christian Chivalry, Pp. 283 - 297

CHAPTER XVI. - THE GREAT LEGACY.

The Real Presence - Dr Vaughan's Remarks - History of the Sensible Presence of God on Earth from the Creation of Man to the Incarnation - God's Presence in the Incarnation - 1. More Real - 2. More Hidden - 3. More Gentle - Protestant View that with the Incarnation all Sensible Tokens of God's Presence left the Earth - Catholic View that they became Permanent - This View alone consistent with Scripture - Answer to Objections - Inconsistency of the Protestant View - Its Consequences Exemplified in Milton and Wordsworth - The Holy Eucharist the Source of Ritual, yet Pre - eminently the Mystery of Faith, Pp. 298 - 327

CHAPTER XVII. - TWO VIEWS OF HISTORY.

The Protestant View makes Religious History an Anti-Climax - Passage from Milton - The Catholic View regards History as a Development - A Priori Character of Protestant View - Theory of a Recent Author - Gradual Victory of Catholics in the Historical Controversies of the Last Three Centuries - Infidel Theories - Catholic View of History more Consoling and more Honourable to Jesus Christ - The New Testament should be Interpreted by its Fulfilment in the Catholic Church - Examples, Pp. 328 - 341