nation of such offenders is pronounced by the apostle Paul, "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be anathema."

But to those who know the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and its utter aversion from sin; to those who believe that the sins of men brought down the SON OF GOD from infinite glory and blessedness to the bitter death of the cross, in order that the guilt of sin might be washed away by the efficacy of his most awful sufferings; to those who know that the object of his mission on earth was to seek and save that which was lost through sin, to " purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works," and thus to "make them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;" to those who have read his lessons, inculcating the most exalted holiness and purity, a severance from the very thoughts, and much more from the desires, the vices, and the sins of the world and the flesh,how strange is it to reflect, that even from the earliest times, Satan has succeeded in deceiving some wicked men into a persuasion, that the disciples of Him who came to condemn sin, and to terminate its dominion, might continue in sin!

When the holy apostles shewed that the law of rites and ceremonies given by Moses to the Jews was not binding on the Gentiles; and that even in respect of the Jews, its obligation had been terminated by the manifestation of that Redeemer, whom the law of Moses and all its sacrifices prefigured and foreshadowed; and when, advancing still further, they shewed to both Jew and Gentile, that fallen man could not, by his own righteousness or works, deserve remission of sin and become acceptable to the pure and holy God; that the salvation of man was only the work of God's mercy and grace extended to those who were ready to perish; and that man's

true righteousness is that firm belief in God and God's word, which God himself alone can give, and which is a fountain of holiness springing up in the heart, and converting man from carnal things, and from the deadness of nature, to the blessing of a new and spiritual life in Christ Jesus;-when the apostles thus taught man to humble himself before his Creator, and to look only to his mercy for pardon and salvation, the enemies of the Gospel argued that the apostles themselves regarded good works and holiness of life as unnecessary; and that a mere dry and barren belief in Christ, unaccompanied by any fruits of holiness, was sufficient to obtain salvation. St. Paul himself, and St. James, abundantly refuted such errors, and they were always afterwards rejected as heresies by the Church of Christ. The following passage from the epistle of St. Clement, bishop of Rome, written in the name of the Roman Church to the Church of Corinth, some time before the end of the first century, will suffice to shew what was the doctrine of the early Church on this subject.

"Let us then lay hold of God's blessing, and let us consider what are the ways by which we may attain unto it. Let us look back upon those things that have happened from the beginning. Wherefore was our father Abraham blessed? Was it not because that, through faith, he wrought righteousness and truth? Isaac, being fully persuaded of what he knew was to come, cheerfully yielded himself up for a sacrifice. Jacob with humility departed out of his own country, fleeing from his brother, and went unto Laban, and served him; and so the sceptre of the twelve tribes of Israel was given unto him. Now, what the greatness of this gift was, will plainly appear, if we will take the pains distinctly to consider all the parts of it. For from him (Jacob) came our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh; from him

came the kings, and princes, and rulers in Judah. Nor were the rest of his tribes in any small glory, God having provided that 'thy seed (saith he) shall be as the stars of heaven.'

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They were all therefore glorified, not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness that they themselves wrought, but through His will. 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 the works we have done in the holiness of our hearts but by that faith, by which Almighty God has justified all men from the beginning: to whom be glory for ever and ever, amen.

"What shall we do, therefore, brethren? Shall we be slothful in well-doing, and lay aside our charity? God forbid that any such thing should be done by us. But rather let us hasten, with all earnestness and readiness of mind, to perfect every good work. We see how all righteous men have been adorned with good works: wherefore even the Lord himself, having adorned himself with his good works, rejoiced. Having therefore such an example, let us without delay fulfil his will; and with all our strength work the work of righteousness.

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"The good workman with confidence receives the bread of his labour; but the sluggish and lazy cannot look him in the face that set him to work. We must therefore be ready and forward in welldoing: for from Him (God) are all things. And thus he foretells us, ' Behold, the Lord cometh, and his reward is with him, even before his face, to render to every one according to his work.' He warned us therefore beforehand, with all his heart, to this end, that we should not be slothful and negligent in welldoing. Let our boasting, therefore, and our confidence be in God.

Let us submit ourselves to his

will. Let us consider the whole multitude of his angels, how ready they stand to minister to his will; as the Scripture saith, Thousands of thousands stand before him, and ten thousand minister unto him. And they cried, saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth: the whole earth is full of his glory.' Wherefore let us also, being conscientiously gathered together in concord with one another, as it were with one mouth, cry earnestly unto him, that he would make us partakers of his great and glorious promises. For he saith, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that wait for him.'"

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Thus did this venerable and apostolical man urge the necessity of Christian holiness and obedience to the Divine will. The doctrine taught by St. Ignatius, who had been made bishop of Antioch by the apostles, was in perfect harmony with that of St. Clement. Writing to the Church of the Ephesians shortly before his martyrdom, he urges on them the obligation of united worship and of harmony. "Nothing," he says, "is better than peace; by which all war, both spiritual and earthly, is abolished. Of all which nothing is hid from you, if ye have perfect faith and charity in Jesus Christ, which are the beginning and end of life: for the beginning is faith, the end charity. And these two, joined together, are of God: but all other things which concern a holy life are the consequences of these. No man professing a true faith sinneth; neither does he who has charity hate any one. 'The tree is made manifest by its fruits.' So they who profess themselves to be Christians are known by what they do. For Christianity is not an outward profession; but shews itself in the power of faith, if a man be found faithful unto the end. It is better for a man to hold his

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peace, and be; than to say he is a Christian,' and not to be. It is good to teach; if what he says, he does likewise."

CHAPTER IV.

FRUITS OF FAITH EXEMPLIFIED IN THE MARTYRS.

A.D. 30-320.

AVING seen the belief which was unanimously received by the primitive Church, let us now proceed to observe its fruits. The power of true faith has never been more wonderfully exhibited than in the patience, the courage, and magnanimity of the martyrs. Animated by the promises of their Saviour, "whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father in heaven-he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it-rejoice and be exceeding glad, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you," they believed, and triumphed in the belief, that their short affliction was to work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

But the afflictions which they suffered were enough to have broken down the strongest heart. Every thing that malice and ingenuity could devise was employed to shake their resolution. The rage and insolence of a brutal populace, the Scourges and tortures of legal barbarity, and the more subtle torment of promises and entreaties to save their lives by compliance in idolatrous rites, were the portion of innumerable disciples of Christ. The Jews had been the earliest enemies of the Christian faith; but their hatred was soon forgotten, in the persecutions which, for three centuries, were inflicted by the Roman