would, perhaps, only indulge our curiosity and flatter our pride; whereas our acquaintance with the fact, serves for practice; and it is practice, not the gratification of our curiosity, at which the Holy Spirit aims. Happy would it be, if all teachers of divinity were careful to distinguish between those things which are practical and necessary, and those which are curious and merely speculative. They would be surprised to find by this distinction, that a great part of mankind spend their time in seeking a kind of knowledge which is of little or no use; a kind of knowledge which would neither meliorate their tempers, nor amend their conduct; neither increase their devotion to God, nor promote benevolence to man. They would see that philosophical divines lose their way the very first step they take in searching after the truths of Salvation; because they spend their time and labour in attempting to grasp incomprehensibles, instead of insisting upon what is plainly revealed.

As they who lived under the legal economy had, in comparison with us, but faint representations of the reality of the incarnation, though agreeable to the plan of Divine wisdom respecting the state of the Church at that time, and had regard to a clearer manifestation of that capital truth under the gospel dispensation, how do we know but our present ignorance of the manner of that mysterious fact, may have a relation to the future life? For the knowledge of the people of God does not only vary according to the difference of the Divine œconomies under which they live, but according to the different state in which they are. A child, for instance, has no reason to be offended, or grieved, because he cannot comprehend how the empires of this world are governed, any more than the ancient Israelites had, because they were not favoured with all the light and grace of the Messiah's kingdom. The condition of men while on

earth, like that of a child in the simile, does not permit them to penetrate the mysteries of religion to that degree, of which the human mind shall be capable in a future state; though even then it will be impossible to "find out the Almighty to perfection."

And I am,

Rev. Sir,

Your obedient Servant

VERAX,

A CATHOLIC LAYMAN.

POSTSCRIPT.

The learned Dr. Price truly says on the text-"Ye know not whence I came, nor whither I go "-"I must think this text as decisive a declaration of Christ's pre-existence by himself as words can well express."-(Sermons, p. 132.) Another able writer observes on this subject: "Whether our Saviour had an existence in heaven with God the Father before his Incarnation, I think one may safely rest the decision of this question with a Turk, or an Indian, or any other plain, honest, upright person in the world, who could read our new Testament."-(Harwood's Socinian Scheme, p. 13.)

See St. John viii. 23; St. John viii. 38; St. John viii. 42; St. John xiii. 3; St. John xv. 15; St. John xvi. 2530; from these texts it is most evident that our Saviour's disciples understood him as declaring, that he came down from heaven into the world. It was equally clear that he did not endeavour to correct their wrong apprehensions, which one should naturally suppose he would and ought to have done, if they had really misunderstood his meaning. It follows, therefore, as justly and as forcibly as any con

clusion in dialectics well can do, that the Disciples understood their Lord and Master in a proper manner, and that he actually was in heaven before he was born of the virgin, and came down thence for the salvation of the world. An excellent writer on these subjects says, "That the Socinian interpretation of St. John i. 1, and Heb. i. 10, or of the texts relating to Christ's pre-existence, is not the mind of Scripture. Yea, one may know it as certainly as that a counter is not the King's coin, or that a monster is not a man.”

Dr. Harwood again says: "Were there no intimation in the whole Testament of the pre-existence of Christ, this single text, St. John xvii. 5, would irrefragably demonstrate and establish it. Our Saviour here in a solemn act of devotion, declares to the Almighty, that he had glory with him before the world was, and fervently supplicates that he would be graciously pleased to reinstate him in his former felicity. The language is plain and clear, every word hath great moment and emphasis: 'Glorify thou me with that glory which I enjoyed in thy presence, and near thy person, before the world was.' Upon this single text I lay my finger. Here I posit my system." "Who was with the Father," says St. Ignatius, "before all ages, and appeared at the end of the world."-(Epist, ad Meg. sect. 6.) St. Justin Martyr, to the same purpose: "But the Son of the Father, even he who alone is properly called his Son, the Word which was with him before the Creation, because by him he in the beginning made and disposed all things, &c." -(Apol. 1.) And again: "But this Being, who was really begotten of the Father, and proceeded from him, did, before all creatures were made, exist with the Father, and the Father conversed with him."-(Dial. Cum. Tryph.)

On St. Matthew xviii. 19, 20,* Novation says: "If Christ

*V. 20: "There am I in the midst of them.' This is understood of such assemblies only as are gathered in the name and authority of Christ, and in the unity of the Church of Christ."-St. Cyprian, de Unit. Eccl.

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were only a man, how is he present wheresoever he is called upon, since this is not the nature of man, but of God, that he can be present in every place."—(Chap. 14.)

There was a valuable discourse published in the year 1794, entitled, "A Demonstration of the True and Eternal Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ," in opposition to the attacks of the age, which obtained the gold medal of the Hague Society. It was written by the learned Dutchman, Dr. Dionysius Van De Wynpersse, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Leyden. He divides the whole into twenty-one sections, in which, among other matters, he considers the divine names of Christ, the divine properties, the divine works, and the divine honour. He afterwards considers him as the author of our salvation, and the propitiation of our sins. The 12th section is the relation of Christ to his Church. "It is called a demonstration; and, indeed, so it is, as far as Religious subjects are capable of this kind of evidence. Scripture being judge, it admits of no conclusive answer;" so says a most learned Anglican divine.

LETTER XIII.

TO THE REV. CHARLES LE BLANC.

OUR IDEAS PROCEED FROM THREE SOURCES.

REV SIR,

Our ideas proceed from three sources, the senses, reason, and faith; and these are mutually dependent, though their uses and jurisdiction are different. The senses furnish

reason with her materials, and reason furnishes faith with her principles. The senses never rise so high as reason, nor is it proper that reason should rise so high as faith. Reason judges of that which the senses cannot perceive. She tells us, for example, that there is matter between the earth and the heavens, though this matter does not appear. And so it is the province and prerogative of divine faith, to judge of those things which surpass the powers of reason. God asserts, and faith teaches, that "The Word was made flesh;" though reason, of herself, perceives nothing of it; nay, though she strongly objects against it. And why? Because faith is superior to reason, as reason is superior to the senses. As, therefore, it would be vain and absurd for a man to endeavour to discover that by the senses which reason cannot develop, so it is preposterous and arrogant for reason to determine upon those mysterious realities which lie within the province of faith-even of that faith which entirely depends on the Divine testimony, and is altogether directed by it. For as the errors of the senses, which are the first means of knowledge, are corrected by reason, so the mistakes of reason should be rectified by faith. Let reason, then, lead me to faith, as my senses lead me to reason; but let reason be silent when faith speaks, as my senses are silent when reason dictates. For, certainly, if reason convinces me of many truths contrary to what my senses suggest, if it convinces me, for instance, that the sun is bigger than the earth, though my eyes teach me the contrary, faith may teach us a variety of important things, which reason could never discover, and which, when discovered, she cannot comprehend.

Here, perhaps, it may be said: "As the general agreement of men, in assenting to a proposition, is a strong presumptive proof of its truth; so a general reluctance to receive