CIHM Microfiche Series (Monographs) ICIVIH Collection de microfiches (monographies) 1 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques I Ttchniul and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques ct bibliographiquei iriques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best orisinal copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. m Coloured covers/ Couverturt da couleur D D D D D Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagie Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur** *t/ou pelliculie Cover title missing/ L* titr* dc couverture mar4 TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 I.I 1.25 1 4^ 150 2.8 13.2 |a6 4.0 11^ 1 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 A ^IPPLIED IM/^GE Ir SS"^ 1653 East Main Street 'S'JS, Roctiesler, New York 14609 USA '■^g (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone ass (716) 288- 5989 -Fox UA W' ff IN ^ "I inc trai the our of $ na A LETTER TO OCCASIONED BY THE RECENT PUBLICATION OF THE NARRATIVE OF IIIS CONVERSION TO THE ROMISH FAITH. IN FOUR PARTS. /./ BY A CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN. But this I confess to thee that after the way which they call Heresy so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things ^ which are written in the Law and the Prophets," Cwhich term now includes the inspired writers of the N. T.) Acts xxiv. 14. As we appear to our adversaries no better than madmen and ar« traduced as Heretics who have no communion with Christ or with the Church of God we think it both pertinent and serviceable to our cause to give a free and ample etatement of our opinions, and of the hope which we have in Jesus Christ our Saviour. JcELLi Arui.ooiA FccLEsiiE Anglican* , (CampbelUt Tranthtion.) MONTREAL: PBINTED BY NAHUK MOWER. r \ c Pi T C. Ju Pi ©©sfffiasfi'g, Premonition. Introductory Remarks. PART I. 3* p . PART II. Examination of the Serona-cu..< «^^p^^„ -, , Pamphlet - it r^rds the comparative .DiriT.t^ "''"" e^^. of the Romi.h and Protln, ^^'j''-^":"'- 2l ,, p . . , PART III. £xamm8tionofthesamenartoftl,eP«mn»,i^ ~. ly a. it regards the Inf^iibii^ of f^e Th T ' rity of Scripture and Tradition. ! " ""'' '^'^"'^°' V . . / PART IV. £xaminat.on of the same part of the Pam^ki . -H respects the tenets usaJesln '^^ *' contmued; «, «fp„ . ""'"*'"'"*«« "nd instuutions of the rhi.r^l, of Ro^.e against whicH the Reformed Churches protest TK. . SACRAMENTS. -ine nature and number of tH« « the five Romish sl ^'•"'""*'"». «nd rema.ksupoa Protestants ^"'^''^^-''-t acknowledged as such^j, BaptiM,. and the Lord's Supper." f^acrifice of the Mass. Trt'Obubstantiifion. CommuiiioH under one kind. . ' °™^R POINTS OF DIFFI i jrp Justification. ... i- WCE. Purgatory. . . . ' * * " 71 72 83 «5 90 97 100 lOff ,t -i 4. s '! -^■Hesrra^^ zf- ■av \ .»^^.- /#-7| CONTENTS. Indul^encfi. Invocation of SHinti, Ac. '..'.' ''° Reiici and Miracles. . . * • • lia hn^m. ... • • • • - I« • " • • • • 198 CEREMONIES OF WORSHIP AND ECCLESIASTICAL IN- 8TITUTIONS. C«i>emonief of Worthip. • PublicPrayer in an unknown t«,ngue. •.--!»» MonaKtic fnititutions Celibacy of the Clercy. . . " • 9? ■ * • - H7 PAPAL SUPREMACY AND SOVEREIGNTY AND UNIVER. SALITY OF THE CHURCH OP ROME. One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. - . . IM Application to the Ch..«u«fB»,u„a.„H other.. . , ,«, to the Church of Rome. . Papacy of St. Peter, and connituted .uccession of Pope. irou. ''' thu Apostle compared with the t«timony of Scripture. j 75 _, 7 *'*'' "'e testimony of Antiquity. . ioq Sketch of the Origin and Progress of the Papal Power . , «>, Canons and Councils. . . . _ Conclusion. ... ^°' •••••- aia APPENDIX. Con«.trng of Extracts from the Fathers chiefly taken from Pro- m • no • • lis • • 131 • • 128 BSIA9TICAL IN. • • 139 * * 1S7 m « 13? - - H7 AND UNIVEI^. LOME. ■ • IM * * 160 - 166 t Popei ifrou ripture. 175 ity. • 180 »er. - 185 - « 208 • • S13 n from Pro- tjes relating ifiiBiKi(©2ia^2[^^^ The Author of the following Letter, altho' he hw fnci- dentally urged the same point in the course of his subject, cannot be too earnest in Bxing the attention of his Reader, to the necessity of separating, in ,he discussion of this ques- tion-the Pro/sssor, of the Romish Religion from their Church,— the pkrsons from the SyHent. U order to judge fully of the disputed ground, and to meet all that is advanced on the other side, it is necessary to take a commanding point of view, and to institute some re- trospective enquiries which are not of the most inviting kind :- Butaltho* the result shakes the foundation of the Romish System, it is far from necessarily implicating it's followers in the same charge with the Framers of the System which they * receive. It is but reasonable also to claim some indulgence for thj Freedom with which this system is examined, upon the fol- lowing grounds ; - First, that the objections made to it a^e Ttue, Secondly, that they are Important. Thirdly, that they have been long called for, aqd are 9^^^m,Ae'mSelf-Defence. -fi y rREMONITION. Fourthly, that they have not been framed with a view to Proselytism. Lastly, that, after all-what^er may be^tHfe extent of our objections to the Romish System, and however broadly it may bo necessary to state them.-our Charity of belief to- wards them, is still infinitely greater than they are permitted to entertain for «,-for God forbid that we should deny them salvation. 22d August, 1822. ' < f 1 1 #-# 1 ' ed with a view to be tHfe extent of however broadly »rity of belief to- ey are permitted hould deny them PART THE FIRST. INTBODUOTORY REMARKS. *-« 8211, IT emxM, I apprebend. o„ld produl Zf!!^ J"""" .0 ™p« u.e n..uv.. Which pro»p j',!:,':^rr'* your nuivc .Communio.." Butifwould LTZl k.^" «^dy, A., a., public .hculd h.vc,„i JdtL "T .•»''"■• «f dmorbmg the fiUth of tho« wh» profea th, b!i '^ ^ King ^ of the Government, ^LZ^^tZ^ were u. your ,n,nd ,. «hid,, (if I ^^ ^ „c„Jt TST •u.n «en,ing to be warranted by that of sTp. 1^ . Olympic Game,.) the P« whid,Ch^/l!*^„'» "*• fined fbro., only the underplot inU^^L^T^'' 7" can hardly fad of being .ue^.«I of ZelTuL 7 .pectator. , and you are far indeed 6,„ diZL!'! t Li"^; f 1 i' 'V It is not indeed without a struggle that I can bring myself to undertake this task. I am a cerdial lover of Peace, and ready to make large sacrifices for it's preservation. The Clergy of our persuasion are evidently actuated by the same feelings. I cannot accuse them of indifference to their Reli- gion. Yet it has long been within their knowledge that books of the same description with your pamphlet have been industriously circulated by the Teachers of a Rival Church, and they have rarely, I believe, if ever, made any' express at- tempt to counterwork them, beyond their immediate care, (and this has sometimes come too late,) to rectify the views of individuals who have been staggered in their opinions. That very profound book which is called « A plain and ra- tional account of the Catholic Faith," by Bishop Sheil, and the accouht of the Conversion of the Rev. John Thayer, (the lame person, I take it for granted, whom you heard preach in a Romish Church at Salem J which was consummated by means of a supposed miracle at Rome, — with many others of a similar description, have glided themselves into the walks of the Protestant and lured him to apostatize from his faith. But you are the first, as far as I am aware, whose labours have been proclaimed thro' the common channels of public information. We have had no advertized conversions, that I know of, till now. It is time therefore that we should buckle on our harness ; and I am the more urged to volunteer my poor services because I am persuaded that the silence which has been hitherto observed is interpreted by men who cannot understand forbearance, as an acknowledgment of inability to maintain the cause. If your arguments are left to spread themselves unchecked and unnoticed we shall not fail to see them succeeded by something else which will serve to re- mind us of the iieponse au silence de M. La Motte. BcT, once embarked in the unwelcome strife, I trust that we shaU be found ready for you to the utmost lengths to ..'^r-a^ffv^-tu^ b It I can bring myself lover of Peace, and preservation. The ctuated by the same erence to their Reli- leir knowledge that pamphlet have been of a Rival Church, lade any express at« eir immediate care, to rectify the views i in their opinions. 1 " A plain and ra- •y Bishop Shell, and . John Thayer, (the I you heard preach as consummated by —with many others selves into the walks tatize fVom his faith, rare, whose labours 1 channels of public I conversions, that I at we should buckle d to volunteer my it the silence which by men who cannot fment of inability to J are left to spread shall not fail to see ch will serve to re- La Motte. le strife, I trust that ! utmost lengths to which, on your side of the question, it shall be thought pru-j dent to prqtract it. To me it will be an unspeakable happi- ness if, when I have exerted the simple privilege of defending what you have assailed, t'o controversy is suffered to drop and to be forgotten. J, thus I shall be very far from equal advantage to yours, lour first edition I knew nothing of — how long your second was abroad before I encountered it,* I am not exactly informed— and it will be some little time more, with the degree of leisure which I enjoy, before even such a reply as I am now preparing can be ready to is- liue from the Press. In the interim, (and indeed afterwards, for 1 do not promise any greater things than the language of common Tri^th and Reason may be supposed, under the Di- yine Blessing, tq effect, ) your pamphlet may serve to second the zeal of ortd solicitation and to influence the wavering choice of persons not well grounded in their principles. But, above all, your pamphlet and its associates appear in English among British Protestants ,• and yours alone may have come into many hands which my reply will never reach. It would be only therefore by borrowing a French dress that wo could meet you upon equal terms. And I can hardly believe it improbable that if this thing go on, our Clergy will be rous- pd to some reprisal ; and that if we are driven to it by an en- largement and perseverance in the system now pursued lo se- duce our brethreq, there will be men found who will pour into every corner of every Parish in the Province, French expositions of the Protestant Faith. You are not acquainted with your ground if you think no spirit of enquiry to be alive which would open itself to receive them. I DESIRE to see no such turn of afiairs. God above knows I am far enough from wishing to molest the prevailing Reli- gion of the Inhabitants. The first planters of the Gospel f WlicI) happened towards the end of April, e '«"lye„. ™«Uy to be thrown down. YcZ^-"' ""' ""»«- "«ineeath.,».g.i„^^^7,r^'' ""* *. certain and "ere are "Aer Ton.ider^i™/';^^ "f f »«1. And •tengthon the.e remarlts iLl * '°^^ """« <*■* ■™>y i.di,idaal. of .he RouL cl T"*? """^ *'" "= teen., .nd where the ™„1T\ ^^ ""^ ' ""^^7 «• titled to the ^, .eTf 711 YT.f *' "='''"'« " "■ ward .0 concur tathem."^ W^ZJS""'""'- '"^ '»"'- '«'" .be e^rectioncf „j:^;„'^°]'°2'««>-««bet. >^ G^Pel among o»r.el,e, • ^ T . ^ P^enelion of •ienawongtheTea^enTv'ol °"'" °""* '° *""'«•"■ Ppe.atio™,of «,e ^,/ °°"™'='""S ™"e'«, with the 'f«.e very reve^e''rt:^^°:2.:tV"'!?' '»'■'■ »"' ' /'°""^''''^-^'^'P"C;n1.X':idttaif tteyw. only rtcouragrt by o„„I,.ri„e„ce from retaliatio. more freqoenUy and more boldly to maica their in^.,„ ».ng U.e fold .0 „hicb we bejg, U^lt^J^^Z ^l U«n. A., our moderation h„ no, been cow.rdi„ 0, JX" .™.;y«.e.»-oor«.,e.,ec.n:r:^rLtz:c You, Sir, who are the aggressor, cannot possibly blame ««- There,* no person, whatever may be his senfirnT who can take umbrage at my procedin^ tt '*°^"°f''*»' pbe^lthe o«.nfe, if anX^T J^^^^sr/ht' y ougkno do many things" against the Rehgion of Chri as.t w professed by Protestants. If therefore r ! t ? h^ of canva^sing very freely the soilS^!^ Vy t\^^ awis— if I scruple not to uoheav« o«^ J "'^ ^" rmtehand. ^-Lndati^toT^;' jf,,'"^"- -"*.• •"tT" ** '"-• ^™ "^ "■" "^ ™ »' S'S malevolence, -nor any paJtrv desipp *n ♦.;.. t. • ^ ^ ^ My motive; h.„ J„ UTl^y expS'" „:j "«""■"'• equity will .bund«,tfy b«., m. out "^ ' "" "^ "'» J::ro:t:^:;r;So:^L^T-L'-«- . .1.. !..« di«,.yed by your deelarati. X^^^ 7J^ » ft.tllbythen,os,precrio„, tenore,"* .„d, "i, i, ^Z •?.TI. tll'jU. t tliat out of the Catliolic" (by which you mean the Romish) " Church there is no certainty of faith and no assurance of salvation ;"* nor yet struck dumb by yoUr alternative that " they who deny the authority of the Church of Rome must take refuge in Deism and reject all revealed Religion."+ We trust in God, Sir, that we can find a middle course, and to this wc commit the destiny of our souls— intimately persua^l- ed that in so doing we can apply to their safety the old max- im, medio ttitissimus ibis. We have no need to thank any body for his sympathy who " blushes for the honor of Protes- tantism."t Let the blushes be reserved for your own cause. " Certainly," says Chillingworth in his remarks upon Rush- worth's Dialogues, " tho' ink and paper caiinot llmht yet I " dare say you were fain to rub your forehead over and over •' before you committed this to writing," viz : " That what " points are in controversy betwixt us and Protestants we •' believe to have been delivered by Christ and his Apostles ♦' to our forefathers, and by them delivered from hand to *' hand to our fathers whom we know to have delivered them *' for such to us, &c." There is a memorable blush recorded in history which, while it told the tale of a smitten conscience in the individual, threw shame also upon the principles main- tained and acted upon by his church when she had her swing. It was the blush of the Emperor Sigisraund when that calm and bold martyr|| John Huss, fixed his eyes upon him in the infamous Council of Constance, to whose ven- geance he was surrendered in violation of the safe conduct of the Emperor and the solemn assurances of the Pope. The • P. 89. t 80. J 84. II Their lart act was to adorn him with a large, paper cap on which ?arious and liorrid forms of devils were painted. This cap one of the bishops put upon ! '• bead with this unchristian speech. "Hereby we commit thy soul to the devil." Huss smiling observed, " It was less pain- ful than a crown of tlwrns." GHpin't lives of Reform^,. 9 Master for whom Hum died had long before carried com- punction by a look to the heart of the Apostle who denied him. «• And the Lord turnod and looked on Peter." « And "Peter went out and wept bitterly." Alas!- it they who claim to sustain both characters— if the self-stiled Vicars of Christ and Successors of St. Peter could now and then have encountered that look, and felt the full extent of their dere- liction, what tears of rending remorse must have been shed to obliterate the characters of their shame I But I proceed with your narrative. You trust that your readers will recognise "in the recital every trait of artless Sincerity, diligent research, and cautious deliberation, which a matter^ connected with salvation should so imperiously re- quire." Now, Sir, I am sorry to say that of these three re- quisites, the first alone is that for which we can give you the smallest credit. It were to be wished indeed that you had not been quite so "artless," in the negotiations for your ex- change of faith-that, preserving untouched, in this transac- tion, the innocence of the dove, you had called in also, as an auxilmry, thesalutary wisdom of the serpent. Cautious de- liberauon ?_Dihgent research ?-Where, Sir, ar. the traces of any such co&rse of proceeding P-Manifestly unacquainted with the principles of that Church in which you were born- trying apparently your single strength, after a life of mingled irrehgio. and enthusiasm, with men who are trained in the arts of proselytism^seeking .o aid nor advice that you might be truly and fully possessed of the case before you decided it-and above all. overlooking the duty of a close acquaint- ance with the oracles of Goo.-you have come to your con- elusion, to adopt words which I must be permitted to say that you have most singularly misapplied, "upon ex parte evi dence and without a hearing"* of the other side. You could not have afforded a more glaring proof of the want of suffi. CIen^ mtimacy between yourself and your Bible than in the • Page «8. B r 10 opinion, wl.ich you seem to state as a matter of course, that the doctrine of the Trinity is not founded upon Scripturet • nor could you have furnished a more decisive instance of the' slight manner in which you have considered these subjects than m confounding the nature of this mystery with that of certaui Articles in the Romish Creed which are particularly revolting to the common sense of mankind. You have quot- ed an abundance of Sceptical and Infidel writer^, (several of whom, by the way, you call Protestants,) but there is a tavorite maxim with onfc writer of this class which both you and. he have wholly failed to apply to Religious enquiries. A|.profondissez-approfondissez_i8 the lesson which Lord Chesterfield presses earnestly upon his son. Your life— for you have spread it open to our inspecUbn, and must pardon the liberty of our fcommehts-your life affords an admirable lesson. The works which you mention of Bunyan, Hartey, Young, Doddridge and Law, all having mol-e or less of merit ih their way, are, however, rather calculated to affect the imaginatfon than to root thfe principles of faith in the heart. With the gi^cat standard Protfestaiit writers, (I am not speak- ing tiow of Controversialists, tho' assuredly I migljt include tliem,)y;u appear to have had no acquaintance whatever. You have drank of many streams, and turned impatientlsl away—you have Wearied yourself in doubtful and twilight paths-you have travelled backwards and forwards, tried this course and that— you have hovered over many points in suc- cession, but made your pitch, as it would appear only thrice. Once in Infidelity —once in enthusiasm— and finally in the Romish Church. In 179I you " subscribed to every position of the Age of Reason, and became a Convert to Deism,' — (it was fortunate, you will allow, that you did not feel it'im- perative upon you to give the public a narrative of this Con- version,)— and you were " fortified" about a year afterwards in these sentiments by a personal acquaintance with the author and a perusal of his additional writings. In 1803 you t Fcge 9t 11 ler of course, that upon Scripturet -, ve instance of the ;d these subjects, irstery with that of :h are ^larticularly You have quot- Titer^, (siBveral of ,) but there is a s which both you ligious enquiries, sson which Lord I. Your life— for and must pardon Tds an admirable Bunyan, Harvey, e or less of merit ted to affect the raith in the heart, (lam not speak- I might include itancc whatever, rned impatiently ful and twilight rwards, tried this ny points in suc- pear only thrice, id finally in the to every position ?r/ to Deism,' — id not feel it ira- tive of this Con- year afterwards tance with the 8. In 1803 you entered the Moravian Chapel at St. Christopher's, with a lighted candl , "ore day, and there road, signed and sealed a solemn CoverberinK na torrncr wrongs, ran rcsfivc against ail authority and hi. became an infidel. But one who searched far deeper for iruth, who traversed more patiently the field of Enquiry, who looked more faithfully into the Chronicles of Religion, tftan was felt to. be necessary either by Gibbon or by Garth or by yourself, after embracing awd subsequently rejecting W^e Romish Faith, - as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord iiath planted ' struck root and flourished forever by the side tlJ TTr "^ ''^" " ' ''' "^y P^^^" "''y the great Chil- l;ngwor,h, for it is he of whom I speak) ' after a long and « L i r ^'"'"^ *"'' ''''P' ^ ""P^'"^'"' search of the true ,,J,^''J^''^^miness, do profess plainly that I cannot " f"f *,">^ «««t for the sole of my Foot, but upon this Rock ., y' ~»»«an,ng the Scriptures,-" I see plainly and with ^^ mme own Eyes, that there are Popes against Popes, Coun- ^^ cis agamst Councils, some Fathers against others, th "ut Uiat it has erred m a grievous and shameful manner." The humblest Protestant, indeed, who has truly imbibed the spirit of the Gospel, who has breatlied the pure air of the Kingdom of Heaven, untainted by the hazy vapours 13 Mcvcr, rcnicniberiuj; nil authority and liu :hcd far deeper for he field of Enquiry, ronicles of Religion, Gibbon or by Garth jsequently rejecting loes which the Lord 1 forever by the side saya the great Chil- ) " ader a long and I search of the true iluinly that I cannot but upon this Rock see plainly and with jainst Popes, Coun- igainst others, th I inr. '.r of one, or other, or all of these, " These facts being admit- ted"* is on exprcMsion which you have used in one part of your subject, and your conclusion follows of course. With- out staying now to examine how far your conclusions arc al- ways logical, let it be observed that you require a facility of admission from us to which, as true Protestants, we are wbol- ly unaccustomed. It is our maxim to ''prove all things and hold tast that which is good." J- My friend,~let me speak tho phun truth Without offcncc,--you are. in your extreme impatience for satisfaction, the boldest leapcr I have yet seen. But, unless we can be first blind-folded, wc must beg leave to draw back from those plunges to which you invite us : IgnojiM pelimus, Vttcerra : (ami Noil «st ut iilaceam (ihi perlre. J. SHALL begin with a remarkable example of this kind which does not stand first in order, in your arrangement of the argument, but which involves the most disagreeable part of the enquiry, and 1 shall therefore be glad to dismiss it at once. It is, however, the less painful because it conveys no reflection upon our breU.ren and fellow-subjccts in Great Britam and her Colonies professing the Romish Faith at this ' day; nor, it is to be hoped, against the great majority of Romanists now scattered thro' tjie world. I,et these then be distinctly exempted, as in strict justice, and much' more >n Christian Charity, they ought to be, from all shade of par- ticipation in the odium which it is impossible to wipe off from the Mother and Mhtres, ,,f all Churches. My object i. sim. XAytoyour Challenge, and in a full, comprehensive, view of the question to bring the two great divisions of the Christian Church to which we are respectively attached to the test furnished by her Founder, "By their fruits ye shall know tncm. You tell us that " the pretended persecuting spirit of your Church IS exhibited in vast relief in the muddy details of •P^ifieg.-). 1 1. Tbess. T. 81. f \: 17 «* Fox aiuf otl.€r zealots ; but it is difficult to subtantiate " tlieir charges by any documents of authentic history." Naw, Sir, if it be diificult to substantiate these charges by any documents of authentic history, then we may as well •hake hands and part with History for ever. We may as well wave off whoUy from our approach all the witnesses of the past; turn our backs upon one half of our prospect, and shut ourselves up within the very letter of that sapient maxim that « seeing is believing;' To dip into «' the muddy details of these zealots," as, you are pleased to term them, may not, indeed, be the mpst satisfactory sort of occupation to one who IS determined to identify himself with the Romish Church. He will find, (to apply another homely proverb which your own expression suggests to memory) that he is ' fislung m troubled waters." You bring forward " the saga- cious. Editor of the London Orthodox Journal," who asserts it seems, that « during the space of eight hundred years in which the Catholic Church reigned uncontrolled ; and her Ministers were invested with the plenitude of power, not a drop of blood was shed in support of her spiritual rights, nor a temporal law passed to punish those who dogmatised her doctrines." The sagacious Editor, allowing, (but only areu- - . menti gratia,) that his affirmation is well-founded, has forgot- ten that neither the usurpations nor the corrupt maxims of that Church started up to their full height in a moment, and that no sooner did the opposition to her abuses assume an at- titude of any strength, than all the rage pf relentless cruelty was unchained against the opposers. The sagacity of th^ Editor could furnish some excellent plea perhaps for the burn- ing of Christians miscalled heretics :-.for every circumstance brutal and savage cruelty which attended the Martrydoni, of Cobham, Huss, Jerome of Prague,* Latimer, Ridley, ticuilf !,°'? '"'' ''T °^ R«fo"n"-and v.i,h respect to Jerome i,. par- sJLl 'r'°^P"««^ •"" F'^'-tine. a Romanist, who had L. Secre,.ry uud.r two Pop«. written from Constance to his frUnd Aretio, •»•> '■■t'i'fiMSyt.^sfKt^ifiti^l HI 18 ^'- Cranmer. Hooper, and the whole host of lesser luminarie* who have suffered in tlie same sacred cause : for all the dis- mal apparatus and ingenious instruments of torture in the court of the Holy Inquisition, against which it appears to you so di- vertmg that any prejudice should be entertained,* but the horri- ble cruelties of which are not disguised by the Abb^ Fleury in his Ecclesiastical History, and have been continued in some Countries down to our own time,t and lately revived in others: , for the attempts to increase the severity of this Holy Tribu- nal by Pope Innocent IU4 for the sanguinary edicts against Heretics proceeding from the saintly pleasure of sundry Archbishops and other Prelates :|| for the clause of the oath administered by the Pope's authority to persons of this station in the Church, "haereticos pro posse persequar et impugmbor (words which, whether interpreted according, to the rule of ammus tmponentis or according to the recei;ed usage and practice, were of fearful import to men who presumed to M««A:;-and finally, for the massacre of more than 100.000 Irish Protestants in 1641 ;_for the butchery of St. Bartholo- mew ; the revocation of the Edict of Nantz, and all the grinding tyranny, the flagrant oppression endured by the Pro- testants in France from that time, with some interruptions, up to tins, for a detail of which I refer you to the Edinburgh Keviewers, ( No. LXXI, ) who, being among the foremost abet- tors of that measure described, by a double misnomer, under the name of Catholic En,ancipation, will never be suspected '^rTrr.T' "7°" '*'"'"^"' •"°"' ^^^ •'"' "-" '»-»'-""» ■vs.. lou at least ought to write more cautiously of these tliin«.»-^ G.lpin,.aren™arkablyte„,pera,e writer and has sc,upuU,usl, se^atej th« huspieious from the unquestionable parts of evidence. • Page 28. I See in Buchanan's Christian Researches the account of his visit to the Inquisition at Goa. ■» »i»ii 10 JSeeMosheim,Ce„t.XIir. Part IT. Chap. V. Parag. W and vji. U See Moslieim, Cent. XIV. Part II. Chap. V. Parag. iv. --•^'.T.S-'?;''.," >f lesser lunuDarles tse : for all the dis> torture in the court ppearg to you so di- ned,* but the horrl- the Abb^ Fieury in continued in some y revived in others: f this Holy Tribu- nary edicts against ileasure of sundry clause of the oath sons of this station uar et impugnabo" iinle was leftvened." ig treated as proper actions of the most rines and practices d to be corrupt be- principl* was seen, rige in a moment of 8 no Methodistical IS — and it might be thfeir single or col- ! of extreme mor^ a state of religious :rtain]y," says Doc- , that persons long iddeniy transported not, at first, behold sir view, with that tural to those no dcfenes were he most mitigated ?ntion King- Henry t Persecutor. — You '' Protestants,— ^m^ itisistcd uport the who! Homish Creed except the article nf Papal Supremaci/. We have no need of suppression or dis- guise — and we disdain them-~we know that in the reign of Edward VI a few, and a very few, unhappy fanatics suffered death for the promulgation of certain sectarian opinions — and we will not even take advantage of the plea that their tenets were directly subversive (as those of the early Anabaptists and others are known to have been) of social order and cix'il Government. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth igainst whom the Papal curses were thundered forth and whose subjects were absolved by the same authority from their allegiance, Bishop Jewell who had been driven from his Country by her bloody predecessor, appeals to the contrasted spirit which was manifested in his Ueligion and that of his Romish oppo- nent, '* As for our part, we were never yet guilty to one " drop of you blood. We seek no aid at fire or sword.— << We will rather say with St. Jerome : Utinam filios haereti- *' corum, ot omnium, qui decepti sunt, interiiciamus sagittis " spiritualibus, id est, testimoniis scripturarum :" and with St. Augustine : " O si occidas eos.gladio bis acuto, et non •« aint hostes tui ; Sic enim amo eos occidi sibi, ut vivant tibi." And again, •' Vindicet nos Deus de vobis, ut ipsum errorem *' vestrum in vobis occidat, et nobiscum de veritate gaudea- •' tis." This, M. Harding, this is the revenge, " that we seek upon you, as this day it may appear" It was indeed a boast made by Elizabeth, arbitrary as she was, that no martyrdom on account of merely religious opposition could be found to stain the annals of her reign.. If it is, as you say, '•high time that ^11 these complaints and reflections should be hushed forever," it is to be regret- ted that you did not act upon your own maxim. Your deni- al of a persecuting spirit as a characteristic feature in the History of your Church, I should have been glad to have left unnoticed, as not essential to my argument, had you not beea so indiscreet as to charge the same, nay a worse spirit upon r ■.,' ( 22 I't ;, U.ii ■ I rv ■■'■* # '*' — '■■^' *■■■*' "5* -» ,- 23 earnestness and concern of those distinguished men for th» cause of pure morals, and Christian Virtue. Where Sir is the Christian Preacher, whether Romanist or Protestant who, if his heart be in his work, will not contrast in feeling language and strong description the lives of the professed disciples of Christ with the standard of the Gospel itself, and aggravate the contrast by the peculiar advantages which he imputes to his own Communion? Do you seriously think that multiplied extracts might not be given from the writings of zealous divines in your own Church to parallel the cita- tions which you have produced from the other side ?_Cannot you find them yourself ?-If you cannot, it is uo credit to your Church. Ihe Apostles and the ancient ' Fathers are iull of such complaints; and Bishop Jewell, after disclaiming the supposition that " our adversaries are either so blind as " not to trace out the most minute flaw in our conduct, or so « candid as to put a fair construction upon it, or so ingenuoug •' as to turn their eyes upon themselves, and to estimate our morals by their own," cites passages from Cyprian, TertuI- ban and Gregory Nazianzen, resembling in a remarkable manner those which you triumph in having detected. That there were abuses in the Reformation-and that bad men who cared for no religion took advantage of the times to promote their priVate views, is what we never will deny be- cause .t is true ; and what we are not the least concerned to deny because it is impossible that U should have been other- wise. It must be a mixed agency and composed of clashinff Ingredients which actuates the revolutions of human affairs. There is one above who has the praise-the best of his servaots are but humble instruments in his hands ; and the acknowledged intermixture of evil reserves to Him the prertJgative of being honored as sole author of the happy fruits. In any great concussion—when old authorities are shaken-and new not yet settled and confirmed, it is evident tkat Wickedness nud I,icentiou8ne«s will, for a time, have pe- I 24 cullar play afforded to them. There are many scattered cliar- frcs against the Reformation in your pamphlet for which the lleformation is no more responsible than the Latin Cliurch, is responsible, for the famous Jacquerie Wars. But if you demand a picture of Uiestate of morals which prevailed in the Romish Church before and during the strug- gles of the Reformation ; which cried out for that change and impelled it forward, I will give you the best that I can fc..d in a small compass. It is taken from the "History of England in a Series of Letters from a nobleman. to his Son." •' The Church of Rome had now, for more than a thousand " years^ been corrupting the sacred doctrines of Christianity, " and converting into a temporality the ! ^ogdom of .another *' world. The Popes were frequently found. at the head of « their own armies, fighting for their domini ms with the acm «' of flesh, and forgetting, in cruelty and immoral politics, all "the pretended sanctity of their character. They had "drained other kingdoms of their treasures upon the most in- «* famous fctcxts, and were proud of setting at Rome, in ^< their own conduct, an example of refined ^Jeasure and ** studied luxury. The cardinals, prelates, and dignitaries of " the Church lived and were served like voluptuous princes, " and some of them were found to possess eight or. nine Bi- ■' shoprics at a time. Wherever the Church govern*,, it ex- •• erts its power with'cruelty ; and to their luxury these great " ones added the crime of being tyrants too. "As for the inferior Clergy, both Popish and Protestant " writers exclaim against their dissolute and abandoned mo- " rals. They publicly kept mistresses, and bequeathed to their -** bastards whatever they were able to save from their plea- " sures, or extort from the poor. There is still to be seen, " says a fine writer, a will made by a Bishop of Cambray, in " which he sets aside a certain mm^for the ^a$tards he has had ■ " already, and those ivhich, by the blessing of God, he may yet " happen to have. In many parts of. England and Germany " I'r 25 " the people obliged the Priests to I«avc concubines, so lliat the •* Laitjr might keep their wives in greater ntciirify ; while the '* poor laborious peasant andartizan saw all the fruits oi" their " toil go, not to clothe and maintain their own little families, " but to pamper men who insulted and despised them. " But the vices of the Clergy were not greater than their " ignorance ; few of them knew the meaning of their own " Latin Mass ; they were chiefly employed in finding out •' witches, and exorcising the possessed ; but, what most in- " creased the hatred of the people against them, was the sel- " ling pardons and absolutions for sin at certain stated prices. " A deacon,, or subdeacon, who should commit murder, was " absolved from his crime, and allowed to possess three bene- " fices, upon paying twenty crowns. A Uishop or an Abbot " might commit murder for ten pounds. Every crime had " its stated price, and absolutions were given, not only for " sins already committed, but for such as should be commit-^ " ted hereafter. The wisest of the people looked with silent *• detestation on these impositions, and the ignorant, whom "nature seemed to have formed for slavery, began to open " their eyes to such glaring absurdities." How well the interests of morality at large were lilely to fare under such guardianship it must be nei dicss to say— and if you doubt the accuracy of the representation ; or the truth of the assertion that there is Popish testimony in support of these complaints, I must turn you over to the Ecclesistical History of the celebrated Mosheim -ho with indefatigable research and most dispassionate spirit of enquiry has drawn his materials from sources on all sides of liim and furnished full references to the original authority. But in the foregoing extract from English History, al- though it is asserted that all parties yield evidence of the profligate und depraved state of the inferior Clergy, it is not stated that the Popuh writers impute these vices to the Pon- tiff or the superior Clergy. And you have furnished us with D , I. 26 CM in h,o parte of v„,„ „ °' ""'^n /o" have given mlui- -can. .he Je.uite .n'trjatlfrror ""." "^ I'"- tan« within the paJe of .he RolTh r'l ^ *"• fccuall, withheid y„„ f '1 " ™".'' ^'""''- "»"'<< l-'ve of- '*ledi„ .heannrrtlrC"' A V.^ "'™ """'■ *.«i>W orch„ac.e. hn. Jrihu.ltl'tfr "°'^"" «ngryzeal. Hear how the candid M^ °™' ""'' own Church upon .hi,poi„,. .Thelri."?""", r"" "' ■"• •' "lieir writing,. LuAeTZS """"""•"inn. .mdin " 'anguine trie, who™ h^T "'''"'"' " "" ■""• "' *» ••.bu«,trea,inghhare,ti: 'TT" '"'°™'™-nJ ••»'re»pec«,ble.hey„„^tr T ' ""'•" ''^t^U ""■a. .he cri^ina/^.^,"'^. ''"•"'•'« Meed confe«ed "will be much alleviated, whe„ .h. °*'"'^ "»' '"''"■enoe "point of view*ith the l^„rof.7 "'f"'"'''""' '- ™» "tb^odiou, cruelty .J^^:^^!'"^^'^'"^ ranrn by themselvea, ;d as a supercription It." airness of your pic- ion to it. i-evilings, learnt in lie contest of some I have given instan- slight acquaintance cans and the Frah- other bitter diapu- ch, would have cf- they "arounpa. d thpy are not Just ns of a coarse and eim speaks of his zeal that animated "ngi very fi.r from f we excrc* Me- ss and s'reetness agious ferocity of iry discovered too msactions and in the head of tin's in invectives and t brutal asperity, lowever elevated indeed confessed and vehemence nsidered in one »rous times, and rulent enemies, id to encounter, abominable cal- i instruments of 27 " the Reformation ; when he reflects upon the horrors of fire " and sword employed, by blood-thirsty and bigotted tyrants « to extirpate and destroy those good men whom they wanted " arguments to persuade and convince ; will not his heart " burn with a generous indignation ? and will he not think it " in some measure just, that such horrid proceedings should " be represented in their proper colours, and be stigmatized " by such expressions as are suited to their demerit ?" And again in another place-" There was something gross and " indencato in the reigning spirit of this age, which made the " people not only tolerate, but even applaud, many things re- "latmg both to the-conduct of life and the management of controversy, which the more polished manners of modern •' times cannot relish, and which, indeed, qre by no m^ans " worthy of imitation." Upon the Church in which you were born you have never turned to look in this enquiry. Upon that galaxy of great names with which the hemisphere of the English hierarchy IS sc thickly studded you have not cast up your eyes You have come to your conclusion that the Reformers themselves were smitten with fatuity in order to their perdition, because some of the foreign divines abused one another; and ,11 the no- tice that you take of the fruits of the Reformation in England .s an extract from Burnetwith respect to the advantage taken of the times by evil men (and those not Churchmen ;-) with' another .rom Fletcher of Madeley where he exposes the doc rinal perversions of the more extravagant professors in a par-' ticularsect to which he had attached himself-perversL which that sect itself has long ago renounced. hif «" lf^°"v ''! ^"°"^''' '^' '"'''""' °^ P°"' ^"^^^ against himself. You have cast ,n bis teeth the confessions-confes- sions injudiciously given to the world-of his conscious sin-" tul state. Unfair, ungenerous use to make of the Christian's humiliation of the heart before his Maker !-You did not I am persuaded, intend this injustice. But you will not surely //' 58 J ■ 'y refu.e to .ee that such it «. Whot wot.1.1 you have thought of one who, v/riting against the Christian, shouhl have con- »'cted St. Paul of wickedness by citing the ^ords •• sinner, of whom a^ ch,ef:>"-How many of the faithful servant, of Chn« have been permitted, for the trial of their constancy. warrlT'T.' T'"' «f the "law in their member warnng agamst the law of their minds,"-.And to cry out bodvTf dt'u T ^^ ' «"• -""> «"«" ^^''-r me fro,!! the thJfut T r^"""^ "* ''''' «ame time from whence the.r ultunate dehverance must come. Of the two extracts winch you have given from Luther (to whose works I have /ore he roi 7T, "'^'^"'■""' ""' -'-P-'-" «« his state l^e. jore He rejected Popery. T.,«othbri. rather offenMve to modern nfincmcnt.-But H you class St Bernard with this foul brood of perdition if you find hu„ throughout hi. beautiful meditations, (for such they are. altho' tinctured with the superstitions of the a«e la nientmg ,n feding tcm,s his own individual sinfulness L\m you set him on the bench with the infernal Lu.her, (as he is called ., some p,ous Almanacs of Europe where d e year of h.s,rth.s noted,) if I shew you passages closely pa ,1 to those wh.ch you object to the latter? Stand forth S holy Bernard, and speak for yourself. " De di. in diem pec! catu peccafs addo, et ea. qu. pra. oculis habeo, nee eTIc co: dolenda intueor, nee doleo, quod est morti signum 1 damnat.on,s indicium. Per tactum. ardor libidinis p oTli:: parva oecasmne excitatur, et nisi illicO respuatur subit^To turn corpus occupat, vincit, et incendit. pIo 1 m cog I' tat.onemod.cum titillat: deinde deleetatione turpi memfm -aculat: et ad extremum, per consensum pra'tar b" Bur ».1,.K,„ difflcuUie. either the Sai,,, „, ,he Keformcr n..gh^ h..e been cxpcrieneed fr„™ the remain, „f .hl!™" ..med iu>„.. u,e Eo„aa Ponm. „f fo^er d.y,, ,h. ..." 29 ilil you have tlu.uglu ms bIioiiIcI have con- he words •' einnerti of D tiiitliful «crvant» of I of their constancy, V in their members i" — And to cry out deliver nie from the e time from whence Of till! two extracts whose works I have ibc8 his Past state, tion to his state 6c- n refinement But )d of perdition if you Ions, ( for sucli tliey ns of the age, ) la- 1 sinfulnecs ?— -Will / Luther, (as he is where the year of eg closely parallel ' Stand forth then, )e di© in diem pec- habeo, nee eriioca- mortis signum ; et ibidinis, pro aliqua spuatur, subito to- rimo camera cogi- )ne turpi mentem im pravitatis, sibi t or the Reformer lins of their " un- days, that " sup- ceitton of pious, virtuous, wise and leanitd Sovereigna •" whom you challengt- the world to match, could have indica- ted to tliem a very compendious method of relief. Let onj of these also proclnin. Ip own nierita. Thr name of ^I-ne-is Sylvius, whose 1 apal designation was Pius IL and who was advanced to the Pontificate in (H58 ) is possibly not new a you. " This zealot, in his usual exag. "gerated manner, hath taken" says Gilpin,, " g^at liberty " witU the refor .ers ,t indulging hin.self in a rancour of "language apuu.st them, which must be offensive to every " sober Chrutian Bm to see the real value of the •' invectives of this author, let us examine him a little closer • •' and instead of condemning him in the gross for his opinions,' " let us treat him more fairly, and try his opinions by '* his practice. . . " A VOLUME of his familiar letters survived him : gome of " wliich appear to have escaped into public among the croud " In these letters, among other passages, the following will '« sufficienUy shew what licence he indulged in point of mor- " als5 some of which passages fell from him even hi his more ' • advanced age. " Advising a friend about a wife, he thus speaks, (cpist ".-IS.) Egodemefacio conjecturam : plures vidi, amavique <• fcminas, quarum exinde potitus, tcedium niagnum suscepi • " nee si maritandus fierem, uxori me jungam, cujus consuetu-' " dincm ncsciani. " In his tifteenth letter he tells along story of his debauch- « ing an English lady in the low countries ; and triumphantly " thus exuits, scis quaUs tu gallus fueris ; uec ego castratus " sum, nee ex frigidorura numero." Gor, knows it is no pleasure to me to rake up this soil. The author adds several other extracts but these samples are enpugh ; and must almost supersede the necessity of Intro- ♦ Page AT. t TJie follower* of llie doclriues of Hum in Bohemia. 1 I I so m dacing the appeal made by Bishop Jewell to the public sen- tlatl E T^ *°''r'™' ^''"••^ -^^'^^ve maintained W andtr'' ^ I'eepso concubine lives in a more Chaste and holy manner than a married Priest; and to the Botor^us arcumstance that there was at Rome a public resort of mfamous women, built in 1471. by Pope Sixius IV., and b«a» annual revenue of 30,000 ducats to those who filied tRe Papal See m Jewell's own time ; or. the questions ofthe same Author, -Is there any one who has not heard - P w. r' "'' °^ ^'''' Aloisius a son of His Holiness ^W the III. against Cosmus Chenius the Bishop of Fa- ^^ fluin? Is there any one who has not heard of the loose ^^ wptings of John Casa, Archbishop of Beneventum, and the l^opes Legatd at Venice-writings adorned with the most meretricious eloquence in commendation of vices too infa- ''mou8toname?"-or,the authorities brought forward by his translator from Panormitane and Pope Gregory withres- pect to the light and venial nature of certain sins among Ec cesiastics. in which are found the words - de adulteuo and aiiis minonbus crimin s." Whehe, Sir, in . whole Ecclesiastical History of the Reformation will you find any thing at all resembling this* ^^ Thanks be to our God." says the same venerable apologist, 1 hough we are not what we should be, or what our Chris- "tian profession exacts; yet whatever we may be, the inno- cencc of our lives, when compared with theirs, will appear and prove a full refutation of their calumnies." And as you have not been afraid to boast of the Political effects of Popery and to declaim in several places against the political mischiefs of the Reformation. I must be indulged with an- other extract which opens in the same form.—" No '-Thanks ♦* be to our God, whose cause alone we have undertaken, „d instance of those cria^es can be found in any of the King- doms, States, and Commonwealths, that have embraced the ?^''S ■Jl^Mmiimmmiv ,. im^mm 31 "Gospel. We have oyerturned no thrones ^h.,A a t. ancestors. The Kings of Denmark and Sweden, the Duke- " Helvetit and t r^l": fT t "^^^"'"^ ^' ^''^ "fort, Uln, Au^sh^ XT ^"■^''"'■^' ^«"' F'«"''' ''La;s aXlX^andT^r^' ^' ^"^^^ '''" ^''""- *'ent and Lnl ^ . "^ ^^''' '"^J«*^*« '"ore obedi- "GodTrn . '" P'"'"'' *''^^^*' ^y the blessing of t^od, the Gospel ,s now heard. Where wilh thi^v fin/ "majesty? Where wJll fK. a j ;' ""e wur they find more "ny? Where is the p'^^°^ ^''' "^^°8«»ee and tyran- Vmore obedTentV Wh?'"" """ 'r^'' «^ ^'^^ P^P''' " in a mo J T ^^^"^ '''^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^ the State m a more harmonious condition ^" You speak of insurrections, wars and slaughter • of df. laid in ashes and lands crimsoned with ti a . "^ caused by the Reformation 'aThe^bvth;'" ''"''''' Rome)-.But is it nossihlp hT . ^ usurpations of grouni upon wh h^ot ar^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^7^^"- '*« ticklish consule,-!(the appliSti::in ^ p^^^^^^^^ ^^ Mo.ume«La.inoPr«s„leCiv.cum B«lliquecau«,,,etvi(ia,etmodo. Lu(lum,ue FortuniB,grave«,ue PrincipumamicitiasetariDB NoDdum expiaiw uncta cruoribus, Perioulosa plenum opu, alen Tractai-, tt incedis per I'l^net Supposhos ciimri doloso. Embark yourself in political hi-^^- encroachments of the Ca, P ' ^ ^ *=°"°^^*^^ ^'^ the dark intrigues and Lu of v 7"' '"' '''" ^"'^^ ^^^^-e to -e the p%ose.'o;t Ch ^^h" M^^^^^^^^^^ ''^-^^'^ ^^ vnurcft—Monarchs wjulted, apg. '-% »i:»T,'".Sf9'»" IS l. f 32 tlicmatized, — wronged, deposed, murdered — subjects abaolv^ cd from their allegiance — kingdoms tranisferred— whole coun- tries laid under the frightful calamities of the Papal inter- dict — and even in more advanced and civilized times, commu- nities filled with disturbance and Governments perpetually embarrassed by the jealousies and factions and the tracasserie of ecclesiastics ? — The authority of Madame de Pompadour is not, in on6 point of view, the most respectable*— but it is surely as much so as tha^ of Voltaire or sundry other worthies whose testimony you ha% e produced. And she was sufficient- ly in the secrets of the Government of France. " La Religion *' Chr^tlenne" says this extraordinary woman — " est vraie, " sainte et consolante ; il ne s'agit pas de la d^truire, raais " de reformer les abus : coupez les branches inutiles, mais ne •' coupez pas Tarbre. J'ai quelquefois oui parler des Quakers " d'Angleterre ; je n'aime pas qu'ils se croient inspires par • Every circumstance of danger and temptalion conspired Mith tbe currupt maxims and sentiments then prevailing in tlie French Court fo ruin this woman, whose mind was cast for lietter tilings, and whose death has been attributed to the worm of remorseful feeling. In better times, end with better means of religious improvement, she miglit have left a far dif- ferent example. As it is, slie left a melani-linly warning. The following scattered passages in her letters have something in them very striking. " En un mot, je ne vis plus— je suis morle avant mon temps : onon Royau- " me n'est plus de ce monde." " Les grandeurs et les vanitis de la terre ne la touchent plus. Je vou- drois en pouvoir dire autant. . , II semble que nous ayons deux anies, Tune pour approuver le bien, et I'autre pour faire le mal." " O yanites, grandeurs Immaines, pompeuses chimeres ! je vous meprise iincerement, mais he'las ! je n'ai pai encore le courage de tons hair / The second of those passages unavoidably brings to miul the standing complaint of human nature— video meliora proboqae Deteriora sequor— and llie last, as irresistibly, the lines which Shakespear hits put into the moutii of Wolsey, Vain pomp and glory of this world I hate ye~ . I feel my heart new opened. ' Wolsey h;id got one step farther than Mad. de P.— but lie had gone thro' the wliolesome discipling of humiliation Id the world. S3 " le St. Esprist, pour dire des sottises dans leurs assemblies ;- " raais j'aime la sagesse qu'ils ont eue de S( passer de Pn'tres. " La Religion est bonne; il n*y a que ses Ministres qui sunt •' fiouvent mauvais. II sera, dit on, bientfit ridicule d'ltre " Chretien : si cela arrive, ce sera leur faute. D'ailleurs, je " vois tous les jours que la religion romaine fait de mauvais " sujets, en reconnoissant une puissance dtrangere, supdri- " eure a celle du pays : Nos Eveques r^ sont pas Fran9ois, " raais sujets du Pape." You will hardly persuade Englishmen that your Religion is so tender a nurse o» Liberty while they remember the causes whicTi led to that Revolution upon the principles of which their Government now stands. And if you can point out another country in Europe which has enjoyed, in our own day, the same pre-eminence, and the same exemption from the distractions and desolations of the time, you may then dispute the wisdom of those principles. If also you can point out a people where the national integrity is seen to etand at a higher mark — :where the charities of life are more amiably displayed — where Public Institutions are more flour- ishing, or benevolent associations more numerous and effi- cient, it is then that we will permit you to suspect that the Religion of the State has infused some evil spirit into the country, and that they are the dictates of Heresy which de- velop themselves to view. His most Christian Majesty, and His most Catholic Majesty have neither of them felt any scruple in receding from their solemn engagements to discon- tinue and discountenance the traffic in human flesh. His Britannic Majesty, like a heretic as he is, stands apart from them and alone ; and sends the thunder of his navy to chas- tise the most execrable of Piracies. You inform us, however, that the visible amelioration of measures which has taken place in the world within a ftw cen- turies is not owing, to our doctrine, but to the general influ- ence of civilization and refinement.* It was very necessary • Page 9tf. D I. it ,.« 34 10 your .rgumeni ,„ ,aj- so. But it »oulJ ha« been more »|«»y.»g.f you had offered some rf,e» „f pj, U a*er a remarkable eircumstance «... a more foCd . of manner, and a more enligfctened state of general opinion da»n of the Rcf„rm.t,„„. Tbc Reformation and these im- .or ably «,gether, and afford a strong pres„mp,i„„ „7I Zi mutual understanding , an aptitude to reeiproeal good o&e^ Ihe obhgauon .hieh we owe to RomanisU for the prTr,!: ..on of letters.* let us never be so ung,.tef„l as toTeny " bu even .fwe were to admit your opinion that "notaslngte l.n.of any Greek or Roman writer would have reached our t..„es «,d inspection, had it „„. been for the SeZi "vigilance of the Catholic Clerev'-doe, .hi. T .hat p^t Of the C««;c Clergy !L whrLrbLet have been transm.tted to us, could not have done theTame for us d they had never been subjeced to t:.e usurpatirTf and she has ate done great things. We are not in the it^ ^.posed to detract from any merit which she can fairly oZ. a a,d ,0 concede a s.ngle point which you can really estab- .»h .,, her favor. We wilj do more-for you shall be suppli. " Thfc^l 'V'' '''°° '° '"' """J-'-f ^- eulogl. the CoU^e de propag„,u;i Fide" says tlie late Dr Bu. chanan, " may be accounted the chief ornament and boa" of the H„m.sh Church. The Translations, Scriptural Dc "the R.-mI TT ' ^'^""""«"' and new Editions of the B.ble which issued from that College, and from other that Church a renown, of which the equity of enligluened nat^n. wdl never permit them to deprive her, But'tCgh • Pa|c tS. I & 35 « she thus translated the Scriptures, it was no» fn .u the palm, ,„ ,«,, 4„„rf „^^ «9«;.« J L ° Order, haw alone J„„e „ore for Letters than »« ,i ; ^ -^:^r;,::-t,e!::;';rH^^^i ==r^ftrrri"— ^^^^ Kenton the app.au. oT ZlTd '^rrCXtt^ letpecfve ,r<^„,<,„, of p,ai,e. Let ™ ,„ffi.r -T ■ T p.. ™.ter aa a Papi... L fo^l 311 r^« '" .on. of .quinaa. to pure and evangelical Sol? Le".* .. g.,e ,o„ all the advanuge which 1 accir;!^; cat p-rom the enumeration of names in- Oratorv M.,! [ Poetr,, Music, P-ting and Navigatioolrd a^!:! of one who soared hiffhesf frnm. I \ «"ove aij,— a« even those Holy Bird and M . • "T^' '"'* '"^P««««d Icalled thp «/ir o ^^^"^'*»'"th««'> as they were called the Styhtae or Sancti Columnarest in his elevation above sublunary things, that of the adventurer who'tca Ld the heavens in an air-balloon;" " ^r wiio scaled ------ lentanda via est quft me quoque possun. Toltere Jiumo, v.ctorque virflo, volitare per ora. • Tlie sululeties of the Angelie Doctor were not in the l.i..l.. , inans id vacuo possit comedere seeundas intenfones Por account of Aquinas see Mo.h«i«., c.„,. X3II. a„d XIV. passim in! pirxiT. °' '""" '"'''" "" "-"«'"'' ^-'^ ^- '•- "• cw. £2 hA 'if i ■©■■• it !•' ^ ' ! I ". ! • : '; / i:i 36 It is indeed so little likely that we should ever approximate in our taste and judgment upon these points, if you consider Orator Phillips as " the wonder of our age and pride of Ire- land" and his eloquence as " perhaps unparalleled in any language,"* that it would be hopeless to enter upon any dis- cussion. But if the flourishing state of Literature and the Arts were I a proof of true Religion, what do you say of the Religion of Greece and Heathen Rome ? The truth is, Sir, that in more serioUt points, to which I grant that theije may be excellent auxiliaries, the Church of I Rome herself is under the largest obligations to the Refer- [ mation. Her grosser corruptions have been reduced ; her inebriating drafts of Pride have been abridged ; her excesses have been kept in wholesome check ; and some portion of her superstitions has been cither dropped, or explained away into! a less revolting (^hape. She has been thrown more upon her I guard— and her Clergy have felt that stimulus of competition I and comparison which has a sensible good effect upon the I Clerical body of all Churches.t — The controversies in whichi she has been engaged, the concessions which she has been! compelled to make in argument, the contact into which she! has be«n thrown with other Churches, have opened a wide doorl to the influx of purer principles among her Members. We needl not feel any backwatdness, any delicacy in saying this. It takesl nothing from the praise of the individuals — it docs not makel them the less truly estimable. But in proportion as the Churchl of Rome is removed from these circumstances of purification,! • Pajfe 76 and ^^ .—Unparalleled perhaps it is— and I should say thal| the loDger it continues so the better. y + For an account of the PontifTs themselves in the former part of the I XVIII. Century, and their superiority in character and acquirements tc | the general stamp of their predecessors, see Mosheim, Cent, XVII. Fa- rag. VII. 37 Id ever approximate }ints, if you consider age and pride of Ire- unparalleled in any } enter upon any dis- ire and the Arts were j ly of the Religion of it points, to which I iaries, the Church of I Rations to the Refor- been reduced ; her ridged ; her excesses i some portion of her explained away intol rown more upon her I raulus of competition I ood effect upon the! ontroversies in which! which she has been I ntact into which shel e opened a wide doorl : Members. We need! t saying this. It takes! Is — it docs not makel portion as the ChurchI mces of purification,! is— and I should say that I io tlie former part of tli« I icter and acquirements tc | leim, Cent XVII. Pa- she is found nearer to the measure of her old curruptions. 1 doubt much whether you would have been made a convert in Italy or Spain. Certainly it would have been impossible for you to entertain the views of your Religion which have now actuated your adoption of it. Certain it is also that many of our countrymen who, while the continent was shut up from them, were disposed to think more favorably of th« claims of Rome, have altered their sentiments in the course of a visit to those countries.-^ In the time of Bishop Burnet the same difference was obseivable in the different branches of that Church and the same use was made of it on both sides. «' The Papists," says Burnet, *• who knew what ser- " vice the Bishop of Met .x's (Bossuet's*) book had done in " France, resolved to pursue the same method here in several " treatises, which they entitled Papists represented and miS' *^ represented ; to which such clear answers were written, " that this artifice had but little success in England. It gave " rise to an enquiry into the true opinions of that Church, " not, as some artful writers had disguised them, but as they " are laid down in the books that are of authority among « them, such , the decisions of Councils and their estab- " lished office., as they are held at Rome, and in all those «' countries where Popery prevails without any intermixture « with heretics, or- apprehension of them, as in Spain and " Portugal. This was done in so authentic a manner, that *' Popery itself was never so well understood by the nation, «* as it came to be on this occasion." • For an account of the schemes of several Romanists, wlio, in order to gain over the Protestants, were willing to compound, (at least in ap-> pearance,) for the partial relinquishment of their own tenets and princi- ples ; and, in particular, of the disagreement witliin the Romish Church as to the Orthodoxy of Bossuet's bool<, which one Pope positively refused to sanction ; as well as of the convincing manner in which some Protestant writers replied to it, see Mosheim, Cent. X\\\. Sec. 11. Part I. Chap. J. Parap. XIII. and the uote of his translator. Dr. Mc'laine. /-■ ..«»*»ifc^i?/Sffi»^^ ^ — t-wtwj^f:.--. ;' ■1 I I V i i 38 Th« m effects arising directly from particular doctrine ^Ud uaagea of the Romish Church, together with those cor. rupt maxuns and pernicioua equivocations in Christian ethics which hafe been maintained by some of her eminent discil pies might form a large addition to this division of my sub- ject, but th^y mil appear incidentaJly in the parta which are to follow. fc ' PART THE THIRD. EXAMINATION OF THl. .£COND oa CONTROVERSIAL PART OF Ma BLYTH'S PAMPHLET IT would be impossible l&a it ann*.or= ♦ , Church of Rome .oL„ J he; cfC LI::' ^*'' teslant Churche, but for the drcumsZl'L t >. »ithdra™ .hem^alve, from her oomZnt; Th "' °™« pe.ra„ce of desert.on .od of mno"! ' .3 " "" 'f «hich,.po„a.,igh.ana careC Z: ^ . ''' r"''"^ carry suspicion again., i^ Author,. aVIT""^: """^ »ore evident than that a tendenc, .„ . ""*'"« '' rate i, found in all institution/Zl" ^7° '"' '°-'''«™=- oern.d, and that .he Church 1!? •"■""" """ position to the depraved «„,! „fT' '^ ''"'■'' ""''• '" "P- (a> appear, from in,tancl S™h T' °*""" """^ •ure it,elf,) .he 1« „„ ;;'"'""" ""= '«"3' "otice of Scrip. terference of ProvMe„c e 'eT f^^^'T "' '"' 'P'""' ■"- «xcd more ca,ii;tr;;;r:„ ^„,°^- °' ^an^e will ^ •low .erie, of coriopt ion. IZut ™ """" "P™ «>e themselves. Power nd „^ '" T"""'^^'^ '•°™""'«' ""disputed, uCf rwhlZl": """™''°"« •''"°" b wliwh , pompous prescription can be ii^lJtmmntilt'm .«*.«!«» r. 40 urged ; encroachments of which wc muot travel far hack, and pursue our way with an observant eye, to detect the origio and progressive extension ; a specious accumulation of mus- ty authorities of which it requires some patience and prac> tice, to detect the spuriousness or the real discordance with her claims, — these are things which have thrown about the Church of Rome a mantle of ma mc power not immediately to be lifted by every hand, and seeming to her own disciples to shroud them in the sanctity of an inviolable refuge. Her demands upon us run up to an alarming amount — more, we are sure, than is warranted or just — but we are not always prepared to dispute them item by item, nor confident that all the documents have been preserved which will clear us in that Court to which we are summoned. We have indeed an ap- peal to a higher authority. We appeal to the authority of the word of God — to the Magna Charta of Christianity. But in replying to the arguments of a Romanist, we must seem to him to be only shrinking from the question, if we insist upon confining the argument to ground of our own choosing. We tell him that scripture is the only standard, and that our Faith must be built upon the Apostles and Prophets — Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." He tells us that scrip- ture itself depends upon his own Churtfh, and if she assures liim that " Images were absolutely commanded by God him- self,"* as objects of a qualified adoration, he is bound to be- lieve it ; — that the Apostles were all staunch Roman Catho- lics ; and that our Religion is a thing of yesterday which had no existence upon earth before Luther. It must indeed shake his confidence of tone if he can fairly be brought to ponder upon the pointed contradictions between the doctrines of Scripture and of his Church. But if, while we press him with these proofs, we throw out of the question all that is beyond the bare letter of Scripture, we are assuming what he does not grant, and we can bring him no farther than to. •Page 5T. 41 this choice of conclusions— Either that the Scripture is to be wrenched into some fantastic interpretation to suit a supposed Infallible set of tenets— or that taken in its true and obvious meaning, it is inexplicably at issue with the whole voice of ve- nerable Antiquity and the system received immediately from the Apostles into the Church. It is not upon such a plan, Sir, that I propose to conduct the argument. We are as willing to meet you upon one ground as upon the other-although we do not rank the au- thorities upon a level. We are prepared to establish the suf- ficiency of Scripture, and the necessity of Scriptural warrant for the doctrines of salvation-and to disprove also the force of your alledged authorities with respect to the external Po- lity of Religion and regular vehicles of Grace. You have in one part of your Pamphlet condensed the question into a very spiall compass. " Having anticipated" you say '• and, (we trust) obviated " f ^^'T'' ""•* ''''"°'' "" P'*'-''^'^' objections to the Catho- he Faith and Discipline, we may conjidently affirm that thia task IS, nevertheless, altogether gratuitous and supereroff- "atory. For if it be clearly established, that the CatholU: " Church is the true Church of Christ ; all discussion res- "pectmgher tenets, is superfluous—Because if she be the " true Church she is infallible. If infallible, she can impose no articles of credence, false or even doubtful. The infe- " rence is irresistible."* Far be it from us to dispute your licence of " confident affirmation." But what if it be denied with better grounds . of confidence, that the Roman an.l the Calholic Church are one and the same ?-What if it be not and cannot be " clearly established- that the Church .". infaimu ^'-What if the te- nets which she impo.es themselves constitute an ample evi- dence of the contrary.^- Where will be your irresistible in- JtTcnce then ? '1 f * Pajrp 80. F r ^ WWP'*W'^y^flgf their Religion, essential truths is communion with lere is no danger corrupt made in ig tending to nul- with which they beyond a doubt" nswick's 50 rea- and 2 or 3 which the decision of a (testant Princess, witli a safe cous- I of mere belief " is to (lie subjecl. 43 The Faculty of Divinity in this famous U.n'versity certain- \y rendered a famous answer. With all oracular «n,vitv thcv pronounceafew apparent concessions to the Romanists, men- Uon some points of agreement in belief, and sum up the whole w.th th.. decsmn '< Having demonstrated that the foundation of Rehgron subsists in the Roman Catholic Church, so that ' one may be orthodox and live and die well, and obtain sal. va .on m .t-.t ..easy to decide the ,uestion propounded. The most serene Pnnces. may iq consideration of fter mar- riage, embrace the Catholic Religion." ^^ Can any thing, you ask us, be more satisfactory than aO quest.onst.rroa about conv.ction of the Truth ; no supposi- t.on contemplated but that the Princess is to continue a Pro testant in principle-the point to be settled is, whether, bein^ a Protestant, she may with a safe conscience embrace the Re hg.on agamst which she protests. And it is decreed that "in cons.derat.on of her marriage." she may ehange her religion 08 she would change her gown. No difficulty exists o.> the pUier s.de as to the acceptance of a Heretic upon such te.n,8 of transfer. It would else have been their task to ..„..., her-not to extract from the Faculty of Helmstadt, a solemn Banct.on of Hypocrisy. ""icma Is it possible, Sir, that you do not see that .his transaction reflec^ equal d.sgrace upon all the parties concerned ; and furmshes noth.ng hke a sound argument in favour of the Creed of the Romish Church ? It will perhaps appear, as we pr^ , i„ ,,, • ,^^^ far Uosepomts of approximation, as you conceive th;m to be, wh.ch are stated m this dec...on rcmova all our objection, to your Creed, " the Creed of all Christians before the malice of men had torn Christ's seamless robe-and still the creed of a vast majority of the Christian World."— You are go •ng on very fast here-bu^ I must pray you to pause and tak,j F2 /' " i f ll Wi ii irt i Mt I B I- . 44 f 1 breath. Our field book at this rate will be founded upon a very partial and slovenly survey ; we shall miss many objects which it is rather imporUnt to notice, and blunder about ma- ny others. Our Christianography will not be so clear and authentic es that of the learned Bishop of St. Davids who has prefixed to one of his works* a map of Christendom at the end of the I5lh century coloured to shew the comparative superficial extent of the Romish Countries, and those partly or wholly Christian but never subject to. Romish jurisdiction. And if we add to the Greek Church in the Russian and Ot- toman Empires, with all the still independant remains of the Oriental Churches, the Protestant Sects of Europe, America, and the different Colonies of the former, I doubt much whe- ther the arithmetical part of your assertion will not be found as incorrect as the other which identifies the decrees of the Council of Trent with the ancient universal belief of Chris- tendom. I RESERVE for another place the consideration of your re- marks upon the article respecting the Church in our Creed, and proceed to con,°ider the additional Romish articles in their C'rder. Thr first of these relates to the Trqditioni, of the Church ; •' ail of which are to be considered as the Word of God and are et/ualli/ entitled to our homage and obedience :" As this is a question of fundamental importance I shall examine it with some closeness. I shall first consider your Traditions, and next the authority of the Bible ; and I shall take the lib- erty of collecting under one point of view the reasoning \ip> on these subjects which in your pamphlet is more scattered. '' The Traditions of the Catholic Church comi^rehend the " Bible»thc works of the ancient Fathers— the ancient Li- " turgies— the ancient monuments — the universal practice of •* the Church — the condemnation of ancient Heresies — the " acts of Councils— and the customs of Rome." • Tracti on ilie Otigiii and ludepeuduucc of the antleot Britikli CJiutcIi/tt, £Li 1 nil I li i i wM i 45 atieol BtUliih C'iiurcli,dc, The Biblo ha{. got into a very mixed and conflicting com. pany, and is upon a singular footing of equality with its asso- ciates— of equality with the customs of Home. Sir, I do not wish to shock your prejudices unnecessarily, but when you couple the Bible thus, you might almost as well have inserted tlie ceremonies of the most Ancient and Honorable Order of Fr«e Masons : The Customs of Rome ?— Quid raihi profera unius urbis consuetudinen) ? What do you talk lo me for about the customs of one City ? These ate the words of St. Jerome, who being the Author or chief author of the Vulgate translatiqn, is I suppose, at least as much entitled to be called inspired as the inspired St. Francis of Sales* — and Rome is the veryCity against whose arrogant pretensions he is protesting — infinitely as they were tlien short of her later claims, and de- cidedly as her customs were less objectionable than now. But if these customs of Rome are a part of the U^urd of God, how happens it that they have been so liberally dispens- ed with in certain cases ? How happens it that the Syro- Roraan Churches which were persecuted or cajoled into an acknowledgment of subjection to Rome, when she turned her tyes abroad for recruits ^o supply the defection of the Pro- testants, were allowed to retain their liturgy and many of their old tenets and usages in which they differ completely from Roniet?— You belong to the Fopc-^this was t|ic sort of language interchanged between the Romanists and the Asiatic Christians. Who is the Pope ? we never heard of him. But they were soon taught to hear of hint. II faut les apprendre si parlcr — ces gens Id ne connoissent pas leur monde.j: It was a small victory however which was gained after all by the Ro- mish Missionaries, and even this was gained at the expense not only of the principles of the Gospel, but of their own principles. The people were a Utile intractable ; and it was fuuud necessary to sacrifice the sacred and uncliangable cus- • Page 4T. fSee Mosheim Cent. XVI. Sect. III. Part. I. couclutiou of C'liop. II. ;Se« liucUauou't Cbiittiao Reseatclwt. ■ »* '■^ t^ ^1 III '! S 46 iom, of Rome To extend the Papal dominion w« a thin. -h.ch was to be done at any rate : if it could be done by fair means and without shuffling compromise, so much the better ; but if not-it must be done : Si possi* rec.<-si non quocunque modo rem t Ta ^""'''[^''''PP^'^^) »he reverse of that which forbids Z f." u "' ^°"' "'^y ^"'"'^-^"^ « '"^« -hich has been Rom- rL?h! """ ^' '"^^ "•"" "^^""t P'°P«^^^- «^^'- But Sir, with respect to your customs and traditions- what do you thmk of the declaration of St. Paul. ..ho says, estl"mer """"""f ""'^ '"^ '^°^^ «'-^'^^''= another man esteemeth every day alike": "Who art thou that jud^est Wlirr^rn': °^'"^^ ^°" everreadtheS: o r ; T r'^ B'»hop,(cited in the ecclesiastical history o J^useb.as L.b v.) to Victor, Bishop of Rome in the seconJ century, m wh.ch he reproves him for breaking Communion wuh the Eastern Churches on account of a dilerence inTb" Krvmg the festival of Easter, and reminds him that his pre- decessors m that See had never esteemed uniformity through- out a,l Churches to be requisite in points of this kind P-or are you aware th^t a succeeding ecclesiastical historian, So- crates Scholasticus, who flourished in the fourth century, ha« devoted a whole chapter of his V. book to the variety seen to prevail m ordmances and appointments which are merely of eccles.ast.cal authority-in the manner of fasting. U.e dura- tion of fasts, the ceremonies of worship, the seasons of com- memorative observance. He proves that these and other 8.m.lar ponus are within the discretion •f particular Church- es, and he ennumerates the cuslorr.s of Rome in a li.t of local vanet.cs. He would have told you also why we do not prac t.ce pcdiiuvumor foot-washi„g*"_he would have asked you w reply (for such is his strain of argument) why you do not convert into a standing religiou, ceremony every separate • Page ». :xr_^r.^._ ion was a thing d be done by !> 80 much the m which forbidi 'hich has been lagators of the i traditions — aul, who says, another man J that judgcst 1 the letter of istical history in the second : Communion brence in ob- that his pre- lity through- is kind ? — or listorian, So- century, ha< riety seen to re merely of g, tlie dura- ons of com- i and otheF lar Church- Iht of local \o not prac* ; asked you you do not 'y separate 47 action recorded of Christ in the New Testament ? The ac tion was a common one according to the fashion of the coun- try, and habits arising from the climate-but Christ conveyed a general lesson of condescension to humble offices in perform, ing -t and gave .t also an emblematical signification. U i, c ariy d,st.ngu.shed f.om thoso po.iiive HstHufions which we Ltir r r. 7 "'P^'^''^ commanded to be observed in perpetuity hke the two Sacraments ; or as being mention- ed or referred to n Scripture as Apostolicd ufagos. and proved by h.stoncal evidence to have been received I stand- ing Ordmances m the Church, like the change of the Sabbath, and he pract.ce of Confirmation by the hands of the Bishop Ihe Religious Instructors of the Jews are denounced by by he r TradUtons." "/„ ^ain do ye worship me," hefavi J^'a.n,'.teachingfor doctrines the commandments oi-men?! Now Sir, permit m« to ask you, whether there is one plea which you have advanced in favour of ^c«r tradition* which the J ws could not have urged in favour oUheirs ?-And le^ me solemnly entreat you to reconsider each of your argumenL upon this important po. , and to observe h J^ig^C ut -t.sfyi„g IS the process by which your mind hi admitted Becau^e^l, ,•',„•«* was living on earth, and the full fTusipn the iHU,l, Ghost had not yet taken place, the in t le h1 r1 T^'-^^f-*— d "Pon the sanctification of r ■ m: 1 '^ n'' i ,1 ■ f ^' eioe»,~ot circulating it in a manner which seems, at least to imply a renunciation of the DI8 ."INCT CHARACTER of the Chuicb' eulj. r «. a Church, or a national establishment ; a recognition of the prin-' ciples of separation ; and an equal encourageoMJut ol all religious systems •lid opinions wliatever. ' Tl«se«re things m hich .pj«.r to .«.ny of the Clergy and otSiersa.' ghly .njurtous concessions, and p^cedents replete with danger to Rel.giou. I would, however, be quit, out of place to argue the poht her. • and I *1^I1 coutem myself witb observing that whatever prinHple cab; urgel curd,«c„.,„g brethren to J„,.,fy „,„«,,,«« for refust' g to un.e wiS IChurc .„ the worship of God and teachingof his word.L^a. pT^ h If Jrr "• ""•' ^"""^""' ^"""'•'°' declining to a Jiat. he , elf w, h Separattsu ,» the act of diffusing ,|» Bible. Aud misrerresen- .a ion can hardly ,o farther than to s.lgmati«. ^^ «,„p,„ „ ^.^^^ t IZ """"" "' "" *""'• C°-'-"o- -ruples. even if t Jy .remu^k .re surely entiUed to indulgence and respect oa one side J Well as on the oUier. '" Dublm ^bo. treating in a public di«H,ur«, the question of the Kin^r's velT /'■: e ■-'mmmtf^^ !•»•; 50 Dgworth d.d not mean to say that we have no external In- 8t.tut.ons m Rel,g.on-.no Sacraments to be ado^inistered-. no marks oUav^fid designation for the persons who are to ad- minister then,-.no prescribed char^nel for the ordmar, cen- Teyance of the means of ^race-no beneat in any authorizea digest of Ghnstmn Truths. I only wish that ChjJlinKWorth w«re among u. to answer for himself to all parties. Bui being dead he yet speaketh ," and when we remember that he ^03 the Author. of the ApoUdical Imtitution of Epis^opacM dernonstraled, and discover his sentiments upon some other points, m passages which I shall have occasion to produce, m ai-e at no loss in what sense, and under what limitations, to understand his declaration that the Bible is the Religion Of Protestants. It w tlie Religion of Protestants. It irthe repository of their doctrines— the rule of their Failli—the *tand.rd to which they appeal, and by which they abido. " Holy Scrfptare," says the Church of England in her VI. Article of Religion, " containeth ail things necessary to Sal- •' vation, so that whatsoever b not read therein, nor may be " proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it " should be.beUeved at an article of the Faith, or be thought "requisite or necessary to «aIvation."-But that every man living who has a Bible can clasp within that compass all the cor^HttuerU parts of the Christian Rebgion; or that, without any knowii compendium of doctrines ; or aid of any «• scribe instructed into the Kingdom of Hea- ^n •" «, ««' , . . "»"-«" VI nea m ; or any previous general impressions as to the very outlines of Scriptural Truth - or any extraneous means whatever of throwing light upon ^npture,-me„ would erect for themselves a right system of Faith, or any thing resembling it,-! conceive to be full as hazardous and untenable a notion as that they are to receive implicitly and blindly the exposition of an interested authori- ty. ♦' Understande«t thou what thou reader ?*• " How ♦•can I,"-said the Eunuch, <• except some man should .guide me?"-N., church is to be trusted which wiUi- holds the Scriptures from the people- which buUdg it. doc fi 51 trines upon Its own or any human authority. But where wt see, as in the Reformed national Churches, a general agree- raent upon fundamental points, collected in received formula- ries of Faith, (uhich have also the consent of Antiquity ;)- Bn unanimous reference to Scripture as the sole foundation of Fa.th, and a systematic diffusion of the book thus unanimous, iy appealed to, rhore, according to my « As for those," say* Bishop Jewell, " whom our adversaries, by way of contempt, *' call Zuinglians and l^utherans, tl>ey are in reality Christians, •' on both sides, and, preserve the bonds of fraternity and "friendship. They do not differ upon the principles, or "fundamental parts of our religion, respecting Cion, or " Christ, or tha Holy Ghost, nor with respect to the means ** of justification or everlasting life." The differences com- monly called doctrinal among the Reformed Churches are certainly not jrreater than those existing among Doctors of the Church of Rome, and some of them are upon the veiy same points.* Tha Protestant teachers are not afraid-not afraid P—They are anxious above all things to put the Scrip, tures into the hands of their flocks-because they know that they are pledged to notliing for which the warrant of Scrip, tare will not be found, and thnt dere are " the words of eter- nal life "—Some men will draw very different .conclusions from Scripture, and their conclusions may possibly be very strange^ and very wild, especiahj if they set out with a predisposition to discover that they may have been imposed upon by the re- ceived system. There is bo cartainly that their prayers, whieh should always accompany such an enquiry, will secure them in a right judgment, for, If this were the case, there conld be * no possible discordance of judgment, and the state of man, in his earthly probation, would be whdiy different from whaS It now is. But the errors of aome men in their scriptural re- ♦f re4MtloatioM, Elwtion, Divine Grare, Lumap co-operation *o. G2 '/! /•■! 55 •earches, arc no more an objection to Scripture as the rule of Faith, than the unbelief of others is an objection to the Truth of Revelation. Consider the respective circumstances of the Church of Rome and the reformed Churches,— and the consent of doc trine subsisting among these is a far better argument of a right system, than the more compact uniformity of the others. A general agreement upon all capital points of belief, where freedom of investigation is encouraged, and Scripture is held to be tho final test, is a fair presumption of Truth but what similar corollary can be drawn from ever so strict a harmony of opinion, where the Church has once succeeded in persuad- ing her disciples to admit the principle,--It is so, simply bo- cause I say it is so ? You assure us that the Romanists entertwn the most profound respect for the Bible. Very likely they do. Omne ignotum pro magnifico is a principle of which your Church has abundantly availe'd herself, and she has not scru- pled to give this character to the revere^ce which she exacts for the Bible. But what Bible,* you ask us,— and we need proceed no farther if we cannot answer you— what Bible is this which constitutes the Religion of ProtestPnte ?— What Bible, Sir ? What Bible, do you intend that we should looV into for tho?c texts to which you have pu^ down references in your panjph- let ?— We will take the same if you insist upon it, (altho' it is in many points a faulty translation.) Out of her own mouth we are ready to condemn the Church of Rome. The Hebrew Scriptures— the Septuagint version— the original Greek of the New Testament — the approved translation of different Churches— tliis Sir, is our Bible. The Canonical books of Scripture, received as such from the first, and ratified by early Council8.t and defined in the VI Article of •Lrt It be noticed that thus is the very qnestion which vmn asked by CarlislB, upon his indictment for publi«bing Payne's Age of Reason. tTh« Council o» Laodicea lield A. D. 364 did not include in the Canon at Stripturo the Aprocryphal boolw which Ue Church of Rome now re- 53 the Church of England— this is our Bible. The Society for promoting Chri«tian Knowledge and the British and Foreign Bible Society both circulate the Scripture, in a va»s multitude of Tongues— theie Scriptures are our Bible. Really Sir we ara under no difficulty to know what we mean by the Hi- ble~we are at no loss to describe what liible we rest our faith upon:-rA. Bible-THE BOOK- « the words which shall not pass away"— the authentic HevelaUon which bears, as II were, the seal and sign manual of God himself, O blcs- sed God I— and is it come to this, that we do not know in what book we are to search for thee ? and are we to be set adrift from this anchor of all our hopes, and to receive in exchange the " big swelling words" of Papal arrogance, claiming to occupy ceives as Canonical. See an excellent little tract, entitled Q.e.tirnaand Aniwew concerning tlie reipeclive tenets of the Churches of England and Rome. But ^im is mmt remarkable is that St. Jerom himself, in llw re- marks preflied to his translation, after enumeratinR a liM of twenty-t^o books, and adding that R.iih and the Umentaiions are also included ia some Catalogues, which, thus (comprising the minor Prophets in one book and differing in the same way in some oilier dirisions of the Canon) ror- responds with what we receife as holy writ, has tliew words-Igitur S». plentia qua> vulgo Salomonis Inscrilitnr, * Jecu fllil gyrach liber, * Ju- vl 17"""^'^' "/^''^ ^^'«'"« --»-. the effect of writers into a falge appearance of alarm ? ^ fiction .... "^ **7- '^^ ™^ '^*'^*^' y«" therefore, for satis- M«.W„,TAK.,,,i,«,cm,,|,„„,.j,„, Wh,the™»„,I •cure broacl,c«olpa„tcuiar«pi„i„™,Myha.c been .owicked n.Jl f '""■''" """ •"fP"""' '"'-pinion C .n,rod„c,„g forger, into ,he Scrip, „re,_„, „,„. „ ,„ po J blc for euher .he «„„,.„«. „ <,„ „„f„,„„, ,„ ^^ _P°»:^ •WhlKaker iii (he nnme of a lale w ,1.,., .i.„ , . »-...lo...d Ar,ic.|e of „. Q. Review olve,! ' '""' "• """• •1« blunder. „f Mr. B.IIamyrjriaH '„ , '" " "^""'^ ""'"•" »Ofk (lo whirl. I h.v* n """'""""-" the pasMge is ,«k«n from hi« I know iiul how this mav h* d. . .ubj.o.. marked for prcx4..ri !lT' "'" "•^'""'" « ""* ""' Ml,i.h.wi.ho.u,he come,, .1..'""^"* 7"" '" ''"'"''' "'"""•" ur«e ...em ..pon ..l.rZl, . ^ ' "' ""'"• ""' "'" ""^ totlve reference,. « . "^'•*'*""'~-''"' "'> «*" l«« I hure been .tujiou. to Kl«e reference.,; m.d the more ibey ,re made um „f Umi bei.er. 59 'vhat I cannot believe that vnn «;ii prove, 13ut that in »!„.. I 1 "^'"'^^^« »"«'i"'»t to .i;,. """■J proof,; „„,| „,„ „Veu„,,.„ ,. ; ^'"'"'r' " »"« ""'""K •■' only .„ be h,.,c„.ed .l.«. ".1^1, 1, " """■ °"'"" '""' " code of h„:»„ : tXu"t;:: T'\ """'" ™'- " » intervention „„d co-JlL, 7r ° "'""■>•'"' »■■''""' <'•« hHot.oej:tfrir:rc,:;r''"""""'^- K Coo,, of j„.,„ , ,;:, ,: v:;, „^;^ » p-^; -f u,, hi sanctions of this I aw »« i • i , """"^•— Now the pen- I- i-a,.ont to j/pii :;:'::::-,;;----- py set in array. Who in i» ♦., . "*'*"'''^^ ^ «"'i"'"n- Went-J.u.lt: i;'^^^^^^^ - ^'- "Pon .hat N ?~IH it the Church of /o ^ .^r'T '7 ^'• f"/- who i« also to he the judge ? U i 1 ^k'"'""" fuJg-nent we. «tana or fall. ^ ^' ' ^' '* "^'-""^ by f li, •*•• Moihein, c>«i. IX. Pari 11. Pane VIli . . flo'-nHl, .uUH.ri,i„ iu one of ,he .„,,.,. '^' ' ""^ ""' "'^"'""^' '» H2 GO H' But Sir let us be permitted to carry on your supposition a little further. Let us suppose that the Courts of Law keep the Statute-book locked up in their own archives ; form a subordinate Court of Inquisition, armed with er^gines of hor. ror, to awe those who question the correctness of their inttr- pretatton — and interpret the Law by their own practice, in- stead of modelling their practice by the Law How will you extricate us here? It was Ion-;, Sir, before the Church learnt to depreciate the Scriptures, and to set her own authority above them. It was reserved for times of utter corruption when " the whole head was sick, and the whole heart faint" to devise this most suspicious expedient which carries guilt upon its face; to withhold from the heirs of the kingdom the instrument which onfers their Christian priviitjjes, the testamentary convey- ance of the Redeemers bounty which he sealed with his blood. 1 ou speak of some reserve in spreading the Scriptures and you soilen down the odium of this system, as others have done on the Mine side, in the best way that you can. Hut Sir an- swer me truly — Will yoiK '!lergy ever give any wider circu- lation to the Scriptures than such as thoy are urged by imptJ nous circumstances to give ? — I do not speak of Individual'; ard have no right in the world nor, I am sure, any disposition to I impute to them atjy other Uian conscientious motives in an adherence ever so rigid to the path prescribed by Ihiir Church~I speak of the Sj/Uem of the Church at larjre. Docsj the Church of Rome ever circulate the Scriptures, or evnij permit them to be rcjul except where she is thrown on the derl fensive and finds it an object to be enabled lo 5.7y tha i-he i!otjJ so ? — Does she fearlessly and honestly encoimter a comparison! with the word of God ? — What is the language of her pul)lic[ and authoritative proceedings — of her ardent champions— ot'J her skilful Gamaliels ?— What indeed is the whole drift off those arguments which you have yourself adop-ted upon tliel subject ? — To lower the claims of Scripture— -to ^ liatt iuj whole efficacy by the monstrous principle of blind «• ^dicncc-l 61 to Klifle its pleading cry, to drown its sacred voice in the ohi- treperous fulminatious of the Church, thin, gir, is jusi the amount of it all. " But from the beginning,"— from the beginning of Chris- tianity — "it Has not so." In the first ages of the ( hunh the Heretics were thty who added to Scriptuii', and the (a- tholics were tliey who rcsisf.d the addition. The cace ix 11,'w invcrteil as you would apply these terms. In »ht second ctn. tury Montanus had the merit ot discovering tht in^pcrjtciion and insufficiency of Scripture, and. in a fit of fancied ;u:^piru. lion, devised, and promulgat-^id as of equal authority, certain new precepts and supplementary ordinances of hh ow...* Against this Phrygian Heresy, as it wm called, Apollirarins Bishop of Hierapolis wrote a letter which is preserved iii the V book of the liccles. Hist, of Fusebius, and wh-eh cont; ii.t " these words " whereupon I doubted unto this day wha» wa« *' best to be done : not because I was not abie to confute " tiieir falsehood and give testimony unto the irut'i, but thut I " feared greatly ItSt by writing i should seen, to a«id t >iiic- ** thing to the doctrine of the New Testanieui;, whereto noth- •' ing may be added and whcrefrom ni>thing may be lAi^en " away by him that will lead a life agretMbh fo the Cf pel"t In the fourth Century the necessiij/ of a famlliiu acquain- tance with Scripture for all classes nt Society is hus ivusted upon by St. Chrysostom. After citing seme passug** in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus in which the study of the Scriptures is recommended, he meets un objut'on that thii advice is addressed to the Ministiis ni' the wuiil tid in proof that the Laity are comprised equally in the precepr, he addu- ces texts to the same eflect ironi the Epi.'.tles «t(8ed to communities at large ; and this cfipecialiy frou; tuloss. ill. 16. *9tr MosUeimrent. li. Part li. Clwp r. Pnrcg. ijiii. { Dr. Mercdiili Hauiiifr's trunklulion of £u»>.l>iiu. -. i. 62 let the .ord of Christ dwell in vo« richl, ;„ all .Jsjo^ . liiE same Fatlur, i„ one of Im hoa^uZ + • mc in this Controversy I ».J \ *" «°"*" ''^'"'"^ ture as the final test of Tr.-th r u ^^ *° ***-"P- -erable hands ^!J^:^:^^[^:IZJ1''' '"' ""^'^ .hape of an appendix to my Letter r "^'"»>.t.on. ,„ the to solicit your ser.uus attention '; ^'""""^ """ ^''^'*^^"^*' " tare, themselves; wlicTl ' " , r"«'' "' ^'*^ «"'P- '•aving shewn, ( I .one Ul 1* "'' "* "'"" ^^"''^ ^'^'-'^ h t-wn, I nope, ) that we nmy depend uwon our nihln " " '"''"■'' '° "" s-p""-. »■«'. i- .1"-. .nd„..,ix;;' •De SaoKnloiio, Lib. iV. flV pnrndi»o, »ii« horio, ami Scripiurfs *c. jProM-rlioniMi re km graplion auaguoMl.' llOpliWeia apo-iex ouanncuw. f P«. I. 2. .Ve panirularly the | |o p,. ,„«|„^ Woliu V. 39. See Luke „iv. is. «, 7, end 32. ii 1 63 that he appeals in support of hf, own pretensions • and his Apostles establish them by the same mean.* IT Is\vkit! lEN « a constant and solemn *br„, of authority alledgcd^ t on of the elders, are mentioned only as corruptions or idle -e.non.es. St. John tells us that the Scriptures of the New festament " were u,riUen that u. mi.nt Srlieve that Jesu. ifro ha name; t ,n oti.er words, that the object of tht-ir be- of our laUh. and that a/a;//, so fouudeU is the way of our alvation. Ihe Bereans, so far from being taught to receive he Apostohc doctrines in.p'icitly upon the authority of the Church, are commended in a marked manner for ^' .earch^ng the ^cnpt^res daU^ r^hether those things rvere so."t St Pad instructs the Romans chat it is " thro' comfort of thL Scnptures \\ that they receive their hope, and that the Scrip! tares were written for this end ; and he reminds h.s belovc^^ r.'. PpAt '"^''' "'"■•^^ ^'' ''*^ enjoyed because say, he FROM A CHILD thou ha.t " known the Holy Serin! sTl^atION/^/''^ '''' ^"^^^ '"^"^ WISE UN'IO Thus far Sir, we see that the Bible is our guide-that the Word IS a lamp to our feet and a light unto our paths"«_ and that the Church has not only no right to withhold it but « under the most sacred and awful obligations familiarly to dispense it. ' .See particularly Act. Apoit. and Epi«t, Heh. Pawim. tJohn xK. Jl. jAcN.jvii.il. IJRom. ti, 4. Pn..l h'"' "'"* "'■ '*• '''''' ""* •"fll'-ien.ly demon,fMt„ ,!,„» „ Paul, by ^commending tbe Scripu.ure io .1.. ,wo «,c.-.edinK v«r»*. a, ,|« «r««ti„s,«i„,.eha„d.of.heC,.H«ianT«acL.r.diaao.J^«„,«„^^ Ins recommf nda.lon lo any elaw or even age. 11 P*. cxii. lUj. G4f II 'i ^ HPTHKn the Church of Uonu ha« any parlicular rca.6^ o s. :,K .^«,,, g.v.ng currency to the Scripture* u, conjunc t.on mth «.l that *hc. i«,ue« up.,n her o,v„ cred.t. wilJ .ufficient- y ..p,.e.r wi.cn we exa.nin. J,er tenet, in .uccesnion. In th. .n:.an tn... Sir. if y.,a will only admit the ;..«i,/,Vy ,l.at y..u «.«// have a..placcd your religi„u« attachments, and that he. u^:c,: ,ua, no, be an evil heret.cal. dangerous, diabolical .. ..cM.an and so l.r.h,^-ktn.e beseech you to vause . liHe upi.^.me .a.u.nu, ..fa n.ore general nat... nh^d. the C)iu a., ^uv h...n..,r afford, and to a«k your.. If. Aether th.se Uo A.tn.H«..whuprophe.,ed «o longin^ar. cloth.. ^,vh„se y^>r:. ., tctunony was ,o long degra.od and .v.,lo.fced,^do n|.. ^pea. tr„a,, Mi,.ch applied co Uome n.a. "niakJbcnh tb. e,.rs .f .v«ry Mae that h.Kreth them tr ^ingle 'M . '"7;/"'"' S.r the pict..,c of the Jewish Priest-hood: •. ^- (*o...a.„, to Uw. II upon ti.eir in.orrigiMe pronerZ. gro^e. . .ufehu of th. people by prov.d., then. '^ t^" *'. o^ec. of rehg,ous adnration. ) conu mpUe with . cJ^I ^ ^^e a... .h. .at in Mose.' seat^the Phari.ee,. the 1^ »lj ...UK., Hehg.on of the country, and f, :>n whom it receiv- -5 ^..h.rac.. and complexion: Men m.Un, the w^of u.n of uoue effect by their tradaion.^ tuLin^away the key n' » ^ * J. r. /y«„d,^. Th« maimer in «|.,,luhis prohibiory power is « 1 ^P'-'K U..0 w.«r men- j,.dffe ye what I say." '^ .o ,., ..,,,, ,„ ,., .u. „„,,„. , .^:;^r i;r i^:*! tl S'ln. 111. II. JMurk »ii. 1— Jl. ,i.-»»". ;i^-': ^ y particular icastA ipturog in conjunc- t'dit, wiU sufficient- in succession. In tl«c' j)o,sibilify tliat ichinents, and that igerous, diaboiica! ou to ;.iusc a J;(dc >5ie HinHh the t)id telf wj>ether th«ise atji cJt>tlii..«..wbi.ge i of Clirisi and lii» I not MTliat i* right?' •I '•onlj-,(ncrorilin{r *n> l.aro .-of ■!«;, Jet :ra:Lr "'° ■•"■'■'" "- -"-■ '-p- inculciog a loft, dwlt! IhXra"™,""'"';?"'''' *. .«o. .^ .o ^r r ';: - 1 - .-..e . . Wing"_a«a « U,ere o,eBoi„t hoi . . " "'"' "•™- pa'alle. .., „„. ,e ZZtlcZ:^^^:'''''''''''^ "s a xvhole ?-l soeak it «„ • , "'""'' considered -he ch^ei-nor: jrr:? ^r v, " r ''"-"' ^ •-"aracter ol individuals, that I have to • Luk» xi. Si. h "•• «"«' of Um Woman's flit ad ' i„ "' V' '"■ ^""'"^ ^''"«. W "- J«»i.h pr.iudi..e.)~.- C "r . . " '"*'"""'• '"" '•"«'«*. !♦' ? g*-f»' oo ^Ih ,'« iti do mth^tlus Ro.ni*I. Priest may . be a fiir better man and more devoted Pa«tor in his way. tl.an that Protestant Clergy- man-and I doubt not tliat even in Rome herielf, there are masters in Israel* who aeek honesUy the way of salvation, though their free access to Christ, as he stands disclosed in the Gospel, is much impeded and embarrassed : Rely upon it, Sir, the great check upon abuses of authority, the great cor- rective of degenerate practices, the great preservative of pure doctrine in the Church, is the principle of direct obe- dience to the Bible, and the consciousness of standing in its penetrating light Alas ! if the Bible were allowed to bpeak openly how would tl.e Romi^A Hierarchy be able to evade iu force. -How would they reconcile with their principles and pracuce, the declarations that they are "not to be lords over the heritage," t that they are " not to have dominion over /A«r/a,/A but are helpers of Uwr joy?" J How would they explain the solemn command of Christ, "CaU no man your father upon the earth~for one is your Father which is in Heaven : Neither be ye called masters for one is your master even Christf — We will not insist upon interpreting this pas- Mge by the rule with which you have supplied us from Bos- suet jf-we will notsay that it is " taking bye-paths" to receive It otherwise than in the ///era/ acceptation :-But will Bossuct, or will you, instruct us how to reconcile it, in that obvious and natural acceptation which is suggested, first by the neces- sity ot resorung to a figurative sense ; and secondly by U.c tenor of the context and the circumstance, under which it is 8poken,-with the implicit acquiescence in the infallibility of the Church, and the absolute homage of soul and surrender of the judgment which is given to the Rulers of the Church of Ronae? It is known, Sir, that the Jews were much .he hafMt of pmntng their faith, as it is familiarly cJIad, upon the dictum of spiritual guides whom they called Fathers and Mas. 'Mm iii. 10. t I. P.». f. 3.-1 U. Cor. i. 84.— ^MlMb. «iiu.». 10. 1 P««e 4». 67 §Msbut let u. bea; ualourselves. It is not auch. thank Goo. as to d" Le ". back mto her arm.; nor to make u. mistrustful of our Caus. But .t does not follow from the abuse of rights, and the per.' version of blessmg,. that they cease to be rights or blessing.. and If. ,n the time of the Apostles, it was found that there were "many thing, hard to be understood" in some parts of Scripture, " which the unlearnedand unstable wrested fo thek- own destruction." we have seen that their system of Correc t.on wa. any thing rather than a decree to shut the Scriptures from the people, or to bid them repose blindly in the placita of Popes and CouncUs, and commit their conscience, to the keeping of the Priest. No sober Protestant ever maintained such principle as that nothmg w ever to be taken upon trust. Such a principle would really carry u. to something like the length to which yo« • It I. remarkable .hat U.e follower, of c.rlai,. Hea(h.„ Pl.ilo«.pher. appear to have engaijed them^lm to the .y.iem of ..«i, Masl„s in « .l! .^»'« way ; aod the practice h di^laimed by the Roman Poet: Nullim addictiu jurare in ccrta MagistrU . >l 68 '■H g' •«uM per-uado „, tl,.t our „« p,i„,ip|^ „„j„„ Chr.«,.n.,hoca„„«r.aJ-„a,.,| Cl.ri..ia™, „„„,. ^C 0lllcBI,l„ ,!,„ .„a„„.„t mean, „f „,itfa«i„„ upon .h;. doa.e„c„„,„eh„a„e.„l.„™„ .„,„„ri.,._h„,„ .p-pTJ^' . rj. "«"";7 f™"' y-' ""i-'io™. The .ru,l, i, U,at . , „ .'"'.•■■"" "''"''■ "-« '■» "'• Church .1 laruc- Cor. xi. |», J Tlii» ii not to be tO(Mi in a wav <« .j_j. # preach the w.rd amUdmin .r .rJ., '" "'''**'"'' ■'"* no. .«roo.' ^eli B 'l''"''"'''"'^ •»• ^^•'"'•"""J'y of which read. B '• true in .,. ,en« in which k U he» s. ^ i^teljti.'"*-*'.-^*''^: '*! ' uu i i ' imiju ■ inji i u fc, *4 J f^ , » conduct;* and iun» who have not uld not be Chris- ii|)me at the Scrip. » System of The- nd espet ially the rincipjfis of Faith from corruption nded and abso- regular and un- or good. "For they which are would be a very ; the Church is f thu; the Bible capacili/, as the ao qualificatioo or ele« of Fttiih, ana immuaiiy of wlijch liiciiitii taeres,' «, 69 But, sir. we have not done with the Scripture. XV u - heavier battery in the rear. -VVohavcthol ^ '"'^* of Prophecy.". We not only charge Ch "S T ""** with deviating, both from the letteTL h T "°™« Scrlp.re.a„dwuh wronging the lI; , , tep'fn7i:V'' them, but we see in our Bible* thp .» , ^ * ^'■°"» COMPAHE »h,t i» Mill in ,l„ ,,,. w...ch , .h.„ .^^ „,„ .„ °, ;«^' -,e „„H .H. ..,„.,„,^ ^ve™l Pope._„d ,„d„d ,i.h Than . ^ " "*"'""' ""^ P«P«I Power (for u, .„ „ 7 T '"" ""*«> <» >l.o •uributo of GOD , *° "" '"'"■"• '"•"iV » iueif .° opening ,„ iheir .„bi,i„„ '^°''" "^ "« ''"" horded m «ng her miracle.. "'^*''' °^ ^°<^^' respect- --•^.-ondi,jd:;r:x:r:x::i. •". P»«. I. 19. f 70 II miUiOfU, and leadtng tAtm ittto eorrttplkmt of the true Religion, fif)retMmte las it pleased God to fence in the teetinioniea of bii truth by decreeing that the very Churches wiiich aro the oJ- j*e/*ofprophetical.denuociation, should be also its dfpotUa" ties. I do not compare a Church of belit^vera In Christ witli the Jews— but in this pwnt their destinies are alike : and thia wonderful economy of Providence conveys to those whose in- teresU and predilections do not disqualify them from diseof n« iog it, one irresistible assurance of (be AutlieRticity vui Imp!* ratioa of tha Scrijrturei. I^ART TtTE rotJRttf, EXAMINATION OP Mil BLYTH'S PAMPHLET eONTIlfUtO; A* II MCARM TMI TKNETI. VIAOU AND IMITIXtr- tlOKi or TMI CMUACH OF tOUt AOAINtT WHIM Tl»: •SrORMKD CNURCHII MOTMT. I ocoHT rather to have throiro my obtervationi (having choiea the epiitolary form ) into a leriea of letters than to have made them «ucce9«ive portions of the •anic, could I have toreaem how the work would swell under my hands. I give you a great deal of trouble, Sir,— if indeed you are yet, accea- aible to the very voice of Argumentation upon the subject,— but these are questions of tome moment ; and my own sfiare of the trouble (which is rather larger than what I seek to im. poaeupon you,) shall be gladly undergone, if it shall please God to make me the ia«trunient of aiding any brother Chrix* tian in the search of Truth, or confirming him in the princi- ples of sound doctrines. I WAS willing, however, to be detained a little out of pro- portion in treating the loft division of my subject ; becau«e we there hit the very jugulum causa ; and if we have once v»~ tablislied the necessity of Scriptural warrant ; the fallacy of mere tradition ; and tlie liability to error in the Church, it ia comparatively simple work to expose the particular eriors of the Church of Rome. If lier Infallibility be admitted, we hove there indeed by fur the most conciiie and direct nicarts nf obtaining entire aatisfactioo. Why sliould we be distrea- I 4 \ J 1 y 1 'ii ;rl wrJ'" 72 f: «ed by contradictions or slnprgercd by impossibilities ?— WImt tho' " by reason of use we hove our scnst-H exercised to dig- cern boU. good und evil,"* we need not fatigue them in a fluid interdicted to tluir operation—If we are really bound to believe whatever the Church may say, and »he is to inter- pret the Scriptures by the rule only of her own convenience— a ]a bonne heure— but if this be a false representation of tho case,— if this postulate upon which the whole systehi is found- ed, be Itself utterly intopuble of being sustained,— if this claim be dispr.ived and overthrown, then the other points of the question remain open for adjustment or debate. I I'lioc KKi. therefiirc in u brief and familiar manner to ex- amine hoiv they ore likely to be determined by an appeal to Scripture— or to antiquity— or to the common sense of man- kind ; and I shall make no other deviation from the order in which they stand than such us the intermixed nature of tlie question may seem to suggest. The Article following upon Tradition ii that which rolatei to your seven Sacraments. This precise number of Sacraments— (the word being ta- ken by general consent to signify an ordinance of the Chris- tian Church conferring grace by the instrumentality of some visible emblem or symbol of divine appointment,) was a dii- covery of Uie XIII Century. A nd it was one of the laudable improvements of the Council of Trent in the XVI tc make it un article of Faith. , IJuT that, according to the foregoing definition, the Sacra- ments are only two ; correspouiling to two sUnding ordinan- ces of a similar import in the old Covenant, Circumcision, and the Passover, is immediately evident upon the application of the text : Fon, (to reserve some other abatements from thp proprie- ty of the application,) where are the words of Institution by t'hrjst, or where is tlic material emblem or symbol —the • Hsb. r. 14. Ii ' which rolatci 73 outwnrd and visible sign, like the Water, or the Bread and Wine, in ConHrniiition, in Marriage, in Fenancc. in Holy Or- ders? Call them Sacran.enti. ii'you pleasc-call them by any name that you like, if you leave it a loose term. a« it wji» in earlier times-but iCyou proceed to drJiHUion and classi/Wn- Uon, do not confound the positive oulivani Ordimmn of Vhmt with things which are of a nature totally distinct IVom them. liur how came you to say, Sir. that your Protestant Breth- ren msist that Confirmation "is of moilern invention ?" It is indeed « n.odfcrn invention, comparatively speaking.-to make .t a Uncramnu : Hut surely you are aware that it i.. retained both m the Church of Kngland and other Hcforme.I Chnich- 08 as an Apostolical Ordinance, Archbishop Seeker* will tell y«m that one of the Prayers used in the Office of Confirm- ationoUhe English Liturgy, was used upon tho same occ.- -ion m the Church 14.0 (now I.GOO) years ago, if not soon- tr -and that .t .s an mlinance 'used by the Apostles af- tor Converts were baptized, a. the Textt pW-'ly «hews • rck- oned .n the KpiKtle to the /M.„,,f ,..„„, ,,, ^,„„^.,,„„, 01 theChr.st.au JVokMiou; constantly praetis.-d, and high, ly esteemed .n the Church fro.n that tune to ,hi* , „nd so L rom l>e.ng a popish Ceren,ony. that the Papist, administer onhrma„on by other C.-remonies of .luir own devising, and Mve aul as.de this primitive one;«hich therefnre our Church very prudently restored. And the Custon, of it i. op- proved. as Apostolical, both by I.ulhe, and C«/„/„. and scL « -a oi their Followers. tho..gh they rashly abolished it. „, .aving btH.n abuscl. But I am credibly inlWn.ed. that at i'CHeva a hiith lately been re«tored,"|| Anotiiku of your Sacraments is Fknanck, "Kxcept y© • Smtmott ou tonflfnimioii. f Ac.n vlii. M. f ||pb. fi. I, f. t Jt It now pwciNH n( Ori„T« (Ik.' will, .„,ni. rlrcuniMnnrr. of Ar%h\Un frnm It,,, aiu-imi r'l.. ..n«v„i.la|,|,. i„ ,hr fl.Hrrli ai lli«( ptare. K .1, I r4 rfo pinnnce ye shall all likewise perish."* Our Saviour had been informed of a frightful catastrophe which Iiad recently caused several deaths at Jerusalem. And he warns the per- sons about him' instead of interpreting it as a judgement upon the sufferers, to turn their severity upon themselves, assuring them that "Except they REPENT they lihall all likewise perish"*— a warning addressed, in its general sense, to man- kind, and having all the force of literal prophecy as it afiect* ed the Jews. What a desertion then of the Gospel— what a melan- choly substitution of formalities for the correction of the heart and life, is the application of such a text to such a pur- pose ?-' Repentance and Faith are the two great conditio ns of the Gospel. The Fore-runner of the Messiah, the Messiah himself, the Apostles who received their commission from him, all preached Repentance and remission of sins. But METANOIAf is now discovered to hi \)\e Sacrament of Pewa/jw ?— .Sir, if you could shew me in our Bible many such samples of translation as tliis, I would grant you that verbal differences are of more importance than I have attached to those with which you would alarm us. Let me entreat you, if you possess the Latin translation of St. Jerome, to turn to the Index and examine the summary explanation there given of all the passages in which the word Pa-nitentia, or any cognate word, can be found. You will find it a good deal nearer to our notion of Repentc, s than to yours of Penance^ With respect to your observations upon the duty of **teek- ing ajlidiom," and '•imposing upon ourselves voluntatis pain, "whenever the ordinary efforts of our frailty and wickedness "appear imufficient for pardon" ( for pardon Sir ? whose suffer- ings are those, I beseech you, upon the tujicienci/ of which we •Ittkexiii. jt. t Signifying WitnXXy aekang* q/^m.rti} -«n after fbwigliUnelodinit regrH. J A r«fer«iMie to ttie udm quarirr will also furnUi very f[ood aniwer to the (iUMtign why we do aot praoiice Pcdiluvium or (uot- watliiog. i\ the Messiuh jlttincludinf regrrt, 7J «re taught to depend for pardon?) insufficient for pardon and reformation/'^I shall only remind you of the Apostolical cau- tion against a voluntary liurailily, and subjection to ordinances, after the commandments and doctrines of men, which things have a lAwv of wisdom, in wUi-mrship, and neglecting of tho body.f But how dangerous an Inlet is here opened to self-decep- tion, and upon how broken a reed may the pilgrim be thus in- duced to lean ! How difereot are these forraaJ severiUes,— M a French Author about half in earnest describes thet-, Qii* ffMT nfir Le Clel, Minttiiwm vl.tom, Eieroent tur (••iira corps tatii de Clir Penance, however, with iu concomitants ot CoDfeMion* and Absolution — greatly as they have all three been pcrvert- cd—manifoUl aa are the mischiefs which have arisen from their abuse — are, if properly understood, and accordihg to the practice of antiquity, very salutary exercises of ecclebias- tical discipline, and highly conducive to the purity of the Church. Those things, Sir, although in practice they may ba neglected, from a natural abhorrence of the old usurpa- tioiiS, yet in principle have not been renounced by the He- formed Churches — they have only been reduced to their pri- mitive size and 8lia|)e :— Look into the beginning ol' the Com- minatioo-Service of the English Prayer Uook ; you will there see a correct statemeut of the ancient discipline of Penance : and if you will consult Dr. Mo^heim'a account of the Cere- monies of the V. Century you will see when this public con- fession of scandalous offenders as a pre-requisitc condition to their being restored to the Communioix of the ('hurch, waa •xchanged for tliut auricular deposit which grew allerwords into so formidable on engine of priestly inttueuce. TiiF.SE are things comprised within that general Power of lite K«ys of which I shall say a very few words when we reach the Article relating to the ( hurch. Thb next Kacrament which we disallow is that of l^x- TMRMB Unction. TiiESCs^pt, taid our Saviour, shall follow them that bo- • KimM V. 14. Ci>nf«M your sin* a«ia (o anotbsr, mMilfeMly meain no- lliiiiK like Mirieulsr tpiif^Mitia to • Friort— isaperiaJly u it immetluiivly follnwK tU« nicniinii i.f a duly in wiiicli the iatervention of ttie MinUtry is r«K|iiir««« rrmiirk* to diacouragr ibc praciicfe»*«oiinlly Iwiuiw. Uui Ihf numlicrleui ami groM aviU wbiah liaira artien ib many purtx nf tb« world from the ttteiird infliwure of Confwmrn ami Oirtotorx ovpr wotiiiq and wlioie familtei are (ou uuturious to require being iusisied upuo. :&. I '""Hi^Ki .rj^^. -^^-JLj MMH 77 lievc-thcy shall lay hands on the Sick and they shall recover • Hb aUo coininiMions his disciples (among other office, «br which they should be rairaculoiuly qualified) to heal the Now in the account of their execution of this part of their commiMion. St. Mark informs us that thty used oil aa an ar- bitrary vehicle of U.is healing power (in the same way in which Chrigt himself had anointed with day Uie eyes which he restored to sight ) •' They anointed xvuh oU many that were sick and healed Ihem.X In exact conformity with this St James directs that the «ck should '.send for the elders of the Church and let them ^^ pray over him anointing him ,„///, oil in the name of the u T i ' . .? ' P"""^"' "^ *'"'''^ "'"»" '«''* ^h« «ick, aud the " Lord shuii raise him up:'\\ Hkric then is the exertion of a miraculous gift, (to which the use of oil is merely a circumstantial appendage.) lbrmi,w part of a special and extraordinary Commission to the first planters of the Gospel, and having for its object the r^ora> itoH nf the Sick to health f Tins .s asmgular sort of warrant for the Sacrament of the 82 ll authoritici at Icngtli, but shall limply call your atf ntlon t« the following leading poinU, contained in the lust-iuentiom a portion of hit work : That he first uhewt the Antiquity of •oleninizing marriage in Cliurchcs, and with the form of nuptial benediction pro- nouDced by the Priest. For this he produi es the early au< thorify of TertulUau who flourished in tiie second and third Ceuturiet : That he proceeds to prove the celebrat'<>n 1 1 Marriage by the Church, or by any sort of Ceremony whatever, to have been only a p/ouf cui/om ; not by any moons esscrtial either to the validity of the civil contract, or to the Sacramental act ittelf. This he proves from the Authoruuuve declarations of ieveral Empirors and Popes in the fourth, fifUi, ninth and twelfth Centuries : That, in speaking of the Council of Trent, he observes that they dealt out one of those anathemas of which we all know that Council to have been ho prodigal, against all who ahould dispute the last-mentioned opinion ; but that they pro- ceeded to make it essential to the Sacrament not only tiut tlie Clergy should be parties to it, but that it should be solemni* zed by the Priest within whose spiritual charge the parties ahould be situated. Here then are some curious conclusions to be drawn. First it appeals that, if Marriage be a Sacrament, a 8a* crament can take effect, not only without any intervention of »h'i Church, but itithout any outward or visible sit^n vihat- e?.f r .— Nuptia: SOLO AFFECTU RATili sint, which ex- t:>?ossion, as Pothier insists, is equivalent to tlie declaration •ii^fuU Sacramental efficacy, and he cites the authority of a Pope who speaks of Marriage between Heathens as being wrum but not KATUM — valid but no Sacrament— but be* tween Believers as being both verum and ratum. Secondly it appears tliat, if Marriage be a Sacrament, the Church has a power to change the eutntud conttituenti of a Sacrament. 83 But the Eugli«h L«wym> whom I first citrd haa given the clue to all tlwM lAtnetcif ■ : and hh account explu ■ . to ut how the decent and beneficial j ^a. u of aealing the antract by fht. >olumnm«a of Miniaterial celebration, and how the UK r words wluch in fact have varied in their application ac- cording to tlie variations of doctrine upon the luhjecU to which they are applied, have boen strained int.» precedents and authorities to wi port an a* lition to the pompous Mys- teries of tiie Church. ••Iir tlie Writings o* the Anticnt Fathers," lays Hooker, "all arUcles which uepiruliar to Christian Faith, all duties "of Religion contu ling that which Setuc or natural Reatom "cannot of itself discern are called Sacraments." By tliia rul they are indefinite in number. By the rule which nmkei the terra appropriate to such Ordinances as tJiose of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, they are comprehended in these two. Wm V the Church of Rome has added so many art '. s of her own devising, to the matter of liajitism, you it stayed to explain— and we are left to resolve it into n- eral principle of loading the Gospel with a superint . ..»ent mass of human inventions till iu native simplicity is scarce- ly discerned : But what is it to us if the Quakers, the So- cinians, the Anabaptist*, dispense with the positive ordinan- ces of God, or err in tJieir application of them P—Why are the Reformed Churches to be confounded, to be identified, with all the SecU which the abuse of Liberty engenders or enlarges ?— Were there no Secu ever heard of before the Reformation ? — Are we answerable for opinions and prac- tices which we ultimately condemn and disavow ?— Where is that age of the Church in which the varieties of the human mind, unless they have been crushed by the hand of arbi- trary power, have not developed themselves in the most ir- regular and fantastic shapes ?* — And what wilder extrava- • *e MMhrim's arcount ^n each Century of the DivUions and IIrn>«i»ii vrhicli prevailed ; at well an of the guperatilioo and Jtfyitlcitin wbirb a- kounded witliio tlw bosom of tba Chureb. L2 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 I.I 1.25 If 1^ ^ 1^ 1.4 23 2.2 2£ 1.8 ^ /APPLIED JM^GE Inc S^ '653 EosI Main Street S'.a Roctiester, New York 14609 USA •-as (716) 482 -0300 -Ptione ^S (716) 28U • 5989 - Fox 84 H . ' gancies, what more diseased reveries are to be found tliau those among the Sects which before the Kingdoms of Europe disdained her yoke, the conduct of the Church of Rome drove into extremes, the opposites of her Corruption ?* — Un- less it be that we are in the habit of regarding differences of opinion with more Charity and allowance, we have no more to do with . Socinians than you have. We have never made those concessions to them which have been made by some of your eminent Writers f in their zeal to lower all authority for doctrines except the authority of the Church. The Socinians are not Romanists, and we are not Romanists — that is the amount of our coincidence. You are not Jews ana we are not Jews. But if a Jew were to write a book to invite Christians back to the ancient Religion, and were to level his arguments against the simplicity of our worship, — the absence of imposing pageantry, and the pauci- ty of rites, you would reply that such arguments did not affect you. Wq make the same answers to your system of classify- ing. Whatever charity wc may personally extend to them, we will not be associated in Religion, with men who degrade the nature of Christ — who qualify the inspiration of the Bi- ble — who retrench the Creed of Christians to a sort of Com- promise with Deism — and reject the great cardinal doctrines of Atonement and Sanctification, without which the Gospel is no Gospel at all. The Sacrament of the £orJ'« i'wjoper is the most sacred of religious Ordinances, yet simple in its sacredness — but how has it not been disguised, and obscured ! — The sacridcc ofthe Mass — solitary Masses — Masses for the dead — the •SeeMosheim'saccountof the Witnesses of the Truth Cent. XI. P(irt Jl. Cli. III. Par .3,---of the Mystics brought over to the Church by Gorhead Bish- op of Cambray Cent. XI. Part II. Chap, v, Parag. 4.-"0f the Sohwes- triones, Adamites, Frdlres Alhat), Men of Understanding, Flagellantes and other Sects. Cent. XV. Part II. Chap. V.— Much truth and pure doctrine was mixed occasionally with these excesses. t Se? Chillingworth's Prefacct .L^'.^ til 85 revolting doctrine of Transubstantiation— tlic Elevation o^" the Host— the Procession and parade of the Fete Dieu to worship a wafer under a canopy— the mutilation of the Sac- rament Marcilul God ! where is it that we are wander- ing ? what is become of the Institution of Josus Christ ? I3 this what he enjoined it upon us to da in remembrance of Him ? You have given us what appears to you to be a " sublime definition and eulogy " of the Sacrifice of the Mass by St. Francis of Sales — «' sufficient alone to silence every cavil md gain every heart, "t But, my dear Sir, it is not the oh? ;ct either of d"finition or eulogy, however sublime, io prove the truth of a proposition. We must be allowed, therefore, in despite of St. Francis to bring back the Ordinance to what the Gospel ordained, and to what primitive Antiquity re- ceived. It is a little difficult to understand your explanation of the subject. You have set before us the declaration of the Council of Trent that in the Mass there is ofered to God a true, proper, and propitiatonj Sacrifice for the living and for the deacj. In page SO you tell us that the Sacrifice is " mer/?/y a com- memorative Sacrifice applying to sinners the merits of Christ's death and passion. " In page 49, " He is in the Holy Mass offiared up to his Eternal Father as a propitiatory Sacrifice far the sins of the whole woi Id. " In page 50 again, it is flatly denied that it the Mass •' pre- tends to be a renexved oUatioH and propitiation of our Lord^ thereby annulling or diminishing the Sacrifice which he oncfi ojered for our Sins upon the Cross. " In page 51, it is called •« this wonderful and propitiating Sacrifce. " O SiK,— these are not contradictions proceeding from nat<. t Page4T. "i . • ■'V 88 i 1 ;'f . ! .! '^Vi ural incapacity— if they were, 1 should be ashamed to point them out — they are contradictic is in which you are entan> gled by being pledged to support a hollow cause. But let us examine whether this doctrine which seems so full of contradictions in itself, is not also in point blank ccn> tradiction to St. Paul— in the very teeth of that •' Sc"iptv.re which cannot be broken, " St. Paul teaches us that " Christ was not to be offered of* ten : for then must he oflen have suifered. " He saw no other alternative. He asks us whether •* if the Sacrifices of the Law could have taken away sin, they would not have cewcd to be qffisr- ed ? " — If the Sacrifice of Christ has this tflScacy which they v/anted, the inference is sufficiently obvious. Hb tells us that *' we are sanctified by the offering of the bo tenet of the Church.* And the Church of Rome was rather Blow in settling a debated point of such stupendous moment ns thu actual presence of Christ'? " body and bloody together with his Soul and Divinity" in the elements, their nature being converted by the charm residing in the Priest. If we are to believe all the doctrines of the Church of Rome, we must consider the Christian System not as a definite system of belief, commensurate only with the facts and doctrines of the original Revelation, but as a succession of discoveries, of which the more recent, as in human sciences, are seen often to contradict and explode the old. This allusion. Sir, conducts me naturally to your illustra- tion by which it is intended to remove the difficulty of con- tratliction to common Sense. It may be the supposition of ignorant persons that the Sun really traverses the Sky ; and the majority of those persons who are aware of the motion of the Earth may receive the opinion upon trust, and not by astronomical experiment. But, Sir, is there any thing con- tradictory to the experience of our senses in the difference ot the apparent motion from the real ?_l8 not the optical do- ception perfectly accounted for at once -and accounted for upon the usual principles which regulate the conveyance of knowledge to the understanding P—Must it not be a hard task to find a parallel to the case of Tiansubstantiation, when you are obliged to resort to such a parallel as this. Take together the rule of Literal Interpretation which you would apply to this doctrine, and the parallel by which you would recommend it to our acceptance, and the one contradicts the other. For upon a remarkable occasion the inundate of the Most High came forth— " Sun stand thou fetill upon Mount Gibeon So the Sun stood stJll in the midst of Heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." ( Josh. x. 12. 13.) If therefore we are not to allow any intcrposJiion of our reasouing faculties, in order • See Appendii, 'fe I. 93 to admit the natural explanation that these words arc s-poken accord.ng to .deas then received upon the subject. wi'dHt .asno tebus-nes of Revelation to correct j,ut are t^ i' .St that the operations of nature literally proceeded „s they are assumed to do in the .orU. of this passage, then the Sun «./««% rf«« traverse the Sky, and your illustration, upoa your own prmciples, ia discharged from the argument. ' Goo has not required. Sir, that we should believe anv td^ust bf^ -";-nn. testimony of o. dilf.ent LnZ the vehicles of knowLd! \ °"'' ''"''' ""^ Perceptions -uchaway a to 1 ^ . ' ""■' "''' ''''''''' "'''^ '" instantJnr '. ''' '"''" ""^ '""^'^ ^''«t we should ^TlZeZTV''': ' ^-I-'"^-o*-fannaceousmat. ■ipass or the Dispensations of Grarp tho..« • .. mstance of such a delusion ,„b.f„„„j.™''' ""="' " We may, indeed, lijte the .rest Ri.l,™ n i i , . Bionary as he was upon this o'n e su^ t^^^^^^^^ ^:''''' - ken of without respect.) refine awaftL ■ ' ^P" nutter ; and make the Creadon IL. ''"Z ""''''"'' ^' presented to the mind rT . " "^ '^'^^ ^™"='-'« no. nor alter, thTce"r7afn! Tf^; ^^ ""'' "°' '^•^'^"^~ knowledge. PhilosopI 71; . r inrr ''"'''''''' secondary qualities of obilct- F'-^ury and herent LI "^J'-'ct^-'nto properties relative or in- here„t_.„t„ operations which are apparent or which are real-may open an unbounded field of -ibstra.r T -.•c.-con.u.n.er'ori:^^:.;':;':,.:::^ "^ "^""'- - "J cognizance of our difter- f'-r 94 ent Sciiscs, but there arc otherR iinmciliutcly within their joint province and clearly aiiionable to their decision. Upon tlitsc we may fearlessly pronounce — or il' not, our only alter- native id iu the dijiiual rcl'uge of rvrrhonism. The truth of our Ueligion rests in part upon those principles : For mira- cles are an appeal to the Semes oi' mankind, and cleatly sup- pose their competency to determine points of this nature. The miracles displayed by the founders of the Gospel are therefore not only different, as you allow them to be, from the miracle of Trunsubstanliation, but their display is absolutely founded upon principles which subvert it. If men were liable to be deceived as in the supposed char e of the elements, no act of divine intervention could leave room for any cxerci<y - t„», _the ,,„e,_..i, „j,i,|„„j,,. Would vo„ .S.r, ,f „ bad pWd <.„„ :„ ea,. ^our 1„, i„ Z ' \LZ' nd,.„ b. been prc«n. a, tbi. Institution-,,. „ldv„: .Wnave taken tbese word, in tbe bteral ,onse?-.J„a rou.be„bave,„pposad,l,a.„ur Saviour hold in bi, L"u ..o™ body and his o,™ blood and delivered"h '„t a»c,ple, „.,„„. even a bint being given „f „„, ,Z „!' mo^allest d,ll,eulty?_,bo .lii.hte.t hesitation, in „„d.r. ■rCa::rd"i''''''-^--'--'--- d.t,esBuoharule„f,„ter,„etatio„,vonld conduct u». What Author, what Speaker, could be intelligible for a n "1., "" VI ny should wc not lerally pluck out .1,. |''or-ly cut Off the hand .h.t„ffe„d,icspeeL;L«LT'~ »a S.™„< ,. „,, ,„„„ stil,„earcr!a„S::Hr:"; ! il » 90 ♦ ! ipords of Institution in tlic very Ordinance now in question, how will you avoid believing that the Cup in the Eucharist is ehangcd into the New Testament ? " This Cup is the New Testament in my blood ?" * You say that it is not a little remarkable that even the Church of England in her Catechism declares that" The body and blood of Christ are verUi/ and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper."--It is not at all remarkable — or certainly not remarkable as a deviation from her uniform principles, that the Church of England should be found in harmony with the Language of her Divine IVIaster. And He has said that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood drink ijtdecd. John, vi. 55. But as Ho has subjoined a general solution of this whole question in the words " the Jesh profiteth nothing : the words that I speak unto you they are npirit and they are Ufe,"'^ (i. e. ac- cording to the idiom of Holy writ, my words are not to be taken as gross and carnal apprehensions might be apt to take them but in a highly spiritual sense,— ) so has the Church of England also been careful to leave no ambiguity in her meaning The clause, " bij the failliful" of itself plamly ex- cludes the conversion of the Elements by Consecration. The reality of participation in Christ's body and blood is made to depend, not upon the act of Consecration, however previously necessary, but upon the state of mind in the recipient. The question which leads to tliis declaration renders it also entirely unequivocal — " What is the inward part or thing signijied ?'' ♦' the outward part ovsign having been previously declared to • It is pointeil out by Arclibp. Seeker that our Saviour could nolpoasihhj jpeak iip'Mi tills occasion in tlie exact littral sense of tiiewonlswliicli lie used, since lie says, tills is my body broken ( 1 Cor. xi. 'i4.) and tliis is my blood shed (iMatih. xxvi. 28) before the immolat'on of his person liud taken plum. See Srcker's Lectures on the Calechlsm. Can any thing niore clearly imlicalo tlmttlie broken bread and wine poured out are simply a representation^ •f John vi. 03. see Seeker's Lecture?. 97 < m ! ueaJandwino pourfd be « Btead and l^ine which the Lord hath commanded to he received." The language of the whole passage amount* to as distinct ft renunciation of the Romish doctrine as can be conceived. But after all, this is fighting the air— for who docs not know the explicit and repeated language of the Church of England, appearing in all her public formularies— namely,— that the Sacrament is a commemorativs representa- tion of the Sacrifice of Christ under the emblems of bread and wine, and a special means of Grace bv which the Belie- ver 18 more closely and intimately united to him. But matter so crowds upon us that we are strangely transgressing our proposed rule of brevity. The mutilation of this Sacrament, or as it is represented on your side of the question, its integrity under Either Kind alone, is, in the first place, dependent for it's propriety upon Transubtantiation and untenable for a moment upon any other supposition.* And even thus the administration of Bread alone is no Memorial of the Sfiedding of the Blood which is an express object of the original Institution. But' besides thIs,-although you conceive the practice to be "satisfactorily certified by Scripture," It is in plain repug- nance, I should rather say in opr \.fiance offered to its au- thority. Will you deny that tJie words of Institution ex- plicitly direct the administration in both kinds, and, as Arch- bishop Seeker has observed, happen to direct more expressly that a// should drinkthan that all should eat ?— If this injunc- • Tlie praclioe of the Church of Rom« in atlminUjering (he Bren.Ionlv and ihearRuraent which Ihavo heard used that the Body ,nc/«dev the Blood were i„ my mind when 1 wrote this. But I see no occasion to alter ft TJie* Article in her Creed declares " that undercVAer kind a/o„« Christ is received trft./e and entire." This does not seen, io follow from Transubstantiatiou. as explaine.! in the preceeding Article which declares " that tliere i. made a ••hanKe,,, the whole substance of the Br.«d into the Ilody.HuA the frine ■to, he B/o„....,t rather seems todiiTer from it. Bnt^tilll^Lri Z7o '^;"""'"*"""">'- ^l""' °-l" not be received entire i„ ..tHer Afi'/oftlip Sacrament. , N Is m » f - 11 I V !%■ !. h. m ■ ( : 98 I ; '^ ! I Ifili f i tion were confined to Priests then the whole Ordinance is plainly confined to Priests also. So much indeed is said throughout the New Testament of the efficacy of the blor^d of Christ that, of the two, if one were to be omitted, it should rather be the bread than the fy'ine. To supportyour doctrine of Transubslantiation you insist rigidly upon the literal sense of the words of Institution : To support the mutilation of the Sacrament yoa leave the words of Institution and have recourse to texts in which this Sacrament is casually mentioned under the name' of breaking bread* (just as we speak of earning our bread without meaning to exclude its necessary accompaniments, ) or to texts such as that of John vi. 51. and 1. Cor. x. 17, where the wine or the blood are spoken ofin almost immediate conjunction with the words. In the former of these texts our Saviour says " I am the living bread," and proceeds to speak of the effects of eating this bread, which is his " flesh to be given for the life of the world."— In the very next verse but one, his declaration having been received with some appearance of perplexity and distrust, he states it more fully,—" Verily, verily, I say unto you. Ex- ceptyeeatjthe flesh of the Son of Man AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, ye have no life in you :" and in each of the three verses- following, the blood ixad ihcjleshare also jointly men- tionedt If then this passage, (as you assume, and as cannot well be doubted,) has a reference to the Sacrament, and to the • Luke Miv, 30, 31. Acts ii. 42, 46. There appears to be a lypograpliical mistake in oue of the references, which is Rom. vi. 19. Unless k is meant to prove that because Christ « dieth no more" after being risen, therefore the shedding of his blood is not to be represented, his real bour texts which •' satisfectorily certify" the Bufficiency oiv munionin one kind. Let us try ifiother. . I. CoRiNTHiAHS, Vcrse 16. The Gup of blessing which we bless, is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ ? the bread which we break, is it not the Communion of the body of Christ ? 17. For we being many are one bread and one body : for we are all partakers of that one bread. The latter of these two verses you have taken 6i/ itself to prove your point. It would not prove it if it were uncon- nected with ,the former verse ; and, being so connected, if proves the contrary. The observation which, with several others relating to this controversy, you have cited from Doctor Johnson (dropped by him, I believe, in careless and private conversation and recorded by his Exhibitor Boswell who, as has been well said, "shewed him as men shew a Bear,") is perfectly in- applicable and absurd. Our Lord directed receiving in both kinds. He did not direct submersiim in the other Sacra- ment : A ritual deviation from the more prevailing ancient practice, in a point which is left discretionary with the Church, is a strange parallel to the omission of half a Sacra- ment by a violent departure from the universal practice of more than a thousand years,*: in a point where the adher- ence to this practice is prescribed by Christ. But whatever excuses for this bold liberty the ingenuity •f Doctor Johnson might suggest to him, or with whatever unhesitating acquiescence you may have embraced tlie idea [^ lir " n • See Appendit. N 2 . 4<4(&.'i^' .■r ^£$1^.4., ''■VM^^9Kk-'',*^lf. .•( \M 100 that -the Church has taught from the earhest ages that the &crament « entire whether in one kind or in boU "Xe menng the Wme alone, we may claim a little more nrescrin- on and Antiquity both for our sentiments and our n Z than you can produce for yours.t ^ U\\ tered^Airor "!"! ^""^ '"*''*'^ '^^ ^"^J^*^^« ^^ ^^^^ral scat- tered Articles of taith, in order to shew in one connected lTI;1rr.r- ' ^"' ^'^^' ^'^ ^^^ sacraments oot. «g.on: to fix the.r number, and ascertain their nature • and to clear the great Sacrament which represents to us he Z moh^tmn of Jesus Christ from the errors and pe vertC with which .t has been disguised, I now come back to 2 Article of Justification, and shall pass on to the other Xl which ramam untouched, treating the whole in a mere pop. Ular summary way. " *^ JUSTIFICATION. Sir. I am perhaps a very « obstinate disputanf-certain, Jy am very firmly rooted in my objections to your system! 'h"at' whT h """ '^'""' ^ ''-' ''«'-"^ expLatiorfrom tha which you pronounce calculated to « satisfy the mo" obstinate disputan," before I can be brought to' itk^h • See Ap/jendix. t What foHowr. may be coDsiderad as a FIFTH PART-^i.i.„' ...- ^^^^ aiDg Of tlie Parts will not admit of its being formally so divi- .%: 101 ZT^Zr ""^ ^'"'"°'™ ''*"™' «" «•<= -Wee We»i I ,„ ,„i„ y„„ explanation to pie™ T „; v. .he. the ^^ of co„tra«o„. i„ ....U^ o S Church of Rome upon thi. point a. I have .he™ air „dv « ,o„r ..a.e„e„,s respecting another tenet, .1,^*^ tLTZlf ':!"'' "' *='■"■"■» '•'"■ •"" «-'*• cnhce. But I am glad to see here any svmDfnm.nfo cret .hame;»an, attempt, (ho.ever LSai™ Vx" pJam away your doctrine of human Merit which i ! the very root of the Christian Faith I ml; ^^" *' To be justified a. I apprehend, is to be relieved from the d.ab.hues which lie upon offending man, in referenceTo re conchation with his Maker.-It is to be received inL state of Salvation ; or, generallv fo h. • *° * ♦:«„ Ti J L . S'^^eraijy, to be m a state of Salva- TT K """'^ ^'"'"^ " ^''^' "'^^"'"^' and being susceot .be at the same tim, of application to a precise pofn LThe P^gnmage of the Christian, * has been made theTubj e of ,n n,te verbal d.sputes-^and the plea for many of those hi ful errors mto which men are drawn by creatL toZn l a particular stageor crisis of their Ch^ristil Sul ^^^^^^^^ pondmg to some peculiar interpretation of Scripture whTch" founded upon preconceived opinions: But I do not knot hat any party will object to the definition which havl ^ere g.ven, as applied to the terms of the Gospel-Covnan" And, except Socinians, and some few other s'ects d Zl from these rather in name than in doctrine, who, in t^ ^^^'^tt'^J'T'T' °"' ^"-''' « «PPl-d, wi,I. parf«« eor«ct. Il'y on T; A ; : ?'""• "'"""'"'^ Bien,.„.sof ChHMiaT;^. ?■') -n-i^on throughout the Church of Rome have been enough f Trent, "that the '1/ merit increase of 3en hoped that her ipe without farther a false estimate of n their Saviour.! urch, the Spouse I nurse in her bo- doctrine of fl^or/cs i\ bosom I — True, Lord till his rc- ■her own true hon- 5od committed to I admirable care, e : Look here up- )f her fidelily:— of her counsellors awful descriptions of who would, upon llils to tlie Romanisfs, I passage id H teit against modern Home. And you may thank the Pro- testants if your Church, upon the whole, has receded sensi- bly front the lengths to which she once would have carried you. " The doctrine, " says Bishop Tomline '♦ of Justifica- '« tion by Faith was maintained by the early Cbtistians : Cle- ** ment of Rome, after speaking of the Jews, says, ' And we •" also, being called by the same will in Christ Jesus, are not **' justified by ourselves, neither by our own wisdom, or "• knowledge, or piety, or by woriis which we have dune in "« the holiness of our hearts, but by that faith by which God *'^ Almighty has justified all men from the beginning, '" Lkx us go on. We shall see more of it yet« ' ' .. PURGATORY. « PtTHCATORY, " says Dr. Johnson, " is a very harmless doctrine. " A very profitable doctrine— he might have said. But is it true ?— And is it harmless to introduce into Reli- gion doctrines which are not true ? Or is it, in fact, a harmless doctrine in itself ?— Is not Purgatory one of those subsidiaries to tile Expiation made on the Crow which, in this part of our Enquiry, so crowd themselves upon our at- tention ?— The Scripture tells us that Christ by Himself PURGED our Sins ; (Heb. i. S.) that the blood of Christ r/caiMrt^. us from a/^ sin; (1. John i. 7.) and every where instructs us that the Sins of those who by Faith and Repent* ance have obtained an interest in Redemption, are freely and fully forgiven, excluding all possible reserves and de- ductions. This is the pervading strain which runs thro' the whole Gospel, and the same may be said of those salutary truths which it is so important for all men to feel, that •♦ where the tree felleth tliere shall it lie ; "—that this life Is that sole space of probation upon which their eternal des- tiny depends ; — that altho' there be *« few stripes " and '* many stripes, "*— and degrees of elevation, on the other liand, 'Lukexii. 4T. 107 proportionate to the improvement of our talent«,'« yet they who count upon any compromise, will make shipwreck of their hopes. " It ifl appointed for all men once to die, " says the Apostle,— " and after this "—what;— «' after this the judge- ment. "— ( Heb. ix. 27. ) No intermediate purgation can b« reckoned upon— no subsequent opportunity of affectini; their condition must be contemplated. "Blessed are tho lead, " says tho book Rev., " wliich die in the Lord from '« henceforth :— yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours "...This text is taken notice of by B.shop Shell as an objection urged by Protestants against Purgatory:— And how does he neutralize its power ? By explaining that this blessed rest alludes only to the cessation of labour, ing or working for salvation, and does not exclude the torn taring fre of Purgatoiy. Your own texts to which references are givea to prove 4 Purgatory are these : 2 Mace. xii. 4>3. 8'c, As this is an Apocryphal book-^and one of which the Author himself makes apologies for the imperfections to which his history is liable,t (language not very befitting an inspired Writer,) we must decline receiving any practice because it happens to be there recorded in a way which yields no suspicion of its propriety, as a precedent of suffi- cient authority to invalidate the saoctiona of the Canonical books. Your other texts are Math. v. 25, 26. xii. 22, 36. Rev. xxi. 27. 1 Cor. iii. 13. &c. 1. Pet. iii. 18, &c. Let any man who is looking for authorities respecting Purgatory, look at the passages referred to in St. Matthew, and the Revelation, I desire nothing beyond the simple re. suit of such a reference, to dispose of tbeprooft contaiae4 in those texts. •Lyke-xli. IT, 18, 19, f 2.'Mftc«. VI, ?8, m !■' 11/ • n i 1 11 i i '•■\ ■ 'ik' |i^'|V'K ;'^i[ .1 lllfl ^:-M ' 1 pif t ■ i Ir' m f. ^ ..S3 I; 108 < t,v ') .,. The pawage in the ]Kt EpUtle to the Corinlhiain is maiv ifestly a mere illustration, by which we are wained of the ■oarching judgment which our works must undergo — aa St. Peter calld a severe trial in this life, " the /m/ trial.* " " Yet so as by fire " — an expression denoting a narrow es- cape, is not equivalent, surely to yet by Jite And it is not at all necessary to understand the word which wc have ren- dered by, as signifying by means of. The very same word is t Ut vhere coupled with the word saved where it cannot liave this signification. t The text from St. Peter has rcfereiir>> to someihing past. It would Ite foreign to my purpose to discuss the interpreta-' tioMi of this text. If wc presuppose a Purgatory we may appi' it to that Purgatory. But as the Scripture itself leads us to reject this belief, and as the text is quite as easily ap- plicable to other things, and perfectly intelligible without even supposing any thing more to be meant than that Chvipt, by the communication of his Spirit to Noah who "vasa Preacher of Righteousness, had warned those evil mtu whi now are " Spirits in Prison, "— wc cannot buM a T'urgatory upon this foundation. J " ■ i. • 1. Pet. IV. 12. t S«e Doddridge in loc. X Bi«hop Sheil adds gome other texts to these, the force and pertinency of which may bo judged of by one ejample. St. Paul spenl{s of tliise whu are " baptized for the deai." This, according to ihe Bishop, means that as " we do well in baptUing with water young children tliat are not ♦' able to assist thenaselves, we do aI,o well to haptite the dead by taking " apon ourselves this painful haptiam of penance and pmyer in their be- ♦' half, whom we know to be then wholly unable to help themselves, or " eaw I heir pains, drc. " Page 3. first American from the seventh Dublin Edition. His method of conducting the Controversy is this — to bring a text of Scripture which he boldly avers to be in favor of the particular doctrine in dispute— to put an answer into the mouth of the Protestant who is mude to deny the doctrine simply because it is denied by tlie Protestant Doc- tors—then to call this a " silly answer "—and frequently to challenge tlie Protestant to bring texts clearly and in express words denying doctrines of which there is no trace in Scripture -as if tlie the Scriptures were level- led against all possible imaginations or perversions. In conclusion lite re- 1Q9 T.iE notion of a Purgatory appears to have been enter- tained by aome of the Jew9-by some of the Heathen Phi-' losophera and Poeta-nnd by the Professors of the M«hom. etan Religion.* And in the second Century some of tho«o Christian, who mixed the tenets of the Platonic System with the truths of thero,,,,.,. seem to have ..„ certain seeds of this do6trine in ■ Church.f-whic!. .^^ever was ong before it was clearK recogi.f.cd, and longer still before ItasK.medits modem aKpect.-In the IV, Century the pre- vailmg opinion of th. Fathers, -InMnded apparently upon a hteral mterpretation o, th^ text wh.ch you have adduced trom 1 Cor.,-was, Imwever, totally different fro.,, vour doctrme of Purgatory, and refen ed the process of Purga- t.on to the hour of the final judgment. The ..pinion, of the Church, and of the same individual Fathers at cUflferct time, were fluctuatmg and contradictory with respect to the exist- once of Purgatory, and its nature, if it existed-as well a. generally with respect to the intermediate state between Death and Judgment, ^(a subjecton which the Scriptures are not explicit, as not bemg one in which it concerns us to be ac curately .nformed,|)-and m the XIV. Century the day plie. to standing objection,, of l.i, „,anner of performing which ta-Ic . BuUl.e^Bi,hoptake,a;o,ftlon no. to be maintained except by forced l?a "to ?T'"'"' "" °''^*"' *^ •'-" •''""« where./., J TnTZu ■"! ' ""^ «PP«««»ee of coDsciou, agreement with Sorip.ure and wl.li„g ,0 appeal to it's authority, and to impute ,o the Protertau. ,he wresting of Scripture to hnman SyMems. It is not possible, (tho' the Bishop I dare say is not wilfuJly disingenuous.) for a man to deal ingenu- ously who places himself in such a situation. •Bishop Tomline's Elements. t Moshiem Century II. Part II. Chapter III. Parag. III. J There are however many passages in Scripture in wliich the trausitiou from death to a state of blks is described tb be immediate. These the Ro- inanlsu represent as cases of speciU privilege. I pas* over the discusMon, not because their reasoning is sound, but because their doctrine U amply to Iw disproved without the aM of these passages. \..^ ;'t I n \ k . •. 1 V 1 "/I I K ' •' t* ^ 4^ m i 11 4 fir ri*- '^3a^**j- i i 110 ' f ot* judgment was held by one of the Popes to be the com- mencing point of the blessedness of the Saints.* The most Ancient Prayers for the dead are framed without any refer< eiicc to Purgatory whatever. The same would be found, to be the case with respect to-the mention of this practice in the works of TertuUian who wrote, as you say, " toon af- ier the death of our Saviour, "t — ^i. e. in the end of the se- cond and beginning of the third Century, But you ore not prepared, I suppose, to defend all the opinions of that dis- tinguished man, who left a warning example of human weak- ness in his adoption of the Heresy of Montanus, This doctrine is not received in the Greek Church and was first made an article of Faith in the Latin by the Coun- cil of Trent. INDULGENCES. I TAKE this Article here, because it is so closely intev* laced with the two preceding Articles that it has in some degree been anticipated in treating them. . , It is a strange kmd of advantage — but an advantage, in some sense, it is to you — or is so made use of on yom; side, tliat the bare Etatement — even a softened state- ment — of some practices received in the Church of Home cannot be given without an odium reflected upon her, of -which we are unwilling to be the instruments. We look like men delighting in aspersion, while we are simply pro- claiming the Truth in defence of our separation, and ^fasten' ing upon her those objections which she would persuade the world to be imaginary afid malicious. We seem to bo exhibiting details which are better consigned to oblivion, and with which our brother Christians of that Church are tliemselves unconcerned, while in fact we are only holding tlie light to a portion of the Machinery which if screened, is * Soe Appendii. f Pax> .e«, remark,, also apply „«o.Iy to Ma.se, for if d ,a wh...h ,;. .«„der„es. of .arviviog friends become, aiso .ub«r.!! ♦nt totUeuugmriiiotioD of tlie Cliurcl, treasures. t Luke ivi. 9. J Mark i. U. , 'i' H\ 4 lis we Iremind you of those Indulgences, tho sale of which th^ Popes monopolized for thetmselvefc in the XII. Century — those indulgences which tbey , extended to a rbngom from their fabricated Purgatory, . commensurate with the price paid into their treasures, or with the act^ of sphserviency to their iaterest9 ?*— Will you tell us that it is all a dream, .01 a. falsehood, if we point , out that the circumstances of her being surcharged wjtb the excess of this corruption, was one cause which led to the crisis of Reform, and produced so extensive a relief ? — Will yoj^ assure us that we are entire- ly mistaken, — that we are propagating tjie, mere squibs of a rancorous opposition, if we aiBnn that at this day there are indulgences hawked about like ballads on the continent of Europe ?— statues to be seen with an o^Ae purporting that so many devotions performed at the feet of them, will en- sure so many days or years of exemption from Purgatory ?— ^ solemn and plenari^ indulgences, (the meaning of which is well known, ) sent over from Rome within a few years,; — and I suppose still sept over, — to be disposed of m the Brit- ish Isles ?— prints of the Virgin's slipper which fell from Heaven, and other equally veracious and effectual vehicles of benefit to the soul, procured recently from the«ame quar- ter, with directions as to the number of osculations and aves which will produce every effect that can be desired ?— ^All this, I suppose, is comprehended in the pcver committed, and the precedent established in your texts from Matt. xvi. 18. 19. and II. Cor. ii. 6, 7, 9, 10. III fill i INVOCATION OF THE SAINTS, THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND ANGELS. "We have seen, Sir, several instances of an alarming inter- ference with the satisfaction of Jesus Christ. We now come to His Mediation. *' He is the door. " " Through Him we . • See Appeodix. 113 brbTHi^''' Tf ^-^;~';no n.an co.cth to the Father but by H.m -and "there i, none other name under Heaven g.ven a.nong men whereby we must be s.vcd '* But how many obscure posterns have been unbarrcd- how many addmonal modes of access have bebn discov- ered-how long a list of names has been provided, to which a fi^rvent and devout appeal is made-if not to save us_ yet to as^st largely in our salvation !_ir you can evade the force of these texts,-and of the high and solemn truths fealure o7rr' '^' "' "'"' '"™ " '''' ' characteristic y for U e mvocafon of the Saints ?_0r ho. wdl you evade s^? n ? rr ""'" "' -->theman Christ Je- sus, —Liirist m his human nature ? ( 1 Tim ii 5 ) This might be enough. But if it can be 'shewn, in par- ticular, that the Angels and the Virgin Mary are not to re- ceive any kind of adoration from us, you will, I presume, idmquish the clann for deceased Saints in .reucral You have here given a string of references to texts which iS really formidable in appearance, and must make any mal wonder whence they are culled, who is familiar with his bi- ble, and consequently satisfied as to the unequivocal voice of Scnpturo upon this point. I do not propose to examine them all. I have taken the liberty, once or twice, of brim;, ing a few of your references to the ordeal of positive examin- ation, but it would far exceed my limits to make the same experiment throughout. Let the result in those instances be taken as an example. I am not unprepared to make thf same use of your other references-and if I am dragged on •n this controversy, and defied to it, I will then rede.m my pledge. I must now hasten towards my conclusion, and shall follow one reference up to the passage which it indi- catc.,«leaving you a little while (since you go no farther • John X, 9. Epl.es. ii. 18. Johnxiv. 6, Acts iv. li. ^i H« 1 sJli i 114' i I ihan to make the' reference itself,) and turning to the argil* ment held upon the same text by Bishop Sheil, whose book is so favorite a weapon in the hands of the Romish Clergy of this Province. *• WiiEnEAs, " says the Bishop, in the form with which each Section is introduced,—" Whereas the Scripture says " (Josh. V. 14.) that 'Joshua full upon his face and wor- " shipped the Angel '—No, no, say the Protestant and Pres- " bytPiian, People ought not to be seduced by that example of Joshua, for our ministers affirm in their confession of " faith, that we ought not by any means to give religious "worship either to Angels or Saiilts. Truly Brother, " he continues— (for his argument is carried on in the form of dialogue) " I am greatly surprised that your Ministers can *■ have the impudence to assert this doctrine ; whereas the *' Angel was not only willing to permit this honor given him " by Joshua, but also commanded him to reverence the "ground wliich was sanctified by the Angel's presence. " After a passage interposed, in which the Bishop proves the tvorskip of Saints from the respect paid to living holy men, according to the forms of Eastern salutation,- he pro- ceeds to notice, first those texts in the Rev. (xix. lO.xxii. 8, 9.) in which St. John offered worship to the Angel, and was forbidden— merely, as he says, from the, humility of that holy being -and then, that of St. Paul " which, " as he says, " you /jre/enrf favors your false doctrine," (Coloss. ii. 18..) but " in tvkatever sense St. Paul is to he understood he 'Uan not be rightly understood in a sense forbidding any " thing contrary to that which St. John did."* •This prohibition cannot be nnderstood to contradict St. John's subse- qiient practice, must be wliat is meant.- Tlie more obvious meaning of tlie words is evidently not what tlie Bisliop intended. The Bishop actual- ly proceeds to force (his passage into a particular direction against sacri- fcing both to good aud evil angels. He must allow it to have been ratii- «r unguarded on the part of St. Paul to leave a prohibition against an im- pious sacrifice so worded as to prohibit a solemn religious duty, in which Kicrifice lias no share. 115 Sir, in your ardent fliirst for some decision, you were not inclined "^ be fastidious in the exa>nination of your cup, and you have suffered some strange arguments to pass into your mind. You have also, with your particular recommend- ation, prescribed the same potion to others. But there is nothing in you} book which equals this. In t'le first pjace, here is a passage produced, in which tho Scripture is made to say that " Joshua worshipped the An- gel" though not only there is no accusative case after the verb worshipped, but no mention of any Angel n the whole passage-and, cvenHf there i>^ere, no such construction to bo put upon it, as that Angels, in the dbmmonly received sense of the word, are to be worshipped. For in the 18th Chapter of Genesis three Angels are mentioned, one of whom is evi- dently a being of a superior order, since he is called by the Historian the Lord, (in the original Jehovah,) and addressed by Abraham as the Judge of all the Earth. It is clear, the.efore, that upon this and other occasions, some manifes- tation was made to these chosen servants, of the Person of the Word or Sow. of God, who is described by the Prophet Malachi (iii. 1.) as the Messenger or Angel of the Cove- nant-in the Septuagint and Vulgate the word Angel is re- tained. In tlTe latter he is called Angelus Tesiamenti. 1 need not say more to prove that He who came « as Captain of the Host of the Lord," and to whose awful presence, Joshua was directed to render the very same homage which Moses had been directed to render to God in the burning bush, (Exodus iii.) where again the incommunicable names of God are appropriated by the Person who is introduced as the Angel^^en if he had announced himself to Joshua under the name of an Angel, could not be conceived to be one of those beings to whom we do, in common speech, restrict the term, although it is applicable to Beings both above them and below thera.* • We migLt go further yet.-For eten if He who inffrposed as Cap- V 2 116 1^' ^1 < Ji i'! i \ ■ %■ t ma In tho second place here is a passage produced from St. John which, as the Bishop maintains, not only amounts to no prohibition of Worsliip addressed to Angels but to an ab- solute sanction of that practice, because although the Angel forbade the hoiimge, St. John, (overcome by the glorious ap- pearance of his celestial visitant) had ojercd it— (or else it could not very well have been rejected)— and because as it appears to have been twice offered and twice refused, at leabt it is twice raentioiied that this occurred, St. Jv^hn offered it once after it had been refused. The words of the Angel arc these, SEF THOU DO IT NOT : for I am thy fellow-ser, vaut, and of thy brethren the Prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of tliis book : WORSHIP GOp, •' WiiArsoEVEU things were written aforetime were writ- ten for our loarulng."*— What we are to learn from this pas- sage, it seems, is the Worship of Angels ! Ix the third place, that passage of St. Paul is adverted to, in which he charges the Colossians to " let no man beguile " them of their Reward in a voluntary humility and worship^ *' ping of Angels not holding the Head"— {i. v., as ap- pears evidently from tlie context, infringing the prerogative of Christ,)— but as the Worship oC Angels is so convincing- ly established by St. John, Sc. Paul cannot mean, in tvhatcv- er sense he is to be understood, to forbid this Worship, and wo only pretend that he favours o\xv J'aLe doctrine ! The impudence therefore of the Protestant Ministers in inaintaliiing such a doctrine, is very clearly made out, and there is nothing more to be said on the subject, «nin of the Host of tlie Lord could be aJniitted to liave bePii a niM« An- Rel, It \i eviileiit, from the e.Tjtress commands of Scripture, tliut we rmis', »>ippose the simultaneous tiio' unseen presence of a greater Ueiiig— as i„ the exiiihitions of His Glory to tlie People, especially as it is said, ab.so- luttly, that Joshua worshipped, witlioui annexing the object of his wor- Mp. It is memioned twirn in the preceding part of the very same chap- ter that the Lord spake uuto Joshua. * Rom. av, 4. ,i^.-, rlir. 117 Bur let us leave the Bishop-at whose book I have only taken occasion to glance, in order to shew you that we knovv what in«tiu:nents are at work, and that we can blunt th.ir edge when we see necessary.-and let us proceed to consid. or what sort of warrant the Scriptures afford for the honors paid by the Church of Rome to the Virgin Mnnj, TiiKSE honors you Iiave founded upon tho.e texts in the first Chapter of St. Luke, in which the Virgin is hailed by theAnplas " highly favoured"-.is called " blessed amon^ women -and is described as anticipating that she should be so called by all generations. To the Woman vho was selected to be the instrument of bringing the Incarnate Son of God into the world, these ex- pressions belong with so evident a propriety, that we need not surely look beyond this circumstance to account for them : Is there, then, any other testimony of Scripture which shews »n what light we are to regard this holy and exemplary per- son, and fixes the sense of the foregoing epithets ? Yes, Sir, there is. Christ, in his human nature, left an example of filial doty both to his Mother and reamed lather. He was "subject unto tliemr (Luke ii. 51.) and He recommended his iVIother upon the Cross to the beloved (hsc-iiie. hut, in his divine character, he assigned no place ot distinction io her above that of ordinary mortals. Even in his mere childhood he checked her expostulating anxiety upon the subject of his absence : " Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business ?" (Luke ii. 49.) When she interfered at the Marriage Feast, he said to her—" Woman what have I to do with thee ?"— words not conveying any disrespectful feeling according to the phrase of the age and country, but decidedly although gently re- proving her interference. ( John ii. 4. ) When it was told him that his Mother and his brethren were without, seeking him, he answered saying, " Who is my •' Mother or my brethren ? And he looked round about on <' them which sat about him, and said, behold my Mother \ . 1 '1 \ ■^j Iff ■ 1 '' I'- m n / 1 ft 1 f *' 1' m i II; Mi\ 11 l; t^ f ! ;■>" i 1' 1 ."^ % i w Wi si 118 :a- K ■ I " nnd my l)rctliicii ! For whosoever will do tlie will of God, tlie same is my brother, and my sister, and Mother." (Mark iii. .12.) When a woman among his hearers hfted up her voice to proclaim the blessedness of her who had been Mother and Nurse to so exalted a person,~he said, Yea RATHER BLESSED are they that hear the word of God and keep it. (Luke xi. 27.) The blessedness therefore of the Virgin in being the Mother of our Lord, being inferior to the blessedness, (in which she eminently partook,) of real conformity to his image in the heart, wo must devise some higher worship to be ren- dered to all those who " hear the word of God and keep it," than that which is due to her upon the single ground of her blessedness of privilege. Such are the Scripl^ral authorities for tlie Invocation of the Virgin— for the Fables of her Assumption into Heaven, and her Immaadate Concey.ion which are celebrated in high Festivals appointed by your Church,* — what do I say ? for Jier exaltation in some passages to be found in the Offices of your- ^Vorship, above the name of Christ <' who is over all, God blessed for ever."* (Rom. ix. S.) " Why callest thou me good f ' says our Saviour, in a pas- sage which leads to the doctrine of his own Divinity there is none good but one, that is GOD."— (Matt. xix. 17.)— God is good in a peculiar sense— and much more than sim- l>ly hal' exochen is entitled to be so called. And accordingly the Almighty is rarely spoken of by persons of the Romish Faith in this country, but under the title of le Bon Dieu. The custom is a pleasing and a proper one. But unhappily the epithet, in this distinctive sense, is coupled in the same way with other names. It has been my lot to bestow a mite upon many supplicants whose appeal )»as been made to me pour Tamour du ban Dieu et de la honne Vierge. And are • See Appeiidiii ,h 119 not Ave Marias as common as Paler Nosters?^t)o you fo'^ get that your favorite Massillon, ai>d a greater man, Kour- dalone f to tay nothing of others witliout number) conclude With this salutation the introductory part of all their Str mons? ^^ " Let it then " if you like-" be repeated for the miHionth time-that the Romanists do not mrshfp them, at least ii. the Protestant acceptation,"*-we say that you do worship the Samts and Angels and above all the Virgin, in an ac- oeptation which is not only unauthorized, but expressly fof- bidden,-for this it is to xvorship them at all. Thou shalt worship the LORD thy GOD, and HIM ONLY shalt thou serve, (Matt. iv. 10.) is a text which, added to the forego- ing authorities, imperatively excludes, not only that extrava- gant adoration which is offered to the Virgin, but all tho*e modifications of worship-those evasions and subtle uis- tinctions, little calculated for. the mass of mankind, with which your Latria and Dtilia and Hyperdulia involve the sa- cred simplicity of Christian Homage. But what is the voice of remote Antiquity? Will that venerable Matron be found to testify against iierself as hav- uig deviated from the injunctions of Holy Writ ? Once again my call ob«y Prophetess arise and say— ^ The Invocation of any othel- being than Cxod is a strange sound to her ears. We pass the middle of the IV. Ccntun- before we reach any trace of it. We find at that very point Uie clear tho mcidental disclaimer of any such practice.t- And Eusebius has preserved in his IV. book the letter of "the Church of God which is at Smyrna unto the Church at Philoroilium, &c." npon occasion of tho Martyrdom of Polycarp her Bishop, who was the disciple of St. John,— in which letter the following passage occurs. '* But manv "pricked forward Nicetes the father of Herod and iJs - * PfigO M, t See Appendit. M 120 " brother Dalccs to move the proconsul not to deliver un- "to the Christians hit) body, least that, (saith he,) thny, " leaving; Christ, fail a worsliipping of him. This they said *• when the Jews epged and urged them forwards, whicli con- " stantiy watehed us kst that we tiiiatched him out of the " tiro, being ignorant of this tliat we can never forsake Christ «« whicli died lor the salvation of the whole world, and that " we can ivorg/iI/) none other. lor we xvorsliip Christ as the «' Son of (iod— the Martyrs we love ns Disciples awX Jhllovo- " en oi' the Lord • and that worthily for the invincible good *• love t!uy bear to their King and INFaster whose companions «' and disciples we desire to be." 1 hey do not say that they [lay one xvorship to Christ, and another to the Martyrs they say that the idea of paying (uii; worship to the latter could otily be imputed to them by persons ignorant of their prin- ciples — And m the comnicnsoration of his death which it i$ immediately afterwards proposetl to institute, the object of that institution is expressly stated to be «' both for the re- " membrance of such as have been crowned before and also " for the preparation ahd stirring up of such as hereafter shall «' strive."*— No Pagan Apotheoiis—ro Romish Canonization • Hanmer's trnnrlation.— The nearest appruHCh to any semblance of pre- cedent for the Romish belief and pnuMii.t' to !ie found in Ensebius is the tale of the mirueulouf" appearance made to B.silides of tlm female martyr PotnmiiBna— who before her deparlnre had (old liini that she would j>ray the Lord Jor him,— {tmt however in.-lrnetliio; him to #(»/ici7 her prayers.) The old translator from whom I take tlie iicioinit, has commented upon this hearsay report; (for Eusebius gives it expressly as noiiiinf; more,)— has inlrodncet! u nnmber of citations from different fathers to show to the opDosiie sense of tlie Ci\u.':h ; and iias pointed out the natural solution of the story, even upon tlie .-.ticposiiion of it's truth— ascribiny the vision to the eflFt'ct of Ima;;i;ii.tion, and proiiuciug particular reasons for believing this to have been the case. It is perliaps hardly worth-while U> notice this— so fabulous as it is in It's aspect— so distant, if (rue, from the practices which we are now ccm- siderinsr—so void of any authority for addressing 0Hr^elves to the Saints- end so siirroimded by auihoriiies which foibid our doing so— but it is u.se- fnl (0 collect all (hat throws light upou the subject, aud our object is not Ii> ^-Wl^^^KP 1^1 entered at all into the imaginations of tlio«c wlio app- «^a*!^4(St^ m 1 >^y are held to be the in- strumcnts in your Church. 1 F you would support this practice by Scripture we must expect to see the precedents a little strained. The three texts, accordingly, to which you refer us for the adoration of fflics, are found to contain accounts of Miracles performed in the dajjs of visible interpoiit ion from alove, not Oi.e of wliich yields a particle of authority for any veneration of rp//M— .and only one of which contains any mention whatcv- w of human remains. (2 Kings, xiii. 21. Matt. ix.20. 21. Acts xix. 11. 12.) But the revival of the dead man who touched the bones of Elisha was an act of Omnipotence par- allel to that by which the Prophet who had been Elisha'a Master was translated to lieaven—and equally remote from the purpose of affording grounds ibr any standing claim or tenet of the Church. The affectionate care of the early Christians collected the bones of the Martyrs, after thty were burnt, and tlw manner in which this circumstance is related excludes all idea of those superstitions which were afterwards connected with their real or spurious relics. The letter of the Church of Smyrna from which an extract has been already given, infprms us that the bones of Polycarp " more precious than pearls, and better tried than gold "_(a.i allusion to the fire by which he had suffered) were collected that they might he decently interred— not that they might be enshrined and ex- hibited and adored: not that they might give sanctity to an altar, or furnish motives for a pilgrimage : not that they might form articles of traffic, or instruments of rank delu- sion.* Eusebius also relates in his VIII. book that the Ilea- • See Appendix. 123 then .uthopitiiv. ordered the boUirs of certuiii Mortyw to bo " d.gKCci up nnd cast into Uie ,ca let any ndoml tl.en» •• in thc.r wpulchres and took tlieni lor Ciodn as the,, dream, "ed ofus."»^h would not have been bo mcro a dream If the Church, as »hc was known to the Historinn, had then made t!i "'iomthn of vcWch m jirlUlc o/ Fail/,, a«d tram- fcrcd botl> tho name h, ' arncteristics of the Pagan Div, to thfi Christian Saints. ^ Is the IV. Century when a superstitious fondness for re- hci was attacked as a new and unheard of corruption by ion'o Fathers of the Church and defended by othcrn. the K! a of adoration rendered to them was strongly disclahncd by tho latter.J TiiEOE is something hi this STuperstition of so !ow an order, and of so gross a character; there aro so many historical facts connected with it, whicli aro open to th • broadest ridicule, and yield a Iiaodle to the most sarcastic contempt,— that if I were inclined (as I dare say I seem to you) to take the fullest liberties with the Romish system, I should here find opportunity amply ministered to my incli- nation ; and I cannot believe, for a moment, that men of sense and education, in an enlightened age, could greet such pretences with any other reception than a quodcuiique os- tendis mihi sic incredulus odi, if their minds were not pre- viously subdued to the yoke of authoritative imposition. liuT as these relics are specially invested with the power * Hnnmer's translation. t Dlviw. C.c. Dieu. m. Divinite f. Eccles. Saint, Bien-heureux. m. „, , Diet. Laiino-Gall. The doctrine an.! puclice in which tliis title of tjie Saints originated Kemn to make it's retention very improper in any Protestant book. There are however some bad Latin translations of our Liturgy, in which we find Divug Johannes, Divus Paulus, Ac. In other* it Is more correctly rendered Sdnctw. t See Bp. Tomlioe's Elements, Vol. II. Art. 23. Q 2 lii I, V./ii 124 or working miracles, I sliall close m)- remarks upon them with a few brief strictures \ipon the Miracles of the Church of Home, which you consider as a " signal and decisive test ;" in which siie " shines with transcendent lustre, " and of which even " a solitary instance " makes " the triumph all her own. "* Now, Sir, when we observe that the people of Israel were put upon their guard by Moses, against certain Prophets who should give them a sigji or a tvonder, which sign or wonder might be likely to come to pass : (Deut. xiii. 1, &c.) that Christ forewarned his disciples of false Christs and false prophets who should shew great nigns and xvonders, insomuch that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect : (Matth. xxiv. 24.)— that St. Paul personifies in prophetic tlescription a great corruption of the Faith which we are ir- resistibly led to apply to the Papal Power itself, and there speaks of him " whose coming is mth all foxver and signs and fi/iiig tvonders :" {'2 Jhesa. ii. 9.) ' ^ When it is known that the Church of Rome has main- tained the rectitude of pious frauds, and encouraged tlie principle that the end sanctifies the means i When it is considered what juggling tricks,— (I do not like the term, but it is impossible to use any other if we would onvey a correct idea of the fiict,)— have been displayed in thut Church under the name of miracles ; and to what shame they have sometimes been exposed :f When it is recollected that opposite parties within the bosom of that Church have each their miracles to shew in support of their own peculiar systems ; and that a humnn jmver lias intervened, in a remarkable instance, to suppress these miracles — to curb a supernatural agency by walling up the tomb of a French Saint which was the scene of their dis- i^ll \ • Page 03, 4. t S«e Appeudis, -4W 125 play— 80 that the disappointed party affixed this distich to the spot,* I)e par le Iloi defenise k Dlei< J)e faire Miracle en cd lieu : When wc put together all these considerations, we may venture to come to a different conclusion from that which you urge upon us with so much conviction of it's truth and force ; ond wp ought to receive the claim of miracles, as a general rule, with some caution and distrust ; a rule which we are willing to see applied to the miracles of the (iospcl— for tlie evidences of which we solicit nothing more than a candid investigation,f and for the character of which we dc- sire no h^ttur foil than the cxliibitlons which hear the same name in your Church. And as you call upon us to shew from Holy Writ that the gift of miracles is not ncrpctual in the Church, we call upon you to shew that it is .- We call upon you to shew the same sort of nnraclcs under the same or similar circumstances : We call upon you to give sight to the blind— soundness to the sick— life to the dead, in the face of the Powers of State and Church where they are op. posed to you : We call upon you to convince us, who are gainsayers, by this display ;* that your Church may prove • The (omb of tbe Ablw Paris, a faninii!) Jainpnist, to ilie vOicacy of whose remains the most amazing cures were ascribed. "Tbe pasqniif " ade," «ays I,or>l Lyitleion, " speaking of tills disiiili, was a witly one, I' but the event turned tlie point of it.ttRUinsl tlie rarty by whom it mo» " made. For if GOD liad really worked any miracles (here, would thii " absurd prohibition have taken etrect f would he have suffered bin purpoiie " to be defeated by building a wall f" t Should it appear to any reader iJiat the existence of itpuriouf mira- cles tends to invalidate the miracles of tliu IJospel, he may coutult Doug- la*'i Criterion of true and false miracles. I A poor ignnrBnt cripple lias been known in this Province who was Induced to hecon.e a convert to Popery portly by .ho display of a suppo- tied miracle ; and was asked, before his conversion wm finally tealed, m l >! ( M ' 'm^ if: I 126 her willingness to abiik the test laid do»rn by Christ himself, " If I had not done among them the works wliich none other " man did they Jiad not had sin :" (John xv. 24..) We call upon you to furnish us with a single instance, posterior to the Apostolic age. of the gifl of tongues-a gift of all gifts the most useful in the propagation of the Faith, uniting the facthties of diffusion with the testimony of the Divine' pre- «Ence and power. DuT it is surejy absu.rd, upon the face of it, to suppose a perpetuity of miraculous interposition. In the time of pre- paraUon for the appearance of the Redeemer, and in the first estoblishment of his Religion among the nations of the Ear Ji, we are led to look for some deviations from the set- tled and ordinary course of causes and effects-for some , proofd that the Covenant proclaimed to men proceeded from a quarter which had controul over those causes and effects- .and consequently from no other source than from the Author ol Nature, the Creator of the World Himself. But miracles -J.y this power was not „.rcfse.l for his own ben.ef. since he was .so well disposed .„ the reqnisi.e of Fai.h ? Ti.e answer with which i.e had >^» provided was ihis-that none could receive this benefit but those wTo were„e,.,al members of the Romish Church. A singular do, upon tl. .Ljcetof „i.«He.s '. and one which does not seen, to have beenlT. i e. T ege of the Church wo. caJied into action in behalf of this poor fellow after his reception into her bosom. I observe that some of .he Romi.h Writers assert for their E.:lre>ne Unction a frec,Hent efllcaey i„ working cures, which is a coniradicion ,u I s very name. But .his appears to be one of the instances in which a doctrine assumes a neu, ,h„pc to meet the objections of the Pro.es.anf, who pomts -,ut .hat the Scriptural unction was u. order to recovery, a.s a seal of Forgiveness. " Thus are .hey doubly armed, for life or death." If you recover, it is a cure worked by the unction. If yc:; die, you have received the Sacrament of the dyinff,-h saint ^iatique. It would bn more agreeable to speak respectfully of things allied in so many minds with solemn and mournful feelings. But magis amioa Veri,as-We are thrown upon the dcfenoe of our religious belief and we are not answerable for any results which the iavestigation of the Truth oiay produce. •.U--.i 127 are made cheap and lose almost their essence, if they reside to the end of timo in the Church, and arc exercised with the freedom which is arrogated by the Churcli of Home. EireEKius records a variety of supernatural occurrences-^ and appears to have had a ifficient mixture of credulity in his composition: But Eusebius makes no claim for the Church, of any continued miraculous gifts. ^On the contrary he quotes passages in his V. book from a letter of Irenaius, Bishop of Lyons in the second Century, in which the Uishop " signifieth how that unto his time examples of the strad^je "and wonderful porer of God were seen flourishing in cer- "tain Churches.'^ St. Chrysostom, in the IV. Century, insisting* upon the necess'ly of certain qualifications for the Ministerial Office, observes that if any miraculous gift could be shewn, this ne- cessity might be diminished— but since not a vestige of that power remained— tes dunameos ekeines oude ichnos hypole- leiptai — the necessity was urgent and apparent.f In tl>e the Greek Islands at this day a wonderful efficacy is ascribed to the Mummy of a certain Saint who, upon par- ticular occasions, is carried about in a kind of Sedan Chair— tlie people following the procession with the n)ost profound devotion, and some of them, in the course of the ccrcnioni- al, kissing tlie feet of this Mummy, while tfieir emotions draw tears into their eyes. The cessation of the plague, procur- ed, under the divine blessing, by the wise precautions adop- ted by the Government, was ascribed to this wonder-woik- ing Mummy.;]: Will your Church discern the mote in the eye of her I rival ?— Let her first pluck the beam out of her own. * ITanmer's Translation, f De Sawrdotio. Lib. IV. 1 1 had tlHs accouDt from a Btitisli Officer who wIincMad the P.e- :'. I' fi 1^ n '0 128 ft] V, IMAGES. ** Thou shall not make to thyself any graven image, " nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in " the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou " shall not bow down to them, nor worship them :" " God spake these words. " They form part of only ten capital commandments which were proclaimed amidst the most awful demonstrctions of His presence, written by the immediate act of. the Godhead upon the two tables ; and made binding upon all the distant generations o£ mankind. '• I MOST firmly assert that images ought to be had and " retained, and that due honor and veneration are to be giv- '• en them." The Council of Trent spake these words. They form part of the Creed of the " Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church," and her disciples are required to " condemn, reject and anathematize all things contrary thereto." The Commandment, you say, " never ceases to be quo- ted, to cover" the Members of your Church , " with confu- sion." How should it ever cease to be quoted in this con- troversy ? — Was it delivered as an authority for our govern- ment, or as a curiosity to be laid up among our treasures, in- capable of any practical application ? — If a man breaks a law and his conduct is brought in question, — will not the law be surely quoted against him ? — And if the language of tho law be plain and full — if the warning be reiterated and solemn and severe, — will it avail him laboriously to seek out some remote and otherwise ambiguous precedents, of which tlie ambiguit_^' is removed at once by a comparison with the ex- press declarations of the Law ? What, then, can be more pointed — and at the same time more comprehensive, than the prohibitions of Scripture against Iniage-worsliip ? — The Pentateuch and the Psalms— the Pro- phetical books and the historical — the Old Testament and the New, arc replete with the most distinct condemnation of Images — the most lively exposure of their absurdity — the U9 strongest delineation of their debased character, and mle- chievous effects — The language of these passages is usual- Ij' general and even when applied immediately to Heathen Gods, is strictly and pointedly applicable to the very act itself of Image-worship, whoever may be the ultimate ob- ject of adoration ;—altho* God forbid that we should con- found the worshippers of Jupiter or Baal, by means of an im- age, with any of the worshippers ot Christ. See particularly Levit. xxvi. Deut. iv. 16 & 23. Ps. cxv & cxxxv. 15. &c. Isaiah xl. 18. &c.-xlii. 8.-xliv. 9 to 20. 1. John V. 21. And, as you admit the divine authority of the Apocryphal books, Wisdom xiii. xiv. xv. Baruch vi. What, then, do you find to set against all this ?— -You b.t against it the emblematical devices of the ark ; ( Ex. xxx. 18.) the mere circumstance of costly workmanship in the temple ; ( 1. Kings vi. 12. &c*) the invitation of the Psalmist to praise God upon the harp ; (Ps. xviii. 5.) and the figura- live declaration of the Apostle, (to a literal compliance with which we are far, however, from having any objection) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ?— (Phil. ii. 10.) What possible countenance is afforded by these passages to the system of introducing into the Temple of the Almigh- ty Spirit objects of sense as objects of worship — and " adoring Jesus Christ and the Saints bt/ means of images which you kiss and before which you kneel?"-i I NOTICE separately the revival of that curious authority from Heb. xi. 21. which is founded upon a flagrant mistrans- lation of the passage. By whatever means it found its way into the VulgateJ there is no school-boy who can construe the Greek Testament but will immediately perceive that, in • Id tbe Pamplilet the reference is to 8. Kings. But (his is e?iilen(ly a mistake of tlie peu or tlie press. t Page 5T. t Adoravit fastigium virgas ejus, from prosekunesen epl to akron tes rhabdou autou. R \^l ni ;V^t 4i' ki • 1 * i 130 i ; the original, Jacob is said, (in reference to his Infirm State and as a mark of his enduring Piety) to have worsliippcd up- on the top, i. e. Itaning upon the top of his staff, — not to have tvorsfiipped the head 0/ his walking stick, Tet-l me, Sir, candidly — Suppose it were now a new question to be determined from Scripture whetlier Image- Worship ought, or ougJit not, to be introduced :— Could there be the hesitation of a single moment in rendering the verdict? " • We might bring the whole of our argument very home to you by putting every part of it in the same way. You remind iia that " in every family " of the Romish per- euasion " are seen the Crucifix, and pictures of the Blessed « Virgin and of the Saints ; that you kneel in prayer before *' the Image of our Crucified Saviour, that your minds," ac- cording to your ideas of spiritual improvement, "impres- «' sed with the awful ideas of his Passion and Death, may be *' excited to follow the precepts and example of the great " Captain of our Salvation, and Icarn that we have Redemp- " tion through his blood. " *' Hence," you continue, •' may be inferred the utility of Images. " This is what we must take the liberty of calling a very conspicuous non sequitur. But I know one thing that may be seen in many families of that persuasion— the inference from which I shall leave t6 speak for itseJf. I know that the Decalogue may be seen with tlie omission of the second Commandment (which, where it is retained, I believe, is run into one with the first and not suffered to form a subject of distinct prohibition,)— and lyithtlifi forced division of another into two, in order to make out the number. The best things, you say, are liable to abuse, and among them the Bible itself—And therefore— according to your reasoiung,— if we would get rid of Images because, in your own account of the matter, they " mai^ sometimes have been 131 d the utility of f calling a very perverted to purposes of improper devotion," we nm^t upon the same pnnc.ple, get rid of the liible !-It is no more al lovable, I suppose, to sacrifice tl.e one for the sake of avoid-" uig superstition than the other. The brazen serpent litled up in the Wilderness, not as an object of worship, lut as an instrument of miraculous effi. ZV:r"fl.^'''"'''^'' ''ving reptile, and as a. tvpe of hat Crucified Saviour who was to " be for the heaW of the nations," and '< to bruise the serpents head,"_thfe brazen emblem, when it l«.d been perverted to supe stitioi^ uses was broken in pieces by King He.ekiah.-H?w^^ "Zto suL ."'T^'" W« people in the wilderness ^^than^^ suffer u any longer to be abused to idolatrous Yet this vey erection of the Serpent is quoted by some of your writers as an authority for the use of Images JS no only, by your own confession, have been « W, bt ff which the very mtroduction as objects of religious re erell » plainly prohibited by Goo himself-and was heJdT T utmost abhorrence by the Christians of the Z ^Z!^ EusFBius in his second book speaks ot the '< nestHpn. 111 i..i third book quotes from the Aooloi^v of T . „• . custom :^^d in his VlfF Rn„i, J^' ""^ ^^^ "'^ keathentsh K 2 ,i ..1 -^ .^■i.».4jk."-. 4 V I 132 Now, Sir, if it had been the sense of the Church that the Images worshipped by Heathens and Heretics were to be abhorred, but that Images themselves were to be retained and made objects of veneration, it is evident upon the first inspection of these passages that they jnust have been word- ed very differently. But this is not m\ — for the History of Image-worship in the Church is not obscure nor the testimo- ny of her early sentiments indirect.* The practice is dis- tinctly condemned by all the Fathers of note within the first four Centuries. — In the fifth Century the use of Images first crept into the Churches of the West ; and gave rise to those long and vehement contests in which the Popes were seen al- ternately to condemn and approve the practice, and Councils to reverse the decrees of Councils — till the Images which at first had been suffered — aflerwards recommended as subser< vient to Piety — and finally adored, — at length triumphed over all resistance, and were nursed under the ample wings of a darkening Superstition which eat in the high places of the earth. LM u CEREMONIES OF WORSHIP AND ECCLESIASTI- CAL INSTITUTIONS AND ORDINANCES. We have now fought our way, though not in the exact or- der of your distribution, up to the Citadel of the Papal Su- premacy and the Sovereignty and Catholicity (as you have I termed it) of Rome. But there are a few minor points which you have touched upon, and which I shall endeavour to dispose of here, leaving it for the close of my labours to j try the strength of those proud and aspiring walls. The Ceremonies of Christian worship are things within the province of Ecclesiastical regulation, subject only to the fol- lowing i-ules and restrictions : 1. — That the positive appointments of Script'te be pre- served inviolate and pure : See Appeodli. f Script're be pre- 153 2 — That all things (according totlie Apostolic Canons) be done decently and in order : (1. Cor. xiv. "JO.) and all things be done to edifying : (1. Cor. xiv. 26.) 3. — That nothing be admitted which is inconsistent with the doctrines or the character of the Gospel ; nothing which may seem to bring us back from our Christian liberty to the yoke of Ordinances ; nothing which savours of Superstition or Artifice ; nothing which tends by means of a frivolous pa- geant to fill the minds of men with a train of feelings and sentiments unlike that s<"' 'tual incense which the Christian (should send up to the Eternal Throne. There is always mischief, however, in extremes ; and we are willing to see it added to the foregoing rules thai changes should not liglitly be introduced :— that due regard should be paid to the sanctions of A ntiquity the received usages of the Church, and the associations to which men have been habituated : — that it is necessary to provide regulations which may, under God's blessing, perpetuate a sound and pure wor- ehip :— and that it Is expedient to clothe the exterior of pub- lic worship with a certain chastened and dignified solemnity.* Men will never be all philosophers—will never, it is to be feared, be all truly devout— and, while the reverence enter- tained for Religion itself in the Community will be sensibly aftected by the appearance which she wears to the public eye, even they who are both wise and devout will experience the benefit of such auxiliaries to their Piety.— It is much nearer to littleness than to greatness of mind to despise them. ♦' There is a Superstition," says Lord Bacon, who perhaps eays more in the same number of words than any other man, — " There is a Superstition in avoiding Superstition," — The Church of England, therefore, when she ass( rted her own discretion and shook off the meretricious dispuises which sh* !'ad been tutored to wear, forbore to strip herself of all de- cent or majestic clothing, and disdained to reject usages and * See Appendix. !"• I \ u 134. appointments which stand reconmicndcd by their remote An. tujuity or their grave and edifying effect, simply and .olely because they were comprehended in the Ordinances of Rome. Thus, for example.-she uses the sign of the Cross in Bap- t.sra, and the Common Prayer Boole gives you a reference or satisfaction upon its propriety : she retains the custom just mentioned of bowing upon particular occasions at the name ot Christ : and she has a Gospel and Eputle kide of the Altar although she is not obliged to adduce this practice as you have done in behalf of the Church of Rome) in or- der to prove her respect for the Scriptuies.* I HAVE selected these inslanc.s because you have alluded to them all (as you have also spoken of Confirmation) in a manner which seems to imply your belief that ihey arc con- dcmncd or not received in the Church of England ; and I am anxious to point out to you these minor proofs of the hasty and half-examined proceedings which led to your decision. UuDER such circumstances it was not to be expected that you should have ever read those sound and excellent remarks prefixed to the common Prayer Book which are headed, -Of Ceremonies : t,hy iome be abolished and some retained." A- If you had read them you would have abstained probably from drawing an argument in favour of your cumbrous Ceremoni- al from the Levitieal Institutions -You would have found hi. Augustine arguing in rather a different manner. He com- pared the Christian Ceremonies with the Jewish as you do.- But It was to deplore an approximation where a contrast ought to have been seen. " Some are put away," say the judicious fraraers of these remarks, " because the great excess and multitude of then, "hath so increased in these latter days, that the burden of -them was intolerable; whereof St. Augustine in his time •Page 81. t Which may may be read in five minutes and well deserve the atten- tioo of all readers. •: '■ } !■ deserve the aiitn- 135 •' complained, that tl,ey were grown to such a number that the estate of Christian people was in worse case cone rn injt at matter, than were the Jews. And he counse ed. that such yoke and burden should be taken away 'Z -""'d -erve quietly to do it. But what would St. Au 'gustn.el.4said,if he had seen the Ceremonies oHae .me was not to be compared ? Thus our excessive multi- dark that they d.d more to confound and darken, than to declare and set forth Chnsfs benefits unto us." The rules. Sir, which I have ventured to lay down for regulatmg the Ordinances of Worshin ar^ .„ " . , observp^ h„ ^. . ♦"orsnip, are so evident v not ZJ by your Church that the very admission of them n^us carry a censure upon her proceedings ; the very 2e :naxii. there is Jl^^Z^. ^ur a^^ "'" ^" ''''' I MIGHT point out her infringements of them in detalJ which thev hlv i "'"' «''^'"^"'^^«' tl'e variations wmch they have undergone, the sources from which ther hve been drawn, the purposes which they have b^n ^eu^ llichrT '': '■"^"'^'''^ d-tort:ons'of Sew; e pon whu^h they have been grounded by some of her Writers But , .U.II content myself with remarking tha w have seen iready. m treating of the Sacraments, how well he /.of these rules has been observed: that the for^e p « of the second has been transgressed by excess th. h» T Wvio.at.'on: that with r^ct toVhHrt f "t ^ th^ we need only add to some observations which hi been nterposed that the passage wh.ch you quote from h Re- deemers hps.-.« God is a Spirit and thev that worship Hfl jnu. worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.-" and the tree l" G^lr .T '' "'"*^" '' ''"'^'■"^ "« '" ~ber that God wa« not less a Spirit in the times of the old Dispeasa^^oa ll ii i i fl ri 136 timn Hu is now, — this passage itself relutca immediately to the approaching abolitiun of the Mosaic Ceremonial, the ob- jects of which were to bo soon closed, and a worabip intro* duced more suitable to the Spirit who rules the Universe. It is true, then, that God was not less n Spirit before. But it is becauxe he is a Spirit that the maimer oi worfchipping 1-Iim which, (in an earlier and different state of things, be- fore the appearance of His blessed Son as " the light of the world,") he was pleased to accept, is abrogated now. And therefore it is of all reasoning the most inconclusive to argue thac we may worship Him in a similar manner, because, be- ing a Spirit, he was nevertheless so worshipped before the Ileveltttion made by Christ. One word more upon this topic. — We do not object, — far from it, — to cost and magnificence in the house and in the service of God. We do not object to any thing which, — creatures a« we are of outward impressions, — carl predispose us to solemn and elevated contemplation. We do not object to any appointments and regulations which can promote the orderly disctiar^>e of religious functions. Wie should not ob- ject perhaps, — were it the will of God to break down the I great barriers of separation between us, — to your retaining, if you desired it, many indifferent observances which we have dropped. It is very possible that, in some instances, you might do wisely in retaining them. But m e object most se- riously to a system which cultivates the dress and person of I Religion in a degree piejudicial to its Soul and Spirit ; we protest against a set of gorgeous and tinsel trappings, of stage-like spectacles and exhibitions, of multiphed formali- ties, of laboured evolutions, under which the character of Christian worship is buried so deep that it cannot be discern- ed. We protest against your free appropriation of Pagan cer- emonies to the purposes of the Church, and your transfer of devices from the altars of Polytheism to the place where you invoke the One True God.* * See Appen'itx. This subject bas bren pursued by different Writen \ m «K MI»».-<«M<4^«fc 4f<% . *!*"**■■* **^ %- 1S7 .i: shipped before the led by different Writers But of all contrivances to ' confound and darken" the true objects of p.iblic worship, the performance of prayer and praise in a language unknown to the Congregation, i$ the most striking and unwarrantable. Tins objection, however, ih you assure us, is " easily an- swered." Certainly it must be very easy to render answers, Jf oil men were so well predisposed to receive them as you have shewn yourself in your adoption of the Romish Faith. But I apprehend there are few persons who can see any t-u tisfaction in such answers as that " an Universal Church re- quires an Universal Language," and that ".were the public "Service of the Church performed in the vernacular language • ofeach nation, a foreign Missionary would be a stranger " m every country but his own, and would be unequal to tht " duty imposed on him."* Such a Missionary would be a very useful sort of person. His prayers and pleaching would be truly edifying. But if the nations of the whole earth must accommodate themselves to the language of your Universal Church, rather than the language of the Church accommodate itself to them, it should seemthat the Gospel ought to have been established by a gift of identity of Language instead of by the g?ft of Tongues Those Parthians and Medes and Elamites. with all the list of strangers from different countries, {one little deduction from the correctness of your statement that in the infancy of Christianity the language of the Church and of the people was the same.) who witnessed the first display of this Gift, should rather have seen the miracle of Babel reversed, and every man made far more effectually " at home" in every quarter of the world than you represent the Romish Priests to be by the use of H T.atin Mass. A^hohave carrU .,.«ir researches inlo the rites of Pagan Antiquity, and nothing can h. more clearly established than the adoption of them ioto the Ciiuroh.-See Middleton's Letter from Rome. * Page 68 and 6^. s , 138 J Tnfi people of Italy ^n«er/y spoke Latin. Rome is in Italy. And therefore the whole world ought to perform their public worship in Latin. This appears to be the amount of some reasoning which you have subjoined to the foregoing arguments. But you have overlooked the objection stated in the Articles of your native Church. It is a thing PLAINLY REPUGNANT TO THE WORD OF GOD. St. Paul has spent almost a whole Chapter ( 1 Cor. xiv. ) in pointing out the absurdity and ill effects of such a practice. 1 T is also, as the same Article asserts, plainly repugnant to the custom of the Primitive Church. You have mentioned the Greek and some Oriental Churches in which a similar"* practice prevails. What your cause is to gain by this statement, it is difficalt to conceive — since, in the first place, the existence of so many ancient Liturgies in so many different languages is rather at variance with the cltums of an Universal Church exacting the use of one language throughout the world ; — and, in the second, these liturgies when they were originallif composed, were composed for the use of the people in the languages which then respectively prevailed among them, nor is there a single instance to be found in which a Litnrgy was originally drawn up for any people in a foreign or disused tongue. The Churches of which you speak are sunk in su- periitition, and the circumstance which occasions your notice of them is one proof that they are so. It is well known that the Ritual and Offices of Rome were \% W * Similar, but not (he same: for these Churches, all ho' they retain liturgifis ii) a language which has ceased to be the national tongue, yet do not attempt to introduce lliera into countries where tlie language in which they are written never prevailed. Besiaes which, as tlie remark affects the Greek Church, it is to be remembered that tlie Romaic is only a de- generate Greek, and bears an affinity to (his witli which the affinity of the Italian and the Latin lanjruages can by no means be compared. Tl» revival, indeed, of the pure ancient Greek is not dispaired of by some per- sons who take a particular interest in the subject. 139 IS of Rome were not received in some of the Churches of the West till the end of the XI. Century, and then forced upon the people. The Spaniards were strongly attached to their ancient Liturgy, and the change being urged upon them by their King, who was under the Papal influence, they insisted, in conformity with the barbarous notions of the age, upon an appeal to the issue of a duel between two chosen Knights. 1 heir Cham- pion was victorious— but neither his victory nor the issue of a succeeding trial in which, (if it be not fabulous,) they con- trived an appearance of Victory— the ancient Liturgy being preserved in the midst of the flames which consumed the Romish Mass-book,— could avail them against the deter- mined spirit of Pope Gregory VIL aided by the secular arm of the local powers ; and nothing more could be procur- ed than a special privilege of exemption for some particular Parishes.^ Pkoceedings very similar to these had occurred in France and Italy itself, about three Centuries before, when the Emperor Charlemagne first ordered that the Roman Ofiice should every where supersede the Ambrosian, which was far more generally received, and to which the Milanese, in particular, were naturally so attached that it was reserved for the hand of Gregory to reduce them to conformity and subjection. The next point whicTi you notice is the consideration. of a CONVENTUAL LIFE, and the question how far such In- stitutions are conformable to the spirit of the Christian Re- ligion, and beneficial in themselves. Now it is impossible to refuse some tribute of respect, though accompanied with many important deductions, to Re- ligious Communities, (such as those which we see establish- ed in this Province, ) which comprise within their objects, the education of poor children, the care of sufferers from ia- jury or disease, the maintenance of the destitute and infirm :— m i: • Which, I beliere, is jtill enjoyed. S 2 '» IW i 140 Let them enjoy all the praise to which they are entitled, and let us be willing even to exerciie some charitable connivance at the errors which belong to them. Could they be purged of those errors they would be excellent institutions; and Im- agination may easily picture to itself a description of Con. vents which would be highly advantageous to Society. Men of a serious and contemplative turn, devoted at the same time to literature and scientific pursuits, but without any particu- lar domestic ties, and not giftt-d with that constitution of mind and body which would fit them for an active and stir- ring part in the Drama of human life, might with comfort to tliemselves and enlarged benefit to others, be congregated in Societies of this nature, and subjected to a modification of Monastic rules. Ihe same sort of concentration might pro- duce excellent fruits in a sphere allotted exclusively to the furtherance of the Go8pel.*_The various purposes also of Charity and Benevolence might be put into a direct opera- tion, and receive a character of unity and permanence which does not always belong to more diflFused Associations. In this department the formation of Female Communities would be eminently serviceable in many points of view ; and such receptacles for either sex, might afibrd shelter to many a wounded and weary spirit, many a forlorn and friendless pil- grim, whom the want of connections, the res angusta dvmi, the ignorance of worldly business, the delicacy which shrinks from asserting its rights, may cause to be rudely shoved in the concourse and hurry of a public walk. These establish- ments might vary in their internal economy and regulation, and adapt themselves to different tempers and habits of life— l)ut a prescribed and orderly course of discipline should obvi- ously pervade them, and the stated performance of devo- tion, the most soothing of all employments, should be duly provided for ; nor could there, in general, be any objection • Sec the Article British Moitttchism io the XLIIl. No. of (lie Qunr- terly Review. at*^ o, of tbe Quaf' 14*1 to tome grave and uniform habit to be worn, during tl,cir res- jdence, by the Members, whose adherence to such a life ought never to be bound upon them by any vow._It may possibly be thought that there is a little poetry in all this- but the groupes form a pleasing object of contemplation- and I confess that I have often peopled with them, in the eye of Fancy, those venerable mansions, the residences of the old English Gentry, which are seen in every corner of the land, deserted for the Villa of modern Luxury, or decayed with the families to whom they belonged ; and which, both from their hospitable construction, and their congenial aspect and character, are peculiarly calculated for such a purpose. I HAVE indulged with the less reserve in this fanciful de- iineation because it may serve to shew you that I am not for cuttmg away root and branch, with a blind and undiscrimi- natmg zeal, but should be rather disposed to prune off only what is noxious and unseemly. I do not take as my crite- rion what is Romish and what is Protestant; but what is mconsistent with pure Religion and human happiness, and what conformable or conducive to them ; and I am verily persuaded that I have gone upon no other principle in any of my obje, .ns to your system-objections which, if I do not deceive myself in this point, are so much the stronger in thdr foundation. TvT alas ! Sir, if we compare the reality of Monkish In- AKODs with such a landscape as this, how melancholy a contrast do we behold. Whatever may have been their scr- vice, m contributing to the preservation of Learning, or whatever good they may have done in the way of Charity. here .8 not a single point of time in the History of these In^ ItLVZr '^ '' ''''' "^- -''^^'' '-'^ ^y^ - ^«p- The origin and beginnings of Monachlsm-although some of the Monkish Orders have claimed St. Paul for a member of heir fraternity, and others have surpassed them by going back to the Prophets of the Old Testament-formed the re- I >f> iW- ' I' 1 : r , , I i >1 li } 1 ? 1 142 •inaikabic fulfilment of a prediction (to which I have before adverted*) in the writings of that Apostle, who informs us that " in the latter times," (i. e. under the Gospel, the Jinul dispensation, ) there were to be some who should depart from the purity>of the Fuith, " giving heed to seducing spirits and " doctrines of devils ; .forbidding to marry and com- '' manditig to abstain from mcatt which God hath created to " be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and " know the truth." (1. Tim. iv.) The coincidence between this description and those tenets of the Platonistst or Eclectic Philosophers which crept, in the second Century, into the Church, and were propagated by a set of men whose aim it was to fptxn a coalition between Heathenism and Christianity, ( ut plac-idU coeant immitia— — SerpenUii avibus gemineiitur, tigribui agni,) is strikingly close and exact. They held that the soul was to be refined and spiritualized in an extraordinary degree by mortifying and extenuating the body, and might almost in this life, be separated and withdrawn from it by severity of abstinence. They renounced therefore mne, Jlesh, matrimo- til/ and commerce. They ascribed the more immediate ad* ministration of the concerns of this lower world to Spirits or Dcwons— beings who entered largely into their system, anJ were among the objects of their worship — and whose pres- ence could be perceived, as they imagined, by such disciples as were initiated into the deepest mysteries of llieir Philoso- phy. This circumstance is to be noted — because the " doc- trines of devils" of which the Apostle speaks, arc, in the ori- ginal, doctrines of demons or lesser Deities, — doctrines rela- * In the close of part III. t So called bftcauM they professed a gr«at reveretice for Plato, an.j adopted some of his opinions, but tbe name was in many respects very in- applicable. U3 ting to these beings as well as proceeding from the evil sug; gestions of ensnaring Spirits. They taught also that there was one rule of life for the mass of mankind, but another and more sublime one for minds of a higher cast. That very distinction between the active and contemplative life of which you prove the antiquity among Christians by a passage from Eusebius,* was borrow, cd .r.-nediately from the Heathen Philosophers, and is ex- plamed at large by Porphyry in his work conceming aUi. nence^by Porphyry among whose other works is a book agatmt the Christians. Here then we see the way opened for that long train of Superstitions and Corruptions which succeeded-but a« yet these half.bred Christians, although they wore the distinctive- garb of Philosoiihers, did not withdraw themselves from the Society of their fellow -men, nor dissolve their bonds of con- nection with the world. It was in the following Century that they retired into caves and deserts, after the example of other fanatics, before the time of Christ, who have also been follmved in this wretched deviation from the purposes of human existence by many among the disciples of MaJiomet. In the IV. Century the Christian Ascetics appear to have been first formed into regular Communrties,+ and to have • I cannot find this passage in the EcclesiasJical History of Eusef.ias nor in i,is life of Constantiu«. Ii h probably (aken from Lis Demonstrat' E.angel. in wliicU (as it appears from Jortin* Remarks) ttifcre i, a pa<.. sage conveying some approbation of (he Monastic life. » f In (bis I follow Dr. Mosheira, the extent of whose learniuj an.I rt •earch is so much to be relied up..n. Eusebius, houever, who him«lf li,. eJ .n the IV. Century, insist., in i.is II. Book, upon applying to the Chris- taan, a passage fron, Philo the Je^v, descriptive of a set of men ,n E«Dt who, at a much earlier period, M-em to hate lived rather a., C^nobiles than Kerrai.g. But Christians are not named by Ph.lo, and his description a,.- p!«« to Jewish and othe. sects ^,hi.•h are knovvn to have subsisted in fcgjpt-a country fruitful in fanatics and ascetics. Tin very words Monk if I U n !( -Ui 1i first received the accession of some clerical persons to their numbers. In this Century also they began to make mer- chandise of relics ; and in the V. Century they grew rich, in some instances, and, with their riches, corrupt and trouble- some. There were still many, however, who gloried in a savage or rather, (as it applies to some of them) a brutified existence— exhibiting the same effects which in the case of Nebuchadnezzar proceeded from the suspension of his reason by the judgment df Almighty God. They condemned them- selves (as is related by their passionate admirer Evagrius) to be cooped in narrow dens from which they crawled forth, nearly naked, upon their hands and knees to seek their sub- sistence upon herbs and roots. In the Seventh and succeeding Centuries we behold a rap- id advancement of the Monkish Orders, in numbers, in influ- cncc, in property and in corruption. We behold a compact between Monks and Popes— privileges and immunities con- ferred on one side,— exemptions first from Episcopal juris- diction and afterwards from the authority of the Prince,— and on the other, a vast addition to the instruments of Papal influence and the subsidiaries of the Papal revenue. We be- hold them spreading in swarms over the world, and taking advantage of the Superstition of the times to instil into the minds of men the deepest veneration foi the sanctity of their Order, and to propagate such a belief in the efficacy even of its outward distinctions, that sinners in their last moments ' sought to secure their eternal safety and blessedness by dying in.aM'nkishGarb!— We see these men, who had vowed Chastity and Poverty, living in open and shameless concu- binagc; scaling the heighths of worldly ambition ; and wrest- Monastic, *c. imply a soUtary life, and prove a cliange to liafe (ak«a place in tlie iliing to wUieh lliey arr applicable. In any case the commencing point of (lie Religioiw Communilie* wlilrh now «ih«ist may be fixed in the W. Century, and Anthony may b« cou- sidered as the father of ttnse fouudutiou*. \ I change to liare taken US ing from a deluded laUy the patrimony of their ancestors and the right of their descendants, in the way of commutation for integrity of life and as the means of indemnity for indulgence in their lusts. The hold which the Church had upon a mit- guided conscience produced instances every day Jike that of the Chiefs of Branksome, Wlio lands and livings many a rood Had gifted the »lirine/or their souls repose. Pro salute animcB et venid deliclorum was a plea which had drained the wealth of Kingdoms to feed the cupidity of the Romish I'ontiff and Clergy, and the Monastic Orders were not behind their brethren in turning a part of the stream into their own channel ; till the Church seemed, above all exam- pie, to deserve the woe denounced against those " who joia " house to house, and lay field to field UU there be no place, " that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth."' (Isaiah v. 8.) There was occasionally, no doubt, much sincere Piety, and some practical good both in the origin of these endow- ments, and amoog their fruits. But when, in addition to the abuses just enumerated, we see Monks making their home ia the Courts of Princes, and singled out as Masters in diplp- macy, as adepts in political intrigue : when we contemplate their total aberration from the rules prescribed by their roun- ders, the mu\-y ineffoctual attempts to reform them, and the rapid recurrence of their uigeneracy when partially reform- ed : when we remember into what sinks of profligacy the Convents were often converted— what specimens they dia- played, on the one hand of excessive and fanatical austerity, and on the other, of Cruelty and Vice: when we survey all the rivalries and contests of the different Orders— the chi- cane which they practised in Society, the influence which they exercised in farailies-their dreaming Fables and Super- stitions, their fabricated ▼isions, their shew-box exlnbitions of la J^i 146 ♦ IS* ^ I r miracles and relics which many of the Romish Writers haves ridiculed themselves :— when we mark the alarming perver- slons of moral obligation which the Members of a celebrated Order, have employed all their subtlety to recommend— so that these Machiavelsin Religion have passed into a proverb, and the term jes. itical is equivalent to all that is descriptive of the most pernicious prevarication and sophistry : when, in short, we take a comprehensive retrospect of MoBast- Insti- tutions, we are inspired with any sentiments rather than those of respect and approbation for their character and their ef- fects. You congratulate the world however— nay you call upon 'us to offer our thanks to Heaven,_for the restoration of the Jesuits.* There are probably many professors of the Ro- mish Faith who would not subscribe to your invitation. It has been found necessary in Romish Governments to sup- press that enterprising order; and at the time when the pre- lacy of Franco did liot disdain to supplicate the interest of Mad. de Pompadour in their behalf, which she peremptorily refused, it was averred in that country " que leur Soci^tu a t\6 le fJau des Rois et des etats qui les ont soufferts." We will not, however, go to the same length with the gentleman who assured her '« qu'ils n'ont jamais rien fait de bon que d'apporter le quinquina du Pirou"— but we will rather wish them all gathered into that quarter of the world and all their resources employe i upon those Missions of Paraguay wlucli you extol inr such glowing terms j — It were a consummation ^ Devoutly to be wished,-^ for in the first place they would be kept from doing mischief •n other parU of the world ; and in the second, they would rescue the unhappy natives from the oppressive and ruinous nnsmanagement of the Religious Order which succeeded to • Pag« TT. K> 147 the charge.* Yet their prudence unlesg, (as we tvould hope,) they are greatly changed, is rather to be relied upon than their mercy ; for what could be more unrelenting than the enmity which they exercised in France against another religious party of the same Church with themselves ?— Read the Epitaph written for the learned Arnauld of the Sorbonne which, after noticing the proofs of his zeal for religion and Ivs attachment to the Romish Church, concludes thus, 5Ialg, iKJur fruit de son xtle, on I'a vQ rebul6 Ell cent lieux epprim^ pur leur noire Cahale, Errant, panvre, banni, prosrtit, pers^cul^. Et m<^me par sa mort leur fureur mal eteinla N'auroit jamais laisst- sts pendre« en repon. Si DIeu luimAme ici, de son Onaille sainte, A ces Loops devorans n'aroit cucIkS les os. " Les Jesuites," says the Editor of Boileau in explanation, " ennemis mortels de M. Arnauld, le persecut^rent telle- «« mont qu'il fut oblige de se r6fugier en Flanders, oii Ton a «« cachfj soigneusement le lieu de sa retraite, et mcme cclui " oii 11 a fetfe enterrfi." The celibacy OF THE CLERGY both regular and •ecular, is the next point which you undertake to defend The variety and burthen of their duties, and among these their obligation " to recite their Breviarij at the Canonicd • See tlte Extracts from de Humboldt's Personal Narrative in No. L. of tlie Qurterly Review ; particularly pages 308, 309, 3T0, 371, and 3S7. It must not be forgotten liowever that tlie Jesuits in many parts of tbe world liave been content witli a merely nominal adoption of Christianiiy among their converts, ar.d Lave indulged them in tlie retention of their for- mer rites. This was so conspicuously the case in China that the Pope could not avoid interfering to put a stop to it. Father Hennepin, the Canadian Missionary who was so much ((mong the Indians, assures us that " would " be follow the example of tome other Musionarie» he could liave boas- " ted of many conversions, for he might easily have baptised all those na- " tions, and then say, as he is afraid they do, without any ground, that he " liad eoneerled them." It must be confessed that he bore the Jesuits no patiicular good-will. T 2 im>- 'ii ' m ii I 148 hourt, occurring seven times a day," form the principal trgu- mcnt which you adduce. But would there be any thing vory shocking in dispensing with these mechanical ( xercises of Piety, or lessening their amount, in oVder to remedy the inconveniences which result from the vow of single life ?— There ate two passages in the Meditations of St. Bernard nrhich may be worth our attention in framing the answer to ftis tnquiry — The former conveys some idea of the efficacy which may be ascribed to these preciee observance*. Mag- nam porto coronam, & vesteni rotundam : regulam servo je- juniorum, statutis psallo horis ; sed cor meum longd est & Deo meo. Exteriorem supcrficiem intuens, salva mihi onmia arbitror, non senticns vermero interiorem, qui inteiiora corro- diL* The latter is the passage which I have before cited as parallel to those confessions of Luther by which you would expose his frailty and corruption.! These two passages ta- ken together and conipareil also with the doctrine of St. Paul, 1. Cor. vii. 9. that niarriago is preferable, in any case, to effects which sometimes result from a single state,— may dispose perhaps of the question whether the Clergy ought to be placed under a \ovr of celibacy because their sevenfold repetition of the Breviary in the course of every day would interfere with the duties of domestic life Can it be doubted that St. Paul would have recommended marriage to St. Ber- nard ? Sm, I do not wish to expose this subject to the coarse lev- ity of profane or unthinking men— and I am far from saying that there are no possible cases in which a Minister of the Gospel may not discharge some peculiar task with more ef- • I Wear a large tonsure and ray liabii is of the full orta»).lo« gaawinj awaj- my inner mau. ' t See page 28 of tills Letter. 149 feet by abftaining from Matrimony, altho' he will manifestly do wrong to entangle him.clf in any vox,. But can any thini be more exprew than the language of St. Paul in the very chapter from which you have selected your authorities in fa- vor of the Romish Celibate, ( the same chapter to which 1 have jusr refe.red.) as to the free exercise of private discre- Uon and the necessity of being guided by circumstances ia -.ecidrng upon this point ?_It is clear also that he write. With reference to times of Persecution.-" 1 .uppoge there fore." V. 26. .• that this is good for the present ZZr reI"lZ " ''JT^'""^' <'^ *="" ha-dly indeed be otherwise.) remarkably mfehctous in most of your appeals to Scripture *i ' :: '7 "" "^'""'^^ ""' ^''•» ■■" ^''^ d'-«t'o» which you give to I. T.m. v. 12. This passage you say proves the if each of the Vox, of Celibacy damn^le. St. Paul there speak, of a dereliction which would incur tT V *^' ^"'■'^ 'iamnalion, however restricted may h^ the sen^ of ,t in common u«,. doe. not of itself imply eternal pcrdU^on and is often employed m Scripture to signi. fy generally, condemnation or Judgment of any kind. T IS not material ia what sense we take it in this placeL but let us only consider the object of the whole passage, and ' observe what support it yields to your argument Ix the primitive times there were certain grave and elder- yW.dows who received a maintenance from the Church cnarge. St. Paul directs the exclusion oithe younger mdm, zjr^r^'% '"^"^^ '""'^ -" ^ lU torn!?; aga.n»^d not only to be thus drawn into a connection in A capacity f„, mrriag,,.We,«„,,„p,,^„^^ f uacioa wUch is n ' '^'fir i" 150 compatible with their Holcniii engagement to the Church, but, having undertaken a burthen to which they are not equal, to escape from il by means of some unbecoming union, anl perhaps fling otT the yoke of their Faith.*— This, I think, is a fair paraphrase of v. 11. and 13. He proceeds there- fore, V. 14. tu recommend it to the younger women generally that they should marry and devoto themselves to the dis- charge of domestic duties. St;i>P08i:, Sir, that this advice should excite some attcn< lion in a Nunnery. Suppose that the Nuns, who surely must be at liberty to read those parts of Scripture which are conceived to recommend their way of lifb, should begin to say in their own minds, — " St. Paul here not only enjoins no tow <* like ours — not only supposes no such thing as a mere con< " tcmplative existence — not only affords no authority for im- «• muring young girls in Convent* — ^but rejects even the ** younger among the Widows from an office which, never- " theless, did not exclude them from Society, — reserves this « office to women who may be considered as past marrying— " and recommends marriage to those who cannot be so con- •• sidered," — what answer will you render to their doubts ?— what reason will yo' >hew (beyond the circumstance itself of their having taken a vow which, well or ill taken, may em- harass their consciences, ) why the doors should not be un- barred to them, and egrefw freely given that they may reti^rn to BIl some pa. t in social life? Your Clergy also would do well to consider some texts of which you have taken no kind of notice — to observe with what doctrines the general prohibition of matrimony Is claj- fncontistent with martiag* : Contequently, if the rlrrical functions were iuoonsistent with marriage, persons capable of the purposes of marriage would be deluded from tlioce functions : But «uch persons are not excluded from clerical functions : Therefore marriage is not incoiuittent with the clerical functions. Q. E. D. 151 •cd (1. Tim. iv. 3.)--to remember that St. P«er wl.oiu they characterize as U.e first Pope, wa. himself a married man (Matth. viii. H-I. Cor. ix. .I.j-an,! that St. Paul in h.. dc.cr.pt.on of the requisite qualification, for different or. dcraof the Clergj , desire, that they should be " tho hua- ban^ of one wife., ruhn, their children and their own ho«.- e« well. (I. T.m. .... 2. 4. 12 -Tit. i. 6.) .J/VfTz'"?''' ^"" 'l"'^^^ ^'«™ Lord Bacon are not confined to Churcf.,„en, a,.d say nothing in favor of atiy Vow or Author.tat.ve Injunctio., of Cdibacy. He regards a wife and duldrcn a. .mpediment. to all great enterprlcs. Lo^d Bacon hke son.e other philosophers, di.l not perhaps apprc-- cate the sex as they deserve-but leaving his maxims undi.s- puted, we may st.Il p,.onounce without hesitat.o,. against the of It by the.r u^/.ole body. Po., even if the voice of Scrinturr were not conclusive upon the question.-we have seen ilTtr course of our present enquiry, son.e of the consequences wh.ch have resulted from this rigorous and unwarrltal. e rule. And where the Church of God i, not scandah.ed i„ «o h„„.bie«mar.r.iu, yet ve^^ certain that a bo y men severed and a^sjoined rom all .domestic ties, and with out oxpenence o u .0,1. .ffections. will conce trat t L atuchmentstoomu! .... the particular inter Jo}Zl ^^?:t:l 7" "r"""'" ' ''''' of imperious-'har: : ness,t a jealousy of pr.v.lege, a dispo.tion to league them- • lo some Chrlitian coiiniri*g (hi. mV i.n. i^ • . -W it ., „,d „.,. ,,e people ,«,« o^d .> ^^7 """ '" '"• •nd marriage,, as if it wen. L--. '* '" conlrmf itc -on, ,.e c^.^::::::^:;;:::;;-^ •"• p-'*^"'- -^ „.rr.,. ■~--i,-.~ 1 52 Mi ■elves together and to bear down the other dasscc of the Community. For these very rcnsons, the imposition of Celibacy upon the Clergy, considered in the light of worldly Policy, wns owe of the master-strokes of Papal skill. It was worthy of the spirit of Gregory the VII. to detach the Clergy from human Society in such a way — and to him it was matter of small concern whether the bonds which he dissolved were those of sacred wedlock, or of impure concubinage. His arm once raited to effect the object, he cut the knot with a rclentlcts and undiscriminating hand ; and neither regarded the dig< tress of private families, nor the ferment of the Clergy, nor the tumults and commotions which were excited throughout Europe by this violent exercise of an authority itself usurped. It is clear therefore that marriage prevailed among the Romish Clergy in the XI. Ccnturj' — and, if it be urged that the licentious practices which prevailed at the same time proved the necessity of a change in their habits of life we readily grant this — but the abolition of marriage was so far from being a necessary part of that change that it tended to perpetuate among the Clergy vices of the very game class with those which it should have been its object to reform. It is true that the Celibacy of the Clergy had long before been held in high repute though it was never enjoined by any of the Bishops of Rome till the time of Siricius who was advanced to that See in the year 383, and hii judgment was not fated to be long had in respect. Uut let us examine im- partially some early testimonies upon the subject. Ctorjj-. Let ut conxider tli« two apoplithrxnM JoueUrtT. '• A tinxlf) \\h doth well with ClHinhmfn, for t'liiiriiy will hcHlf '< water (be ((round wbrre it muxt flmt fill a pool."— Emiy on Matriugx •iMl linf le life. "Certainly wife and children are a kind of dikipline of iHimnniiy; «* and single man, tlio* they be many timwi niorr rlmriiable, bepftnwt ilirir " mMnii are leu exliaucteil, yet on tlie oilmr oide tliey are mori* oriirl miil " hard-hrartad ; ((ood to make w«are in<)ttitilon} becaiiae llwir (endrriiro *Mt not so oft called upon."— Ibid. 153 ilassts of the JTa u '""' """"" *'" «'•«"•"*'"» "♦• Clem, ent „f Alexandra, who c.rc. the preccnJent of thrc^ Ap„„Io. « favor of Marriage a.ul the ta«k of training, a family In the foIlowu,g bonk he con.m.ncU the zeal of Di.n,,.,,, B.^.«p OK onnth. and .numerate, hin .riting^ among .hi I ::';.^;;:!;;tr''"'' ^'"'""''""^ "«"""^ ^-•'-'"^ ^"^ In hig VI. book describing the elfieti, of the Decian perw- cutmn he mentions incidentally ,he e«CH,H> of two Hi.hopK one of « lK,m was uccompanic.l by his ehildren. and the other oy ina wife. .SocRAT.s who takes up the History where it h dropped by Eu.eb,us, and who lived himself in the V. Century, ad- Con«ta me, ,m.l .inc !. he therefore calU the old eccle«a.tU cal tradition, that .lu- Clergy .lu.ul.1 continue single who had beenom„eat the .ime of their Ordination ; buf he r p o' baten .^.e innovation then attempted, without ,ucee«. by .o.«e of the BiHhops. to prnhibit those who . „| been marriej a^ laymen Irom co-habitation with their wives ; an.l produce, the argument, used upon the occasion by i>aph.uHiu . a ven- crahJe Bishop, and a very di.inteie.ted authority, haling al- ways been himself unmarried and rema .ble for the strict- ness o( his life. The same Historian records the proceedings of the Coun- c.l of (.angra. held alter the middle of the IV. Cen.urv where the opinions of Eusta.hius were condemned, and amon« them the objections of that heretic to I'riests who hved with their wives under the circumstances «bove dcncri. U..ON the whole therefore, we n,ay pronounce upon the Celibacy of the Clergy-that it is not co.,formahle to Scrip- ure--that rt drew its beginnings from a spirit of corrupt phi- l-ophy which crept into the Chureh-th.t it ha. been ,ub. ject to great variation as a matter of EgelesiaMical discipline. V : i 154 by an abuse of which only it can be imposed— that it has been proved by lamentable Experience to be the source of infinite mischiefs — and that although it may be expedient in individual cases, when observed at the option of the Parties, yet the argument, by which you defend it from the liability of the Clergy to be employed in remote and arduous missions, is untenable, because in the first place it would be only ne- cessary to select unmarried Ministers for such a purpose— and in the second, it is proved by the example of the Apos- tles and their companions, (1. Cor. ix. 5.-Acts viii. 2. 18.) ■a well as by that of modern Protestant Missionaries, that even tudi a charge does not necessarily require a single life. liH-.- ^ I I>APAL SUPREMACY : AND SOVEREIGNTY AND UNIVERSALITY OF THE CHURCH OF ROME. We have now, Sir, gone over some extent and variety of ground ; and the pursuit of our enquiries,— if not from tlie clearness with which I have conducted them, yet in the force of those results to which, when managed with any fairness, they spontaneously and irresistibly lead, has sufficiently over- let the exalted claims of your Church. For these claims must be either maintained in their full integrity or abandon- ed altogether. You must get rid of the whole mass of my objections to your tenets — you must dissolve tliem in some menstruum which will Itjtave no particl(i of solidity remaining, before you can establish that Hypothesis which you have so eagerly adopted A Church arrogating to herself to be the sole Church of God on earth, and sole dispenser of salvation : boasting to be secured from the possibility of error, — so con- structed by the hand of Omnipotence as to perform her movements till the end of time without varying an iota,— an to regul-te the Faith of men and indicate their duty without any necessity existing, or any liberty allowed, of examining and ascertaining her correctness — gracious Heaven! — how different a face ought such a Church to display from that which is presented by the Church of Rome ! and how idle are her vaunts unless she can prove the grounds upon which we prolesi, to be, singly and collectively, mere fancy or fabri- cation of our own. It is a vast deal, Sir, that you under- take : it is a cumbrous task which you have upon your hands. Other Churches have not placed themselves in the same pre- dicament. They are not so pledged that if you can find n §i Iffl 156 ^aw in their proceedings, an occasional deviaUon in their his- tory, you vuiate the whole title upon which they rest their preten8,on«. But how i« the case heightened when we con- suler the multitmle and the palpable nature of tho«e flaws the extent and conspicuous character of those deviations! which duifigure tlie Church of Rome ! It may be added also to the u^erenccs of this natnre which have been suggested all along |.y our examination of the Controversy in its successive parts.-that it has been impos* 8.ble to proceed thus far without anticipating son.e strokes which fall in their dhcct force, upon the Article now immc- Uiatciy to occupy our attention. A LITTLE recollection of what has passe.l will make thhi apparent when we state the Article itself. Jt is this • "J ACKNowLEDOE the Holy. Catholic, Apostolic and Ro- nrnn Church for the Mother and Mistress of all Churches, and I promise true obedience to the Bishop of Rome, Sue "cesser to St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and Vicar of " Jesus Christ." Nevertheless it is not in this way that we desire to dig. luiss the argument. For there i. perhaps no one Article of your Creed, as it is distinguished from ours, of which the close investigation can bo more serviceable to our cause You desire us to notice that the Reformed Churches in retaining the Ancient Creeds profess their belief in One Ho- r, ^'"1/" f ""' ^'"'''"''■^ ^''"'•'■''- ''"''^^ i« the ancient Ar- tide ot Fa.th. That is the Article adopted by the Hrst Ni- cene Council A. D. 325, and substantially the same with the Article professed in the Church from the first.-Mark now thediflerence-Twelve hundred years having rolled away from the time of the Kicene Council, the Council of Trent- not content with this Article.^lay. do^n another upon the tame point. A 8ep,raic~an addiiional-a diUerent-a con- tradictory Article upon the same point. Sir, it is one among many prooft that Uie Frawer. of the 1 t 1 51 tide. a. tlu.y 8Wnd_bgt it i, „rf| L„ "'"7""«>->"noAr- pmy in the Church i„ ,h " "." L, V T ' *-'°'™'* VvoK the rame prin-iDle 'i-ot. pry of her c„l„v«,„„, „„ ,„„ „„j„„„. „, ^^^ _^_^^ . i. i- 158 f J' i 'I 4M^ 14 in the Council of Trent, she pronounced it to be a sacred and essential part of thi- plant itself. But let us come to the point ; and. will, reference to il.e particular article- which regards the Church, let us tirst state our own, which is also the primitive belief; and let uk then I examine the proofs by which you would »hew the correi.p«n. denco of your Church, and yours only, with the descriptiwl marks of the Church Catholic. 1 SHALL not stay to consider tiiose looser senses of M Word Church, in which H m.iy c««,.pr-hend all persons inaJ ages, who, according 'o th. measu^r of tluSr light and .>^ portunities, have beer iaithlul servanU of G.^d-or may ihl cribe all who profess a i^diu" m Chri»t-( iv ^hich kind ot ac ceptation it i. iiard U. tvmct ive th. tropnay of 'n«"t«"l,^ in the Cmv/, a.a mani/ ^t that it was -^^^-J^":!'' fJ^LI the Cor.oilcrsoftVat " Form of Sound Words, )(2T,J i. 13. 1 tut I shall take the Church as a distinct and ddmi ohjeci of Faith ^ I We bd.ev(>, tk a, ia One Holy, Cnthohc, and Apos^j Church. We art 5 er-uaued timt •he Community ot Bilwl era according to U<... origit^' >! ctmstilutior of the Church, ii regularly organised and plainly visible Society, prestn. the bonds of Unity in Faith and Discipline :-//«/y n. I character aa bein .; founded in " the Holy One and the .lu^l as dispensing the i.eans of Grace and conveying an oblyl tion to Holineis \n its Men.bers, as actually comprising il holiest of the hunuo race -.-Catholic as being calculateJ j diffusion throughoui the world .-Apostolic as being c«J formable to the Apo .olical Institutions, and as bemgc>« mitted to the charge if a standing Order of Men, the Sk cessors of the c^postles, in whose persons resides the Cff mission of Christ, and through whom only the title to* • Ministry can be lawfully conveyed. We believe that tlu- Officers of this Spiritual Society! * invested, by the express word of God, with a certain tei pered authority over its members, of which the due ewrc 159 be a sacred and although it is not essential to eonsttlute thcexistenccef a tru» Church, is yet iiighly salutary in its tendtncy and effects- Wo believe t;iat the Church has tlie Power of excludinjt from her Communion her unworthy and rebellious Members, and receiving them back upon their repentance ; and that, subject t(i the condition of her not abusing these powers, her sentence will be latihed in Heaven. We believe that these Spiritiml Officers in their three sev- eral grades of Bishops, Priests, (i. e. Presljyters) and Dea- cons are the ♦• Stewards of the M vsteries of God :" ( I Cor. iy. 1.) that to them is committee' he " Ministry of Rccon- ciliation." (2 Cor. v. 18.) tho dispensing of the Word and Sacraments : that rbey will continue :o the end of time to deliver their powers in a right line from man to man, as they have done from the time of the Apostles till now : that the Church, under their immediate administration, is the ark and depository of Revealed Truth, the " Witness and Keeper of Holy Writ ;"* and so far possesses " authority in Controver- sies of Faith,"* that she has a right to promulgate Articles of sound belief, a claim to reverence in her decisions from all her children, and a title to interpret for those who are obliged to receive upon trust. We believe tliat every particular Church which it thus constituted is an integral part of the Church Catholic. We hold to that Catholic FaUh which we see to have been received semper ubique et apud omnes, and which we are sure can never become extinct ; altho' it is liable to he inter- mingled with Superstitions and Corruptions, and neither the whole Church, nor any part of it. is infallible or necessarily mcorrupt. We could receive nothing as matter of Faith which should be destitute of Scriptural support, but. while we see that our Catholic System of Doctrine has all the war- rant of this kind that we can desire, we declare .t at the saiae time to be no mere loose and general result of Uie ieaich • • XX. Article of Religion. 1. V 160 11^1 : . V i' lundc proDiiscuously by individuals among the leaves of Scripture, but a body of genuine Scriptural Truths collec- ted, preserved and delivered down by the Churcli.— And if you call thia Tradition — if the uniform and diffiued sense ol the Chufch, — altlio' proved by existing recortir tarntnly we may de- precate that principle, prolific in monstrous evils, that « Church and Ministry can be manufactured at the will of any particular body of Chriitians who may associate themEelvci for such a pr.rpose,— ytt we place no such reliance upon more Church privilcgex 9s to set their i fficary in competition with that of Faith in the name of Christ, and obedience to his Laws ; and we know that if we dishonour our advantages, God is able of the very stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ( Matth. iii. 9.) But let others defend themielves. w^en you press them upon this point—let them defend themselves as best they can. How they wHI answer some of your objtttions, except indeed by retorting those grave objections which make it im- possible for them to remain in your communion, I do not profess to know._«' One thing I know." that we stand whol- ly unaffected by the question; and this is the peculiar Strength of our cause, that we have shaken off the yoke of Superstition and Spiritual L'surpaUon, without disturbing in W«lty,aliho' li« mnH« m 1tt»Ie noiw in tli« wort.i an.t whrw I,.. Iin< twen mniionod lias bei-a maliifnfd, wa« a rnal f:iiri<>iian .i. wtll as a irue t'hur.hman,and infli.itol, turpa^ted his b»o»l*r« In loliii^ and raundosM •f mind. Tlii» indaed was not llie poini ia whJrIi ili^j ^called. • In hi* wTi((..n ronfmnea with Htndtnon where tU Moaarch was rather too ffluob fur the DiTine. V i^ 162 m 111 J the slightest degree the couruo of our transniittcU hierarchy, ami the integrity of our ApottoJic Di^ ipline. There are in^ dccJ-~I am sorry to confess it— some Writers and Ulkerg among those nominally belonginK to ua, who seem to place the strength of the Protestant Cause, and the glory of Pro- testai.t principles in a headlong abandonment of all Ecclesi- aatical Polity and a duciitful amalgamatum of all the Ueligi. ou» Communities which subsist ii-der the grnerul nani^ of Protestant. But. as surely as that disunion can never bo strength, and as that Truth can never be made up of contra- dictions, the strength of our Cause and the glory .four prln- ciples can never be seated in such a compromise as this. Symmetry and Sacred Order, with all the luppy restraiuti and all the undivided vigour of resource ' hicli belong to Ihem, can never be seen where the Jhuu-.^n of ylu'hnrin^ u not evident, and the Communion which men adopt, or per- chance erect for themselves, is hehl to be^i tiling arbitrary • It. .-^nd .Sects with a factitious Ministry can never wear that character of stability and perpetuity which belongs to the Church, whose Clergy ought n» -i-r, for a mo- ment, to be confounded with such a Ministry— a Ministry who call our Clergy, in the words of their friend Dr. A. Claike, " men-made Ministers," while in fact this is precisely iho term which is descriptive of themselves, as they are con- tra-distinguished from the Clergy. It is not how* ver my present concern, to maintain at Cause against the Sectaries, whether professing openly their ob.jctious or pretending to act in concert with the Cliurcli, and persuading others.— jf .... themselves,— th. they are warmly attached to her genuine principles. Whe . •:r ther shall think proper to advertise any Sanative oi' tho.,- Con- versions {which, according to their ww, ideas of whi *!ie word imports, they zealously aim to effect, ) ~maa„c„ of Jar ..W^MZ. l:.:! I" T„t ,.c.m,„i,„, Article clearly i„,p|ie, „ CmmMo^ to -T^e tl,e Sacraa,™,, confined ,„ „ p,rtic„Ur chan 7 These Articles of Ueliffion to wi,i,.|. .1, > all .1.. Cer,, I. ,c,„lr,.d,i:.' lit" clnr^XCDlf But in the p,.c<,«. Sir,_do ,.„„ „, „ ^. ^.cttcc of the Church „r England, „|.lcl, ..arran,rvo " . -r-,. place to hcr".„„„g.,,c„,„„„„j s.".'^"'^ "'" "" ""-^—ngendered," asyo„«„ ^ . ^ 3 , ■-» « y .-'^ 16* If , -1 ( » f 1,1 fonrifttion ? (a remark of which I think I have weakened the force before.*) — There may be some well* meaning Intruder! into the Miniitty who give thrmnelveH out, upon occution, ai adlierentt of the (!liurch ; and there may be, within the Church,, per«on«i who have n»j conception of Church- Member' thip, who cannot preservt the di»tfnction between a tuleranv and a lutitudinarian Religion, nor comprehend how it can be objectionable ro co operate with men in whom they lee »trict- ne«i* and zeal: — Hut are persons not tpitcopully ordained ever recognized by the Church ? are they admitted to offici« ate in our placrs of worship ? ia any task poitioned out to rljcm among the iabouruis of our vineyard ? do they produce any credentials from t cclesia^tical authority 'i' — are tbey in connection and correspondence with the buhop of the Dio- cese in which they act?— The necessary replies to these questions, with the proofs which I have stated above, are suf- 6ciently conclusive upon tlie point now to li established — and I could bhcw you aUo that the teaching uf those with whom you are pleased to mix us in one musit, and the instru- ments to which thty resort for promoting the work of Keli- gion, are little better in unison with the Church than the external System of their Societies — but I hope you will be satisfied that we preserve the commission of our Clcigy, and tho Constitution of our Church-Government as inviolable prin- ciples of lieligion. — And if you should be inclined to say, with some of your Writers, that the derivation of a commis- sion which has p:i88cd thro the Church of Rome, is a claim incunsistent with our opinion of her corruptions, permit nu to remind you of the corruptions of the Jewish Church which did not annul her ecolesi&itical existence, nor cause that the l*riesthood who sat in Moses' chair, (Matth. xxiii. 2.)— ai is strikingly exemplified in the instance of Caiaphas himself, (John xi. 51.) should cease to be the channel of divine com- municatioDS. Or, if you should be disposed to say that the * 3n pages 13 of ibis Letter, at the bottom ; 6i oear tbt top i 83^ «*, ^1 '^> 165 •uccenion of our Clergy \, ,itiaud, and to deny th« unbr». ken continuity of the chain, let me rtfcr you to the corret- pondence whi« . took place in th« latt Century between .om« •minent Kccle.iwtics of the Churches of England and Franc*^ when th. hurer wh.ch ha. alway, been .o dUtingui.hed •tnong the Homi.h Churches for her .pirittd determination m tetting bounds to the vioUnt encroachments of the Fapa- cy. began fo meditate a project of union with the former J The Archbishop, however, of the Anglican Church would not compromi-e her Protestantism for a moment,^ and the Wgct.at.on. which was broken off thro" the influence of per- ■ons havmg a particular temporal interest to serre by their derotedness to the Court of Home, had not reached a vert prom.s,ng appearance of success. But the French Clergy wcnved tntire satisfaction upon the point which we are noi considering ; ,nd a highly respectable Member of that Body whos. name was C -urayer laid the proofs before the poM'^ •n leTeral work, pour la D./ense dt la VatmS de, Ordina. Hont Angheane$. In these observations, as I have before said, it is my busJ- ness rather to establish the fact that such is our System, which appears to have escaped you. than to defend this Sys. tern in a point which you would not urge as an objection^ And why indeed shouH it be necessary to defend it at all when we possess that work of Hooker's which has been call led by a distinguished living sclioiar.t " the ererlasting pos- • «M ibi. pro,«l by Dr. MoLaln. (wIm. w«, no. hlm^ir r. Member of lb. Cb..r,h of BnRlood) In an App„«l|, ,« |,|, ,r«n.lntloa of Uo»Mm r.T V *'7' •/'••'''' "' '"• '"^•« •""•••••too, SDd of ,1« remark. nuH. by the French Divines upon Ihs 39 Articles. t Mr Maithtsi. There ar. «me oiber remarkabl. tesllmonle. w,. ^«tlng H.«ker. He wa. dewrlbed in a few worJ, by Loike a» ",hat •WHlMl great man of deep thought.'' Hi« own biographer rail, him " this m«k. this m«tcble« man." Hi, book ««* earnestly re.H.n.mended br King CUarlM to his chUdiso a litUs b«f«re that U«ah ia which ha saois a» ( , ! ^..oM'ii^.- it ".l^^SSBi 1 '.? >li|f V I S 166 •esf-ion an(] tlio impregnable bulwiiik of ail that the iCnuliMi nation holds most jU-iir ?'— Hooker, af ('hillingworth hat somewhere said of him, " iho* a great man, wa« but a man," and not exempt therefore from human errors : But it may Well be uverrcd of bin J'.cclesiasltcal Polity that a nobler mon- ument of the human mind can no where be seen. More pure and chustened Piety ; more calm, clear, depth of intellect : wore gilWd flow ol language, more ample range of erudition, more closeness and accuracy of research : more steady and collected force of argument, more nrudliemeiil and dignity in debate, more skill to sift the realities of ihiiigs, can no- where be seen among men ; and I doubt if another instance can be found in which all these are united in the same way. Aiul «h(»uld the people of England ever subvert or violate (as since the days of Hooker, they* once diil,) the Consti- tuuon of their Heligious Kstablishtnent, or abolish, as unr- ▼angelical, tlie forms and appointments of their Church, the work of this venerable champion has left them for ever with- out excuse ; and would carry down their condcmimlion to tlie remotest ages of i'osterity. Lka viNii however our own doctrine respecting the Church, nrar to (tie eiampla of liii dyiii^ Saviour an U well pa«<.ilile for liuman htiUy. It it wiH ihat Utf work of Itm.ke. ha* bfen reod «( (lie Conn ..f R„iw, and ilMi our of III* Po,M.» (alilio' lie could not ttave bren m.if ti « •n obt('ur« Niailoii iu llw t.'l.urpli, ii was an rvidaa«-« ihat I^irnins nii.l Inrmii!) would Ittucuiuli, for want of em'.>uraf«nH>ui, amoiix ilii> Pn.t,., lams .ukI tba tttu«» wouU fall lo iIm grouud wb«i« tlw cIioim-sc iii»tru. neittit w«>re orrrlooked. , • Tliat ii, tlitf prflvailieiK pony. B.ii, wiili all llw error* of iIm Jtoi^ trMpeciioR tlie m^an, of promoling Religion, (litre wa» « noble dliplay .,f RfllRion* principle a. wHI a. of iiiag.molmou, iojaliy on t|.e lo.i,.« .id. lud (lie iiumbrr ..f CleriD 'jwied from their lieiieflcei brrauw iliey w,.„|,| not r.m.unre iheir Choroh. w«. irehle ,|,a, of ,|„, ,^,cd Mii,)sl«r»«. .I.m Bektorailou of (Im Cliurcli and Monawhy. 1C7 •W ,„c.i,„„, .„d ,„ „ ,„„ ,,«r ".•"■» «.n. upon ,h. ,„c.^„„ „,. ^^Z" '^ '" " /"-r »,„. jcx. Church., iluch .re - r ^^^ r;'''^'T « '""-■ «"- Centre o,cr ™„„v„,^ „„, t- '""' •'"«"".» « with » ""• •'- "»• <■-. n,„:,. .2 1"; ::'""'- ':■-" ■■ tl"ii whioh I k,H,«- „„, |„„ „. , , ' """"■■ '• •" •™ump. f Pagt It. * 1 f t,...„^^- 168 iMtantH from the Church of Home. And this did not hap- pen througii nnv Uejurmalvm. Some of the Writers of tlie Latin Church have themsi-ivvs ailuwed that the Scfiisni of the Western and Ka»tern Chdicheb was equally Schism on either side.* If " oiFencea have come" as " it muKt nteds he'' that they will (Luke xvii. 1.), and divisions have ensued, it dues not follow that Catholic Unity resides in one pait of the di< vided whole nsore than in another. 'I'he fault may be in ei> ther or in both. All that any particUr division of the Church can do, is to preterve viithtn itself' the proper and lawful termt uf Vnitjf — to exercise concession and forbearance to the ut> moat verge oi safety — to maintain, if circumstance leave H possible, the primitive Constitution of the Society ; to let in no interruption of disciplme, no confusion in the charge and oversight of the foidf— but to take care, with all this, that the incorrupt* Fides nudaque Veritas of the Gospel, the Faith in its purity, and the Truth undisguised by human Ed- itions, be cherished or be restored. Thk fact is-~-and no fact is more glaring— that the csptta! breaches of Unity in the Church have been caused oy \\it corruptions, or by the extravagant ambition of the Church of Rome. And as foi the unity which > ou make to consist in i^M, that her Members whether at Rome or Pekin-— Vienna er .'.leppo Paris or Baltimore agree in one Faith, one Com* ntunion, and one ecclesiastical jurisdiction, it is equally true of other Churches whose Members are diffused over ihe face •f the eart>'. There are Members of the Church of £ng< * See Appeudii. iM t ClilUingwoHh and many oiIm-t* liavs ihewn Hiai by our Mperstion from Homo, we *» lifr of WmIi-s , Vol. I. page 131.) TliU com- eeio be teemK aflerwardi lo teo8siong, the national Churches of Sweden and Denmark, which ore Episcopal, as weil as the Churches of Episcopalians in Scotland and the United Statrs of America, with all of which we exercise acts of Commu- nion,* we shall present to you a front of Protestant Kpiscopa- ry spread over a large space. ro»,>ectal)Ic in its nuraeiical •trength, and still becoming htrorgcr and more diffused. Thk Holi-iess of your Church is the next mark of recog- nition by which you identify her as the true Church. I havii already stated.f according to my best ability, what constitute* the Holiness of the Catholic Church ; and I do not say that there is no(ht»^ holy in yours. But there arc other Churches whose claim to that character — altlio' no part of the visible Church is frae from unholiness ns it respects the Members is infinitely better founded — Churches which have not sufler- ed thai admixture of things positively unholy which adulte- rates the holy things of the Charcii of Rome. As for the holiness of her Saints which you declare fo have " been the admiration of the world."— there have been Christians of real Piety among her favourite Sons and daughters without a iloubt : But there have been Saints also who, if they are sub- jects for our admiration, can only be so in that sense of the ■ MixtioiiBriits urduiofd Ity (he Daniali sml fk'oioli Bisliopt ara employ- eil by the i'hurrh of EiiKlaml reniicfiively in Iiiiliu udJ America. The L'lerKy of thn t'burih of F.iifilaiii] ar^ ailniitimi wlihuiii reierve to ofTic ialo in (lie Kpi«oopal Cliurelieii of the Siaies. The Im al reKulai'on'\ of tha Church of Knglond, ai hatiiix a legal rharacter, impoxe Nonie greaier re^. trinion* on fier ti le witii respect to the Vkra), I'Ut iltew do not aflTeot tha principles of (Mtur-h MfnibcMhip and iiM^r-corniuunion. The German part of the Lullmran Chiircli, altbo' It hu Superintcnitutttt ovtff the C'li-f ey, is not trgtiintiy KpiMiopal. t See page l.SS of (bit itHtr. w li « .-! 1 = f * 170 word in which it was aiiplicl prophetically by St. John to the strange and shocking torniptions of the Church—" And when I saw lier I wondered with u great admiration" (Rev XVII. 6.). The honors of SainUliip have been awarded hut too gtmrally upon principles which shew a total inisconcep. tj.0" of that in which the Sanctity of U.u Go.pel consist, i He title has been rented upon a series of the most incredible austerities, and prodigious deviation, from common sense- and even these-nay even the Saints Uiemselves. and stili more the.r miraculous exploiu. (a. is undeniably to be prov ed. ) have often Im.l no other existence than in the invention ofMonartic biographers, and the belief of a credulous age — — Willi a fr«e'«qiie ilolfxai Tollila, IMC vuliicrrm visruifi falliie TirK&,* you will no lunger gather them round you with the sanir power of attraction, nor niarshall their movements within sd regular a line. li' you excel us in your discipline by thetc means — you are welcome to excel us. You will rcmenilHt however that there arc Systems full of the grossest i)upcr- ■tition, both within and without the Christian Church, whitl you do not excel. — And I would to God that it could be n- raenibered by some who arc on our side that the manner ii' which they may use iJieir freedom, whether civil or religious. IS neither that which comlitutes freedom nor that wliith n- commendi it. For my own part I will never deny the exis- tence of any advantage which you possess — and the more this particular advantage, is noticed and considered by rm- tcstants the bcttcr.f Bl't let us proceed to enquire in what sense your Church is Apostolical. To disprove now that " she is A|k)i>IoIi cal in the Scripturality, Uniformity and Invariability of liti doctrines," with a good deal more to the same purpose whiiL you have advanced, would bt >u have been led, I know not hpw, to ascribe " the conversion of England from the dark- ness of Paganism to the light of the (iiispel."t At that ear- ly period the ancient Britinh Cliurch PROTESTED both gainst the authoritv of this foreign Missionary, and against the corrupt doctrines and usages which he introduced. Bkpore you undertook therefore to recommend it to us that we should follow your example in becoming *' reconci- led to the religion of our Common Ancestors,"! you should have traced the way thru' them to our earlier Christian fore- * Tractt on (Im OrlKin and Imlppnndeiire of ttw Ancknt BriiMi Cliurcb, tbc — Sucuwl UJU. BWIegtoa, tkii. I ■■ ' I 'y^ t Page M. X Pagfl i9 and 9a. 'mm ("^ Ml h It » ^ 174 |«tl.m. and you would ha^ .cen reaaon. a. far a. Ance.ir, h- weight, 10 abide fi«t in your Prote.Unt Epi«copucj. Bui we ore , old. Sir, of the I.radite. that ♦. their cyc/were «fterthe.r father', idol.." (E^ek. ^,. 2,.) The «' rd. arc ««e.cn,,„ve uf your own particular cane. You have relap.ed into that .n.«Ke worship, and tho.e other corruption, which it I. true that jour Father, practiced for age.-but they had fathe,. befor- tht-m who maintained « purer laith, and if they had not l.ad »uch fi.then,, the reJigion of our Ancestor, can- no of ...f f .... h...d,ng upon their poaterity. For if you go farther back Mill ..„, /„„,,, ^rprias tongi,ue rn^olvas L^, -your Ancestor* were SavaKf, a««d Pagani. orLt» 7 "'''""""""■ ''"'"''*'"'"• •" R«ligion-the work or our Rrfarmer, wa. rei.toraUon to primitive purity, and re- jection of accumulated innovatio,«. They remembered the warnmg vuice, and they applied it -to thenwdve.,-- Walk ye not m the Statute* of your Father,, neither observe their ju.lgmcn.,. nor defile your«dvea with thdr idol./ \ tjzek, XX. 18. ) We are digrewing however, from the argument The mere ,e«,«r,/y of the British or of «,me other early ( hurche. a, compemor. with tho iJoman may be douAlful. But the .eni- ment o th. Church Catholic must be fixed in the Church of Jeru.«lc „ ju.t a. certainly .. ,hat the Norman line of o.^ King, mu| lake it, commencement in William tlie Conoue- ror huKeba. accor.hngly i„ tho clo«.. of hin VII. Book call, J,.ru^..n THE APOSTOLIC SEE. Hu calls it .o. irr n ?V"' "''''''''' ^"' •" Churchcweroan. acntly called ^rosUk which had been immediately planted 2-y. the profusion of „ur bdicfin « Society founded. aer a particular con»fifut,on by the AnoHtJr- hnii \ 175 ing and guardianship of the archive* in which our Corenaoi ia recorded. ^ Your Church Uierofore ia not the Mofher of all Churchci. And if 8ho were the Mother it would not follow that she i« the MiatreM-although the Churches which have been tre- panned into an acknowledgment of her dominion have felt that It i« rather in the nnagi.tcrial than in the maternal char- acter that .he dclighu. If ,I,e i, a Mother we can only ,a, that she has been «< a little more than kin and less than kind"— picture rather of the inJnUa noverca than of the Parent who loves an.. • . ores her child. •• Thi succession of the Bi-hop of Rome may be traced,- accordmg to your statement. '• .tt-p by step without the •mallest interruption from the present Pope to St. Peter." Without disputing the succession of the Bishops of Rome, and without noUcing at present the Episcopacy of St. Peter in that City, we reply that there is no question between ua and you which can in the slightest degree be affected by the admission of both points. You proceed however to say that St. Peter was " the zealous Apostle whom our Lord com- " missioned to be the chief of his infant Church in the ever- " memorable words recorded by St. Matthew, xvi. 18." But here again, .Sir, (for we have a scries of these defec tive conclusions to encounter) -even supposing it to be true that at. Peter had been the chief of the Infant Church— it is •till a mere arbitrary and unsupported assumption that any succession was constituted which, commencing in his person. wa« to rule the ChrUtim xvorUi. Let us however examine what sort of ascendency and pre-eminence was really pos- •essed and exercised both by .St. Peter and by the early Bwhops of Rome—Let u. search the roll, of Inspiration let ui etc the testimony of Antiquity, and let us compare with the result of such an ei»,uiry the claim, of the Papacy lu they rose gradually up to that point which is now made an Article of Faith. ' Tmoi; uit Peter," suyg our Saviour, «« and upon Uiia rock ■ M 176 t . f . i-. "will I build my CJurcli, and ilu gate* of Ilr'l ahidl n,, ' prevail against it. Now it ia a quistion wliiih f biiall not presume to settle win ther the ''ords " this rock" refer to ?lic ptraou of Christ in wiioM divine (liiiracter and misjiiciii St. Peter had ^ 4 pro. fesscd his btiief— or t«» this very pnifeswoa of »w///i- or to St. Peter hioiaelf as being dentined to cuninacncc tiie eilifice, to form the first stone, as it were, of the Christian ( hurtli by the accession of three thousand ConverUi who were gam «d over by his preachin; un the day of Pentecost. (Acts li.) This was the first full xer^nse of the Apostolic Coromissioii to preach Salvation by the death oi ' hrist. The Apostles had been instructed to "wait (or the promise «i the Father" (Acts i ♦.) i. e. for the miraculous effusion of the Holy Ghost of which thehc three thousand Convei * vcre the first fruit*. It was also the work of St. Peter to admit th first Gentile Convert into the Church. ( AcU. x.) Supposing, then, that tli< words •' this rock" belong to St. Peter himself and that he was, in this particular sense, the /oKn(/a/46i»i of the Christian Church — admitting this in- terpretation of the postage which is the nearest to your pur- pose — will it follow by any rule of lu.r reasoning, by any dt- duction of Common Sense, that he and hin Successors in Office were invested with ihe Vnn'enal liunr r.'^.int of the Church ?— -Let St. Peter have been himself the rock— will it not remain to i)e dttermincd by othtr evidmce whether the rock unplies a Papal Supremacy f 1 he e dence of Scrip- ture so plainly, so fully, and, if you did not deny it, we might say so undeniably oversets such u Mippo!.uii)n, that the inter- pretation o( this particular text and some others in which St. Peter is nanted first ou the list of Apostles, or mentioned m takmg a leadii, part, can never be made to include it, with any tolerable colour of Truth. If St. Peter is called the Hock— the other Apo*tles are al- so called fotmdatioHt of the Church—Eph. ii. L'O. and Hcv. K.'i xi. If; m tne former text Jffus CliW.t-not St. Pcter~it I- clMff tumor .tone: j„ tl.c latter tl.o Cily ha. ^Uwlve o.„dal.^. .„d .. then, the nan.. •• the twelve Ap„.,U. of tJ.. Lamb « th. a any di..iuction .1 o,.e above the re.t. Ir St. Peler rocdved the power of the ';ey, ( Mntt. xvi. 19.) which g.vf. authority to Wrul and to loo,., rh. ,«„,,. authori- ty wa. committed to the other Apo.He.. and u .r Succcora. (Vlatr KviiLiH.) ThelWrofthekcyi. eed a gene- ral a. thonty f«, ,he controul and .dmn, .. .. of .pirifuul affair, and comprnhe, ,1. not only the exm ^ of discipline .n pclud.n« from rh...rch privilege, and in relea.ing IZ J..ch exclu..on. but .11 tho,e eccle.ianical acta, by wnlch the .r..t.an M n..iry are InHrrum.ntai in o,H.M,ing to men the I. -fo and Death. I le /,., ofk,„,.M^, ,h,,,f„,^ ^.^j^,, ^ been taken away by the Kxpo*i.or. of the .fewi,h Law ( Luke X.. a .) occupu.. an iu.portant place amontf the key, of the kingdom of Heaven; and it would ! ■. hc.n w.ll if ,ome vigorous claimant, of the Power of 'ey, had not. like hem both omitted ,0 unlock for , .., ,h, ,' „f true Scriptural knowt.dpe. and barr. u.e entrance to other, whom It was their special duty to admit. Tuu, farMr. we .ee thatthe privileges and the commfs. .ion of St. Peter did ;,„/ necfssaril;, imj^^ any thing peculiar to h.mse.f.-»ut there are many other 'palgL of l.^ ^e wh.ch ^o.«Mv..,/y„,/.w. the idea of any other prec. d ace enjoyed by St. Peter than that which his priority of voca! .:on.« Ills particular degree of attachment to his Ma.ter hi. nnment nunl.hcat.on..-hi. ago. possibly. i„ addition to "; ' c aim..-would natarallv procure for him among a set of meu who were .11 equal, in autt^ority and Order. f MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 I.I 1.25 11^ 1^ 1 3.2 til 1^ U£ 1.4 2.5 1 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 A APPLIED IIVHGE Inc ^^ 1653 Eosl Main Street S'.S Rochester, New rork 14609 USA •-= (716) 482 -0300 -Phone ^S (716) 288 - 5989 - Fox ' ii [I ■ 178 Whatever may have been these marks of preference tliere \vere others who enjoyed distinctions too. St. John was so well recognised as theyavoiite disciple of our Lord as to be described under the title of "//je disciple whom Jesus loved :" St. James also, together with Peter and John, was admitted to a particular degree of confidence and regard ; (Markiii. 16, 17. Mattli. xvii. 1. Mark v. S7. IMattii. xxvi. .'57.) but St. Paul, altlio' with reference to some per- sonal considerations, he speaks of himself " as one born out of due time," and " not meet to be called an Apostle," (1. Cor. XV. 8, 9,) yet asserts his perfect equality with the "ve- ry chicfest Apostles," in the authority and efficiency of the Apostolic character. (2. Cor. xi. .5.-xijj II.) In tliij point of view, he was " in nothing behind them." The Parity of all the Apostles is indeed a point determin- ed in the clearest manner by Christ himself, botli upon occa- sion of the strife anjong them who should be accounted the greatest, (Luke xxii. 14.) and of the ambitious desire of ele- vation expressed by the sons of Zebedee. (Matth. xx, 35.) Add to tills, Sir, that St. Peter was sent by the Apostolic bo'dy to the Samaritan Converts (Acts viii. 11.) which, as ii pointed out by Dr. Barrow, would have been a strange viola- tion of the principle laid down by our Lord " lie that is serJ. is not gretiter than he that sent him," (John xiii. 16.) if St. Peter had been invested with the Supremacy ascribed to him : — Add also that in the agitation of that important ques- tion respecting the permanent obligation of the Mosaic ritu- al, the case, being referred to the Apostles at Jerusalem, wai opened by St. Peter — but St. James, in his presence, and in a manner strongly implying his own personal authority as prp;:iding in the debate, *' Wherefore mij sentettce is," — pro- nounced fhat decision which it was determined in the As- sembly to proiimlgite (Acts xv. 19.) ; and from which wlicn We should raflier saj priority of desijjuation to the Miuislry, to desciilis the disiiiiciion of St. Feitr. IS 3^' 179 iuisiry, to ii«iC(ili3 St. Peter aftfemards swerved, St. Paul « tvithstood hm fo 'he Jace because he was to be blamed" (Gal. ii. 1 1.)- whereas it is a maxim of the Canon Law tl at no man, let the caule be ever so flagrant, must presume to reprove or censure the Pope:*— Add, again, that there is no hint in .Scripture ol even a visit paid by St. Peter to Rome : jhat in his own Epistles, which, like those of James, John and Jude avo gen- eral, he styles himself simply AN APOSTLK, and conveys no-where any shadow of an intimation that his doctrines and admonitions proceed from the " Prince of fhe Apostles and Vicar (in a peculiar sense) of Jesus Christ :" that the Epis- tle to the Homans is from tJie hand of St. Paul, whose resi- dence and labours in that City are so abundantly testified • who disclaims (Chap. xv. 20.) having bestowed his labour upon Churches founded by other men ; and who distinguish- es St. Peter as the Apostle o/" Me Circumcision, (Gal. ii. 7, 8.) himself as the Apostle of the Gentiles, (Rom. xi. 13.) upon whom did lie the care of all tub CnuncHES (2. Cor. xi. 28.)— really, Sir, it is impossible— quite impossible' —to reconcile all this testimony with your doctrine of the Supremacy— and difficult to avoid saying that, if you must have an Apostle who war at the same time founder of the Church of Rome, and Universal Pastor, St. Paul, of the two, supplies you best with the requisites to make out your Pope. There is also other testimony of Scripture both positive and negative which goes to disprove the Papal character of St. Peter and the existence o'any guch supreme Dictator in the Church.+ There are many occasions recorded, and controversies noticed, where the intervention of St. Peter, or at least some allusion to an appeal lying to his authority, would be manifestly called for- if the whole supposition were ♦ See Barrow's Treatise on the Pope's Supremacy, Folio Eu\U 1782, Vol. I. page 576, t See Barrow's Treatise (as before,) page 571, etc X 2 III' i ' = i.i 11 i ' ■ iv in* ^ »»'( ; 1 i n 180 not imaginary, or ratl.er fictitious. But I shall only farther remind you that with respect to that Hegal .Supremaaj which we acknowledge, and which the Romanists, and some others BO impatiently disclaim,— the Apostle— and it is St. Peter- exhorts us to submit ourselves to the KING AS SU- PKE.ME,-(l. Pet. ii. 13.) and that the whole force of Scriptural precedents, (as well as^che whole stream of ecclc siastical Antiquity, when the Church was first protected hy the Civil Power,) is clear for the controul of the Magistrate m ecclesiastical affairs— aid the exercise of the Royal Au- thority both in reforming the abuses, and regulating the es- tablishment of the Church. The marks and features of the true Church you declare in one place to be as plain and palpable as the Kings head upon the national coin.* The illustration is not happily cho- sen. It brings to our minds the question of Chri^st. " W hose is this image and superscription ?" and the memorable max- im which follows, " Kender therefore unto Casar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things which are God's,"f — a maxim never by any mortal so openly disregai ded, so violently reversed, as by the Occu.n'ers of tiiat Su- jl premacy which is itself sach a distlnguishf i feature of yoi>r Church. It will not be very long Sir. heCore we see tbo truth of this remark if we here take our po'nt of transition from, the Scrip, ture to the records of the Church ^ The first thing which, after assuming 'he Primary of St. ^cter, it is necessary to the support of your cause to estab- lish from ancieni testimony is that St. Peter was Bishop of Home. And even this you cannot (\o. That St. Peter was ever at Pome at all—' int of which we have just observed that within the period of Scrip- tural notice, no hint is aflorded)— has been denied by men • Page 37. tMatiii. xzii.Sl, 181 Ir t'fi ot great learmn^ and r..earch ; but lully admitting, with the majontyoi Wr.tors Protestant as well a. Bo.„ii ZVe wa. .t„,,,d.nt that he was not fixed there as .Ipl' that he .as not.... at Ko.ne than in n.any other p.a^^ which he app...ars. according to ancient testimony, to have vi ned .n the d.charge of the Apostohc ( office Thi„ ( ZVZ fac of the worid-to.nd.d (•hurches-c«,.,,W, Bi.s.ops. ^odlin eN ;-" J""^^''^----certai.. districts and to da „ elders (pres'.yters) ,n every City" (Tit. i. 5>- but JerusHlem appears to have been the only ( hurch in which an ^^postle was actually the resident Bishop_if indeed it be certam that James, th. first Bishop of that See. was thi .a^e w.th one of the Apostles of thut name. Tlu.e is .ome! thmg worthy of you r attention, Sir, in the notice which e1 '4tthlf?PK'''V'r""'^*''"'" '""^'^ James called the brothe ^f Chnst (who of old, f..r h.s virtue, was surnamed Justus) .ssa.d to be the first which occupied the Bishop's See at Jerusalem. Clemens in the sxth of Ms Hypotvno. « seen wrueth thus : Teter (.aith he) and James anSToh; - tTJt "TT": ''''"' ''"■""^' '''«"g'' "'^v were pre- "Iru a em Th"' '"^ ^P'^"'"'"' "^^"'^ ^'^ J^^'Bish'op Jerusalem. ( Hanmer's translation ) Sc^r ""^. u''"' " "'^' '■" ' '^^^^ «-^P^«»'«n both in Scnp ture and hy Ancient Writers. Like the word ^W U « apphcable to those who sustain a charge and dignt both superior and inferior to that of the ( ffir rs whom in . the Shepherd and /ir.hop of our Souls. ( I Puer ii o. ? i he Apost eship of Judas before the Chri.L 1 u' h ~JJ ealy Falxs t' 'T /' f^^^- is called by some of'the time nit, ^^ '*'"^ "^'"■^^^ '« '^-^ ^/'^v/o/^ ^.«.s-B.shop of Home, and al.o Bi.hop of AniJ.* 71 • S«e Barrow's Treatise (as bef„re) page (i(U. iA 182 % i- tell ve^y passage which you cite from Irenirus proves that be was not tlic resident Binhop since " tlie blessed Apostles planting «nd building the Church, (or as you have given it with some variation from the ori^'inal, " the founders of the Church,") i. e. St. Peter and SI. Paul, are there said to have '* commit' led unto Limfi tlie (ittvernnient of the Ministry"* — not of the ii}h'>li: Cimrch, as you appear to have suppossed that the pas- bagc iniporls,-— but of the Cimrch of Kome. Kusebius who cites tins passage from Irenajus as his aulliority for the Cata- logue of the Roman Bishops, furnishes accounts precisely in tlie same way, of the succession in other great Sees in one instance placing Alexandria before Rome— ne\er. in any, as- signing a Sovereignty to the Church of the latter— and when lie mentions its Apostolic establishment he never gives any precedence to one Apostle over the other. He sp'eaks, in his third book, of Clemens as being the third Bishop after Paul and Petnr { and, in his fourth book, of Alexander as the fifth after Peter and Paul. As Peter and Paul could not both at once be fixed m?h- ops, designated to the charge of tlie Church of Rome, it is clear that neitjps-of them are to be so considered. Accord- mgly we find that the numerical deduction of the Roman Bishops is frequently made to conmence in the person of Li- nusf — and as Clement who succeeded Linus is said by Ter- tullian and others to have been appointed hf Peter,— it fol- lows that it was (luring the life of Peter that Linus entered upon the charge.;}: St. Peter therefore, (unless he surren- • Hanmer's franslarion of Eiisebius. The original passagf may be seeninBirrow by those who have no access to th« Fathers. Eusebius himself appears to liave considered this passage but .sli!;htii)giy, as well as to have cooiradirled otiier aiitiiotities who preceded him, when he says iu the begiiiniHg of his 3d book tiiat Linus after the marty.'dom of P,-Iprian, to support the Papal Supremacy, it niay be very usdul to you to learn that the testimony of that l-ather is most express and decisive a;rainsl it. The passage which you quote from St. Cyprian Is this. Wk know Cornelius the liish.p of Rome to have been elected by Alm.ghiy God and Christ our Lord the Bishop ^ofihe most Holy Catholic ClnucK'-.^l ,. i„ opposition to Novafan who was the Bishop set up by a Party without an- thortty^) -nether are we ignorant that there' ought to be one God. one Christ .ur Lord, one Holy Ghost, and one Bishop .n the Catholic Church;' i. e. that in the reguHHv co.«t.tuted fold of Christ there cannot be tu,o msho,L,Z jurisdiction within the .ame limits. The Unity of the Ro- wan Church, and the union which other Churches were to preserve with it. are so far from being understood by St. Cy- prian, m the sense which you suppose, that he expressly as- aerts the equality of all the Apostles and also of all Bish- ' ops, ^« Pouter : since the whole Office a,id Episcopate ia one .ntire thing of which every Bishop has a compL and equal share." St. Cyprian maintains this principle with particular warmth and vehemence in his Epistles to Cornell- us, the very Bishop ivho is mentioned in your quotation : and he was conspicuous for strenuously protestir - against and • Hanmer's Tr«n«Iution, book T. X2 u III I i J I 188 actively reBlstinp oven the tleprcc of encroachment which bo- gan at that curly period to be manifested by some of the Ro- tnan Rii>hops.* I HAVE been the more willing, Sir, tr> spend this little space in examining the alleged teetimony of St. Cyprian, bo- cause there is a considerable portion of your aulhoritics both from Scripture and Antiquity, which miy be thrown wholly out of the argument, since ti.ey refer to the unity or perpetu- ity of the Church without any the most distant reference to the Church of Romr.j- When therefore you affirm that '« the " Unity and Indivisibility of the Church [of which the Bish- •• op of Homo is the Sovereign Pontiff] are the favorite and «' endless topics" of the early Fathers,~.you must excuse us from receivmg the words lo/tvhich the liishop ,J Jlome h the Sovereign Pontiff-^ in any other light than as the interposi- tion of your own view of the subject widely difllring from theirs,_and we must add also, both for the credit of the Fathers, and in justice to the real objects of their zeal, that tho Unity of the Church, however earnestly maintained upon due occasion, was not their " favorite and endless topic"— they did not dwell upon it in preference to tho Love of God aril the doctrines of redemption by Christ, nor to the exclu- sion of the weightier niaUtrs of the Law "judgement, mercy and Faith/'t -But let us pass on to the succeeding Century in which the Church was protected by the Civil Power, and the muni6^ . • See Barrow's (realise (as before) pages 623, 635, 639, 650. Mosli. Cent. III. Part II. Chap. 11. and notes— us also Chap. III. Parag. 13. Burnet on the Articles, Art. 3T. Welcliman do. do. where there are ma- ny quotations from St. C, and accounts of his proceedings, &c. t See pages 63, 65 and 9T. Some of the texts to whicli a reference is given in page 63 are the very texts urged by Protestants against the exis- tence of any other Universal Head of the Clmrch than Christ himwlf, particularly Epa. v. 23.-Col. i. 18. ; Matthew xxiii. 23. '■ IfrWlPM Wl*" iajtf • '^inh* " ' ' -*-'•».''. he p.„t of da..^..r. The Svv of Kon.c, rsptcmHy, was not/ «o amplified in ih>nily, no •• rich an,l encrcawd with K-odn." and .o •• wr. tch.d and n-.M-rnhlc and poor and blind and nuk-.d"' in the Wi.dom which is from above, as to exhibit, upon ...caMon of the conpetitioa between Damnsiis and rr.inug. A. I). .66, the ^h .mcfuJ •poctacle of bloodshed and " wild uprorious ront." D.un^- «U8, the Conqueror, who in in the list of Homish Sainh i$ loudly censured by St. Basil for h . p np and •« pridJ of place, his elated and insolent demj !mu.u. towards ofhir to- clesiastics his greediness of adulation and exaction of sub- missive respect. f Sc;c.i men with such means in their hands would not al- low the See to fall back from its advancement. They would stretch every precedent -record every unguarded acknowU edgment— improve every ambiguous authority to their ad- vantage-and provide pretexts for their frucctfssors to pasi the bounds to which they had ventured, as thev had them- ■elves outstepped the mark of preceding times. There is a curious exemplification of this spirit in the ap- pointment of the Bishop of Thessalonica by Damasus ai Vicar of the See of Rome, upon which a Writer of Church History, tho' himself a devoted Homani.t.J makes the fol- lowing remark : " We cannot see what right he had to do this." It is no wonder therefore if the Fathers of this age are found complaining that Christians began to estimate the Episcopal character and authority according to the magni- tude and celebrity of the City in which they held their charge. The Protest of St. Jerome against this corrupt and 'l / '4 > \ f . • Rev. lii. IT. t Jortin's Remarks. I Tillemont quoted by JortiQ. 190 ;iHi\ delusive principle is valuable to us upon two accounts. Ut *ot only flenicB any inherent Buperiority in the Episcopate of Rome, but he instances the Prelacy of Britain ae being es- •entially equal to fhat of the Imperial City.* The authority of the Bishops occupying the three great Sees had however been pronounced to be EQUAL by the first General Council which was held ih the former part of this Century. The Bishops of Alexandria and Antioch had been declared to possess the same authority within the districts as- •igned to ttiem which was exercised by the Bishop of Rome within the limits of his Prinracy. In the interval between the first and the second General Councils, the Council of Sardica'had sanctioned a sort of Appeal to the Roman See which had before crept into practice when the persecuted 4ldherents pf ihe Nicene Faith had sought refuge among the Weftem Churches from the power of the Arian Party in the East. This act however of the Provincial authorities was reversed by the second General Council and in the proceed- ings of both* the Jirst and the xecond, the pre*eminence of dl the Patriarchal S^es is assumed to be derived only from Cus- tom, subject to the decisions and limitations of General Councils, and dependent upon the dignity and privileges of the City in which they are fixed. Thus the Bishop of Con- stantinople to which City the seat of Empire was now trans- ferred, was invented with the same privileges of authority which belonged to the Bishop of Rome, altho' the latter was not deprived of that precedence in rank which had been al- lowed to him as resident in tl»e long established Head-quar- ters of the WorM.f The Bishops of Rome appear to have received somb considerable accession of power, — or at least to have •ensibly promoted the future aggrandisement of the See, • See Appendix. + Burnet, Art. 37. He gives reference* to tlie particular Canons of Councils &c. See also MosJi., Cent. IV., Part II., CLap. II., Par. 6 which, whatever might be Its original object or extent, was made the plea for a fixed junsdiction in the Western Church, ar.d served as one of the commencing steps towards that ecclesiastical des- potism wh.ch at last rendered all the bishoprics in this sec- tion of the Christian World mere dependencies upon the "Jamr of th. Apostolic See."* ^ ThB y. Century offered also in the jealousies and contest, produced m the East by the recent elevation of Constantino- pie and the domineeriug temper of its Prelates, a favorable conjuncture to the Roman Pontiffs for driving on their pre- ens-ons, and converting i. to prescription those appeals to their succour which were the dictates of emergency Pope Leo „. particular, distinguished himself by his vigorous en- deavours to exalt the Roman Pontificate and, among manv other m«tanees of the kind, condemned St. HHary ofTZ a a Councd, « as a seditious and turbulent Prelate who wl; disobedient to the Hoi, See of Rome. Th.. .nc 2^ says Dr. Jortin, <' is reviled and stigmatized 6, „«.M.. " The encroaclmients however oF the Papacy di jt* meet alwaj. wuh a patient acquiescence. The African Churche especially, asseited and maintained their independence w he" the exposure of a fictitious Canonf of the Nicene C^un^ alleged as the warrant for their subjection to Rome (for te divine right of succession to St. Peter was not then the p'ea) must have tended gready to confirm. ^^ ^ The end of the VI. and beginning of the succeeding Cen- tury arc rendered very remarkable in Eccles|-astieal Hi^ory • iWosh. ut sun. and translator's nn(o t ^- «P Jew ell, however, ascribes it tc mi.taU ! u :Ji m A ' m s t /[' ^1 if, w '■' ' 'S '■" V -' ^ 1 ! 1 '• '1 1 i) 192 by the dlfierent assumptions of the title of Patriarch, CEctmi'' nic or Universal liiJiip. The Hishops of Constantinople — not of Rome — had the merit of this invention, and it was al* lowed to them hy the Emperors.* But the Roman Pontiffs could ill brook this implied inferiority — protested vehemently against the existence of any such title in the Christian world —reminded the Emperor Mauritius tliat it had never been assumed by their own predecessor to whom, if to any, they Cdid that it belonged — declared that whoever assumed it, ok even desired it was the fore-iunner of Antichrist, and that if the whole Church were made to depend upon one man it would fall to the ground.f Yet a few yeafs only had elapsed when Pope Boniface the 111. procured the transfer of this title to the See of Rome, and procuK'd it by the favor of Phocas the execrable and bloody usurper of the Empire. And this is the first authori- tative act which establishes the Supremacy of the Pope.J Tins Supremacy, however, was not then — nor for a long subsequent space — so understood as to prt judice the higher authority of the Emperor himself. But the ecclesiastical as- cendency was creeping on, and the Council of Toledo A. D. 682 furnished the first exa.iiple says E)r. Jortin of *' Bishops " presuming to release subjects from their oath of allegiance *' to their Kings, and to forbid Kings the exercise of tempo- • It is saM that they Imve always iiisiitid upon retaining it even in the midst of their d pression under Um Uuomaii yulic. f Jewell's Apolojy Sect. VI. and quotations from his Def. Apolog. in the translator's not*-. See also Mosli. and Jortin, where tliey treat of tliis period — Burnt t Art. 31, and Wheetley on tlie romraoii prayer, the last of whom »«flirmg that Gregi ry re/ioeJ the title of Universal Bisiiop. It Mems rather that lie diselaimed it. There are some very remarkable ex- Iracis from Gregory's letters on this subject iu Bjirrow's Treatise pages «^9, 630,031. I Mosh. Cent. VII., Part II., Chap. II. ling it even ia the It was by another wicked usurper that the Popes in the —e of the VIII Century wer^ established as'e.poral Pnnces. They had previou.lj , ,„ off their allegiance to he „!7Tfi ,-r' '''''''' '''" "*^'^" fellow-subjects from he oath of fidelity, upon the ground that men had no right to re.gn who resisted Image-worship and would not obey the l?7u V ^t"' ''"''"« ^Jet'-'-mined to dethrone his Mas- ter the K.ng of France, procured from the Papal authority a formal Sanction for tins flaptious act : and the Popes r! ce.ved m return the succour of Pepin against the Lombards ions ofrp '' " ''^'"^'"^ J""^'"^^' »»>« ^^^''- d-'H. ons of the Emperor and attempted the conquest of Rome it- oar'' /^P'"v''""r '"''^'^ '"' ^'^P'-'"^^ ''''"'' -"^--d a par of the d.sputed territory upon the Roman Pontiff and his Succesiors in the Apostolic See of St. Peter f The same sort of compact was in full operaUon under the famous Charlemagne the Son of Pepin-who, with many great quahties, was not superior to the temptation of turning the Papal mfluence to account in his scheme of grasping the Empire of the West. The Pope, among some of the Celtic nations m those dark and semibarbarous times, had succeed- ed to that mysterious sway over the minds of men which had been exercised by the Ckief DruiU of the displaced Super- scit on4 It was owing m part to this circumstance that Po- entates an^ people were seen in their difficulties and con- tests to seek judgment at his mouth and to abide by his ora- •Baronius and SIgonius quoted by Jortin : remark, on A. D 7'8 See. however, Mosii. Qeut. VIII. Part 1 1. CLap. III. „o,e .. ■ t Mosb. Cent. VIIJ. Part M rimn ti » .. peudi.,. ^' "' ■'"'"" A. D. TH. .See Ap- V , hi in }: rJ yi^ '■•i i 194 I' j^i eulai- decisions. Although thereiure the quarrel with the Empcroi — the rivalry of Constantinople — and the renewed invasion of the Lombards had placed him " in a great strait," he was still master of resources which he was as ready to place at the service of his Deliverer as the other to accept and to secure them. Charlemagnk therefore having become Master of Rome, and having prepared the way for the assumption of the Wes- tern Empire (whicl. as some Champions of Popery have de- lighted to maintain, in terms infinitely stretched beyond the language employed upon the occasion, was transferred A. D. 800 from the Greeks to the Franks by the divine right of Christ's Vicar upon earth,) — confirmed and enlarged the grant of Pepin, and conveyed the imperial City as a fief of the Empiije, to the Pontiffs. In all these proceedings the ambitious policy of Charlemagne was both closely co«inci- dent and easily confounded with the Piety which then pre- vailed, and th3 means which were believed to be efficacious for the purchase of pardon and salvation. These arguraenta were pressed upon him by the Pope — and it is reasonable to suppose that the devout credulity of the age concurred with his motives of worldly interest in dictating his munificence to the Church. It is very remarkable however that this Mon- arch was himself averse from the worship, though not from the use of images ; and not only endeavoured, in a work still extant which was written under his auspices and bears his own name, to draw over Pope Adrian to his opinion, but after failing in this attempt assembled at Francfort a Council of three hundred Bishops A. D. 794 in which the practice was solemnly and unanimously condemned. For the necessity of taking pattern in faith and worship from Rome was a princi- ple which the Pontiffs had not yet brought the world to ac- knowledge, and the dogmatizing pretensions of the Holy See have been known often to spring out of particular conjunc- tures, and to advance or recede with the tide of its political importance— And if the Monarchs of those days had their 'ii b r !1 195 reasons upon occasion for magnifying the Pope tl.ey were bv no means desirous of establisliing a fixed and undeviatine ac- quiescence in his decrees. It was precisely in the same way of commutation that the Popes procured in the IX. Century the relinquishment of the Imperial claiin to confirm their clection-a change in the cc clesmstical system which involved very serious consequences • but the disorders which it produced, occasioned the resump- fonof th,s prerogative in the succeeding age-to be agah» eluded or resisted in those which followed. The IX. Century was also signalized by the violence of Col'taTI "'f '''''''' ^^^"^«' «- ^' «-e na them t7 P T'"'' *'^ '"^^'^ ''^^P-^We between l^h W . ?"■'' P'">^-«-hom the more candid lio- mi h Writers acknowledge to have been illustrious for his tal- ents and accomplishments ^d for the extent of his erudition which enabled h m to give " /air anH ,„^- • ""'"on .K«M**i, I , ""fe'^e ^'^^'^ and ^MrfjcioM* extracts from about three hundred ancient Authors,"* does not appear to have been taught by these venerable authorities that he owed any subjection to the Pope. The iniquity, of that Cabal by which his deposition was pronounced, is hardly surpassed il the annals of history-but he was ,.ot slow in returninrthe compliment, and dealt out his anathemas, excommunications 1 ertr TV T'"" ^^^'"* ^«P^ ^•^'>°'- -d h ad- TT ; 7' '^ "° '"''^' '''' °"'>^ '"^'^n- '« which he thunder of these unchristian curses reverberated and ro 1- ed back upon the See of Rome-but those which were h.^ ed at the head of Photius were longer-continued if „ ,oI er than his own-he was anathematized by seven success^e Popes during his life, and by four after he'was consTned o the judgment of his God. ^ The Greek Church however was declining, and the Panal l^cendancy, although as it shot beyond all fther athoriS « encountered checks in its contact with them-colS • Fleury, quoted by Jortin. Z 2 i' I ■(lis Ik H I 4 f*' 196 here and there in its transit, which always portended mischief to the nations, and (according to the intent of that prophetic phrase,) caused " stars to fall and the powers of Heaven to be shaken,"* — was fast gaining its culminating point. Alas what a scene is presented to the enquiring eye when we look along the line of those ages and search for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ !— But why should we enter into the details of those enormities which prove of themselves that the avarice and ambition of the Court of Home, enjoying so many facil- ities in the degraded state of Christendom, would be check- ed by no scruple and stayed in their course by no barriers of truth and justice, in availing themselves, to the very utmost, of their advantage ?_ Why should we recount the histories oflaymen+ and boysif — of men stained with sensuality and crime, whp, especially in the X. and XI. Centuries, found a passage to the chair of St.* Peter, per medios satellites, by the master-key of gold—by the Influence of abandoned wo- men II —by the decision of the sharpest sword ?$— Why should we point out the authoritative acts of grasping Power by which the Popes endeavoured to monopolize all influence, and to gather into their own granary the choicest of those fruits which were rendered to an exacting Superstition ?— • Matthew XXIV. 29. t John XIX. waa a layman whose wealth procured him the Pontifi. oate. J John XII. was elected at eighteen, and, after being deposed for an accumulation of the blackest crimes, recovered the Papacy. John XI. and Gregory V. were elected respectively at twenty four and twenty five. II Jofin X. and XI. the latter of whom was himself the illegitimate son of Pope Sergim III. said to be the first Pope who is found charged with this crime. § There were often bloody struggles between Pope* end Anlipopes. Tlie Antipope Jolm XVI. had his tongue and nose cut off and his eyes put out, and was cast into prison. ■.'l. i ired him tLe Pontifi- 197 their gradual abridgment of the privileges of people and cler- gy in the election to the See, till they were ail merged in the CoUege of Cardinals which grew up from small beginnings to encircle the Papacy with its formidable fence ?*-.their as- cription of the right of canonization to the list of major cau- ses or those which belong only to the cognizance o^ the Pope ?— their confining this title of Pojje to their own per- sons, as if they were of a distinct Order, which in ancient times, as appears in Eusebiusf and other Writers, was appli- cable to all the Bisliops of the Church P-their taking into their own hands the exclusive traffic of indulgences ?_their claiming the right of nomination to all ecclesiastical benefi- ces ?— their establishing the jubilee at Rome, and their ap- pointing the more frequent recurrence of this profitable re- sort ?_their imposition of Peter's- pence, annates, expecta- tives, reservations, and provisions, with the whole catalogue of contrivances by which they held in their toils both the State and the Church in all the Western Countries of Chris- tendom and drew from them without conscience or mercy to swell their own inordinate revenues ?— Why should we de- lineate that more than human Pride of the Popes which rode upon the necks of Emperors and Kings— which " as God sat in the temple of God," (2. Thess. ii. 4.) challenging for its own the most magnificent attributes of universal and absolute dominion which are given in the language of Inspi- ration to the Messiah— assuming or allowing the titles of " King of Kings and Monarca of the Earth" with the attri- • For nn account of the origin and progress of tliis Order see Moslieim Cent. XI. Part II, Chap. III. t Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, in a letter quoted by Eusebios lib. 1. speaks of one of his predecessors under the name of Heraclas our Pope. See also Appendix. The word Papa, signifying Father, (and being in fact the very word by which children among oiirselves address their Fa- thers,) appears to have been appropriated by the Popes in the XI, Centnr/ in order that they might seem to he spiriinal Faiiiers in a peculiar and in- communicable sense— Fathers of tlie whole world. i,j Hi ■1 ' %^i 198 I I W ifir bution of, " an incomprehensible and infinite power inscruta- " ble by any human intellect— because great is the Lord, and *' great is his power, and of his greatness there is no end" (Ps. cxlv. 3.-cxlvii. 5.)--'* all power in Heaven inearth" (Matth. xxviii. 18.)— nay «« all pow^r," in the language of one zealous Prelate, " above all Powers both of Heaven and Earth"* (Eph. i. 21.)— proceeding to exercise this power by disposing of Kingdoms— dethroning and creating Kings- calling upon tliem to do homage to the Successor of St. Pe- ter and to acknowledge that they held their crowns by his pleasure— waging and heading bloody wars to support the unboupded insolence of their pretensions— forbidding the Clergy to swear allegiance to laicsf— dispensing with solemn oaths and sacred duties— bidding subjects to rebel against their Sovereigns,, promising pardon, (as it is pointed out by the Clergy of Liege who had been excommunicated for their fi- delity by Pascal 114 ) f"»" all sins past, present and to come, without even the formalities of Penance, and assigning a mansion in the realms of bliss, to those who would take arms against the Emperor (Henry IV.) now represented as " the Vassal" of the Pope,— and, oh horrible wickedness ! making the cause of his rebel son the cause of God, and cloaking with name, of Piety the league between this parricide and the Holy See— projecting, in short, to prostrate at their feet all spiritual and all temporal power on earth— a scheme driv- en on with especial vigour by Innocent III. and Bonifece VIII. but above all by their predecessor the famous HiWe- • These and many other similar extracts from Papal Bulls, and Ro- mish Writers may be seen in Barrow's Treatise, page 538 and scq. t The form of this prohibition, issued in the Council of Clermont by Urban II. may be seen in Mosheim Cent. XI. Part II. Chap. II. note q. iq the Historical Sketch of the war concerning InveHtiturea. % See the substance of their Apology, addressed to all Christian people, in /orlin's Remarks A. D. 1 105. ',ak:^ihJii^M^vV' &««» ••'*. In ^ Jliristian people. 199 brand known in the Papal list by the title of Grejjory VII • than whom the - 'A can produce no example of a spirit more soaring m ambi. . r., more deep in political intrigue.-.nore daring in conception, more determined and violent in execu- tion-more regardless of obstacles and unhesitating in the choice of means. Why should we point out that happy imi- tation of the style adopted by St. Peter which discovers itself when we compare with his " exhortation to the Eiders as be- ing himself also an elder," (1. Pet. v. 1.) the imperious tone of despotism, the inflated pomp of language, the ampullas ct sesquipedalia verba of all the Papal mandates and decrees ?- or why notice that commendable solicitude for the Apostolic interests which substituted THE ROYALTIES OF St PETER for THE RULES OF THE HOLY FATH- ERS in the form of an oath administered to Bishops, assur- ing their Fidelity to the See of Roraef— or why indicate the • Gregory filled the Papal Cliair in the latter half of the XI. Centii- »y: Innocent in the beginning of the XIII., and Boniface of the XIV. Gregory is honored as a Saint by some of the Romanist*, but the Empe- rors, the Kings of France, and other Princes never permitted Iiim to be> »o considered within tlieir dominions. The 26lh of May was appointed by Pope Paul V, in the XVII Century as a festival in honor of Gregory, but Lis full and regular « .ionization is not establifihed. The kings of Fiance and England dlstinguislied themselves at differ- ent periods by their resolute resistance to the Popes. William the Conque- ror being summoned by Gregory to pay the arrears of Peter's-pmce, and \o do homage for tlie kingdom of Et.gland, signified to him that he hnd acceded to the former demand and rejected the latter, in these terms. t'num admiai alterum non admisi. FIDELITATEM FACERE NO- iUI, NEC VOLO. Mosheim, Century XI. Part II. Chapter II. note f. There are many examples of a similar spirit on the part of the Prenefl Kings, and they Mere sometimes provoked to be rather deficient in the na- tmnal pdiiesse. « We give you to knovr," says Boniface in a letter to Plnl.p le Bel, " that you are our subject both in spirituals and temporals." Sciat Fatuitasvestra.says Philip in reply, which Jortin has translated rmher coarsely but correctly enough, « We give your/ooi', lu^ad to know Hiai in temporals we are subject to no person." A. D. 1301. t The oath, Willi the alterations introduced, may be seen at length i« Barrows Treatise, page S6S. I' I if 'I 200 M l\'J^ i'^ pripiitivc spirit, transmittpd pure and direct from this Apos- tle, who raised the prostrate Cornelius with the words " Stand up I myaelf also am a man" ( Acts x, '26.) as it is displayed in certain Papal declarations that the Pope is not a man and that all the Western Kingdoms considered St. Peter, (and by consequence are to consider his Successors,) as an earthly God* — as well as in tlie ceremony of kissing the tt>e of his Holiness — in the regulation imposing upon the Emperor, or the highest Monarch who may he present, the duty of hold- ing his stirrup — in the history of those studied indignities which wci^ offered to the imperial character in the person oi' Henry IV.— kept shivering and starving at the gates of the lordly pontiff with bare head and feet, till on the fourth day he received an ungracious absolution, but was still interdicted from assuming the title, the insignia or the functions of Roy- alty, before the decision of an approaching Congress at which he was cited to appear. , This, Sir, is the Papacy in some remarkable sfages of its history. This is the crown of that edifice, the key-stone of that prodigious arch under whose shelter you call upon us to unite, if we would escape from the tempests of a sinful world, and the bolts of eternal justice. You will not, perhaps, be- lieve me. You will not think it possible that the Holy Fa- thers of all Christendom, the a^cx of that System which you conceive to be one and the same thing with Christianity it- self, can ever have so imposed upon mankind, or have so va- ried in their own claims and characteristics, as they are here represented to have done. Listen then to an Historian of the Church who was a Romanist and an Ecclesiastic — a learned and sincerely good man — and judge whether if he could have been divested of his local prejudices and his early preposses- sions — prejudices and prepossessions bound down upon his mind by the peculiar and powerful mechanism of that system in which he filled a place, — the pursuit of his enquiries would * See Appeudii. \-.:^. ,:ad 201 not have terminated in an absolute rcpudiatfon of the Rom«h claims. I SPEAK of the Abb^ FIcury, -n whose Ecclesiastical Hif tory you will find mention of all those facts respecting partic- ular Popes to which I have adverted, but you will find also •n his Dissertations* upon the subject some remarks to which I desire more p*. ticularly to call your attention. You will find him speaking both of the peculiar opportu- nities afforded for deception and of the deception actually practised in the Church. He will tell you of the excessive credulity of former Wri- ters—of the immense collections of fabricated miracles— of the necessity of receiving all meh account* with caution and reserve, and sifting them with rigour-of the obvious aptitude of these miracles, in some instances, to bring in profitable oblations, or to be used, in terrorcm, for guarding Church- property from spoliation— of the same interested motives op- erating in the production of spurious relics— of Bishops as well a^ people imposed upon by these connterfeits— of the delusions and abuses connected with pilgrimages to those shrines which were garnished with relics :— He will tell you —I quote his words,- that " when thev had not the Acts of •« a Martyr to read publicly on his Holyday, they composed " Acts the most probable, or rather the most marvellous that *' they could devise ^ and by these means they thought they " could best keep up the piety of the common people. These " false Legends were principally composed on occasions of " the Translations of Reliques, so frequent in the ninth Cen- " tury. They also made Deeds and pecords, either to sup- " ply the place of true ones which were lost, or absolutely " fictitious ; as the famous Donation of Constantine, which '• was received wiUiout the least doubt in France, in the ninth • Discourses T. on Eccles. Hist, from ilie year 600 to 1100. 2. on tlie same subject chiefly with reference to a later period- 3. on the Cru. saiies, all of which are given at length in Jortin. A A l( V i'. u- ! ,. ! ^1 i 202 ■! . ! \Wf'h: MH ' ■W R '. 'i Century. But of all the spurious pieceSi the most pernici- " 0U8 were ihc decretals ascribed to the Popes of the four " tirst Centuries, which have given an incurable wound '• > Ecclesiastical Discipline, by the introducti(>ii of NEW MAXIMA ('iincerning the judgments of Uishopj, and the 'AUfHOillTy OF THE POPE." He will tell you m^'^P> that Christians a th?'^le Antiquity — that altdough the prmciple was retained of acl||g upon the Ancient rules, yet modem rules were thought ancient and acted upon according- ly — that tho forged decretals invested the Pope with powers utterly unheard of in more ancient times, and absolutely in defiance of ancient usage — that many important acts of the popes aod prerogatives put in positive exercise were founded upon these forged authorities, and, not only so, but stretched beyond them — that to support prejudices drawn from these, the Popes eluded the plainest authorities oj the Holy Scrip- tures. Bifr was this altogether — or was it principally— a mista- ken Piety intent upon the promotion of Religion altho' resor- ting to unjustifiable methods ? — were Uiere no worldly and corrupt views to be served ? — and did no scandals or no mis- chiefs result ? — We have piven statements sufficiently strong upon this point — but lei us call in the last Witness once more. He will tell ygu of a period in which the Church " groaned for 150 years together under many worthless ^' j*ope8 who profaned the Holy See" — he will contrast with the vigour of primitive discipline unbroken by the interfer- ence of extraneous power, and unimpeded by the delays of distant appeals, "the melancholy advantage of making a '* Pope formidable all the world over, and of attracting to " Rome a croud of Bishops and Clergymen from every quar- 203 " ter, •ome through (he frnr of ccnjiures, olhcrs by the hopd " of favours." He will aeiure you t^at altlio' he :» awaro how well Uiis System contributed to »'ifc opulence of the City of Rome which grew fat at the wotid's exppnce, " the Pope* '• who enrichud Home did not unnctify Ho " ; they seemed " to have even despoirrl of the possibility of it, acrording to ** the hideous portrait w ich St. Hemard ir.iwg of the Ro- •« mans of his time. Yet it was the firj^t duty," he will pro- ceed to observe, *• of the Pope, as of thei bishop, to lubour " their conversion, and he was much more obhged to this, " than to sit in judgment upon so many foreign cauf;( :."»^He will delineate the secular character of the Court of Rome he will portray to you the pride, the avarice, the luxury, the venality of til.: Pope's Legates in other countries, and llio jWlpn^ie?, the dis. iders of Ecclesiastical Government, which ensui-d from the introduction of these Papal Representatives — hu wiil lescrilie the short-sighted and selfish ambition of Prelates who sought for Legating Powers, and surrendered as an equivalent tlie integrity of their ancient rights and priv- ileges—he will shew how standing claims were established from the occasional subsidies supplied when Popes and An- tipopes were quartered upon the world at once he will tell you that from the VIIL Century all mildness and modera- tion were cast off, and the spirit of the early Church was wholly forgotten— he will des- ribe to you the cruelty and vindictive conduct of the Clergy— he will shew how the con- troul of the Church in temporal affairs, and her exaction of humiliating penances from those who contested it, produced (as was seen in the example of Pope Gregory and Henry JV. to which I have adverted) a mere forced and external peni- tence, worn only for tlie occasion and discarded with tho fears which dictated tbeir compliance— he will lay open to you the corruptions which pervaded the whole system of pen- ance and Indulgences — the commutations in the shape of pecuniary mulcts or contributions for pious uses, and public Aa2 iiV. i -I - '"0 :.f:l ■ , ! i^' 204 works,* but above all, of martial service against Infidels and Heretics, which opened an easy refuge even to premeditated wn :— He will inform you with what pathetic eloquence the Popes and Preachers of the day recommended this " EASY " METHOD OF EXPIATING SINS and gaining tho '^' crown of Martyrdom," and extolled the divine mercy " which in those days had given men an opportunity of being "converted and a NEW METHOD OF SATISFYING « THE DiVlNE JUSTICE." He will paint to you the scenes of miquiry,-(small subject of wonder, if it was the religion of the day to rely upon such sources of Expiation and Saf«/ac/w«!)^displayed in those Holy Wars which, with some mixture of better subjects, " reived as a pretext II for debtors to defraud their Creditors, for malefactors to " escape th« Halter, for prostitutes to carry on their trade " with more liberty, in male disguises"— the bloody cruelty of the Crusaders surpassing that of their Infidel foes,— and the oppression practised upon the native Christians whom, *' under the pretence of delivering them from the Maliome- *' tans, they only laid under anew Slavery"— tho Latin Bish- ops making it their Jirst ca« to establish the Temporalities *' of their Sees and to acquire Seigniories, Cities and Castles *' after the examples which they had seen at home, and to be " extremely careful in preserving them f VHo will enable you to discover that in this conversion of the Sacred Cause to the purposes of their own aggrandisement they only fol- lowed the example of the Popes, who soon extended the crusading principle with all tlie rewards and immunities at- tached to it. to "all wars which appeared of importance to Keligiqn and not only put it in operation for the destruction • Indulgences were granted, not only for piou. works, but « for public work., of other kinds, for making a bridge or a cause-wa,, or n,Li,„ tie r««rf«. It « to be presumed that these Ecclesiastical Grand, Foyer., tr c J 1 p"? "'"''• ''" '"" •^^"'^'"^'"' '" ^""^ "^ «"« «'»• iricts ox this Province. u (1 J '■"^, , it^i^-ti,:::^.. 205 of Herefcs but for the subjugation of Princes .hom they were pleased to excommunicate as disobedient to the Church^ Ami because the Popes." he will tell you, » treated as eni em 03 to the Church all those with whom they had any di - putes even about their temporal interests they had alL re- 'course to Crusaders on these occasions, as to the last reso t "against resisting Powers." Finally, Sir.^he will tell you how idle and foolish -a, wel as base and reprehensible.^is the attempt to s p^Te or d.sgu.se any of these facts-and how much safer anfue ! er u ,8 that the Romanists should tell them in their own way than leave them to be told by us Heretics ^ Here then is a History told in their own wav~tho' with -^nwiLt^:::;:::::^^::-:::^-^^^^ ce.vableness of unrighteousness" on the other^the bolde!; orgery^the grossest and must interested imposition-Serin, ture eluded-Antiquity deserted-Discipline corrupted- Church Government disfigured by innovations-the Pope and he Laun Prelates at home and abroad ambitiously enlarg n' their junsdieuon-playing into the hands of each other or jarrmg among themselves, but uniting to usurp Autho ity over strangers-a system (for so he tells you) received ^ tnZt 'r'''-' C:enturies which was Udrrhol I, upon felse documents-a system affecting the very fou„da^ uons of Government and Law. of Sociai Order and Sac od Obl.gat.on-thisis the account of a Homi«|. Ecclesil" „"o therefore rejects without ceremony the claims of the PopI n cmporal power, and retrenches without scruple threxlt If his Spiritual jurisdiction. ^ **'^"' ""^ Where, then. Sir, is the basis of unchallenged authoritv and unsuspected title, even among yourselves uporwS you can rest the claims of the Papal Supremacy pimir t Hel.g.o„?-th,s religion, which has been always and every •i.. '. ' 'i .,•/ f K^l 206 where thd same ? — Will you abide by these msxims, will you approve these characteristics of the Papacy so marked, so terribly important in themselves, so long received as aiuthori- ty, and so atmdily maintained ? — Or, if you relinquish, if you reject them, will you be content to resign also whatever that relinquishment implies? — What is the Pope, Sir? — What are the precise limits of his power ? what is the sum of hi» attributes ?— The Council of Trent — which has so boldly dis- posed of other questions, and the deerees of which are ac* knowledged as a final standard of your Faith, — the Council of Trent has left us in the dark — for we know that express instructions were sent to that Council to agitate no question which related to the extent of Papal Authority. The point is, in fact, resc /ed — the veiled and dubious figure of his Ho- liness may emerge or retire as the sun-shine may invite or the lowering aspect of the horizon may deter him. The Popes* and their more devoted adherents (especially your friends the Jesuits) have gone back no farther from their old pretensions than they have been taught to do by necessity. But in the mean time, there being no distinct authoritative decision, this capital point of Religion is a point remaining unsettled-^the Canonists dispute and the " Doctors disagree, " Grammatici certant et adhuc sab judice lis est. Even the choice of the judge is not determined ;t — and allho' I am not aware of any existing warfare upon the subject,— which would be peculfarly indiscreet in the present circum- * There have been indin'dnal Popes to whom it v^ould be highly unjust tottj'ply this remarlt— especially Clement the XIV. fthe famous Gaiigii- nelli) who was called by the Jnsuits the Protestant Pope. It was by lit« bull tliat tliey were afterwards suppressed, and, as is said in A bioj^rapliical work, "for ever extinguished," He died under a siKpicion o( poison which he is said to have expressed himself. t See Mnsheim Cent. XVI. Sect. III. Pari I. Chap. I. Paragr. .l. aWu Parag. 30. et seq. where the great points among the Romish Writers art; divided under sii principal heads. *i| , 207 stances of Christendom.-the line has never been dratvn upon this debateable land, md it is no remote period at which the contest was hotly n^aintained. The Councils of Constance and Basg had indeed assigned to the reluctant Pontiffs in the XV. Century a place inferior to that which they assumed and forcibly established their subjection to the authority of General Councils-and accordingly it is well known that a great number of the French Writers make it Heresy to exalt them above tliis authority, and to ascribe to them an unlimi- ted Supremacy even in Spiritual affairs—but as there are Pa- pal decrees, and these decrees solemnly ratified in three Councils of note-and these Councils approved and pronoun- cedto have beetiGeneral* in the Council of Trent itself, which maintain, in all their exorbitance, those claims for which there is so long a prescription,! —the ball is struck • See Barrow's Treatise (Edition before referred to) page 540, A41 548 where extracts from tLe proceedings of Councils a.id reference to the'ses- sions, '} f\ \ ' i } i' i K :#, Ira miki , .Jii] III i : 1 f li II ;;'' |; / ' I i^A 212 infallibility which some place in the Church at large, and iome ascribe to the person and office of the Pope — although Pope Liberius " as is testified" gays Chillingworth,* " by Sf. " Athanasius, St. Jerome and St. Hilary, subscribed to the *' Heresy of the Arians," ( — which was at one time the pre- vailing Religion of the West, including the Roman Church, the Guide of Faith — ) "and joined in Communion with them" — and Pope Honorius was anathematized after his death, ' y the sixth General Council, as well as by his succes- for Pope Leo, for the Heresy of Monothelism If Now, Sir, let me beseech you for a few moments more to listen to me with seriousness and patience — and I have done : Carry all this in your mind : review with an impartial eye the , arguments which I have offered to you upon each of your dogmas reijected in our Religion ; look back upon the state of the Christian world—the changes in the Church— the cha- racter of the Popes— the usurpations of Ecclesiastical power —the practices connected with Religion, as I have shewn you that they are described by a Member and Servant of the Church of Rome — and how can you represent that Reforma- tion for which the Earth groaned, and the Gopnel called a- loud — for which Truth, Reason, Justice and Mercy held up their imploring hands to Heaven — how can you represent it as a wanton and causeless revolt — a blind and frenzied im- pulse, of which mere wickedness was the origin — of which immorality and mischief and desolation were the only fruits ?| • In his letter to Mr. Lewgar, where the groundless claims of tlie Church of Rome to Infallibility and floncordance with Antiquity, are, ioa very short compass, completely and unanswerably eiposed. t Jortin after Fleury. X Who would " believe, if sober History did not atttst llie fact, that an "opposition to this faith" (the Romish Creed) " should have engendered " insurrections, wars, and slaughter ; and that in order to overcome it aiiJ " to substitute the ravings end chimeras of ambitious madmen, the '' Dtemon oj Schism and Heresy should have laid cities in ashes, &c." 1/ if- ■] , sj: 213 Will you deny that tlie Romanists of these Jays are in many respects much nearer than their predecessors to the Protest- ants and much better for the approximation ?— Why then are we to be anathematized as Heretics ? under what point of view are our proceedings incapable of justification ? and where is the obligation for our adherence, through good or evil, to the Church of Rome ?— Who is our guarantee that we are safe in such an adherence ? what is our security that we shall be drawn into no trespass, that we shall embrace no delusion, that we shall surrender no valuable privilege ?— The Church has not been unwilling to deceive us— the Popes to usurp over us— so much is abundantly testified by those who are of your own party :— And is it not therefore our ma- lyfest right and our imperious duty to search and satisfy our- selves how far this imposition may have been carried— and to refuse taking it all for granted that what the same Church now tells us is necessarily aud infallibly true, and our implicit reception of it essential to our salvation ?— Either we are to believe that your Church has not erred, and cannot err, be- cause we see the purity of her doctrines— their consonance in all points to the word of God— their transmission in one equable, unmixed, unsullied stream :— Or we are to believe that whatever difficulties we see here, we are forcibly to stifle our doubts and discontents because we find a Supreme and absolute Spiritual authority distinctly .onveyed at first— uni- Page 33 of the Narrative, &c. Persons unacquainted wiili History derive admirably correct notions of tlie broils and bloodshed occasioned by tlie Popes, who were engaged perpetually in the same work for ages before the Reformation, from passages lilce tliis I-Aga... page 90, « the History of the Reformation is a satire upon its name and pretensions. If sound doc- trine gained nothing by this rerolt, there are abundant voucliers to prove that pure morality gained as little." And 91, " Enougli of tliese sad re- ports of the tragic effects of the Reformation." These little touches of faithful delineation will be quite lost upon tliose wlio have informed them- selves of the comparative condition and moral state of Europe, as prior and subsequent to the partial rejection of tlie Papal Yoke.-But they may take effect upon the gnwary and unlearned. f^ :\l P*J 214 formly maintained in a manner for which it is impossible to account by causes of a worldly kind— and preserved in all the stages of its existence unadulterated and unimpcachcd :— Will you tell us, Sir,— -will you really venture to tell us, that upon eitlier ground we can receive satisfaction from your Church, and, if we contest it, arc left without excuse P—No, Sir — No — Upon both grounds, and upon either alone wc see enough, and far more than enough, unhesitatingly to reject her System of Faith and Worship ; and most solemnly to PROTEST against her claims upon our obedience. If there is any thing upon earth in the investigation of which we can attam a clear satisfaction, a comfortable assurance of doing rigfct we fully enjoy this blessing in the firm maintenance of our Protestant Faith. Take car differences one by one,— we are led io say in the examination of every single point, that doctrines and usages in themselves so plainly indefensi- ble as those of Popery, can only be retained upon the princi- ple of submissive acquiescence in the Authority by which they are imposed :* — Abstract the question from the correct- ness of particular doctrines and usages, and trace i!f> the source of this Authority, we find it reduced to a mere Prima- cy within certain limits, originating in human appointment, without pretence, under whatever circumstances, to survive the dismemberment of the Empire in any territory independ- ent of Rome, and affording therefore no more plea for a ju- risdiction to which we ought to be subject than the Arch- bishops of Canterbury could now advar o«> for authority in the Episcopal Church of the American States. Your Pope, Sir, is a Creature of Man — your Papacy is an excrescence in Christianity—the errors of your Church are clear to an unbiassed mind— they stand condemned in broad and warn- • The grand argument, says Fleury, of flie Fatliers in the second iVic. Council (A. D. T8T) was the Jnfambilitg of the Church, wliicli was af- firmed lo have worsblpped them by immemorial usage — alf ho' he admits at the some time that appeals were made to false records upon the occasion. Pl^ t'f:y::!:^ms'^mmm^m'm:rf»*^'ssss!:i 215 ing characters, alike by Reason, by Antiquity, and bv th« WORD OF GOD. '^ * Keep therefore your o^^n course, Sir-if you insist upon ,t-but leave us. I beseech you, to keep ours. We can ^a on wuhout your help. We have thought on these subject. and knom, the thoughts of our forefathers who sleep in peace before you judged it necessary to publish the narrn- t.ve of your Conversion. If it be in vain for you, it is not in vam for all of us, that they have laboured-that they have .ufrered-.that they have died. And the examination of their .apposed Heresy which you have so heroically abjured ha, g^-ned over before now to the ranks of I'rotLaitisrn .„ who were zealous disciples of the Roman Church * Yet Sir, altho' I reproach you as one who comes forth not half master of his subject to flourish his trumpet W U-eets,and to gather recruits by his placards composed of Jtatenrients which have been adopted in heat and hurry by himself but proceed originally from a zeal ready to say any thing to serve the cause-altho' Sir, I do reproach you. L you well deserve, for the manner in which you have afforied the subject of a seeming triumph over your native Church ^ nf/rr' /r'''^ began, without breaking Uie bond of Chanty and I pray God that in whatever communion you die, you may find pardon and acceptance with Him-but should ,t please Him to open your ^yes to the Errors which you have so hastily embraced, I shall be happy if I can have been .n«trumental in the work. Beware, Sir, beware of the fallacy of that argument that because we entertain a hope respecting your salvation which you refuse to feel for our. your Religion is therefore the safer of the two.t On the one •Of .hi. ,|.ere U a remarkable living e«.mple in .l,e case of ihe Rev t:'::::::!:!''"-'' '-'''' '-— pumis.. apa.p.:; ProlLfa„?R f""^" J^«"'«"^*««''«0''« why ha cannot conforn, .o the JTZn T ""^ '""''""'' ''"' ""^^"^-^ 'y "^'' Bishop »fSt. Oavi.l',,Tracl,.,&c. Rivingtpn, !«ii. ^ I Si; 21 G ' 1,1 ii I - -- ■■ -HIj - f" ■- ^ Imnd you ought to remember that your opinion of our conrti- tion cannot surely create our danger— and, on tho other, we «ec no possible safety for you, if you deliberately take advan- tage of our indulgent sentiments as a reason for holding com- munion with a Cburch whose hurtful errors we point out. If Charity, Sir, is the great test of true Religion, and ranks higher than Faith itself, (1. Cor. xiii. 13.)— and if it is among the Characteristics of Charity that she " hopeth all things, believeth all things," (ibid. 7.) then it is a better in- dication of a right and consequently of a snje system to hope and bilime wi 11 of other Christians than to consign them, in our judgements, to perdition. We do not hold the Roman igts individually answerable for the enormities which have been pra9tiscd or the corruptions which have arisen in their Church : we tru.t .olcmn importance, to which you ^a^ U a matter • , duty to give all p^,ible publicity Wo"rrof™('V'r''K "".' '°'' ""^'^ •"'^'' •• «- '«' 0^ »^« Word of (,od fur the doctrine, o.aenti.1 to wlvation -^the appeal to ON E BOOK, 6earh,^ n rk. * ^ "",— the //-;/ tk. k , ■ ,i^' ^ " '^'^'"''^^ distinct front that of all other ho„h tn the world, and u„i^r.„ii i '"^' '"«' .«w «... cv... ,. than' the :zri:-z:i^z mm authont.e« scattered thro' eighteen centu..rn"rdL^ -certam the pretension, of your a««umed ancieZ ^.^I »nd universal RdiKJon. Till vn.. k "'^"f' ^''vanable, c>g«oo. jiji you have ascertahod thooa Ml I. me ta»k which you ought to have per- former. If you are not content with the appeal to the BibL and It .a a task neuber unprofitable in itaCf, nor, certainly to be discouraged by «ou„d iWstaats. But 'out of "Ij^ mass of mankind, all concerned alike M thi, subject, bow few are they--( turn back upon you the very word« which you have applied to the supposed obligation lying upon all ^o- tcstants to collate, examine and compare verse by verse^e various copies and .raiuilations of the Bible)_how few are y who have " the sagacity, the patience the time and the •« TZ^'-V: 7n " ^''*^"' "' ^"'^' "p°° -<=»« - '«»-- easy therefore to pa.8 off certain pompous but hollow claim. a* ».««. of t.i.y, ^ben i. « iuelf the cliief ,oe.ii„n it i,- Cc :• i' Si' 'hit i*/ SI 8 4 \t upon those who arc denied the light of Scripture, or have en- joyed it without advantage. How many among the disciplbs .of the Cliurch of Rome, or how many among those whom slie holds it .to be her duty to gain for proselytes, can know ^y thing about those Sacred Canons and General Councils iin which they are re(}uircd specifically to profits their Faith ?— JIow much did you know of them when you became a Con- •jrcit — how far had you fathomed the depths of the Acta Cori' ciliorttm when you veered about with this last '• wind of doc- trine"* and ran in at once for the shelter of the Infallible Church ?-~God grant that you do not ultimately make total ■"shipwreck of your. faitA r't Sir, if t treat yotir proceeding with too little ceremony, •I beg your psri2t>n. If I have suffered any expression to es- cape me in tfte course of this controversy, — (aitlio* I am not aware oC having taken any unnecessary liberties,) — which Jias grated against your feelings, I am sorry for it. If I have been tempted once or twice to the borders of levity by some gratuitous assumptions, or inferences which appeared to mc a iittJQ forced, and imitated without much reserve tlie system of transition " from ■ ave to gay, from lively to severe,'' I have laid the less resti t upon myself in this point — and I frankly avow it — under the belief that some important truths may have the better chance of ceception in tiie minds of many persons who have slighted and overlooked them. If, fur the like reason, I I ive gati^ered and Hung in among these truths a few common flowers of profane poetry which have offered themselves to uiy hand as I have gone along, — I can plead the example of St. Paul himself who quoted the Heathen I'octfl to his purpose. (Acts xvii. 28.-aud Tit. i, 12.) If, altho' I have used my best diligence to guard ogainst mi«- takcs, I have been betrayed, as is possible enough, into any little inaccuracies in the niiimtiaj of my statements:];— if I •E|il). iv. 14. t I.TIm. i. 19. J I am not awi.e of any otlirr tlicui tlii.i -vi^, (Ii;it it woiiM nppcnr (• fl9 it woiilil Of peer (• have committed, as is but too probable, many faults or com- position— if I have been drawn, as I see but too well myself mto considerable deviations from the limits which I had fori mally proposed to observe,-! have some excuse perhaps tho- an excuse not so prevailing as that which y'.— ird's religious riin I) may be feeii (if Jol. Cruelties in Christian tenets id even !.anctioneil MXly iliere is noili rship of God. * '5 •;ar~-wisirtB«ffir< 1. m '\ m i 3 i'^ifflf ' 1^ m ' mil K i'i Ik^ ,-J- b« ni f . > 'if i ••m. .-..■*,-^ i5 k'J li, iti 111 1 i' «^s;, 1 ■litti'tig' ImI^ -r-**t N. B._THE PAGES TO WHICH IIEFERENCES ARE HERB MADE ARE THE PAGES OF THE FOREGOING LETTER. PERSECUTION. Page 17.-Thos /ho have a mind to see in a strong light the eftrontery (for nuat else can it be called ?) of the asser- tion of the London Orthodox Journal with respect to the du- ration of a tolerant spirit in the Church, may consult Black- stone's Commentaries. Book IV. Chap. IV. and Jortin's re- marks A. D. 350. 378. 38], (about which time a sort of In- quisition was established by ths Emperor Theodosius. and it was ordered that non-conforming Christians should be pun- ished summo supplicio et inexpiabili pcenSj also A. D ^QO (where the proceedings of Popes Innocent I. and Celestinus are mentioned) A. D. 414 (where th« decree agaJnst the Do- natists 18 given at length, and the recommendation of Perse- cution procured from Augustine himself is taken notice of.) t ^' *^' •?"^ ^" ^'""""^ ""^y ^^ «^^° °f the treatment of the Mamcha^ans by Pope Hormisdas, &c.) A. D. 789 (where mav be soon an «»♦.•"->* r ^1 ^ . . ' D D *>i3l 226 A lemagne inflicting death for the violation of the Lent Fast,) and Si5, ( where the slaughter of the PauHcians by the Em- press Theodora is related. ) These specimens may be sufficient. The systematized Persecution of later tiroes is well known. But one more sam- ple of a Christian spirit may be taken from the IX. Century, " A. D. 881. — Athanasius, Bishop of Naples, had been ex. " communicated for having entered into alliance with the •' Saracens. The Pope at latt absolved him, upon condition, " says he, that you send us the principal persons amongst the " Saracens whom you have with you, and cut the throats ol " all the rest." " Ti!Fs condition of an absolution impostid upon a Bishop " by a Rope is hardly conformable y says Fleury, to the an- " cient mildness of the Church of Christ !" The cruelty exercised by Abbots upon their Monks and Vassals may be seen in the remarks upon A. D. 792 and tht close of the XIII. Cent jry. ^ USE AND /iUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE. Pace 52, (at tls bottom, and the second note.) — The fol- lowing testimonies may be i-ided to those which I have taken fiom St. Jerome upon the subject of the Canon of Scrip, ture * The first is from the same father " in his prcemiutii "on the Proverbs of Solomon. Machabceorum libros leoii O " qnidem Ecclesia sed eos inter Canonicas Scripturas no)t red- ^^pit. To the same purport A ugiistin says //^pc SMp/ja/o/w " non in Scripturis Sanctis qua' appellantur Canonicce sed U " al'us invenitur in quibus sunt tt Machabceorum libri. Au- • It is periiaps hardly worth-wliile to point out an oversight occasion- ed by hasieftt'tiie moment of writing tlw note here alluded to. Tlierfi- vision of xhe Canon (which may be seen in the Articles of Religion) i> said ill liiat note to dijfer from Jerome's divis on which makes one book of the minor Prcphets. Th« mistake was occasioned by liaving imder llie eye at the linie the list of the bonks of tlie Old Teslanieut prefixed to llic comfnou editions of the Bible where thfe Prophets are separately fnunie- -^ ».--»»- 227 "gustdeCivitate Del. lib. 18. c. 36 Alii smt lt> -^ brt (jut non Canomci sed Ecdesimtici nppellnntur. Hi>jns " ordinis est libellus Tohice et Judith et Machabceorupi libri, •' Cyprian in expositionc SymboIi."_NoTE or the trans- LATou OF Jewpj.' 's Apoi.. Sec. 3. " What nec.i, says Barrow in the close of his Treatise on the Popes S.^prernacy, " of defining the second Bo«)k of " Maccabees to be Canonical against the c- .on opinion of " the Fathers, of the most learned in ail ages, of Pope Gela- " sius himself (in uecret) &c. &c. Page 55 and 56.— Fleury, speaking of the conduct to be observed for the conversion of Mahometans has n passage which sufficiently oversets the argument held by some of his Rom>sh brethren (hat we can know nothing of genuine Scrip- ture if we reject the authority of the Church of Rome thro' which we have received it: " To undeceive them," he says with respect to their notion that the Scriptures have been falsified by the Christians, '« a " good use might be made of the Nestorians and Jacobites « who dwell amongst them, and have been separated from us " two hundred years before the time of Mahomet, and who " have preserved the Gospel and otlier sacred Books entireljj consonant mtk our copies."— Dissertation on the Cru- SADES. Page 57 & S8.--Carlisle and Whitaker are, I find, two Protestant Writers of older date than the Authors men-' tioned in the notes upon these pages. Page 58,- (lower part.)— Among the many iniquities which were practiced by the fanatical party* in tlie civil troubles of England, was a gross instance, if not of forgery mtroduced into the W^d of God, yet of wilful and interest- • n^XTER to please the same party talked, in some of his works of t e Parliament of Keaven-which was changed for the Kingdom nf Hed.eni.uhe editions published after the restoration of the Church and Mouarchy. Dd2 J IF 228 re ♦d mis-translation. There were many Editionn of the Bible in which the words " whom ye may appoint over this buKJ- ness" were substituted for " whom uie may appoint over tliis business," (Actsvi. 3.) in order to favour the principle of popular nomination. Mark now how extremes meet. 1 Cor. vii. 10. — And unto the married I command, S(c. *' The translation published by the English Jesuits at Bour- " deaux, renders it to those xvho are united in the Sacr.4mkst " of Marriage; which I mention afi one instance, selecttd " from a vast number, of the great dishonesty of that trans- lation." — DoDDniDOE iv hoc. Page 59 G6 (inclusive.) " All things" says St. Jerome, " which are asserted to be " Apostolical traditions, unless supported by the evidence oj " Scripture, are vanquished by the sword of God."— Jewell Apolog. Sec. 2. " Those things can have no foundation or firmness, saith " Lactantius, which are not sustained by any Oracle of "God's word,"— Lact. VII. 2. quoted in Baruow'. Treatise, Page 562. Lactantius indeed is speaking, in the passage to whidi Dr. Barrow refers, of the fallacy of human Philosophy, and the peculiar claims and character of Revelation • but it k strictly applicable to the purpose of the Author — and une- quivocally attests the sentiments of this Father with respect to the necessity of appealing to Scripture, as the sole infalli- ble authority upon earth. The Fathers abound in such pas- sages — and several striking citations from St. Augustine, and others to this effect may be seen in those works of Barrovr and Jewell to which reference is here made. Nor are the Fathers less earnest in pressing the study of Scripture upon all classes than express in pronouncing Scrip- ture to be the test of doctrine. " The Fathers" says Barrow " do much exhort all people-. 229 i xhort all people— " even women and Rirla—constantly to rend and diligently "to itudy the vScriptures." And he indicates passages, in proof of hi3 assertion, to be found in the works of St, Je- rome, St. Hilary, St. Chrysosttnra, and St. AuguKtine. Bishop Jewell Sect. X. cites a passage of some length from St. Jerome, which concludes with a declaration that where the people uninstructed by their Pastors, seek access to Scripture tliemselves, " theii zeal will be approved while the negligence of their Masters will be fully convicted." " If it shall require to teach any truth, or repro/e false " doctrine, to rebuke any vice, to commend any vtrtue, to '• give good counsel, to comfort or to exhort, or to do any " other tlnnii requisite for our salvation all those things (saith " St. Chrysostom) we may learn plentifully of the Scripture. "There is (saith Fulgentius) abundantly enough both for " men to eat and for children to *ac^."— Homilies of the Church. Now let us compare with all this the language of Popery. (See page 60. bottom.) First then let us hear the opinion passed upon the last mentioned author by Pope Paul V " He has indeed some good sermons but bad ones withal : he ♦' stands too much upon Scripture, which is a book that if a " man will keep close to he will quite ruin the Catholic " Faith."— .Father Paul's Letters. Lett. XXVL Vanus est la! or," says Cardinal Hosiua, a legate of His Holiness, and a President in the Council of Trent,—" qui Scripturis impenditur. Scriptura enim creatura est, et ele- mentum quoddam egeuum." " ScRiPTUw^" says Cardinal Cusanus " adaptata; sunt ad «' tempus, et varie intelliguntur : Ita ut uno tempore secun- "dum cunentem universalem ritum exponantur: miutato ri- " tu iterum sententia mutetur." Cusan. ad BoHiEM. Ep. ii. ♦• Sylvester Prierias, master of the Pope's Palace, says, A doc " trina Romanw Ecclesis et Romani Pontificis sacra Scrip- " tura robur trahit et auctoritatem-&nd again—Indulgcntia; " auctoritate Scripturae non innotuere nobis : sed auctoritate I i $ 230 11 ^ .1 i " Roniana^ Ecclesia.', Romanorumque Pontificum gute major "est." — Sylv. Phi BR cont. Luth. It is no woodcr tliercfore that tlie advocates of Popery should extend the Pope's dupensinf; power even to the posi- tive injunctions of Christ and his Apostles. A defence of this claim may be seen in an extract from Harding, the An- tagonist of Bp. Jewell (in wiiose Apology, Ac. the foregoing passages and other similar specimens are scattered) transla- tor's note Sect. III. In the notes u|)on the IX. Sect, may be seen a most remarkable extract from the above-mentioned epistle of Cusanus, in which the following passages occur, " Tu cnim per obedientiam, quam facis praiposito quern Ec- " clesia tolerat, decipi nequis, ctiamsi prceceperit alia qiiiini dc- " buH Obedientia igitur irrationalia est consumma- " ta obedientia et perfectissima : scilicet quando obeditur sine " inquisitione rationis, sicut jumentum credit domino " suo." In conformity with such principles as these, the Bishops and others appointed in the Council of Trent to make an In- dex of prohibited books BEGAN THEIR LIST WITH THE WORD OF GOD !— Cum experimento manlfestum sit, say these faithful stewards, si sacra Biblia vulgari lingua permittantur, plus inde, ob hominum temeritatem detriment! quam utilitatis oriri, prohibentur Bibla, cum omnibus eoruni partibus, sive excusa, sive raanuscripta, in qualicumque vul- gari lingua extent. NUMBER OF THE SACRAMENTS. Page 72.—." The antient learned fathers Irenaus, Justin " Martyr, Tertullian, St. Ambrose, Cyriilus, Alcxandrinus '* and others speak only of two Sacraments ; \ mean Baptism " and our Lord's supper, and name no other. St. Cyprian " says, Tunc demum plane sanctificari, ct ,'ssc filii Dei pos- •'sunt si utroqtie sacraments noacaatxxt Ctpr. lib. II. Ep. ^'l.AD Steph. St. Augustin says: Quoedam pauca pro -•' multis, cademque factu facillima f iotellectu augustissima, im guce major '231 "et observalione ciutissima, ipsu Uoniinus ct Apostolica tra- "didit disciplina; sicuti est Imptismi snirau.cutum et celc " bratio corpom et sanguinis Domii,i.«AuGL,«.T. uf Doc- "TH.v.CHRi.T.tiB. III.CA...J>. To be shoft, Cardinal " Bessarion says, Hsc duo sola sacnuuenta iu evangcliis we.. " nifeste tradita Iegimu8."-_JEWEI.L. Def. Apoloc. Thus it is plain that the early Fathers never suppose more than two Sacraments. And if they do not exprcsUy exclude a large number by positive definition it i:., as Archdeacon Welchnian observes, «• because in their time thtie was nodis- pute about this matter." PENANCE, ABSOLUTION, CONFESSION, &c. Page 76— There is a note upon Sect. III. of the Trans- ^fon of Jeweirs Apology which after citing the authority of Origen and Tertullian, to .hew in what the duty of Confes- sion consisted according to the practice of the antient Church proceeds to point out the assumption of Priestly power in the admm^trat.on of it. a, it is described by St. Jerome, in Matth. XV.. 9. I«tum locum Episcopi et Prcsbyteri non intelligen- tesal.qu.d s.bi de pharisa-orum assuuumt supercilio ; ut vtl damnent mnocentes. vel solvere se noxios arbitrentur cun. apud Deum non sententia sacerdotum, sed reorum vita qua;- " Though many of the early ecclesiastical Writers ear- nestly recomn.end confession to the Clergy, yet they never represent u as essential to the rardon of Si., or as having any connection mtk a Sacrnrnenf... But Chmos torn Hon,.,. 31. in „eb.) ., ,,„, ^, «,eret coufeLn jomenasbemg obv.oush U.^le to great abuses ; and Ba- .1 (m Psalm xxxvu. 8.) ll.lary (in Psalm li.) and Augus- tme (Confess, hb. 10. cap. 3.) all advise confession ofsins to God only."_BP. ToMLiNE's Elements. Art. XXV These are the authorities which the Romanists would af- fect to clann as all their own. A fair specimen of the soli- dity of those grounds upon which their claim lio adonf « 232 phrase whit It occurs in tlie Nairative, &c.) " reposes in tran- quil recumbence" throughout. It ^ould appear from a passage in the Meditations of St. Bernar' confounded with the injurious system of the Church of Rome which seems to put a transforming wand into the hands of the Pnesthood and place the souls of the Laity at their mercy-! • Matt, xviii. IT. 18.-Jol,n «x. 81. 22. 23, ini^ZZ:'' ^''"^"°'' '"•"—'• r-eae.. Which are pnnted £k2 '236 and which is hable to bo used as a palliative to lessen the horror of sinful practices by affording recourse to the while- toashing ceremony of absolution — the cleansing and healing efficacy ascribed to the bare operation of absolving. To say however that men cannot, in any sense, forgive sins is as flat a contradiction to the word of God as it is possible to utter. Thus the doctrine has suffered between extremes : and while some Protestants are alarmed at the very name of a power which is positively ordained in Scripture, there have been others (among whom we must perhaps rank the Com- pilers of the Visitation-Office) who have retained it in a form which is in some degree offensive — at least which requires to be understood with some qualification * The Commentaries upon this Form of Absolution run usually in an exculpatory tone. But it may be added that many Protestant Commen- tators speak of absolution in general, as if they were trying to explain it away. There is something I confess very unsa- tisfying, to my apprehension, and enveloping very little mea- ning, in the accounts usually given oi declaratory absolution, SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS. Page 77 and 78. — " In the Roman Church there are sev- " en sacred Orders the Porters, the Readers, the Ex- " orcists or Conjurers, the Acolythes, the Subdcacons, the " Deacons and the Priests. The Episcopacy is a dignity *' and degree, and not an Order different from the Priest- " hood.t ** The Pope Innocent III. in his I. booke of the Myste- " ries of the Masse, and Durand, Bishop of Mend, in the 2. " booke of his Rationale, and others, ground all these Orders " upon Christ's examjje, whom they say to have gone through " all these Offices. * Sir James Stonhouse gires it up as abiolulely indefenglble. t It appears however tiiai Innocent, in the work here mentionel " pHls but six Orders aud puts the Episco5>«cie for cm." For an account of the origin of sepernumerary Orders, iu the third Ceotury, see Mosheim. la. "They say he performed the Office of Porter when hee " said, / am the doure. John x. 9 ***** « # ^ "That he performed the Office of Acolythe whl h« said, / am the light of the world. John viii. 12. For the '« Acolythes do carry the wax lights," &c. Ac-The Ma^se WITH A Commentary and Observations upon ,t, by Dv MouMN, Book I. Chap. 3. (O.o English Thans- latiox, 1641.) Some other extracts from this Author which will appear are from the same work. D. du Moulin was employed by Kmg James in !6I.l. in the project of union between the Lutheran and other Protestant Chtirches. He was considered the most eminent of the French Protestant Writers of his day. SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. Pagk 78 — '• St. PArjL, having compared the union be- " tween the first married pair, Adam and Eve to Uiat be- '' tween Christ, the second Adam, and his spouse the Church, and having said that this is a great Mj^sler^^a figure, or "comparison, not fully and commonly understood, -the old '* interpreter whose version they" [the Romanists] -use. for " Mi/stery hath put Sacrament ; which in his days signified any thing m Religion that carried a hidden meaning: and they have understojd him of what we now call a Sacra. "mc«/."_AHCHBP. Secker's Lectures ox the Cate. chism. It will be seen by tuniing back to some extracts already made in this Appendix that some of the early Fathers not only never considered the Seven Sacraments which were- ject, as ordinances of the same class with those which we ac knowledge, but applied the word. Sacrament, to these two m a peculiar and eminent sense-as utroque sacramento, &c! SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. Pace 84 and 85.-" St. Jeromb in his Commentaiy up. t! o 38 " on 1. Cor. xi. taith that this action is called dena because " the Lord at the supper gave the sacred signs. Austin in "his 118 Epistle, Apostolus acceptioncm Eucharistiae Do- " minicam Caaam vocat. Tertullian in his book of Specta- *' cles chap. 13. saith the same. We have a booke attributed "to St. Cyprian, intituled Dn CanS Domini wherein he " speaks of no other thing but the Eucharist." — Du Motr- iiN, Chap. I. After mentioning some other authorities and some con- cessions of this point made by the Romanists themselves, among which is this sentence from the Trent Catechism, F*- tustissimi patres, Apostoli auctorilatem secuti Cceiiee nomine •acram Eucharistiam interdum vocarunt—altho' the Carta of the llomish Church is a particular ceremony observed on the Thursday before Easter, and the word is neither approved by hex disciples as applied to the Eucharist, nor applicable with any sort of propriety to the manner in which they cele- brate it—the author adverts to the declaratior. of Maldonat the Jesuit «' who saith that the Calviuists (for it pleaseth him "so to call us,) without examples of any antient authors, " without reason, and without judgement, call the Sacrament ** C(^na, or Supper. Moreover he addeth that the antient " Writers esteeme it a crime to call this sacrament Ccena, or " Supper, as the Hereticks doe. This Jesuit calloth St. Paul, "the Fathers, and the Councell of frent, Hereticks/'—UiD. Page 86.— The same \uthor,— Chap. 2. traces the root of the word Mass, and the varieties ot its signification accor- ding to the use of different times quem penes arhitrinm est el jus et norma loquendi. He proves distinctly that Missa, when the Latin tongue became degenerate, was used for missio, and signified originally the dismissal of the Catechu- mens before the Communion— that it afterwards came to des- cribe that part of the service which immediately preceded or followed the Communion, (in which sense he shews it to have been employed bv St. Ambrose in the identical passage ad- 239 inodem A/a,, from the occ«.r..ce 0/ M. .«., in the wrLfc! of th.s Fa,her)_and that finally it .as applied to t^ eT cha.st .tsein and of cours. to those notions .tich ^ up" and are received in the Church of Hom« • ^ ^ ture of thi3 Ordinance. ''P''"''"« *''*^ "«' W,T,r respect to private Masses, Kishop Jewell in hi, r mous sermon on 1. Cor xi 2 '< nr i. . 7 ^ ^^* Pa..l'. r, ■ ^o'^-xi. / .{. preached A. D. »560 at Pauls Cross ,„ preparation for Easter, has shewn f. atnng of antient authorities that they . re ll un^" ' for upwards of 600 years aft.r Chrd n • '^" is from St T ^*^'*r»arttr t^hnst: One specimen which 18 irom at. Jerome, rnav suffim . r^ r» • debpiP,. ■ "''" ^"'"<-'-' '• «- ™ "« •"•■'» "". The following i, a correct sla.oman. lalen fr„„ ,he „„, -.on re,,poct,ng „,e ...„.„, „f „, „^,_ ^„, ,,; -- About 300 years past Ho„orius being then Bi,l,o„ „r R«™ee„,n,„„„ae,. the Sacra.nen, ,„ be Ld up .X, people reverently ,„ bo. „„.n ,o ,t. ,,f.er hinf U bann" -u,,e better .nro.;:.;,;: :;:;:.;; :/^^^^^^^ Tb.s .s ,l,e greatest antiquity „f .,,e ,,„o,e „a,ter, 4c. '' I rAOE 91.-»« TRAN'SUBSTANTIATION. fii truth id" says Barrow "that the beit -*"- "*1;M ii iH ii ^iw^ i, #^ ^40 iili " ftrjruments of the Papists in certain questions are some ilou- "rishes of Orators" [among the Fntliers] " speakinfj hyper- " bolicaily and heedlessly." And he shews that the great Romish champion Beilarmine, when it suits his purpose, " doth put ott" tliijir testimonies by paying that they do some- •' times speak in way fj excess, — /ei> propcilyy—less uinrily, — " so as to need /jenign exposition, &c." "We may apply this in particu ur to the doctrine of transub- dtantiation. The passages from the earlier fathers which eeem to favour this doctrine are chiefly rhetorical flights or fervid and figurative bursts of eloquence — while there are passages in contradiction to it, which are simply declaratory or soberly descriptive. The manner in which the antienls spoke of the Eucha- rist, and the manifest impropriety of attempting to establish a proof of their sentiments upon a point of doctrine from the literal acceptation of ilv- words which they employed, will appear from the specimen subjoined. " TiiEREFOUE t'hrysostom s-ays, behold the lamb of God " is slain : the blood even now is drawn from his side, and " the whole people is coloured and made red wUh the same. " (do Saceidot. lib. 3.) Not for thai i« was so indeed; but " to lift up and to withdraw th. hearts of ihe pe- pk- from the *' outward corruptible creatures of the bread and wine, to a "spiritual and mystical understanding, &c."* — Jewell. Def. AroLOG. • Yet hii;lily and boliUy fljuraiive as is iIip Inngnage of Clirygosiom, I confess that I have my doubLs with respect to the weight of hix iiidiri- dull tesUmontj. The coiiiinuaiion of this pussiijje, am) another pass ige In tiie 0. book of the seme "vork seem to proceed from »ome inHiressiou in bis mind wiiich resembles the Romi>li diwcriiie H sajs liowever timi it b te»8 evident from the proceedings of Novatus described by Eu- sebius. He held their hands after they had received it, and exacted an oath of adherence to liimself before he suffered them to swallow it.—EusEB. lib. vi. Chap. 42. os thz TRANSLAT. 43 OF THE GrEEK. JUSTIFICATION. Page 100 — There is a prayer in the Mass, in the sequel of the memento of tl/e dead imploring the Almighty to re- ceive his worshippers among the company of the Saints, a list of whom is enumerated by name, and concluding with the words, " not having regard to our merit but bestowing on " us/orgiveness thro' Christ our Lord." 't i II :v, I 246 *' Doubtless" sayg du Moulin " this prayer was put into «* the Masse when the Komane Church did not beleeve that •' men by their good irorkes could deserve eternall life." Book 3. Chap. 37. Hut there are other prayers in the Mass which have been introduced when it waf discovered that men could do more and, the redundant merits of the wise virgins could supply the deficiency of the foolish. The Saints are there mentioned for a different purpose. ••We beseech thee, Lord thro' the weriu of thy Saints *' whose f cliques are here, and of all the SainU, that thou wilt ** vouchsafe io Jbrgive me all my ainnes " Wherefore also BeJlarraine in his I. booke of Indulgences «' chap. 4. makes uo diflBculty to say that the Saints are, in a ** manner, our Ueueemkhs '"^—Book 3. Chap. 10. Wkl^hman on the Articles citts several passages fiora tlie Fathers conveying the doctrine of Jmlijication hy Faiih which of course includes a renunciation of the Merit of iwr/t* — as, for example, this brief one from Itenscus adv. Haer. 1. 4. c. 13. " The Faith which is towards the most High God ju8ti6etii man." PURGATORY AND INDULGENCES. Page 106, 107, & 108— The fallacy of the argument ad- duced from 1. Cor. iii. 13. to prove the existence of the fire of Purgatory wUl appear to all who remember the frequent UH of metaphors in Scripture drawn from a furnace and a fire, vihere no Purgatoty can be contemplated. Compare Zech. xiii. 9. with the texts alleged in support of tl>e Romish Purgatory. Paue 109.—" Saint Austin was farre from beleeving "the Purgatory of the Romano Church of these times, who «« in his 232 Sermon, which Is against drunkennesse, speakes "thus: Let no man deceive himself, Brethren, for there is • Mon f rU aiMurdutn ci Sancti rtri RioRMPTtfiiiu ntwtri, aliqiio modo. id est scouodum quiJ, dicantur, i '."' *-**'£^Bl^ i tif 247 '* tU)o places and nni a third. He that shall not have deserv " ed to bee with Christ, shall doubtlcsse peiish with the De»- "ill. And in the 8. Chap, of his Booke of the merit of " Sinnea and of Pardon • There is no middle place, in sort, " that he that dwellcth out of Heaven may bee in any other "place but with the Devill — Du Mouum Book 3. Ch. 36. « Whosoever is versed in the writings of the ancient Fa- " thera, knoweth that they speake of the state and condition " of the dead with much incertitude ; and that very often •' they differ, and put off their bles^ednesse untill the'day of " Judgement. Bellarmine himselfe in his 4. Booke De Pon- " tif. cap. U. confesseth, that such was the opinion of Pope "Jrhn theXXH.and excunth this Pope, because (saith " he) in those times it was yet lawful! to bee of that opinion, " W'VAow^ danger of heresie ; for the Church had not yet de- '• fined any thing concerning it. Afw this Pope came iut^ **the Papacie, Anno Dom. 1317."— Ibid. RATiitaa long lapse of years dm ing which the Popes might hold opinions which afterwards became heretical ! " Anotheh opinion there was that was currant among he "Fathers, to wit, that at the day of judgement the " soules of tlie faithful shall be burned and flamed more or " lesse as they shall bee more or lesse polluted with sinne " and that this fire shall be a purgation to them. St. Hilarie "upon the 119 Psalm, at the letter Gimel saith that the " Virgin Mary must pass thro' that fikb for to bb " thbre examined."--.Ibid. He proceeds to cite St. Ambrose, I.actantius, St. Jerome and St. Austin to prove that " this was the antient Father.' Purgatory." St. Ambrose name? some of tlie most eminent servants of God as destined to this ordeal ; and the Virgin Mary, we see, is only regarded by St. Hilary as an exjunpla of the same kind. * AucusTiM sometimes says that there is such a place; " aometimes he denies not bi't there may be surfi a one ; 'I '1 f 548 " soirtetimes he doubts of, and sometimes he entirely denies "its existence: and thinks that men out of a certain tender* " neM to departed friends aia deceived into suth an opinion. " Aug. in Psaim 85. in cuchiridio cop. 67. de civ. Dei hb. " 21. cap. 26. contra Pelag. lib. hypog. 3."— Jbwell. Apo- too. Sect. 3. Page 110. — The Antiquity of Prayer for the dead is no deduction from the triumph which accrues to our cause from the n suit of our appeal to the early ages. For the antient prayers for the dead form as complete a contradiction to Masses for the SouU in i^nrgatory as can be desired. This has been shewn at large by Stillingflcct and others whose ar- guments he vindicates, by means of a close and full examina- tion of all the antient testimonies upon the subject. "In the antient Liturgies Prayers are made for all Saints, " Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs and others. And " St. Ambrose after he had said that Valentinian and Gra- " tian were both blessed, and enjoyed the pleasures ot ever- " lasting life ; and subjoi; - his orisons for them. Thus he " prays for Theodosius, it whom he had said that he enjoys "everlasting light, and continual tranquillity : And so for his " Brothc r Satyrus, when he had pronounced of him before, " that he had entered into the Kingdom of Heaven. The " same doth Gregory Nazienzen for his brother C»»arius." Stil».ingflect'» Grounds of Phot. Uel. Part. III. Ca. 6. " It ha« been proved by very many examples that the pri- " mary intention of the Church in her supplication- for the " Dead, was that the whole man, not the soul separated only ''might receive publick remission of sins, and a solemn ac- " quittal in the judgement of that great day and so obtain " both a full escape from all the consequences of sin and a " perfect consummation of bliss and happiness. And of this " nature were the prayers of the Church used in Epi- hanius "hiitime, which Aerius was condemned for reje uog of; 249 •' and it I.a« been plair.ly proved that the Church of Rome to do. For they agre. w.th Aeiius in rejecting that kind of W.ng and offering for the dead whijh was u,ed in the be .n b ss. lor. since the Romani.ts say U.at without the suppo3.t.on of Purgatory, prayer for the dead would be unprofitable, and at ti.at tia,e the soul, they prayedtr a^ ' -apposed to be already in bhss ; therefore Lly L ^IZ condemn th^^e prayers for the dead, which were then used « Aenus did^ And it is very strange, if the releasing o} SouU out of Purgatory had been any ground then of pfay- «ng for the dead, that Epiphaniut, among all \m fur-fetcht ^^ reasons should never assign that which you think to be the only proper ground of such prayers."_lBiD. Face 110 and 1I2.-.The more ancient doctrine appears IheCtr ^"''^ "^^^" P-gato^inthesJiLof peaceably of wh.ch soules .c is said in the same prayer, that for them that are burned and tormented in the fire of Pur- "gatory.-^Dir Mol;t,H, Book 3. Ch. j6. .. " ^/^ ""^y "'^J' ««y they ihinke U.at the soules are tormcn- „ ■!%"'"* * ^'^^y '«^''« t'^e. seeing the Pope give* InduJgen- « Lv trt"' ""' ''""''■'' ^'""''"'^ ^'-"^ ' ^"d ^••« Jhey ^y yet Ma^s at Saint Denis for the soule of King Dago- « .s he that hath inriched the Abbey of S.. Deni.. 'J hey "pre.,uppo,ehei.sUlli„Purgatoryi,B,o. • ^ •• point" ln!h'!'KT?^ ""' ''*'?*''' P*^*^" 'PP^^^^ •» thi. ^^ pomt m that he hath established j^riviledged Altars, upon wiiich whoKMJver causes a Masse to b« aaid dr iia 250 / ** soule out of Purgatory, at his owne choyce. Whereupon 1 •* cannot wonder too niucli at the stupiditie of those men, " which doe found yearely rents and donations to the Church " for tlie easing of one soulc, seeing they might be dischar- " ged in caysing a Ma^se to bee said upon some priviledged " Altar, which ia bung or said for a little money." " I REMEMBEH that being at Paris, the Carmelite Fryeis " published certaine Theses, or Theologicall positions, where- " in they said that the Monkes of their Order hud fliis privi- " ledge, to be in Purgatory but till the next day* after their *' death : so that it is a great happinessc to a Carmelite, to " die on a Friday. The priviledges which the Pope granted " to the Brother-hood of the small Cord, are not much lesse ; *' for, besides many hundred thousand yeares of pardon gran- " ted to that Societie, they have the priviledgc to draw a " soule out of Purgatory with saying five Patcr-nosters, and "as many Ave Marias on Palme Saterday."— Ibid. INVOCATION OF SAINTS, &c. Pack 1 18. — '• There followes after, a prayer, which makes *• every man that feareth Christ tremble, in which the Priest " saiih, "Communicating and venerating IN THE FIRST ''PLACE the memory of the glorious ever Virgin Mary, " Mother of God ; and of our Lord Jesue Christ: " CouiD one finde a greater depravation of the Holy Sup- " per, or a greater contempt of Christ, than to say that thii *' holy Sacrament is celebrated for to make a commemora- " tion IN THE FIHST PLACE of the Virgin Mary, put- " ting Jmus Christ vtho is Gcd, and Eternal] Sonne of God, " and the Sole Redeemer of the Church, in an inferiour ranke? " Christ instituting his Holy Supper, said, Doe this in re- •• membrance of me - He said not, make commemoration of * It it evidfliit from wlmt foUon-t tbai tliir niui>l tw clk- tion, G/o»Vc delnjpu'son de D-.vid,—M"dck de PMrHe —■. Sanctu. s de CharUt. In tlie striiig f t.tles imni ',rl,idi iUese spechncns are taken, and whicJi o. c jpips ?- m or tlirte p»(r s, m: find those of Ifefugium Peccatorum and Regina Tmx- fiijirees admirably with the declanUon of Epiphanius, fn hiy argun^ent against the Colly ridiaus who worshipped the flfioiK, that not Ey£s the ANceis were i > be adored. The nvanner in which the Romish Writers setl to get rid of the evider.ce against the worship of the Virgin in the early Church, is one of many proofs which they aft; rd that there is no argument t|>o desperate to be maintained, i it be necessa- ry to the support of a favorite system. They endeavour to force upon their own minds and upon the world, a persuasion that all the objections of Epiphanius were directed against ir- regularities in the manner and degree of adoration— altho* there is no hint given of his having ever heard of a sort of worship really due to the Virgin--no trace afforded of any »uch distinctions ia Christian worship— ^nd tlic whole drUt 253 K.'.t, I of hJs argument from one enu :o the other is levelled against any worship to any other than God. See this amply shewn by Chillingworth in his Conference concerning the InfaUibili- ttf of the Roman Church ; where he points out also many cu- rions instances of an artful perversion practised by Pctavius (and another writer who still improves upon him,) in hi* translation of Epiphanius, in order to give his author an as. pect less unfavorable to the Church of Rome. The devout observers of the Virgin's Immacv .- Concep- tion would also by referring to this treatise find Epiphaniua incidentally contradicting the opinion upon which that festi- val is founded : Son tamen aliter genita est prater hominU naturam, ted. stent omnes, ex semine viri et utero tnulieris. Page 119 — "Cardinal Perron after the best use of " his wit and diligence to find out something to this purpose "within the three first Centuries, at last confesses, that in "the Authors who lived nearer to the Apostles' times no " footsteps can be found of the Invocation of Saints. But " when he gives this account of ft. That most of the writings " of Uiat time are lost, it makes us see what poor excuses bad " causes will drive the greatest wits to. For are not the " writings of Justin Martyr, Irereus, Clemens Alexandrinus. "Origan, Tertullian, Cyprian. Arnobius, Lactantius, and " others still extant, &c But it is well that we have the " confession of so great a man for the best ages of the " Church ; and not only so but he acknowledges withall, " That there is neither precept nor example for it in the Scrip'. " /«r«."— Stillinofleet's Grounds, Part S. Ch. 3. The senUments of the Fathers just enumerated may be judged of by two specimens Origen in hib 5. book against Celsus, speaking of Angels,* says that our ignorance of their nature makes it improper to address prayer to them, and that even if thjs objection were removed the practice would sUlI be unwarrantable, because it is thro' Christ who i$ above «|l • SUUio|flcet g'vcs ttic orijiwil pwMg« at lengtli. 254 'Angeli, that all our addresses must pau to the throne of Goil. And again, arguing upon a fanciful auppoiition that the heavenly bodies are intellectual beings, he renders the reason for not prayinp to them because " toe judge that m ought not to pray to them that prai/."-~lD. ibid! Thk Church then would not pray to them that pray. The Church now prays to them that they would pray— tliat they w ould exercise the very act which was held to dis- qualify thera as objects of Prayer. «« To the same purpose Arnobius speaks, when the Hea- " thens asked, Why they did not worship any Inferior Uods .' " The Supreme God, saith he, is sufficient for us. In wor- " shipping him, we worship all that is he intercession of thy "servant Leo this oblation may profit «*.'-Sthlimgflebt'3 Grounds, Part S. Ch. 6. This passage serves also to shew the nature and object of the antienl prayers for the dead.* " About the year 600 Gregory the Great out of all the « Litanies extant, composed that famous sevenfold Litany by "which, (it is said) Rome was delivered from a grievous " mortality ; which hath been a pattern to all the Western " Churches : and ours comes nearer to it, than that in the •♦present Roman Mi,snl, tvherein later Popes had put in the " Invocation of Saints, which our Reformers have justly ex- "punged."— Wmeatl.y om Comm. Pr. (treating or THE Litany ) " The subject of the Collect" (in our Litany) ««/o turn "fiom all ihote evils, 4c. or to sanctify all our troubles and "adversities, is taken almost word for word from the same " Repository, namely the Sacramentary ofGtegory the Great : " and whereas it was, q/ter hia time c rru^ted by inserting th^ " Intercession of Saints, this was not only expunged by our "Reformers,- but, as an Antidote to that com/;,/w», they "added this sentence. •' (irant that in all our troubles we "may put our whole trust and confidence in THY "MERCY."-Da. Busk', Sermom, at the Ro.« Chapel. There is a good account of the lives and exploits of ma- ny of the Sauits, in the Clavis Calendaria a late useful and amusing publication abridged from the Analysis of the Cal. endai by the same Author. • Which If the .iM that Stilllngflfct maki'* of it. !l 256 ii I ^ REUrS AND MIUACLES. pAOt »21. 2, li, md ^201 — •' Yka, and the water also »• wherein these rclicl- have been dipped, must with grt-at " reverence be reserved a« very lioly and efltitual. U this " agreeable to Saint Ciirytoatome, who writeth thu> of rcl- " icka : Do not regard the ailieg of the SaintH bodiex nor the " relicki of their flesh and bones consumed with time : but " ojien fbf^ oyea of thy Faitii, and behoJd them clothed with «I \, .cr- w, andthe qv..ce of the Holy Ghost, and *' ulufuitf ihe brightness t.f the Heavenly iiKht."_Ho»i. IMf AtiAINST PE«IL OF loOLATRt, PaRT S. "CoNSTANTius ofUcrod the body of Timothy to bo " brought from Ephesus, and those of St. Andrew and Saint " Luke from Achaia to Cop«"antinople ; and thus ( A. 356) " began the carrviv^ v>i Meii^uc^ frof placi to place. " It is observable that the Sainu whose exuvitF wrought ♦• so many miraclea in the fourth and following Centuries, " lost all their power or inclination to perform tl.sm at the "Reformation." — Jortin's Hemarks. Hbad of St. John the Baptist at Amient. " The keeper " of the Relique, replied that indeed mention was made of " several, (for perha >» he had heard that there were such at " St. John of Lyon, at St. John of Morienne, at St. John o( •' Angely in Saintonge, at Rome, in hpain, in Gennanv. "and in many other jilaces) but that this wasth^ genuine " Head ; and to prove his assertion he badt m oiiserve thp " hole which was in the skull, over the right eye, and wa< " the very hole which Her idias made with a knife, whrn i •- uead was brought to her in a Charger Colomies tjiio- TKD IN JuBTiM. Remarks arm %g out ot t'iose on A. D. S91. " EvxRY one know* th how many impostures these Rel- " i-^-'Cs are SMbject ut lo. Calvh , an eye witnease, in his "b. sj of Heliques, rifles tlm. when Geneva received *''o " Doctrine of thi' Gospel, the Reliquei were visited by ut- " thor'>v • " the Magistr te j and it v < found that what Uicy *'»>»• lunl } 257 " lM.d «or.I.ippcd to that very day as if it had bceno St. Pe- Crio """"'"" '"""""''""•"~^" ^^'''"'''' "««''3- _ 'DooTon ir..v,ucu,, famous amon,. .e Schoolcmon, mov«, th.. .,ue,tu,n, to wit, whether .f us the a.he. of the >on«« ot S.UU- are worshipped ; «o likcvise. when tho.o ^^ bone, or any oth^r Heliq.es arc turne.l into wormes. whe- thcrthcMe wormes mu.t h- worshipped or no? He e» '• reeme, that they muHt not he worshipped. Hut the Jesu- ue Vasquez checks hin. ruddy for it. Henricu. hi, upin. «o.., (sa.th h...) ia absurd and vaine, for it matter, not arter ' what manner the corruption he made &c. Wherefore we •• may worship the Kehques a, well under .he forme of the ' worme,, as under the form., of the A,he,."-lD. ,b,d ♦ ^nMu^.s, Page 8.. ,03, &c.~- Thh," (the uncontra- ^^ -ccountol Kuscbiu,) .< bring, the probahiiiry uf ""«cle8 down to the beginning of the .econd Century, ia Pl'etic g.»t, among«t us KVEN I STIL N(JW. And ' a.no»g.t these gifu be reckon, up u.uacuh.u, power,, aa •-eahng the s.ck, casting out evil Spirit,. 4c."-Jorti«', ^^ " If EBiua tentifie, that in h.s time there were some .len- der reman., oi nnraculou. gift, and power,. Speaking of .he miracle, of Chri,t. beheved by Chr.tian, upon M.ffi. . '•^'"' ''"^'''*'*' '"^ »J J» ■' Exqui^itu sane h«c a no ,i, explora- _<^e ,unt. ain-, quoque evidentihu. rebu,-quibu8 mso l>ommu, no,..r etiam .,unc u, quos chg„o« outawr.t exi- gua '^dum,u«virtuhs8ignaoM,nderecon.uevent. Ue- '•reltrard* won .''';''' "'"^"^' """^ ---^turc about and woaderiui .mage., to which p.igrin.ages had Parai.l^r '" "" "" ""^"^ "' """ ««••• ^"'- '^' »»«« "• ^ «.• HI. I ia_ 258 " wont to beniuJe. At Uoading they liaif an Angel's win^, " wliicli bruuglit over tlic npfur'n point that i^it-rceti our Su- " viour'8 hide : Oi many piuceit of the CroM wt-re found, a , "joined togc'tlier would ha<'e made a big cross. '1 'li! Rood " of (jrace ut Uoxlty in Kent had bcun much tHtctmed, and " drawn many pilgrima to it : it ha« been obi>crv(il to lnn\, " and roll its uyet', and look ut time* well pleiiiK'U ur angr) . " which the creilulooH multitude imputed to a divine pow tr *' hut oil thia was diacovercd to be a cheat, and it wn^ *' brought up to Saint Pauls Ctom ; and all the i>prings xrcrr *' opeidy Hhcwcd, that governed its several motions. Sever- " al ther such like impostures were discovered, which con- " tributttd much to the undeceiving of the people. ** Tns richest shrine in England wus Thomas Deckct's ot *' Canterbury, whose itory i» well known. After h<^ had lonj^ *• embruded England, and slicw ed thut he had a Spirit so " turned to faction, that he could not be at quitt, some ot " Henry the U's oHidous servants killed him in the Church " of Canterbury. Hu was presently canonized, uud held in " greater esteem than any other saint whatsoever ; io mucli " more was a martyr for the Papacy valued, than any thu' *' suffered for the Christian Religion ; and his altar drew far " greater oblations than those tlwt were dedicated to Chriot, *' or thu blessed Virgin, as appears by the accounts of two of " their yeur!<. In one, £3 .. 2 .. 6 : and in another, not a pen* " ny was offered at Christ's altar. There was in the one. «' i'63 ..').. 6 ;& in thu other £♦ .. I .. 8 oflfered at the blesstid " virgin's altar. But in these very ytars there was £632 .. 12 .. 3 « and £16i .. 6 .. 3 oftered at St. Thomas's altar. He had not '• only one holy day, the 29th December called his martyr- " dom ; but also the day of his translation, the 7th of JaU " was also a holy day ; and every fiftieth year there was u " Jubilee, and an indulgence granted to all that came and " ^isitetl Ihs Tomb : and sometimes there were believed to " be one hundred thousand pilgrims there on that occa^iioii. " It is hiud to tel! whether the hatred to his seditious pracli- 269 •' CM, or the l«vc of lu* hhrine, «« on King lUmy i„oru i.. " uniMiiit him. Hit ahrine was broken, niid the rdUI of it " wa* lo hi-avy that it HHcd Iwu chcnti, which took eight iiieii •' a piece to curry thtni out of the Cliurch : und hia ikuU *• which hud been no much womhipped, war proved to be un " imposture ; fur the true skull was wiili the rc«t ofliiu bone» "in his c.i(nn."--AnuiucjjsMENT o* Bumnet'* Hist. Ke*^. WORSHIP or IMAGES. AND OF THE CROSS. Pace 129, at tho bottom.— There is a remarkable hght thrown upon the expresaion used by the Apostle, Ileb. xi. 21 . by comparing it with Zech. viii. ♦. •« There shall yet old ♦• men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, und " every man xvilh hh ttajfin hU hand for very a^e." PAiiE 131 ami 132 — A vkhv great part of the 2. book of the Inbtitute» of Lactanlius is directed against Images as for- ming one of the characteristics of Paganism. 1 1 is argiimenU abstrarted from any question between Paganism and fhristi- anily, art: in themselves, in their own naked tbree, conclusive against the practice of the Chutcll of Rome. A few slij^ht specimens may be taken. Homines et nominie sui et rationis ohiiti, ©culos auos ah alto dejiciunt soloque defigunt ; atquetiment opera digitoruni suorum : quasi quicquam esse possit artifice suo maius.— Cap. 1. •' Adohast erg.i insensibilia qui senUunt : irrationabilia qui sapiunt : exanima qui vivunt : tcrrena qui oriuntur e ta;lo — Cap. 2. Si libcntcr errant etiam ii qui errare se sentiunt, quantO magis vulgus indoctum ! quod pompis inanibus gaudet ; aui- misque puerilibus spectat omnia ; oblectatur frivolis ; et spc^ cie umulochrorum capitm ; nee ponderare secum unamquan- que rem potest ut intelligat nihU cokndum esse quod oculi, moHaltluis cenatur, quia necesse est mortale sit.— Cap. 3. Doci-i religiones Dcorura triplici ratione vanas esse una. quod simulachra ipsa qu« coluntur ,J^giet sint hommum mot. H H 2 52GO n *uorum : eit aulpm porvcrsum ct incongnieuH \\t iimulaclirum hornini* i »iiTmlm.firo Dei colatur : colit cnim quod e«t dt-tc- riug et iinbecil!iu8.-.rAP. 17. Qua RE non est duhiuin qnin religio nulla ait uhicunquc si- mulaclirum est. Nam si religio i-x diviuiii rebus c»t ; divini aufcm nihil cat niii in caeiestibus rebu< : carent ergo nligioiu- siinulachra : qma nibil jjotest esse cielestc in cu re qutr fit c \ terr.V—CAi.. I«. iTBeems incredible that the RomnnistH should by any quib- ble be able to persuade themselves that the man who m rites thm, belonged bim«e!f to a system in which religious honoi was suffered und«r any pretence to be paid to images. The last of these extracts is made use of m the Hamil, «Raiml jieril of hh,latr,f ; in the succesKiVe parts of whid. the question of image-worship.-altho' the exposure is somr thmg coarse and stem according to (he manners of the timrs and the then existing degree of mipor«tition,~is very com- pletely disposed of. The falsclufHd of the diKiinction between an Idol and an Image* is first shewn. The clear testimonies of Scripture are then produced. These are succeeded hy proofs of the practice and sentiments of the early Churtli, drawn fVom Iren«.us, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, Lac^ tanlms, Cyril, Epiphanius. Ambrose. A ugu>tln, and Jerome, (all of whom flourisched within the first four Centuries.) ai well as from the ecclesiaMical hisiory «f EmAnm. Tlur. follows an historical deduction of the use of Images in ti.o Church, in the course of which it is shewn that Fope Crego- xy the great, about the year «(X),~altho' he blamed tho^e whose zeal prompted them to l,renk the images, and thought that they ought be suJU-red, yet reprobated the i,lea of that worship addressed to them which surely he might have forc- • Thrrs ii« iroai .liHinriion bfivrren iIm. ohjeeh wof«l.lpp..,| ihr..'lli« i.lo> o, l«.tt«« ; o,Kl i. Im. b«.„ r„.|«.»o„r«l to make i\w sam. di».inr.Km brlw.*n ll.e l.nBgw of fluUi nnj .I.e ««,„„ „,., „,r Inmjr. ol UIm ,{„.K by ralHng .he l«urr idol,. W|«„„ ,„ Uul „mJ an ImaRe are Om «.n.« (biiig : and are in thtmuht* liiodwUtiltte at meJium« ofttdorniion. i 261 teen :• and that Asia and Greece were pure from ihii aupc-r- •tition (or nearly 7()0 j . ars after Chriht. Tlu- spirit of the Popes who aftcrwartls n.ainiained image- worHhip. and iho Jer- mcnt. and calaniiti.s to which it gave riK-, i« «kttclKd with much iflict. And lastly, the various sophisnm arc exposed by which It hax beta attempted to defVnd the prartice. With respect, in particuhir, to the.testinionv of F pipha- nius who informs us that " when he aaw the Image i)*' a nuui '• hanging up in a Church contrarij, to the authority, of the ''hulif Scriptures, he presently rent it, and rrdcreil the " Churchwardens to make use of it as a winuing-^luet for "some poor mans burying [w"" it i. fully acknowledge.! by '• the famous Dupin who wju. himself of the Hon.i.h Comnm- "nionand Doctor of the SorbonneCwJ" "that I piphaniu. " condenmed the use of Images in t hurclus, and that such "practicen were r»H/,«ny to the Ihcnrncvrd tiiscplinr, of «• which Epiphanius cn,n)t "that doctrine. He "allows it to he genuine [w]"... WlIEATLKY ON TIIH CoMM. I'/l. AND UabNAOB IN A IMS- SAGE TRANSLATKO MY JoHTIN. •• P«TAviu.s+ and SiRMf.vDuntho' Jesuits, ackuowledgo" the same thing — JonTjM A. D. .'J88. "MiNiTius I'Ei.ix. who wrote about the yeare of our " Lord 20H, in his Dialogue intituled Octnvius, saith. Crnces *' nee colimm, nee optamm .- We neither worship Cromes. nor "wish for them. And Ambrose in his Oration upon the ** death of Iheodosius, speaking of Ilellen, mother of Con- • Tlw l«iifri of (Jri-fory upon lUU oc««*ion may b« *frii nme at !»in|ili III Jwiln (hail in iii« Homily. t r»(ii*iu. woiil.l not iuiTK aoknowlfsltnl man itun h« cmiitt ha\p, Wp liflvp almidy i,.ul o«vi»lu., iq nuilce bU HikingrauouiutM ii' tlit iraot- iaiigii of tlii$Trry t'mUvt, ti « JH I- 262 "atantine: Hellen found the title,* slice worsliippeii tlic " King, and not the wood : becauae it is a Pagan errour, and "an impious vanity. But aheu worshipped him who had " becnc hanged upon the wood."— Du Moulin, Book 3. CH. 48. Th 12 Church of Rome is not quite so guarded. Tlic f«il- Jowing njost extraordinary address to the Cross is used on Good Friday, and is thus introduced. The Cross is first par- tially uncovered— then more—and then fully displayed— Each time are used the words Ecce lignum trucis, (U«o' it is usually oUilver) with the response Veiiitc atlorimus. V^uri- ous pnwtrations and ceremonies are interposed and added, and there is a short supplicatory address made in iireri. Al- ter which and some coraplainu against the .lews, follows Uic hymn. Crux ft Jtlis inter omncs ArtK>rett una nobilis Nulla sjlva tuieiu prufcrt Fronde, jUtre germine : Dulce lignum. iMcct tlavo* Duke |K)udu» liuitinot. Dc psrcntii prutoptaili Framle Factor condoleni. ^usiido ponii noxiali^i MorsH in mortem corruit, ^se liiiMum tunc notavit Damnn ut ii^-ni «olvcrct, Flct '■ ramos srtwr ulta Ttnsa laxn vufcra Et viifor IcmcM-at ille V,!iit!in dcJit nHtivitu* Ut Miperni mentbra Regit JMUi tcudsa tHjtUe &c. Pope, in one of tliose letters oHcnsive alike to good tas»tt •nd good principles which some of his friends thought pro|Kr to publish, asks this question of Jus correspondent : t " Amidst • TlK' intintion nl to Pfoi«tanti»m in Po,,),li coun- trJft, but e tonforniiiy to liahomeiatiUm lit lltt Turki.ii Empire, wLicli latt sniicpaaoD wa* •ctu«EI> fulfilled. li i '1 262 " the pomp of high mass, n,„i!hc ravhhtHg trills of a Sufidai/ " op,„i, what did you think t.r the doctrine and iliscipline of «♦ tho Church of Englan.l > had you from your heart a rove- " rtoce for StrmheKl ami [r..j,ki,,.s:-'"_13„t aJtho ^^v are stii! unprovided with 5uci. a natiou.d psahnody as n,if,'ht bfe di'«i. rcd.» and altho' it k u .Tpruach to a nation whi.h hn« pri«ts. Lactamtius indeed sf emu to havp carried his opinion oi simplicity, a* being necesMfy to a spiritual worship, go far u» to diwippiove of any thing to,tly in the serv;^ ■ of (Jod : •• Non plaeebs*! Fcrsio, quod aurea vasa tciupli^ infcran. •ppllPdlion 10 any ohjitti hui tho ffo«. li U hnw to r«M))v« hII thii in- to a >;onlu.ioii «l iJtu», ttiiU a netgloct ut Uii? ruleri of efimjto»liiu!i. II 265 "tur, Bupervacuura putanti, esse intci- religionw, quod non " wmcUtatig, 8cd avaritia; ait instrumentum. Ula enim saUiu " est Deo, quem recte colaa, inferre pro munere, " Cumpoiitum jiw, faaq.,,. aoimi, «anfloique receuu* " Menii», ci Incoctunt neneroM pteiut lionwio. " EgMgie, tfiq>ieiiterque sensit."— Id. ibio. c. 4. BtT while we condemn, according to tiie Utie of one of our Honiiliet. the " superfluou. decking" of Churchei. we are to exercise our dincretion in providing, according to the tiUe of another, for the.'. " comely adi.rning f and we are at lib- erty, Burely, to gratify our zeal lo. giinplicity by some .uch reflections as these wliich follow. "S.B Edwin Sa»ds, I presume, every man will gront, iMid noincUnaiionthatwayj" (to go over to the Church of Home) •« yet he, forty yearn .ince, highly commended this "• purl of Devotion in P«pi«ta, and makes no scruple of pro- " poiimg it to the Imitation of Protestants. Little thinking *• that they who would follow his counsel, and endeavour to '• take away this disparagement of Pirotestanis, and this glo. •• rying of Papists, should have beeu censured for if, as ma- ♦' kmg way aud inclining to Popery. His words to this pur- " psac are excilleni words ; and because they shew plainly, •• that what U now practised was approved by zealous Pro- '• te»tafiU lo long ago, I will here set them down ; " This one thing I cannot but highly commend in that • aort and ordw : They spare nothing which either Cost can "perfurm in enriching, or Skill in adorning the Tem| of '• God ; or to set out his Service with the greatest Pomp and 'I Magnificence tiiat can be devised. And although, for tho " wost part, much baseness and childishness is prcdomhiartt "w the Mastera aiul Contrivers of //i«> Ceremonies, yet thia " outward state and glory being weU disposed, doth ing.nder. I' quicKen, mcrease. and nourish the inward Ueverence, Hcs- " pect, aud^evotion which is duo unto Sovereign M..jc»iy " and Power. Arid although I am not ignoran. that n.au- i I li ■Sfe*;,ttd of lminbt(> pre- lemionii may often flud ibetf tlK>uglii» lo Imve beta foretiallrd by iliuw wl«b wUom U i« grtttlfyiofi to coincide afeu at ilie ripence of (he credii of • tuppoMd dii(»»ery. TIm »ery len from wl.icli aii itrituroent ii \mi> druwii by Sir E. Handu, ium ofteii iiruclc n» a« conveying ilw tmmt Iriaoii. The thoughis also wbielt appear io page 140 of tin foregoing kuer are nf 1 much older birUi tlian my aciiuaiiiiuuce witb lue wriiingi on iIm oiuis tttbieet in (be (tuarteriy KcvirK, 4;c. 267 »• would CMiJy, liy the want of Ft, bo brought to confcM ; for •' which cause I crave leave to be excused by them herein, if " in Zeal to the common Lord of all, I choo»e rather to com- *' mend the vertuc of an Enemy, than to flatter the Vice and " rrobecilily of a friend."~CiiiM.iK!acc8. " I MUikT cunfeM, I am not moved by ifio reanon allcdged *• hy ncveral modcinn, that «iich prohiliitions tend to keep iip " a due re«i>cct for Religion. A blind t 'Hpect luits only a " AIsc Religion founded on fables and fri >So' h supcretitiont'. *' True Religion, the better it it knowc, the nion- it w^U be ** reverenced. On the contrary ever since the pnnulace liat.'i " been accustomed to hear prayers at Church in a language " UTiknowt) to them, they havo lost the >!. ^rc of receiving iii- " struction ; and their ignorance hath even taught them tu " think diat they stand in need of no instrnrtioit ; whilst they, " who though ignorant, havo good natural abilities, are temp- " ted to entertain nojavotable opinion of the thingi tuhich are ** so induttriomly concealedj'rom {/je>|i."— In. IBio, " This Orison, is to be said in secret, with a deafe mutter- '* ing voyce, which is almost a silence, and not thii« 'nayer " only, but also a great part of the Masse, especially the *' words whereby the Consecration is made. It wa4 not " enough to have the Masse said in an unknowiio tongue ; it *• behutred also fnr to cover it the better, and kcepe them that *• are present farther off" from the urulerstandii-i' of what is •' said in it, it behoved, I say, to mutU'r it so low, that the "* Priests voyce may not be heard." — Du Moulin, Book y. C'sl. t. " Our adversaries doe confewe that in the Ancient Church, '* all was said in an intelligible voyce : After the Prayer of *' tlm Priest, the people did answer Amen : As S. Hieronio •' saith in his Preface upon the '2. Bookc of tho epistle to the " Qalatians, tliat in Rome the Amen of the people resounds *'Jike a Heavenly Thunder." — Id. ibio. There are many other antient authorities to the same ef- fect. About the year £60 Uie JEmpcror Justinian issued au ^\ '] 271 •utlioritotiveii^^mMior requiri..- the Clergy to oP-^atc in an •udiblo vuiceihut tboicrv. . .ght be untlmk uU by ibc f^xthfuJ. No lecret p, .yers ..u uwd in the Grttk or Oricn- mJ Churches. CELIBACY OF THE CLERGY. Papee- *• dily to the succour of Uiaf Citie where his bones doe lye, *' and of the t'burcli which particularly is rommittt d unto *• him. And saith that it is he that made the French to cb- •' taine so many victories : and declareth . that the French " Nation is dearer unto him than all the nations in the world. " He promises to make them victorious every wherfe and to " be their patron and protector at the day of judgment, and *' to gfve them eternal salvation. But in case they should ** not come to the succor of Rome and of her Bishop, he de- '* nounceth unto them the eternall torments, and to be cast " headlong into hell with the devils. These letters of St. *' Peter sent from Heaven to King Pepin by the Pope Ste- *' ven his meanes, are to be seene whole and entire in Baro- •' nms Annals, in the year of our Lord 755." — Dv Moulin, B, 2. C. 7. " This doctrine, (of the promiscuous and unequal distri- " bution of good and evil in the present state, ) ^eems to have " been quite forgotten when the Bishops and Popes so auda- " ciously employed temporal promises to engage Princes to " protect them ; as, amongst others, Pope Stephen did, when ** he wrote a letter to the French King, in the name of St. " Peter." — Fleury Disc. Eccles, Hist. Page 197 — Title of Pope, &c —" In those days the "Bishop of Nazianzum (a petty Town in Cappadocia) was " an High Priest (so Gregory calleth his Father.) And the *« Bishop of a poor City in Africk is styled Sovereign Pontiff " of Christ, most blessed Father, most blessed Pope : and the '•* very Roman Clergy doth call St. Cyprian most blessed and " most glorious Pope ; which titles the Pope doth now so " charily reserve and appropriate to himself." — Barrow's Treatise, p. 634. 281 I^ the I-Ion.Ily against Peril of Idolatrv. 2. patt. there i, .n extract from St. Jerom i„ .hich speaking of En ph , J he calls him Pope Epiphanius. ^^-r-puaniu. " ArlhTJr"" ''T •" ''' '"'^^ ^P'^' -- »'^« title of Archb«hop was nnknown: th.y were called only Bishops of Rome and of A lexandria, as well a« nf .»,„ n ■ ««„„,i.i n- I ... '. ^" "'*<•' the smallest city ; and the B..hop« ... the.r letterstreated «ach other as bre- threnwitha perfect equality, as it appears from the In- scnptions of the letters of Cyprian."~FLEt;RY Disc Ec CMS. Hist. ' I AGE 207, 8, &C.~REStSTANCE TO THB PoPE IN Ito- >nsH Cou.Tni..s. "On that day" (the Thursday before faster) -the Pope doth ,he. himself to the people of Rome .n the place of St. Peter, mounted upon an high ;;e^vated open place having two Peacocks t'ayles at ll eares There, he fulmmates the excommunication con- ;; ta-ned m the Bull. De CcBna Domini. &c. &c.... ^^ which excommunication strikes and smites dirmlTou*; Kmff3. who, because they take tythe, upon the Clergy of " !lTZrr7 '"" ^'^-^-t-^''- by the Pope with "cLrlTfu r' '"•'"'" excommunication that the ^^ Church of Rome hath. It is to be presumed that the Ab- solution which is pronounced at the tayle of this e> commu. "leat'T?"' ^^^ *"«--»- that doe repent, and that ^^ eaye off those smnes which they are excommunicated for. It ,s not then for our Kings : For they continue to lerie these tythes."->Du Moi;tiN, B. 3. Ch. 45. Page 69. 124, 197. 198, SOO-Applica/ion of 2 Thes temple of God shewmg that he is God." It was the opinion o» the Fathers m general that this was .ome corruption to anse .,./.„ Me Churck. Non enim, say. St. AugustCm! « PA^t ^'^''' ""^ "^""''^^ '' '^ "^^^'^ ^^^ - the margin Papa non esx homo. Your glass upon Uic Pope « own f ' 1 J? li ^^^S»^^:.JLmi.vmt^iS^mmmA»t^ "*#^i li,' * . 282 m, " Clementines alledgcth the«c words out'of one of your lUIonr- " ed poets Papa stupor mundi : and again Ncc Deus es ntc *' homo: i/itaxi neuter es . Icr utrumqut." " ConNBi L's Bishop of Bitonto in the Council nt Trent, *' held under Paul HI. said Quis erit tarn iujutlus rertttn asli' *' malar, gut non dicat, Poj»» ^v,x vcnit in mtindum scd liil- *' exerurt homiue* /ancbras mrrgis quhm /ucem ?" THEi,E extracts are taken liom the notes upon Campbell's transifltion of .Tewell, where more of the same kind may be seen. And if we add to thciu those of which some specimens are given after Barrow in page 198 of the foregoing letter, — if we remember also, as Bp. Newtton has pointed out, that the Pope in the ceremony of his inauguration treads upon the altar of God, and there receives the homage of the Cardi- nals, — wd cannot avoid seeing a very literal fulfilment of the propl>ecy, indepeodently of those powers chimed by the I'opc which fur transcend all power committed to men. Pagjs yio — The illegality and irregularity, under every point of tiew, ol" the Council of Trent, considered as a re- presentation of the Church Catholic, is shewn in Jewell's A- pdogy Sect. 10 ; and more at large in Stillingfleet's Grounds Part a. Ch. 8. He challenges his opponent to shew that the Protestants, who were prejudged Heretics, and therefore ex- eluded, could be so pronounced by the previous decrees of any General Council. And with respect to the Greeks who were said to have " excluded themselves by their notorious Schism," he asks " Might not the Greeks (if fhey were in *' condition ) every whit as well hold a General Council among themselves, and say, The Latins had excluded themselves by their notorious Schism ?"—He shews also the injustice done even to Romish Countries in the meagre representation of thgt Council. The following excellent passage is from another part of the same work : Page \.\, 50, 51, 52, 217, 218—" The enquiry was con- " cerning the true Church on whose judgment one might till 283 " safely depend in Kcliffi.m i» . . " ,ln,l »„ I 1 "C"g'on. It seems, two wore propoun. (led to coiuidcrulion, the (im-k n.ul .1 i> . «/-■-„ I I I It virtiK ond tlic Roman: the Cireelc was rtjected 6i 'uie it hn^ j r. "follow* M.nril, I ^t'^th^d erred: From whence it follow*, that th.. d.*pute concerning ,ho trml, of Doctrine must necc..ar.ly ,rec.ie that of the Church : For by ^ ;;.;.e.heraChurchLherr;d:t;rr;^:::^ whether she .nay he relyed on or no. Which bein! ;; ted a„ the whole Fahrick of your .o^i:;:^^^ for hen. f.rst. Men -ust be infallibly certain of the ground of fa.t antece ently to the testimony of the Church : for .f they be to judge of a Church by the Doctrine, they must '.a order to such a jue Komanists and ourselves. UiB Infallibilhy of ibe Reman Cliurch. L 1.2 (li l-jii -"rfTjg - ah':-^^^. -* ill vl • i H r " n m iui m 'ri*>|iail-'-liii^ aam^^ATA. N. B—As there nrc some of the Ermta which h.ippen material 1. to affect the sense and spirit, or the correct style of the passoues in ..hich they occur, the Reader is requested to alter them for hL^elf before entering upon the task of perusal. P. 4. at the bottom, f#r in Ihc unwelcome strife, read .« thi, unwelcome itrife, P. 5, near the top, for far from equal advantage vt^A far from tahtng equal advantage P. 6 last line, for partizens read parlizans. P. 7 towards the bottom, for and not of the head read and not of the heart. p. 8, near the bottom, for calm and bold martyr r^Amlm andholu viartyr, ^ P. 13, towards the bottom, (otpiottt and virtuous Uamr * --ead pious virtuous, and learned. * do. for theri^ is nnt nu,e ^ns'^H.^'d r^nd there is not that awe eneen- dered, * P. 14. below the middle, for / know tliat Uiere is truth read //«/ that there is truth. ^ P. 15, second line, for the imputation read that imputation, P. 16, for Ignosccs petimus read Ignoscaa petimus. dp. towards the bottom, for M, ohject is simply to your challenge read My object is simply to meet your challenge. ^ SO. last line, for cannot but, know he urns j ead cannot but know that he was. " P. 23, below the middle, for not the least concerned read not in the least concerned. p. 25, towards the bottom, for and most dispassionate read and a most dispassionate. , \ 56, near the top, for^r««< you with a comparison to it reaj pre. h •I I J/ 'u^f'IfOC:,: .. iW^ w >'. ^86 sent you wilh a companion to it / and for disgraced the contest read disgraced the contests. P. 28, upper part, for And 4tc. and Knowing (Jc. read and ^c. and knowing 8fc, , ' do middle, for set him on the bench read set him on the same bench. P. 31, middle, for in the struggle caused road in the struggles earned. P. 32, in the note, hr Th^ '^'-'ond of those passages re&A The second of these passas^"' p. 35, near the bottom, for amelioration of measures read amelioration ^manners. P. 36, in the note, for Cent XVII. read Cent. XVIII. p. 39, middle, for Their is read There is. P. 45, for Ilfaut les apprendre read // faut lew apprendre. P. 46. upper half, for or have you ever read the letter read — Or have yoii ever read t/te letter, and for or are you aware read— Or are you aware. P. 47, last line, forwtu not written by anticipation, read was not writ' ten by anticipation, P. 48, upper half, for immured in moral darkness read immersed in moral darkness and for in idolatry, read in idolatry, P. 49, near the top, for popular declaration read popular declamation, P. 55, near the top, for experimental ejects read experimental effect. P. 5«, towards the bottom, {or all that is necessary to our ueljaie read all that it is necessary to ' ur welfare. P. 59, last line, for we, stand of/^il veaJ «.<. •/<>«// nvfall. P. 62, second liiie, for points out all the riches read pours out all the riches. do. in the notes, for horto and scripturis read horlo et scripturis. P. 67, at the bottom, for maintained such principle read maintained such a principle. P. 69, near the bottom, for the origin of Romish Institutions read the origin of Monkish InstitutionSi P. 7', conclusion of the first parag. for principles of sound doctrines read principles of sound doctrine. P. 72, near the bottom, for application of the text read applieation of the test. Ao. last line, (In some of the Copies) for outward and visible read the outward and visible. P. 74, middle, for Sacrament ofPetumce ? read Sacrament of Penance : 287 amelioration ■» otti all the ^' lilT'^'' '"'' ""' '"' ""' '"■ '^^-'•'^'VW. read aM P. 79 upper half, for ware clenchedfaU read ,... clenched fast. do. do. for communication has bee^t r-..« read communication has been opened. P. 8J„ towards the bottom, for We-. ■...-,, o . ^^^^ ' -•-»-e„o &C/S read Jrer* »io do nearer the bottom, for ullimalely condemn read ««^r^ condemn P. 84, below the „,iddle. for We male the .ame ans.2 read H^ niaA-e the same answer. P. 85 middle for your explanation of the sul>ject read your c^plana. tton of this subject. P. 86, below the middle, for To us this is decision, read To us this is de. ciswe. P. 88. in the note, for Many persons have prejudice read Many per- sons have a prejudice. ^ ^ p. 99, for ]. Corinthians verse 16. read 1. Cor. x. i(i P. 100, towards the bottom, for popular summary ^ay read popular and summary u^ay ; and, above, for .„rf ./ the fourth Centura read end of the fifth Century. ^ P. 101 in the note, for This in the Homilies, ^c.is applied read Thus m the Homilies, i^c. it is applied. P. ^°2' «ear the top, for divide at the threshold of Enquiry read divid. (d the threshold of the Enquiry. P. 108, in the note,for;,«..3/n.^ American, ^e. read page in first American, 4c. P. 109, in the note, for wUlins lo appeal to its authority read willing appeal to Its authority. , ^ ^' 'read"/'" 7'' '"". '" *'""' '" '''" '^^"^''^ '^'"^ ^/ ''»' ^^^-^A read j/;^^ the opposite tense of the Church ''r.r ";/'"""' '"'' '''^'"*^'"''^" '^ ^— •- read . ^fwAw «//<«. Communion. H' / i. ,.^9«S45a*Si, ^J .288 I: ■ P. 192, upper half, for attumed by their own fredectuor read auit- med by their own predeceuort. P. 199, near the top, for political intrigue read politic intrigue. p. 205, near the top, for Crusadert read Crusades, P. 206, 11 the last note, for the great poiiUs amoim the Romish Wri- ten re?id the great point* «•. Japute among the Romish Writers. J». 214, in the nota -'^er {A. D. 787,) read, in support of the Worship of Jmi>6'** P. 220, in the note, for put in the mouth, read, put into the mouth. P. 226, near the bottom, for " in his prcemiun, ^c. read " in his proce- mium, &c: P, 248, near the top, for in cuchiridio cap read inenchiridio cap. do. near the miiddle, for and subjoins his orisons read subjoins his orisons. P. 2S4, for reverence to all that require it read reverence to all that re- quires it. P. '265, near middle, for to gratify our zeal read to qualify our zeal. P. 266, near middle, for to other most bountiful read to others most bountiful. P. ZT I, {or Sagomen read Sozomen. P. 272, for Dii Patemi read Dit Patronu » 3k >r read auu- Urigue, Romith Wri' tiih Writers, fthe Worthip Uie m&uth. " in hit proa- idio cap. d tubjo'ns flit to all that rc' alify our zeal. 9 others most k