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communion, but those who before had no visible connection with her. Now this is what we see going forward at the present time. To this part of the process, as well as the other, we would call the attention of our prophets. Let them mark, not only the coming out from the Church of Rome, which is now going forward; but the entering into the Church of Rome, which we may soon expect to see as if not only the people of the Lord were gathered out, that they may NOT receive of her plagues, but that his enemies, of many a name, may enter in, that they may have their share of them. Nay, the Scriptures shew us the precise way in which this may be expected to happen; and in which, in fact, it is happening now. They "believed not the truth," says the Apostle; and therefore they shall believe a lie." (2 Thess. ii. 11, 12.) Thus the two things go together: the not believing the truth, as the offence; and the strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, as the punishment. Now mark how this prophecy, for a prophecy it is, has been realized amongst ourselves. The truth has been preached: long, earnestly, preached amongst us; but not received: They believed not the truth." Then comes the threatened punishment. begin, amongst us, to recommend, to palliate, to receive, the Popish delusion: They believe a LIE!!!"-The signs of this approaching consummation have been various and unequivocal. A prime minister tells us in his speech, that the question of Catholic emancipation is merely one of politics or expediency, and that religion has nothing to do with it. An archdeacon tells us in his Charge, that the one church has all the true doctrines of Christianity, as well as the other. Periodical publications, pretending to be Protestant, systematically palliate or vindicate Popish doctrines. Mock-liberal orators do the same, in advocating Catholic emancipation: nay, one writer tells us, that the Reformation was a mere delusion. British officers are tried by a court-martial, sentenced, and cashiered, for refusing or hesitating to render idolatrous honour to Popish festivals. Professed members and ministers of the Church of England oppose the circulation of the Scriptures by Popish arguments. The peculiar doctrines of Christianity are, on all sides, qualified or curtailed, so that their decided opposition to Popery is rendered less discernible. The constitutional barriers against Popery are gradually weakened, as a preparation for a grand attack, which is at once to beat them down. The Papists are insidiously permitted to organize their forces, and the nation is insidiously deprived of its means of resisting them, previous to the publication of the project. Preachers begin to feel their way, and throw out ideas, in the pulpit; especially those addressing the more educated of the London congregations; amongst some of

which there is perhaps greater ignorance of the true principles of the Reformation and of the Gospel, than in any part of England. Thus one thing follows another, till at length the truth, the fact, the ghastly fact, stands naked and not ashamed before us, that an attempt is to be made, not only to give the Catholics political power, but once more to mingle light with darkness, once more to confound the limits of truth and falsehood, once more to unite the Church of England and the Church of Rome.

Our author's fifth object is, to impugn and set aside certain Protestant principles, by which such a re-union is opposed. That, for instance, which maintains, that the Scriptures are sufficient for salvation, and a final appeal in all matters of controversy: or, as it has been often expressed, that "the Bible, and the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants.”

Now, since all these divisions are opposed to the precepts of the Gospel; since they are caused by diversity of opinion; and since, of those opinions, only one can be true, and the rest must be false, it is clear that, if we can discover the one which is true, we are bound, as Christians, by an indispensable obligation, to renounce the false and adopt the true, that the unity of the church may be restored. It would seem, therefore, that nothing more is needed to heal those breaches, by which Christ is thus unholily divided among us, and to collect the disciples of the Gospel into one body again, than the discovery of some criterion which may instruct us of the nature of our several opinions, and make manifest the true and expose the false. Does such a criterion exist?Every member of every sect will immediately answer in the affirmative, and direct an appeal to the Scriptures. Unhappily, owing to the perversity of the "ignorant and the unstable," whom St. Peter has described as "wresting the Scriptures to their own destruction," this is only directing us to the source from which the author of every schism has pretended to derive his opinions, and to which he trusts for the arguments that may justify his dissent. In the Bible we are presented with the charter of our redemption; but divisions have arisen respecting the interpretation of that charter; and what the Christian world, at the present moment, requires, is some certain criterion by which the right interpretation may be distinguished. pp. 21-23.

The general tendency of the passage is obvious. Our readers will observe, however, that the main force, and the main fallacy of it, lies in the word "only:" "This is only directing us to the source from which the author of every schism has pretended to derive his opinions." As if, in turning to the Bible, we find such a source as this, and NOTHING MORE: NOT the source of truth. As if, when we seek some sure rule of faith, that rule is not, in the Scriptures, to be found. Hence the author infers, that the Christian world, at the present moment, requires some certain criterion, to determine how we are to interpret them. He then proceeds:

Does such a criterion exist?—I think there does. Christ has promised that he will not forsake his church. "Behold, I am with you always unto the end VOL. III.-NO. II.

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of the world;" and most miserably would that promise have failed, if he had abandoned those who are sincere and faithful lovers of the truth, to stand bewildered amid the din and the confusion of conflicting sentiments, without possessing any means of obtaining certainty respecting them.

But if there is such a criterion, where is it to be found?-We are led to it by an article in the Apostles' Creed. In that venerable abstract of Christian doctrine, you profess your belief in the holy catholic church: I need not say that the word "catholic means "universal:"-the sense of this article of our Creed then is, that we will admit every doctrine and institution to be of apostolic authority which has been univerally, that is, at all times and in all places, semper et ubique, received in the church of Christ. A very few moments' reflection will enable us to perceive the reasonableness of this admission; and when once made, it supplies that very criterion which is needed. It affords the means of attaining a satisfactory conclusion respecting all those controverted points on which the Christian world is divided. pp. 23-25.

The very language of Romanism! as all who are conversant with Roman-Catholic writers will at once perceive. And thus Popery has its advocates, its open, undisguised advocates, in the ministry of our Church! Again, as to the authority of tradition, as equal, or paramount, to that of Scripture:

In fact, it is on the evidence of this very consent that we receive the several compositions that form the canon of the New Testament. They have been in every place, and in every age, received by the church, as of apostolic authority; and we, therefore, admit them, because their apostolic authority is proved by the infallible evidence of this universal consent: and when we can plead the same universal consent of the church in favour of any institution or doctrine, it is only reasonable and just to demand that it be received with the same implicit reverence which is paid the Scriptures, because its claims on the attention of the Christian world are supported by the same infallible testimony.

The reasonableness of this test being once admitted, we are afforded a certain criterion for the decision of all our controversies. It will first enable us to distinguish the form of government instituted by the Apostles.-If we depend on the New Testament alone for our information on this subject, it is impossible that we should ever arrive at any conclusion. We find from scattered intimations in the Epistles, that some uniform mode of internal discipline was established in every church, though we are unable to collect from them the particulars of that discipline; but if we refer our doubts upon this subject to that reasonable test of truth afforded us in the practice of the universal church, no uncertainty will any longer remain. pp. 28-30.

Now there are many bad things besides in the sermons now before us; and perhaps it is well when such sentiments take courage, and come out, But we have a higher object in view; and must proceed to say a word or two upon the present state of things, and to shew what is now at work.

In the eventful occurrences of the last few months, perhaps the most extraordinary feature has been a grand discovery: a discovery of designs, and of character. The secrets of many hearts have been revealed. And we have not yet ceased to hope, that men have let themselves out, without entirely gaining their end. Our Protestant Church, a bulwark that seems originally to have been raised up of God, may yet prove not to have been

wholly forsaken of God. How far approaching events will bear us out in this view, we cannot pretend to divine. Such, however, is our present impression.-In particular, there has of late been a remarkable discovery of Popery: a discovery of its existence, in quarters where most persons had no suspicion of it; and a discovery of its character, in its intrigues, in its effrontery, in its restless activity, in its persevering ambition, in its virulence, in its immutability. In this discovery we rejoice, because we regard it all as in course of the fulfilment of prophecy." Then," says St. Paul, "shall that Wicked" (or that wicked one) "be REVEALED, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:" as if, to the consumption and destruction of the evil, the revealing of it were a necessary preliminary. We are glad, then, of its coming out, in the hope that this may lead to its removal. Most singularly, indeed, has it of late been discovered, to those at least who were not aware of it, what a hold Popery has always had, what a secret influence it has always exercised, in the midst of us. This has appeared, both by repeated avowals of popish sentiments, each more distinct, each more unqualified than the last, amongst ministers of our own church; by the sudden acts of some persons in authority amongst us, betraying deliberate designs; and especially by the remarkable detection of the mode of appointing the titular bishops of Ireland, not so very long since brought to light. Popery, it is now clear, has maintained a standing interest in the midst of us and there seems great reason to suspect, that of those who appeared lately to change without any reasons for changing, except such as have existed, some of them in far greater force than at present, for years, many have not changed at all; but have only avowed now, sentiments which they have long felt, but which they have discovered at the present juncture, because, as they conceived, falsely we yet trust, the time was come.

As to a reunion between our church and that of Rome, it cannot be, without altering the nature of things. For, first, consider the general character of Protestantism. Protestantism is opposition to Popery, in its very nature. Suppose there were no dispute, suppose there were no apostate form of religion, suppose there were no Popery, then Protestantism would subside into its original character of the pure religion of the Gospel, without conflict, without controversy. But, Popery manifesting itself, and coming out in its true character, then pure religion begins to protest against it, and so becomes Protestantism. Thus Protestantism is pure Religion militant: Protestantism is pure Religion, forced into an attitude of warfare,

offensive as well as defensive. Protestantism is pure Religion taking to herself the whole armour of God, that she may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Thus Protestantism can never, continuing Protestantism, be united with Popery; the two being different in their nature: nay, not merely different, but opposite: nay, not merely opposite, but hostile and irreconcileable.

Such being the general character of Protestantism, let us consider, secondly, the particular character of the Church of England. The characters of both are one. View our Church independent of Popery, and we see her holding forth pure religion, in her articles, in her homilies, and in her formularies: so that no person who does not maintain evangelical truth in its purity, even though he hold an office in her ministry, can really be a member of her communion. But view our Church in the position which she actually occupies, and we at once see her opposed to Popery by every pledge, in every feature of her character. We entreat our readers to mark this circumstance. It will be evident on examination, and this is what we are about to shew, that the whole of her formularies, the whole of her written doctrines, constitutions, and documents, were framed, fashioned, and put together, in the steady, unremitting, determined spirit and purpose, of contradiction, opposition, and hostility, to the abominations of Popery. It will be worth our readers' while, especially our clerical readers, to go briefly through with us, while we now shew this to be the fact. Our design is to shew our Church's marked and systematic opposition to Popery, and, consequently, the utter impossibility of uniting

the two.

To begin with the HOMILIES. Several of these, wholly or in part, are expressly directed against particular errors of the Roman-Catholic religion. Both parts, for instance, of the first homily of the First Book, entitled, "A fruitful Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledge of the Holy Scripture," are directed against the popish practice of withholding the Bible from free and general circulation among the laity. This appears by the very marginal notes, setting forth the contents. For instance, The Holy Scripture is a sufficient doctrine for our salvation :" Holy Scripture ministereth sufficient doctrine for all degrees and ages:" "Vain excuses dissuading from the knowledge of God's word:" "God leaveth no man untaught, that hath a good will to know his word:" "No man is excepted from the knowledge of God's word," &c. How different all this from the sentiments of the Church of Rome, and from those of the work now before us, as cited above, upon the same subject! The

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