LONDON:

GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS,

ST. JOHN'S SQUARE.

OF AN

English Churchman.

BY THE REV.

WILLIAM GRESLEY, M.A.

AUTHOR OF

ECCLESIASTES ANGLICANUS, A TREATISE ON PREACHING.

"From both love and hate,

Affections vile, low cares, and envy's blight,
And controversial leanings and debate,
Save me! from earthly film my mental sight
Purge thou,-make my whole body full of light!
So may my eyes from all things Truth convey,

My ears in all thy lessons read aright,

My dull heart understand, and I obey,

Following where'er THE CHURCH hath marked the Ancient Way."

LYRA APOSTOLICA.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR J. G. & F. RIVINGTON,

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD,

AND WATERLOO PLACE, PALL MALL.

14

PREFACE.

THE present Volume is an attempt to paint the feelings, habits of thought, and mode of action, which naturally flow from a sincere attachment to the system of belief and discipline adopted in our Church.

Church principles have been so much discussed of late, that I would willingly have passed over that part of the subject; but daily experience proves that they are still very imperfectly understood, or little considered, by the mass of those who call themselves Churchmen. I have therefore devoted some Chapters in the earlier part of the work, to a brief, though not a careless or hasty, discussion of the principles of the

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