up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.' What a noble and soul-stirring spectacle! how it reminds one of Filiucius' incomparable aphorism, that 'the Pope sustains Christ's lieutenantship, not only over things in heaven, over things in earth, and over things in hell, but also over the angels both good and bad!' My dear father, I never happened to hear that saying before. Pray let me have a copy of it, as soon as possible, that I may get it translated into Welsh, for the use of the pupils at my schools." "I would advise you also, my dear lord, to add, by way of appendix, the decree of the Lateran council under Leo X., in which it is laid down, that all power is given to the Pope in heaven and in earth! I suppose it was by way of a corollary to that infallible decree, that Bellarmine has most justly declared, that if the Pope should err by enjoining vices, or condemning virtues, the church should be bound to believe the vices to be good, and the virtues to be bad, unless it would sin against conscience. I believe we both have the honour to dine to-day with Cardinal Antonelli-have we not? I am very glad to hear that you are to be there, and as there is half an hour to spare, we cannot, I think, employ it better than in earning an indulgence of 100 days, by hastening to imprint a devout kiss on the large crucifix in the Coliseum."

I leave it to you, my dear friends, to determine which of these "dialogues of the living" is most in accordance with the letter and spirit of the writings of Paul, and Peter's other inspired contemporaries, or with the conduct and declarations of the very apostle himself, whose vicar and representative the Pope pretends to be.

II. THE FATHERS-PURGATORY-EPISTLE OF
ST BONIFACE.

I HAVE already, my dear friends, made occasional allu

sions to the fathers, and warned you against conceding an undue weight to their writings or opinions. The former are exceedingly voluminous, doubtful, and corrupted; the latter often inconsistent, fanciful, and discordant. Many of their interpretations are fallaciousmany of their arguments weak-many of their illustrations far-fetched. Their prejudices are often strong, and their knowledge superficial. In fixing your own judgments on any point of doctrine, or discussing with a Papist on any controversial subject, I would earnestly advise you to confine yourselves to a humble and prayerful consideration of the Scriptures themselves; "for in so doing, ye shall never fail." A genuine and Bible-taught Protestant can never be perplexed or refuted, so long as he derives his religion and his reasonings from the sure fountain of the inspired writings; he can only be "shaken in mind,” or “drawn away and enticed," when he ventures to slake the thirst of a perilous and prurient curiosity in the muddy and contaminated waters of traditional and patristic lore. Not that I by any means deprecate the perusal of the fathers on the part of any student, whose acquirements and leisure enable him to embark in so arduous an undertaking, provided he establishes this distinction between the Scriptures and all uninspired writings, whether ancient or modern, that every warning and testimony-every jot and tittle of the former is to be received according to its plain and palpable import, and accounted "worthy of all acceptation," whilst he is not only entitled, but bound, to read the latter in a very different spirit-a spirit of caution, not unmingled with distrust, and with a firm determination never to receive, at their behest, any doctrine or principle not borne out by the supreme authority of the canonical Scriptures. This, as I shall ere long attempt to demonstrate, was the earnest recommendation, and uniform practice, of the fathers themselves. I am,

however, far from thinking it right to bestow upon the earliest writers this too reverential appellation; and

if it must be conceded to them, in deference to ancient usage, I much approve of the reply of a sagacious countryman of ours, who, when hard pressed by quotations from "the fathers," exclaimed, "Well, let them say what they please, I, for my part, shall fall back upon the grand-fathers." At least as numerous, and as decisive quotations might be cited from the earliest writers on behalf of the Protestant as of the Popish cause; but feeling assured, that we have the all-sufficient sanction of the inspired writings for believing what we believe, and rejecting what we reject, it is, to us, comparatively "a small matter" whether our principles are or are not borne out by Origen or Optatus, by Athanasius or Augustine.OUR fathers, where are they," my friends? Within the precincts of the sacred Scriptures. OUR fathers are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter, and Jude. We admit every doctrine which they teach-we repudiate every tenet which they either gainsay or pass over in silence.

I shall now proceed to lay before you a series of propositions in reference to the fathers, which I request that you will do me the favour attentively to consider. For most of the quotations, and måny of the arguments, I may state, once for all, that I am mainly indebted to two most distinguished authors of a former age, namely, D'Aillé and Jeremy Taylor.

I. The fathers uniformly ascribe a supreme, uncontested authority to the Holy Scriptures.

1. Irenæus. We have known the economy of our salvation by no other, than by those through whom the gospel came to us; which, truly, they then preached, but afterwards, by the will of God, delivered to us in the Scriptures, which were to be the pillar and ground of our faith.

2. Augustine.-Our Lord Jesus Christ did many things, which are not written; and the holy evangelist does witness, that he both did and spake many things which are not written; but those things, which were seen to suffice to the salvation of believers were chosen

to be written, and, therefore, St Augustine and St Optat compare the Scripture to the will of the testator concerning his goods. His kindred may strive, one affirming this, and another that; but proferte tabulas-show the will-peruse the writings-then the judge listens, the advocates are silent, the people are in suspense, the litigants wait; let the testator's words be read, that must end all contentions. Now, this will was, therefore, consigned to writing, that, when our testator was gone from us, we might not doubt concerning his legacies and commandments. I confess (says Augustine elsewhere, addressing himself to Jerome) to thy charity, that I only owe to those books of Scripture, which are now called canonical, such reverence and honour as to believe steadfastly, that none of their authors ever committed any error in writing the same. And if, by chance, I there meet with any thing, which seemeth to contradict the truth, I immediately think, that either my copy is imperfect, and not so correct as it should be; or else that the interpreter did not so well understand the words of the original; or, lastly, that I myself have not so rightly understood him. But as for all other writers, however eminent they are, either for sanctity or learning, I read them in such manner as not instantly to conclude, that whatever I find is true, because they have said it; but rather because they convince me, either out of the said canonical books of Scripture, or else by some probable reason, that what they say is true. Neither do I think, brother, that thou thyself art of any other opinion; that is to say, I do not believe, that thou expectest, that we should read thy books as we do those of the prophets or apostles of the truth of whose writings, as being exempt from all error, we may not in any wise doubt.-(Aug. Ep. ad Hier.)

3. Jerome. I know, that I place the apostles in a distinct rank from all other writers; for as for them they always speak truth, but as for others, they err sometimes, like men, as they were.

II. In all controversial questions, which occurred during the earliest ages of the church, the Scriptures constituted the standard of ultimate and paramount appeal.

1. Clement of Alexandria. "It is not fit that we should simply attend to the affirmation of man; for our nay may be as good as their yea. But if the thing be matter of faith, and not of opinion only, let us not stay for a testimony of man, but confirm our questions by the Word of God, which is the most certain of all, or is, indeed, rather the only demonstration. . . . If there be any demonstration, it is necessary that we make inquiry, and from the Scriptures learn demonstratively.

They that occupy themselves about the best things, never give over their searching after truth, until from the Scriptures they have obtained a demonstration. He speaks against the Gnostics, who pretended to secret traditions from I know not what quarter. Against them he advises Christians "to wax old in the Scriptures; thence to seek for demonstrations, and by that rule to frame our lives."

2. St Basil affirms in his ethics, that "whatsoever is done or said ought to be confirmed by the testimony of the divinely-inspired Scripture, both for the full persuasion of the good, as also for the condemnation of the evil."

3. Origen.-"We ought to bring Scripture for the confirmation of our exposition."

4. St Cyril." Attend not to my inventions, for you may possibly be deceived; but trust no words unless thou dost learn their import from the divine Scriptures." Speaking of faith in the Holy Trinity, he advises them to "retain that zeal in their mind, which by heads or summaries is already lightly expounded to you; but, if God grant, shall, according to my strength, be demonstrated to you by Scripture, for it behoves us not to deliver so much as the least thing of the mysteries of faith, without the divine Scriptures. Neither give credit to me