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 THE LIBRARY 
 
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 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 

 906 
 
CHRISTIANITY; 
 
 THE EVIDENCES AND CHARACTERS 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 
 
 BY BISHOP POYNTER, V.A.L. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY KEATING AND BROWN, 
 
 PRINTERS TO THE R. R. VICARS APOSTOLIC, 
 
 No. 38, DUKE-STREET, GROSVENOR-SQUARE, 
 
 And 63, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 1827- 
 

 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2007 
 
 
 http://archive.org/details/christianityorevOOpoyniala 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 
 MEANS OF ASCERTAINING THE TRUTH OF THE REVEALED 
 DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 -Page 
 Definitions, and Preliminary Observations. — Knowledge. — Truth. 
 
 — Certitude. — Evidence. — Different mediums of evidence .... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The competency of human reason, as a sure guide to Truth, in 
 moral, and natural sciences, considered. — Its deficiency in many 
 instances, regarding natural religion, and morality — and the 
 physical order of the universe 6 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 On the means of ascertaining, tuith absolute certitude, <Ae Truth of 
 the Revealed Doctrines of Christianity. — Previous observations. 
 — It cannot be ascertained, by the medium of intrinsic demon- 
 strative evidence, or by the natural light of reason. — Exem- 
 plified in the Doctrines of the Trinity, and Incarnation. — 
 And in revealed doctrines, the objects of which depend on the 
 free will of God. — The obscurity of the possibility of a mys- 
 tery, is not evidence of its impossibility 9 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Consequences of the principle of not admitting the Truth of re- 
 vealed Doctrines, unless it can be proved by intrinsic demonstra- 
 tive evidence Uncertainty in Religious Doctrines. — Infidelity. 
 
 — These consequences appear in the history of religious 
 opinions, since the changes made in religion in the sixteenth 
 century.— Reason and Revelation not opposed to each other. — 
 The province of Reason, in the search of Revealed Truths. — 
 
 Religious liberty 16 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The certitude of the Truth of the Revealed Doctrines of Christi- 
 anity, can be obtained, only by the medium of extrinsic evidence, 
 or by the testimony of God, given in the act of the Divine Reve- 
 lation of these Doctrines. — Shewn from the nature of the 
 
 a 2 question. 
 
 
IV 
 
 Page 
 question. — From the reasoning of St. Paul. — From the natural 
 method of coming to the true and certain knowledge of the 
 will of a Legislator 21 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Fact of the Divine Revelation of the Christian Religion. — 
 The Christian Religion was taught by Christ. — Christ, as 
 man, was divinely commissioned to teach it. — The nature and 
 effect of miracles. — The divine mission of Christ proved by 
 miracles — Christ, who taught the Christian Religion, is him- 
 self true God. — His divinity shewn, principally by the fact of 
 his resurrection — Consequences in proof of the divine Reve- 
 lation of the Christian Religion, and of the Obligation of ob- 
 serving its Precepts 23 
 
 PART II. 
 
 MEANS OF ASCERTAINING WHAT ARE THE GENUINE DOCTRINES 
 AND PRECEPTS OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On the means of ascertaining, with absolute certitude, what are the 
 doctrines of faith, the moral precepts, and the religious obser- 
 vances, which ivere delivered by Christ, in the revelation, and 
 institution of the Christian Religion. — Previous observations. — 
 Two methods proposed.— Of authoritative testimony. — And of 
 private judgment, and private interpretation of Scripture .... 29 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The competency of private judgment, and private interpretation 
 of Scripture, examined. — Private judgment leads to uncertain- 
 ty, and error, whether it be used to determine the question, 
 by intrinsic, or extrinsic evidence. — Private interpretation of 
 Scripture also leads to uncertainty, and error 31 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Consequences of following the principle of private judgment and 
 private interpretation of Scripture, as the rule and means of de- 
 termining, what are the doctrines, precepts, and ordinances, 
 which were delivered by Christ.— Divisions in faith. — Contra- 
 dictory religious opinions.— Inconsistent religious observances. 
 
 — Vain. 
 
V 
 
 Page 
 
 — Vain attempts to restore unity and uniformity. — The in- 
 vention of fundamental, and non-fundamental articles.— The 
 authority of Synods — The intervention of the civil power. — 
 The reading, and private interpretation of Scripture were not 
 appointed by Christ, as the means of communicating the cer- 
 tain knowledge of all that he taught, and ordained, to be be- 
 lieved and observed by men 35 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The only means, by ivhich it can be ascertained, with absolute cer- 
 titude, what are the doctrines of faith, the moral precepts, and 
 the religious observances, which were delivered by Christ, in the 
 revelation, and institution of the Christian Religion, is the pro- 
 midgation of his law, made by the authority of the ministry, ■ 
 which Christ instituted for that purpose. — That, which Christ 
 commanded to be believed, and to be observed, constitutes 
 his law. — A law is made known by authoritative promulgation. 
 — The old law was promulgated by Moses, and the ministry 
 of the Priesthood.— Christ revealed his new law to Peter, and 
 his other Apostles. — He ordained that the knowledge of. 
 what he had taught, and commanded, should be communicated 
 to all nations, by the authoritative promulgation of his law, 
 made by his Apostles, and their Successors, in the ministry 
 of the Christian Priesthood 41 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Commission given by Christ to his Apostles, and their Suc- 
 | cessors, explained. — Reflection of an ancient Christian writer, 
 on the mode of bringing mankind to the certain knowledge of 
 religious truth 46 
 
 PART III. 
 
 THE ESTABLISHMENT AND PROPAGATION OF THE 
 CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On the primitive promulgation of the Christian law. — Prophecies 
 relating to the promulgation of the law of Christ in Sion. — 
 The miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost, on the Apostles. 
 —The new law is promulgated on the day of Pentecost by 
 
 Peter. 
 
VI 
 
 Page- 
 Peter. — This promulgation was a public fact, in all its cir- 
 cumstances. Those who embraced the law of Christ, as pro- 
 mulgated by Peter, were all united in one faith, and commu- 
 nion The authority of Peter and the other Apostles, sanc- 
 tioned by acknowledged miracles 51 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The revelation and establishment of the Christian religion, is a 
 series, and collection of public facts— exemplified in the history 
 of Christ, and in the ministry of his Apostles. — The propagation 
 of the law, and religion of Christ over Judea, and the Gen- 
 tile world, by the ministry of the Apostles, and of Apostolic 
 
 men sent by them The Apostles make ecclesiastical laws, for 
 
 the preservation of unity in faith, and for the regulation of 
 
 matters of discipline 56 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A view of the designs and works of God, in the preparation and 
 execution of the establishment of the Christian religion.— The 
 Almighty had this work in contemplation, from the beginning 
 of the world. — He promised it to the ancient Patriarchs.— He 
 foretold it by his inspired prophets. — He exhibited a type and 
 model of this great work, in the institutions of the old law, 
 and in the most remarkable events which occurred under the 
 Mosaic dispensation.— All these were accomplished in the his- 
 tory of the life and mysteries of Christ, and in the institu- 
 tion and establishment of the Christian religion 61 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Blessings of Christianity diffused over all Nations. — Fall of man 
 from original justice to the state of sin — Consequences — Igno- 
 rance and concupiscence. — Philosophy could not afford a re- 
 medy to these evils. — The sacrifice of atonement. — Remission 
 of sin offered to all nations. — The light of faith to dispel 
 ignorance of religious truths. — Excellence and sublimity of the 
 doctrines of the Christian faith. — Purity and sanctity of the 
 Gospel precepts, given to correct the corruption of the human 
 heart — Motives to duty. — Efficacious graces administered by 
 the sacraments.— Efficacy of the Gospel in the conversion of 
 nations 68 
 
 Part 
 
VI 1 
 
 P A It T IV. 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, THE DEPOSITARY AND DISPENSER OF 
 THE MYSTERIES OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Pago 
 
 The formation and nature of the Church of Christ. — It consists of 
 two classes ; of the ministers of Christ, teaching and govern- 
 ing ; — and of the faithful, who are taught and governed.— The 
 Church of Christ to be propagated over all nations, and to con- 
 tinue through all ages — The government of the Church con- 
 stituted in the form of a kingdom — The guardianship and 
 dispensation of all the doctrines, precepts, and mysteries of 
 the Christian religion, were committed by Christ to the mi- 
 nistry, which he established in his Church.— Consequently it 
 is by the ministry of the Church of Christ, that all nations are 
 to be instructed in the true knowledge of the faith and law, 
 which Christ delivered to his Apostles 78 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 On the marks of the true Church of Christ — Unity and univer- 
 sality are essential properties and characteristic marks of the 
 true Church of Christ; the guardian of the truths and institutions 
 of Christianity. — Two or more religious societies, which have 
 not the same faith, or the same communion, or which are not 
 under the same ecclesiastical authority, cannot be both, nor all 
 of them the Church of Christ. — Unity in faith, in communion, 
 and ecclesiastical government, was universally introduced by 
 the Apostles, and Apostolic men, in the establishment and 
 
 propagation of Christianity in all countries 87 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 On unity, and universality in faith, communion, and government, 
 considered in the Roman Catholic Church. — Unity and univer- 
 sality are found in the Roman Catholic Church, at the present 
 time. — They may be traced back, in the same Church, to the 
 first establishment of Christianity in all those countries, where 
 the Roman Catholic faith is now professed. — Proofs from a 
 reference to histories and liturgies 93 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Unity and universality, considered in respect to churches separated 
 
 from the communion of the Roman Catholic Church. — Unity 
 
 and universality are not found in all, or any of those particular 
 
 Churches which are separated from the Communion of the 
 
 Seeof Rome 101 
 
VI 11 
 
 CHAPTER V. Wm 
 
 The true Church of Christ. — The Church which is in communion 
 with the See of Rome, and known by the name of Catholic, is 
 exclusively the true Church of Christ 109 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Liturgies 115 
 
 On the Trinity of Persons in one God, and the Divinity of Christ, 
 the Redeemer of Mankind 118 
 
 On the Sacrifice of the Mass — On the real Presence of the Body 
 and Blood of Christ, offered to God, in the Holy Sacrifice, and 
 received by the People, in the holy Communion ; and on 
 Transubstantiation, or the Change of the Bread and Wine into 
 the Body and Blood of Christ 123 
 
 On Communion with the Saints in Heaven ; on imploring their 
 Intercession, particularly that of the blessed Virgin Mary ; also 
 on Supplications for the repose of the Souls of the Faithful 
 departed 141 
 
 The Sign of the Cross used in acts of Religious Worship 148 
 
 On the relative Veneration shewn to the Cross, on which Christ 
 suffered, and to other Crosses representing it 150 
 
 On the ancient Ceremonies of Baptism 1 54 
 
 Confirmation administered, not only by imposition of Hands and 
 Prayer, but also by the unction of Chrism, solemnly blessed 
 by the Bishops of the Church 159 
 
 The particular Confession of Sins, and the Sacramental Absolu- 
 tion of penitent Sinners, practised in the Primitive Ages .... 162 
 
 The Fast of Lent, an Apostolical Institution, observed, in the 
 earliest ages of the Christian Church, as a duty of conscientious 
 Obligation 167 
 
 Holy Orders, Matrimony, and extreme Unction, were adminis- 
 tered, in the earliest ages of the Church, as Sacraments or 
 Institutions of Christ, by which grace was conferred 169 
 
 In the primitive times it was held necessary that all Churches, 
 and the faithful Disciples of Christ, wherever they were dis- 
 persed, should be in communion with the particular Church of 
 Rome, as the first Church in the Christian World, and the 
 centre of Unity «. 173 
 
 The Bishops of Rome have ever been acknowledged, from the 
 earliest ages of Christianity, as the supreme Rulers on Earth 
 of the whole Church of Christ ; and have exercised an acknow- 
 ledged primacy of Spiritual Jurisdiction, as of Divine Right, 
 over all other particular Christian Churches 174 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Christianity is that form of Religion, which was 
 taught and instituted by Christ. It embraces the 
 doctrines of faith, which Christ revealed ; the super- 
 natural moral precepts, which he delivered; the sacred 
 rites, which he instituted ; and the form of constitution, 
 which he founded, for the government of his Church. 
 Its doctrines are most sublime, and consoling ; and, 
 at the same time, most true and certain. Its moral 
 precepts are most pure, and perfect ; prescribing the 
 renunciation of all sin, and the exercise of every 
 virtue. Its religious rites are most holy, and salutary, 
 being the divinely established means of offering an 
 acceptable worship to God, and of communicating 
 the graces of sanctification to the souls of men. To 
 those who embrace the Christian Religion with sin- 
 cerity, and observe its injunctions with fidelity, it 
 imparts peace and spiritual consolation in life, and 
 ensures the enjoyment of a glorious immortality, after 
 death. 
 
 Christianity is the work of God; a magnificent 
 work, in the establishment and support of which, he 
 has displayed his power, his wisdom, his mercy and 
 goodness, even in a stronger light, than in the crea- 
 tion and preservation of the world. Its end is the 
 glory of God, and the renovation and eternal happi- 
 ness of man. — 
 
 b The 
 
The institution and propagation of the Christian 
 Religion, was a great public Fact ; no less so, than 
 the establishment, and extension of any temporal 
 kingdom, or empire on earth. By its uniform laws of 
 faith, and general discipline, it united together the 
 nations of Europe, in one large society, and conti- 
 nued to regulate their religious, and moral conduct, 
 from its early introduction into them, till the changes 
 and divisions, in matters of Religion, which took 
 place, in the sixteenth century. 
 
 At that eventful period, the authors of these changes 
 and divisions introduced the principle of determining 
 what are the doctrines, and precepts, which Christ 
 delivered, and commanded all to believe and observe, 
 not by the authority of the Church, but by the judg- 
 ment of every individual, or by his private interpre- 
 tation of Scripture. The consequence naturally re- 
 sulting from this principle was, that according to each 
 one's judgment or interpretation of Scripture, diffe- 
 rent, and not unfrequently contradictory, doctrines 
 were held, as the revealed doctrines of Christianity ; and 
 articles of Christian faith, which had been uniformly 
 and universally believed, as revealed doctrines, for 
 fifteen centuries, began to be rejected as not revealed. 
 Still, the divine revelation of a doctrine was consi- 
 dered as a proof of its being true. 
 
 But it was not long before this principle of private 
 judgment was carried further ; and was made the rule 
 of deciding, not merely the question, de facto, whe- 
 ther the doctrine teas divinely revealed or not ; but 
 also the question, de jure, whether the doctrine, con- 
 sidered in itself, was true or not. By this system, the 
 
 intrinsic 
 
intrinsic nature of the objects of revealed doctrines 
 was made an object of scientific inquiry and exami- 
 nation ; and the truth or falsehood of revealed doc- 
 trines was determined, by the judgment formed of the 
 agreement or disagreement of the revealed mystery, 
 with the principles of natural science. Hence nothing 
 was admitted as true in religion, which could not be 
 proved by intrinsic demonstrative evidence, or by 
 arguments drawn from self-evident natural principles 
 of reason. Thus mere natural reason was made the 
 only rule of faith. 
 
 Those who consistently followed up this principle, 
 rejected all the mysteries of revealed religion ; and 
 chose for themselves, what they called a natural reli- 
 gion. They took the name of Deists, professing to 
 believe in the existence of God, and to worship him 
 according to the dictates of nature. They admitted 
 also the spirituality and immortality of the human soul. 
 But they did not long stop here : for finding in the 
 nature of God, and of the spiritual substance of their 
 own souls, mysteries which they could not compre- 
 hend, and which they could not explain by the prin- 
 ciples of natural science, any more than they could 
 the mysteries of revealed religion ; some denied the 
 existence of God, and declared themselves Atheists. 
 Others rejected the existence of all spiritual beings, 
 and declared themselves Materialists. Nor were 
 they yet come to the last conclusion flowing from their 
 principle ; for some, not able to comprehend the 
 intrinsic nature and properties of matter, or to satisfy 
 themselves of its real and external existence, first 
 doubted, and then denied it. Hence by following 
 
 b 2 this 
 
xu 
 
 this principle, of believing nothing that is incompre- 
 hensible to the human intellect, or that cannot be 
 intrinsically demonstrated by mere natural reason, 
 men have been led to believe, that neither matter 
 nor spirit exist in the world, and that not only Reve- 
 lation, but the universe itself is a mere non-entity. 
 
 Does not this country, at present, exhibit all these 
 descending gradations of error, leading to the abyss 
 of mental darkness ? On the ground of this principle, 
 do we not here see the Lutheran denying transub- 
 stantiation, and the Calvanist the real presence ; the 
 Unitarian denying the Trinity ; the Socinian denying 
 the divinity of Christ ; the Deist denying all revealed 
 mysteries j the Atheist denying the existence of God; 
 the Materialist denying the existence of Spirits ; the 
 Berkleian denying the extramental existence of mat- 
 ter ; the Sceptic doubting of every thing ? 
 
 Whoever denies any one mystery, for example, 
 transubstantiation, because he cannot comprehend it, 
 or because, examining it intrinsically, he cannot recon- 
 cile it to the principles of natural science ; if he is 
 consistent to his principle, can find no intermediate 
 point on the ground of Religion, at which he can 
 stop, between the belief of the whole Catholic faith 
 and universal scepticism. 
 
 To admit the existence of a grain of sand, is to 
 admit a mystery. How did this grain come to exist ? 
 This is a mystery. Was it by creation ? The act of 
 creation is a mystery. Is it uncreated and self-exis- 
 tent ? This is still a greater mystery. Is this grain of 
 sand divisible in infinitum y or not? Whether you 
 adopt the affirmative, or the negative, you find your- 
 self 
 
xm » 
 
 self equally involved in a mystery. How are all the 
 parts, of which it is composed, held together so as to 
 form a solid, extended body ? This is a mystery. I f 
 it consists of an infinite number of extended parts, 
 why is it not infinitely extended ? This is a mystery. 
 If it contain an indefinite number beyond any calcu- 
 lation, how can so many extended parts be crowded 
 and compressed into the small dimensions of a grain of 
 sand ? This is a mystery. 
 
 He who admits the existence of God, admits a mys- 
 tery ; for the nature and attributes of God are incom- 
 prehensible to the human intellect. But he who 
 admits the existence of a grain of sand, and denies 
 the existence of God, adopts an absurdity, to avoid 
 the second mystery. For to admit an effect without 
 a cause, a contingent being without a necessary being, 
 is to admit a gross absurdity. Such is the absurdity 
 of him, who denies the existence of God, the eternal 
 and primary cause of all things, without whom nothing 
 could have ever had existence in the universe. If any 
 Atheist speak what he thinks, and not merely what 
 he impiously wishes, we may ascribe his error to a 
 morbid state of mind, perhaps, caused by the corrup- 
 tion of his heart, which blinds him and makes him 
 insensible to the truth. The corporeal eye may be 
 so affected by disease, as not to be able to see sur- 
 rounding objects, which are visible to others. But the 
 surrounding objects exist, notwithstanding the blind- 
 ness of the diseased eye ; and the great Creator of 
 the universe exists in all his majesty and perfections, 
 notwithstanding the darkness or perversity of the 
 Atheist's mind. The heavens display the glory of God, 
 
 and 
 
xiv 
 
 and the starry firmament declares, that it is the work 
 of his hands. The earth, and all things, animate and 
 inanimate which it contains, proclaim, by the condi- 
 tion of their contingent nature, " it is He that made 
 us, and not we ourselves." 
 
 A Deistical Sophist, the citizen of Geneva, professes 
 to deny the truth of revealed mysteries, and even the 
 existence of Revelation itself. Whilst he labours to 
 destroy or weaken the certitude of the Christian Reli- 
 gion, he establishes no certain system in opposition to 
 it. His deceitful artifice consists in raising difficul- 
 ties, to perplex weak minds ; in spreading obscurities 
 over what is clear ; in casting doubts on doctrines and 
 facts, which are most certain; and in contriving to 
 entangle in his sophistical intricacies those, who out 
 of a dangerous curiosity, incautiously read his unprin- 
 cipled works. 
 
 Assuming the character of a man of penetration, 
 and impartiality, he will say, he is not convinced ; he 
 does not conceive the mystery; therefore he will 
 affirm nothing, but cannot reasonably believe it. But 
 without having a clear and distinct idea of the in- 
 trinsic nature of the revealed mystery, we may be 
 most certain of its existence, from the testimony of 
 God, who perfectly comprehends it. A man born 
 blind, may be certain that colours and painted figures 
 exist, from the testimony of other men, on whom he 
 knows he can depend; though he cannot, by any 
 effort of his imagination, conceive what colour is, or 
 form any idea of it. It is unreasonable to expect that 
 revealed doctrines should present a clear and distinct 
 idea of the intrinsic nature of the mystery ; because, 
 
 on 
 
XV 
 
 on account of the sublimity and magnitude of the 
 object, and of the narrowness of the human intellect, 
 it cannot be comprehended by man ; and, therefore, 
 must leave some obscurity in the mind. But obscurity 
 is not opposed to certitude. 
 
 The Sophist says that natural religion is sufficient, 
 and that Revelation is useless. Natural religion is not 
 sufficient for man in his present state. It is not suffi- 
 cient to remove, by the glimmering light of reason, 
 that ignorance and incertitude, in which the minds of 
 those, who are entirely deprived of the light of reve- 
 lation are placed, concerning the nature and provi- 
 dence of God, the atonement to be made for the 
 violation of the moral law, the end for which man 
 was created, and the means of attaining to it. We 
 have good proof of the insufficiency of natural reli- 
 gion, in the experience of whole nations, before they 
 received the blessing of Revelation. And if the 
 Deist, who lives among Christians, knows, what he 
 calls, the truths of natural religion, better than the 
 Heathen, he owes his superior knowledge to the light 
 of Revelation, with which he is surrounded in a 
 Christian country, but which he so ungratefully 
 abuses. 
 
 Revelation is not useless, it has brought immense 
 advantages and blessings to mankind. Rising like the 
 sun on a darkened world, it shed a cheering light 
 over the face of the earth. It diffused, and still 
 diffuses, over all nations a sublime knowledge of the 
 glorious perfections of the divine nature, and of the 
 admirable designs and works of God, in the redemp- 
 tion of the human race. It has shewn to man the 
 
 pathi 
 
XVI 
 
 paths of true wisdom and justice, and opened to him 
 a bright prospect of a blissful immortality. While it 
 elevates the views and exalts the nature of man, it 
 offers to all the means of salvation and of eternal 
 happiness. Deism deprives mankind of the know- 
 ledge and enjoyment of these inestimable blessings. 
 
 The most satisfactory proof of the divine mission 
 of those, who at all times teach and enforce the doc- 
 trines and precepts of Revelation, is found in the 
 public uninterrupted succession, and in the public 
 and sanctioned exercise of the spiritual authority of that 
 sacred ministry, which was established in the begin- 
 ning by divine sanction, for the purpose of promul- 
 gating the revealed law, and which has uniformly 
 taught and enforced the same, in all nations and 
 through all ages, to the present time. The spiritual 
 authority of this ministry is as well established, as 
 the civil authority of any temporal government. No 
 endless speculative discussions are necessary to verify 
 the mission of the legitimate and authorised teachers 
 of the revelation of God. It is verified by public 
 facts. 
 
 No learned examination of the revealed doctrines is 
 required to verify them. The strongest proof, which 
 the mind of man can require of the truth of revealed 
 doctrines, is the testimony of God, which is given in 
 the act of the Revelation of them : for God can say 
 nothing but what is true. And this act of Revela- 
 tion is a fact, supported by the most powerful evi- 
 dences of other public facts, which cannot be denied 
 without subverting the principle of all human and 
 historical testimony. Hence all the intricate and so- 
 phistical 
 
xvii 
 
 phistical difficulties which the Deist raises, in order to 
 obscure and perplex the mind on this subject, are 
 solved. For God has attached the communication 
 and knowledge of his revealed doctrines and precepts, 
 to public and universal testimony, to public facts, and 
 to public observances, which are equally intelligible 
 to all, learned and unlearned, old and young. 
 
 The Deist says, that he sees different sects of Chris- 
 tians, and different modes of worship, and asks, which 
 is in the right? He observes that truth must be every 
 where the same. That the worship of God should be 
 uniform. That ever since men have taken it into 
 their heads to make the Deity speak, every people 
 make him speak, in their own way. Had they only 
 listened to what the Deity hath said to their hearts, and 
 followed the religion of nature, he concludes, there 
 would have been but one religion on earth. 
 
 It is indeed most certain, that truth must be every 
 where the same : that the worship of God should be 
 uniform, as to its rule and substance. It is certain, 
 that there are different sects of Christians, professing 
 contradictory doctrines, and following irreconcilable 
 modes of worship. This is unhappily no where more 
 strikingly verified than in Protestant England. Does 
 not this fact favour and confirm the prejudices of the 
 Deist against the divine revelation of the Christian 
 religion? But which of these different sects is in the 
 right ? They cannot all collectively be in the right. 
 If any particular sect can shew that it is in the right, 
 let it produce its evidences. But truth must be the 
 same every where, and the worship of God should be 
 uniform. So it is in the Roman Catholic Church, 
 
 c which 
 
XV111 
 
 which publicly teaches and professes the same articles 
 of faith, and offers the same worship to God, in all 
 nations. The Deist observes, that since men have 
 believed that God has spoken, every people make him 
 speak in their own way. This is unhappily true of 
 those, who interpret the word of God by their own 
 private judgments; but not of those, who follow the 
 ancient Christian rule of receiving it from the authority 
 of that ministry, which was divinely appointed to teach 
 it to all nations, and which has ever delivered the 
 same revealed doctrines in all ages. From the discre- 
 pancy of doctrines and worship observed among dif- 
 ferent sects of Christians, the Deist concludes, that 
 if all men had followed the religion of nature, there 
 would have been but one religion on earth. But did not 
 the learned and unlearned of the heathen nations follow 
 the religion of nature, before the light of the Chris- 
 tian Revelation was conveyed to them ? Was there 
 bnt one religion then amongst them ? Was not the 
 number of their imaginary deities almost countless? 
 Had not each deity his respective form of worship, and 
 that often of the most scandalous description ? Such 
 would have been still the polytheism and scandalous 
 worship of the gentile world, and of these our islands, 
 if they had been left to the religion of nature, if the 
 light and blessings of Christianity had not been diffused 
 over them. 
 
 The Sophist says, if there be in the world but one 
 true religion, and every man be obliged to adopt it, 
 under pain of damnation, it will be necessary to spend 
 our whole lives in the study of all religions, and to 
 examine and compare them with each other, in order 
 
 to 
 
XIX 
 
 to discover that which alone is the true one. By no 
 means. If in a large city, I am in search of an indi- 
 vidual, clearly designated to me by his name, and by 
 a full description of his person and character, it may 
 not be at all necessary for me to examine every inha- 
 bitant, in order to find the object of my search. As 
 soon as I find the man who bears that particular name, 
 and who in every respect corresponds to the designa- 
 tion and character given, all further examination is 
 useless. The true religion, and church of Christ, in 
 which his revealed doctrines and law are to be found, 
 bear a name that is borne by no other, and have dis- 
 tinctive and exclusive marks, by which they are easily 
 known. The name is Catholic, and the distinctive 
 marks, signified by that name, are unity and univer- 
 sality. When the church is discovered, which bears 
 the name of Catholic, and which every where teaches 
 one and the same faith, that is the Church of Christ, 
 in which the one true religion is found. All further 
 inquiry may be dispensed with. 
 
 Amidst the insidious attacks of infidelity against 
 Christianity, is it not the interest and duty of all sin- 
 cere believers in Christ, to fortify themselves against 
 the sophistry of the enemies of the Christian name ? 
 Ought not those who are in doubt, to set their minds 
 right, by attending to the true principles of Christian 
 faith, and by considering the grounds of the truth and 
 certitude of the doctrines, and mysteries of the Chris- 
 tian Religion ? Is it not the interest even of the un- 
 believer, at least, to examine them. If there were a 
 general report, that a large property were left him, he 
 would think it worth his while to inquire into the 
 
 truth 
 
XX 
 
 truth and foundation of the report. There is a gene- 
 ral report, and even a well-founded conviction in the 
 Christian world, that a kingdom in heaven, abounding 
 in all that is rich and delightful, is prepared by the 
 Almighty for each one after death. Should not then 
 every one, at least, inquire into the truth of it, and 
 inform himself on what conditions this blessing is 
 offered ? 
 
 The following treatise is presented to the public, 
 with a sincere wish, that it may be of some service, 
 under the blessing of God, in confirming the true 
 believer in his adhesion to the faith of Christ, and in 
 directing others to the knowledge of the truth of 
 Christianity. 
 
 With this view, the Reader is invited to consider, 
 1°. what is the rational and proper method of ascer- 
 taining the Truth of the revealed doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity. 2°. The fact of the divine Revelation of the 
 Christian Religion being established, to consider the 
 true and proper method of ascertaining, what are the 
 doctrines, precepts, and institutions of the revealed 
 law of Christ. And 3°. To inquire, where true Chris- 
 tianity, with all its blessings, is to be found. 
 
 These points are discussed in the following sheets. 
 
CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 MEANS OF ASCERTAINING THE TRUTH OF THE REVEALED 
 DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Definitions and Preliminary Observations. — Knowledge. 
 — Truth. — Certitude. — Evidence — Different Mediums of Evi- 
 dence. 
 
 The mind is the eye of the soul. By knowledge the mind 
 perceives truth, as by vision the eye sees light. 
 
 The human mind is not capable of knowing all truths. If 
 it were, the power of the human mind would be infinite; and 
 the mind of man would be as comprehensive as the mind of 
 God. 
 
 As the eye may see corporeal objects, without seeing the 
 nature, the number, the form or positions of their interior 
 elements; so the mind of man may know things and truths, 
 without knowing all their causes, relations, properties, and 
 effects. The eye may see the ocean, without being able to 
 see its depth or extent ; and the mind of man may know God, 
 without being able to know all the perfections of his infinite 
 nature. 
 
 The human mind, therefore, may have a knowledge of 
 many things, without comprehending all the properties or 
 qualities that belong to them. 
 
 Comprehension y in the sense in which the term is here 
 used, means such a complete and most perfect knowledge 
 
 b of 
 
of an object, that nothing in it, or relating to it, is unknown 
 or obscure to the mind of him who contemplates it. 
 
 That, which in its substance, qualities, or perfections, is 
 beyond or above the comprehe?ision of the human mind, is a 
 mystery to man. There are mysteries in nature, as well as in 
 religion ; because in nature, as well as in religion, there 
 are works — designed by the same infinite wisdom, and exe- 
 cuted by the same infinite power — which elude the sagacity, 
 and surpass the comprehension of the human intellect. 
 
 Truth is being : it is reality : it is that which IS. 
 
 Objective truth is the real state of a thing, taken absolutely 
 in itself: it consists in the things being ivhat it is. It is the 
 agreement of the attributes of a thing with its subject. 
 
 Logical truth relates to the truth either of our perceptions, 
 or of our judgments. The' truth of our perceptions consists 
 in the agreement of the perceptions of our minds with the 
 objects perceived, as they are in themselves. The truth of 
 our judgments consists in the agreement of the interior act 
 of affirmation or negation, as well as of the exterior expres- 
 sion of the same, with its object, such as it is in itself. If I 
 judge, or assert a thing to be, what it really is, my judgment 
 or proposition is true. If I judge or assert it not to he, 
 what it is; or to be, what it is not, my judgment or pro- 
 position is false. 
 
 As the same thing cannot, at the tame time, exist and not 
 exist ; as the same thing cannot, at the same time, and in 
 the same respect, be and not be, what it is ; so two contradic- 
 tory judgments, or propositions, concerning the same thing, 
 and in the same respect, one affirming that it exists, the other 
 that it does not exist ; or one affirming that it is, the other 
 that it is not, what it really is ; cannot both be true. The 
 truth of one judgment, or proposition, in this case, neces- 
 sarily infers the falsehood of its contradictory. 
 
 That knowledge, therefore, is logically true which per- 
 ceives things as they really are in themselves. That doctrine 
 is logically true, which teaches or announces things to be 
 what they really are in themselves. 
 
 Moral truth is the agreement of a man's external expres- 
 sion with his interior opinion or sentiment j as when a man 
 sincerely speaks what he thinks ; when his mouth and heart 
 agree. The contrary is an immoral falsehood. 
 
 The 
 
The knowledge which God has of all things is true ; be- 
 cause God knows all things as they really are in themselves. 
 Hisknovvledge h comprehensive'inthefuW sense of the term, be- 
 cause he sees all things in the most perfect and most clear man- 
 ner, and nothing in the universe is unknown or obscure to him. 
 
 The revelation by which God manifests or announces 
 things to man is most perfectly true; because he announces 
 things to be, what he knotvs them to be ; and consequently 
 what they are in themselves. Falsehood and ignorance are 
 equally repugnant to a being that is infinitely perfect. 
 
 Certitude is the Jirmness of the judgment of the mind on 
 a subject proposed. It is that firm persuasion of the truth 
 or falsehood of a proposition, or of the existence or non- 
 existence of a fact, ivhich excludes all doubt. 
 
 Certitude is not a blind adhesion to an opinion, nor is doubt 
 a stupid or interested repugnance to a doctrine. Both certi- 
 tude and doubt should be rational. 
 
 Real certitude, by which a man is reasonably and firmly 
 persuaded of the truth of any doctrine, or of the existence of 
 any fact, is founded on evidence, which shews and proves, in 
 a convincing manner, to the mind, that the thing really is 
 what it is affirmed or believed to be. 
 
 Evidence may be intrinsic, or extrinsic. 
 
 By intrinsic evidence, the clear and certain knowledge 
 that a thing really is, what it is affirmed to be, is derived, 1st, 
 from the immediate view of the objective truth of a proposi- 
 tion, such as : the same thing cannot, at the same time, exist and 
 not exist ; or from the intuitive view of the identity of the attri- 
 butes of the thing with their subject, as in this proposition, " a 
 circle is round." The truth of these propositions is so evident in 
 itself, that it requires no borrowed illustration ; it is as clear to 
 the mind, as light is to the eye. This is called intuitive evidence. 
 
 2d. The certain knowledge that the Jhing really is, what 
 it is affirmed to be, is made evident from the clear connec- 
 tion between the proposition in question, and some self- 
 evident principle, which connection is made clear by de- 
 monstration ; as in this proposition, " the three angles 
 of a plain triangle are equal to two right angles." In this 
 case, the truth of the proposition, which at first was obscure, 
 is illustrated by the medium of the light brought from a self- 
 evident principle. This is called demonstrative evidence. 
 
 9 2 Thii 
 
Tins demonstration of truth is the proper act of the faculty 
 of reason. It is by reasonings and chains of arguments, de- 
 pending one upon another, and originally founded on first 
 and self-evident principles, that the philosopher demonstrates 
 the truth of his doctrines and propositions, in metaphysics, 
 ethics, and geometry. 
 
 Bv extrinsic evidence, the certain knowledge that a thing 
 exists, or is really what it is affirmed to be, is derived from 
 the authority of testimony. 
 
 By the testimony of our senses, under due conditions, we 
 obtain a true and certain knowledge of the existence of cor- 
 poreal objects, and of external facts. The testimony of the 
 senses is admitted, in courts of law, as evidence of facts. 
 
 By the testimony of men, under due conditions, we obtain 
 a true and certain knowledge of the existence of distant ob- 
 jects, which we have never perceived by our senses ; — by this 
 means the certain knowledge of the existence of Rome or 
 Constantinople is conveyed to those, who have never seen 
 these places ; — or of the past existence of historical facts, such 
 as of the battles of Pharsalia, and of Hastings, or of such per- 
 sons as Julius Csesar, and William the Conqueror. It is on 
 the testimony of men that the certitude of all historical truth 
 is founded. Indeed, when any public fact is attested by num- 
 bers, who, being themselves eye-witnesses of it, and having 
 the testimony of their own senses concerning its existence, 
 could not have been deceived ; and who, though in many 
 eases divided in matters of opinion, in interests, in inclina- 
 tions and customs, still all unite in attesting, in a uniform 
 manner, the existence of the fact in question, could not be 
 suspected of any design of deceiving others : in such circum- 
 stances, no reasonable man could admit a doubt of the truth 
 of the testimony. 
 
 If the testimony of men furnishes evidence of the certitude 
 of truth, how much more the testimony of God, who knows 
 all things, as they are in themselves, and who cannot deceive 
 us by any false testimony ? 
 
 It may be observed, that the medium is not always the 
 same, by which we obtain the certitude of truth, or the certain 
 knowledge, that things really are what they are affirmed to be. 
 We seethe truth of self-evident principles, by intuitive evi- 
 dence; we obtain the certain knowledge of metaphysical 
 
 and 
 
t 
 
 and mathematical conclusions, by metaphysical and mathema- 
 tical demonstrations ; of the existence of corporeal objects 
 around us, by the testimony of our senses ; of the existence 
 of distant objects or past events, by the testimony of men. And 
 even in perceiving the existence of corporeal objects around 
 us, different objects are perceived by different senses. Thus 
 colour is perceived by the eye ; sound, by the ear ; taste and 
 smell, by their respective senses. The secret opinions or in- 
 tentions of a man cannot be known to his fellow-men, but by 
 the means of some exterior sign or expression. The certain 
 knowledge of what is commanded or forbidden by a legislator, 
 can only be derived from the authoritative manifestation or 
 promulgation of his law. 
 
 Nothing can be more unreasonable, than to seek the cer- 
 tain knowledge of truths and facts, by means, which are not 
 naturally and specifically adapted to the object of inquiry; or 
 to deny the truth of any doctrine, or the existence of any 
 fact, because it cannot be demonstrated, or established by 
 arguments, or testimonies, which have no analogy or con- 
 nexion with them. Would it be reasonable, to deny the meta- 
 physical doctrines of the spirituality or immortality of the 
 soul, because they cannot be proved by the testimony of the 
 senses ? or to deny that the battle of Hastings was ever fought, 
 or that there ever existed such a person, as William the Con- 
 queror, because these historical facts cannot be demonstrated, 
 like a mathematical problem, by lines and angles? or to 
 deny the existence of colour, because it cannot be perceived 
 by the ear ; or of sound, because it cannot be perceived by 
 the eye ? To attempt to prove such objects by such means, 
 would be to pervert the order of nature, and to subvert the 
 grounds of certitude. 
 

 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Competency of human Reason as a sure Guide to 
 Truth in Moral and Natural Sciences, considered. 
 — Its Deficiency, in many instances, regarding Natural Reli- 
 gion and Morality — and the physical Order of the Universe. 
 
 Before we come to the question, whether the certain know- 
 ledge of the truth of the revealed doctrines of Christianity 
 can be obtained by the mere natural powers of human reason, 
 or whether the truth of these doctrines can be proved by 
 arguments drawn from the principles of natural science, it 
 may in fairness be inquired, how far unassisted human reason, 
 in its present state, is a sure guide to truth, even in matters 
 that seem to be placed within the sphere of its natural 
 capacity. 
 
 If we consider the history of contradictory human opinions, 
 relative to almost every object of moral and philosophical 
 science, we must conclude, that mere human reason, even as 
 it existed in the most cultivated minds of ancient Greece and 
 Rome, when left to itself, is incompetent to bring man to the 
 certitude of moral and and natural truth, in a great variety of 
 instances. 
 
 What contradictory doctrines have not been maintained, 
 even by the most enlightened philosophers, concerning the 
 nature and providence of God ; the origin of evil ; the spiri- 
 tuality and immortality of the soul; free-will; certain moral 
 duties ; the end for which man was created, and the means 
 of obtaining happiness ! On these subjects, we find great 
 inconsistency or uncertainty, even amongst those, whose 
 intellectual powers seem to have been the most perfect ; such 
 as a Socrates, a Plato, a Cicero. &c. Socrates complained 
 of the obscurity of human reason. Plato, in his feeling of its 
 insufficiency, prayed that some more enlightened guide might 
 be sent from heaven, to lead man to truth and happiness. 
 
 Cicero 
 
Cicero was in painful doubt concerning various important 
 points of natural religion. If mere human reason, in its 
 present state, were the proper and sure means, by which man 
 is to attain to the certitude of truth, in regard to those reli- 
 gious and moral questions which seem to belong to the class 
 of natural sciences ; surely those distinguished individuals, 
 who possessed human reason in its greatest perfection, and 
 who sought for truth with all the powers of their minds, 
 would have formed a true and certain judgment on those im- 
 portant subjects of inquiry. But if each one had discovered 
 truth, their opinions and doctrines would have been uni- 
 formly the same. 
 
 It is not only on these religious and moral subjects, which 
 seem to belong to the class of natural sciences, that human rea- 
 son feels the want of intrinsic evidence, to enable it to form a 
 true judgment of things as they really are in themselves ; 
 but it finds itself frequently in the dark, when it wishes to 
 discover truth in matters relating to the physical order of 
 the universe. What a number of contradictory doctrines do 
 we not see in the history of philosophical systems, concerning 
 matter and motion, and the various operations of nature, 
 which are daily exhibited before our eyes ! Every object 
 of our senses, from the sun to a grain of sand, from an 
 elephant to the smallest insect, is a mystery to human reason. 
 But the greatest of mysteries to man, in this sublunary 
 world, is man himself, his body, and soul ; their union, 
 and co-operation 5 the action of the pure powers of his soul, 
 and the connexion between volition and the motions of 
 animal life. All these are mysteries, incomprehensible to 
 human reason. And on these natural subjects, what contra- 
 dictory doctrines have not been maintained by the most 
 enlightened philosophers, even since the dark ages have 
 passed away ! Did not even Descartes and Locke, Leibnitz 
 and Newton, maintain opposite systems ? Each thought that 
 he had intrinsic evidence or demonstration of the truth of 
 his own ; but on those points, on which they were in con- 
 tradiction to one another, the light of human reason must 
 have led either the one or the other of them into error. 
 
 If, in the moral and physical order of things, there are 
 so many objects, the truth of which cannot be intuitively 
 seen, nor be intrinsically demonstrated from principles of 
 
 natural 
 
natural science, so as to make it absolutely certain that the 
 thing really is what we judge it to be ; if nature, on every 
 side, presents incomprehensible mysteries to the mind of 
 man ; can human reason expect to obtain intrinsic evidence 
 of the truth of the supernatural objects of divine revelation r 
 Can the private judgment of every individual, formed by a 
 series of arguments from principles of natural science, be 
 reasonably considered as the proper and sure means by 
 which he is to obtain the certain knowledge of the truth of 
 the revealed doctrines of Christianity ? Is it reasonable to 
 deny the truth of these doctrines, because it cannot be de- 
 monstrated by natural reason ? May there not be some other 
 medium, by which the certitude of the truth of the doctrines 
 of divine revelation may be obtained, in a manner more 
 congenial to the object of inquiry ? 
 

 CHAPTER III. 
 
 On the Means of ascertaining, with absolute Certitude, 
 the truth of the revealed doctrines of christia- 
 NITY. — Previous Observations. — It cannot be ascertained by the 
 medium of intrinsic demonstrative evidence, or by the natural 
 light of reason. — Exemplified in the doctrines of the Trinity, 
 and Incarnation. — And in revealed doctrines, the objects of 
 which depend on the free will of God. — The obscurity of the 
 possibility of a mystery, is not evidence of its impossibility. 
 In this inquiry, the revelation of certain doctrines, which 
 have been commonly considered as the doctrines of Christia- 
 nity, and by which God is understood to have communicated 
 to man a sublime knowledge of the glory of his divine nature, 
 and of his great designs and works relative to the redemption 
 and eternal happiness of mankind, is, for the present, as- 
 sumed as a fact. Such are the doctrines concerning the 
 Trinity of Persons in one God : the union of two natures in 
 one Person in Christ, by which he is both God and Man j the 
 existence of origiual sin ; the nature of the atonement re- 
 quired for sin ; the conditions required on the part of man, 
 that he may receive the benefit of this atonement, in the 
 remission of his sins ; the necessity of divine grace ; the 
 resurrection of our bodies ; the general judgment of all 
 mankind at the last day ; the eternal reward of the good in 
 heaven ; the eternal punishment of the wicked in hell. 
 
 These doctrines are true if they announce things as they 
 really are in themselves. This objective truth, by which the 
 things announced by these doctrines are what they are, is 
 independent of the perception of our minds ; it cannot be 
 made or destroyed, by our conceptions, opinions, or reason- 
 ings ; it is fixed in its object. So, the existence of the sun 
 is independent of the human eye : for whether we see it or 
 not, it exists. By opening our eyes to it, we do not give it 
 
 c existence j 
 
10 
 
 existence ; by shutting our eyes to it, we do not destroy its 
 existence, nor extinguish its rays. So the existence of facts 
 is, in itself, independent of our knowledge : for by believing a 
 fact, we do not give it existence ; by denying it, we do not 
 destroy its existence. The man who has committed a cri- 
 minal act, cannot, by denying it, undo what he has done; 
 nor can he prevent the execution of the sentence pronounced 
 against him, by persuading himself that no crime is punished 
 with death. He who wishes to ascertain the truth of the 
 revealed doctrines of Christianity, must seek to ascertain 
 whether the things, announced by them, are or are not, in 
 themselves, what they are affirmed to he. 
 
 We do not yet inquire, whether the certain knowledge of 
 the truth of these doctrines can be obtained from the evidence 
 of the testimony of God who has taught them. But the 
 simple question proposed at present is, whether the truth or 
 falsehood of these revealed doctrines can be intrinsically 
 demonstrated by arguments drawn from principles of natural 
 science ; whether intrinsic and demonstrative evidence is the 
 medium, by which the certitude of the truth of these doc- 
 trines can be obtained ; whether these doctrines are the object 
 of human reason, as light is the object of the eye ? If they 
 are not, it would be as absurd to attempt to demonstrate them 
 by human reason, as it would be to attempt to perceive sound 
 by the eye, or light by the ear. 
 
 The truth or falsehood of the revealed Doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity cannot he ascertained by the medium of intrinsic demon- 
 strative evidence, or by arguments drawn from self-evident 
 principles of natural science : consequently mere human reason 
 is not the medium of revbaled truth. 
 
 The province and office of the faculty of human reason is 
 to demonstrate the truth or falsehood of a doctrine that is 
 obscure and uncertain, by shewing its connexion with, or 
 repugnance to, some self-evident proposition, or principle 
 of natural science. 
 
 The revealed doctrines of Christianity, which all relate 
 either to the sublime and incomprehensible mysteries of the 
 divine nature, or to the designs and works of God relative 
 to the redemption and eternal happiness of man, belong to 
 •> a supernatural order of things, and have no connexion with 
 any principle of natural science ; consequently it cannot be 
 
 shewn 
 
II 
 
 shewn intrinsically, by the natural light of human reason, or 
 by the medium of demonstrative evidence, whether the 
 supernatural objects of these doctrines are, or are not, in 
 themselves, what they are announced to be. 
 
 Let us take for an example, the doctrine of the Trinity, 
 viz. that " in one divine nature there are three distinct per- 
 sons." By what intrinsic evidence could it be shewn, that 
 there are or are not three persons in one God, and consequently 
 that this doctrine is true or false f With what self-evident 
 principle of natural science is this doctrine connected, or to 
 what principle of natural science is it evidently opposed ? 
 The doctrine does not announce that there is only one divine 
 nature, and that there are three divine natures ; nor, that 
 there are three divine persons, and only one divine person. 
 If such were the doctrine, in either case it would be repug- 
 nant to a self-evident principle of natural science, viz. " that 
 the same thing cannot at the same time, and in the same 
 respect, he and not be, what it is affirmed to be." But 
 such is not the doctrine proposed ; it announces that there 
 is one nature and three persons. This, intrinsically 
 considered, is obscure to human reason, for want of the 
 light of some self-evident principle of natural science appli- 
 cable to it. But obscurity of truth is not evidence of 
 falsehood. 
 
 Are there not three distinct powers, the will, the memory, 
 and the understanding, in the one, simple, spiritual substance 
 of the human soul ; each of which powers is the soul itself ? 
 Is not this a mystery to human reason ? 
 
 Could the possibility of such distinct powers, in one soul, 
 have been speculatively demonstrated, from any self-evident 
 principle of natural science ? Could the possibility of them 
 have been naturally known, but from the consciousness of 
 their existence and operations? To what principle of natural 
 science could the doctrine of the existence, or of the possibility 
 of these three powers in one soul, be opposed by tbose who 
 should undertake to deny it ? Will man, then, who cannot 
 comprehend the nature, the powers, and operations of his 
 own soul, pretend to have such a comprehensive knowledge 
 of the infinite perfection of the divine nature, as to be able 
 to see evidently, by the light of human reason, whether there 
 can or cannot be three divine persons in one divine nature ? 
 
 c 2 The 
 
IS 
 
 The question, whether there really are, or are not, three 
 persons in God, is indeed a question of fact. 
 
 We may take, as another example, the doctrine, that 
 " Jesus Christ is both God and man," or that t( two natures, 
 the divine and human, are united in one person, in Christ." 
 With what, self-evident principle of natural science is this 
 doctrine connected, so as to afford a means of demonstrating 
 its truth by intrinsic evidence ? To what principle is it evi- 
 dently opposed, so as to afford a means of demonstrating 
 the falsity of this doctrine, by demonstrating its evident re- 
 pugnance to some self-evident proposition ? 
 
 In every man, are there not two distinct substances, a 
 body and a soul, the one material and divisible, the other 
 spiritual and indivisible, united in one person ? By what spe- 
 culative principle of natural science could human reason 
 have demonstrated the possibility of this hypostatical union 
 in man, if the possibility had not been demonstrated by the 
 fact? To what principle of natural science could the doc- 
 trine of this union be demonstrated to be evidently repug- 
 nant? 
 
 The question whether two natures are hypostatically united 
 in one person in Christ, or whether they are not, is a question 
 of fact. The speculative obscurities which surround the 
 question concerning the possibility of the mystery — and the 
 objections brought against it, amount only to obscurities — are 
 no evidence against the fact of its existence, if that be shewn 
 by the evidence of testimony. 
 
 Even these natural mysteries of the substance and powers 
 of the human soul, and of the hypostatical union of body 
 and soul in man, present great obscurities to our minds, when 
 we examine them intrinsically ; nor is this obscurity dispelled 
 by any light of intrinsic evidence. How much more must 
 the mind of man be overpowered with awful obscurity, when 
 it ventures to search into the majestic glory of the divine 
 nature ! How must man be confounded, in his daring 
 attempt to measure omnipotence by his own weakness ! The 
 Almighty dwells in light, inaccessible to the natural powers 
 of human reason. Corporeal vision is sometimes obscured 
 by the overpowering rays of the blazing sun. 
 
 As, therefore, the doctrines relating to the mysteries of the 
 Trinity and Incarnation have no intrinsic connexion with 
 
 self- 
 
13 
 
 self-evident principles of natural science; as the objects of 
 these doctrines are in reality matters of fact, they are not 
 the proper object of the faculty of human reason, and con- 
 sequently the certain knowledge of their truth or falsehood is 
 not to be obtained by the medium of intrinsic demonstrative 
 evidence. 
 
 But if we consider the nature of the objects of the doc- 
 trines of the Christian Revelation, we shall find that most of 
 them are the determinations and effects of the free will of God. 
 With respect to such, how could human reason decide, by 
 the light of intrinsic evidence, whether God did or did not 
 decree or effect that, which is announced by the revealed 
 doctrine? By what arguments, drawn from the principles 
 of natural science, could it be demonstrated that the revealed 
 doctrine, relatively to its object, is true or false? 
 
 By what light of intrinsic evidence, by what principles of 
 natural science, could human reason ever discover, 1st. What 
 an offended God did, or did not, require as an atonement for 
 sin ? 2d. Whether he did, or did not, decree to send his only 
 begotten Son to be made man, and to offer himself as a 
 victim of atonement for sin ? 3d. What God does, or does 
 not, require on the part of man, that he may receive the 
 benefit of this atonement? 4th. Whether baptism is, or is 
 not, necessary, by the institution and command of God, for 
 the remission of sin ? 5th. Whether the grace of God is, 
 or is not, necessary for our salvation ? 6th. Whether God 
 has, or has not, decreed and promised that our body shall 
 be raised again to life at the last day ? 7th. Whether God 
 has, or has not, decreed and foretold, that there shall be a 
 particular judgment of each one immediately after his death; 
 and a general judgment of all mankind, at the end of the 
 world ? 8th. Whether God has, or has not, promised a re- 
 ward of eternal glory to the just ? 9th. Whether God has, 
 or has not, denounced eternal punishments to the wicked, 
 &c. &c. 
 
 In these and other revealed doctrines of Christianity, how 
 could human reason demonstrate, from the intrinsic nature 
 of the object, or from its connexion with any principle of 
 natural science, which side of the question is true? How 
 then, could it demonstrate whether the doctrines relating to 
 these objects, which depend solely on the free will of God, 
 
 are 
 
14 
 
 are true or false ? The truth and certitude of such doctrines 
 can no more be demonstrated by arguments drawn from 
 principles of natural science, than the interior intentions of 
 any individual, or the certitude of any past fact, can be de- 
 monstrated by mathematical lines and angles. These doc- 
 trines are no more the object of human reason, than sound 
 is the object of the eye. 
 
 The existence of three persons in one God, and the union 
 of two natures in Christ, are matters of fact. The reality 
 of matters of fact is not proved by intrinsic demonstrative 
 evidence, but the extrinsic evidence of testimony. 
 
 If there are three persons in one God ; if there are two 
 natures united in one person, in Christ; these facts cannot 
 be undone or destroyed by the disbelief or denial of man ; 
 any more than the bright rays of the mid-day sun can be 
 extinguished in themselves, by the act of shutting the eye 
 against them. 
 
 All that human reason could attempt against the existence 
 of these facts, which are objects of the Christian revelation, 
 would be to demonstrate, to the highest degree of intrinsic 
 evidence, that the possibility of them is repugnant to some 
 self-evident principle of natural science. If this could be 
 demonstrated to the highest degree of intrinsic evidence, 
 it would be clearly perceived by all, who have given their 
 attention to the subject. But this repugnance certainly is 
 not perceived by thousands of learned men, who have stu- 
 diously examined this question ; and who, after an attentive 
 and impartial examination of it, have sincerely adhered to the 
 belief of the existence of the trinity of persons in one God. 
 and of the union of two natures in Christ, as possible and 
 actual mysteries. 
 
 In reality, those who attempt to demonstrate the impossi- 
 bility of the mysteries, which are objects of divine reve- 
 lation, have a greater load of facts to remove than they are 
 aware of. They must undo, not only the existence of the 
 mysteries themselves, but also all of those historical and mira- 
 culous facts, which bear testimony to the fact of the divine 
 revelation of the mysteries. So long as these testimonies 
 remain in evidence, so long as the fact of the revelation of 
 these mysteries remains, supported by such testimonies, so 
 long will the truth of the possibility of the mysteries remain 
 
 firmly 
 
15 
 
 firmly established. For the fact of God's having revealed any 
 mystery ; for instance, " that in the one divine nature, there 
 are three distinct persons," establishes the existence of it, viz. 
 of the Trinity of persons in one God ; and the establishment 
 of the existence of a thing is the best proof of its possibility. 
 When a philosopher was perplexed by the subtility of a me- 
 taphysical argument, against the possibility of loco-motion, 
 he rose from his seat, and by the act of walking proved the 
 possibility of it, and refuted the sophistry. Those, therefore, 
 who attempt to demonstrate the impossibility of revealed 
 mysteries, must first disprove their existence, to the highest 
 degree of evidence ; and undo all the facts by which the 
 certitude of their existence is supported. 
 
 When the arguments drawn from the self-evident prin- 
 ciples of natural science, to prove intrinsically the natural 
 impossibility of revealed mysteries, are impartially considered, 
 it will appear that they shew nothing more than that the possi- 
 bility of these mysteries is intrinsically obscure ; but not that 
 the impossibility of them is intrinsically evident. 
 
 Can the man who denies the existence of the Trinity of 
 persons in God, demonstrate to a higher degree of evidence 
 that the possibility of this mystery is repugnant to any self- 
 evident principle of natural science ; than he who denies the 
 fact of the creation of the world, can shew that the possibility 
 of creation is repugnant to the principle '* ex nihilo nihil fit ?" 
 And yet how often does it happen that those who deny the 
 mystery of the Trinity, admit of that of the creation ; though, 
 when both are intrinsically examined, the impossibility of the 
 one can no more be demonstrated by the self-evident princi- 
 ples of natural science, than the impossibility of the other ? 
 
16 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Consequences of the Principle of not admitting the 
 TRUTH of Revealed Doctrines, unless it can be prov- 
 ed by intrinsic Demonstrative Evidence. — Uncertainty 
 in religious doctrines. — Infidelity. — These consequences appear 
 in the history of religious opinions, since the changes made in 
 religion in the \Qth century. — Reason and revelation not op- 
 posed to each other. — The province of ?'eason, in the search of 
 revealed truths. — Religious liberty. 
 
 If the truth of any one of the revealed doctrines of Christia- 
 nity can be resonably denied by any individual, because he 
 cannot intrinsically demonstrate it, by shewing the con- 
 nexion of the doctrine with some principle of natural science ; 
 what mystery, what doctrine of the Christian religion, can 
 such a man consistently support or believe ? If on that 
 ground he denies the truth of the doctrine of the real pre- 
 sence, or of transubstantion, must he not, to be consistent 
 with himself, deny the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity of 
 persons in God ; of the union of two natures in one person 
 in Christ ; of original sin ; of the resurrection of the dead ; 
 of the eternity of torments in hell ; of the creation of the 
 world ; and, indeed, of all the revealed doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity, since they all relate to objects which, intrinsically 
 considered, have no connexion with the principles of natural 
 science : It is evident, therefore, that the medium of in- 
 trinsic demonstrative evidence cannot be reasonably applied 
 to the objects of divine revelation, and that when perversely 
 followed in this respect, as a medium of the certitude of re- 
 vealed truth, it must lead to uncertainty in matters of religion, 
 and even to absolute infidelity. 
 
 This is not a mere speculative and possible consequence of 
 the rule of determining the truth or falsehood of revealed 
 
17 
 
 doctrines by the intrifisic demonstration of the agreement or 
 disagreement of the objects of these doctrines with the prin- 
 ciples of natural science. This consequence has been fully 
 proved to have been realized in the history of religious 
 opinions, that have been adopted by those who have fo- 
 lowed this rule of judgment. This has been shewn by a 
 multitude of ^vriters; and lately by a Protestant minister, 
 the late Baron de Starck, in his " Entretiens Philosophiques" 
 translated into English, under the title of li Philosophical 
 Dialogues on the Reunion of the different Christian Com- 
 munions." Is it not by a direct consequence from this prin- 
 ciple, that the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the truth of 
 the Sacred Scriptures, and other articles of revealed religion, 
 are publicly denied, at present, in this country ? On what 
 principle can these errors be consistently condemned or 
 refuted, by those who admit that the truth or falsehood of the 
 doctrines of revealed religion is to be proved by intrinsic 
 arguments, drawn from the principles of natural science ? 
 
 Is then the light of reason to be extinguished by reve- 
 lation ? Is the total exercise of natural reason to be pro- 
 hibited in the search of religious truths ? No, certainly not. 
 The truths which are the objects of reason and of revela- 
 tion are distinct, and are grounded on distinct motives of 
 assent. Reason and revelation have their separate pro- 
 vinces, in which they may respectively exercise their 
 rights. 
 
 Revelation leaves reason free to range over the vast field of 
 nature, and to pursue the study of natural and moral truth 
 by the principles of natural science. Revelation brings a 
 new light to the human mind, by infusing a sublime know- 
 ledge of supernatural truths, and by giving additional testi- 
 mony, perfection, and sanction to the truths and precepts 
 of the moral law of nature. But revelation opposes no 
 obstacle to discoveries and improvements in the natural 
 sciences. Indeed, have not civilization and literature 
 been introduced into many countries, by those who in- 
 troduced the belief of the doctrines of revelation ? Has 
 not reason been improved, to the highest degree, in 
 minds enlightened with the knowledge of revealed truths ? 
 Were an Origen, a St. Chrysostom, a, St. Augustin, a St. 
 Jerom, in former ages ; or a Bossuct, a F£ndlon, a Paschal, a 
 
 d Descartes, 
 
 ■ •. 
 
18 
 
 Descartes, in later times, impeded in the improvement of their 
 natural talents, or in the acquisition of natural sciences, by 
 their belief of the doctrines of revelation? Have not the 
 ministers and professors of revealed religion been the greatest 
 encouragers and promoters of the arts and sciences in all 
 ages ? Revelation, as well as good sense, commends the use, 
 and condemns the misuse, of the powers of reason. 
 
 In the search of religious and revealed truths, reason is by 
 no means prohibited the use and exercise of her powers, 
 provided she employ them about those objects, which lie 
 within her proper jurisdiction, and she do not wander out of 
 her own province. But if reason attempt to demonstrate the 
 ■truth or falsehood of the doctrines and mysteries of revela- 
 tion, by discussing the intrinsic nature of the objects of these 
 doctrines and mysteries, or by philosophical arguments drawn 
 from self-evident principles of natural science, with which they 
 have no connexion, reason does go out of her own province ; 
 she acts unreasonably, by attempting to demonstrate that 
 by intrinsic evidence, which is not the object of it ; any more 
 than colour is the object of the ear, or sound of the eye, or 
 the existence of an historical fact is the object of a mathe- 
 matical demonstration. 
 
 Admitting the existence of God, whose infinite wisdom 
 knows more than the mind of man can comprehend ; whose 
 infinite power can do more than man can conceive possible ; 
 whose infinite goodness surpasses all understanding ; reason 
 may exert her powers in demonstrating, from these admitted 
 principles, that if this great God reveal, or manifest, any 
 thing relating to the perfections of his nature, or to his own 
 works or designs in favour of man, what he reveals must be 
 most certainly true, because, being infinitely wise, he knows 
 all things as they are in themselves ; and, being infinitely 
 true and good, he cannot deceive us, by making any decla- 
 ration contrary to what he knows to be the truth. Again, 
 reason may demonstrate, that it is most reasonable to be- 
 lieve, with a firm conviction of mind, whatever God has 
 revealed; because it is reasonable to believe most firmly 
 whatever is certainly true ; and whatever God has revealed, 
 is most certainly true. 
 
 It then only remains to inquire whether, in fact, Almighty 
 God has revealed any thing to men, and what he has revealed. 
 
 These 
 
19 
 
 These are plain questions of fact, the existence of which 
 like that of all historical facts, is to be ascertained by the 
 evidence of testimony. Here, again, reason may employ 
 her powers, in applying to the external evidences of divine 
 revelation, which are so many external facts, all the principles 
 and rules of criticism by which the certitude of testimony 
 is established. 
 
 But, when reason has discovered and ascertained the fact t 
 of divine revelation, there she must stop. Reason has, in- 
 deed, a right to be satisfied that God has spoken. But when 
 it is made certain, by satisfactory extrinsic evidence, that he 
 has really spoken ; reason has no right, she is not qualified 
 nor competent, to sit in judgment on the truth, or justick, 
 of what God has taught or commanded. Reason herself 
 teaches, that it is the duty of man to do homage to the truth 
 and veracity of God, by submitting his understanding to the 
 obedience of faith, and by believing, implicitly and firmly, 
 whatever God has revealed ; as it is his duty to do homage 
 to the wisdom and justice of God, by submitting his will to 
 the obedience of the divine law, and by faithfully doing, 
 whatever God has commanded. 
 
 But what, then, becomes of religious liberty ? If by re- 
 ligious liberty it be only meant, that every man should be at 
 liberty to inquire into the existence of the fact of divine 
 revelation, and to examine the evidence of the testimonies 
 brought to ascertain its reality, it is clear that this is the 
 natural right of every rational creature. The same must be 
 said of the right that each one has, to examine the evi- 
 dence of the extrinsic motives of credibility, relative to the 
 divinely established medium, by which the revealed doctrines 
 are to be communicated, with certitude, to mankind. With- 
 out this, we should be exposed to the danger of mistaking the 
 erroneous opinions of men for the revealed truths of God, 
 and of being the dupes of every impostor or self-authorized 
 fanatical teacher. 
 
 If by religious liberty be meant a right, to believe or to 
 disbelieve what is certainly revealed by the God of truth, 
 and what is proposed as revealed to our belief, by an au- 
 thority, which God himself bas commissioned to promulgate 
 his revealed law, and which he has commanded us to obey : 
 no such right can exist. For it is as wrong and as criminal 
 
 d 2 to 
 
20 
 
 to refuse to believe an article of doctrine, which God has 
 certainly taught, as it is to refuse to observe a moral duty, 
 which God has certainly commanded. 
 
 But is not the mind of man as free as air ? If it is to be 
 fixed, by what is it to be fixed but by the evidence of truth ? 
 In answer to this, I ask, is the mind more free than the will ? 
 Is not the will of man subject to the supreme will and com- 
 mand of God ? Though it be free, is it not under a moral 
 obligation of obeying the divine command, which is a restric- 
 tion on its liberty ? May not God, who has a right to command 
 the will to observe the moral precept, which he has given, 
 have also a right to command the understanding to assent 
 to the doctrine he has revealed? But can the mind reasona- 
 bly assent to a doctrine without evidence of its truth ? Cer- 
 tainly not j without either intrinsic evidence, if the doctrine 
 be the object of intrinsic ; or without extrinsic, if the doctrine 
 be the object of extrinsic evidence. Thus the mind assents 
 to the truth of mathematical doctrines, on the intrinsic evi- 
 dence of mathematical demonstrations ; it assents to the truth 
 of historical assertions, on the extrinsic evidence of human 
 testimony j it assents to the truth of revealed doctrines, on the 
 extrinsic evidence of the testimonv of God. 
 
21 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Certitude ofthe TRUTH of the revealed Doctrines 
 of Christianity can be obtained only by the Medium 
 
 OF EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE, OR BY THE TESTIMONY OF God, 
 GIVEN IN THE ACT OF THE DlVINE REVELATION OF THESE 
 
 Doctrines. — Shewn from the nature of the question— from the 
 reasoning of St. Paul— from the natural method of coming to 
 the true and certain knowledge of the will of a Legislator. 
 
 It has been shewn that the certitude of the truth of the 
 revealed doctrines of Christianity cannot be obtained by the 
 medium of intrinsic evidence; it follows, therefore, that it can 
 be obtained only by extrinsic evidence, or by the evidence of 
 the testimony of God. 
 
 The testimony of God must be, in the nature of things, 
 the only proper medium of ascertaining the truth of these 
 revealed doctrines; because these doctrines have for their 
 objects, either the nature of God or the designs and works of 
 God. To whom is the nature of God perfectly known, but 
 to God himself? To whom are the designs and works of 
 God perfectly known, but to God himself? God only has a 
 perfect and comprehensive knowledge of his own nature, 
 designs, and works ; therefore, his manifestation or reve- 
 lation of them is the proper medium by which the truth of 
 them can be ascertained. 
 
 The eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered 
 into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them 
 that love him. The knowledge of the designs and works of 
 God in favour of man could never have been acquired, either 
 by the testimony of the senses, or by the demonstrations of 
 human reason. But to us God hath revealed them by his 
 spirit. For the spirit of God searcheth all things, yea the 
 deep things of God. No other can know his designs or in- 
 tentions, unless lie manifest them. For what man knoiveth the 
 
 things 
 
things (the dispositions and intentions) of a man, but the spirit 
 of man, that is in him ? So the things, also (the will and 
 designs), that are of God, no man knoiveth hut the spirit of 
 God. Now we have received, not the spirit of this world, but 
 the spirit that is of God; that we may know the things 
 that are given us of God. — 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10, 11, 12. 
 
 No knowledge can be more true than this, which God has 
 of his own nature, designs, and works j because he knows 
 them as they are in themselves. Nothing can be more certain 
 to us than the truth of that which is revealed to us by the 
 God of truth, concerning his nature, designs, and works. 
 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is 
 greater. 1 John, v. 9. The testimony of God is assuredly 
 the most solid basis of the most absolute certitude of truth. 
 
 If, therefore, God, who perfectly knows himself, his own 
 designs and works, positively declares that in his own in- 
 finitely perfect nature there are three distinct persons ; that 
 in Christ there are, since his incarnation, two natures united 
 in the person of God the Son ; that the posterity of Adam are 
 born in the guilt of original sin ; that atonement has 
 been made for sin by the death of Christ on the cross ; that 
 baptism is instituted for the remission of sins ; that every 
 man will be judged immediately after his death; that Christ 
 will come from heaven at the last day, to judge all men 
 according to their works ; that our bodies shall be raised to 
 life ; that the good will be rewarded with eternal happiness, 
 and the wicked punished with eternal torments : if God 
 declares these things, they are most true and certain ; and 
 this declaration or testimony of God is the proper medium by 
 which the truth of these doctrines can be ascertained. 
 
 The doctrines of Christianity are the law of Christ. How 
 is the knowledge of what a legislator freely commands, to be 
 obtained, but by the declaration or manifestation which he 
 himself makes of his will ? 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Fact of the Divine Revelation of the Christian 
 Religion. — The Christian Religion was taught by Christ. — - 
 Christ, as Man, was divinely commissioned to teach it.— -The 
 Nature and Effect of Miracles. — The divine Mission of Christ 
 proved by Miracles. — Christ, who taught the Christian Reli- 
 gion, is Himself true God. — His Divinity shewn, principally 
 by the Fact of his Resurrection. — Consequences — in Proof of 
 the divine Revelation of the Christian Religion, and of the 
 Obligation of observing its Precepts. 
 
 That, about 1800 years ago, a person called Jesus Christ 
 lived in Judea, is an historical fact. That he taught certain 
 religious doctrines, that he delivered certain moral precepts, 
 that he instituted certain sacred rites, are so many facts, sup- 
 ported by the strongest testimonies of written histories, and 
 of universal tradition. 
 
 If Christ, as man, was commissioned by God to deliver 
 these doctrines, precepts, and institutions, as the doctrines, 
 precepts, and institutions of God ; if Christ, who delivered 
 them, is himself God : the fact of the divine revelation and 
 institution of the Christian religion is established. These two 
 positions are true and certain. 
 
 1st. It is a fact that Christ, as man, was commissioned by 
 God to that effect. He declared that the doctrine which he 
 delivered was not of his own invention, as man, but the doc- 
 trine which he had received from God, vjho sent him. John 
 vii, 16. He proved the fact of his divine mission by the most 
 evident miracles. 
 
 These miracles were public acts of omnipotence, which no 
 other but God could perform, and by which the Almighty 
 God of Truth sensibly interposed, to give his sanction to the 
 authority of Christ, as commissioned by him, to declare his 
 truths aud will to man. What stronger testimony of the 
 
 divine 
 
divine sanction, or commission, could be given, or be reason- 
 ably required ? The King's seal affixed to an instrument com- 
 missioning a person officially to make known the will of the 
 King, is a sufficient proof that such commission does really 
 proceed from the sovereign ; and it gives the same force to 
 the communication made by the commissioner, as if the King 
 had delivered it in person. A miracle, wrought to sanction 
 the authority of a teacher, as delivering the truths of God, is 
 the seal of the Almighty ; and it gives to the doctrine, or to 
 the testimony of the teacher, the same authority and certitude 
 of truth, as if God himself had spoken. Hence, to those 
 whom Christ had instructed, and whom, after he had proved 
 his divine authority by evident miracles, he commissioned to 
 teach in his name, he said, He that heareth you heareth me. 
 Luke x, 16. 
 
 Christ appealed to his miracles to prove his divine mission. 
 John the Baptist had given testimony to the authority of Christ. 
 But Christ said, I have a greater testimony than that of John. 
 For the works which the Father hath given me to perfect, the 
 works themselves ivhich I do, give testimony of me, that the 
 Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, who hath 
 sent me, hath given testimony of me. John v, 36, 37. 
 He whom God hath sent, speaketh the ivords of God. John, 
 iii,34. 
 
 What was the nature of these works, to which Christ 
 appealed in proof of his divine mission? They were acts 
 of divine, of omnipotent power ; acts by which he exercised 
 dominion over all nature. A man born blind is presented to 
 him ; Christ says, that this calamity had been permitted to 
 befal the man, that the works of God should be made mani- 
 fest in him. Adding, I must work the works of Him that 
 sent me. John, ix, 3, 4. He restored sight to this man, and 
 it was acknowledged to be a miracle. — Lazarus is sick : 
 Christ declares that this sickness is for the glory of God ; that 
 the Son of God may be glorified by it. Lazarus dies, and is 
 four days in the grave. Jesus goes to the place ; he gives 
 thanks to the Father, in presence of the people standing 
 about ; that they may believe, said he to his Father, that 
 thou hast sent me. He cried out, Lazarus, come forth; 
 and presently he that had been dead came forth living. Many 
 in consequence believed in him. The chief jmests, therefore, 
 
 and 
 
• 25 
 
 and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said : what ao we, for 
 this man doth many miracles ? If we let him alone so, all 
 men will believe in him. John xi, 4, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48. 
 
 Thus Christ proves his divine mission, by facts which his 
 enemies acknowledge to be miraculous. Therefore his au- 
 thority, his ministry, his doctrine, are evidently sanctioned 
 by the Almighty God of Truth ; his doctrine is the doctrine of 
 him who sent him ; he spoke the ivords of God. John iii, 34. 
 
 2d. Christ, who delivered the doctrine?, precepts, and in- 
 stitutions of Christianity, as the doctrines, precepts, and in- 
 stitutions of God, is himself God, the Son of God ; though a 
 distinct person, yet of the same nature with his father. 
 
 In the prophecies relating to the Messias, which were all 
 accomplished in Jesus, the attributes of the divine, no less 
 than the properties of the human nature, are predicated of 
 him. If Isaias foretels that he is to be conceived and born 
 of a virgin, he calls him at the same time Emmanuel, or God 
 ivith us. If Micheas announces that he is to go forth from 
 Bethlehem, the place of his natural birth, he ascribes to 
 him another procession from the days of eternity, which is 
 his divine birth, as Son of God, from his eternal Father. 
 
 In the course of his mortal life, Jesus occasionally dis- 
 played the glory of his divine nature, by the exercise of infi- 
 nite wisdom and infinite power, in the splendid miracles, 
 which he wrought. But the sole fact of his resurrection from 
 the dead, will ever stand as irresistible evidence of the divi- 
 nity of Jesus Christ. 
 
 When Jesus was challenged by the Jews to give proof of 
 the justice of his claim to the divine title of Son of God, which 
 he claimed as his own right and prerogative, he on two occa- 
 sions, in particular, referred them to the future event of his 
 resurrection, as to the grand proof of his being the Messias, 
 and the Son of God. John ii, 16—22, and Matt, xii, 38 — 41. 
 His resurrection from the dead could not be effected but by 
 the power of God ; nor could the power of God be employed 
 to support a false pretension to a divine title. Therefore the 
 act of his resurrection from the dead, which Jesus had 
 appealed to as the illustrious proof of his being the Son of 
 God, was, ipso facto, a divine sanction of the justice of his 
 claim to that glorious character. 
 
 But if tlie fact of the resurrection of Jesus be considered, 
 ... e with 
 
20 
 
 with all its antecedent and concomitant circumstance?, it will 
 appear to carry with it a most evident demonstration of his 
 divinity. On various occasions, he not only positively foretold 
 that he should he put to death, and that he should rise again 
 on the third day ; but he distinctly described the manner of 
 his death, and the mode of treatment he should receive from 
 his enemies, in the course of his passion. Matt, xviii. He 
 said to his disciples, Behold ive go up to Jerusalem, and the 
 Son of Man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and to the 
 scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver 
 him to the Gentiles to be mocked, and to be scourged, and to be 
 crucified, and the third day he shall rise again ; verses 18, 19. 
 See Mat. xvi, 21 ; xvii, 9 and 22 — Mark viii, 31 ; ix, 8; x, 34 
 — Luke ix, 22 j xviii, 33. Who, without the divine know- 
 ledge of the secrets of hearts and of future events, could have 
 predicted, so positively, that he should be betrayed, that he 
 should be condemned to death, be delivered to the Gentiles, 
 be mocked, be scourged, and be crucified, by his enemies ? 
 Who, without the knowledge of the decree of God to exert 
 his omnipotence on a particular day, could have foretold 
 that, after three days from his death, he should return to life ? 
 Jesus moreover declared before his death, that the act of 
 his resurrection was to be his own act, the exercise of his own 
 power. Thus he spoke, John x, YJ , et seq. I lay down my 
 life that I may take it again. No man taketh it from me ; 
 but I lay it down of myself ; and I have power to lay it down, 
 and I have power to take it up again. He here declares that 
 without his own consent, no man could put him to death : 
 that after he had laid down his life, by his own free consent, 
 he had power to take up his life again, and that he would 
 take it up again. This is not the language of a creature : it 
 is the language of the Almighty and Sovereign Lord of all 
 Things, of him to whose power life and death are absolutely 
 subject. Could any general or emperor at the head of his 
 armies ever hold this language to his soldiers? " The enemy 
 cannot slay me without my consent. I shall consent to be 
 slain on the field of battle : but, after I shall have lain three 
 days among the dead, I will raise myself to life again ; I will 
 place myself at your head, and will lead you on to victory." 
 Such language would be folly and insanity in the mouth of the 
 most powerful man on earth. Such language was truth in the 
 
 mouth 
 
27 
 
 mouth of Jesus Christ. Speaking of himself, he said : The 
 Son of Man shall he betrayed to the chief priests, and to the 
 scribes and ancients, and they shall condemn him to death, and 
 shall deliver him to the Gentiles ; and they shall mock him, and 
 spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him ; and the third 
 day lie shall rise again. Mark x, 33, 34. But, after i shall 
 bk risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Mark, xiv, 
 28. His very enemies hore testimony that his prediction was 
 uttered hefore his death, and took their precautions against 
 any false pretence of its accomplishment. After he was dead, 
 the chief priests and the Pharisees came together to Pilate, 
 saying, Sir, ice have remembered, that that seducer said, while 
 he ivas yet alive, aster three days I will rise again ; com- 
 mand, therefore, the sepulchre to be guarded until the third day. 
 Mat. xxvii, 62, 63, 64. 
 
 Jesus was put to death under the very circumstances he 
 had foretold. On the third day he raised himself to life again, 
 as he had predicted. Here are three facts, all absolutely cer- 
 tain, and collectively, bearing the most evident testimony both 
 to the humanity and to the divinity of Jesus Christ. The cer- 
 tainty of these facts is supported by the testimonies cited from 
 the Gospels, which must be admitted, at least, as an authentic 
 history. 
 
 It is then a certain fact that he foretold his death, with its 
 circumstances, and also his resurrection on the third day. 
 
 It is a certain fact that he was put to death, amidst the cir- 
 cumstantial indignities which he had foretold. 
 
 It is a certain fact that lie rose to life on the third day. 
 
 Of this fact, and of his having been seen living by many per- 
 sons, on many occasions, during forty days, we have the most 
 undeniable testimonies. On the third day after his death he 
 presented himself living to his eleven apostles, and to the two 
 disciples returned from Emaus, all assembled together. They 
 were at first incredulous. He convinced them of the reality 
 of his resuscitated body, by exhibiting himself palpably, and 
 by conversing and eating with them ; and of its identity, by 
 shewing them the wounds in his hands and feet. After eight 
 days he came into their assembly again, when Thomas was 
 present, who had declared that he would not believe him to 
 be risen, till he had seen the print of the nails in his hands, 
 till he had put his finger into the place of the nails, and his 
 
 e 2 baud 
 
28 
 
 hand into his side. He then told Thomas to satisfy himself: 
 and Thomas, overpowered by the evidence before him, ex- 
 claimed " My Lord and my God !" He was seen by seven 
 disciples on the Lake of Tiberias ; and by more than five 
 hundred brethren at once, in Galilee. He was seen by his 
 Apostles on the day of his ascension, when he gave them their 
 sublime commission and his heavenly promise ; he was seen 
 by them ascending to his heavenly kingdom. The sincerity 
 of the conviction, and of the testimony of those who had seen 
 him, and conversed with him, after his resurrection, was sealed 
 with their blood. 
 
 By the evidence and virtue of the fact of his resurrection, 
 the world was converted to the faith, and brought under obe- 
 dience to the authority of Jesus, the son of God. This un- 
 deniable fact of his resurrection, was an evident proof of 
 omnipotence in him who raised himself from death to life. It 
 stamped the character of divine truth on his doctrines ; of 
 divine veracity on his promises ; and of divine authority on 
 his precepts. It gave efficacy to his sacred institutions. His 
 power is therefore the power of God ; his law is the law of 
 God j his kingdom is the kingdom of God. This fact affords 
 an evident demonstration of the divine revelation and institu- 
 tion of the Christian religion, and consequently of the truth 
 of the doctrines and mysteries, which were taught by Christ 
 
29 
 
 PART II. 
 
 MEANS OF ASCERTAINING WHAT ARE THE GENUINE DOC- 
 TRINES AND PRECEPTS OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On the Means or ascertaining, with absolute Certitude, 
 WHAT are the Doctrines of Faith, the Moral Pre- 
 cepts, and the Religious Observances, which were de- 
 livered by Christ in the Revelation and Institution 
 of the Christian Religion. — Previous Observations.— Two 
 Methods proposed : of authoritative Testimony ; and of pri- 
 vate Judgment, and private Interpretation of Scripture. 
 
 The present question does not regard the truth of the doc- 
 trines revealed, the sanctity of the precepts delivered, or the 
 religious nature of the rites instituted by Christ. It is evi- 
 dent that these qualifications are inherent in all the doctrines, 
 precepts, and institutions, which are taught and commanded 
 by the God of Truth and Justice. 
 
 The question relates only to the means, by which men may 
 be able to ascertain with certitude, what are the doctrines, 
 precepts, and institutions of the Christian law. Did Christ 
 teach the doctrine of the Trinity, or did he not ? Did he 
 command the virtues of faith, of penance, and of superna- 
 tural charity, or did he not ? Did he institute the sacraments 
 of baptism and penance for the remission of sins, or did he 
 not ? How are such questions to be determined ? How is it 
 to be known for certain tvhat Christ really taught, what he 
 really commanded, what he really ordained ? 
 
 In the Christian law there is no contradiction. Christ did 
 not teach that there are and are not three persons in one Godj 
 
 that 
 
30 
 
 that penance is and is not a requisite disposition for salvation ; 
 that baptism if and is not necessary for all ; that the confes- 
 sion of sins is and is not an ordinance of his law. 
 
 If the method employed, for ascertaining what Christ really 
 did teach and ordain, be found to lead sincere inquirers to 
 adopt sometimes one doctrine on the subject in question, and 
 sometimes its contradictory ; it surely cannot be reasonably 
 considered as a certain rule of truth, but must be a fallible 
 and deceitful guide, often conducting to error. 
 
 Whoever feels the immense importance of knowing with 
 certainty ivhat are the doctrines which Christ really taught 
 and commanded all to believe ; what are the supernatural 
 precepts of morality which Christ really delivered, and com- 
 manded all to follow in practice ; what are the sacred ordi- 
 nances which Christ really instituted and commanded to be 
 observed ; what are the dispositions and conditions of salva- 
 vation which Christ really prescribed for all ; he will at the 
 same time feel that it is equally important to his salvation to 
 know by what means he can ascertain the truth on these 
 points of fact, on which his eternal happiness or misery de- 
 pends. 
 
 It is an historical fact, that before the period of the revolu- 
 tion in religion, often called the Reformation, which took 
 place in the sixteenth century, the ancient and universal 
 testimony, or the authoritative teaching of the pastors of the 
 church of Christ, was generally followed, as the divinely es- 
 tablished means, by which all men were to be brought to the 
 true and certain knowledge of the law and religion of Christ* 
 
 It is also an historical fact, that the bold reformer, who, in 
 the sixteenth century, was the first and chief leader in this 
 revolution, setting aside the ancient method, laid down the 
 rule of determining by each man's private judgment, or by 
 his private interpretation of Scripture, what are the doctrines, 
 precepts, and institutions of Christ, and what the conditions 
 of eternal salvation. 
 
 Whether this last rule, which is the principle of Protes- 
 tantism, or the ancient rule, which is the principle of Ca- 
 tholicism, is the true and sure means of learning and deter- 
 mining with certitude, what are the doctrines, precepts, and 
 institutions which were really taught and ordained by Christ, 
 is the important subject of this present discussion. 
 
31 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Competency of private Judgment and private Inter- 
 pretation of Scripture examined. — Private Judgment 
 leads to Uncertainty and Error, whether it be used to determine 
 the Question by intrinsic or extrinsic Evidence. — Private Inter- 
 pretation of Scripture also leads to Uncertainty and Error. 
 
 By private judgment, we understand the solitary opinion 
 and judgment of every individual, uninfluenced by authority, 
 or by the opinions or judgments of others. 
 
 Whether we consider the objects of inquiry, or the ordi- 
 nary results of individual research, we must admit that pri- 
 vate judgment, or the individual opinion which each one 
 may form on the subject in question, is not a sure means of 
 determining with truth and certitude, ivhat in fact Christ 
 did or did not teach and command. 
 
 Taking some particular doctrine ; for example, that of the 
 Trinity, as the object of inquiry : how is it to be determined 
 with truth and certitude, by private reasoning or private 
 judgment, whether this doctrine was or was not taught by 
 Christ ? Is it by examining the intrinsic nature of the object 
 of this doctrine, viz. of the mystery of the existence of three 
 persons in one God; and by concluding, from arguments 
 drawn from natural principles, that the doctrine is or is not 
 true, and consequently that it is or is not revealed ? It 
 has been shewn (Part i, chap, iii) that the truth or falsehood 
 of revealed doctrines cannot be ascertained by intrinsic evi- 
 dence. If, therefore, from the private judgment which an in- 
 dividual may form " that the doctrine is not true," he should 
 argue that it is not revealed, he would argue from a false 
 principle and from a fallacious judgment. If the doctrine is 
 in fact revealed, it is true, and its truth is grounded in the 
 judgment and revelation of Christ : and hence, in the sup- 
 position of its being in fact revealed, the private judgment 
 
 of 
 
I 32 
 
 of the individual concerning the truth of the doctrine would 
 be opposed to the judgment of the Son of God himself! 
 
 But the present inquiry is, not whether the doctrine is 
 true or false; but whether in fact it teas or was not revealed 
 by Christ. 
 
 Suppose then that some individual, a man of learning and 
 piety, has inquired into this fact, and is come to the conclu- 
 sion that the doctrine of the Trinity, for instance, was not taught 
 by Christ: will his private judgment be to him a reasonable 
 ground of certitude that this doctrine was not revealed; if his 
 judgment is found to be opposed to the uniform judgment of 
 many thousands of men, in every Christian country, and in 
 every age from the beginning of Christianity, men distin- 
 guished by their learning and piety, and who were all con- 
 vinced by the strongest evidences of testimony, that the doc- 
 trine of the Trinity was really taught by Christ? Surely, 
 with such a weight of general affirmative judgment against 
 him, on this matter of fact, the individual must doubt the 
 accuracy of his own private negative judgment ; he cannot 
 reasonably adhere to it as a prudent and certain judgment of 
 his mind. 
 
 But, fairly to settle the point in question, we must consi- 
 der whether the private judgment, even of every individual 
 in the great mass of mankind, of every artisan and husband- 
 man, is competent to determine, with certainty, whether 
 the doctrine of the Trinity, or of any other article of Christian 
 faith, was or was not revealed by Christ; in short, to 
 determine what was revealed by him, as necessary to be be- 
 lieved in order to salvation ? And, whether this ignorant 
 individual can reasonably and safely rest on his own private 
 judgment, that the doctrine of the Trinity, or of any other 
 article in question, was not revealed, although the article 
 has been uniformly believed and professed by all Christian 
 churches, from the first establishment of Christianity to the 
 sixteenth century, and is still believed and professed by 
 far the greater majority of Christians, as a revealed doc- 
 trine ? Will any reasonable man say, that the private judg- 
 ment of the individual, in this case, can be to him aground of 
 certitude ? 
 
 If, moreover, we consider the ordinary results of private 
 
 judgment 
 
33 
 
 judgment and individual opinion in common life, we shall 
 see that they often lead to uncertainty and error. Leave an 
 individual merely to the lights of his own mind on many 
 doctrinal and moral subjects, without any guidance whatever 
 from authority, or direction from the judgment of other men; 
 how does he wander in opinions, and grope as it were in the 
 dark for truth ! How uncertain is he in his judgment ! And 
 is a judgment so uncertain, when left to its own lights, a 
 sure guide to certitude in matters of divine revelation ? What 
 contradictions do we not daily observe, between the private 
 judgments of individuals on the most ordinary questions, that 
 occur to be examined by them ? How difficult is it often for 
 twelve men to come to an uniform judgment, on the same 
 subject? Must there not be error, amidst these contradictory 
 individual judgments and opinions ? What reasonable man, 
 then, would ever admit, that the private judgment of every 
 individual is a basis and rule of certitude, in determining what 
 are the doctrines, precepts, and institutions of Christ ; or 
 what are the dispositions and conditions of salvation, which 
 were prescribed by him, and on the knowledge, and obser- 
 vance of which the eternal happiness of every individual de- 
 pends ? 
 
 Is the private interpretation of Scripture a more sure rule 
 of certitude, in determining these points of fact ? Is it not, in 
 reality, the same thing, in its principle and consequences, as 
 private judgment ? 
 
 1 will not at present inquire, whether the authenticity of 
 the Scripture, as a revealed book, or the integrity of its text, 
 or the faithfulness of its translation, can be ascertained with- 
 out the extrinsic testimony of the church of Christ. I will not 
 inquire whether all those things which Christ taught, or- 
 dained, and commanded, are contained in the Scripture : 
 though these are important points. But, waving these points, I 
 will only consider whether the private interpretation of au- 
 thentic Scripture is a sure rule of certitude, in determining 
 the objects of the proposed question of fact. 
 
 Private interpretation of the sacred Scriptures, like private 
 individual judgment, is uncertain, and leads to error. Its 
 uncertainty is manifest from the variety of discordant inter- 
 pretations of the same texts, which the same individual often 
 adopts at different times. Its erroneous tendency is evident 
 
 f from 
 
34 
 
 from the contradictory doctrines which individuals, equally 
 learned, equally sincere, equally pious, often derive from 
 the same text, according to their respective private views 
 and interpretations of it. Do not those who believe the 
 Trinity, and those who deuy it — those who believe the 
 divinity of Christ, and those who deny it — those who believe 
 the necessity of baptism, and those who deny it — those who 
 believe the real presence, and those who deny it — all learn 
 their contradictory doctrines from the Scripture? What then ! 
 Is the Scripture in contradiction to itself? Surely not. It is 
 essentially consistent in its true sense ; but, the interpretations 
 of its meaning, given by those who follow the rule of private 
 judgment, are evidently contradictory. 
 
 Where, then, are certainty and truth to be found, amidst 
 these contradictory interpretations of the sense of the Holy 
 Scriptures? How can it be truly ascertained by them, what 
 Christ really taught, instituted, and commanded, and what 
 conditions of salvation Christ really prescribed ? 
 
35 
 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Consequences of following the Principle of private 
 Judgment, and private Interpretation of Scripture, 
 as the Rule and Means of determining WHAT are 
 the Doctrines, Precepts, and Ordinances, which 
 were delivered by Christ. — Divisions in Faith. — Contra- 
 dictory religious Opinions. — Inconsistent religious Observances. — 
 Vain Attempts to restore Unity and Uniformity. — The Invention 
 of Fundamental and Non fundamental Articles. — The Autho- 
 rity of Synods. — The Intervention of the Civil Power. — The 
 Reading, and private Interpretation of Scripture, were not 
 appointed by Christ, as the means of communicating the certain 
 knowledge of all that he taught and ordained to he believed and 
 observed by Men. 
 
 From this principle of private judgment, and private inter- 
 pretation of Scripture, adopted by the leader of the Reforma- 
 tion, such a diversity of religious opinions soon flowed, as tend- 
 ed to make every thing uncertain in Christianity. As the 
 judgment of one man differed from that of another, or as each 
 man varied in his own private interpretation of Scripture ; so, 
 in consequence of this principle, did the belief of the uniform 
 and immutable doctrines of Christ become different in different 
 people, and undergo frequent changes in the minds of the 
 same individuals. This was noticed, with concern, at an 
 early period of the reformation, and every means was em- 
 ployed to preserve that unity in faith, among the followers of 
 the new religions, which is a characteristical property of true 
 Christianity. 
 
 With this view, a distinction was invented between the fun- 
 damental and non-fundamental articles of faith, in order that 
 unity might seem to be preserved in the belief of those articles, 
 which were called fundamental ; although it was never de- 
 nned, what articles were included in that description. How- 
 
 f 2 eve 
 
so 
 
 ever, if the fundamental articles had been precisely defined, 
 the uniform belief of them could never have been secured, so 
 long as the principle of private judgment, or of the private 
 interpretation of the Scripture, was in operation. 
 
 In vain were synods held by the pastors of the new religion, 
 in order to settle the fluctuating minds of those who embraced 
 it, and unite them in one belief. But what could these synods 
 effect towards establishing unity ; when, by the principle of 
 Protestantism, it was held to be the right and duty of every 
 individual, to determine his own mode of faith by his own pri- 
 vate judgment, or private interpretation of Scripture ; to judge 
 for himself in matters of religion ; to make his own creed, and 
 to change his creed with every change of opinion ? 
 
 In vain did the civil power come forward, in some states, to 
 determine and require the belief of certain fixed articles of the 
 Christain faith, and the admission of certain religious rites 
 and forms of ecclesiastical government, as t might and insti- 
 tuted hy Christ. For, no civil power could shew, that it was 
 commissioned by Christ to determine, amidst such a variety 
 of individual opinions, ivhat are the doctrines, precepts, and 
 institutions, which Christ really delivered, and in the belief 
 and observance of which true Christianity really consists. In 
 fact, the creeds and forms of Christianity, which were soon 
 adopted by different states, after this principle of Protestantism 
 had been admitted into them, were as much in contradiction, 
 one to the other, as the creeds and modes of religion formed 
 by the private judgments of individuals. One state was 
 Lutheran, in its belief, another Calvinistic : one Episcopalian 
 in the form of its ecclesiastical government, another Presby- 
 terian. Could true Christianity consist of such contradictory 
 doctrines ? Could the one true church of Christ have been 
 so constituted by him, as to admit such inconsistent forms of 
 spiritual government ? 
 
 All these differences and contradictions in religion flowed 
 from the principle of Protestantism ; the principle of deter- 
 mining, by private individual judgment, or by private inter- 
 pretation of Scripture, what Christ has taught and com- 
 manded. Is not England, at present, an existing proof of 
 these differences and contradictions in religion, which fol- 
 low from that principle ? 
 
 As, therefore, this method of attempting to ascertain by 
 
 private 
 
87 
 
 private judgment, or the private interpretation of Scripture, 
 what are the doctrines, precepts, and institutions, which were 
 really delivered by Christ, is calculated, in its nature, to pro- 
 duce uncertainty, and to lead into error, in religious matters ; 
 and has, in effect, produced uncertainty and error, wher- 
 ever it has been adopted; it cannot reasonably be received, 
 as a rule of certitude and truth, in pursuing the present im- 
 portant inquiry. 
 
 But was not the reading of the Scripture appointed by 
 Christ, as the means, by which men were to be brought to 
 the true and certain knowledge of his doctrines and institu- 
 tions? Did he not command all to search the Scriptures, 
 (John, v. 39,) that they might have life everlasting, and con- 
 sequently find, in them, that knowledge of the doctrines 
 and institutions of Christ, which is necessary for their salva- 
 tion ? 
 
 If the reading of the Scripture (and the interpreting of the 
 Scripture by each one's private judgment) were the means 
 appointed by Christ, for bringing men to the true and cer- 
 tain knowledge of his doctrines and institutions ; it would be 
 natural to expect, that these means would produce the in- 
 tended, at least that they would not produce the opposite, 
 effect. But how can the reading of the Scripture, and the in- 
 terpreting of it by private judgment, be said to lead men to 
 the true and certain knowledge of the doctrines and institu- 
 tions of Christ, when we see that, in fact, it leads them to 
 adopt contradictory opinions, and inconsistent forms of re- 
 ligion, as the doctrines and institutions of Christianity ? 
 
 It is without any foundation that some pretend that these 
 means were ordained by Christ for that effect. No proof of 
 it can be shewn, from any kind of testimony. The text al- 
 luded to (John v. 39) does not at all bear on the point. 
 Christ does not there speak of the means, by which the 
 knowledge of his new law is to be communicated to the 
 world : nor does he speak of the Scriptures, of the New 
 Testament, from the reading and private interpretation of 
 which, the knowledge of what Christ taught and commanded 
 s sought to be obtained. For the New Testament was not 
 then written ; nor, in fact, was the true and certain know- 
 ledge of the law of Christ communicated to the world in the 
 times of the Apostles, by the reading and private interpreta- 
 tion 
 
38 
 
 tion of the Scripture : for many countries were brought to 
 the true, certain, and uniform belief of the doctrines and re- 
 ligion of Christ, by the authoritative leaching of the Apostles, 
 and other Apostolic men, before any of the books of the New 
 Testament were written. 
 
 The Gospel of St. Matthew, the first book of the New 
 Testament which was committed to writing, was written 
 about eight years after the ascension of Christ; that of St. 
 Mark about ten ; that of Luke about thirty; and that of St. 
 John about sixty-two years, after the first promulgation of the 
 Christian Law, on the day of Pentecost. The Epistles were 
 written on various accidental occurrences. Some of them 
 were addressed to particular churches, to correct certain 
 errors or abuses ; and some were addressed to individual 
 persons. The first of the Epistles of St. Paul, in the order 
 of time, viz. the first to the Thessalonians, was written about 
 nineteen years after the law of Christ was first promulgated 
 in Jerusalem ; those to the Philippians and Colossians about 
 twenty-nine, that to the Hebrews thirty, and that to the 
 Ephesians thirty-two years after the above period. Upwards 
 of a hundred years must have elapsed before a collection of 
 the books, composing the New Testament, could have been 
 made. And in the first or second century, so many hundred 
 years before printing was introduced, how few copies of it 
 could have existed in the church ? 
 
 The New Testament was not written as a complete symbol 
 of faith, or an entire code of the Christian law, containing 
 specifically all those things which Christ commanded all 
 nations to believe and to observe. Christ no where appears 
 to have given any charge, that the doctrines and precepts, 
 which he delivered to his Apostles, should be committed to 
 writing, or that these writings should be circulated over all 
 nations, for the purpose of communicating to them the cer- 
 tain knowledge of his law. But, we have on record the 
 charge which he gave to his Apostles and their successors, to 
 go and preach his gospel to every creature. 
 
 The doctrines and precepts of Christianity were taught, by 
 the Apostles and their disciples, in Jerusalem, in Samaria, and 
 in the neighbouring countries, as far as Cyprus, Phcenice, 
 Antioch, and Damascus, before the Gospel of St. Matthew 
 was written. 
 
 The 
 
39 
 
 The faith of Christ was established by the preaching of St. 
 Peter, in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor, Bythinia, 
 and in Rome itself: and, by the preaching of St. Paul, in all 
 the countries round about, from Jerusalem to Jllyricum. 
 Many were instructed in the Christian law in Scythia, Epirus, 
 and Achaia, by St. Andrew ; in Phrygia, by St. Philip; in 
 Armenia, by St. Batholomew ; in Ethiopia, by St. Matthew ; 
 in Parthia and India, by St. Thomas ; in Mesopotamia, by 
 St. Jude; and in Egypt, by St. Simon. So far had the law 
 of Christ been propagated by the preaching of the Apostles, 
 when St. Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans, that he said 
 their sound hath gone forth unto all the earthy and their words 
 unto the ends of the whole world. (Rom. x. 18.) The whole of 
 this was done, before many parts of the New Testament were 
 even written. Even those churches, to which the epistles of 
 St. Paul, St. James, St. Peter, and St. John, were addressed, 
 were all instructed in the doctrines, precepts, and institutions 
 of the Christian law, before these epistles were sent to them. 
 
 The great work, of the instruction of nations in the faith of 
 Christ, proceeded in the second age, not by the circulation of the 
 Old or New Testament, but by the preaching of the successors 
 of the Apostles. St. Justin, St. Irenseus, and Tertullian bear 
 testimony to the wide spread of the Christian religion, in these 
 early times; and to the unity of faith, by which the churches, 
 in different parts of the world, were held together. St. Irenaeus 
 observed, (lib iii. adv. Ha?res) : " That many barbarous 
 nations submitted to the rule of doctrine, which the Apostles 
 delivered to those, to whom they entrusted their churches. 
 Without the aid of letters, without ink or paper, they have the 
 words of salvation, and they carefully guard the doctrine 
 which has been delivered." 
 
 It is clear, therefore, that several countries were brought to 
 the knowledge and observance of the whole law of Christ, 
 before one book of the New Testament was written ; and that 
 Christianity, in its primitive purity and perfection, was es- 
 tablished in many nations in Europe, Asia, and Africa, during 
 the first and second centuries of the Christian aera, before 
 the collection of the books of the New Testament was made, 
 or, at least, before it could be circulated among those 
 nations. 
 
 As the reading and private interpretation of Scripture were 
 
 not 
 
not appointed by Christ, as the means of communicating the 
 certain and specific knowledge of his law to all nations, this 
 method was not adopted by the Apostles or their successors, 
 in converting nations to the faith of Christ. In fact, there is 
 no instance of any nation being brought to the unity of 
 Christian faith, by the circulation or reading of the Scriptures ; 
 nor have we any ground for believing, that any nation will 
 ever be converted to Christianity by such means. 
 
41 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The only Means, by which it can be ascertained, wit h 
 absolute certitude, WHAT are the Doctrines ofFaith, 
 the Moral Precepts, and the Religious Observances, 
 which were delivered by Christ, in the Revelation, 
 and Institution of the Christian Religion, is the 
 Promulgation of his Law, made by the Authority of 
 the Ministry, which Christ instituted for that pur- 
 pose. — That, which Christ commanded to be believed and to 
 be observed, constitutes his law — a law is made known by autho- 
 ritative promulgation. — The old law was promulgated by Moses, 
 and the ministry of the Priesthood. — Christ revealed his new law 
 to Peter, and his other Apostles — He ordained that the knowledge 
 of what he had taught and commanded, should be communicated 
 to all nations, by the authoritative promulgation of his law, made 
 by his Apostles, and their successors, in the ministry of the 
 Christian priesthood. 
 
 The questions " What doctrines did Christ teach ?" el What 
 precepts did he deliver ?" " What sacred rites did he insti- 
 tute?" "What conditions of salvation did he prescribe?" 
 are questions of fact. The true and certain knowledge of 
 facts is to be derived from the extrinsic evidence of testi- 
 mony. 
 
 The doctrines, which Christ commanded all to believe ; the 
 supernatural moral precepts, which Christ commanded all to 
 observe ; the sacred rites, which Christ commanded to be per- 
 formed; the dispositions and conditions, which Christ com- 
 manded for the remission of sin, and for eternal salvation, 
 constitute the law of Christ. 
 
 How is the true and certain knowledge of any law (or of 
 that which is specifically commanded, or forbidden, by the 
 legislator), to be acquired ? Is it not by the act of promul- 
 gation, authorized by the legislator ? It is thus, that the 
 
 g practical 
 
42 
 
 practical knowledge of every human law is communicated to 
 the subjects whom it concerns. 
 
 Laws are, moreover, perpetually promulgated by the 
 public acts of the magistrates, who enforce the observance of 
 them. If there be any doubt concerning the practical mean- 
 ing of the law, the question is referred to the decision of the 
 legislature, or of the judges, and is determined by legisla- 
 tive, or judicial authority. Every such public decision 
 is a promulgation of the law, and is the natural means, by 
 which subjects are to acquire a true and certain knowledge 
 of what is commanded, or forbidden, by the legislator. 
 
 The Almighty himself dictated the precepts of the old law 
 to Moses. He instituted sacrifices and sacraments. He re- 
 gulated the whole order of the ancient form of religion, 
 which was preparatory to the establishment of a more excel- 
 lent and more perfect order of things, in the religion of Christ. 
 How was the true and certain knowledge of the precepts 
 and institutions of the old law to be communicated to the 
 people of Israel? Was it not by the authoritative promulgation 
 of the whole law by the ministry, which the divine legislator 
 established for that purpose ? 
 
 In fact, the Almighty instituted, under the Mosaic dispen- 
 sation, an order of priests and ministers, whom he commis- 
 sioned to teach his doctrines and precepts to the people, to 
 offer the sacrifices, and to administer the sacraments of the 
 law. The lips of the priest shall preserve knowledge, and 
 they shall seek the law from his mouth. Malachi, ii. 7- The 
 ministerial acts of the Levitical priesthood, were so many 
 acts of the authoritative promulgation of the law. By tins 
 sacred ministry, the people were instructed in the law ; were 
 governed in all things relating to religion ; and were formed 
 into a sacred society, held together by the same faith, and 
 same form of worship. 
 
 In order to preserve unity in religion, and in the spiritual 
 government of the faithful, the Almighty appointed a high 
 priest, who had supreme jurisdiction over all. Cases of 
 doubt, relating to the law, were referred to the judgment 
 of the high priest. His judgment was definitive, and was an 
 authoritative promulgation of the sense of the law. So it was 
 ordained in Deuteronomy xvii. If thou perceive, that there he 
 among you a hard and doubtful matter in judgment, between 
 
 blood 
 
43 
 
 blood and blood, cause and cause, leprosy and leprosy : and thou 
 see that the words of the judges within thy gates do vary : arise 
 and go up to the place, which the Lord thy God shall choose. 
 And thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to 
 the judge that shall be at that time : and thou shalt ask of them, 
 and they shall shew thee the truth of the judgment. And thou 
 shalt do, whatsoever they shall say, that preside in the place, which 
 the Lord shall choose, and what they shall teach thee, according 
 to his law; and thou shalt follow their sentence : neither shalt 
 thou decline, to the right hand, nor to the left hand. But he 
 that will be proud, and refuse to obey the commandment of the 
 priest, who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, 
 and the decree of the judge; that man shall die, and thou shalt 
 take away the evil from Israel. (Verses 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.) 
 
 It is a fact, that Christ, during his mortal life, and after his 
 resurrection from the dead, did by oral revelation commu- 
 nicate to his Apostles the knowledge of his doctrines, pre- 
 cepts and mysteries, and of many things relating to the work 
 of the ministry, and to the government of his church. He 
 spoke obscurely in parables to the multitudes ; but he spoke 
 clearly to his Apostles, and explained to them the meaning of 
 his parables. Because to you (as he said, speaking to his 
 Apostles, Mat. xiii. 11,) to you it is given to know the mys- 
 teries of the kingdom of God. (See verses 16, VJ.) 
 
 Christ declared, that the doctrines and mysteries which, as 
 man, he delivered in the course of his sacred ministry on 
 earth, were all of divine origin. My doctrine, he said, is not 
 mine ; but his that sent me. John vii. 16. He attested that 
 he had communicated the whole body of these divine doc- 
 trines and mysteries to his Apostles. Speaking to them, 
 John, xv. 15, he said, all things, whatsoever I have heard of 
 the Father, I have made known to you. In his prayer to his 
 Father, John xvii., Christ thus expresses himself concerning 
 the revelation he had made to his Apostles ; he speaks to his 
 Father : I have finished the ivork which thou gavest me to do. 
 I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou hast given 
 me out of the world. Now they have known, that all things, 
 which thou hast given me, are from thee : because the ivords 
 (the doctrines and ordinances) which thou gavest me, 1 
 have given to them : and they have received them. Verses 4, 
 6, 7 } 8. See the whole chapter. 
 
 G 2 After 
 
44 
 
 After his resurrection, Christ coutinued to confirm his 
 Apostles in the knowledge of his revealed mysteries, relating 
 to his church, for forty days appearing to them, and speaking 
 of the kingdom of God. Acts i. 3. 
 
 It is therefore a fact, that as the Almighty delivered the 
 doctrines, precepts, and ordinances of the old law to Moses, 
 by the mouth of an Angel ; so he delivered the doctrines, 
 precepts, and ordinances of the new law to St. Peter and the 
 other Apostles, by the mouth of his Son. Heb. i. 
 
 Did the legislator of the new law institute any means, by 
 which the true and certain knowledge of the doctrines, pre- 
 cepts, and conditions of salvation, which he delivered to Peter 
 and his other Apostles, might be communicated to all na- 
 tions ? Yes. And the means that he instituted for that 
 effect, was the establishment of a ministry, which he em- 
 powered and commissioned to promulgate his law, to teach 
 his doctrines, to enforce the observance of his precepts, to 
 propose his conditions of salvation, and to administer his 
 graces, to those who should embrace his law, in a spirit of 
 faith and obedience. He established this ministry in the form 
 of a spiritual government, to be exercised at the beginning 
 by his Apostles, to whom he gave all power and authority 
 necessary for the performance of the duties of their charge ; 
 and to be continued, by the lawful successors of his Apostles 
 to the end of time. 
 
 In framing the constitution of this spiritual government, 
 Christ provided for the preservation of unity, by appointing 
 one Supreme Teacher and Ruler, whose authority should ex- 
 tend over the whole. Though all nations were to be taught 
 and to be governed by the authority of the Apostles and their 
 successors, yet all were to be held together in the bands of 
 unity, principally by the authority of Peter and his successors, 
 through all ages. Peter was made the Rock, on which he 
 would build his Church. Mat. xvi. 18. To Peter he gave 
 the charge of feeding his whole flock. John xxi. 16. 
 
 That Christ chose at first twelve ministers, whom he 
 called Apostles, of whom Peter was made the chief; that 
 he commissioned them to preach his doctrines, and to an- 
 nounce to men the tidings and conditions of salvation ; that 
 he empowered them to administer the sacraments he had in- 
 stituted, and gave them authority to promulgate and enforce 
 
 the 
 
45 
 
 the observance of his law ; are facts related in the history of 
 the Gospels. See Mat. x. xvi. xviii. xxviii. John xx. In 
 the commission which he gave them (Mat. xxviii. 20), he 
 charged his Apostles in these words: teach all nations to 
 observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you. He 
 therefore first delivered all his commands to his Apostles; 
 then he commissioned them to promulgate these same com- 
 mands to all nations, and to enforce the observance of them. 
 To the same he said : Go into the whole world. Preach the 
 Gospel to ever?/ creature. Mark xvi. 15. 
 
 Hence, as Moses was divinely appointed with full autho- 
 rity to promulgate the old law, which he had received from 
 God, and to enforce the observance of it amongst the people 
 of Israel; so were Peter and the other Apostles appointed to 
 promulgate the new law, which they received from Christ, 
 and to enforce the observance of it in all nations ; that law, 
 which, having begun to be declared by the Lord, was confirmed 
 to us by them that heard him. Their authority in promulgat- 
 ing his law, and the truth of their testimony, were attested 
 by the Lord himself. God also bearing them witness by signs, 
 and wonders, and divers miracles (Heb. ii. 3, 4), which were 
 as the seal of God, giving public sanction and authenticity to 
 the acts of their ministry. 
 
 
46 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Commission given by Christ to his Apostles and 
 their Successors explained — Reflection of an ancient 
 Christian Writer on the mode of bringing Mankind to the cer- 
 tain Knowledge of Religious Truth. 
 
 The high commission which Christ gave to his ministers, 
 to promulgate his law, and to enforce the observance of its 
 precepts, is recorded in the 28th chapter of St. Matthew, 
 and deserves particular attention. 
 
 The eternal Son of God, having by his death made atone- 
 ment for sin, put an end to the old law, with its priesthood 
 and sacrifices, and confirmed the new, by the sprinkling of 
 his own blood, the blood of the new and eternal Testament ; 
 having instituted his sacrifice and sacraments ; having fully 
 instructed his Apostles in his heavenly doctrines, precepts, 
 and ordinances ; and given them the plenitude of sacerdotal 
 powers, for the work of his ministry — assembles his Apostles 
 around him, previously to his withdrawing his visible pre- 
 sence from the earth, by his ascension into heaven, and ad- 
 dresses himself to them in these words : all power is given to 
 me, in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all 
 nations : baptizing them, in the name of the Father, and of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all 
 things whatsoever I have commanded you : and behold, I am 
 with you, all days, even to the consummation of the world. — 
 Verses 18, 19, 20. 
 
 Christ here, in the first place, proclaims his own supreme 
 power and authority: all power is given to me, in heaven 
 and in earth. By thus proclaiming his own power and 
 authority, of which he had given them an incontestable proof, 
 by his resurrection from the dead, he shews his ministers 
 from what a high origin all their spiritual authority is de- 
 rived. By this declaration, he excites their confidence in 
 
 him, 
 
47 
 
 him, inasmuch as by it he assures them, that no power, not 
 all the combined efforts of earth and hell, can defeat or 
 prevent the execution of his designs, in the establishment and 
 preservation of his church ; and that whatever difficulties 
 or opposition they may experience in the execution of their 
 high commission, and in the performance of the duties of 
 their ministry, he can enable them to overcome them all. 
 
 He then gives them their commission — Go ye, therefore — 
 sent and commissioned, not by Kings, or Emperors, but 
 by me, the spiritual and immortal King of my church ; to whom 
 all power is given, in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore — 
 
 TEACH ALL NATIONS; BAPTIZING THEM, &C. As if he should 
 
 have said, to you I have delivered my whole law ; to you I 
 have made known all that it is my will and command that 
 men should believe and do, in order to obtain salvation 
 through me : I charge you to go, to preach the happy tidings 
 of salvation to all nations, and to propose the conditions, 
 on which it is offered ; to teach them faithfully every thing 
 that I have delivered to you ; to administer my sacraments 
 to them ; and to enforce the belief and observance of all my 
 doctrines, precepts, and institutions, in every part of the 
 world. Teaching them (i. e. all nations) to observe all things, 
 
 WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU : AND BEHOLD, I AM 
 WITH YOU ALL DAYS, EVEN TO THE CONSUMMATION OF THE 
 
 world. As if he had said, the work of the ministry, to 
 which I send you, in order to promote the glory of my Father, 
 and the sanctification of souls, is my own Avork. Without 
 me, you can do nothing in it. I will, therefore, be perpe- 
 tually with you in the execution of it. Though I am going 
 to withdraw my visible presence, yet I will, at all times, be 
 with you, in the performance of the duties of the ministry, 
 by my divine presence; and by my special guidance and 
 assistance — behold i am with you — you will die, but the 
 ministry which I have established shall never die ; it shall 
 remain in its full powers, till the consummation of the world. 
 The work, to which I send you, shall constantly be carried on, 
 by men, who shall be chosen to succeed you. Therefore, in 
 sending you to execute this commission, I send the whole 
 body of my ministers, who shall derive their mission from 
 me, through you, and through your legitimate successors, 
 to the end of time. In commanding you, I command them, 
 
 to 
 
48 
 
 to teach all ?iations ; in commanding you, J command them to 
 baptize all nations ; in promising to be with you, I promise 
 to be with them, in the work of the ministry. And behold I 
 am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. 
 
 Such was the order established by Christ in delivering his 
 new law; such was the commission, which he gave to his 
 Apostles, and to their successors, for the promulgation of his 
 law, and of the conditions of salvation to all nations. Such 
 was the promise of his special assistance, for the preservation 
 of the integrity of his truths, precepts, and institutions, through 
 all ages. The whole originated in the wisdom, and authority, 
 of God himself. It was revealed by the divine authority of 
 Christ. It was to be promulgated by the divinely established 
 and divinely supported authority of the Apostles, and of their 
 lawful successors, to the end of time. 
 
 Hence it appears, farther, that the method, which was 
 ordained by Christ, for the promulgation of his law, was not 
 the reading of the Scriptures, much less the interpretation 
 of them, by the rule of each man's private judgment. For 
 neither in the passage quoted from Matthew xxviii, nor in any 
 part of the sacred writings, do we find that, by the insti- 
 tution or order of Christ, his law was to be promulgated by 
 the circulation and reading of the Scriptures. Christ did not 
 tell the Apostles to send bibles, but to go themselves to all 
 nations. He commanded them to teach and to baptize. The 
 Scriptures could not do this. 
 
 Therefore, according to the positive ordinance of Christ, it 
 is by the authority of the testimony and teaching of his 
 Apostles, and of their lawful successors in the ministry, to 
 the end of the world, that all nations are to be brought to the 
 certain knowledge of those doctrines, precepts, and ordi- 
 nances, which Christ delivered and commanded all to believe 
 and observe. 
 
 This principle of spiritual authority, and of public testi- 
 mony, is in its nature, calculated to produce unity in faith, 
 uniformity in religious observances, and a settled conviction 
 and certainty of truth, in the minds of men. Whilst the 
 method of determining what are the revealed doctrines, 
 precepts, and ordinances of Christ, by private judgment, or 
 by the private interpretation of Scripture, must lead to divi- 
 gions and contradictions in matters of faith, to numberless in- 
 consistent 
 
m 
 
 consistent forms of worship, to uncertainty in religion, even 
 to infidelity. 
 
 A very ancient, and elegant Christian writer, admiring the 
 excellence of the truths of Christianity, and observing, that 
 many millions of men, of different dispositions, conditions, 
 and nations, were united in the uniform belief of the same 
 doctrines, proposed this question to himself: — " Why none 
 of the schools of the ancient philosophers had ever succeeded, 
 in bringing the world to the knowledge of such sublime and 
 interesting truths ?" — He answered the question by saying, in 
 the first place, that there was not any one of the schools of 
 the philosophers that knew these truths ; consequently, that 
 they could not teach them to others. Secondly, that if there 
 had been any philosopher so happy, as to have obtained the 
 knowledge of these sublime doctrines, yet he would not 
 have had sufficient authority over the judgments of other 
 men, to bring them to the belief of what he taught. The 
 method of teaching such doctrines by discussion and scientific 
 demonstration, would have been useless ; especially with 
 regard to the great bulk of mankind. Nor would he have 
 had any better prospect of success with the learned; for, 
 according to the different views they might take of the same 
 question, they would come to different conclusions upon it ; 
 and one learned man would be apt to think his own judgment 
 as good, as that of another. In fact, each sect of phi- 
 losophers has maintained its own peculiar doctrine, concern- 
 ing truth and happiness ; but no one sect could ever bring 
 the others, or the world to the belief of its own tenets. 
 
 But, after philosophy had given proof of its contradictions, 
 of its folly, and weakness ; behold ! a Teacher of a different 
 character appears ; and by his method of teaching, soon 
 unites the world in the uniform belief of the same sublime 
 doctrines. Christ appears on earth. He announces that he 
 is sent from God, to teach truth, and the way of happiness 
 to men. He proclaims that he is the Son of God, full of 
 truth and grace. He proves the divinity of his mission ; and 
 his right to the title he claimed, by the most evident miracles, 
 which carry irresistible conviction to the mind. 
 
 With this established character, he taught his doctrines ; 
 not by discussion, but by authority. The people were in ad- 
 miration at his doctrine. For he was teaching them, as one 
 
 h HAVING 
 
50 
 
 having pow£r. Matt. vi. 28 and 29. He delivered his doc- 
 trine as the word of God. This was the strongest motive and 
 evidence of truth, that could be proposed to the mind of 
 man. 
 
 Christ communicated the whole body of his doctrines to 
 his Apostles. He commanded them to teach to all nations, 
 what they had heard from him. He commanded them to 
 teach his doctrines, not by discussion, but by authority. In 
 order to establish the credit of their authority, he gave them 
 power to work miracles, as convincing proofs, that they 
 were instructed and commissioned by him. The Apostles 
 taught the doctrines of Christ, not as their own discoveries or 
 inventions, but as the word of God (1 Thess. ii. 13), which 
 they had received from him. The world received them as 
 such. Thus, what the wisdom of philosophy could never do, 
 the foolishness of the gospel has effected. It has brought the 
 world to the unity of truth, and to the true way to happiness. 
 
51 
 
 PART III. 
 
 THE ESTABLISHMENT AND PROPAGATION OF THE 
 CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On the primitive Promulgation of the Christian Law. 
 — Prophecies relating to the Promulgation of the Law of Christ 
 in Sion. — The miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost on the 
 Apostles. — The new Law is promulgated on the Day of Pente- 
 cost by Peter. — This Promulgation was a public Fact, in all 
 its Circumstances. — Those who embraced the Law of Christ, as 
 promulgated by Peter, were all united in Faith and Communion. 
 — The authority of Peter, and the other Apostles, sanctioned by 
 acknowledged Miracles. 
 
 Immediately after Christ, the Son of God, had delivered 
 that high commission to his ministers, to go forth and to 
 teach his law to all nations, he ascended to his heavenly 
 throne. The Royal Prophet had heard in spirit the invita- 
 tion, which the eternal Father addressed to his glorious and 
 beloved Son, on this day of his triumph. Psalm cix. The 
 Lord said to my Lord : sit thou on my right hand, until I 
 make thy enemies the footstool of thy feet. David beheld, at 
 the same time, in the light of prophecy, the standard of this 
 spiritual and eternal King, raised in Sion. From Sion he 
 saw it carried over nations, when Christ went forth, in his 
 Apostles, conquering, that he might conquer (Apoc. vi, 2), and 
 might subject the whole world to himself. David exulted at 
 the prospect of the establishment and propagation of the 
 kingdom of Christ; and bade him exercise his spiritual domi- 
 nion over people, who had hitherto been enemies to his name. 
 
 h 2 The 
 
.1<2 
 
 The Lord (said David, speaking to Christ) the Lord will send 
 forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion : rule, thou, in 
 the midst of thy enemies. Psalm cix, 2. David beholds 
 him in the invincible power of his dominion and in the 
 splendour of his sanctity. He hears the Father proclaim 
 him to be his eternal Son. With thee is the principality, in 
 the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints : from 
 the womb, before the day-star, I begot thee. v. 3. He bears 
 testimony to his irrevocable appointment, as man, to the 
 office of the eternal High Priest, between God and men. The 
 Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent : Thou art a Priest, 
 for ever, according to the order of Melchisedec. v. 4. These 
 royal and sacerdotal powers belong to the ministry, which 
 Christ, as man, exercised; and, by participation, to that sacred 
 ministry, which he established in his church, and to which 
 he communicated portions of these powers, for the spiritual 
 government of his kingdom on earth, for the worship of his 
 Father, and for the sanctification of the souls of men. The 
 prophet Isaiah, looking to this period, announced, that the 
 law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from 
 Jerusalem. Is. ii, 3. 
 
 On the fiftieth day, after the redemption of the Israelites 
 from the slavery of Egypt, and from the tyranny of Pharoah, 
 the old law was given, on Mount Sinai. On the fiftieth day, 
 after the redemption of the whole world from the slavery of 
 sin, and from the tyranny of Satan, the new law was pro- 
 mulgated, on Mount Sion. The old, under the terrors of 
 thunders, lightnings, and the thick cloud of smoke ; the new, 
 under the mighty breath of heaven, and the benign influence 
 of the rays of the Holy Spirit, visibly descending in the forms 
 of tongues of fire. 
 
 The Apostles, filled with the Holy Ghost, began to speak 
 with divers tongues, by the miraculous operation of this 
 divine spirit. There were then in Jerusalem Jews, religious 
 men out of every nation under heaven ; and every man heard 
 them speak in his own tongue. This miracle, witnessed by so 
 many, called the public attention to the Apostles. 
 
 Peter, the head of this apostolic body, appealing to the 
 miracles of Jesus, which had been publicly performed among 
 the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and particularly to the glorious 
 fact of his resurrection from the dead, which had been fort- 
 told 
 
53 
 
 told by David, proclaimed Jesus to be the Lord and the Christ, 
 or Messiah ; — the Lord, to whom all are subject; the Messiah, 
 from whom all are to seek salvation. The people said to 
 Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, what shall we do, men and 
 brethren ? Peter, having established in their minds the 
 divine authority of Christ, begins to announce his law ; to 
 make known officially to them the penitential preparation, 
 which Christ commanded all to make ; and the sacrament, 
 which he commanded all to receive, in order to obtain the 
 remission of sin, and the grace of the Holy Ghost. But, 
 Peter said to them ; do penance, and be baptized, every one of 
 you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your 
 sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts ii, 
 38. They, therefore, that received his word were baptized: 
 and there were added to them, in that day, about three thousand 
 souls. And they were persevering in the doctrine of the Apos~ 
 ties, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and 
 in prayers. Ibid., v. 41, 42. — And the Lord added daily 
 to their society such as should be saved. Ibid., v. 47. 
 
 The miracle, which called the attention of the multitude 
 to Peter, and to the other Apostles, was a public fact. The 
 miracles of Christ, to which St. Peter appealed, and which 
 were well known to those who heard him, were public facts. 
 The authoritative promulgation of that part of the law of 
 Christ which St. Peter announced, on tins first occasion, was 
 a public fact. The acknowledgment of the authority of the 
 Apostles, in teaching what was to be believed, and what was 
 to be done, in order to obtain salvation through Christ, was 
 a public fact, attested by the public submission of about three 
 thousand souls, who" received the word of Peter," and who 
 " were baptized." 
 
 The effect of this submission to the authority of Peter and 
 of the Apostles, was a firm adhesion to the same doctrine, in 
 unity of faith and communion. They were persevering in the 
 doctrine of the Apostles, and in the communication of the break- 
 ing of bread, and in prayers, v. 42, and continued daily, with 
 one accord, in tlie temple, v. 46. Nor was it a matter of in- 
 difference for salvation, to be united or not, in communion 
 with this society ; for the Lord added, daily, to their society 
 such as should be saved, v. 4/. Thus it was by the 
 authority of the ministers of the church of Christ that his 
 * law 
 
64 
 
 law was made known to the people, and that the faithful were 
 united in one society. 
 
 The authority of Peter was divinely sanctioned by another 
 public miracle, when, at his command, in the name of Jesus 
 Christ of Nazareth, a man who had been lame from his 
 mother's womb, was suddenly cured, at the gate of the tem- 
 ple. All the people saw him, immediately after his cure, 
 walking and praising God ; they were filled with amazement, 
 and ran to Peter and John. 
 
 Again Peter, holding out to the astonished multitude, as a 
 testimonial of the divine origin of his mission, the glorious 
 fact of the resurrection of Christ, by whose power, and 
 through faith in whose name, this man was made strong, 
 aunounces to them the happy tidings of salvation through 
 Christ, preaches to them the law of faith and repentance ; 
 and promises divine blessings to every one that shall turn 
 away from his wickedness. Many of them that heard the word 
 believed ; and the number of the men was made five thousand, 
 Actsiv, 4. 
 
 The high priest and rulers, calling Peter and John, asked 
 them, by what power, and by what means have you done this ? 
 Peter answered, by the name of our Lord Jesus of Nazareth, 
 whom you crucified; whom God hath raised from the dead, even 
 by him doth this man stand here before you, whole. Neither is 
 there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under 
 heaven, given to men, whereby we may be saved. Acts iv, 7> 
 10, 12. Seeing the constancy of Peter and John, they com- 
 manded them to go aside out of the council ; and they conferred 
 among themselves, saying : what shall we do to these men ? 
 For, indeed, a known miracle hath been done by them, to all 
 the inhabitants of Jerusalem : it is manifest, and we cannot 
 deny it. But, that it may be no further spread among the peo- 
 ple, let us threaten them, that they may speak no more in this 
 name to any man. And, calling them, they charged them not 
 to speak at all; nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter 
 and John, answering, said to them : if it be just in the sight of 
 God to hear you, rather than God, judge ye. For we cannot 
 but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Ibid., v. 
 13, 15,16,17,18, 19,20. 
 
 This testimony which the Almighty gave to the authority of 
 Peter and the Apostles, by the cure of the lame man, was 
 
 ' another 
 
55 
 
 another public miraculous fact, acknowledged as such by 
 their enemies. Again does Peter publicly preach the law of 
 Christ. Again is obedience paid to his authority ; the doctrines 
 which he teaches are believed ; five thousand follow the 
 standard of Christ, and become subjects of his spiritual king- 
 dom. They are united together, as members of one body. 
 The multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul. v. 
 32. When forbidden by the priests and rulers to teach any 
 more in the name of Christ, the Apostles appeal to their 
 divine mission, sanctioned by this acknowledged miracle; 
 and insist on the certitude of their testimony, as relating to 
 things which they themselves had seen and heard, v. 20. 
 
5fj 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Revelation and Establishment of the Christian Re- 
 ligion IS A SERIES AND COLLECTION OF PUBLIC FACTS. — 
 
 Exemplified in the History of Christ, and in the ministry of 
 his Apostles, — The propagation of the Law and Religion of 
 Christ over Judea and the Gentile world, by the ministry of 
 the Apostles, and of apostolic men sent by them. — T7ie Apostles 
 make ecclesiastical laws for the preservation of unity in faith, 
 and for the regulation of matters of discipline. 
 
 1st. That Jesus, the son of Mary, of the house and family 
 of David, lived in Judea in the reigns of Augustus and 
 Tiberius, and that he proclaimed himself to be the Christ, the 
 promised Messiah, and the Son of God — these are public facts. 
 
 2d. That he wrought many stupendous miracles to prove 
 his claim to this title, and particularly that he raised himself 
 from death to life — a miracle which he had pledged himself 
 to perform, in proof of his being the Son of God — these are 
 public facts. 
 
 3d. That he announced his doctrines in person to multi- 
 tudes,and that he. confirmed his authority to teach, by miracles 
 wrought in their presence — these are public facts. 
 
 4th. That he delivered his doctrines, precepts, and sacred 
 rites, in particular to twelve men, whom he had chosen to 
 be his Apostles ; that he commanded them to leach these 
 doctrines and precepts, and to administer these sacred rites 
 to all nations — these are facts, to which these same Apostles 
 have borne testimony by their blood. 
 
 5th. That these Apostles taught certain doctrines and pre- 
 cepts,os doctrines and precepts which they had heard from Christ; 
 that they administered certain sacred rites to men, as institu- 
 tions, which they had received from Christ — these are public 
 facts. 
 
 6th. That the authority with which they had acted, as com- 
 missioned 
 
57 
 
 missioned by Christ to teach his doctrines and precepts, and 
 to administer his sacraments, was sanctioned and confirmed 
 by undeniable miracles — this is a public fact. 
 
 7th. What were the particular doctrines and precepts 
 which the Apostles taught, as the doctrines and precepts of 
 Christ, what were the sacred rites which they administered as 
 the institutions of Christ ? These are questions of fact, which 
 may be inquired into and ascertained, in the same manner 
 as other public historical facts relating to the laws and cus- 
 toms of any civil state or kingdom. 
 
 8th. Nothing can be more satisfactory to the human mind, 
 nothing more sure, than this method of attaching to public facts, 
 and to public testimony, the communication of the certain 
 knowledge of the divine establishment of the Christian re- 
 ligion, and of what Christ really taught and commanded all 
 to believe and practise, in order to obtain salvation through 
 him. 
 
 This method was ordained by the will of God, for the pro- 
 mulgation of the faith and law of Christ ; which, having begun 
 to be declared by the Lord, was confirmed to us by them that 
 heard hirn. God also bearing them witness by signs and 
 wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, 
 according to his own will. (Heb. ii. 3, 4.) 
 
 In this solid manner were the foundations of the church of 
 Christ laid in Sion. In this manner was the constitution of 
 his kingdom published, his law promulgated, and his spiritual 
 empire established. 
 
 The Apostles remained for a few years in Judea and the 
 surrounding countries. By their preaching, which was sup- 
 ported by miracles, the church spread widely on every side. 
 They ordained other ministers to co-operate with them in the 
 same work. They received a powerful addition to their 
 apostolic body, by the conversion of Saul, of whom Christ 
 said, in a vision, to Ananias, This man is to me a vessel of 
 election, to carry my name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and 
 the children of Israel. (Acts i.v. 15.) 
 
 The will of God, relative to the vocation of the Gentiles to 
 the faith and grace of Christ (an event which had been fore- 
 told by the Prophets), was particularly manifested to St. 
 Peter by a heavenly vision, and by the admission of Cornelius 
 to the church, who was sent by the direction of an angel to 
 
 i Peter, 
 
Peter, io hear from him nil things whatsoever are commanded 
 by the Lord (Acts x. 33), " whereby he am? his house should 
 be saved." (Ibid, xi. 14.) 
 
 The Apostles went forth into different countries to propa- 
 gate in them the kingdom of Christ, and to bring- all nations 
 unto obedience to his faith and law. Whilst Peter was 
 labouring, at first, chiefly among the Jews, Paul was the 
 most illustrious leader in the conversion of the Gentiles. 
 
 What an undertaking ! The conquest of the whole world 
 to Christ! The establishment of his spiritual kingdom in all 
 nations, to be effected, not by the power of the sword, but of 
 the cross; not by carrying desolation, but happiness, to the 
 countries, that were brought under subjection to him ! 
 
 Peter, by the disposition of Providence, soon fixes his seat 
 in Rome. This great city, which was the capital of the most 
 extensive temporal empire on earth, by being made the episco- 
 pal see of the Prince of the Apostles, becomes the capital of the 
 spiritual kingdom of Christ, the common centre of unity in 
 faith, and in ecclesiastical government. 
 
 By the preaching of the Apostles and of apostolic men, 
 whom they ordained and associated with themselves as co- 
 operators in the work of the ministry, the church was pro- 
 pagated with great rapidity over many countries, and the 
 cross of Christ was soon planted in nations, into which the Ro- 
 man eagles had never penetrated. 
 
 The Apostles and their successors being commissioned by 
 Christ to enforce every where the observance of his com- 
 mands, were consequently authorized to make such practical 
 ordinances and ecclesiastical laws, as they deemed necessary 
 for the due execution of their commission ; as temporal 
 governors are authorized to determine by civil regulations, 
 the practical observance of many general precepts of the 
 law of nature, relating to justice and right order. 
 
 Many of the commands of Christ were delivered by him in 
 a general manner. If the time and mode of observing them 
 had been left to the free choice of individuals, they would 
 probably have been much neglected, or there would have 
 been very great confusion in the performance of them. 
 
 Therefore, with a view to preserve unity in faith, and to 
 establish right order in what relates directly to the worship of 
 Godj to the administration of the sacraments, and to the 
 
 observance 
 
59 
 
 observance of the precepts of Christ, the Apostles, and their 
 successors, have, in different ages, exercised their spiritual 
 powers, in passing such decrees, and in making such eccle- 
 siastical laws, as they judged necessary for those ends. 
 
 Thus the Apostles and ancients decided, in the council of 
 Jerusalem, that it was no longer necessary to observe the 
 ritual and ceremonial law of Moses. By this decision, they 
 condemned the doctrine of some who, without any authority 
 from the Apostles, had troubled the Gentile converts con- 
 cerning the present obligation of the old law, and had sub- 
 verted their souls. (Acts xv.) The Apostles added an eccle- 
 siastical precept of abstinence from blood, and from things 
 strangled. And Paul went through Cilicia, confirming the 
 churches, commanding them to keep the precepts of the Apostles 
 and the ancients. (Ibid. v. 41.) 
 
 Thus, the Apostles transferred the time prescribed for 
 keeping holy one day in the week, from Saturday, the day 
 of the Jewish sabbath, to Sunday, the Christian sabbath-day, 
 sacred to the greatest mysteries of our redemption. 
 
 Thus, the festival of Easter was regulated and commanded 
 to be observed with particular solemnity, in honour of the 
 resurrection of Christ. 
 
 Thus, the precept of fasting, which Christ had delivered in 
 general, was practically and particularly enforced by the 
 apostolical institution of the fast of Lent. 
 
 Thus, St. Paul ordained, by a particular regulation, as St. 
 Augustin observes, that the holy sacrament of the eucharist 
 should be received by the communicant before any other 
 food was taken, in order, among other reasons, to prevent 
 such irreverences as had occurred in the church at Corinth. 
 (1 Cor. xi.) 
 
 Thus, the same Apostle determined certain ecclesiastical 
 irregularities, according to which, persons affected by them 
 were excluded from the priesthood. He prescribed what 
 qualifications are requisite for holy orders ; and in what man- 
 ner a Bishop should proceed in regard to charges brought 
 against his clergy. (1 Tim. iii. and v.) St. Paul, in the fol- 
 lowing words, reminded Titus of the charge he had given him, 
 when he appointed him to exercise episcopal jurisdiction in 
 Crete : For this cause 1 left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set 
 
 l '2 in 
 
(iO 
 
 m order the things that are wanting, and shouldst ordain priests 
 in every city, as I also appointed thee. (Tit. i. 5.) 
 
 With the same view of preserving the unity of Faith, and of 
 enforcing the observance of the precepts of Christ, the suc- 
 cessors of the Apostles have, in all ages, exercised the spiritual 
 authority, which they have inherited from thein. When men, 
 seceding from the communion of the church, and acting 
 without any authority, have troubled the faithful with new 
 doctrines, subverting their souls (Acts xv. 24), the Bishops of 
 the church have assembled on various occasions, in imitation 
 of the Apostles, and, with the assistance of the Holy Ghost, 
 have condemned the new doctrines, and proclaimed the an- 
 cient faith in clear and defined terms. In this manner, and 
 by this authority, was the faith of the church defended and 
 supported against the errors of Arius, of Macedonius, of 
 Nestorius, of Eutyches, &c, in the early ages. In this man- 
 ner, has it been defended and supported against new, as well 
 as renewed, errors, in later times. 
 
 In questions concerning faith, the pastors of the church of 
 Christ have, always followed the rule given by St. John : As 
 for you, let that which you have heard from thk bkginning 
 abide in you. (J John ii. 24.) In matters of discipline, they 
 have kept in view the end of the precepts, and of the institu r 
 tions of Christ. In making and enforcing these ecclesiastical 
 decrees and laws for the preservation of unity in faith, and for 
 the spiritual government of the church, the Popes, as suc- 
 cessors of St. Peter, have, at all times, borne a principal part. 
 
61 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A View of the Designs and Works of God, in the 
 Preparation and Execution of the Establishment of 
 the Christian Religion. The Almighty had this work in 
 contemplation from the beg inning of the World. — He promised it 
 to the ancient Patriarchs. — He foretold it by his inspired Prophets. 
 — He exhibited a Type and Model of this great Work, in the 
 Institutions of the old Law, and in the most remarkable Events 
 which occurred under the Mosaic Dispensation. — All these were 
 accomplished in the History of the Life and Mysteries of Christy 
 and in the Institution and Establishment of the Christian Re- 
 ligion. 
 
 Christianity is not a human institution. It is a divine 
 work, planned by the wisdom, and executed by the power of 
 God. It is not an institution of recent date. It was in pre- 
 paration from the beginning - of the world. It entered into 
 those eternal designs, which the Almighty conceived in his 
 mercy and love, when he saw thatstate of guilt and misery, into 
 which the whole human race was cast, by the sin of its first 
 parent and moral head. To the Lord was his own work known, 
 from the beginning of the world. (Acts xv. 18.) God then decreed 
 to send a divine Mediator and Saviour, who should make atone- 
 ment for the sins of the world ; who should bring the light 
 of his heavenly truths, to dispel the darkness of ignorance, 
 which sin had spread over the human intellect ; who should 
 pour forth his sanctifying graces on the hearts of men, defiled 
 with the corruptions of iniquity ; who should cleanse to him- 
 self an acceptable people, a pursuer of good works ; and should 
 lead those, whom he had sanctified by his blood, into eternal 
 glory. 
 
 This great blessing was promised to the ancient Patriarchs, 
 was foretold by the Prophets, was prefigured in the old law, 
 
 and 
 
and was typically shewn in the most remarkable events, that 
 are recorded in the history of the Jewish people. 
 
 To our first parents, immediately after their fall, our offend- 
 ed, but merciful God gave the consoling promise, that he 
 would send a Saviour who should crush the infernal serpent's 
 head. He promised to the ancient patriarchs, Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob, that one should be born of their race, who 
 should diffuse spiritual blessings over all the nations of the 
 earth. 
 
 With a distinct foresight of the whole process of the pre- 
 paration and execution of this grand design, the Almighty 
 foretold, by his inspired Prophets, the leading circumstances 
 relating to the coming of the Messiah, to the great act of 
 atonement for sin, and to the establishment of the Christian 
 religion ; by which the true knowledge of God and of his 
 mysteries was to be propagated, and the graces of justification 
 and salvation were to be diffused over the whole world. By 
 one, he announced that change in the state of the Jewish 
 nation, which should be a sign of the time of the coming of 
 the promised Messiah ; by another, he marked the precise 
 number of years that should flow, from the date of a public 
 event, to the period in which the Christ should be put to 
 death. By one, he named the country and city, which should 
 be illustrated by his birth ; by another, the family, from which 
 he was to descend. By one, he gave the character of the Virgin 
 Mother, of whom the Emmanuel was to be born ; by another 
 he foretold the miraculous acts, by which his life was to be 
 distinguished. In the predictions relating to the Messiah, he 
 is generally described under characters, which designate him 
 both as God, and man. The humiliations and sufferings of 
 his death on the cross, and his glorious resurrection from the 
 dead, were distinctly foretold. In short, the prophecies relat- 
 ing to the promised Messiah, are but the anticipated history 
 of the birth, the life, the miracles, the death, and the resurrec- 
 tion of Jesus. 
 
 The same inspired men, to whom God had communicated 
 the foreknowledge of his merciful designs, predicted the esta- 
 blishment, the propagation, the extent and duration of the 
 religion and church, which the Messiah was to establish on 
 earth. They frequently ascribed to him the characters of 
 
 priest 
 
68 
 
 priest «in(l king 1 , and described his church as his spiritual 
 kingdom. They announced that his law should go forth from 
 Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; that he should 
 rule to the utmost boundaries of the earth ; and that of his 
 kingdom there should be no end. Christ, and the Christian 
 religion which he established, were the objects of these pro- 
 phecies. The prediction and accomplishment of such events 
 shew that they were the design and work of God. They could 
 not have been foreseen, but by the infinite wisdom of God. 
 They could not have been effected, but by the infinite power 
 of God. 
 
 In the history of the Jewish people, and in the institutions 
 of the old law, the Almighty exhibited a type and model of 
 the wonderful mysteries he intended to perform, in the great 
 work of the redemption of the world by Christ, and in the 
 establishment of the Christian religion. St. Paul casts a 
 strong light on these figurative events, in various parts of his 
 Epistles ; particularly in the tenth chapter of his first Epistle 
 to the Corinthians, and in the ninth chapter of his Epistle 
 to the Hebrews. 
 
 If the Almighty left the Israelites for a length of time in 
 Egypt, suffering the greatest distress and misery, in a state 
 of the most abject slavery under the cruel tyranny of Pharaoh: 
 it was to exhibit a picture of the dreadful state of spiritual 
 misery to which all mankind was reduced under the slavery 
 of sin and the tyranny of Satan. If he raised up Moses to 
 deliver the children of Israel from the Egyptian bondage, to 
 promulgate his law, to perform the sacred functions of reli- 
 gion, and to lead the people through the desart towards the 
 land of promise : it was to shew a figure of the character 
 and office of the Messiah, the great Redeemer, Legislator, 
 High Priest, and Saviour of the world. If he ordained that, 
 the night before the deliverance of his people from the land 
 of Egypt, the paschal lamb should be offered as a sacrifice to 
 God, and be eaten as a sacrament by the people : it was to 
 prefigure the mysterious and eucharistic rite of the new law, 
 instituted on the eve of the day of our redemption, in which 
 mystery, Christ himself, our true pasch, is offered in sacrifice to 
 his Father, and is eaten in the holy sacrament by the faithful. 
 If the Israelites were led out from Egypt through the waters 
 of the Red Sea : it was to signify that man was to be led out 
 
 from 
 
6a 
 
 from the spiritual Egypt of original sin, in which he is born, 
 through the waters of baptism tinged with the blood of Christ. 
 If, on the fiftieth day after the deliverance of the Israelites by 
 Moses, the old law was promulgated on Mount Sinai : it was 
 to denote, that on the fiftieth day after the redemption of the 
 world by Christ, the new law of grace should be promulgated 
 on Mount Sion. If sacred doctrines, moral precepts, sacri- 
 fices, and sacraments, accommodated to the Jewish people, 
 were revealed and delivered, as ordinances of the old law : 
 they were delivered as elementary instructions and institu- 
 tions, preparatory to the better ordinances of the new 
 law, comprising more sublime doctrines, more perfect moral 
 precepts, a more excellent sacrifice, and more efficacious 
 sacraments and means of divine grace. If a Levitical priest- 
 hood was instituted, in order to preserve, to interpret, and to 
 enforce the observance of the law, to offer the sacrifices, and to 
 administer the sacraments of the Mosaic dispensation : it was 
 to represent, in figure, the more excellent priesthood, which 
 the Messiah was to institute, in order to guard the deposit of 
 his doctrines and mysteries, to teach them to all nations, to 
 offer the holy sacrifice, and to administer the sacraments, 
 which belong to the Christian religion. If, in the order of the 
 Levitical priesthood, one was divinely established as high priest, 
 to preside with sovereign authority over all the others, and to 
 exercise supreme jurisdiction, in all matters and causes relating 
 to religion : it was to shew a pattern of the form of spiritual 
 government to be established in the Christian church, iu 
 which one was to be appointed to preside as Supreme Pastor 
 over all the other pastors of the flock, and as head over all 
 the members of the mystical body of Christ. If the people, 
 under the conduct of Moses, were fed, during their passage 
 through the desart, with manna from the clouds, and drank of 
 the waters flowing from the rock: it was to signify that the fol- 
 lowers of Christ would be fed during their passage through this 
 world, with the living bread which came down from heaven, 
 and would drink of the saving streams of divine grace, flow- 
 ing from the wounds of Christ, who is our spiritual rock. If, 
 by the ordinance of God, those who were bitten with fiery 
 serpents in the desert, were cured by looking at the brazen 
 serpent which Moses erected, and which, having the figure 
 and appearance, had not the venom, of a serpent : so, bv the 
 
 will 
 
65 
 
 will of God, those who are mortally wounded by the stings of 
 sinful concupiscence, are to be healed by looking with a 
 strong and lively faith on Christ crucified ; who, though he 
 appeared in the likeness of sinful man, had no sin in him, 
 being the immaculate victim of atonement for all sin. If 
 the Israelites were conducted, under the authority and guid- 
 ance of the Levitical priesthood, towards the land of promise 
 flowing with milk and honey : it was to shew that it is under 
 the authority and guidance of the Christian priesthood, that 
 the faithful are to be conducted to heaven, the true land of 
 promise, flowing with pure and eternal delights. All these 
 things happened to them in figure, and they are written for our 
 correction, upon whom the ends of the world are come. ( I Cor. 
 x. 11.) The old laiv had a shadow of good things to come t not 
 the very substantial image of the things. (Heb. x. 1.) 
 
 It is impossible to read a collection of the prophecies, which 
 are recorded in the Old Testament, relating to the person and 
 office of the promised Messiah, and not to acknowledge, that 
 they are a declaration of premeditated and gracious designs 
 of the wisdom and mercy of God, in favour of fallen man. It 
 is impossible to look at the events and institutions, which 
 occur in the history of the Mosaic dispensation, especially 
 when viewed in the light which St. Paul casts on them, and 
 not see in them figures of some greater events, which were 
 to take place in future times ; and models of some magnificent 
 work, which the divine architect had in contemplation to 
 execute. That work was the work of our redemption, and 
 the establishment of the Christian religion. 
 
 At the appointed time, about the peroid when the sceptre 
 was removed from Judah, in the seventieth week of years 
 from the edict issued for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the 
 Messiah appears, the Redeemer and Saviour comes, in the 
 person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is born in Bethlehem, of 
 a Virgin, of the house and family of David, as was fore- 
 told. After passing thirty years in obscurity, he enters on 
 his public ministry as the great Prophet, sent to instruct 
 mankind in- the truths of God. He teaches, not by philoso- 
 phical reasoning, but with authority ; as one sent by God, as 
 the Son of God. 
 
 He proves his divine title by public and incontestable 
 miracles. By the command which he exercised over all 
 
 k nature, 
 
nature, he shewed that he possessed infinite wisdom and in- 
 finite power ; and that he, who appeared as man among 
 men, was, at the same time, the God of the universe. He 
 instantaneously restores hearing to the deaf, active vigour to 
 the paralytic, and sight to those who were born blind. By a 
 single act of his omnipotent will, the most inveterate diseases 
 are suddenly and lastingly cured. He changes water into 
 wine. He multiplies the substance of five loaves, so as to 
 feed abundantly five thousand persons. He makes the sea 
 feel his power, by consolidating its waters under his feet. 
 He makes the tempestuous winds and waves acknowledge 
 his jurisdiction ; they fall in calm submission at his word. 
 Devils feel the irresistible force of his supreme dominion ; and 
 death obeys him, as the author of life. If, at the end of the 
 three years of his divine ministry, he is himself put to death 
 by the Jews, he shews that it was an act of voluntary conces- 
 sion on his part, not of superior force on theirs. He declares 
 that he lays down his life, by his own will ; and that he has 
 it in his power to take it up again, by raising himself from 
 the dead. He dies ; and he returns to life, on the third day, 
 precisely as he had predicted. 
 
 By all these facts, performed by his own power, he demon- 
 strated his title to the character of Son of God ; he shewed 
 evidently that he is the Lord of nature, and the Author 
 of life. His doctrines, therefore, were the truths of God; 
 his precepts were the commands of God; his institutions 
 were the ordinances of God. 
 
 Having, as mediator and high priest, made atonement for 
 sin, by his sacrifice of obedience unto death, which, on 
 account of the infinite dignity of his person, was infinitely ac- 
 ceptable and satisfactory to the Deity, and a source of infinite 
 blessings to man ; this divine Redeemer, in his quality of Legis- 
 lator, delivered his precepts of faith and morality, instituted 
 his sacrifice and sacraments, and established a ministry, to 
 be the faithful guardian of his law, and dispenser of his 
 mysteries, to all nations, to the end of time. 
 
 Who does not see, in the character and office of Jesus, the 
 accomplishment of the divine promises and predictions, re- 
 lative to the Messiah, and to the great work of the re- 
 demption of the world, for which he was to be sent? Who 
 does not see, in the circumstances attending this act of 
 
 redemption, 
 
67 
 
 redemption, and in the institutions of the new law, which he 
 ordained and established, the execution of that merciful and 
 gracious design, of which the Almighty had exhibited mag- 
 nificent plans and models, in the inferior institutions of the 
 old law? Never did an architect construct a temple more 
 conformable to his plans and designs. 
 
 Great are the works of the Lord : sought out according to 
 all his wills. His work is praise and magnificence, and his 
 justice conlinueth for ever and ever. He hath made a remem- 
 brance of his wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious 
 Lord : he hath given food to them that fear him. He will be 
 mindful for ever of his covenant : he uill shew forth to his 
 people the power of his works. That he may give them the 
 inheritance of the Gentiles : the works of his hands are truth and 
 judgment. All his commandments are faithful : confirmed for 
 ever and ever, made in truth and equity. He hath sent 
 redemption to his people : he hath commanded his covenant for 
 ever. (Psalm ex. 2 — 9.) 
 
 k 2 
 
68 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Blessings of Christianity diffused over all Nations. 
 — Fall of man from original justice to the state of Sin. — Conse- 
 quences. — Ignorance and Concupiscence. — Philosophy could not 
 afford a remedy to these evils. — The sacrifice of Atonement. — 
 li-emission of sin offered to all Nations. — The light of faith, to 
 dispel ignorance of religious truths. — Excellence and sublimity of 
 the doctrines of the Christian faith. — Purity and sanctity of the 
 Gospel precepts, given to correct the corruption of the human 
 heart. — Motives to Duty. — Efficacious graces administered by 
 the Sacraments. — Effect of sacramental grace in St. Cyprian. 
 — Efficacy of the Gospel in the conversion of Nations. 
 
 By the diffusion of the light and graces of Christianity, the 
 evils which were caused by sin were repaired ; the degrad- 
 ed nature of man was restored to its lost dignity; and a 
 happy change was wrought, in all nations that received the 
 faith and law of Christ. 
 
 To what a state of guilt and misery had the whole human 
 race been reduced by sin ! Man was originally created in a 
 state of innocence and happiness, and was destined to be 
 made eternally happy, in a kingdom of glory and delights, if, 
 by his fidelity and obedience to the command of his Creator, 
 during the short time assigned for his trial, he should prove 
 himself worthy of that great reward. His understanding 
 was then enlightened with the knowledge of God and of 
 truth; his will was inclined to good ; his appetites and desires 
 were all subject to reason, and to the will of God. All was 
 order and happiness, in soul and body, so long as man re- 
 mained attached to God by obedience and love. But by one 
 most criminal act of disobedience, all was disordered. By 
 forfeiting his innocence, man forfeited his happiness. The 
 whole human race, involved in the guilt of its first parent 
 and moral head, became involved in his condemnation, to 
 
 death, 
 
69 
 
 <lcath, to the loss of heaven, and to eternal misery — the just 
 punishments of sin. But what dreadful evils awaited guilty 
 man, after the term of his existence on earth ! 
 
 Nor was any real happiness reserved for him, during the 
 short space of his mortal career. The whole nature of man, 
 in body and soul, was infected and corrupted by the venom 
 of sin. His body became subject to debility, disease, and 
 death. His understanding became clouded with ignorance. 
 His will became inclined to evil, and averse from good. His 
 whole soul became a scene of disorder and tumult, from 
 the violence of contending passions. 
 
 How lamentable was that spiritual darkness, which spread 
 over the Gentile world, and deprived it of the light of hea- 
 venly truths ! In Judea, indeed, God was known, and his 
 name was great in Israel ; hut the greatest part of the 
 human race, as it departed from the tradition of primitive 
 revelation, and began to follow the rule of private opinion 
 and sentiment, on matters of religion and morality, found 
 itself bewildered in a maze of the most absurd and impious 
 errors, and fell into the grossest ignorance of all that is 
 most important, and interesting, for man to know. What 
 dark ignorance prevailed throughout the heathen nations, 
 even in the civilized countries of aucient Greece and Rome, 
 concerning the author of the universe ; the nature and per- 
 fections of God ; the immortality of the human soul ; the end, 
 for which man was created j the rules and motives of moral 
 duty ; and the means of obtaining happiness ! Whatever 
 was the character of some general notions which were enter- 
 tained on these important objects, they were intermixed with 
 so many inconsistent and contradictory particular opinions, 
 that truth lay confounded in a mass of errors and prejudices. 
 Such was the religious ignorance that prevailed in the pagan 
 world, that St. Paul emphatically called the ages, that pre- 
 ceded the coming of the Messiah, the times of this ignorance 
 (Actsxvii. 30.) 
 
 The natural consequence of this general ignorance was, a 
 general diffusion of impiety and immorality over the heathen 
 nations. Almost every thing was made an object of adora- 
 tion, except the one and only true God. So gross and com- 
 mon were the violations of the law of nature, that the moral 
 sense of decency and honesty seemed to be effaced, and man 
 
 seemed 
 
70 
 
 seemed to have reduced himself to a level with impure beasts. 
 Anger, murder, lust, intemperance, debauchery, had al- 
 most lost their turpitude. Immorality was in many places 
 carried to such degrading and shameful excesses, that, under 
 the names of Mars, Bacchus, and Venus, the vices of revenge, 
 drunkenness, and lust, were deified, and worshipped by 
 public acts of the most criminal and scandalous description, 
 performed as parts of the sanctioned rites of religion. What 
 a dark and frightful picture does St. Paul give of the impiety 
 and immorality of the heathen world, in the first chapter of 
 his epistle to Romans, from verse 18 to the end ! And in his 
 epistle to the Ephesians, chap, i v., he thus describes them: 
 The Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having their 
 understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, 
 through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness 
 of their hearts, who, despairing, have given themselves up to 
 lasciviousness, unto the working of all unclcanncss, unto covet- 
 ousness. (Verses 17, 18 and 19.) 
 
 From this ignorance of God, and of the rules and motives 
 of moral duty, and from the unrestrained indulgence of every 
 sinful inclination, what a deluge of criminal disorders spread 
 over the face of the earth ! How shamefully was the nature 
 of man defiled and degraded! How did human misery in- 
 crease with this accumulation of iniquity ! 
 
 Such was the state of guilt and misery, to which the hu- 
 man race was reduced in consequence of sin. A state, from 
 which it could never have been delivered, by all the wisdom 
 and efforts of philosophy. Philosophy could never destroy or 
 remove sin, the cause of all these disorders and evils : for 
 philosophy had no victim of atonement to offer for sin. — 
 Philosophy could never dispel the general darkness of re- 
 ligious ignorance, which had spread over the heathen world : 
 for philosophy was herself ignorant of religious truth. Phi- 
 losophy had even contributed to produce this ignorance. 
 Philosophy could never correct the vices of men, nor lead 
 them to the practice of true virtue : for philosophy was, in 
 many cases, ignorant, or at least uncertain of the rule of mo- 
 ral duty ; she could propose no effectual motive to deter the 
 vicious man from sin, or to excite the man under temptation 
 to the steady practice of virtue. Philosophy, by her Platos, 
 her Aristotles. and her Stoics, even taught and encouraged 
 
 the 
 
71 
 
 the grosest immoralities. Philosophy felt and acknowledged 
 her incompetency to reform the vices of the world. She 
 despaired of heing able to stay the increasing torrent of in- 
 iquity. 
 
 .ffitas Parentum, pejor avis, tulit 
 Nos nequiores, mox daturos 
 Progeniem vitiosiorem. 
 
 In what a desperate state, therefore, was the heathen world 
 placed, when the Apostles were sent forth to announce the 
 remission of sins to all nations, and to enlighten and sanctify 
 them, by the diffusion of the faith and grace of Christ! 
 
 The essence of sin is disobedience. The Son of God made 
 atonement for sin, by the great sacrifice of obedience, which 
 he offered on the altar of the cross. By the destruction of 
 six, the cause of all the evils of the human race is destroyed. 
 By the remission of sin, man is reconciled to God ; he is freed 
 from condemnation ; he is saved from eternal torments; 
 he is restored to the dignity of the children of God, and to 
 the inheritance of his eternal kingdom. 
 
 This greatest of all blessings, the remission of sin, was 
 offered to all nations through Christ. Thus it is written, said 
 the Divine Mediator, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and 
 to rise again from the dead the third duty : and that penance and 
 remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all na- 
 tions, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke xxiv. 46, 47.) This 
 blessing the Apostles were empowered and commissioned by 
 Christ to administer. He said to them, receive ye the Holy 
 Ghost : whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them. 
 (John xx. 22, 23.) Go into the whole world and preach the 
 gospel (the good tidings of salvation) to every creature: he 
 that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved. (Mark xvi. 16.) 
 The Apostles faithfully executed this ministry of reconcilia- 
 tion, and imparted the grace of the remission of sins to all, 
 who performed the conditions prescribed by Christ. On the 
 first day of the promulgation of the Gospel in Jerusalem, 
 Peter said to the great multitude assembled : Do penance, 
 and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
 for the rkmission of your sins. (Acts ii. 38.) This is the great 
 blessing that was promised to all nations through Christ. 
 (Genesis xii. 3, xviii. 18, xxii. 18, xxvi. 4.) As sin was the 
 source of all misery, so must the remission of sin be the 
 
 source 
 
72 
 
 source of all happiness to man. The gates of heaven, which 
 were shut against, sin, are opened to those who die washed 
 from their sins, in the blood of the Lamb. How consoling is 
 the doctrine of the remission of sins ! What a blessing is the 
 ministry of reconciliation, when exercised according to the 
 institution of Christ! What a happiness to know, with cer- 
 titude, what are the dispositions and conditions required on 
 the part of the sinner, that he may obtain the grace of justifi- 
 cation ! These blessings were imparted to all nations by the 
 diffusion of Christianity. 
 
 Before the grace of justification was poured into the 
 hearts of men, their minds were to be enlightened with the 
 knowledge of the heavenly truths, and of the precepts of 
 supernatural morality, which the Son of God had delivered 
 to his Apostles. Tkach all nations, baptizing them, teaching 
 them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. 
 (Mat. xxviii.) They were to be instructed, before they were 
 to be baptized. 
 
 What can be conceived more excellent in itself, or more 
 beneficial to man, than the body of the sublime doctrines, 
 moral precepts, and sacred institutions, which constitute the 
 Christian Religion, and which were uniformly propagated by 
 the Apostles, in the establishment of Christianity in all na- 
 tions ? How must the minds and hearts of those who had 
 long been sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, 
 have been filled with astonishment and joy, when these doc- 
 trines and mysteries were proposed to them, not as learned 
 fables, not as the opinions or counsels of ignorant or de- 
 ceitful men, but as the truths and ordinances of God, ren- 
 dered certain by the testimony and command of God, sub- 
 stantiated and supported by the evidence of facts, which no 
 ingenuity or sophistry could undo ! That which we have seen 
 and have heard, we declare unto you, said an Apostle. 
 (1 John i. 3.) The doctrine, which began to be declared by the 
 Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. God also 
 bearing them witness by signs, and wonders, and divers miracles, 
 and distributions of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. 
 (Heb. ii. 3, 4.) Such doctrines, so certain, so sublime, so ex- 
 cellent, conveyed a heavenly light to the mind, and a warmth 
 of spiritual life to the heart. 
 
 To the heathen, who iu the darkness of infidelity had ad- 
 mitted 
 
73 
 
 mitted and worshipped a multiplicity of imaginary deities, to 
 whom the most infamous crimes were imputed, the doctrine 
 of the glory and sanctity of the only true and living God, 
 the Creator and Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, eternal 
 and immense, infinite in power, in wisdom, in goodness, and 
 in all perfection, must have been as the rising of a bright 
 day to one, who had been wandering in the dangerous un- 
 certainties of an obscure night. Those who received this 
 blessing, might truly say, God, who commanded the light to 
 shine out of darkness, hath sinned in our hearts, to give the light 
 of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Christ 
 Jesus. (2 Cor. iv. 6.) 
 
 The light of the knowledge of the glory of God was won- 
 derfully displayed, in the manifestation of the awful and 
 sublime mystery of three distinct Persons in one divine nature ; 
 a mystery most true and certain, being revealed by God, who 
 perfectly knows himself, and attested by those, who heard it 
 from the Son of God : a great mystery, on which the whole 
 system of Christianity depends. 
 
 What a bright prospect of a glorious immortality was now 
 opened to man, by the doctrine of the Gospel ! It was not 
 a pleasing illusion, but a sure and certain hope of eternal 
 happiness for body and soul, grounded on the promise, which 
 God himself held out to all, who perform the conditions 
 prescribed by Jesus Christ. 
 
 How interesting and consoling were the doctrines which 
 were taught, relating to the designs and works of God, 
 in the great mystery of the redemption and sanctifica- 
 tion of the world ! How do they, at the same time, 
 expose the wickedness and misery of man, and display 
 the mercy and goodness of God ! That when man, by 
 sin, had forfeited the happiness of heaven, and had incurred 
 a sentence of condemnation to eternal punishment, an 
 offended God should still have so much desired the happi- 
 ness of this guilty creature, as to send his beloved Son, to 
 be made man ; and, in his human nature, to become a victim 
 of atonement for the sins of men, and a cause of salvation 
 to all who should obey him ! What an astonishing mystery 
 of love ! God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten 
 Son; that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have 
 life everlasting. (John iii. 16.) That, at the appointed time, 
 
 l the 
 
74 
 
 the Son of God was conceived of a virgin and born into tftis 
 world ; that he died on a cross, in obedience to the command 
 of Ins Father, and for the salvation of man ; that he raised 
 himself to life on the third day; that he ascended into hea- 
 ven, and will come at the last day, to judge all mankind; 
 that, at that day, he will raise the bodies of all men to life 
 again ; that lie will reward those, who shall have washed 
 away their sins in his blood, with everlasting glory; and 
 that he will punish those, who shall have died in sin, with 
 everlasting torments. These are doctrines and facts which 
 were announced by the Apostles, and in which we discover 
 sublime mysteries of infinite power, justice, mercy, and love, 
 as certain, as they are sublime ! 
 
 What pure and holy precepts of morality were delivered to 
 those, who submitted to the law of Chr'nt ! Precepts, which 
 enjoined the total renunciation of all sin, in thought, word, 
 and action : precepts, which struck at the root of sinful con- 
 cupiscence, by enforcing the practice of self-denial : pre- 
 cepts, which prescribed the exercise of every virtue, of 
 piety and devotion ; of the love of God and our neighbour ; of 
 sincerity and justice ; and of the heroic sacrifice of all tem- 
 poral pleasure, profit, and honour, to duty. All the religious 
 duties of man to God ; the relative duties of man to man, of 
 superiors to inferiors, of inferiors to superiors, of equals to 
 equals, were strictly enjoined. All the duties of sobriety, of 
 chastity, and of moral perfection, which every individual 
 owes to himself, as a member of Christ, and a temple of the 
 Holy Ghost, were prescribed. The unity, indissolubility, 
 and sanctity of the marriage-state, was restored, commanded, 
 and protected. Peace and harmony were established in 
 families, and right order in civil society. To all these objects 
 did the precepts of the Gospel extend, comprehending a 
 splendid system of supernatural morality ; the whole tending 
 to correct the corruption of human nature which was caused 
 by sin, and to restore the bright image of God in man ! 
 
 Whilst the Christian religion prescribes these pure and 
 perfect precepts, it holds out at the same time the most 
 powerful motives, to excite men to the observance of them. 
 It places before their eyes the supreme authority of God, who 
 commands them ; the sanctity of God, who is the witness of 
 all their thoughts, words, and actions; the justice of God, 
 
 who 
 
75 
 
 who will judge all, and render to every man according to his 
 works; the eternal rewards, that will be bestowed on every 
 one who persevereth in good ; the eternal punishments that 
 will be inflicted on every one, who persisteth in evil ; the love 
 of God to man ; and the example of Jesus Christ, the model 
 of perfection, mho gave himself for us, that he might redeem us 
 from all iniquity, and might cleanse to himself a people ac- 
 ceptable, a pursuer of good works. (Tit. ii. 14.) 
 
 Not only were these sublime doctrines preached, and these 
 precepts of piety and morality inculcated, by the Apostles, in 
 the establishment of the Christian religion; but also, by means 
 of the sacred rites, which Christ had instituted, and of 
 which he made his Apostles the ministers, an abundance of 
 heavenly grace was administered, to wash away the sins of 
 men, to enlighten their minds with heavenly wisdom, and 
 inflame their hearts with holy desires. To these holy sacra- 
 ments, when administered according to his ordinance, and 
 received with the dispositions of faith, repentance, and 
 obedience, which he prescribed, Christ attached the com- 
 munications of all the graces of justification. Hence St. 
 Peter said, D o penance and be baptized, exery one of you, 
 in the name of Jesus Christ, for thk remission of your 
 sins. (Acts ii. 38.) Hence Peter and John, going to the 
 Samaritans, prayed for them, that they might receive the 
 
 Holy Ghost ; and laid their hands upon them, and 
 
 they received the Holy Ghost. (Acts. viii. 15, 17.) By these, 
 and the other external rites, instituted by Christ and admi- 
 nistered by his Apostles, the graces of sanctification, which 
 the Redeemer had merited by his death, were imparted to all 
 who received them with due dispositions. 
 
 St. Paul often reminds the Gentile converts of the grace of 
 justification which they had received. He thus speaks to the 
 Corinthians: Know you not, that the unjust shall not possess 
 the kingdom of God ? Do not err : neither fornicators, nor 
 idolators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor Hers with 
 mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, 
 nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God. And 
 such some of you were; but you are washed, but you are saric- 
 tiHed, but you are justified, in the name of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and in the spirit of our God. (1 Cor. vi. 10, 11. See 
 Ephesians ii. 1 to 9. Coloss. i. 21, 22.) 
 
 l 2 Of 
 
76 
 
 Of the efficacy of these graces in the renovation of the 
 human heart, a striking testimony is related in the account 
 which St. Cyprian gives in his hook to Donatus of the change 
 which he experienced in himself, when he received the 
 sacrament of baptism. 
 
 It is clear, that the ministers of Christ not only an- 
 nounced his law to men, enjoining the belief of h s re- 
 vealed doctrines, and the observance of his holy precepts ; 
 but that they imparted to them the blessings of sanctifica- 
 tion, in the remission of sins, and the communication of the 
 graces of the Holy Ghost, through the channels of the sacra- 
 ments, which they were empowered and commissioned to 
 administer. By the effect of these graces, the minds of the 
 believers in Christ were filled with a heavenly light, to con- 
 firm and perfect in them the knowledge of the sublime truths 
 of the Christian revelation; and their wills were strengthened 
 with a supernatural fortitude, to enable them to overcome 
 the sinful inclinations of corrupt nature, and to persevere 
 in the steady practice of Christian virtue. Thus, by the 
 grace of Christ, powerful remedies were applied to the evils 
 caused by sin ; the darkness of religious ignorance was dis- 
 pelled by the light of faith ; the corruption of immorality 
 was corrected by the sanctity and efficacy of the Christian 
 law ; man was restored to the favour of God, and was raised 
 to a lively hope of eternal glory. 
 
 The source from which all these blessings flowed was the 
 great sacrifice of atonement, that was offered on the altar 
 of the cross. All mercy and grace are derived to men 
 from the satisfactions and merits of Christ. There is not 
 salvation in any other : for there is no other name under 
 heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts iv, 12.) 
 Hence the Apostles not only made Christ crucified the. con- 
 stant theme of their preaching, but they continually exhi- 
 bited, according to the institution of Christ, the mystery of 
 his death, in the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice, 
 which they daily offered, and which they introduced, together 
 with baptism and other ritual institutions, into all places, 
 wherever they established Christianity. As often as you 
 shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew 
 the death of the Lord until he come. (1st Cor. xi, 26.) 
 By the continued oblation of this victim, which was once 
 
 immolated 
 
77 
 
 iin muluted on the cross in a bloody manner, a pure and 
 acceptable worship was every where offered to God, and the 
 abundant waters of divine grace were poured forth from the 
 fountains of the Saviour, for the sanctification of the souls 
 of men. By this was verified the prediction, which the 
 Lord announced by the prophet Malachy : From the rising of 
 the sun, even to the going down, my name is great among the 
 Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered 
 to my name a clean oblation : for my name is great among the 
 Gentiles, saith the Lord of Hosts. (Mai. i, 11.) 
 
 By the diffusion of the light and grace of Christianity, the 
 moral face of the earth was renewed ; a new race of men 
 was formed ; a new spiritual creation rose from the darkness 
 and chaos of infidelity. Those, who had received the doc- 
 trines and precepts of the law of Christ, young and old, 
 Greeks and barbarians, appeared to be enlightened with 
 heavenly wisdom, ami exhibited such purity in their moral 
 conduct, and perfection in virtue, as the world had never 
 witnessed before. They were all of one mind, united in the 
 belief and profession of the same Christian doctrines. They 
 were of one heart, united in the most perfect bond of super- 
 natural charity, and in the common participation of the 
 same spiritual blessings. They were disengaged in their 
 affections from all inordinate attachment to the things of the 
 world ; and so disinterested, that they often shared their tem- 
 poral goods with their brethren in faith. Their conversa- 
 tion and affections were in heaven. So firmly were they at- 
 tached to the faith of Christ, so deep and sincere was their 
 sense of the truth and importance of the doctrines and mys- 
 teries of the Christian religion, that they would deliberately 
 suffer the loss of all their temporal possessions, and endure 
 the most excruciating torments with patience and fortitude, 
 rather than deny their faith, or renounce their hope of 
 eternal glory. Thousands of such innocent and virtuous 
 heroes have astonished the world, and borne a glorious testi- 
 mony to the divinity of the Christian religion. 
 
78 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, THE DEPOSITARY AND DIS- 
 PENSER OF THE MYSTERIES OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Formation and Nature of the Church of Christ. — 
 It consists of two Classes — Of the Ministers of Christ teachiny 
 and yoverniny — and of the Faithful who are tauyht and yo- 
 verned. — The Church of Christ to be propayated over all Nations, 
 and to continue through all Ages. — The Government of the 
 Church constituted in the form of a Kingdom. — The guardian- 
 ship and dispensation of all the Doctrines, Precepts, and 
 Mysteries of the Christian Religion were committed, by 
 Christ, to the Ministry, which he established in his Church. — 
 Consequently it is by the Ministry of the Church of Christ, that 
 all Nations are to be instructed in the true knowledye of the 
 Faith and Law which Christ delivered to his Apostles. 
 
 The religion of Christ was rapidly propagated, and its 
 blessings were widely diffused over the whole world, by the 
 preaching and ministry of the Apostles, and of their apos- 
 tolic co-operators and successors. Of those, who received 
 and professed the faith, and submitted to the law of Christ 
 in every country, a great society was formed. This society, 
 was held together, by the uniform belief and profession of 
 the same revealed doctrines; by the common participation 
 of the same sacraments and heavenly blessings ; and by the 
 respectively subordinate subjection of all its members to one 
 supreme spiritual authority. This society, spread over all 
 
 nations 
 
79 
 
 nations, constitutes the church, or kingdom of Christ, on 
 earth. 
 
 In the church there are two distinct general classes : one, 
 of the ministers of Christ teaching his doctrines, adminis- 
 tering his sacraments, and governing the faithful hy spiritual 
 authority ; the other, of the people taught and believing the 
 doctrines of faith, receiving the sacraments of Christ, and 
 submitting to the spiritual jurisdiction of the sacred minis- 
 try, established by him for their instruction, sanctification, 
 and government. 
 
 The spiritual powers of the ministers of the church were 
 all derived from Christ : they are a participation of the pro- 
 phetic, sacerdotal, and regal powers, which, as man, Christ 
 exercised when on earth, and which he still continues to 
 exercise, in and by his ministers. In fact, he sent them to 
 continue the work, for which his Father sent him. For Christ 
 said to his Apostles. As the Father hath sent me, I also send 
 you. (John xx, 21.) 
 
 To the ministers of his church Christ gave the commission 
 to teach his doctrines and precepts to ali nations. Go, teach 
 
 all nations teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I 
 
 have commanded you. (Matt, xxviii, 19, 20.) Preach the 
 gospel to every creature. (Mark xvi, 15.) He that heareth 
 you, heareth me. (Luke x, 16.) Hence St. Paul said, God 
 indeed hath set. some in the church : first, Apostles ; secondly 
 Prophets; thirdly, Doctors.,, are all Apostles? are all Pro- 
 phets ? are all Doctors ? (1st Cor. xii, 28, 29.) He gave some 
 Apostles, and some Prophets, and others some Pastors and 
 Doctors. For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of 
 the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we 
 all meet in the unity of faith. (Eph. iv, 11, 12, 13.) 
 
 To these same ministers, to whom he gave the com- 
 mission to teach, Christ also gave power to impart to all 
 nations the graces of sanctification, by the administration of 
 the sacraments, which he instituted for that effect. Teach 
 all nations, baptizing them. (Matt, xxviii, 19.) Hence St. 
 Peter said to the Jews: Do penance and be baptize n each 
 one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission 
 of your sins. (Acts ii, 38.) To his ministers Christ said, 
 Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose sins you shall forgive, 
 they are forgiven them. (St. John, xx. 22, 23.) Hence 
 
 St. 
 
80 
 
 St. Paul said of himself ami his fellow ministers, God hath 
 given to us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Cor. v, 18.) And, 
 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and 
 the dispensers of the mysteries of God. (1 Cor. iv. 1.) 
 
 To these same ministers Christ likewise gave power to 
 govern the subjects of his spiritual kingdom, the members of 
 his church. To Peter, he said I will give to thee the keys of 
 the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. xvi. 19.) By this figure of the 
 keys of his kingdom, Christ expressed that supreme spiritual 
 authority, which he should confer on Peter, for the govern- 
 ment of his whole church. To Peter Christ also said, Feed 
 my lambs— feed my sheep (John xxi. 16, 1/), appointing Peter, 
 by these words, to rule, not only " his lambs," that is, the 
 general body of the faithful ; but moreover, their spiritual 
 parents, designated by the name of his *' sheep :'' so that 
 Peter was appointed to rule the whole church of Christ, as a 
 shepherd rules the whole flock committed to his care. 
 
 To Peter, and the other ministers of his church, Christ 
 said, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also 
 in heaven : and whatsoever you shall loose on earth, shall be 
 loosed also in heaven. (Matt, xviii. 18.) Thus he gave them 
 authority to bind his subjects by spiritual laws, or to release 
 them by prudent dispensations; which acts of government, 
 performed by his ministers, Christ declares to be at once so- 
 lemnly ratified in heaven. 
 
 To hear, in the language of the Scripture, often means to 
 obey. Thus, when the eternal Father commanded that men 
 should all obey his divine son, he declared, This is my beloved 
 son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear yk him. (Matt. xvii. 5.) 
 In the same language this divine Son commanded all who de- 
 sire to be saved, to obey the ministers of his church : If he 
 will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and 
 the publican. (Matt, xviii. 170 If all the members of the church 
 are bound to obey the ministers of the church, the ministers 
 of the church have authority to rule and command them in 
 spiritual matters. After Christ had once delegated his own 
 authority to his ministers, he said to them : He that heareth 
 you, heareth me : and he that despiseth you, despiseth me, and 
 he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. (Luke x. 
 16.) Hence St. Paul, speaking to the spiritual governors of 
 the church, said, Take heed to yourselves and to the whole 
 
81 
 
 flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops, to 
 rule the church of God, which he hath purchased with his 
 blood. (Acts xx. 28.) To the faithful the same Apostle gave 
 this charge, Obey your prelates, and be subject to them 
 (Heb. xiii. 17.) 
 
 From the above testimonies it is clear that Christ established 
 in his church an order of sacred ministers, to whom he gave 
 power and authority to teach his revealed doctrines and pre- 
 cepts, to administer his sacraments, and to govern the mem- 
 bers of his church. 
 
 This ministry, exercised exclusively by those who are spe- 
 cially chosen for these sublime functions, and to whom the 
 necessary spiritual powers and graces are imparted by the im- 
 position of hands, leaves another general class in the church 
 of Christ, consisting of those who receive the doctrines of 
 faith which are taught, and the sacraments which are ad- 
 ministered by their spiritual pastors, and who are subject to 
 the spiritual authority of the ministry, which Christ has esta- 
 blished for the government of his church. 
 
 Of thisclassChrist said,i7<? that believeth,#wZ is baptized 
 shall he saved ; hut he that believeth not, shall be condemned. 
 (Mark xvi.16.) He l/ml heareth you(my ministers) heareth me. 
 Luke x. 16. Hence St. John said, He that knoweih God, 
 heareth us (the ministers of Christ). He that is not of God, 
 heareth us not : hy this we know the spirit of truth, and the 
 spirit of error. (1 John iv. 6.) To the faithful St. Paul said, 
 Remember your prelates, who have spoken to you the word of 
 God : whose faith follow, considering the end of their conver- 
 sation. (Heb. xiii. 70 
 
 Of these two classes, therefore, of pastors and faithful, the 
 church of Christ on earth is composed : of pastors, teach- 
 ing the doctrines, which were revealed by Christ, and of the 
 faithful, believing and professing the same; of pastors, admi- 
 nistering the sacraments, which were instituted by Christ, 
 and of the faithful, receiving the same ; of pastors, conduct- 
 ing the flock of Christ to the pastures of eternal life, and of 
 the faithful, following their guidance. 
 
 Wherever the church of Christ was established, there 
 were seen pastors, teaching these same doctrines, adminis- 
 tering these same sacraments, and exercising this same 
 spiritual authority ; and faithful people, united with them by 
 
 m the 
 
82 
 
 the same faith, communion, and common obedience. By 
 the ordinance of Christ his ministers were to go to all nations jp 
 they were to teach his doctrines, in all nations ; they were to 
 administer his sacraments in all nations ; they were to exercise 
 the authority he had given them, in all nations ; such was his 
 order : Go tkach all nations ; baptizing them (all na- 
 tions) ; — teaching them (all nations); — to observe all 
 things whatsoever I have commanded you. (Matt xxviii. 
 19, 20.) It was by the introduction of the doctrines of Christy 
 of the sacraments of Christ, and of the precepts and institu- 
 tions of Christ into all nations, that the church of Christ was 
 to be established in all nations, by the ministry of those to 
 whom he gave this commission. 
 
 By the ordinance of Christ, the divine founder of his 
 church, this ministry of teaching his doctrines, of administer- 
 ing his sacraments, and of enforcing the observance of his 
 precepts, was to be continually exercised without interrup- 
 tion, through all ages, to the end of the world. For it was 
 with those, whom he commissioned to teach his doctrines to 
 all nations, to administer his sacraments to all nations, and to 
 enforce the observance of his precepts, in all nations, that 
 Christ promised to remain perpetually in the exercise of this 
 ministry. And behold, I am with you, (he speaks to those 
 whom he commanded to teach and to baptize) — all days — 
 
 TO THE CONSUMMATION OF THE WORLD. (Matt. XXvii'l. 20.) 
 
 It is evident, therefore, that by the ordinance of Christ, 
 there was to be a race and succession of apostolic ministers, 
 teaching his doctrines; administering his sacraments ; and 
 enforcing the observance of his precepts, in all nations, and 
 in all ages, to the end of the world. And as the doctrines, 
 institutions, and precepts delivered by Christ, cannot admit 
 of any contradiction, or inconsistency, they must be every 
 where, and at all times, the same. 
 
 Nor was this ministry to be without fruit. For Christ de- 
 clared to his ministers, J have chosen you ; and have appointed 
 you, that you ' should go, and should bring forth fruit ; and 
 your fruit should remain. (John xv. 16.) St. Paul says, By 
 Christ, we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience 
 to the faith, in all nations, for his name. (Rom. i. 5.) In- 
 deed, when Christ gave the charge to his ministers to go forth 
 and propagate his law over all nations, and promised to be 
 
 with 
 
83 
 
 with them in the performance of this ministry through all 
 ages ; he declared, that no power could defeat the execution 
 of his merciful design in favour of the whole human race. 
 He prefaced his order and promise with these words, All 
 power is given to me, in heaven and in earth. (Matt, xxviii. 18.) 
 The efficacy of these words was proved by the event. See 
 the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles. 
 
 The perpetual and uninterrupted teaching and profession 
 of the doctrines and precepts, which Christ as man had re- 
 ceived from his Father, had been clearly foretold by the pro- 
 phet Isaiah in these words : And there shall come a Redeemer 
 to Sion, and to them that return from iniquity in Jacob, sailh 
 the Lord: This is my covenant with them, sailh the Lord: My 
 spirit that is in thee, and my words, that J have put in thy 
 mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth 
 of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the 
 Lord, from henceforth and for ever. (Is. lix. 20, 21.) What 
 are these words that God put into the mouth of the Redeemer, 
 and which were never to depart out of his mouth, nor out of 
 the mouth of his children for ever, but the doctrines and 
 precepts, which Christ, as man, received from his Father, 
 and which be communicated to his Apostles, to be transmit- 
 ted, through their successors, to the children of his church 
 to the latest posterity ? Christ thus speaks to his Father : 
 The words which thou gavest me, I have given to them (my 
 Apostles), and they have received them. (John xvii. 8.) Heaven 
 and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass. (Matt. 
 xxiv. 35.) They shall outlive the world. The order of trans- 
 mitting the doctrines of Christ to posterity, without change, 
 was given in strict charge by St. Paul to Timothy, in these 
 terms : Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace, which 
 is in Christ Jesus ; and the things which thou hast heard of me, 
 by many witnesses, the same commend to faithful men, who 
 shall be fit to teach others also. (2 Tim. ii. 1 , 2.) 
 
 If the doctrines, the sacraments, or the precepts which 
 Christ delivered to his Apostles, were to cease to be taught, 
 or administered, or enforced on earth, that ministry which 
 Christ established in his church would fail ; and either error, 
 or impiety, or immorality, would prevail against his church. 
 But when Christ laid the foundation-stone of his church, and 
 fixed the authority of Peter, as the principal support of the 
 
 truth 
 
Si- 
 
 truth of its doctrines, and of the sanctity of its institutions 
 and precepts, he promised that his church should never fail ; 
 that it should remain sound and firm for ever, against all the 
 efforts of hell to corrupt or destroy it. Thou art Peter, and 
 upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall 
 not prevail against it. (Mat. xvi, 18.) The church of Christ 
 then shall never fail to subsist ; it shall, therefore, never fail 
 to have pastors, in all nations, teaching the doctrines of faith 
 which were delivered by Christ, administering the sacra- 
 ments which were instituted by Christ, and governing tlie 
 faithful by the spiritual authority which was ordained by 
 Christ: it shall never fail to have numbers of faithful in all 
 nations, believing and professing these same doctrines of faith, 
 participating in the communion of these same sacraments, and 
 subject to this same spiritual authority. 
 
 The church is the kingdom of Christ ; he reigns in it by 
 the obedience which is paid to his laws of faith and morality, 
 by the observance of the rites and ordinances which he has 
 instituted, and by the submission which is paid to the autho- 
 rity which he has established for its government. It is truly 
 a spiritual kingdom in the form of its constitution. It is a 
 kingdom, because, by the institution of Christ, all the powers 
 exercised in it, throughout the world, are subordinate to the 
 supreme governing authority of one. It is a spiritual king- 
 dom, because its laws, ordinances, and acts of administra- 
 tion, all tend directly and immediately to spiritual ends, the 
 worship of God, and the sanctification and salvation of the 
 souls of men. [t is, at the same time, a visible and external 
 kingdom, because this governing authority is exercised over 
 men united together by the public profession of the same 
 faith, by the observance of the same external rites and ordi- 
 nances, and by their common submission to the same known 
 authority. 
 
 The church of Christ is represented in many parts of the 
 Sacred Scripture under this figure of a kingdom. Christ 
 announced, by the mouth of the prophet David, that he 
 should bear the title and exercise the authority of king over 
 his whole church. He says (Psalm ii), / am appointed king 
 by Him (the eternal Father) over Sion, his holy mountain, 
 preaching his commandment. The Lord hath said to me, thou 
 art my Son ; this day have 1 begotten thee. Ask of me, and I 
 
 will 
 
8.5 
 
 will s,ive thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance ; and the utter- 
 most parts of the earth for thy possession, (vv. 6, 7> 8, 9.) Sion, 
 the holy mountain in which Christ was to preach the com- 
 mandment and law which, as man, lie received from his 
 Father, is his visible church, which was to be established 
 among the Gentiles, and to be propagated over all nations. 
 Of this Christ was appointed king. All nations shall serve 
 
 Him and in Him shall all the tribes of the earth he blessed. 
 
 (Psalm Ixxi, 11, 170 
 
 The prophet Daniel foretold the establishment and duration 
 of this spiritual kingdom, the church of Christ, in the follow- 
 ing terms : In the days of those (temporal) kingdoms, the God 
 of Heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be de- 
 stroyed ; and his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another 
 people ; and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these 
 kingdoms, and itself shall stand for ever. (Dan. ii, 44.) Of 
 the kingdom of Christ an angel proclaimed (Luke i. 33), of 
 his kingdom there shall be no end. 
 
 If this kingdom of Christ, which is to extend over all 
 nations, is to stand for ever, then its governing authority, its 
 constitutional form of government, its constitutional laws, its 
 tribunal, and its ministry, shall subsist for ever. It shall ever 
 have an uninterrupted succession of governors and faithful 
 subjects, in all countries, all subordinate to one supreme 
 ruling authority. It shall never cease to diffuse an abundance 
 of spiritual blessings over the kingdoms of the earth, which, 
 though divided as independent civil states, are united toge- 
 ther by a bond of subordination, and a community of spiritual 
 interests, like provinces of this one universal kingdom of 
 Christ. 
 
 It appears, from what has been shewn above, that the 
 ministry, which Christ instituted for the government of this 
 kingdom of his church, is the depositary and guardian of his 
 law, and the dispenser of his mysteries. To this ministry he 
 delivered, as a sacred trust, the whole body of his doctrines of 
 faith, of his sacred institutions, and of his holy precepts; 
 with a severe charge ever to keep it, in its integrity, in its 
 purity, and in its identity, to the end of time. To this minis- 
 try he gave the commission to announce to all men the sub- 
 lime truths of the Christian revelation, which he commanded 
 all to believe. To this ministry he gave authority to preach 
 
 penance, 
 
86 
 
 penance, and the remission of sins, in his name, unto all 
 nations; and to administer the grace of reconciliation to 
 those who should seek for it with the dispositions of faith, 
 repentance, and obedience. To this ministry he gave the 
 charge to promulgate to all mankind every precept which he 
 had delivered to his Apostles, of whatever nature it might 
 be, whether it related to the worship of his Father, or to the 
 conditions of justification and salvation ; whether it related to 
 the doctrines of faith, to be believed ; or to the duties of 
 Christian charity and morality, to be practised. All, every 
 part of his law, was to be made known to men by the autho- 
 rity of the teaching of this ministry. Teach all nations to 
 observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. (Mat. 
 xxviii, 20.) All things whatsoever Christ commanded, mean 
 the whole Christian law. 
 
 If, then, any one ask, how is he to learn, with absolute 
 certitude, what are the doctrines of faith which Christ re- 
 vealed, and which he commanded all to believe? What are 
 the precepts of supernatural morality which Christ delivered, 
 and which he commanded all to observe ? What are the 
 sacred rites and ordinances which Christ instituted as the means 
 of imparting the graces of justification to men ? What are 
 the dispositions and conditions which Christ prescribed for 
 eternal salvation through him ? It is clear and certain that, 
 by the ordinance of Christ himself, all these things are to be 
 learnt with absolute certitude from the testimony of the minis- 
 ters of his church, whom he has appointed to teach these 
 important truths and duties of the Christian religion to all 
 mankind, and whom he has promised to direct and assist at 
 all times in the discharge of the duties of this sacred ministry. 
 
 Where is that true church to be found, the ministers of 
 which are thus commissioned by Christ to teach the doctrines, 
 and administer the blessings of Christianity to all nations ? 
 By what characteristic marks can this true church of Christ 
 be known, and be distinguished from other societies which 
 assume this title to themselves ? 
 
87 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 On the Marks of the true Church of Christ. — Unity 
 and Universality are essential properties and characteristic 
 marks of the true Church of Christ, the guardian of the truths 
 and institutions of Christianity. — Two or more religious societies 
 which havenot the same faith or the same communion, or which are 
 not under the same ecclesiastical authority, cannot be both nor all 
 of them t/ie Church of Christ. — Unity in faith, communion and 
 ecclesiastical government, was universally introduced by the 
 Apostles and apostolic men, in the establishment and propagation 
 of Christianity in all countries. 
 
 Unity and universality are the characteristics of truth. 
 Unity in faith, in communion, and in spiritual government, 
 belongs to the very nature and essence of the true church as 
 instituted by Christ. 
 
 The church is the fold of Christ : the individuals com- 
 posing his whole church are his lambs and his sheep. This is 
 the figure, under which Christ himself described them, shew- 
 ing with what tender care he, as their good shepherd, would 
 always watch over them. Of them he said, They shall hear 
 my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. (John 
 x. 16.) If they hear his voice, they must all be united in one 
 faith ; if they form but one fold, they must all be united in one 
 communion ; if they are under one shepherd, they must all be 
 subject to one authority. Christ committed the whole of this 
 his flock to the supreme pastoral care of owe shepherd,when he 
 said to Peter, Feed my lambs — feed my sheep. (John xxi. 16, 
 17-) His lambs and his sheep constitute his whole nock, the 
 figure of his whole church. 
 
 St.Paul, who, in many passages of his epistles, strongly urges 
 the necessity of unity as essential to the constitution of the 
 church of Christ, frequently illustrates this point by an argu- 
 ment drawn from the similitude of the human body. He calls 
 
 the 
 
88 
 
 the church the body of Christ. (Eph. iv. 12.) Speaking to the 
 members of the church, lie says, You are the body of Christ, and 
 members of member. (1 Cor. xii. 2J.) From this principle he 
 thus argues : As the body is onk, and hath many members, and 
 all the members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are onk 
 body : so also is Christ. For in one spirit were we all baptized 
 into onk body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free. 
 (1 Cor. xii. 12, 13.) Could the unity of the church be more 
 clearly or strongly shewn than by this similitude ? The mem- 
 bers of the church of Christ are united together like the 
 members of the human body. They are nourished by 
 the participation of the same spiritual bread, as the mem- 
 bers of the human body are by the participation of the same 
 corporeal food. We being many, arc onk body, all that 
 partake of onk bread. (1 Cor. x. 17-) The members of the 
 church of Christ should be animated with one spirit; the spirit 
 of Christ, as the members of the human body are animated with 
 one soul. Therefore, perfect as is the unity of an individual 
 human body, so perfect is the unity of the church, the body 
 of Christ. Onk body, and onk spirit, as you are called in one 
 hope of your calling. Onk Lord, onk faith, onk baptism. 
 (Ephes. iv. 4, 5.) 
 
 The church of Christ was to be formed by bringing all 
 nations to the faith of Christ, which is one; by initiating 
 them into one body by the baptism of Christ, which is one ; 
 and by inducing them to observe all things whatsoever Christ 
 had commanded. Go teach all nations, baptizing them ; teach' 
 ing them (all nations) to observe all things whatsoever I have 
 commanded you. (Matt, xxviii.) Thus, what Christ commanded 
 men to believe and to do, in order to be saved, was the same 
 for all nations and for all ages. He did not command that the 
 doctrine of the Trinity of Persons in God should be taught 
 and believed in one country, and the doctrine of Uni- 
 tarianism in another. He did not command the belief of 
 the divinity of his own person in one age, and of the 
 contrary doctrine in another. He did not command that 
 baptism should be administered in one country, and not in 
 another. But he commanded that the same doctrines of faith 
 should be taught, that the same sacraments should be ad- 
 ministered, and the same authority exercised, in all nations and 
 
 at 
 
at all times; consequently, he founded his church on the 
 basis of unity and universality. 
 
 Nothing can be more contrary to the true notion of the 
 church, as established by Christ, than the idea that it is com- 
 posed of different religious societies, one of which may pro- 
 fess its belief in certain doctrines, as articles of faith, which 
 another may reject as damnable errors ; one of which may 
 offer a form of religious worship as holy and acceptable to 
 God, which another may abhor as idolatrous ; one of which 
 may be governed by a spiritual authority, as ordained by 
 Christ, which the other may oppose as a tyrannical usurpation. 
 It cannot be said that two such religious societies have one 
 faith; that they are one body, animated by one spirit ; that 
 they are one fold, under one shepherd ; in short, that they 
 are the Church of Christ. 
 
 The Church of Christ is his kingdom, extending over the 
 whole earth. As, then, no reasonable man could say, that two 
 states, which have different constitutions and laws, which 
 have no community of interests, and which are not subject 
 to one common authority, form one kingdom ; so it cannot 
 be said that two religious societies, such as the Catholic and 
 the Protestant churches, which have no common faith or com- 
 munion, and which do not obey one common spiritual authority, 
 are one church. As well might it be said that England and 
 France are one kingdom. Why are not theEpiscopalianchurch 
 of England, and the Presbyterian church of Scotland, one 
 church ; but because they differ in doctrine, and in the con- 
 stitutional form of ecclesiastical government, and are not 
 both subject in spiritual matters to the same supreme head? 
 
 It would be vain to argue that, because the particular 
 churches of various denominations profess the general princi- 
 ples of Christianity, and believe in God and in Christ, they 
 all, taken together, form one great universal Christian 
 church, although they may differ from each other in their 
 modes of faith and forms of ecclesiastical government, and 
 acknowledge no common spiritual authority, to which 
 they are all subject. For, by this rule of argument, it would 
 likewise follow that, because many particular states are con- 
 stituted according to the general principles of natural law 
 and of civil government, and acknowledge their dependence 
 on the supreme dominion and providence of God, they all, 
 
 n taken 
 
90 
 
 taken together, form one great temporal kingdom, although 
 they differ from each other in the forms of their constitutions 
 and governments, and are not subject to one supreme civil au- 
 thority. This difference essentially destroys unity : for, most 
 assuredly, those states which have no community of interests, 
 which are separately governed by civil authorities, which are 
 independent of each other, and independent of any other 
 superior civil authority on earth, are not in fact, or in [name, 
 one state or one kingdom. Nor, with any more propriety, 
 can these particular churches, which have no communion of 
 spiritual things, which in their government are independent 
 of each other, and independent of any other superior eccle- 
 siastical authority on earth, be, in fact or in name, one 
 church. 
 
 But the church of Christ, as established by him, is essen- 
 tially one. One in its faith, one in its communion, and one in 
 its government. They alone are members of the church of 
 Christ, who adhere to it by the profession of the same faith 
 which it every where teaches ; by a communion with their fel- 
 low members in the same spiritual goods, which it every where 
 dispenses ; and by their submission to the same authority, 
 which it every where exercises ; particularly to the supreme 
 spiritual authority of the one Teacher, Pastor, and Ruler, who 
 presides over the whole. This is the bond of unity. 
 
 This supreme teaching and governing authority, which is 
 fixed in the see of Peter, is the central power which, by its 
 splendour and influence, gives light and motion to the other 
 subordinate ecclesiastical authorities, with their dependencies, 
 and holds all the parts of the church strongly united together, 
 as one regular and harmonious system. Every ecclesiastical 
 power that breaks asunder its connexion with this centre of 
 unity, ceases to belong to this system ; it becomes a wandering 
 star (Jude, i. 13), moving in devious tracts, and growing 
 more and more obscure and languid, as it recedes further from 
 the central source of its light and action. 
 
 The Apostles, in executing the high commission which 
 they received from Christ to promulgate his law to all nations, 
 did not teach different doctrines of faith in different coun- 
 tries, nor did they establish churches, which had no commu- 
 nion with each other in religious worship, or which were not 
 held together as one great and perfect society, by the partici- 
 pation 
 
91 
 
 pat ion of the same spiritual goods, and by a counected subor- 
 dination to one supreme spiritual authority ; for it is most 
 evident from the histories of the primitive conversion of all 
 nations to Christianity, that a uniform system of unity in faith, 
 in communion, and in ecclesiastical government, was every 
 where introduced wherever the church of Christ was esta- 
 blished. 
 
 As faith is the great foundation, on which the whole struc- 
 ture of the church is built, the Apostles were particularly 
 careful to provide for the preservation of that unity of faith, 
 which they every ivhere established in preaching the doctrines 
 and in introducing the institutions of Christ. Wherever they 
 saw the appearance of new doctrines, contrary to the doctrines 
 of faith, which they had taught from the beginning, they 
 opposed them with all the spiritual force of their apostolical 
 authority. Thus, when some had denied the doctrine of the 
 resurrection of the dead, with what zeal did not St. Paul 
 condemn their error, as subversive of faith and salvation ! 
 (1 Cor. xv.) When others had troubled the Galatians, and 
 attempted to pervert the Gospel of Christ, by the introduction 
 of a new doctrine, contrary to what St. Paul had taught ; the 
 Apostle declared to them, by a strong supposition, that if he 
 himself, or even an angel from heaven, should teach them a 
 doctrine contrary to what he had preached, when he first 
 instructed them in the faith of Christ, himself or that angel 
 should be anathematized. (Gal. i. 8, 9.) St. John thus wrote 
 to those whom he had instructed in the faith : Whosoever 
 revolteth, and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not 
 God. . . .If any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine, 
 receive him not into the house. (2 John i. 9, 10./ The general 
 charge which St. John gave, concerning the doctrines of 
 faith, was this : As for you, let that which you have heard 
 from the beginning, abide in you. (1 John ii. 24.) 
 
 The Apostles were solicitous to deliver faithfully, to their 
 coadjutors and successors in the sacred ministry, the same 
 doctrines which they themselves had received from Christ; 
 with a charge, that they should transmit the same, without 
 change, to others who should succeed them in the same work. 
 St. Paul gave this injunction to his disciple, St. Timothy: 
 Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace which is in 
 Christ Jesus ; and the things, which thou hast heard 
 
 N 2 OF 
 
* 
 
 op me, t»k SAMB commend to faithful men, who shall be fit 
 to teach others also. (2 Tim. ii. 1, 2.) 
 
 The effect of this plan, on which the Apostles and their 
 successors proceeded, conformably to the institution of Christ, 
 appeared in the wide diffusion of the same doctrines of divine 
 faith over all those nations, to which the light of the Gospel 
 was* carried. St. Irenaeus, who died about the beginning of 
 the third century, bears testimony to this fact in the follow- 
 ing terms: "The church, which is propagated over all 
 nations, preserves the faith of Christ with the greatest care. 
 Though various languages are spoken in the world, yet the 
 language of tradition is every where one and the same. The 
 doctrine of faith, which is taught and believed in the churches 
 that are founded in Germany, is not different from that which 
 is taught and believed in the churches which are established 
 in Spain, or in Gaul, or in the East, or in Egypt, or in 
 Lybia, or in the interior parts of the continent. But as one 
 and the same sun enlightens the whole earth, so does one and 
 the same faith shine ort the whole church, and offer the same 
 heavenly light to all who are desirous of coming to the know- 
 ledge of the truth." — (Irenseus contra Haeres. lib. i. c. 3. ) 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 On Unity and Universality, in Faith, Communion, and 
 Government, considered in the Roman Catholic 
 Church, — Unity and Universality are found in the Roman 
 Catholic Church at the present Time. — They may be traced back, 
 in the same Church, to the first Establishment of Christianity, in 
 all those Countries where the Roman Catholic Faith is now pro- 
 fessed. — Proofs from a reference to Histories and Liturgies. 
 
 As, in every country on the face of the globe, the same sun 
 is now seen that enlightened the earth in the beginning of 
 the world ; so in every place, where that church has an exis- 
 tence, which is in communion with the see of Rome, the 
 same light of divine faith is at present enjoyed, that shone on 
 every part of the church of Christ in the first ages of Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 It is an existing fact, that the same articles of faith which 
 are expressed in the Apostles' Creed, in the Nicene Creed, in 
 the Athanasian Creed, and in the creed published by Pope 
 Pius IV, (see note A.) and which are at this day believed and 
 professed by the Roman Catholics in England, arealsoatMe 
 present time believed and professed as articles of faith, by all the 
 members of that church which is in communion with the see 
 of Rome, in whatever part of the world they are to be fouud. 
 And, where are they not to be found ? 
 
 It is an existing fact, that the same sacrifice of the mass, 
 which is offered upon our Catholic altars in England, is, at the 
 present time, offered up as a pure oblation to the glorious 
 name of God, in every place, from the rising to the setting 
 sun, wherever there are priests of that church which is in 
 communion with the see of Rome. 
 
 It is an existing fact, that the same sacraments— seven in 
 number — which are administered by the Catholic clergy in 
 England, are, at the present time, administered for the sancti*. 
 
 fixation 
 
94 
 
 fication of the faithful, through the merits of Christ, in every 
 country, by the priests of that church which is in commu- 
 nion with the see of Rome. 
 
 It is an existing fact that, in the system of the ecclesiastical 
 government of the church, which is in communion with the 
 see of Rome, the members of that church in every part of the 
 world, are, at the present time, subject in all spiritual concerns 
 to their immediate pastors ; that these pastors are all subject 
 to the jurisdiction of their respective bishops, or of other 
 ecclesiastical superiors ; that all the bishops and ecclesiastical 
 superiors of that church, throughout the world, are subject to 
 the supreme jurisdiction of the sovereign pontiff, the Bishop 
 of Rome. 
 
 These facts are matters of public notoriety. 
 
 Therefore it is an existing fact that unity and universality 
 in faith, communion, and ecclesiastical government are, at 
 the present time, conspicuous in that church, which is in 
 communion with the see of Rome, and which, not only its 
 own members, but even those who are separated from it, 
 always distinguish by the name of the Catholic 
 
 It is an historical fact that the same doctrines of faith, the 
 same sacrifice, the same sacraments, and the same form of 
 r ecclesiastical government which, at the present time, are 
 uniformly professed, administered, and observed in every 
 part of the world by that church, which is in communion with 
 the see of Rome, may be traced back so far, in the ecclesiasti- 
 cal history of every Christian country, that no later date of 
 their first introduction can be truly assigned, than the period 
 of the first establishment of Christianity itself, in those coun- 
 tries. 
 
 The present is not a question concerning the quality of the 
 doctrines, rites, and observances alluded to — viz. whether 
 they be true or false, religious or superstitious, good or bad — 
 but it is a question, in the first instance, merely of fact, viz. 
 whether the uniform and public profession and practice of 
 them can be so far traced back in every Christian country, 
 that no later origin of them can be truly assigned than the 
 period of the first establishment of Christianity in those 
 countries. If this/at* be made clear and certain, then it will 
 be equally clear and certain that the same doctrines of faith, 
 ^lie same sacrifice, the same sacraments, and the same form 
 
 of 
 
95 
 
 of ecclesiastical government, which, at the present time, are 
 uniformly professed, administered, and observed throughout 
 the world by the church which is in communion with the 
 see of Rome, and which is called exclusively the Catholic 
 church, were originally professed, administered, and ob- 
 served by the church of Christ, in the first establishment of 
 Christianity in all nations, and, consequently, that Catholi- 
 cism and Christianity are the same thing. In fact, what is 
 Christianity, but the law of Christ, the body of those revealed 
 doctrines, precepts, and sacred institutions, which Christ 
 delivered to his Apostles, which he commanded his Apostles 
 and their successors to teach all nations, at all times, to believe 
 and observe ? Therefore Christianity must be the same in 
 all ages, as it was at the beginning. It is the eternal gospel. 
 (Apoc. xiv. 6.) 
 
 The objects of the above assertion are as much the objects 
 of historical inquiry, as are those which relate to the form of 
 any civil government, originally, or at some later period, 
 established in any country, or to the date of the enactment 
 of any law of the state, or the duration of its practical obli- 
 gation, or to the antiquity and public observance of any 
 general customs or usages. 
 
 It would be unreasonable to expect that positive testimonies 
 should be produced from the historical documents of every 
 particular country, written during the first or second age of 
 the Christian era, in order to prove every point of the above 
 assertion. For it is well known that, during those times, the 
 \ex arcani, or law of secresy, was generally and strictly 
 observed by the church, prohibiting the publication of the 
 mysteries and rites of the Christian religion, out of the 
 assemblies of the faithful, lest they should be profaned and 
 ridiculed by infidels, who were disposed to fS blaspheme those 
 things which they did not understand." It is also certain, that 
 the works of nearly thirty Christian writers and apologists 
 of those times have perished, and that few productions of 
 those ages of severe persecution, relating to these subjects, 
 have been transmitted to us. 
 
 Every reasonable man will be satisfied, if he find that the 
 earliest authentic documents which have reached us, bear 
 testimony, as far as they go, to the fact that, in the third or 
 fourth age of the church, the doctrines, rites, and form of 
 
 ecclesiastical 
 
96 
 
 ecclesiastical government alluded to in the assertion, were 
 universally professed and observed in the Christian church. 
 The same doctrines and religious observances could not have 
 been universally received by Christian churches in the third 
 or fourth age, unless they had been delivered to each of those 
 churches when Christianity was established in it. That unity 
 and universality in faith, communion, and ecclesiastical 
 government, which prevailed in so early an age, are a plain 
 proof of the apostolical and divine origin of what was then 
 professed and observed, as the faith and law of Christ. 
 
 It is therefore evident that the date of the earliest document 
 which can be found to bear positive testimony to any particu- 
 lar doctrine or religious practice, is no proof that this 
 doctrine or practice was not professed or observed previously 
 to that date, especially if at the time of the date it was 
 generally received by the church. There is reason and sense 
 in that rule of St. Augustin, viz. that when we find any thing 
 to be uniformly and universally observed by the church, in 
 every part of the world, and cannot trace the origin of it to 
 any ecclesiastical decree, we may conclude, that it was de- 
 rived to the church from the very source of apostolical tra- 
 dition. By this rule, the obligation of sanctifying the Sunday, 
 as the Christian sabbath day, the institution of the fast, of 
 Lent, infant baptism, the use of the sign of the cross, are 
 proved to be of apostolical or divine origin. 
 
 But in favour of the points mentioned in the assertion, con- 
 sidered as matters of historical fact, we may refer to authen- 
 tic and positive documents, which carry us back to very early 
 ages of the Christian church, and, in several instances, to 
 the period of the first establishment of Christianity in certain 
 countries. Such documents are found in ecclesiastical his- 
 tories, in early synods, in the recorded customs of different 
 churches, in the public monuments and charters of religious 
 foundations, in ancient liturgies and rituals, in the particular 
 histories of the conversion of various nations to Christianity, 
 and in the histories of heresies in the first ages, and of the 
 councils, by which these heresies were condemned as contrary 
 to the faith received from the beginning. 
 
 This mode of proving the assertion may be exemplified in 
 the religious history of England, and particularly in the 
 history of the conversion of our Saxon ancestors to the faith 
 
 of 
 
97 
 
 of Christ (see Lingard's History of the Saxon Church, 
 Daniel's Ecclesiastical History of the Britons and Saxons, 
 second edition, and England's Conversion and Reformation 
 compared). From these it appears, that the faith, the sa- 
 crifice, and sacraments, which were introduced into our 
 island by St. Augustine, as the doctrines and sacred institu- 
 tions of Christ, were the very same, which are professed and 
 admitted by the Catholics in England at the present day. 
 
 It is well worthy of remark, that the revealed doctrines, 
 and sacred institutions of Christ have always constituted the 
 essence of the public service, and of the religious observances 
 of the church. 
 
 The doctrines of faith have not, like the abstruse sciences, 
 been kept secret in the closets of the learned, or been com- 
 municated only to certain classes of men, as objects of philo- 
 sophical speculation, orof some particular profession. They 
 have been publicly taught, in the Christian temples or 
 churches, to all persons, of every class and description in 
 society. In this respect, Christian churches have been fre- 
 quented at all times as public schools of heavenly wisdom. 
 
 The antiquity and unity of the doctrines of faith, delivered 
 in different countries, are attested by the catechetical interro- 
 gations and explanations which, from the earliest ages of the 
 church, preceded the administration of baptism ; by the pro- 
 fessions of faith, which were then publicly made j and by the 
 instructions, which were then given on almost every article of 
 Christian belief, by the bishops and pastors of the church, 
 and which have been preserved in their genuine writings. 
 Extracts of many of these instructions may be seen collected 
 in a work entitled " The Faith of Catholics confirmed by 
 Scripture, and .attested by the Fathers of the five first Cen- 
 turies." See, in particular, the catechetical instructions 
 given by St. Cyril of Jerusalem to the catechumens. 
 
 The correct language of the public liturgies of the church 
 has always been considered as the accurate expression of 
 the doctrines of faith, which she professed, at the time when 
 they were used. Indeed, these doctrines form the substance 
 of the public prayers and office of the church. They are the 
 rule, by which every expression is measured. Lex cre- 
 dendi est lex orandi. If, therefore, we see that in the most 
 ancient liturgies, rituals, and books of divine office which are 
 
 o to 
 
to be found, the same doctrines are expressed concerning the 
 mysteries of the Christian religion, and the same religious 
 rites and practices, with some occidental differences, are pre- 
 scribed to be performed, which have been constantly, and are 
 at the present time professed and performed by the church, 
 which is in communion with the see of Rome; in this case, 
 the identity of the faith and religious observances of this 
 church, with those of primitive Christianity, and of all ages, 
 will appear evident from the most authentic documents. If 
 men are ever sincere, surely they must be so when they address 
 prayers directly to.the great Searcher of hearts. (See note B.) 
 It is a fact, then, that in the most ancient forms of re- 
 ligious worship, and of the administration of the sacraments, 
 the clearest expressions are found, by which an explicit belief 
 in one God, and three distinct persons, the Father, the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghost, and in the divinity of Jesus Christ, the 
 Redeemer of mankind, is proclaimed. (See note C.) 
 
 It is a fact, that in the sublime prayers recited by the 
 priests and people, during the celebration of the mass, accord- 
 ing to the most ancient liturgies, a strong and lively belief is 
 expressed, that the bread and wine are changed into the 
 body and blood of Christ, that the body and blood of Christ 
 are, in this mystery, offered up to God the Father as a true 
 sacrifice, and really received as a sacrament, in the holy com- 
 munion. (See note D.) 
 
 It is a fact, that in the course of the holy sacrifice, the in- 
 tercession of the apostles, martyrs, and other saints, and 
 most particularly of the ever-blessed and glorious Virgin 
 Mary, was always solemnly invoked ; and that supplications 
 were always offered up through Christ, for the repose of the 
 souls of the faithful departed. (See note E.) 
 
 These acts of piety were public professions of the belief of 
 those churches, in which such prayers were offered, respecting 
 the present happiness of the saints in heaven, their interest with 
 God, and the utility of imploring their intercession ; and also a 
 public profession of the faith of the church concerning pur- 
 gatory, or a middle state of souls after death, in which they 
 are detained for a while from the enjoyment of God in 
 heaven. 
 
 It is a fact that the sign of the cross was used in acts of reli- 
 gious worship as a profession of faith in Christ crucified, and 
 
 of 
 
99 
 
 of confidence of obtaining protection, mercy, and grace, 
 through his merits. (See note F.) 
 
 It is a fact that, according to very ancient liturgies, a relative 
 veneration was shewn to the material cross, on which Christ 
 suffered for our sins, and to other crosses, as representing that 
 great mystery of our redemption. (See note G.) 
 
 It is a fact, that in the solemn administration of baptism, not 
 only faith in the mystery of the Blessed Trinity was professed 
 by the form or words, used in the administration of the sacra- 
 ment, " I baptize thee, in the name of the Father, and of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" but also, that the faith of the 
 church concerning the state of original sin, in which man is 
 born, was declared by the very ancient ceremonies of exor- 
 cisms and exsufflations, performed before the act of the admi- 
 nistration of the sacrament ; and likewise, that faith in the 
 effects of the sacrament was expressed, by the ceremony of 
 clothing the person with a white garment, after he had been 
 baptized. (See note H.) 
 
 It is a fact, that in the most early ages of the church, the 
 sacrament of confirmation was administered, not only by the 
 imposition of hands, accompanied with prayer, but also by the 
 unction of chrism ; and that the oil of chrism was solemnly 
 blessed by the bishops of the church. (See note I.) 
 
 It is a fact, that the particular confession of sins, which had 
 been committed after baptism, and the sacramental absolution 
 of penitent sinners, were practised in the primitive times. 
 (See note K.) 
 
 It is a fact, that the fast of Lent, or of forty days before Eas- 
 ter, is an apostolical institution, by which the manner of observ- 
 ing the law of penance was practically determined ; as it is 
 also a fact, that this fast was observed, in the earliest ages, 
 by the whole Christian church, as a duty of conscientious 
 obligation. (See note L.) 
 
 It is a fact, that the sacred rites of holy orders, of matri- 
 mony, and of extreme unction, were administered in the 
 earliest ages of the church, as sacraments or institutions of 
 Christ, by which grace was conferred on the ministers of the 
 church, on persons contracting the matrimonial engagement, 
 and on the faithful, when in danger of death, that they might 
 be strengthened to perform the duties of the sacerdotal and 
 matrimonial states of life, and to die happily. (See note M.) 
 
 o 2 It 
 
100 
 
 It is an historical fact, that in the most primitive times, the 
 particular church of Rome was considered as the first church 
 in the Christian world j with which, on account of its superior 
 authority, it was necessary that every other particular church, 
 and the faithful disciples of Christ, wherever they were dis- 
 persed, should be in communion. (See note N.) 
 
 It is an historical fact, that from the earliest ages the bishops 
 of Rome, as successors of St. Peter, have been ever acknow- 
 ledged as the supreme rulers on earth of the whole church of 
 Christ ; and that they have, in all ages, exercised an acknow- 
 ledged spiritual jurisdiction, as of divine right, in every part 
 of the church, wherever the state of affairs called for the exer- 
 cise of their authority, in order to preserve unity in faith, and 
 in ecclesiastical government, and to enforce, in all nations, 
 the observance of the law of Christ. (See note O.) 
 
 Therefore it is an historical fact that the same doctrines of 
 faith, the same sacrifice, the same sacraments, and the same 
 form of ecclesiastical government, which at the present time 
 are uniformly professed, administered, and observed in every 
 part of the world, by that church, which is in communion 
 with the see of Rome, maybe traced back in the ecclesiastical 
 history of every Christian country, from the present period 
 up to the first establishment of Christianity in that country, 
 as always and uniformly the same ; or at least, that they may 
 be traced back so far, that no later date of the first introduc- 
 tion of these doctrines and religious institutions can be truly 
 assigned, than the period of the first conversion of those coun- 
 tries to the faith of Christ. 
 
 It appears, therefore, clear, that the doctrines of faith, which 
 are at present taught in all Catholic churches throughout the 
 world, may be traced back, like streams of water, from every 
 place where they are now flowing, up to one common apos- 
 tolical source ; they are as so many rays of light diverging 
 from one common centre. This faith is Catholic ; it is u?ii- 
 versally one and the same, just like the light of the sun dif- 
 fusing itself over the whole earth. 
 
101 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Unity and Universality considered in respect to 
 
 Church ks separated from thk Communion of thk 
 
 Roman Catholic Church. — Unity and Universality are not 
 
 found in all, or any of those particular Churches, which are 
 
 separated from the Communion of the See of Rome. 
 
 This assertion does not, any more than the preceding, relate 
 directly and in the first instance, to the question concerning 
 the quality of the doctrines, religious rites and observances of 
 all, or of any of the churches alluded to, viz. Avhether they be 
 true or false, religious or superstitious, good or bad ; but it is 
 again, in the first instance, merely a question of fact, viz. whe- 
 ther unity and universality are actually found in all, or in any 
 one of those particular churches, which are separated from the 
 communion of the church of Rome; or first, whether these, 
 taken collectively, are all united together at the present time, 
 by the uniform profession of the same articles of faith, by the 
 same spiritual communion, and by submission to the same 
 spiritual authority ; and also, whether their present faith, com- 
 munion, and ecclesiastical discipline can be regularly traced 
 back through all past ages to the frst ages of Christianity, or 
 to the period of the first establishment of Christianity in the 
 countries, where all these particular churches, which are sepa- 
 rated from the church of Rome, exist. And secondly, if 
 this cannot be verified in the state of these churches, taken 
 collectively, whether it can be verified in any one of them, 
 taken separately. 
 
 The present question of fact may indeed affect the quality of 
 the doctrines of all or any of these churches, but only on 
 this general principle, that two contradictory propositions can- 
 not both he true or both false, at the same time. 
 
 Hence it will follow, that if any one of those churches do 
 teach a doctrine of faith contradictory to that of another church, 
 then the one or the other of these churches is in error on that 
 point. If these churches collectively, or any one of them 
 
 individually, 
 
102 
 
 individually, teach a doctrine contradictory to the doctrine of 
 the Roman Catholic church, either these churches are, or one 
 of them is, in error on that point, or else the church of Rome. 
 
 The first point, therefore, which we are inquiring into is 
 this, whether the churches in question, taken collectively, are 
 all united together, at the present time, by the uniform profes- 
 sion of the same articles of faith, by the same religious com- 
 munion, and by submission to the same ecclesiastical autho- 
 rity ? 
 
 It is difficult to conceive how all those churches can be well 
 united together in the profession of the same articles of faith, 
 which hold as a general and fundamental principle, that every 
 man is at liberty to determine, by his own private reason and 
 judgment, what doctrines are, and what are not, articles of 
 faith. Under the guidance of this principle, it is not reasonable 
 to expect much unity in faith amongst these churches, or 
 amongst the individual members of each particular congre- 
 gation or sect. 
 
 But if we consider these churches collectively, and observe 
 the titles and denominations which they have assumed, and 
 the distinguishing tenets which, bytheir titles, they are under- 
 stood to profess, we cannot help seeing that there is neither 
 unity nor universality in faith, communion, or discipline, 
 among them. 
 
 It is an existing fact, that among the churches separated 
 from the communion of the church of Rome, one is called the 
 Lutheran, another the Calvinist ; one the Presbyterian, ano- 
 ther the Episcopalian ; one the Anabaptist, another the Qua- 
 ker; one the Moravian, another the Independent; one the 
 Methodist, another the Socinian ; one the Unitarian, another 
 the Church of England ; in short, that the churches are 
 divided and subdivided into a countless number of sections of 
 different religious denominations, still multiplying and increas- 
 ing every day. 
 
 It is an existing fact, , that the distinguishing tenets which 
 each of these churches professes, arc in contradiction one to 
 the other : that one professes to believe in the doctrine of the 
 Trinity, add another to deny it ; that one professes to admit 
 the divinity of Christ, and another to reject it; that one pro- 
 fesses the doctrine of original sin, and another condemns it; 
 that one admits baptism in water, and another only the bap- 
 tism 
 
103 
 
 tism of the spirit; that one professes the doctrine of the real 
 presence of the body of Christ in the sacrament of the eucha- 
 rist, and another declares that the sacrament is nothing- more 
 than an empty figure ; that one professes that the government 
 of the church, as established by Christ, is episcopalian, and 
 another that it is presbyterian. As, therefore, the distinguish- 
 ing tenets, which are professed by many of these churches, are 
 so evidently in contradiction to each other, it is clear, that 
 among them, taken collectively, as they exist at the present 
 time, there is no unity in faith. 
 
 As unity in faith is the basis of religious communion, it is 
 equally clear, that those churches, which are so much divided 
 in faith, cannot be united in one communion. They who deny 
 the Trinity, or the divinity of Christ, cannot unite in religious 
 worship with those, whose form of prayer expresses a belief of 
 these mysteries ; they who deny baptism in water, cannot be 
 united in communion with those who profess a belief in the 
 necessity of that sacrament ; they who deny the real presence, 
 cannot participate of the Lord's Supper with those, who believe 
 that they receive the real body and blood of Christ. Therefore, 
 churches amongst which these divisions exist, cannot, if taken 
 collectively, be united in one communion. 
 
 It is an existing fact, that these churches, taken collectively, 
 acknowledge no spiritual authority on earth, to which they 
 are all subject ; that the Lutheran is independent of the Cal- 
 vinist church ; the Presbyterian, of the Episcopalian ; the 
 Methodist, of the Unitarian ; the Quaker, of the Anabaptist. 
 Therefore, taken collectively, they are not one ecclesiastical 
 society, held together by one common spiritual interest or 
 authority ; they are not one church ; they are not one fold, 
 under one shepherd. 
 
 As, at the present time, unity in faith, in communion, and in 
 ecclesiastical government, is not to be found in these churches, 
 taken collectively ; so it is vain to attempt to trace back their 
 unity, in these respects, through preceding ages, up to the 
 first establishment of Christianity in the countries, where they 
 now exist. It has been shewn, as an historical fact, that in 
 the first establishment of Christianity, all Christian churches 
 were united in one faith, in one communion, and in sub- 
 mission to one ecclesiastical government ; and it is an his- 
 torical fact, that the Christian churches, established in the 
 
 countries, 
 
104 
 
 countries', where the churches separated from the church of 
 Rome now exist, generally persevered in the same system 
 of unity, down to the period of the Reformation, which dis- 
 united them in the sixteenth century. But the faith pro- 
 fessed in those countries, before that period, was not the 
 same as is professed at present, by the churches, which are 
 separated from the communion of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 But amongst the churches, separated from the Church of 
 Rome, may there not be some particular church in which 
 that unity in faith, communion, and government is found, 
 which is essential to the true church of Christ; some 
 church, whose members all, at present, profess their belief in 
 the same doctrines of faith; some church which can trace 
 back the uniform profession of the same doctrines, which it at 
 present professes, and the observance of its present religious 
 rites and discipline, up to the period when Christianity was 
 first established in the country, where this church now exists ? 
 
 But where is such church to be discovered ? or which, 
 among these different churches, is, \r\ principle and. in/act, one 
 in its faith ? Indeed, what church can, in principle, be one in 
 faith, which admits the principle of private judgment iti deter- 
 mining articles of faith — that principle of endless division ? 
 And where is the particular church, separated from the 
 church of Rome, that does not admit this principle ? 
 
 Where is the church that, in fact, holds all its members at 
 present united together by the belief of all those same articles, 
 that are professed in the symbol or confession which it 
 has adopted, so that whoever refuses to believe any of these 
 articles, ceases to be a member of that church ? 
 
 If a hundred individual members of any one of these 
 churches were called upon, separately, to declare their belief, 
 concerning the doctrines of the Trinity, of the divinity of 
 Christ, of original sin, of the atonement, of the necessity of 
 infant baptism, of the real presence, of the resurrection of the 
 body, of the eternity of the torments of hell, and particularly 
 to determine what those things are, which Christ commands 
 all indispensably to do, in order that they may obtain the 
 remission of their sins through him ; would they all agree 
 in making the same declaration on all these important points 
 of Christian belief and practice ? If each of these individuals 
 
 had 
 
105 
 
 had a Bible in his hand, would they all agree in deducing the 
 same doctrine from the texts which relate to the above ar- 
 ticles ? Considering that they have no fixed and uniform rule 
 of faith, we may say, without hesitation, that they would not. 
 
 If any particular church amongst these were to put in its 
 exclusive claim to that unity in faith which is essential to the 
 true church of Christ ; it would then become that church to 
 show moreover that this one faith, which it is supposed to 
 hold, is generally professed in all nations, and has been still 
 further always publicly and uniformly professed, in all ages, 
 from the present up to the first ages of Christianity ; for that 
 unity which characterizes the true church of Christ, must be 
 universally diffused both in time and in place. But which par- 
 ticular church can shew, by any proof of fact, that such unity 
 and universality form its character ? Which of these churches 
 preaches and enforces the belief of the same revealed doctrines 
 of faith and the observance of the same divine precepts and 
 institutions, at present, in different parts of the world ? Which 
 of them has always taught and enforced the belief and observ- 
 ance of the same doctrines and institutions from the beginning 
 of Christianity? In what age, or in what country, had any 
 one of these churches an existence, as a distinct church, before 
 Luther separated himself from the church, which is in com- 
 munion with the see of Rome ? In what age, or in what coun- 
 try, before the sixteenth century, did any church exist, which 
 professed the same doctrines of faith, which observed the same 
 form of worship, which administered the same and only the 
 same sacraments, and which was governed by the same spiri- 
 tual authority, without any dependance on the authority of the 
 see of Rome, as constitute the faith, worship, and discipline of 
 any one of these different churches at the present time ? For a 
 church to be universal, as to time, in the sense in which the 
 church of Christ is universal, it is not sufficient that it have had 
 an existence in its present form, at some particular period ; 
 but it must, moreover, have existed in the same constitutional 
 form in all times, from its establishment down to the present 
 day. But if it date its establishment, as a church, from 
 any period since the time when Christ was on earth, it dates its 
 establishment too late, to be the church of Christ ; for that 
 church only is the church of Christ which was established by 
 Christ himself, according to his own words, I will build my 
 
 p CHURCH 
 
10G 
 
 church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 
 (Matt, xvi, 18.) 
 
 Where, then, shall we find, among the churches separated 
 from the church of Rome, that unity and universality in faith, 
 communion, and ecclesiastical government, which are essen- 
 tial to the true church, as instituted by Christ? 
 
 That they are not to be found in the collection of the diffe- 
 rent churches and sects, which have been formed since the 
 beginning of the Reformation, or in the heterogeneous mix- 
 ture of Lutherans and Calvinists, of Presbyterians and Episco- 
 palians, of Anabaptists and Quakers, of Moravians and Inde- 
 pendents, of Methodists and Socinians, of Unitarians and 
 Members of the Church of England, &c. all divided in faith, 
 all unconnected in communion, all independent of each other 
 in ecclesiastical government, and all of recent origin, is most 
 evident and certain. 
 
 That no particular church amongst those which originated in 
 the Reformation, and are now separated from the communion 
 of the see of Rome, can substantiate its claim to these essential 
 characters of the true church of Christ, appears equally certain. 
 Which of these churches can produce facts in proof of its unity 
 and universality in faith, communion, and ecclesiastical govern 
 ment ? The real fact is, that all these churches, already 
 divided, are becoming daily more and more divided in belief, 
 by the operation of the principle of private judgment. And 
 where there is no unity there can be no universality ; for what- 
 ever is universal, must be one and the same throughout the 
 whole. 
 
 Facts are certainly wanting to shew the conformity of the 
 faith, form of worship, and discipline, of any one of these 
 churches with any church, that ever existed before the period 
 of the Reformation. Even that church, which, in certain 
 external forms, approaches the nearest of them all to the rites 
 and discipline of the church, which had existed for 1,500 years 
 before the Reformation, can shew its conformity with anti- 
 quity in those points only, in which it retains a conformity with 
 the church, which is in communion with the see of Rome. 
 
 But if we take into consideration the whole of what is mere- 
 ly spiritual and purely ecclesiastical in the church alluded to, 
 abstracting entirely from its civil establishment and from every 
 accessory attribute which it derives from the state, it is true to 
 
 say, 
 
107 
 
 ^ay, that facts arc wanting to shew, that there ever existed a 
 Christian church, from the times of the Apostles to the period 
 of the Reformation, which in its doctrines of faith, in its 
 liturgy, in its sacraments, and in every essential part of purely 
 ecclesiastical discipline, was the same an the church in question. 
 From what genuine ecclesiastical documents, from what 
 synods, from what liturgies or rituals, from what histories of 
 the conversion of nations, can this be shewn ? Where did a 
 Christian church ever exist, before the Reformation, which 
 denied the doctrines of transubstantiation, of the invocation of 
 saints, and of a middle state of souls, which excluded the sacri- 
 fice of the mass from the form of public worship, which 
 admitted no more than two sacraments, as instituted by 
 Christ for the sanctification of the souls of men, and which 
 denied the purely spiritual and purely ecclesiastical authority 
 oi' the Pope in every part of the church of Christ ? 
 
 Public liturgies are authentic documents of the faith and 
 form of worship professed and observed by the church in the 
 ages and countries in which they are used ; and it is a fact, 
 that there is not one liturgy, that M'as ever used in any Chris- 
 tian church before the Reformation, from which the liturgy of 
 this church does not essentially differ. There is not one, in 
 which the oblation of the body and blood of Christ, under the 
 external forms of bread and wine, is not exhibited as a sacri- 
 fice offered to God ; there is not one, in which the intercession 
 of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the holy martyrs is not 
 solemnly invoked, and in which prayers are not offered for 
 the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. These ar- 
 ticles are positively excluded from the liturgy of this church. 
 
 But, can this church, considered as a church, and solely in 
 its sjnritual and purely ecclesiastical qualities, be shewn to 
 have, at present, that unity in faith, which is essential to the 
 true church of Christ ? Are the same doctrines every where 
 taught by all the ministers, or believed by all the members 
 of this church, as the revealed doctrines of Christ ? If they 
 are not, this church is not distinguished by unity in faith, nor, 
 consequently, by universality. 
 
 There are doctrines revealed by Christ, of which he said, 
 " He that believeth not shall be condemned." (Mark xvi.) 
 It is therefore of the highest importance to all, who desire to 
 be saved, to know for certain what these are, and also to 
 
 p 2 know 
 
108 
 
 know all those things which Christ commanded to be believed 
 and to be done, as the conditions of salvation. Does then 
 this church, in fact, teach what all these things are, with such 
 decisive certitude, as is required by every reasonable and 
 serious person, in such a concern of eternal consequence ? 
 Does it not rather direct the people to u search the scrip- 
 tures," which are liable to various and contradictory inter- 
 pretations, that they may learn from them, what they are to 
 believe, and what they are to do, in order to obtain eternal life ? 
 Does it not direct, or, at least, leave every man to interpret 
 the Scripture according to his own private judgment? And 
 what, in fact, has been the consequence of this rule, but 
 endless divisions in faith, contradictory doctrines, incertitude 
 and indifference in matters of religion, and the introduction 
 of every species of infidelity and impiety ? 
 
 Can it therefore be said that the church in question, con- 
 sidered in its spiritual and purely ecclesiastical qualities as a 
 church, is distinguished by that unity and universality , which 
 are essential to the true church of Christ ? Can it be said 
 that it is that church which, continuing to perform the com- 
 mission that Christ gave to the ministers of his true church, 
 " teaches all nations to observe all things whatsoever Christ 
 commanded ?" Can it, in fact, shew that it has a stronger 
 claim to the title of being exclusively the true church of 
 Christ, in which the faith and all the means of salvation 
 which he left to his church are to be found, than any other 
 particular church, that has been formed out of the divisions of 
 the Reformation, which began in the sixteenth century ? 
 
109 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 
 The true Church of Christ. — The Church, which is in 
 communion with the see of Home, and known by the name of 
 Catholic, is exclusively the true Church ov Christ. 
 
 It has been shewn that unity, and universality, are es- 
 sential properties, and characteristic marks of the true 
 church of Christ, and that these characteristic marks are 
 found exclusively in that church, which is in communion with 
 the see of Rome. It follows, therefore, as a necessary con- 
 sequence, that the Catholic church, in communion with the 
 see of Rome, is exclusively the true church of Christ. 
 
 This church alone has had a visible existence, as the spi- 
 tual kingdom of Christ, through all ages, from the time when 
 he himself established his church, and gave to it its consti- 
 tution. It exhibits an uninterrupted succession of supreme 
 pastors, or spiritual sovereigns, from St. Peter down to the 
 present sovereign pontiff, Leo XII. It still retains, in all 
 places, the same form of government, the same law of faith, 
 and the same sacred institutions, which were given to it in 
 the beginning, by its divine founder. Though extended over 
 all nations, all its parts are united together as one kingdom, 
 by the unity of its faith, by a community of spiritual interests, 
 and by a subordinate subjection of all to one supreme au- 
 thority. No temporal kingdom on earth can half so evidently 
 shew the unity of its government, or the duration and extent 
 of its dominion, as this spiritual kingdom of Christ, of which 
 Rome, the see of Peter, is the capital and centre. 
 
 This church, perpetually executing the commission given 
 by Christ, " teaches all nations to observe all things what- 
 soever Christ commanded." It every where teaches, in a 
 definite manner, what Christ commanded all to believe and to 
 do, that they may obtain eternal life through him. It pro- 
 poses 
 
110 
 
 poses its defined doctrines of faith, not as the opinions of 
 men, but as the truths of God. As the revealed doctrines, 
 precepts, and institutions of Christ, are not objects of human 
 science, but the established Christian law, so the Catholic 
 church teaches them, not by discussion, but by authority, 
 not by intrinsic arguments, but by promulgation and public 
 testimony. It officially declares what is the law of Christ, 
 and, in all cases of doubt, interprets and decides according to 
 the doctrine received from the beginning, through the un- 
 broken channel of apostolical tradition. This church is ever 
 watchful to guard the sacred deposit of divine faith in its 
 purity, and to preserve all the means of sanctification which 
 Christ has ordained, both in their integrity and their efficacy. 
 This church, by its spiritual authority, is the eminent support 
 of Christianity; it is the powerful barrier against the incur- 
 sions of infidelity. Built upon a rock, it stands as a solid and 
 luminous pillar of truth, unmoved by the winds of adverse 
 doctrines, or by the waves of eVer-fluctuating opinions ; and 
 exhibiting, in a conspicuous manner, the unextinguishable 
 light of faith, as a guide to all who seek to enter the haven 
 of salvation. 
 
 Whilst, in the course of ages, all temporal kingdoms and 
 states have changed their dynasties and constitutions ; whilst, 
 by the effect of wars, revolutions, and the vicissitudes of 
 human affairs, governments have succeeded governments, as 
 the waves of the sea succeed each other, to what other cause 
 can we ascribe this singular phenomenon, of the stability 
 and perpetuity of the same constitution, and form of spiritual 
 government in the Roman Catholic church, during so many 
 ages, but to the ever-present and ever-supporting arm of 
 Him, to whom ft all power is given in heaven and in earth," 
 and who built his church on the firm basis of an immovable 
 rock, with a promise that the gates of hell shall never pre- 
 vail against it? To what cause can we ascribe the wonderful 
 preservation of this church, but to the supernatural provi- 
 dence of Him, who knows how to support his own works, 
 and who has uniformly preserved that order and harmony in 
 the system of nature, which he originally established for the 
 manifestation of his own glory, and for the benefit of man- 
 kind ? " No power can rebuild what God has destroyed. 
 Look at the temple of Jerusalem. — No power can destroy 
 
 what 
 
Ill 
 
 what God has built. Look at the church of Christ." (St. 
 Chrysostom.) 
 
 Churches that are separated from the communion of the 
 Church of Christ, are like branches that are broken off from 
 the vine : they must wither and die. They are like members 
 separated from the body: being no longer animated by the 
 spirit, they cannot perform the functions of life. They may, 
 indeed, for a time, preserve more or less of the external 
 forms of the church of Christ ; but there is within them a 
 principle of dissolution, which destroys the interior substance 
 of the body, and leaves an empty exterior appearance of true 
 religion. They may be supported for a time in certain re- 
 ligious rites and forms of ecclesiastical government, by the 
 civil power which has adopted them. But, in fact, they 
 become nothing more than civil institutions, and will exist no 
 longer, than whilst they are supported by the state, whose 
 creatures they are. Every plant ivhich my heavenly Father 
 hath not planted shall be rooted up. (Matt. xv. 13.) 
 
 Not so the Catholic church. It lives in the body of the 
 vine, and beareth fruit. It is the mystical body of Christ, 
 animated and guided by his spirit. It possesses within itself, 
 in the simplicity of its faith, a principle of immortality. Its 
 spiritual powers are all derived from Christ. It has an exist- 
 ence independent of all temporal kingdoms. It can live 
 without them. It will survive them all. The God of heaven 
 will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed ; and his 
 kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people : and it shall 
 break in pieces and shall consume all these kingdoms ; and itself 
 shall stand for ever. (Dan. ii. 44.) 
 
 As, therefore, the church, which is in communion with the 
 see of Rome, is the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church, 
 the depositary and dispenser of the truths and mysteries of 
 the Christian religion ; it follows, that it is from the ministers 
 of this church, as from the lawful successors of the apostles, 
 that all nations are to learn with certainty what are the par- 
 ticular doctrines of faith which Christ revealed, and which he 
 commanded all to believe ; what are the precepts of su- 
 pernatural morality which Christ delivered, and commanded 
 all to observe ; what are the sacred rites and ordinances which 
 Christ instituted for the worship of his Father and the sancti- 
 fication of the souls of men ; and what are the dispositions 
 
 and 
 
and conditions which Christ prescribed for the remission of 
 sin and eternal salvation through him : that it is by the 
 ministry of this church that the graces of justification are to 
 be imparted to men ; and that it is in this church, that true 
 Christianity, with all its blessings, is found. 
 
 Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, ivhere is under- 
 standing, that thou mayest know also where is length of days 
 and life. (Baruch iii. 14.) 
 
 ■">'-• ' ■ ■ ■'•! ■ "• ."!',:. i . - "i . . • ih .: .. . .','■;•:'■' }• - 
 
 
 
 . 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Note [A], page 93. 
 
 The creed published by Pope Pius IV, in 1564, is an accurate 
 and explicit summary of the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 All adults, who have lived out of the communion of the Catholic 
 Church, are required, previously to their admission into it, to make a 
 profession of their belief in all the articles of this creed. The Coun- 
 cil of Trent commands, that all who are promoted to benefices, to 
 which the care of souls is annexed, that all Dignitaries and Preben- 
 daries in Cathedral Churches, that all Cardinals of the Holy Roman 
 Church, and all Bishops in every part of the world, should make a 
 profession of their faith, according to the articles of this creed, before 
 proper authorities, previously to their promotion to their respective 
 dignities and offices. In the conclusion of it, each ecclesiastical 
 person says, " This true Catholic faith, without which none can be 
 saved, and which I now freely profess and truly hold, I promise, vow, 
 and swear most constantly to hold, and to profess the same, whole 
 and entire, with God's assistance, to the end of my life ; and to 
 take care, to the best of my power, that it shall be held, taught, 
 and preached by those over whom I shall have authority, or with the 
 care of whom I shall be charged, by virtue of my office."* 
 So that this creed is a symbol, by which all the members of the 
 Roman Catholic Church are united together, in the profession of the 
 same faith, in all parts of the world. It is expressed in the following 
 words : — 
 
 " I, N. iV., with a firm faith believe and profess all and every one 
 " of those things which are contained in that Creed, which the Holy 
 ■ Roman Church maketh use of; viz. I believe in one God, the 
 " Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all things visible 
 
 " and 
 
 * As the conclusion of this article regards only persons, whose duty It is, by 
 virtue of their office, to take care that this same faith is taught, and preached by all 
 over whom they have authority ; it should not appear surprising, that it is omitted 
 in the profession of faith inserted in the ordo administrandi sacramenta, and pre-, 
 scribed to be taken by those who are admitted among the faithful, to the commu- 
 nion of the Catholic Church. 
 
 Q 
 
114 
 
 " and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten 
 " Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages ; God of 
 " God ; light of light ; true God of true God; begotten, not made ; 
 " consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. 
 " Who, for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, 
 " and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, of the Virgin Mary, and 
 " was made man. Was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate ; 
 " he suffered and was buried ; and the third day he rose again 
 " according to the Scriptures : he ascended into heaven ; sits at the 
 " right hand of the Father, and is to come again with glory to 
 " judge the living and the dead ; of whose kingdom there shall be no 
 " end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Life-giver, who pro- 
 ¥ ceeds from the Father and the Son, who, together with the Father 
 " and the Son, is adored and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. 
 " And (I believe) one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church: I 
 " confess one baptism for the remission of sins: and I look for 
 " the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. 
 " Amen. 
 
 " 1 most steadfastly admit, and embrace apostolical and eccle- 
 " siastical Traditions, and all other observances and constitutions of 
 " the same church. 
 
 " I also admit the holy Scriptures, according to that sense which 
 " our holy Mother, the Church, has held, and does hold, to whom it 
 " belongs to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the 
 ¥ Scriptures : neither will I ever take and interpret them otherwise, 
 " than according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers. 
 
 " I also profess, that there are truly and properly seven sacraments, 
 " of the new law, instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord, and necessary 
 ¥ for the salvation of mankind, though not all for every one : to 
 " wit, baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, extreme unction, or- 
 " der, and matrimony ; and that they confer grace : and that of 
 ¥ these, baptism, confirmation, and order, cannot be reiterated with- 
 " out sacrilege. I also receive and admit the received and approved 
 " ceremonies of the Catholic Church, used in the solemn administra- 
 ¥ tion of all the aforesaid sacraments. 
 
 ¥ I embrace and receive all and every one of the things which 
 ¥ have been defined and declared in the holy council of Trent, con- 
 ¥ cerning original sin and justification. 
 
 " I profess, likewise, that in the mass there is offered to God a 
 " true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead. 
 " And that in the most holy sacrament of the eucharist, there is tndy, 
 " really, and substantially, the body and blood, together with the soul 
 " and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ : and that there is made a 
 " conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and 
 
 " and 
 
115 
 
 " and of the whole substance of* the wine into the blood; which 
 " conversion the Catholic Church calls Transubdantiation. I also 
 " confess, that under either kind alone, Christ is received whole and 
 " entire, and a true sacrament. 
 
 " I constantly hold, that there is a purgatory, and that the souls 
 " therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful. 
 
 " Likewise that the saints, reigning together with Christ, are to be 
 " honoured and invocated, and that they offer prayers to God for us, 
 " and that their relics are to be had in veneration. 
 
 " I most firmly assert, that the images of Christ, of the Mother of 
 " God, ever Virgin, and also of the other Saints, ought to be had 
 " and retained, and that due honour and veneration is to be given 
 •« them. 
 
 " I also affirm, that the power of indulgences was left by Christ in 
 " the Church, and that the use of them is most wholesome to Chris- 
 " tian people. 
 
 " I acknowledge the holy, Catholic, Jpostolic, Roman Church, for 
 " the mother and mistress of all churches; and I promise true obe- 
 " dience to the Bishop of Rome, successor to St. Peter, Prince of the 
 " Apostles, and Vicar of Jesus Christ. 
 
 " I likewise undoubtedly receive and profess all other things deli- 
 " vered, defined, and declared by the sacred canons and general 
 " councils, and particularly by the holy council of Trent. And I 
 " condemn, reject, and anathematize all things contrary thereto, and 
 « all heresies which the Church has condemned, rejected, and ana- 
 " thematized. 
 
 " This true Catholic faith, without which none can be saved, and 
 " which I now freely profess and truly hold, I promise, vow, and 
 " swear most constantly to hold, and to profess the same, whole and 
 " entire, with God's assistance, to the end of my life : and to take 
 " care, to the best of my power, that it shall be held, taught, and 
 " preached by those over whom I shall have authority, or with the 
 " care of whom I shall be charged, by virtue of my office." 
 
 Note [B], page 98. 
 
 Liturgies. 
 
 The substance of the ancient Liturgies was derived from the Apos- 
 tles, and communicated by them to the churches, where they preach- 
 ed and established the religion of Christ. The first Liturgy was 
 that which was formed and used by the Apostles, in the church of 
 Jerusalem. It is sometimes called the Liturgy of St. James, the 
 first Bishop of that see. Then other Liturgies were introduced into 
 
 Q 2 the 
 
11(5 
 
 the other Patriarchate Churches in the East, viz. of Alexandria, An- 
 tioch, and Constantinople. The Liturgy of Alexandria is called the 
 Liturgy of St. Mark : that of Constantinople is called the Liturgy 
 of St. Chrysostom. 
 
 The names or titles affixed to the Liturgies are of little signification. 
 Some of them, indeed, refer to the Apostle, who introduced the form 
 of Christian worship in the churches where these Liturgies were 
 used. But what is of the highest consequence is, that the Liturgies 
 contain the common form and order of public worship observed in 
 those churches, and consequently, that they contain a public pro- 
 fession of the faith of all the clergy, and people attached to them, 
 in the ages in which these Liturgies were in use. 
 
 The most sacred part of the form of divine worship, the Canon 
 (called the anaphora in the Oriental Liturgies), during the first two 
 or three centuries, was only committed to memory, and retained by 
 the bishops and priests, as the Apostles' Creed was learnt and re- 
 tained by the faithful. The Canon was not written till about the 
 beginning of the fifth age, when the danger of exposing all that was 
 most sacred in the mysteries of religion, to the derision and blasphemy 
 of infidels, was not so great, as it was in the first two or three cen- 
 turies. But when the Canon was generally committed to writing, it 
 was found to be the same, in substance, in all Christian countries. 
 This shewed the unity of its origin, in the unity of that faith, which 
 was every where taught by the Apostles, and which was the spirit of 
 the body and language of the liturgies. 
 
 The Roman Liturgy was brought to England by St. Augustin, in 
 the year 595. It has been, in substance, the common liturgy of all 
 the Latin churches, from their conversion to Christianity. It agrees 
 with our Roman Catholic Liturgy now in use; allowing some acci- 
 dental additions, that have since been made. The Roman Liturgy, 
 according to the sacramentary of Pope Gelasius, was written about 
 the year 492. 
 
 Amongst the Oriental Liturgies, those of the Greek schismatical 
 church, and particularly those of the Nestorians and Eutychians, are 
 very deserving of notice. These churches have received no rite of 
 religion, no tradition, no doctrine, from the church of Rome, since 
 the time of their separation from its faith or communion. The 
 Greek schismatical church separated about the year 890 ; the Euty- 
 chians about 451 ; and the Nestorians about 431. The doctrinal 
 language of the liturgies of these churches was not borrowed from 
 the church of Rome, after the period of their separation ; nor can 
 any reasonable suspicion be entertained, that it was worded with any 
 design of favouring the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 The Liturgies of the Nestorians and Eutychians were not originally 
 
 composed 
 
117 
 
 composed by the founders of those sects; they were the liturgies of 
 the churches, in which Nestorius and Eutyches were instructed in 
 the Christian faith. A few insertions were afterwards introduced into 
 them, expressing the peculiar doctrines of these heretical teachers, 
 which were as much in opposition to each other, as they were to the 
 common doctrine of all other Christian churches. But on all the 
 other points of Christian doctrine and worship, on the Trinity, on 
 the Sacrifice of the mass, on the real presence, on transubstantiation, 
 on the invocation of saints, on prayers for the dead, &c, the litur- 
 gies of the Nestorians and Eutychians are perfectly conformable to all 
 other ancient liturgies. This circumstance affords strong evidence, 
 that the doctrines and religious rites of all Christian churches were 
 the same, previously to the period of the separation of Nestorius and 
 Eutyches, from the faith of the Catholic church. Their errors were 
 against two articles of the mystery of the Incarnation. Nestorius 
 denied the unity of person, in Christ; Eutyches denied the distinction 
 of two natures in Christ. 
 
 The following Extracts are taken from the Liturgies used in the 
 
 Churches of 
 
 Jerusalem, called the Liturgy of St. James — which is the most 
 ancient of all Liturgies, and has been commonly used in Syria. 
 
 Alexandria, called the Liturgy of St. Mark — containing the an- 
 cient rite of the Church of Alexandria ; and constantly in use among 
 the Orthodox Christians in Egypt, till they were compelled to adopt 
 the Liturgy of Constantinople. 
 
 Antioch, the same as the Liturgy of Jerusalem. 
 
 Constantinople, called the Liturgies of St. Chrysostom and 
 St. Basil, followed by all the Greek Christians in the East and West, 
 by the Russians, and nations converted to Christianity by the Greeks. 
 
 The Nestorians, called the Liturgies of the Holy Apostles, of 
 Theodorus, and of Nestorius. The Liturgy of the Holy Apostles is 
 the ancient Liturgy of the churches of Syria before Nestorius. In 
 the Liturgy of Nestorius, which was the old Liturgy of the church 
 of Constantinople, that heresiarch has inserted his error in the 
 Preface. 
 
 The Eutychians, or of the Copths in Egypt, called the Litur- 
 gies of St. Basil, St. Gregory, and St. Cyril. These were in com- 
 mon use among the Jacobites in Egypt, so called from James the 
 Syrian (who died in 577), one of the Eutychian leaders, who rejected 
 the Council of Calcedon, and taught that there is only one nature in 
 Christ. 
 
 The above Oriental Liturgies are found in Renaudot's Liturgiarum 
 Orientalium Collectio, in two volumes, Paris 1716, from which the 
 
 following 
 
118 
 
 following extracts are taken, except those of Constantinople, which 
 are taken from Goar's Ew£oAoy<«v sive Rituale Grcecorum, Paris 1647. 
 
 The Roman — from the ancient sacramentaries of Pope Gelasius, 
 and Pope Gregory the Great. 
 
 The Ambrosian — which was in use at Milan before the time of 
 St. Ambrose. 
 
 Note [C], page 98. 
 
 I. On the Trinity of Persons in one God, and the Divi- 
 nity of Christ, the Redeemer of Mankind. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. James. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 The People. " Holy, holy, holy art thou, O Lord God of Sab- 
 baoth " 
 
 The Priest. " Thou art truly Holy, O King of ages, from whom 
 all sanctity is derived : Holy likewise is thy only begotten Son, 
 our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Holy also is thy Holy 
 Spirit, who searcheth all things, even thy deep counsels, O God the 
 Father. For thou art holy, who containest all things, Omnipotent, 
 terrible, good, together with thy only begotten Son, who partook of 
 sufferings, chiefly for the sake of man, thy work, whom thou didst 
 form of earth, and on whom thou didst bestow the delights of Para- 
 dise. But when he had transgressed thy command, and was fallen, 
 thou didst not neglect or abandon him, O Goodness, but thou didst 
 bring him back, as a most merciful Father. Thou did call him by the 
 law ; thou didst direct him by the Prophets ; at last, thou didst send 
 thine only begotten Son into the world, that he might renovate thy 
 image. He descended and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, and of 
 the Holy Mother of God, and ever Virgin Mary, and he conversed 
 with men, and instituted all means of Salvation for mankind." 
 Page 31. 
 
 All say together. " One Father Holy, one Son Holy, one Spirit 
 Holy. May the name of the Lord be blessed, who is one in heaven, 
 and on earth : to him be glory for ever. Glory to the Father, and to 
 the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, sanctifying all, and expiating all." 
 Pages 40 and 41. 
 
 Priest. " O Lord, we believe with a true, and certain faith. We 
 believe in Thee, as the Holy and Catholic Church believes in Thee , 
 that Thou art one Father, holy, to whom be glory, amen. One Son, 
 holy, to him be praise, amen. One Spirit, holy, to him be glory 
 and thanksgiving for ever, amen." Page 41. 
 
 The Priest. " Great and wonderful God, who didst bend down 
 the heavens and descend for the salvation of us men, have regard to 
 us through thy mercy and grace; bless thy people, and preserve thine 
 
 inheritance, 
 
119 
 
 inheritance, that always, and at all times, we may praise thee, be- 
 cause thou only art our true God, (and that we may praise) God 
 the Father, who begat thee, and thy Holy Spirit, now and for 
 ever," &c. 
 
 People. " Amen." Page 42. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. Mark, Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 The Priest begins the Anaphora or Canon. " It is truly meet and 
 just, holy, and becoming, and advantageous to our souls, to celebrate 
 thee with praises and hymns, who art, O Sovereign Lord, God the 
 Father Almighty, and to give thanks to thee. . . . who didst make 
 man to thine own image and likeness, on whom thou didst bestow 
 the delights of Paradise. Thou didst not despise him when he had 
 transgressed, nor didst thou abandon him, O Goodness, but thou 
 didst call him back again by the law, thou didst instruct him by the 
 Prophets; at last, thou didst reform and renew him. by this tremen- 
 dous, and lifegiving and heavenly sacrament. All which things thou 
 didst do by thy wisdom, the true light, thine only begotten Son, our 
 Lord, and God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, through whom we give 
 thanks to thee, with him and the Holy Ghost, &c. Pages 144, 145. 
 People. " Holy, Holy, Holy Lord." 
 
 Priest. " Truly are heaven and earth full of thy glory, by the 
 manifestation of our Lord, and God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Grant, 
 O God, that this sacrifice may be also full of thy blessing, by the 
 coming of thy most holy Spirit. Because the Lord and God, and 
 our Sovereign King Jesus Christ, in the night in which he delivered 
 himself for our sins, and suffered death in his flesh for all," &c. Pages 
 154, 155. 
 
 The Priest prays. u Holy, supreme, tremendous Lord, who re- 
 posest in holy places, sanctify us by the word of thy grace, and by 
 the descent of thy holy Spirit. For thou hast said, O Lord, be ye 
 holy, because I am holy, O Lord our God, incomprehensible Word 
 of God, consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Ghost, and 
 coeternal, and without beginning, as He, receive the immortal hymn, 
 which being sung by the Cherubim and Seraphim, and uttered by me 
 a sinner and thy unworthy servant, proclaims," &c. 
 
 People. " Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison." 
 Priest with a loud voice. " Holy things for holy persons." 
 People. " One Father, Holy : one Son, Holy : one Spirit, Holy : 
 in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Page 161. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. Chrysoslom. Goar. 
 
 The beginning of the Mass. " Blessed be the reign of the Father, 
 
 and 
 
120 
 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. . now,"and for ever." Choir. 
 " Amen." Page 64. 
 
 Deacon. M Let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all 
 our life to Christ, God." 
 
 The Priest, raising his voice. " Because all glory, honour, and 
 adoration are due to thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and 
 for ever. Amen." Page 65. 
 
 The Priest, raising his voice. " Thou art Holy our God, and we 
 give glory to thee, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
 Ghost, now and for ever." Choir. " Amen." Page 68. 
 
 Priest. " O Lord our God, who dwellest on high, and beholdest 
 things that are low, who didst send salvation to mankind thy only 
 • begotten Son and God, our Lord Jesus Christ, look down on thy 
 servants the Catechumens. .. .unite them to thy holy Catholic and 
 Apostolic Church, and number them with thy chosen flock." Raising 
 his voice. " That they together with us may glorify thy adorable and 
 magnificent name, of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now and 
 for ever," &c. Choir. " Amen." Page 70. 
 
 From the Liturgy used by the Nestorians, called the Liturgy of the 
 Holy Apostles. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 " We will sing a hymn to thy glorious Trinity, O Father, Son, and 
 Holy Ghost." Page 585. 
 
 " Thou art holy, O God the Father, truly the only one, from whom 
 all paternity in heaven and in earth is named. Thou art holy, O 
 eternal Son, by whom all things were made. Thou art holy, O holy 
 eternal Spirit, by whom all things are sanctified." Pages 589, 590. 
 
 u Glory be to thee, O God the Father, who didst send thine only 
 begotten Son, for our salvation." Page 593. 
 
 From the Liturgy used by the Nestorians, called the Liturgy of Theo- 
 dorus. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 " We offer praise, glory, thanksgiving, and adoration, to the Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghost, now and for ever. . . . We bend our knees 
 before thy great and tremendous name, and we offer our adorations. 
 May the choirs above unite with us in praising and thanking thee, 
 because through thy ineffable goodness to man, and for our salvation, 
 the only begotten Son, God, the Word, being the image of God, who 
 thought it no robbery that he should be equal to God, debased himself, 
 taking the form of a servant, descended from heaven, assumed our 
 human nature, a mortal body, and a rational, intelligent, and immortal 
 soul, of the Virgin Mary by the virtue of the Holy Ghost : and thus 
 perfected and completed this great and wonderful dispensation, which 
 had been prepared by thy prescience, before the foundation of the 
 world." Page 618. 
 
 From 
 
121 
 
 From the Liturgy used by the Nestoriam, called the Liturgy of the 
 Nestorius. Renauclot, torn. ii. 
 
 " To thee, O God the Father, and to thy only begotten Son, Jesus 
 Christ our Lord, and to thy living, holy, and vivifying Spirit, we 
 offer glory, honour, thanksgiving and adoration, now and for ever. 
 Amen." Page 626. 
 
 " All rational creatures, visible and invisible, at all times offer 
 perpetual praises to thee, and thy only begotten Son, and thy Holy 
 Spirit. For thou didst produce us from nothing, that we might have 
 an existence : thou didst dispose of us. We offended and were fallen. 
 We were perishing in our old state of corruption : thou hast renewed 
 us, thou hast raised us up and purchased us, nor hast thou ceased to 
 visit us with great care. Thou hast made us ascend into heaven, and 
 hast in thy mercy given us thy kingdom which is to come. For all thy 
 blessings to us we give thanks to thee, O God, truly Father, and to 
 thy only begotten Son, and to thy living and Holy Spirit," &c. 
 Page 627, 62S. 
 
 Canon. " Before thy Trinity, O Lord, stand a thousand times a 
 thousand, and ten thousand times ten thousand angels; and all to- 
 gether without ceasing and perpetually, with a loud voice, sing praise 
 and jubilation, crying one to the other, saying and answering, Holy, 
 Holy, Holy." — The Priest. " Holy, Holy, Holy, the strong Lord, of 
 whom the heavens and the earth are full." Page 628. 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy used by the Eutychians, called the Liturgy 
 of St. Basil. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 The Priest. " To thee we offer praise, glory, and adoration, Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghost, now and for ever. A men." Page 2. 
 
 Priest. " Lord, God Omnipotent, Father of our Lord God and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ, we give thanks to thee," &c. — Ibid. 
 
 " O Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, the Word of God the 
 Father, consubstantial and coeternal with him and the Holy Ghost ; 
 thou art the living bread, who didst come down from heaven.. and 
 lay down thy perfect and innocent soul for the life of the world." — 
 Page 3. 
 
 Priest. " Thou art Holy, holy, holy, our Lord God, who didst make 
 us, and place us in a paradise of delights. But when, by the deceit 
 of the serpent, we had violated thy commands concerning the tree of 
 life, had fallen from eternal life, and were cast out of the paradise of 
 delights, thou didst not abandon us for ever, but thou didst hold out 
 thy promises to us by thy holy prophets. In the last days, thou 
 didst manifest to us, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, thy 
 only begotten Son, the Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who 
 was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, and of the Holy Virgin Mary, and 
 
122 
 
 was made man, who taught us the way of salvation, gave us a super- 
 natural birth by water and the Spirit, made us an assembled people, 
 and eleansed us by his Holy Spirit," &c. Page 14. 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy used by the Eutychians, called the Liturgy of 
 St. Gregory. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 Priest. " O Lord God Almighty ....... make me worthy to assist 
 
 at thy holy altar to offer to thee this rational and unbloody 
 
 sacrifice to thy glory, with thy only begotten Son, our Lord, 
 
 God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, and with thy enlivening Spirit, con- 
 substantial with thee, now and for ever." Page 26. 
 
 " O Eternal Son, who subsistest for ever, consubstantial with the 
 
 Father, who by thy pure goodness didst make man out of 
 
 nothing, and didst place him in a paradise of delights ; who didst 
 vouchsafe to renovate him and to restore him to his former dignity, 
 when he had fallen by the deceit of the enemy, and by the trans- 
 gression of thy precept thou didst take flesh without change, 
 
 and becoming man, like to us in all things, excepting sin, thou 
 
 wert made our mediator with the Father we offer glory and 
 
 honour, magnificence and adoration to thee, with thy Father, infinitely 
 good, the author of life, and consubstantial with thee, now and for 
 ever." Pages 26 and 27. 
 
 " The charity of God the Father, the grace of the only begotten 
 Son, our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the communica- 
 tion and gift of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." Pages 27 and 28. 
 
 " Our Lord God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, make this bread thy 
 holy body, which is given for the remission of sins, and eternal life 
 to those who partake of it by the holy communion," &c. Page 31. 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy used by the Eutychians, called the Liturgy 
 of St. Cyril. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 PHest. " Eternal Lord, Lord God, Father Almighty, thou didst 
 
 create man to thy image and likeness, thou didst create all 
 
 things in thy wisdom, in thy true light, thy only begotten Son, our 
 Lord, God, Saviour and King Jesus Christ ; wherefore we give thanks 
 to thee, and offer to thee, and to him, and to the Holy Ghost, to the holy, 
 consubstantial, and undivided Trinity, this reasonable sacrifice, this 
 unbloody ministry, which all people offer to thee, from the rising to the 
 setting sun ; from the north to the south ; because thy name, O Lord, 
 is great in all nations, and in every place they offer incense to thy 
 holy name, and a pure sacrifice, together with this sacrifice and this 
 oblation." Page 40. 
 
 " Now, O God the Father Almighty, we announce the death of 
 thy only-begotten Son our Lord, God, Saviour, and King Jesus 
 
 Christ. 
 
123 
 
 Christ. We profess our faith in his holy resurrection, and his ascen- 
 sion to the heavens ahove, and his sitting at thy right hand, O Father. 
 We expect his second coming, from heaven, terrible and glorious, at 
 the end of this world ; when he will come to judge all mankind in 
 equity ; and will give to each one according to his works, either good 
 or evil." Page 47. 
 
 Such is the uniform language of all the Oriental Liturgies, not 
 only of those which have been in use in the four Patriarchal sees, and 
 of all the orthodox churches dependent on them, but even amongst 
 the Nestorians and Eutychians, and the churches which have branched 
 out of these heretical sects. Such is the uniform language of the 
 Schismatical Greek Church to this day, which for a thousand years 
 has constantly used the Liturgy of Constantinople, called the Liturgy 
 of St. Basil and St. Chrysostom. Such has been the language of all 
 the Oriental Churches, from the first establishment of Christianity in 
 them, and particularly of that of Jerusalem, where the Apostles 
 officiated; of Antioch where St. Peter presided twelve years; and of 
 Alexandria where the Christian faith and form of Christian worship 
 were introduced by St. Mark, the disciple of St. Peter. 
 
 These religious doctrines of the Trinity of Persons in one God, of 
 the creation and fall of man, of the Incarnation of God the Son for 
 the redemption and salvation of mankind, of the divinity of Christ, 
 who as God is consubstantial and coequal to the Father, and of the 
 divinity of the Holy Ghost — these doctrines are diffused through the 
 prayers of all these Liturgies, they form the substance of divine wor- 
 ship, and are the subject of all the acts of adoration, praise, glory, and 
 thanksgiving, which have been at all times, from the beginning, uni- 
 formly offered to God by the priests and people of all the churches in 
 the East, where the light of Christianity first rose on the horizon of 
 the world. 
 
 Note [D] page 98. 
 
 II. On the Sacrifice of the Mass — on the Real Presence of 
 the Body and Blood of Christ, offered to God, in the 
 Holy Sacrifice, and received by the People, in the Holy 
 Communion; and on Transubstantiation, or the Change 
 of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of 
 Christ. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. James. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 Priest. " O God the Father, who, through thy great and ineffable 
 love for men, didst send thy Son into the world, to bring back the 
 wandering sheep, turn not away thy face from us, whilst we celebrate 
 this spiritual and anblooJy sacrifice." Page 30. 
 
 r 2 Pried. 
 
124 
 
 Priest. " This is my body, which is broken, and given for you 
 and for many, for the remission of sins and eternal life . . . This is 
 my blood of the new Testament, which is poured forth for you, and 
 for many faithful, and is given for the remission of sins and eternal 
 
 life We offer to thee this tremendous and unbloody sacrifice, 
 
 that thou mayest not deal with us, O Lord, according to our sins, nor 
 repay us, according to our iniquities ; but according to thy mercy, 
 and thy great and ineffable love for men, mayest efface our sins, the 
 sins of thy servants offering their supplications to thee." Page 32. 
 
 Priest. " Have mercy on us, God the Father Almighty, and send 
 thy Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, equal in dominion to thee 
 
 and to thy son, consubstantial and coeternal Who descended 
 
 in the likeness of a dove on our Lord Jesus Christ, in the river Jor- 
 dan ; who descended on the Holy Apostles in the likeness of tongues 
 
 of fire that coming, he may make this bread, the life-giving 
 
 body, the saving body, the heavenly body, the body giving health to 
 souls and bodies, the body of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ; 
 for the remission of sins and eternal life to those, who receive it." — 
 People. " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And may make what is mixt in this chalice, the blood of 
 the New Testament, the saving blood, the life-giving blood, the 
 heavenly blood, the blood giving health to souls and bodies, the blood 
 of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ ; for the remission of 
 sins and eternal life to those, who receive it." — People. " Amen." 
 Page 33. 
 
 Priest. " Wherefore we offer to thee, O Lord, this tremendous and 
 unbloody sacrifice, for thy holy places, which thou hast enlightened by 
 the manifestation of Christ thy son," &c. Page 34. 
 
 The Priest. " May the mercies of God be upon us all. Then he 
 shall say, we believe, we approach, we sign, and break this Eu- 
 charist : we sign the heavenly bread, the body of the Word of the 
 living God, in the chalice of salvation and of thanksgiving in the 
 form of the cross, with the particle, propitiatory and full of heavenly 
 mysteries, in the name of the living Father ; and of the only be- 
 gotten Son ; and of the Holy Ghost," &c. 
 
 The Deacon shall say, " Grant thy blessing, O Lord. Again and 
 again, through this holy oblation and propitiatory sacrifice, which is 
 offered to God the Father, is sanctified, completed, and perfected, 
 by the descent of the Holy Ghost, ... we earnestly pray," &c. 
 Pages 38, 39. 
 
 The Priest, from the larger part of the Eucharistic bread breaks off" 
 a smaller part, which he dips in the chalice, and tvith it signs the rest, 
 in the form of a cross, saying, " The blood of our Lord is sprinkled 
 
 on 
 
\°Z5 
 
 on his body, in the name of the Father Jfc, and of the Son »J-, and of 
 the Holy Ghost »}*." Page 41. 
 
 The Priest takes the body of Christ, saying, " Grant, O Lord, that 
 our bodies may be sanctified by thy holy body, and, that our souls 
 may be purified by thy propitiatory blood," &c. 
 
 Then he distributes the Eucharist to the Priests, Deacons, and Laity, 
 saying, " The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is given to 
 thee, for the pardon of offences, and the remission of sins, in this 
 world, and in the next." Pages 41, 42. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. Mark. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 Priest. " We offer to thee this rational and unbloody worship, 
 which all nations, from the rising to the setting sun, from the north to 
 the south, offer to thee : because thy name is great in all nations ; 
 and, in every place, incense is offered to thy holy name, and sacrifice, 
 and oblation." Page 145. 
 
 People. " Holy, Holy, Holy Lord." 
 
 The Priest signs the holy mysteries with the sign of the cross, saying : 
 " Truly heaven and earth are full of thy glory, by the manifestation 
 of our Lord, and God, and Saviour Jesus Christ. Grant, O God, 
 that this sacrifice may be also full of thy blessing, by the coming of 
 thy most Holy Spirit. Because our Lord, and God, and Sovereign 
 King Jesus Christ, in the night in which he delivered himself for our 
 sins, and underwent death in his flesh for all, sitting at table with his 
 holy disciples and apostles, took bread in his holy and immaculate 
 and innocent hands, looking up to heaven to thee his Father, and our 
 God, and the God of all ; he gave thanks, blessed it, sanctified it, 
 brake it, and gave it to his holy and blessed disciples and apostles, 
 saying, take, eat." 
 
 Deacon. " Be ye all attentive." 
 
 Priest, raising his voice. " For this is my body, which is broken 
 for you, and distributed for the remission of sins." 
 
 People. " Amen." 
 
 The Priest praying says, " In like manner, also taking the chalice, 
 after he had supped, and mixing wine and water, looking up to heaven 
 to thee his Father, and our God, and the God of all, he gave thanks, 
 he blessed it, he sanctified it, he filled it with the Holy Ghost, and 
 delivered it to his holy and blessed disciples and apostles, saying, 
 drink ye all of it." Pages 154, 155. 
 
 Deacon. " Again pray more earnestly." 
 
 Priest raising his voice. " For this is my blood of the New Testa- 
 ment, which is poured forth for you and many, and is distributed for 
 the remission of sins." 
 
 People. " Amen." 
 
 The 
 
126 
 
 The Priest continues thus to pray. " Do this in commemoration of 
 me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, 
 you shall announce my death, and confess my ascension, till I come," 
 &c. Page 156. 
 
 Priest. " To thee, O Lord our God, from thy own gifts we have 
 
 offered before thee, what is thine : Send down upon us, 
 
 and upon this bread and this chalice, thy holy Spirit, that he may 
 sanctify and consecrate them, as God Almighty, and may make the 
 bread indeed the body.'' — The People, " Amen." 
 
 The Priest, raising his voice, " And the chalice, the blood of the 
 New Testament, of the very Lord, and God, and Saviour, and our 
 Sovereign King Jesus Christ." Page 157. 
 
 The Deacon. " Descend ye Deacons." 
 
 The Priest ivith a loud voice, " That they may be to us all, who 
 partake of them, available to faith, sobriety, &c." Page 158. 
 
 The Priest prays. u Supreme Lord, God Almighty, who sittcst 
 on the cherubim, and art glorified by the seraphim: who of water 
 didst make the firmament and adorn it with choirs of stars ; who hast 
 placed incorporeal hosts of angels in the highest heavens, to celebrate 
 thy glory for ever ; we bow down our souls and bodies to thee, 
 offering the homage of our service; we beseech thee to expel the dark- 
 ness of sin from our minds, and to exhilarate them with the splendour 
 of thy holy spirit, that, filled with a lively sense of thee, we may 
 worthily partake of the good things that are given unto us, the imma- 
 culate body, and precious blood of thy only begotten Son, our Lord 
 and God, and Saviour Jesus Christ," &c. Page 160. 
 
 The Priest communicates. " As the hart thirsteth after the fountains 
 of waters,'' &c. 
 
 And vohen he gives the communion to the Clergy, he says, " The holy 
 body." 
 
 And at the chalice he says, " The precious blood of our Lord, and 
 God and Saviour." Page 162. 
 
 The Priest says the prayer of thanksgivitig. u We give thanks to 
 thee, O Sovereign Lord, our God, for the participation of thy holy, 
 pure, immortal, and celestial mysteries, which thou hast given us, 
 for the benefit and salvation of our souls and bodies. We pray and 
 beseech thee, O good Lord, Lover of mankind, that the communion 
 of the holy body and precious blood of thy only begotten Son may be 
 
 to us a viaticum of eternal life, an acceptable defence before 
 
 the awful tribunal of thy Christ, (raising his voice,) by whom, and with 
 whom to thee be glory and empire, with the most holy and good, and 
 vivyfying spirit," &c. Page 163. 
 
 Priest. " Thou hast given us, O Lord, sanctification, in the parti- 
 cipation of the most holy body and precious blood of thine only begotten 
 
 -— Son, 
 
127 
 
 Son, give us grace, and the gift of thy most holy spirit, and preserve 
 us irreprehcnsible in life, and lead us to the full effects of redemption 
 and adoption, and to the future enjoyment of eternal blessings," &c. 
 People, " Amen." Page 165. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom. Goar. 
 The prayer of the oblation. 
 
 Priest. " O Lord God Almighty, who only art holy make us 
 
 worthy to offer to thee gifts and spiritual sacrifices, for our own sins, 
 and the ignorance of the people ; and grant, that we may find grace 
 before thee, and that our sacrifice may be acceptable to thee, and that 
 the good spirit of thy grace may dwell in us, and in these offerings, 
 and in all thy people." Page 74. 
 
 The Choir. " Holy, Holy, Holy, God of Sabaoth ; heaven and 
 earth are full of thy glory ; Osanna in the highest. Blessed is he 
 who cometh in the name of the Lord ; Osanna in the highest. 
 
 The Priest prays secretly. 
 " With these blessed spirits, O merciful and clement Lord, we 
 also proclaim and say, Thou art holy, thou art all-holy, thou and thy 
 only begotten Son and thy Spirit : thou art holy, and all-holy, and 
 magnificent is thy glory. Who didst so love thy world, as to give 
 thy only begotten Son, that everyone, who believeth in him, may not 
 perish, but may have life everlasting. Who, when he was come, and 
 had fulfilled the dispensation, which he took upon himself for us, in 
 the night in which he was delivered, or rather delivered himself, for 
 the life of the world, taking bread in his holy, and pure, and innocent 
 hands, when he had given thanks and blessed it, and sanctified it, and 
 broken it, he gave it to his holy apostles and disciples, saying," 
 
 The Priest boxvs doton his head, and raising devoutly his right hand, 
 blesses the bread, saying with a loud voice, 
 
 " Take, eat : this is my body, which is broken for you, to the 
 remission of sins." The Choir, " Amen." 
 The Priest secretly. 
 
 " In like manner also the chalice, after he supped, saying," (The 
 Priest, having his hand devoutly raised on high, and blessing, says tvith 
 a loud voice,) " Drink ye all of this. This is my blood of the New 
 Testament : which is poured forth for you and for many, to the re- 
 mission of sins." The Choir, " Amen." Page 76. 
 
 The Priest botving dotvn his head, says secretly, 
 " Being mindful therefore of this salutary command, and of all 
 things, which have been done for us : of the cross, the sepulchre, 
 the resurrection on J;he third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting 
 
 on 
 
128 
 
 on the right hand, the second and glorious coming," (With a loud 
 voice), " Of thy gifts, we offer to thee what is thine own, through all 
 things, and in all things." 
 
 The Priest again bowing down, prays secretly. 
 
 " Even we offer to thee this rational and unbloody worship, and 
 we beseech, we pray and entreat, send down thy Holy Spirit upon 
 us, and upon these offerings." 
 
 The Deacon goes to the Priest, and both adore thrice before the 
 holy table, and they pray secretly, " O God, be propitious to me a 
 sinner." 
 
 The Deacon bending his head, shews the holy bread on the stole, and 
 says secretly, " Bless, O Lord, the holy bread." And the Priest 
 standing erect, signs the holy mysteries thrice with a cross, and says 
 secretly, " Make indeed this bread the precious body of thy Christ." 
 — The Deacon. " Amen." 
 
 And again the Deacon, " Bless, O Lord, the holy chalice." And 
 the Priest blessing it, says, " And what is in this chalice, the precious 
 blood of thy Christ." — The Deacon. " Amen." 
 
 And again the Deacon, shelving both the holy mysteries on the stole, 
 says, " Bless, O Lord." The Priest blessing both the holy mysteries 
 with his hand, says, " Changing by thy Holy Spirit." — The Deacon, 
 " Amen, Amen, Amen." 
 
 The Priest prays secretly, 
 
 " That it may be to those who receive it available to sobriety of 
 soul, to the remission of sins, to the communication of the Holy 
 Ghost, to the plenitude of the kingdom of heaven, to confidence in 
 thee, not to sin or damnation." Page 77. 
 
 The Priest prays in secret, 
 
 " Look down on us, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, from thy holy 
 dwelling, and from the throne of the glory of thy kingdom, and come 
 to sanctify us, thou who sittest together with the Father in the highest 
 heavens, and art here invisibly present with us ; and vouchsafe, with 
 thy powerful hand, to impart to us thy immaculate body and thy 
 precious blood, and by us to all the people." 
 
 The Priest. " Holy things for holy persons." 
 
 The Priest with attention and devotion, dividing (the holy bread) into 
 
 four parts, says, " The Lamb of God is broken and divided, the Son 
 
 of the Father ; he is broken but is not diminished ; he is always 
 
 eaten, but is not consumed ; but he sanctifies those who are made 
 
 partakers." Page 81. 
 
 The Priest holding the holy bread, presents it to the Deacon, and the 
 Deacon kissing the hand presenting it, receives the holy bread, saying, 
 " Give me, O Lord, the precious and holy body of our Lord God 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ." The Priest says, " I give to thee the 
 
 precious 
 
129 
 
 precious and holy and pure body of our Lord and God and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins unto life everlasting." 
 
 In like manner the Priest receives the holy bread, and botving dotvn 
 his head before the holy table, prays in this sort, " I believe, O Lord, 
 and I confess, that thou art the Christ the Son of the living God," 
 &c. Page 82. 
 
 Likewise the holy chalice : the Priest receives three draughts ; at 
 the first he says, " In the name of the Father ;" at the second, " and 
 of the Son ;" at the third, " and of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 Holding the chalice, he calls the Deacon, saying, " Deacon ap- 
 proach ;" and the Deacon approaches and adores once, saying, " Behold 
 I come to the immortal King ;" and, " I believe, O Lord, and con- 
 fess," &c. 
 
 And the Priest says, " Servant of God, Deacon N., thou dost com- 
 municate of the precious and holy body and blood of our Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ, for the remission of thy sins and everlasting 
 life." Page 83. 
 
 From the Syriac Liturgy of St. Basils one of the most ancient in use 
 among the Syrians. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 The Priest. " O Lord make us worthy to stand before thee. 
 
 with a pure heart ; and to administer and offer to thee this venerable 
 and unbloody sacrifice, for the destruction of our sins," &c. Page 549. 
 
 The Priest. " In that night, in which he was delivered up for 
 the life and redemption of the world, taking bread into his holy, 
 immaculate, pure, and innocent hands, he gave thanks, he blessed it, 
 he sanctified it, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, and to his 
 holy Apostles, saying : take, eat ye of this : this is my body, which 
 is broken for you, and for many, and is divided for the expiation of 
 faults, and the remission of sins, and for life everlasting." The People, 
 " Amen." 
 
 The Priest. " And in like manner, after they had supped, he 
 took the chalice of wine, the fruit of the vine, he mixed it with 
 water, he gave thanks, he blessed it, sanctified it, and tasted, and 
 divided it amongst his disciples and holy Apostles, saying : take, 
 drink ye all of it : this is my blood of the New Testament, which 
 is poured forth for you, and for many, and is sprinkled, for the 
 expiation of faults, and the remission of sins, and for life everlast- 
 ing." The People, " Amen." Page 552. 
 
 The Priest. " May thy Holy Spirit come down upon us, and 
 upon these gifts which we have presented, and may he sanctify 
 them. . . . and make this bread, the glorious body of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, the heavenly body, the life-giving body, the precious body, 
 
 S for 
 
ISO 
 
 for the expiation of faults and the remission of sins, and eternal 
 life, to those who receive it.'' The People, " Amen." 
 
 The Priest. " And this chalice, the precious blood of Jesus 
 Christ the Lord God, who has dominion over all things, the redeem- 
 ing blood, the life-giving blood, the expiating blood, which was 
 poured forth, for the redemption and life of the world, for the 
 expiation of faults and the remission of sins and eternal life to those 
 who receive it." The People, " Amen.'' Page 554. 
 
 The Priest. Holy of Holies, O Lord God of armies, we offer 
 to thee this venerable and unbloody sacrifice, for the holy churches 
 which exist from one end of the earth to the other." Page 555. 
 
 The Priest. " Do thou, therefore, our God, who sanctifiest these 
 sacraments, vouchsafe to cleanse us from all defilements of the flesh 
 and of the spirit, and to teach us to do that which is holy, in thy 
 fear ; that with the sincere testimony of our conscience, we may be 
 made partakers of thy holy mysteries ; may be united to the body 
 and blood of thy Christ, and may be made fit for him to dwell in us, 
 according to his promise, and that our hearts may be the residence of 
 his holy spirit. Grant, O Lord, that no one of us may be guilty of 
 the body and blood of Christ thy Son," &c. Page 559. 
 
 From the Liturgy used by the Nestorians, called the Liturgy of the 
 
 Holy Apostles. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 The Priest botvs down before the Altar, and says in secret, 
 
 " O Lord our God. . by thy inexpressible grace, sanctify this 
 sacrifice," &c. Page 587. 
 
 " Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, pray for me to thy only Son . . 
 that he would vouchsafe to forgive me my offences and sins, and re- 
 ceive this sacrifice from my weak and sinful hands," &c. Page 588. 
 
 The Priest breaks the host, which he holds in his hands, into two 
 parts ; places that which is in his left hand on the paten, and with the 
 other, which he holds in his right hand, he makes a sign over the chalice, 
 saying, " The precious blood is signed with the holy body of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost. Amen." 
 
 Then he dips it to the middle into the chalice, and with it signs the 
 body, which is on the paten, saying, "The holy body is signed with 
 the propitiatory blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." 
 
 Then he signs the host with his right thumb in the form of a cross. . 
 he signs himself and those around him on the forehead with the sign of 
 the cross. Page 594. 
 
 During the communion, the responses are said. " Brethren, receive 
 
 the 
 
131 
 
 the body of the Son, — the voice of the Church, — and drink his chalice 
 with faith, in the house of the Kingdom." 
 
 The Priest. " Christ our God, Lord, King, Saviour and giver of 
 life, has graciously made us worthy to receive his body and his pre- 
 cious and sanctifying blood," &c Page 596. 
 
 Priest. " We confess, O Lord and our God, the abundant riches of 
 thy grace upon us : although sinners and of low condition, thou hast 
 made us, through thy manifold clemency, worthy to administer the holy 
 mysteries of the body and blood of thy Christ." Page 588. 
 
 " Mother, &c," as above. 
 
 From the Liturgy used by the Nestorians, and called the Liturgy of 
 Theodorus. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 The Prayer before the Altar. 
 
 The Priest. " O Lord God. . grant by thy grace and thy abundant 
 mercies . . . that while we stand before thee, with pure consciences, 
 and offer to thee this living, holy, acceptable, glorious, rational, 
 excellent and unbloody sacrifice, we may find grace and mercy with 
 thee." Page 616. 
 
 Priest. " When he (Christ), in that night in which he was betrayed, 
 celebrated, with his Apostles, this great, tremendous, holy and divine 
 mystery ; taking bread, he blessed and brake it, and gave it to his 
 disciples, and said, t This is my body, which is broken for you for 
 the remission of sins.' In like manner, also, the chalice : he gave 
 thanks and gave it to them, and said : ' This is my blood of the New 
 Testament, which is poured forth for many, for the remission of s ; ns. 
 All you therefore take, eat of this bread, and drink of this chalice, 
 and so do, as often as you shall be assembled together, in remem- 
 brance of me.' " 
 
 " We offer before thy glorious Trinity, with a contrite heart, and 
 in the spirit of humility, this living and holy sacrifice, which is the 
 mystery of the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world." 
 Page 619. 
 
 Priest. " May the grace of the Holy Ghost come down upon us, 
 and upon this oblation ; may he dwell and infuse himself on this 
 bread and on this chalice ; may he bless, and sanctify, and sign them, 
 in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : 
 and may the bread, by the virtue of thy name, this bread, I say, be 
 made the holy body of our Lord Jesus Christ : and this chalice, the 
 blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; that whoever, with true faith, shall 
 eat of this bread, and drink of this chalice, to him they may be, 
 O Lord, the pardon of faults and remission of sins," &c. 
 Page 621. 
 
 s 2 From 
 
132 
 
 From the Liturgy of Nestorius. Kenaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 The Priest having invited the people to raise their minds to heaven, 
 where the Seraphim are perpetually singing hymns to the Sanctity of 
 God, extends and raises his hands, and says, " The living and rational 
 oblation of our first fruits, and the unbloody {non-immolata) and ac- 
 ceptable victim of the Son of our race, which Prophets mystically 
 foretold ; which Apostles have openly preached ; which martyrs 
 have testified by their blood ; which doctors have explained in 
 the church ; which priests have offered and immolated on the holy 
 altar; which Levites have carried in their arms ; which the people 
 have received for the expiation of their sins, is now being offered to 
 God, the Lord of all, for all creatures." Answer, " It is meet and 
 just." Pages 626, 627. 
 
 Priest. " He (Christ) left us a memorial of our salvation, this 
 mystery which we are offering before thee. For when the time was 
 come in which he was delivered up for the life of the world, after 
 he had supped, according to the Pasch of the law of Moses, he took 
 bread into his holy, immaculate and undefiled hands, he blessed and 
 brake it, and ate, and gave it to his disciples, and said, ' Take, and 
 eat all ye of it. This is my body, which is broken for you for the 
 remission of sins.' In like manner, he mixed in the chalice, wine 
 and water ; he blessed and drank, and gave it to his disciples, and 
 said, ' Drink ye all of it : this is my blood of the New Testament, 
 which is shed for many for the remission of sins ; and so do, in re- 
 membrance of me until I come." Page 629. 
 
 Priest. " We offer to thee this living, holy, acceptable, excellent, 
 and unbloody sacrifice, for all creatures." Page 630. 
 
 " May the grace of the Holy Ghost come, and dwell, and rest 
 on this oblation, which we are offering before thee ; may he sanctify 
 it, and make it, i. e. this bread and chalice, the body and blood of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, thou transmuting them, and sanctifying them, 
 by the operation of the Holy Ghost ; that the receiving of these holy 
 mysteries may avail all who receive them, unto eternal life, and 
 resurrection from the dead, and expiation of bodies and souls, en- 
 lightening of knowledge, confidence before thee, and everlasting 
 salvation, &c. . . .May we be worthy with a pure conscience to par- 
 take of the body and blood of thy Christ," &c. Pages 633, 634. 
 After Communion. 
 
 a Since we have externally received thy body, may thy virtue 
 internally dwell in us. .grant that thy living body, O Lord, which we 
 have ate, and thy pure blood, which we have drunk, may not turn to 
 oar detriment, but to the expiation of our crimes and the remission 
 of our sins, O Lord of all." Page 634-. 
 
 From 
 
133 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy used by the Jacobites {or Eutychians), called 
 the Liturgy of St. Basil. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 Prayer after the Altar is prepared. 
 Priest. " Do thou, O Lord, make us worthy, by the power of thy 
 Holy Spirit, to perform this ministry, .and offer to thee this sacrifice 
 of blessing. . grant that our sacrifice may be accepted before thee, for 
 my sins, and for the follies of thy people," &c. Page 2. 
 
 Prayer of the offering of the Bread and Chalice. 
 " O Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Word of God the 
 Father, consubstantial and co-eternal with Him and the Holy Ghost. . 
 we beg and entreat thy goodness, O Lover of Mankind, look down 
 on this bread and on this chalice, which we have placed on this thy 
 sacerdotal table ; bless them •%*, sanctify them Jfc, and consecrate 
 them ►£. ; change them, so that indeed this bread may become thy 
 holy body ; and that, which is mixed in this chalice, thy precious 
 blood ; that they may be to us a safeguard," &c. Page 3. 
 
 Prayer of the Kiss of Peace. 
 
 Priest. " The riches of thy blessings, O Lord, surpass all power of 
 speech, and all conception of the mind. Thou hast hidden from 
 the wise and prudent, and hast revealed to us little ones those things 
 which prophets and kings coveted to see, and did not see. Thou hast 
 graciously committed these mysteries to us sinners, that we should 
 administer them, and be sanctified by them. Thou hast manifested to 
 us the dispensation of thy Son, and the sacred rite of this unbloody 
 sacrifice : for this is not a sacrifice of blood, according to the ancient 
 law; or of justification, according to the flesh; but the Lamb is the 
 spiritual victim, slain by a spiritual and incorporeal sword, in this 
 sacrifice, which xve offer to thee." Page 12. 
 
 Priest. " Jesus Christ instituted this great mystery of piety and 
 religion for us, when he resolved to deliver himself to death for the 
 life of the world." 
 
 People. " We believe that it is so, in reality and truth." 
 
 Priest. " He took bread into his holy, pure and immaculate, his 
 blessed and life-giving hands, and he looked up to heaven, to thee, O 
 God, his Father, and the Lord of all." — People, " Amen." 
 
 The Priest shall lift up his eyes saying, " And he gave thanks.4"" 
 — People, "Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And he blessed it +•" — People, " Amen." Page 14. 
 
 ( The Priest shall thrice sign the oblation tvith his jinger, in the form 
 of across.) " And sanctified it •^•" — People, "Amen." 
 
 " And broke it, and gave it to his holy disciples and his Apostles, 
 saying : < Take and eat ye all of this. For this is my body, which is 
 
 broken 
 
134 
 
 broken For you, and is given for many to the remission of sins : do this 
 in remembrance of me.' " — People. " Amen." 
 
 The Priest holding the chalice in his hand, shall say, ** In like manner 
 also the chalice after supper, with water and wine mixed." 
 
 The Priest shall sign the chalice with a cross thrice, and shall say, 
 " He gave thanks »{-.'' — People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " Blessed it •{«." — People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " Sanctified it ►J"*" — People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " He tasted, and gave it to his disciples and holy Apostles, 
 saying, ' Take, drink ye all of this ; for this is my blood of the New 
 Testament, which is poured forth for you, and for many, to the 
 remission of sins : do this in remembrance of me." 
 
 The Priest shall move the chalice in the form of a cross, so as not to 
 shake it. The People shall say, " Amen, this is so." 
 
 People. " As often as you shall eat of this bread, and drink of this 
 chalice, you shall announce my death, and confess my resurrection, 
 and be mindful of me, until I come." 
 
 People. " We announce thy death, O Lord, aud we confess thy 
 resurrection." Page 15. 
 
 (The Priest shall say the Invocation.) 
 
 " We beseech thee, O Christ our God, . . that thy Holy Spirit may 
 come down upon us, and upon these gifts and offerings, and may 
 sanctify them, and may make them thy holy of holies." — People, 
 " Amen." 
 
 The Priest raising his voice, " And may he make indeed this bread," 
 (he shall make the sign of the cross thrice over the bread) " the holy 
 body of the same Lord our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, which is 
 given for the remission of sins, and eternal life, to him who shall 
 partake of it." — People, " Amen." 
 
 The Priest shall make the sign of the cross thrice over the chalice, and 
 shall say, " And this chalice, the precious blood of thy New Tes- 
 tament, of the same Lord our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, which 
 is given for the remission of sins and life everlasting to those who 
 shall partake of it." — People, " Amen." Page 16. 
 
 Priest. " We pray (God the Father) to make us worthy of the 
 communion and participation of his divine and immortal mysteries, 
 the holy body and precious blood of his Christ."— People, " Amen." 
 Page 19. 
 
 The Priest elevates the Despoticon (or larger part of the consecrated 
 host), bows doxvn, and says, with a loud voice, " Holy things for Holy 
 Persons.*' All the People prostrate themselves with their faces to the 
 ground. The Priest holding his right hand elevated with three parts 
 of the consecrated host in it, says, 
 
 « The 
 
135 
 
 " The holy body, and precious, pure, true blood of Jesus Christ 
 the Son, our God. Amen. The body and blood of Emanuel, our God, 
 this is in real truth. Amen. I believe, I believe, I believe, and 
 confess, to the last breath of my life, that this is the life-giving body 
 of thine only begotten Son, our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 He received it from the Lady of us all, the Mother of God, the 
 Sacred and Holy Mary." Page 23. 
 
 The Priest shall say, " Make us all worthy, O Lord, to receive thy 
 holy body, and thy precious blood, for the cleansing of our bodies, 
 souls and spirits, and the remission of our sins." 
 
 The Priest shall communicate, and distribute the body and precious 
 blood to his assistant Priest, then to the Ministers and people, SfC. 
 Page 24. 
 
 From the Alexandrian Liturgy of St. Basil, taken from the Grceco- 
 Arabic. Ibid. 
 
 Priest. " Do not reject us sinners, who are offering to thee this 
 tremendous and ' unbloody sacrifice," p. 57. " Grant that with all 
 fear, and a pure conscience, we may offer to thee this spiritual and 
 unbloody sacrifice on this holy altar," &c. Page 61. 
 
 The consecration and invocation as above. 
 
 After elevating the larger part of the consecrated host, and saying 
 T<* «y«* T«j uyi'ois, the Priest says the confession qf faith, " The 
 holy body and precious blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God. 
 Amen." — People, " Amen." 
 
 " The holy, precious body, and true blood of Jesus Christ, the 
 Son of God. Amen." — People, " Amen." 
 
 " The body and blood of Emmanuel our God, this is truly. Amen." 
 People, " Amen." 
 
 " I believe, I believe, I believe and confess, till my last breath, 
 that it is the very life-giving flesh of thy only begotten Son, our Lord 
 God and Saviour Jesus Christ. He took it of our Holy Lady, Mother 
 of God, and ever Virgin Mary," &c. Page 83. 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy, used by the Jacobites or Eutychians, called 
 
 the Liturgy of St. Gregory. Itenaudot, torn. i. 
 
 The Prayer of the Veil. 
 
 ( The Prayer of the Veil is said near the Veil or curtain, before it is 
 
 drawn to cover the Sanctuary and to conceal the officiating Priest.) 
 
 Prayer. " O Lord . . make me worthy to assist at thy holy altar ; 
 
 let it not turn to my judgment, but may I offer to thee this rational 
 
 and unbloody sacrifice with a pure conscience," &c. Page 26. 
 
 Priest. " O Lord, thou hast given me this ministry, full of mystery : 
 thou hast given me to participate of thy body in bread and wine." — 
 People, " We believe." 
 
 Priest. 
 
1SG 
 
 Priest. " For in that night in which thou didst choose to be delivered 
 up, by thy own will and power alone, thou didst take bread into thy 
 holy, pure, immaculate, blessed and vivifying hands." 
 
 People. " We believe that it is so." 
 
 Priest. " And thou didst look up towards heaven to thy Father, 
 the God and Lord of all, and didst give thanks." — People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And didst bless it." — People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And didst sanctify it." — People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And didst break it, and give it to thy glorious disciples, 
 the holy and pure Apostles, saying, ' Take, eat ye all of it : for this 
 is my body, which is broken for you, and shall be given for many 
 to the remission of sins : do this in remembrance of me.' "— 
 People. " So it is in reality and truth. Amen." 
 
 Priest. " In like manner, after they had ate, thou didst take the 
 chalice, and mix in it the fruit of the vine and water ; and didst give 
 thanks." — People. '• Amen." 
 
 Priest. <" And didst bless it.'' — People, " Amen." Page 30. 
 
 Priest. " And didst sanctify it." — People, *« Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And didst taste, and give it to thy glorious disciples, 
 the holy and pure Apostles, saying, ' Take, drink ye all of it : for 
 this is my blood of the New Testament, which is poured forth for you, 
 and for many, to the remission of sins : do this in remembrance of 
 me." — People, " It is also so, in reality and truth." 
 
 Priest. •* Do thou, O Lord, by thy voice alone, change these 
 things, which are offered : do thou, who art here present, perfect in 
 us this ministry, full of mysteries : infuse into us a remembrance of 
 thy holy ministry ; send down upon us the grace of thy Holy Spirit, 
 who may sanctify and change these gifts, that have been offered, into 
 the body and blood of our Salvation. And mayest thou make this 
 bread thy holy body, O Lord our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 
 which is given for the remission of sins and life eternal to those who 
 communicate of it. And again, this chalice, the precious blood of 
 thy New Testament, O Lord our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, which 
 was given for the remission of sins and life eternal to those who com- 
 municate of it." — People, " Amen." Page 31. 
 
 The Priest says the Confession of Faith. " The holy body and 
 the precious blood of Jesus Christ the Son of our God. — People, 
 " Amen." 
 
 " The holy and precious body, and the true blood of Jesus Christ 
 the Son of our God. Amen." 
 
 " The body and blood of Emmanuel our God, this is reality and 
 truth. Amen." 
 
 " I believe, I believe, I believe and confess to the last breath of 
 my life, that this is the life-giving body, which thou didst receive, O 
 
 Christ 
 
137 
 
 Christ our God, from our Lady, the Mother of God, the pure and 
 holy Mary. ." Page 36. 
 
 The Thanksgiving after Communion. 
 " We give thanks to thee, O Christ, God, the true Word from the 
 pure substance of the Father ; because thou hast loved us in such a 
 manner, as to deliver thyself to be immolated for our salvation, and 
 hast communicated life to us, by thy holy body and thy precious 
 blood, with the participation of which thou hast just now been pleased 
 to bless us." Page 37. 
 
 From the Alexandrian Liturgy of St. Gregory, taken from the 
 
 Grceco- Arabic. Ibid. 
 
 The Prayer of the Veil. 
 
 " Q King of Glory, through thy inexplicable and immense be- 
 nignity towards men, thou didst become man without conversion or 
 change, and wert appointed our high priest. Thou hast committed 
 to us the celebration of this Liturgical and unbloody sacrifice. . make 
 me worthy to stand at thy holy table, and to consecrate thy imma- 
 culate body and thy precious blood. . . . Thou art he, who dost sanctify 
 and art sanctified ; who dost offer, and art offered ; who dost accept, 
 and art accepted ; who dost give, and art given ; and we give glory to 
 thee, with the Father and the Holy Ghost." Page 94. 
 The Priest bending down, says, in secret. 
 
 " Do thou, O Lord, by thy voice, change these offerings ; do 
 thou, who art here present, complete this mystical Liturgy : do thou 
 preserve in us the remembrance of thy adoration and worship. Do 
 thou send down thy Holy Spirit, that coming, by his holy, benign and 
 glorious presence, he may sanctify and transmute these precious 
 offerings and holy gifts into the very body and blood of our re- 
 demption." 
 
 People. " Let us attend." — Deacon, " Amen." 
 
 The Priest, with a loud voice, " And may he make indeed this bread 
 to be thy body, O Lord, God and Saviour, and Sovereign King of us 
 all, Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and life eternal to those 
 who communicate of it."— People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. lt And this chalice, thy precious blood of thy New Tes- 
 tament, O Lord, God, Saviour and Sovereign King of us all, Jesus 
 Christ, for the remission of sins and life eternal to those who com- 
 municate of it."— People, "Amen." Pages 105, 106. 
 
 Priest. " The holy body and precious true blood of Jesus Christ 
 the Son of God. Amen." — People, " Amen.'' " I believe, I believe, 
 I believe and I confess to the last breath of my life, that this is the 
 very life-giving flesh which thou, Christ our God, didst receive from 
 our Lady, the mother of God and ever Virgin." Pages 122, 123. 
 
 t From 
 
1S8 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy, used by the Jacobites or Eutychians, called 
 the IAturgy of St. Cyril. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 The Prayer of Peace. 
 
 Priest. " Make us all worthy, O Lord, to stand before thee with 
 a pure heart, and a soul full of thy grace, and to offer to thee this 
 holy, rational, spiritual, and unbloody sacrifice, for the remission of 
 our sins, and the pardon of the ignorances of thy people ; because 
 thou art a clement and merciful God, and to thee above we send up 
 our homages of glory, honour and adoration, O Father, Son, and 
 Holy Ghost, now and for ever," &c. Page 39. 
 
 The Anaphora (or Canon) of St. Cyril. 
 
 Priest. " Truly are the heavens and the earth full of the glory 
 of thy sanctity, through thy only begotten Son, our Lord, God, Sa- 
 viour, and King Jesus Christ. Fill this thy sacrifice, O Lord, with 
 the blessing which is from thee, by the descent of thy Spirit upon it, 
 •{• Amen : and bless with blessing, «|« Amen : and purify with puri- 
 fication, Amen, these thy venerable gifts laid before thee, this bread 
 and this chalice. For thy only begotten Son, our Lord, God, Sa- 
 viour and King Jesus Christ, in that night, in which he delivered 
 himself, that he might suffer for our sins, before the death, which of 
 his own free will he accepted for us all." People, " We believe." 
 
 Priest. " He took bread into his holy, immaculate, pure, blessed, 
 and vivifying hands, and looked up to heaven, to God his Father, and 
 Lord of all, and he gave thanks." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And he blessed it." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And he sanctified it." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And he brake it, and gave it to his holy disciples, and 
 pure Apostles, saying : take, eat ye all of it; this is my body, which 
 is broken for you, and shall be delivered tor the remission of sins: do 
 this in commemoration of me." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And in like manner after supper, he mixed wine and 
 water in the chalice, and gave thanks." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And blessed it." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And sanctified it." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " And tasted, and gave it to his illustrious holy disciples, 
 and Apostles, saying : take, drink ye all of it : this is my blood of the 
 New Testament, which is poured forth for you, and shall be given for 
 many, to the remission of sins: do this in commemoration of me." 
 People, «* Amen." 
 
 Priest- For as often as you shall eat of this bread, and shall drink 
 of this chalice, shew forth my death, and confess my resurrection, 
 and make a memorial of me, until I come." Pages 46, 47. 
 
 The 
 
139 
 
 The Priest says the Invocation secretly. 
 
 " And send down from thy high sanctuary, .the Paraclete, thy holy 
 Spirit.. . .upon us thy servants, and upon these venerable gifts, laid, 
 before thee, upon this bread, and upon this chalice, that they may be 
 purified, and may be changed." 
 
 The Deacon. " Let us be attentive." People, " Amen." 
 
 The Priest signs the body thrice, raising his voice. " And may he 
 make this bread, the body of Christ. People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest, signing the blood thrice. " And may he make this chalice 
 the precious blood of the New Testament." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " Of the same Lord, God, Saviour and King of us all, 
 Jesus Christ." People, " Amen." 
 
 Priest. " That they may be to us all, who shall receive them, 
 available to faith without disputing, charity without hypocrisy," &c. 
 Pages 48, 49. 
 
 The rest as in the Liturgy of St. Basil, &c. 
 
 It may be observed, that in the Oriental Liturgies, the Invocation 
 comes after, whereas in the Roman Liturgy it comes before, the con- 
 secration. But whether it be said before or after, it is referred to, 
 and, morally, connected with the consecration. The Invocation ex- 
 presses, in plain terms, the change of the bread and wine into the 
 body and blood of Christ, and generally contains a prayer that this 
 body and blood may be a cause of salvation to the communicants. 
 When the Greek Bishops, who were present in the Council of Flo- 
 rence, were called upon to say, by what form of words the change 
 is made : they answered, that it is by the words of Christ (viz. this is 
 my body, this is my blood), that the bread is changed and transub- 
 stantiated into his body, and the wine into his blood. This they 
 confirmed by the authority of all the Holy Doctors, and particularly 
 of St. Chrysostom. See Lab. torn, xiii, Cone. Florent. 
 
 The greatest part of the preceding extracts, relating to the sacrifice 
 of the mass, the real presence, and the change of the bread and wine 
 into the body and blood of Christ, which are offered to God, in the 
 sacrifice, and received by the people in the holy communion, is 
 taken from the Anaphora of the Liturgies referred to. The Anaphora 
 vorresponds with the Canon in the Roman Missal, and comprises 
 the most sacred part of the public service, the oblation, conse- 
 cration, and distribution of the holy mysteries. In the other parts 
 of the ancient Liturgies, we see mention made of the ornaments 
 or vestments of the Priests and Deacons ; of the preparation of the 
 altar, and of the bread and wine for the sacrifice ; of the use of 
 
 t 2 incense 
 
140 
 
 incense at the altar, in all Liturgical functions; of prayers for the 
 forgiveness of sins ; of the Epistle and Gospel ; of the Creed or pro- 
 fession of faith ; of the offering of the bread and wine ; of the 
 preface and Sanctus : not to speak at present of the invocation of the 
 saints in heaven, and of supplications for the repose of the souls of 
 the faithful departed. 
 
 Some of these extracts are taken from the Liturgies, or forms of 
 public worship, used from the beginning in the Oriental Patriarchal 
 Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople, 
 and in churches under their respective jurisdictions. Other extracts 
 are taken from the Liturgies used by the different divisions of the 
 Nestorian and Eutychian sects in the East, which retain the full sub- 
 stance of the ancient orthodox Liturgies of the Churches, in which 
 these sects made their appearance, with the addition of a very few 
 particular sentences, expressive of the Nestorian or Eutychian doc- 
 trines. But, on the nature of the sacrifice of the mass, on the obla- 
 tion of the true body and blood of Christ really present under the 
 appearances of bread and wine, on the reception of the same by the 
 faithful in the holy communion, and on the miraculous change of 
 bread and wine into the body and blood of our divine Saviour, these 
 Liturgies of the Nestorians and Eutychians are as clear and expres- 
 sive, as any of the ancient Liturgies of the orthodox churches. This 
 language of the Nestorians and Eutychians was not borrowed from the 
 Catholic Churches of Jerusalem, or Alexandria, or Constantinople, 
 after the years 4S1 or 451, when these heretics were separated from 
 the communion of the church : but it was the Liturgical language of 
 the orthodox churches, with which Nestorius and Eutyches were in 
 communion before their separation, and which had used the substance 
 of the same form of public prayer and worship, from the first establish- 
 ment of Christianity in them. 
 
 Besides the Liturgies cited above, Renaudot produces thirty-six 
 other Liturgies used by the Syrian Jacobites, or Eutychians. They 
 are taken from books used in their churches. They vary in the form 
 of words, but all express the substance of the same doctrines of 
 faith, relating to the sacrifice of the mass, the real presence and tran- 
 substantiation, as well as to the invocation of the Saints in heaven, 
 and prayers for the dead. 
 
 It is impossible to read these Oriental Liturgies, these forms of 
 public worship, embodying the doctrines of faith professed by the 
 churches in which they were used, and to notice the ancient and 
 universal doctrinal uniformity which they present, in the simplicity 
 of their language ; without candidly acknowledging, that the true 
 body and blood of Christ were believed to be really present under 
 the appearances of bread and wine, and were offered as the Chris- 
 tian 
 
141 
 
 tian sacrifice, and received as the holy sacrament of the new law, in 
 those churches in the East, in which Christianity was first established 
 by the Apostles. With these evidences before his eyes, who will say, 
 that a church, which has rejected the sacrifice of the mass, and the 
 doctrines of the real presence and transubstantiation, has thereby 
 adopted the pure worship and doctrines of primitive Christianity ? 
 
 Note [E], page 98. 
 
 III. On Communion with the Saints in Heaven. On im- 
 ploring their Intercession, particularly that of the 
 Blessed Virgin Mary, also on Supplications for the 
 Repose of the Souls of the Faithful departed. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. James. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 Deacon. The Memorial of Saints. " Again and again we com- 
 memorate the truly happy, and praised by all the generations of the 
 earth, the holy, blessed, ever Virgin Mary, the Mother of God ; and 
 at the same time we celebrate the memory of the Prophets, Apos- 
 tles, Evangelists, Preachers, Martyrs, and Confessors ; and of Blessed 
 John Baptist, the Precursor; of the glorious St. Stephen, the first 
 Martyr and first Deacon, and commemorating each one of them, we 
 pray to the Lord." 
 
 The Priest bowing down, says, " O Lord, who hast power of life and 
 death, and art the God of mercies and of love to men, do thou 
 vouchsafe to make us worthy to celebrate the memory of all those, 
 who have pleased thee from the beginning of the world ; of the holy 
 Fathers and Patriarchs ; of the Prophets and Apostles, of John the 
 Precursor and Baptist, of St. Stephen the first of Deacons and first 
 of Martyrs, and of the holy Mother of God, and ever Virgin, Blessed 
 Mary, and of all the Saints." Raising his voice. " We intreat thee, O 
 Lord, who by thy creating power dost shew, that what (to us) is 
 impossible, is possible (to thee) ; establish us in this blessed assem- 
 bly : assign us to this church ; place us by thy grace amongst thy 
 elect, who are written in heaven. Wherefore, we celebrate their 
 memory, that whilst they are standing before thy throne, they may 
 be mindful of our poverty and weakness, and may,together with us, 
 offer to thee this tremendous and unbloody sacrifice, for the pro- 
 tection of the living, for the consolation of the weak and unworthy, 
 such as we are, for the repose and good name of those, who have 
 already departed in the true faith, our Fathers, our Brothers, and our 
 Masters, through the grace and mercy," &c. People, " Amen." 
 Page 36. 
 
 Deacon. 
 
14<2 
 
 Deacon. The Commemoration of the Faithful departed. 
 
 u Again and again, we commemorate all the faithful departed, 
 those who are departed in the true faith, from this holy altar, and 
 from this town, and from every country ; those who in the true faith 
 have slept and are come to thee, the God and Lord of Spirits, and 
 of all flesh. We pray, we beseech, we intreat Christ our God, who 
 has taken their souls and spirits to himself, that, through the innu- 
 merable acts of his mercy, he would render them worthy to receive 
 the pardon of their offences, and the remission of their sins, and would 
 bring us and them to his kingdom in heaven. Wherefore let us cry 
 aloud and say, kyrie eleison," thrice. 
 
 The Priest, bowing down, says, ** Be mindful, also, O Lord, of the 
 orthodox Priests, already departed, of the Deacons and Subdeacons, 
 Singers, Lectors, Interpreters, Cantors, Exorcists, Monks, Religious, 
 Hearers, perpetual Virgins, and secular persons, who are departed 
 in the true faith, and of those, whom each one specifies in his 
 mind." Raising his voice. " O Lord God of Spirits and of all flesh, 
 be mindful of all whom we commemorate, who are gone out of this 
 life, in the orthodox faith ; grant rest to their souls, bodies, and 
 spirits, deliver them from the infinite damnation to come, and make 
 them worthy of that joy, which is found in the bosom of Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob: where the light of thy countenance shines in splen- 
 dour, where there are no sorrows, no distresses, no lamentations. 
 Impute not to them their sins. Enter not into judgment with thy 
 servants, because no man living shall be justified in thy sight ; nor is 
 any one of the human race free from the guilt of sin, or pure from 
 stain, but only our Lord Jesus Christ, thy only begotten Son, through 
 whom we also hope to obtain mercy, and remission of sins, which is 
 given through him, both to us and to them." 
 
 People. " Grant them rest, and be propitious, and forgive, O 
 God, the follies and defects of us all, whether done knowingly or 
 through ignorance,'' &c . Pages 37, 38. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. Mark. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 Priest. " We pray and beseech thee, O God, kind lover of man- 
 kind, protect this city, for the sake of thy Martyr and Evangelist 
 Mark, who shewed us the way of salvation, and by the grace, and 
 mercies, and goodness of thy only begotten Son," &c Page 139. 
 
 Priest. " Be mindful, O Lord, of our forefathers from the begin- 
 ning, of the Fathers, Patriarchs, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Bi- 
 shops, Saints, Just, of every Spirit of those who have departed in 
 the faith of Christ, whom we commemorate this day, and of our 
 
 holy 
 
143 
 
 holy Father, Mark, Apostle and Evangelist, who shewed us the way 
 of salvation.'' Page 149. 
 
 " Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou 
 amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, because thou 
 hast brought forth the Saviour of our souls." Raising his voice. "In 
 particular of the most holy, most immaculate, and our blessed Lady, 
 the Mother of God, and ever Virgin Mary." 
 
 The Deacon reads the Dyptychs (or Catalogue) of the Dead. The 
 Priest then bowing down, prays. 
 
 " To the souls of all these, O Sovereign Lord our God, grant 
 repose in thy holy tabernacles, in thy kingdom, bestowing on them 
 the good things promised and prepared by thee, which eye hath 
 not seen, and ear hath not heard ; and which have not entered into 
 the heart of man. Give rest to their souls, and render them worthy 
 of the kingdom of heaven. Grant to us such an end of life, as will 
 be worthy of Christians, pleasing to thee, and free from sin ; and 
 give us a share and lot with all thy saints." Page 150. 
 
 From the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom. Goar. 
 
 Priest. " By the intercession of the most holy, immaculate, 
 blessed above all, our glorious Lady, Mother of God, and ever 
 Virgin Mary, by the virtue of the glorious and vivifying cross, and of 
 all the Saints, may Christ, our true God, have mercy on us, as a 
 God of goodness and clemency." Choir, " Amen." Page 63. 
 
 Priest. " We also offer to thee this rational service, for the sake of 
 those who repose in Christ. . . the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs. . . 
 Raising his voice. " Particularly the most holy, pure, blessed above 
 all, our glorious Queen, the Mother of God, and ever Virgin Mary.*' 
 
 The Choir sings. " It is truly meet to praise thee, Mother of 
 God, who art always to be blessed, and art free from all sin, who art 
 the mother of our God, to be venerated above the Cherubim, and 
 incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, who in all purity didst 
 bring forth God the Word ; we magnify thee, who art. truly the Mother 
 of God." 
 
 " Protect us, O God, by the prayers of St. John the Prophet, 
 Precursor, and Baptist. . of Saint N. whose memory we celebrate, 
 and of all the Saints; and be mindful of all, who have slept before us, 
 in the hope of the resurrection to eternal life. 
 
 Here the Priest makes particular mention qfthosefor whom he intends 
 to pray, both living and dead. For the living he says : " For the safety, 
 protection, and the remission of the sins of the servant of God; N, 
 
 For the dead he says : 
 
 •' For the repose and the remission of the soul of thy servant, N. 
 
 in 
 
144 
 
 in a place of light, from which grief and lamentation are far removed; 
 and make him to rest, where he may see around him the light of thy 
 countenance," &c Page 78. 
 
 From the Liturgy used by the Nestorians, called the Liturgy of the 
 Holy Apostles. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 The Priest says this prayer in secret. " Mother of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, pray for me to the only begotten Son, who was born of thee, 
 that he may forgive me my offences and my sins, and may receive 
 from my weak and sinful hands this sacrifice, which in my weakness 
 I offer on this altar, through thy intercession for me, O holy Mother.'' 
 Page 588. 
 
 The Priest says this Prayer, bowing down, in a low voice. " O 
 Lord, powerful God, receive tin's oblatiun . , . . for all the departed, who 
 being separated from us, have quitted this world." Page 590. 
 
 From the Liturgy used by the Nestorians, called the Liturgy of Theo~ 
 dorus. Renaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 The Priest. " By thy grace, O Lord, thou hast made the weak 
 race of us mortal men, worthy to be united with all the choirs above, 
 in offering praise and honour to thy Divine Majesty." Page 617. 
 
 The Priest. " O Lord our God, graciously receive from us this 
 sacrifice of thanksgiving, the rational fruits of our lips, that it may be 
 in thy sight a good memorial of the ancient, just, of the holy Pro- 
 phets, and blessed Apostles and of all the children of the Holy 
 
 Catholic Church, of those, who have passed out of this world in the 
 true faith, that thou mayest, O Lord, graciously grant them pardon of 
 all the sins and offences, by which in this world, in a mortal body, and 
 in a soul subject to inconstancy, they have sinned or offended before 
 thee, because there is no one who does not sin." 
 
 The Priest. " Make us all worthy, through the grace of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, to enjoy the eternal delights of thy kingdom, in the 
 company of all those who have pleased thee according to thy will, 
 and have directed their lives according to thy precepts." Pages 
 620, 621. 
 
 From the Liturgy of Nestorius. Kenaudot, torn. ii. 
 
 Priest. u We pray and entreat thee, O Lord, to be mindful .... 
 of all our Brethren in Christ, who are departed out of this life in the 
 true faith, whose names are known to thee, loosing and remitting 
 to them the sins and offences, which, as men liable to error and pas- 
 sions, they have committed before thee, through the prayer and inter- 
 cession of those who have been pleasing in thy sight." Page 633. 
 
 Blessing. " May he (the King of Kings and Lord of Lords) bless 
 
 this congregation, and preserve us : may he heal our wounds and 
 
 ^ cleanse 
 
145 
 
 cleanse our consciences ; may he instil the dew of his grace and 
 mercy on our souls: may he establish tranquillity and peace amongst 
 us : may we be sealed up and guarded by the living sign of the cross, 
 against all evils, by the prayer of our Lady the Blessed Mary, and by 
 the praj'er of all the Saints of our Lord, who have pleased him. and 
 who please him now and for ever." Page 635. 
 
 Prayer on Festivals. " May Saint D. N., who is glorious in the 
 assembly of the Saints, preserve you from ill fortune, from devils and 
 wicked men. May he pray for this weak, poor, and unworthy con- 
 gregation of those, who are still his disciples, that they may be pre- 
 served from all trouble." Page 637. 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy, used by ike Eutychians, called the Liturgy of 
 St. Basil. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 The Celebrant Priest shall say, " Now O Lord, by the command of 
 thy only begotten Son, we commemorate and communicate with thy 
 Saints, who have pleased thee from the beginning, and our holy 
 Fathers, the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Preachers, 
 Evangelists, and all the spirits of the just, who have ended life in the 
 faith. But particularly and chiefly the holy and glorious ever Virgin 
 Mother of God, the most holy Mary ; St. John, Baptist, Precursor, 
 and Martyr ; St. Stephen (here fol lotos a catalogue of many names); 
 and Saint N. whose memory we celebrate this day, and the whole 
 choir of thy Saints, through whose prayers and supplications, have 
 mercy on us all, and save us for the sake of thy holy name, which is 
 invoked upon us." 
 
 Priest. " Be mindful, also, O Lord, of all who have slept and 
 reposed in the priesthood, and in every rank of the secular state. 
 Vouchsafe, O Lord, to grant rest to the souls of them all, in the 
 bosom of the Saints Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Lead them into a 
 verdant pasture, to the waters of refreshment, into a paradise of delight, 
 far from which are removed grief of heart, sadness and sighs, in the 
 sight of thy Saints." 
 
 The Deacons shall read the Diptychs, and recite the names of the Dead. 
 
 The Priest says, after the reading of the Diptychs. " Command 
 those, O Lord, whose souls thou hast received, to repose in this 
 place, and preserve us, who are pilgrims here, in thy faith, and gra- 
 ciously grant us thy peace, to the end." Pages 18, 19. 
 
 From the Alexandrian Liturgy of St. Basil, taken from the Graco- 
 
 Arabic. 
 
 Priest. " Vouchsafe, O Lord, to be mindful of those who have 
 pleased thee from the beginning, of our holy Fathers, the Patriarchs, 
 
 u Apostles, 
 
146 
 
 Apostles, Prophets, Preachers, Evangelists, Martyrs, Confessors, 
 and of every just Spirit, who was made perfect in the faith of Christ, 
 but most particularly of our most holy, most glorious, immaculate, 
 
 most blessed Lady, Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary 
 
 of Saint N. whose memory we commemorate this day, and of all the 
 choir of thy Saints, through whose prayers and intercessions, have 
 mercy on us, and save us for the sake of thy holy name, which is 
 invoked upon us." 
 
 The Deacon reads the Diptychs. 
 Priest. " Be mindful also, O Lord, of all of the Sacerdotal order, 
 who are now departed, and of those who were in a secular state- 
 Grant that the souls of them all may rest in the bosoms of our Fathers 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Lead them and collect them together in 
 a verdant pasture, on the waters of refreshment, in a paradise of 
 pleasure," &c. as above. 
 
 After the Diptychs, the Priest says. 
 " To those, O Lord, whose souls thou hast received, grant repose in 
 that place, and vouchsafe to transfer them to the kingdom of Hea- 
 ven." Pages 72, 73. 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy, used by the Jacobites (or Eutychians ) , called 
 the Liturgy of St. Gregory. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 Priest. " Vouchsafe, O Lord, to be mindful of all the Saints, 
 
 who have pleased thee from the beginning, of our holy Fathers, 
 
 and of all the spirits of the just, who being made perfect, are de- 
 parted in the faith : but principally of the holy, glorious, ever Virgin, 
 
 Mother of God, Holy Mary, and of St. John, and of the 
 
 whole choir of thy Saints, by whose prayers and intercessions, have 
 mercy on us all, and save us all, for the sake of thy holy name, which 
 is invoked upon us." 
 
 The Priest in secret. " Be mindful, O Lord, of our Fathers and 
 Brethren, who have already slept in the orthodox faith : grant rest to 
 them all, with thy saints, and with those, whose names have been 
 commemorated." Pages 33, 34. 
 
 From the Alexandrian Liturgy of St. Gregory, taken from the Grceco- 
 Arabic. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 Priest. " Be mindful, O Lord, of our holy Fathers, who are 
 
 gone before us and of every just Spirit, consummated in the 
 
 faith of Christ : principally of our most holy, most glorious, imma- 
 culate, most blessed Lady, Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary : 
 
 of the glorious Saint, Prophet and Martyr, John also of those 
 
 who are commemorated this day, and of all the choirs of Saints, by 
 
 whose 
 
147 
 
 whose prayers and intercessions, have mercy on us," &c. Pages 
 111, 112. 
 
 From the Coptic Liturgy, used by the Jacobites or Eutychians, called 
 the Liturgy of St. Cyril. Renaudot, torn. i. 
 
 Priest. " Have mercy, O Lord. To our Fathers, and Brethren, 
 who have slept, and whose souls thou hast received, give rest. Be 
 mindful also of all the Saints, who have pleased thee from the begin- 
 ning but chiefly of the holy, most glorious Mother of God, 
 
 ever Virgin, pure and spotless Holy Mary, &c. (as in the Liturgy of 
 St. Basil), and of all the choir of thy Saints." 
 
 Priest. " We, O Lord, are not worthy to offer prayers for these 
 blessed souls : but, whereas they are standing before the throne of 
 thine only begotten Son, may they intercede for us, poor and infirm 
 as we are. Forgive our iniquities, for the sake of their prayers, 
 and for the sake of thy blessed name, which is invoked upon us." 
 Pages 41, 42. 
 
 The language of these passages, which are cited from the Liturgies 
 named above, is not the language of rhetorical amplification, but the 
 measured religious language of the Communion of Saints. It is 
 the language of that unity and charity, by which the faithful on earth 
 hold a sacred connexion and intercourse with the blessed in heaven, 
 and with the souls of their brethren, who are departed in the faith of 
 Christ, but are still detained in a middle state, from the enjoyment 
 of rest and bliss. The prayers of the Saints in heaven, and parti- 
 cularly of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, are solemnly 
 invoked — prayers are offered for the repose of the faithful departed. 
 Such was the religious practice of the Christian Church from the 
 beginning, as these Oriental Liturgies amply testify. 
 
 The principal Liturgy, in the West, was that of Rome. It was 
 considered a form of worship, received originally and in substance 
 from St. Peter. It was inserted by St. Gelasius (who was Pope from 
 492 to 496) in his Sacramentary, which was a collection of the prayers 
 said in the course of the mass, in the church of Rome, from the first 
 ages; to which he added some new prayers and prefaces. 
 
 Pope Gregory put the Sacramentary of St. Gelasius into a new 
 form, making one book of the three, of which the Gelasian consisted. 
 In the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, several prayers of the Gelasian 
 are omitted, and other new ones are added. The present Roman 
 Missal, is, in fact, the same Liturgy as the Sacramentary of St. Gre- 
 gory, if we except some new masses which have been added since his 
 time. Hence, to exhibit the substance, and almost the whole form, 
 at least of the canon and principal parts of the Liturgy used in the 
 Church of Rome, from the first ages of Christianity, we have only to 
 
 u 2 transcribe 
 
148 
 
 transcribe the Roman Missal. It must appear evident to any one who 
 compares this Missal with the Liturgies of the Oriental Churches 
 cited above, how uniform was the doctrine of the Eastern and Western 
 Churches from the beginning, concerning the Trinity of Persons in 
 one God ; the Divinity of Christ the Redeemer of the world ; the 
 Sacrifice of the mass ; the real presence of the body and blood of 
 Chrisi, under the appearances of bread and wine ; the invocation of the 
 Saints in heaven ; and prayers for the repose of the souls of the 
 faithful departed. 
 
 The Ambrosian Missal was in use at Milan, when St. Ambrose was 
 made Bishop, in 374. He made some additions to the ancient order 
 of the Liturgy of that See. There are some accidental differences 
 between the rite observed at Rome and at Milan, in the celebration of 
 the mass. The church of Milan has all along preserved its ancient 
 Ambrosian rite, to this day, only with a few changes or additions. 
 
 In the offering of the bread, the Priest says, according to the Am- 
 brosian Missal, " Receive, O most merciful Father, this holy bread, 
 that it may be made the body of thy only begotten Son,, in the name 
 of the Father ►£., and of the Son«^<, and of the Holy Ghost ►{-, 
 Amen." 
 
 In the offering of the wine and water, (i Receive, O Holy Trinity, 
 this chalice, wine mixed with water, that it may be made the blood of 
 thy only begotten Son. In the name of »|« the Father, and of ►}* the 
 Son, and of »J« the Holy Ghost, Amen." 
 
 When the priest puts the particle of the divided host into the 
 chalice, he says, " May the mixture of the consecrated body »J- and 
 blood *|« of our Lord Jesus Christ avail us, who eat and receive it, 
 to life and everlasting joy." 
 
 Before he takes the sacrament into his hand, the priest says, " Holy 
 Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God, grant to us so to receive this 
 body of Jesus Christ thy Son, and my Lord, that it may not turn to 
 my judgment, but to the remission of all my sins." 
 
 With respect to the invocation of the Saints, and prayers for the 
 dead, the Ambrosian agrees with the Roman missal. 
 
 The ancient liturgies used in Spain and Gaul are perfectly con- 
 formable in substance to those of Rome and Milan. 
 
 Note [F], page 99. 
 
 The Sign of the Cross used in Acts of Religious Worship. 
 
 The rubrics of the Liturgies, cited in Note D, often prescribe the 
 making of the sign of the cross, in the course of the holy sacrifice. 
 See pages 125, 128, 130, 133, 134. 
 
 - St. 
 
149 
 
 St. Chrysostora attests that the sign of the cross was anciently used 
 by the Greek church, in the administration of the sacraments and the 
 performance of different acts of religion. In his homily on " the 
 adoration of the precious cross," which was delivered about the year 
 386, torn, vi, ed. Paris 1624, he says, " The cross appears in the 
 performance of all the sacred rites of religion. If baptism is ad- 
 ministered, the cross is there. If the mystical food is to be received ; 
 if the minister of Christ is to be ordained ; if any other sacred func- 
 tion is to be performed, the cross of Christ is there. Wherefore let us 
 diligently impress it on our houses, on our walls, on our windows, on 
 our foreheads, and on our minds and hearts. The cross is shewn as 
 often as we offer the holy sacrifice." Page 614. (See Homil. 55, in 
 Mat. cxvi, torn. 7, Pages 594, 595. 
 
 St. Augustin bears testimony to the ancient use of the sign of the 
 cross, in the Latin church, in the performance of sacred functions. 
 " What is this sign (he asks) with which all are acquainted, but the 
 cross of Christ ? which sign, if it be not applied to the foreheads of 
 believers ; to the water, with which they are regenerated ; to the 
 chrism, with which they are anointed, and to the holy bread, with 
 which they are nourished, no rite is duly performed." (Tract, cxviii, 
 in Joan, torn, ix, page 225.) 
 
 The frequent use of the sign of the cross, not only in acts of re- 
 ligious worship, but on other occasions, is attested by the earliest 
 Fathers and Christian writers. It was used as a profession of their 
 faith in Christ crucified, and of their hope in him, who by his death 
 on the cross had delivered them from the power of Satan, and merited 
 for them all mercy and grace. 
 
 Tertullian, in his book, De Corona Militis, written in 235, says, 
 " Whenever we move ; when we come in and go out ; in dressing, and 
 in washing; at table and in bed ; during conversation, or any other 
 employment, we impress on our foreheads the sign of the cross. 
 Should you ask for Scripture authority for this and such like prac- 
 tices ; I answer, there is none. But there is tradition, that authorizes 
 it ; custom that confirms it ; submission that observes it." — Chap. iii. 
 iv, page 289. 
 
 St. Cyril, of Jerusalem, about the year 348, instructing Catechu- 
 mens in the rudiments of the Christian religion, says, " Let us not 
 be ashamed of the cross of Christ ; and, if any one be so, do thou 
 at least openly mark it on thy forehead ; that the devils, beholding the 
 royal standard, may retire trembling. Use that sign, eating and 
 drinking, sitting and lying, rising from bed, conversing and walking ; 
 in one word, use it on all occasions." (Catech. iv, n. x, page 54. — 
 See Catch, xiii, n. xviii. xix, page 184, 187.) 
 
 St. Athanasius, of the Greek Church (about the year 370), incul- 
 cates 
 
150 
 
 cates the Christian practice of blessing meat before meals, in these 
 words : " When thou art sat down at table, and beginnest to break 
 thy bread, having signed it with the sign of the cross — give thanks." 
 (Book on Virginity, n. 13.) 
 
 About the same time, St. Basil wrote thus in his book on the Holy- 
 Ghost : " If we attempt to reject those practices, as things of little 
 moment, which rest on no written authority, we shall, by our impru- 
 dence, materially injure the Gospel itself; even we shall reduce the 
 very preaching of our faith to a mere name. Such (to mention this 
 in the first place which is the most common) is the practice of making 
 the sign of the cross, by those who put their hope in Christ. In what 
 writing has this been taught?" (C. xxvii, torn, iii, page 54.) 
 
 Note [G], page 99. 
 
 On the relative Veneration shewn to the Cross, on which 
 Christ suffered, and to other Crosses representing it. 
 
 In the year 326, St. Helena discovered, at Jerusalem, the identical 
 cross, on which Christ suffered for the redemption of the world. She 
 built a church on the spot where it was found. In it she deposited 
 the Holy Cross, with great veneration, after she had enchased it in a 
 very rich shrine. 
 
 On certain occasions, the cross was shewn to the people, to be 
 adored (according to the language of the Christian church, in that 
 early period), that is, to be venerated with a religious relative respect, 
 because it was the altar, on which Christ offered himself a bleeding 
 victim of atonement for sin. 
 
 St. Paulinus of Nola, about the year 430, ep. 11 (or 31 nov. ed.) 
 ad Sever, writes, " That church in Jerusalem, most richly ornament- 
 ed. .. . possesses the cross, which the Bishop of that city every year, 
 at the season of the Paschal solemnity, exhibits to be adored by the 
 people, after the Bishop himself has first performed his act of profound 
 veneration." Page 193. 
 
 St. Sophronius, who was Patriarch of Jerusalem in 639, attests that 
 the holy cross was exposed to the veneration of the faithful, also, in 
 the middle of Lent. (In medio Jejunii, adorationis gratia, propon 
 solet vitale lignum venerandae crucis.) — Orat. in Exalt, crucis. Bib. 
 Patr. torn. 12, page 214. 
 
 St. Cyril of Jerusalem (about the year 348), in his tenth Catechesis, 
 No. 19, expressed his religious veneration for the holy wood of the 
 true cross, and testifies that, in the few years since its discovery by 
 St. Helena, it had filled the whole earth, particles of it having been 
 carried, out of devotion to Christ who suffered on it, to every country 
 in the Christian world. Page 146. 
 
 Eusebius 
 
151 
 
 Eusebius of Caesarea, who died in 338, in his life of Constantine, 
 relates, that this first Christian Emperor placed in the most con- 
 spicuous parts of the city, images representing our Saviour ; and, in 
 his palace, a magnificent cross, " the sign of our Lord's passion ;" 
 " and to me it seems," adds the historian, " that the religious prince 
 viewed that sign as the defence and bulwark of his empire." (De vita 
 Constantini, lib. iii, cxlix, page 605.) 
 
 The ancient and public veneration (or adoration, as it was called) 
 of crosses, representing the cross of Christ, on Good Friday, in the 
 Latin church, is described in the Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius 
 (about 492), and also in that of Pope Gregory, about a century later; 
 also in the Ordo Romanus, which first appeared not later than the 
 time of St. Gregory, and contained the order of the rites and cere- 
 monies observed in the church of Rome. 
 
 In the Sacramentary of Gelasius, the Rubrics for Good Friday 
 prescribe that, " at the ninth hour all go to the church, and the holy 
 cross be placed on the altar." Page 559 (torn, i, Liturgia Romana 
 vetus, edente Lud. Ant. Muratorio Venetiis 1748), " After the above- 
 mentioned prayers, the Deacons enter the Sanctuary. The body and 
 blood of the Lord, which remained from the day before, are carried 
 in procession, and placed on the altar. The Priest comes before the 
 altar, adoring the cross of the Lord, and kissing it. (Adorans Crucem 
 Domini et osculans). And he says, 'Let us pray.' Then follow, 
 ' Being instructed by saving precepts,' the Lord's Prayer, and • Deliver 
 us, Lord, we beseech thee.' After these, all adore the sacred cross 
 and communicate. (His omnibus expletis, adorant omnes sanctam 
 crucem, et communicant)." Page 562. 
 
 In the Antiphonary of St. Gregory the great, torn, v, of his works, 
 page 31, edit. Antwerp 1625, " Antiphonarium ad crucem adorandam. 
 We adore thy cross, O Lord (crucem tuam adoramus Domine), and 
 praise and glorify thy holy resurrection. . Behold the wood of the 
 cross, on which the salvation of the world was suspended. Come let 
 us adore," &c. (venite adoremus). 
 
 In the ancient Ordo Romanus, the following directions are given 
 for the office on Good Friday. " After the prayers, the cross is pre- 
 pared in front of the altar. The Bishop comes, and adoring the cross, 
 kisses it (adoratam deosculatur crucem) : then the priests, deacons, 
 sub-deacons, and others in order; after them, the people. The 
 Bishop sits down on his seat until all have offered their salutations. 
 But the two first priests, as soon as they have saluted (the cross), 
 enter the sanctuary, or the place where the body of the Lord, 
 which remained from the day before, was deposited ; they put it on 
 the paten,. . and carry it with the chalice, containing unconsecrated 
 wine, and place it on the altar. . Whilst the Bishop or the people are 
 
 saluting 
 
15V 
 
 saluting the cross, the anthem is continually sung, Behold the wood 
 of the Cross, on which the salvation of the whole was suspended, 
 come let us adore," &c. Muratori, ut supra. Page 995. 
 
 It is hence obvious, that the devout practice prescribed in the 
 Roman >Missal, of shewing a relative veneration to the Cross, on 
 Good Friday, in honour of Christ who died for us on a cross on that 
 day, is perfectly conformable to the religious practices of the Eastern 
 and Western Churches, from the early ages of Christianity. 
 
 The following testimonies will shew how anxious the primitive 
 church was to impress on the senses and minds of the faithful, a 
 lively feeling of the mysteries of religion, and of the devotion and 
 heroic fortitude of those, who had triumphed over the opposition of 
 the world. 
 
 Eusebius relates, that Constantine placed images of the good Pastor 
 in the middle of the forum, of which, the historian says, the meaning 
 would be well understood by those who were skilled in the Holy 
 Scriptures. " So great," he observes, " was the religious veneration 
 of the Emperor, that he placed a rich representation of the passion 
 of our Saviour, wrought with gold and precious stones, in the most 
 splendid apartment of the palace." (Euseb. lib. 3, de vita Con- 
 stantini.) 
 
 St. Gregory of Nyssa (about the year 385), in his Discourse on 
 St. Theodoras Martyr, describing a Christian church, says, " a per- 
 son entering into a place like this, in which we are assembled, where 
 the virtues of the just are commemorated, and the holy relics are 
 preserved, must be delighted with the magnificence of every thing 
 around him ; when he beholds the majestic structure of the temple 
 of God, and the beauty of the ornaments, with which it is decorated. 
 Here the painter has displayed the perfection of his art ; here you 
 see the heroic deeds of the Martyr, the torments inflicted on him, 
 the fury of the executioners, the fiery furnace, the consummation of 
 his combat, the figure of Christ giving him the crown of victory, all 
 represented with such expression and colouring, that it exhibits at 
 once the whole scene in a more lively and impressive manner than 
 could be described in letters, or explained by words. The silent 
 picture on the wall speaks powerfully to the feelings." St. Greg. 
 Nyss. torn 3. edit. Morell. an 1638. Page 579 (1011). 
 
 St. Asterius, Bishop of Amasea, in Pontus (about the year 399) on 
 Su Euphemia the Martyr, says, " I retired into the temple of God 
 to pray (he speaks of the great church at Chalcedon). I saw a pic- 
 ture, with which I was much struck. A holy woman, a spotless 
 virgin, had consecrated her chastity to God : her name was Eu- 
 phemia. Her fellow-citizens, in admiration of her great sanctity, 
 and of the heroic fortitude she displayed in her death, raised a 
 
 sepulchre, 
 
163 
 
 sepulchre, and in it deposited her remains. They paid her public 
 honours, and celebrated the anniversary day of her martyrdom with 
 great solemnity (she suffered about the year 307). The painter 
 expressed the whole history of her martyrdom, in the most lively 
 colours, on canvas; and the picture was exhibited to public view, 
 near her tomb. You there saw the judge, on an elevated seat, 
 casting a ferocious look on the Virgin, and a number of guards and 
 soldiers surrounding her. There was the Virgin dressed in her black 
 garment, but shewing a joyful countenance. Her look was a mixture 
 of modest)' and firmness ; she stood undaunted. I admired the ex- 
 pression of her soul, more than the exquisite colours of the picture. 
 The executioners are seen coming to their work of cruelty ; whilst, 
 one soldier pulls her head back, another, with a mallet, bruises 
 her mouth ; so that her tender face, her hair and her clothes, were 
 covered with blood. You would say you saw the blood actually 
 flowing from her lips, and would be moved to tears, at the sight of 
 the picture. You then saw, in another part, the chaste Virgin 
 alone, seated, raising both her hands to heaven, and invoking her 
 God, her Helper in her combat. Whilst she is in prayer, that sign, 
 which Christians are accustomed to adore and to represent in co- 
 lours, (signum illud, quod Christiani adorare, ac appingere solemne 
 habent), appears over her head ; the symbol, I think, of her ardent 
 desire of suffering. You then see fire set to the pile, which soon 
 rises to a scorching blaze. You see the Virgin placed in the midst of 
 the flame ; her hands are raised towards heaven, the cheerfulness of 
 her countenance bespeaks the exultation of her soul, going to the 
 joys of eternal life." — St. Asterius in St. Euphemiam Martyrem, 
 page 207, in Auctario, Bib. Pat. a Patre Combefis ; fol. Paris, an. 
 1648. 
 
 St. Nilus, who died in 468, gives the following instructions con- 
 cerning the figures and representations that should be exhibited in a 
 Christian Church. " In the chancel of the most sacred temple, to- 
 wards the East, let there be one, and only one cross. For by one 
 saving cross, all mankind was delivered from slavery ; and from one 
 cross, hope beamed on sinners in every nation of the earth. Let the 
 sacred temple be filled with pictures, well executed by the most 
 celebrated artists, representing the most remarkable events of the Old 
 and New Testament ; that the unlettered, and those who are inca- 
 pable of reading the divine Scriptures, may, by the sight of the 
 picture, be instructed in the virtuous deeds of those, who have 
 served the true God, according to his own will and command ; and 
 may be excited to imitate the glorious and meritorious lives of those, 
 who have sacrificed earth to heaven, and the enjoyment of visible and 
 
 x perishable 
 
154 
 
 perishable things, to the spiritual and pure delights of an eternal 
 kingdom."— St. Nilus, lib. 4, Epist. 61, ad Olympiadorum Eparchum. 
 
 Note [H], page 99. 
 On the ancient Ceremonies of Baptism. 
 
 Exsuffiations and Exorcisms.— St. Augustin, who died in the year 
 430, writes : " As you know, children are exsufflated, and exorcised ; 
 in order that the hostile power of the devil may be expelled from 
 them ; that power, which deceived man, that it might get possession 
 of men." Serm. 1, de Symb. Catech. c. i, p. 2. 
 
 St. Optatus (about the year 384) says, " though the infant be 
 born of Christian parents, he is in the power of the unclean spirit, who 
 must be expelled before the sacred laver of baptism. This is done by the 
 Exorcism, by which the unclean spirit is dislodged, and is driven to 
 desert places : the empty house, in the breast of the believer, be- 
 comes a clean house : God enters and dwells there, according to the 
 Apostle (1 Cor. 3, 16). You are the temple of God, and God dwells 
 in you. St. Optatus, lib. 4, adv. Parm. paulo post med. 
 
 St. Cyril of Jerusalem (year 387), in his 9th Procatechesis, attri- 
 butes great virtue to the exorcisms, for purifying the soul. He says, 
 " that the invocation of the Holy Ghost gives a virtue to the water, 
 and power to sanctify." 
 
 Pope Celestin, who died an. 432, in his Epistle to the Bishops of 
 Gaul, torn. 10, among the works of St. Augustin, in Appendice, cap. 
 1 2, writes^thus : " Let us attentively consider what is uniformly done, 
 all over the world, by the Holy Church, in regard to those who are to 
 be baptized. Whether those, who come to receive the sacrament of 
 regeneration, be infants or adults, they are not brought to the font of 
 life, before the unclean spirit is driven from them, by exorcisms and 
 exsufflations ; that then it may truly appear, how (John, xii, 31) the 
 prince of this world is cast out." 
 
 St. Augustin: — " He is a real Pelagian, who does not believe original 
 sin. Long before the pestilential doctrine of the Manichaeans was 
 broached, the church of God had observed the practice of exor- 
 cising and exsufflating infants before their baptism. That by these 
 mysterious ceremonies it might be shewn, that they are not to be 
 transferred to the kingdom of Christ, till after they have been 
 freed from the power of darkness," Lib. 2, de Nupt. et concup. 
 c. 29, n. 50. 
 
 Sign of the Cross and Salt. St. Augustin, speaking of his own 
 baptism, says, " I was then signed with the sign of the cross, and 
 
 seasoned 
 
155 
 
 seasoned with his salt, soon after my birth." Confess, lib. 1, cap. 2, 
 n. 17. 
 
 St. Isidore of Seville (about the year 636), writes, " they are first 
 
 exorcised, then they receive the salt, and are anointed Since 
 
 infants cannot make the renunciation of Satan by themselves, it is 
 performed by the hearts and mouths of their sponsors. The ceremony 
 of giving salt to the Catechumens was instituted by our forefathers, 
 that by the taste of the salt, they may be understood to be seasoned 
 with heavenly wisdom," &c. Lib. 2, Offic. Eccles. c. 20. 
 
 The touching of the ears and nostrils. St. Ambrose (before the year 
 397) says, " what did we perform on Saturday ? The opening. . . . 
 when the priest touched your ears and nostrils," &c. Lib. 1, de Sa- 
 cram., c. i, n. 2, and n. 3. 
 
 The profession of faith. St. Augustin thus speaks to the Cate- 
 chumens, whom he was preparing for baptism : " receive, my chil- 
 dren, the rule of faith, which is called the symbol. When you have 
 received it, write it in your hearts, and repeat it daily. No one 
 commits the symbol to writing : but all learn it by heart." .... Sum. 
 1, de Symb. ad Catech. cap. i. 
 
 St. Basil (before the year 379), lib. de Spir. Sancto : " They pro- 
 fessed that they believe in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost, when renouncing the devil and his angels, they pronounced 
 this language of salvation." Cap. 11. — " We consecrate the water 
 of baptism, and the oil of unction, then him, who is baptised. 
 What Scripture is there to prove this ? Have we any other proof 
 than that which is derived from tradition secretly transmitted to us ? 
 What part of Scripture teaches us this unction of oil ?" &c. Cap. 27. 
 
 The Renunciation of Satan. Tertullian mentions this solemn rite, 
 as practised in his time : " a little before we enter the water, being 
 in the church, under the hand of the bishop, we protest that we 
 renounce the devil, his pomps, and his angels." Tert. lib. de Corona 
 mil. cap. 3. 
 
 St. Chrysostom, in his 21st Homily to the people of Antioch, 
 strongly urges the observance of this baptismal renunciation of Satan. 
 " Be mindful," said he, " of the answer you gave, when you were 
 initiated in the sacred mysteries. ' I renounce thee, Satan, and thy 
 pomps, and thy service.' That madness for ornaments of dress and 
 jewels, is a pomp of Satan. The gold you possess was not given 
 you to form chains for your body, but to afford you means of re- 
 leasing and feeding the poor. Say, therefore, continually, « I renounce 
 thee, Satan.' Nothing will give you greater security than this pro- 
 testation, if you verify it by your actions. I intreat you, you who 
 are preparing for baptism, to enter into the full meaning and force 
 
 x 2 of 
 
156 
 
 of this engagement. For by this, you make a treaty and compact 
 with the Lord. As when we engage servants, we first ask those that 
 have offered themselves to us, whether they are willing to serve us : so 
 does Christ, when he is going to take you into his service. He first 
 asks you, whether you are determined to cast off that cruel and 
 ferocious tyrant. On that condition he receives you. He does not 
 force you into his service, and here see his goodness. . . . Christ paid 
 down a price for us all, the price of his most precious blood, for, you 
 are bought, says he, (1 Cor. iv, 20) at a great price. And still, 
 with this right that he has to you, he does not force you to serve 
 him against your will. But, if you are not disposed to accept his 
 offers of grace and happiness, if you have nothing of that generous 
 feeling, which will prompt you most eagerly to devote yourself to 
 his glorious service, he says, < I do not force you, I do not compel 
 you.'. .And after all tins, he does not require witnesses of our engage- 
 ment, nor a written bond; he is satisfied with our simple word. 
 If you say, from your heart, * I renounce thee, Satan, and thy pomps,' 
 Christ is satisfied. Let us therefore say, ' I renounce thee, Satan.' 
 But, at the same time, let us reflect that the great day will come, 
 when we shall have to give an account of our engagement. Let us 
 be faithful in observing it, that we may then shew, that we have 
 redeemed our pledge. The pomps of Satan are : theatres, circuses, 
 and every thing that leads to sin." 
 
 The anointing of the Person baptised, on the crotun of his head. Of 
 this unction, by which the person baptised is anointed as a member of 
 Christ, on whom the spiritual unction of the dignity of his head 
 descends, early mention is made in the church. 
 
 To such St. Cyril of Jerusalem (before the year 387) says, " you 
 have been anointed with the oil that has been blessed with exorcisms ; 
 and you have been made partakers of that fruitful olive Jesus Christ. 
 (Rom. xi, 17.) For being cut out from the wild olive, you have 
 been engrafted in the fruitful olive : and every one of you has been 
 made to receive of the richness of that true olive. The sacred oil 
 with which you have been anointed, is an outward sign of the rich 
 graces of Christ, which have been communicated to you, and of the 
 extinction of all the influence of Satan over you." St .Cyril of 
 Jerusalem, Catech. 2, Mystag. 
 
 Pope Innocent I. (before the year 417), in his Epistle to Decen- 
 tius, cap. 3, torn. 2, Concil, Lab., writes thus, concerning this unc- 
 tion. " It is lawful for Priests, whether they administer baptism in 
 the absence or in the presence of the Bishop, to anoint the person 
 baptised with chrism, which shall have been consecrated by the 
 Bishop. But they must not sign him on the forehead with the holy 
 
 oil: 
 
157 
 
 oil : this is to be performed only by Bishops, when they give the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 St. Ambrose, Lib. de Myster. cap. 6, n. 29, admonishes the person 
 who has been baptised, of the unction he immediately received. 
 " After this, you went up to the Priest. Consider what followed. 
 Was it not that of which David spoke, when he said (Ps. 132, v. 2), 
 Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, 
 the beard of Aaron. This is the ointment of which Solomon said 
 (Cant, i, v. 2), Thy name is as oil poured out," n. 30. " Under- 
 stand, why this was done. This unction flows upon you, that (1st 
 Pet. ii, 19) you may become a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood. 
 For [we are all anointed by the spiritual grace, to be a kingdom and 
 Priests to God." 
 
 The xvhite Garment. St. Ambrose refers to this ceremony, when he 
 says, " After this, you received a white garment, to remind you, 
 that you had put off the habit of sin, and put on the pure robe of 
 innocence." Lib. de Myster., cap. vii, n. 34. 
 
 St. Augustin says, " The souls of those infants, whom you see 
 clothed in white, are purified from sin. The whiteness of this gar- 
 ment is an emblem of the purity of their souls." St. Aug. Serm. 
 223, alias de divers, 81. n. 1. 
 
 St. Victor, Bishop of Vita, in the province of Byzacena, in his 
 history of the Vandalic persecution, written in 487, relates a striking 
 instance of the impression, which the ceremony of clothing the bap- 
 tised person with the white garment, was calculated to make on the 
 minds of the faithful. Elpidophorus, an apostate from the Catholic 
 faith, was appointed judge at Carthage, and he condemned the most 
 zealous of the Catholic confessors to be tortured. Muritta, the Dea- 
 con, who had assisted, when Elpidophorus was baptised in the bosom 
 of the Catholic Church, being brought before him, took with him 
 the chrismale, or white garment, with which, at the time he received 
 Elpidophorus coming out of the font, he had clothed him, as an 
 emblem of that innocence, which he engaged himself to preserve 
 always unspotted. And producing it before the whole assembly, he 
 said, " this robe will accuse you, when the Judge shall appear in 
 Majesty at the last day. It will bear testimony against you to your 
 condemnation. Haec sunt linteamina quae te accusabunt, cum Ma- 
 jestas venerit judicantis." Victor. Vit. 1. 5, c. 78. 
 
 The authorities, cited above, attest what ceremonies were per- 
 formed, in the primitive ages of Christianity, by the Eastern and 
 Western Churches, in the solemn administration of baptism. They 
 also explain the purpose and meaning of these ceremonies, and 
 shew that whilst they excited respect for the sacred rite, they con- 
 veyed so many instructions to the Catechumens and faithful, con- 
 cerning 
 
158 
 
 cerning the State of sin in which man is born ; the dispositions requi- 
 site for justification through Christ ; the effects of the sacrament of 
 baptism, and the dignity and obligations of a Christian. In adopting 
 these ceremonies, the Church followed the example of Christ and his 
 Apostles. When understood in the sense and meaning for which 
 they were instituted, and in which they were explained by the Holy 
 Fathers, they could not fail to confirm the faith and to excite the 
 piety of the people. To see how carefully these primitive Christian 
 ceremonies have been preserved in the Roman Catholic Church, we 
 have only to compare the order of administering the sacrament of 
 baptism, prescribed in the Ritual used at present in Rome and in 
 the Catholic chapels in England, with that which is described in the 
 " Liber Sacramentorum " of St. Gregory the Great. The following 
 extract is taken from the edition published by Pamelius, torn. ii. 
 Col. Agrip. an. 1571. 
 
 The Catechumen is interrogated before baptism. Page 257. 
 
 " Dost thou renounce Satan ?" — Ans. " I do renounce him." 
 
 " And all his works ?" — Ans. " I do renounce them." 
 
 " And all his pomps ?" — Arts. " I do renounce them." 
 
 The Priest blows thrice on the face of the Catechumen, saying : 
 " Begone from him, Satan ; give honour to the living and true God, 
 and give honour to Jesus Christ, his Son, and to the Holy Ghost." 
 Page 258. 
 
 The Priest places his hand on the forehead, saying, " I put the 
 seal of the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, on thy forehead." 
 
 He does the same on his breast, saying, " I put the seal of the 
 Holy Cross 4* of the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, on thy breast." 
 Page 262. 
 
 Then the Priest puts his hand on the head of the infant, saying this 
 prayer, " Almighty eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 vouchsafe to look down on this thy servant, whom thou hast been 
 pleased to call to the rudiments of faith," &c, as in the Roman 
 Catholic Ritual. 
 
 Then the Priest blesses the salt, in this manner : " Exorciso te crea- 
 tura salis," &c, as in the Roman Catholic Ritual. 
 
 He asks the names of the Catechumens, and puts a little of the salt 
 in the mouth of each, saying, " Accipe — receive the salt of wisdom," 
 &c., as in the Roman Catholic Ritual. 
 
 Again the Priest signs him rvith the sign of the cross, on his forehead, 
 and says, " and this sign of the holy cross »J-," &c, as in the Roman 
 Catholic Ritual. 
 
 Again making the sign of the cross, he says this prayer, " Exorciso 
 te immunde Spiritus, in nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus sancti," 
 Sec, as in the Roman Catholic Ritual. 
 
 The 
 
159 
 
 The Priest makes the sign of the cross on the foreheads of all, and 
 imposing his hand over their heads, he says the Lord's Prayer, the 
 Creed, and a Prayer. Page 263. 
 
 Then he touches their nostrils and ears with his finger, wet with 
 spittle. When he touches the right ear, he says, " Ephphetha »{-." 
 Then the left, which is, »J« be opened. Then the nostrils, &c, page 
 264, as in the Roman Catholic Ritual. 
 
 After this, he anoints him with the holy oil, making the sign of the 
 cross, with his thumb, on the breast and between the shoulders, saying, 
 " I anoint thee with the sanctified oil, in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Page 266. 
 
 Then follows the blessing of the baptismal font, with such prayers ' 
 as are now used in the Catholic Church. In the course of the 
 blessing, the Priest blows on the water, and mixes chrism, or blessed 
 oil with the water. Page 268. 
 
 Then the catechumen is baptised. " I baptise thee," &c. And the 
 Priest makes the sign of the cross, with chrism, on the top of his head, 
 saying, " Almighty God," &c, as in the Roman Catholic Ritual. 
 
 The child is clothed ; the Priest says, " receive this white garment," 
 &c, as in the Roman Catholie Ritual. 
 
 Nearly the same order of rites and ceremonies is prescribed in the 
 Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius, which was committed to writing 
 about 492. 
 
 Hence it appears, that these ecclesiastical ceremonies, which are 
 called superstitious by men, who do not understand their origin and 
 import, are found to be the religious rites and observances of primitive 
 Christianity. 
 
 Note [I], page 99. 
 
 Confirmation administered, not only by Imposition of 
 Hands and Prayer, but also, by the unction of Chrism, 
 solemnly blessed by the Bishops of the Church. 
 
 To this ancient rite ample testimony is borne by the Fathers of 
 the Christian Church, in the earliest ages. 
 
 Tertullian writes, before the year 245, in his book on baptism : 
 " Then, coming out from the font (of baptism), we are anointed with 
 the holy unction, agreeably to the ancient discipline. . next follows 
 the imposition of hands, with the invocation of the Holy Ghost. . .' " 
 " The unction flows on the flesh, but it produces its effect in the 
 spirit ; as in baptism, the body is immersed in water, but the soul is 
 washed from sin." Cap. 7. 
 
 " Then the hand is imposed, and by the blessing, the Holy Ghost 
 is invoked and invited to descend." Cap. 8. 
 
 In 
 
160 
 
 In his book " On the Resurrection of the Flesh," the same ancient 
 writer says, " the flesh is washed, that the soul may be purified ; it is 
 anointed, that the soul may be consecrated. The flesh is sealed, 
 that the soul may be strengthened : and, that the soul may be en- 
 lightened by the Holy Spirit, the body is overshadowed by the 
 imposition of hands." Cap. 8. 
 
 In these passages, Tertullian describes the administration and effects 
 of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation ; which, in the primi- 
 tive ages, were generally conferred at the same time. In describing 
 the administration of confirmation, he mentions the imposition of 
 hands, the invocation of the Holy Ghost, and the unction ; by the 
 effect of which external signs the soul is consecrated, enlightened, 
 and strengthened. 
 
 We may trace the same rite, and the same doctrine, in the writ- 
 ings of the Fathers of the Greek and Latin Churches, in different 
 countries, in the early ages of Christianity. They sometimes men- 
 tion the imposition of hands, sometimes the unction of chrism, and 
 sometimes both, in the administration of confirmation. They do not, 
 on all occasions, mention every thing explicitly, that relates to the 
 sacrament they are explaining. 
 
 St. Cyprian writes, about the year 258, " They, who had believed, 
 in Samaria (Acts viii), had believed with a true faith, and were baptised 
 in the one church, by Philip, whom the Apostles had sent. And, there- 
 fore, because their baptism was legitimate, it was not to be repeated. 
 That alone, which was wanting, was supplied by Peter and John ; that 
 by prayer, and the imposition of hands, they might receive the Holy 
 Ghost. The same thing is now done by us; when they, who have 
 been baptised in the church, are presented to the Bishops, that by 
 our prayer, and the imposition of hands, they may receive the divine 
 Spirit, and be perfected by the seal of the Lord." Epist. 73. 
 
 St. Cyril, of Jerusalem (in the year 385), thus spoke to the 
 newly baptised. " To you, when you came out from the font, was 
 given the chrism, which is the image of that with which Christ 
 was anointed, that is, the Holy Spirit. . . Take care, that you think it 
 not common ointment, with which the forehead, and your bodily 
 senses are symbolically anointed. The body, indeed, is anointed 
 with that visible chrism ; but the soul is sanctified by the Holy 
 Spirit." Cat. Myst. iii, n. 1, 3, 
 
 St. Siricius, Pope before the year 398, writes, " As it has been 
 decreed in our Synod, we admit these, as well as the Novatians, 
 and other heretics, to the communion of the faithful, by invoking 
 the Holy Spirit, and by the imposition of the hand of the Bishop, 
 as it is practised in all the churches of the East and West." Epist. 
 ad Himer. c. i. Cone. Gen. torn, ii, p. 1018. 
 
 St. 
 
161 
 
 St. Jerom, before 420, writes, " This is the practice of the church, 
 that when, in remote places, any have been baptised by the Priests 
 or Deacons, the Bishop goes to them, and, having invoked the Holy 
 Spirit, lays his hand on them." Dial adv. Lucif. torn. i. 
 
 St. Innocent 1st, who was Pope from 402 to 417, thus writes to 
 Decentius, Bishop of Eugubium, in Italy. " Priests may baptise in 
 the presence of the Bishop, and anoint the baptised, with the oil 
 that has been consecrated by the Bishop ; but not lay it on their 
 foreheads ; because this is allowed to none but the Bishops, when 
 they confer the Holy Ghost." Concil. Gen. torn, ii, page 1245. 
 
 When a person is baptised, he is anointed with chrism, on the top 
 of the head. This is a part of the rite of baptism, and may be per- 
 formed by a Priest. But when he is confirmed, he is anointed with 
 chrism on the forehead. This is a part of the rite of confirmation, 
 and can only be performed by a Bishop. It may be here observed, 
 that Pope Innocent calls the chrism, oil that has been consecrated by a 
 Bishop. 
 
 Of the consecration of the chrism, St. Cyril of Jerusalem makes 
 mention in his 21st Catechesis. 
 
 By the Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius (written before 492), the 
 consecration of the chrism was performed in the course of the mass 
 of Thursday in holy week, or Maundy Thursday, which mass, in the 
 sacramentary, is called Missa Chrismalis. 
 
 First, the oil for the anointing of the sick, is blessed immediately 
 after the end of the prayer " nobis autem peccatoribus," &c, in the 
 canon of the mass. The prayer of the blessing, " Emitte quaesumus 
 Domine, Spiritum Sanctum Paraclitum," &c, is the same as is used 
 for the blessing of the oil of the sick, to this day, by the Roman 
 Catholic Church, as may be seen in the Roman Pontifical. 
 
 Then follows the benediction of the oil, which is performed by 
 the same prayer, " Deus incrementorum et profectuum Spiritalium 
 munerator, qui virtute sancti Spiritus," &c, as occurs in the Roman 
 Pontifical for the blessing of the oil of Catechumens. 
 
 After that, the same Preface, wanting a few lines, is said, as is 
 found in the Roman Pontifical, for the blessing of the Chrism. 
 " Vere dignum, &c. qui in principio inter cgetera bonitatis et pietatis 
 tuse munera," &c. The balsam is mixed with the oil, and the same 
 prayer of exorcism is said, as occurs in the Roman Pontifical, though 
 a little more diffuse. 
 
 In the office for Holy Saturday, the order of administering bap- 
 tism is prescribed, after the prayers and ceremonies of blessing the 
 font. The Rubric then says, 
 
 After this, the Holy Ghost is given to them, by the Bishop. In sign- 
 ing them, he imposes his hands over them, with these toords, " Almighty 
 
 y God, 
 
16-2 
 
 God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hast regenerated thy servants, 
 of water and the Holy Ghost, and who hast given them the remission of 
 all their sins : do thou, O Lord, send down upon them thy Holy Spirit, 
 the Paraclete ; and give them the spirit of wisdom, and of understand- 
 ing ; the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude ; the spirit of knowledge and 
 of piety. Replenish them with the spirit and fear of God, in the name 
 of our Lord, Jesus Christ: with whom thou livest and reignest, 
 God, for ever, with the Holy Ghost, world without end." Answer. 
 " Amen." 
 
 Then he signs them on the forehead xuith Chrism, saying, " The sign 
 of Christ to life everlasting." Answer. " Amen." 
 
 " Peace be with thee." Amen. " And with thy Spirit." Liturgia 
 Romana vetus, edente Lud. Ant. Muratorio, torn. i. Sacraraentarium 
 Gelasianum, pages 555, 556, 557, 571. 
 
 From the above testimonies it appears, ' that the sacred rite of 
 administering the sacrament of confirmation, according to the pre- 
 sent practice of the Roman Catholic Church, is not of recent insti- 
 tution ; but is the same as was observed in the earliest ages of the 
 Christian Church. 
 
 Note [K], page 99. 
 
 The particular Confession of Sins, and the Sacramental 
 Absolution of penitent Sinners, practised in the Primi- 
 tive Ages. 
 
 The confession of sins is made to the lawful ministers of the true 
 Church, with the view of obtaining the remission of sin, by their 
 ministry, through the merits of Christ. That Christ granted the 
 ministerial power of remitting sins, not only to his Apostles, but. to 
 the lawful successors of the Apostles, was the belief of the Christian 
 Church, in the primitive, and succeeding ages. 
 
 The Novatians denied to the Church the power of pardoning sins, 
 which power had been exercised from the beginning. St. Ambrose 
 (before the year 397), thus refutes their doctrine. " They pretend," 
 says he, " that by reserving to him (Christ) alone the power of 
 remitting sins, they shew respect to Jesus Christ, and, in this very 
 thing, they dishonour him ; by violating his commands, and rejecting 
 his ordinance. For, as Christ in his gospel said : what things you 
 shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in heaven ; and what you 
 shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven ; who is it that honours 
 him most — he that obeys, or he that rejects his commands? The 
 Church, by binding, and loosing sins, obeys in both. The Novatians 
 content themselves with binding only, and will not loose sinners: 
 
 though 
 
163 
 
 though the power of doing both was given. Whence it follows, that 
 one cannot be permitted, without the other. Both are allowed to the 
 Church : neither is allowed to heretics ; because it is a right conceded 
 only to Priests. This right the Church claims to herself, since she 
 alone possesses true Priests." St. Ambrose de Pcenit. lib. ij c. ii, t. 
 iv, pages 386, 387. 
 
 St. Pacian, about the year 399, refuting the same Movatians, says 
 " But you Novatians will say, that only God can grant the pardon 
 of sins. That is true: but what he does by his ministers, he does by 
 his own power. What did he say to his Apostles? What you shall 
 bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and what you shall loose on 
 earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. And why this, if sinners might 
 be bound only, and not loosed ? But, perhaps, the Apostles only 
 had this power ? Then they only, it must be said, had power to 
 baptise ; to confer the Holy Spirit ; and to purify the Gentiles from 
 their sins: for, in the same place, where he gives them power to 
 administer the sacrament of baptism, he also gives them the power 
 to loose sinners. Either then these two powers were peculiarly 
 reserved to the Apostles, or they both continued to their successors; 
 and, therefore, since it is certain, that the power of giving baptism 
 and unction descended to the Bishops, to them has likewise come the 
 power of binding and loosing." Ep. i, ad Sympron. Bib. Patr. Max. 
 torn iv, page 306, 307. 
 
 St. Cyril, of Alexandria, about the year 444, writes, " It seemed 
 good to Christ, that they, who had within themselves his divine 
 Spirit, should likewise possess the power of forgiving sins, and of 
 retaining such, as they judged proper: that Holy Spirit himself, 
 according to his good pleasure, forgiving and retaining, through the 
 ministry of men." In Joan. lib. xii. cap. i, torn. iv. 
 
 Concerning the particular confession of sins to the ministers of 
 Christ, as a condition for obtaining pardon, we have the following 
 among many other ancient testimonies. 
 
 St. Cyprian, about the year 258, writes, " Though some of these 
 persons be remarked for their faith and the fear of God, and have 
 not been guilty of the crime of sacrificing (to idols), nor of surren- 
 dering the holy scriptures ; yet if the thought of doing it have ever 
 entered their mind, this they confess, with grief and without dis- 
 guise, before the Priests of God, unburdening the conscience, and 
 seeking a salutary remedy." De lapsis, page 134. 
 
 " Every one must confess his faults, while he that has offended, 
 enjoys life : while his confession can be received, and while the 
 satisfaction and pardon imparted by the Priests, are acceptable be- 
 fore God." Ibid. 
 
 " It is required that sinners do penance, for a stated time, that, 
 
 Y 2 according 
 
164 
 
 according to the rule of established discipline, they come to con- 
 fession, and that by the imposition of the hand of the Bishop and 
 Clergy, they be admitted to communion." Ep. xvii, page 39. 
 
 Origen, about the year 254, says, " There is yet a more severe 
 and arduous pardon of sins, by penance, when the sinner washes his 
 couch with his tears, and when he blushes not to disclose his sin to 
 the Priest, and seek a remedy." Homil. ii, in Levit. tom.'ii. Here, 
 this ancient writer clearly specifies two conditions required on the 
 part of the sinner, that he may obtain pardon of his sins by penance, 
 viz. contrition, " washing his couch with his tears," and confession, 
 " when he blushes not to declare his sins to the Priest." 
 
 To urge sinners to perform this arduous part of confession, Origen 
 says, " At the last day all things will be revealed, whatever we shall 
 have committed ; what we have done in private ; what in word only, 
 or even in thought ; all will be laid open. But, if while we are alive, 
 we prevent this, and become our own accusers, we shall escape the 
 designs of the accusing devil ; for thus the Prophet says : let us be 
 our own accusers." Horn, iii, in Levit. torn, ii, page 196. 
 
 Having stated how much they suffer, whose stomachs are load- 
 ed with humours and indigested food, he says, " So they who 
 have sinned, if they hide and retain their sins within their breasts, 
 are grievously tormented ; but, if the sinner becomes his own accuser, 
 while he does this, he discharges the cause of his malady. Only let 
 him carefully consider, to whom he should confess his sin." Homil. 
 ii. in psal. xxxvii, torn, ii p. 688. 
 
 " They who are not holy, die in their sins. The holy do penance ; 
 they feel their wounds ; are sensible of their failings ; look for the 
 Priest ; implore health ; and through him, seek to be purified." 
 Homil. x, in Num. torn. ii. p. 302. 
 
 Lanctantius, about the year 309, writes, " Now, as all heretical 
 sects deem themselves particularly Christians, and think thehs is 
 the Catholic Church, it should be known, that where is confession, 
 and penance, by which the sins, to which weak men are subject, are 
 cancelled, there is the true Church." Instit. lib. vii, p. 233. 
 
 St. Basil, about the year 379, writes, " Necessarily, our sins must 
 be confessed to those, to whom has been committed the dispensation 
 of the mysteries of God.". In Quaest. Brev. Reg. 288, torn. ii. p. 516. 
 
 Paulinus, the secretary of St. Ambrose, relates in the history of 
 his life ; " That as often as any one, in doing penance, confessed his 
 faults to him, he wept, so as to draw tears from the sinner. He 
 seemed to take part, in every act of sorrow. But as to the occa- 
 sion, or causes of the crimes, which they confessed, these he re- 
 vealed to no one, but to God, with whom he interceded." In vita 
 Ambrosii, n. 39, p. 10, in fine, torn, ii, operum ed. Paris, 1686. 
 
 Pope 
 
165 
 
 Pope Innocent I. in his canonical Epistle to Decentius, written in 
 416, speaks thus: "As to penitents. . if no sickness intervene, they 
 must be absolved on the Thursday before Easter, according to the 
 practice of Rome. But in estimating the grievousness of sins, it is 
 the duty of the Priest to judge, attending to the confession of the 
 penitent and the signs of his repentance ; and then to order him to 
 be loosed, when he shall see due satisfaction made. But if there be 
 danger of death, he must be absolved before Easter, lest he die 
 without communion." Can. vii. Cone. Gen. torn. ii. p. 1247. 
 
 St. Augustin, before the year 430, writes, " Ye that have been 
 guilty of the sin of adultery — do such penance, as is done in the 
 Church, that the church may pray for you. Let no one say, I do it 
 secretly ; I do it before God ; he knows my heart, and will pardon 
 me. Was it then said without reason, tvhat you shall loose upon 
 earth, shall be loosed in heaven ? Were the keys then given to the 
 church for no purpose ?" Horn. 49, torn. x. 
 
 Here St. Augustin declares, that it is not sufficient for the sinner 
 to do penance before God, but that he must do it as it is done in the 
 church, by manifesting his guilt to those who have power to loose 
 the penitent sinner, by absolution, and who have the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 Pope Leo, the Great, about the year 450, writes thus : " Christ 
 gave power to them, who are appointed to govern his church, to 
 prescribe a course of penance to such as confess their sins, and to 
 admit them through the gate of reconciliation to the communion of 
 the sacraments, after they have been purified by a salutary confessjon. 
 Epist. exxxii. 
 
 The practice of confession, for the purpose of obtaining the re- 
 mission of sin, by the absolution of the Priest, has constantly been 
 observed in the Greek Church, as well as in the Latin, from the 
 earliest ages ; as appears from their ancient Penitentials, and books 
 of the administration of the sacraments, as well as from the testi- 
 monies of the Greek Fathers cited above. 
 
 In the primitive times of Christianity, the necessity of having 
 frequent recourse to confession was less than in later ages, when 
 the fervour of Christians was diminished and they became less dili- 
 gent in observing the precepts of the gospel. In the beginning, they 
 were severely tried, and were well instructed and exercised in the 
 rules and duties of Christian morality, before they were admitted to 
 the sacrament of baptism. Their zeal to maintain the purity of their 
 character was great, as was also their horror of whatever might de- 
 file that purity. Living in times of persecution, they were less 
 exposed to dangerous occasions of sin in the world, and they gave 
 
 their 
 
166 
 
 their attention more to God, and the great affair of the salvation of 
 their souls, having their conversation in heaven. 
 
 Yet, even in those times of fervor, many fell into sin ; who having 
 lost the innocence imparted by their first baptism, could only recover 
 grace and find salvation, through the second baptism of true penance. 
 For the regulation of the practice of doing penance, penitential ca- 
 nons, or rules prescribing a proportioned penance for different kinds 
 of sins, were formed so early as the second century. The disci- 
 pline of canonical penances was in force, both in the Eastern and 
 Western Churches, in the second century, and is treated of at large 
 in whole volumes by Tertullian, the oldest Latin ecclesiastical writer, 
 by St. Cyprian, and others. We have extant the canonical epistle of 
 St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, in the East, written in the year 250, so 
 called, because in it, he prescribes Canons or rules apportioning 
 penances to the quality and enormity of sins. We have also, in that 
 and the following century, the canonical epistles of St. Dionysius, 
 of St. Peter of Alexandria, of St. Basil, and of St. Gregory of Nyssa, 
 and the penitential canons of many councils. These canonical epistles 
 of the Greek Church are published by Bp. Beveridge, in his Canones 
 Ecclesice GrceccB, torn. ii. In England, St. Theodore, Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, in the year 690, and Egbert, Archbishop of York, 
 in the year 740, published their Penitentials. This discipline, though 
 with some mitigations in several places, was enforced both in the 
 Latin and Greek Church, for the space of twelve hundred years. 
 
 In the long list of sins which the canons detail, and for which specific 
 penances were enjoined, some are such, as could have been known 
 only by the voluntary confession of the sinner. Therefore the enforce- 
 ment of the canons, and the enforcement, or duty, of confession, public 
 or private, went together. Penitents, before Lent, confessed their 
 sins to the Bishop, or some of the Priests approved by him for this 
 function. The very name of Shrovetide signifies, in the language of 
 our Saxon ancestors, the time of confessing of sins, which they did, 
 before the beginning of Lent. If the Priest, who received the con- 
 fession, found any case to require canonical penance, the penitent 
 was remitted to the Bishop, or his Penitentiary, who enjoined the 
 terms and conditions of the penance, according to the canons. Those 
 who were guilty of public scandalous sins, were ordered to make a 
 public confession of them. But a public confession of secret sins 
 was not required. The manifestation of some was strictly forbidden. 
 Yet even those who had privately confessed their secret sins, might 
 perform a course of penance, without betraying their guilt ; as in 
 those times, many, innocent of any crime, voluntarily subjected 
 themselves, out of devotion, to a course of penance such as the 
 canons prescribed for sinners. 
 
 If 
 
16? 
 
 If a woman had been guilty of adultery, and her sin was secret, 
 it was forbidden to subject her to such a course of penance, as would 
 raise any suspicion of her crime. St. Basil declared, in his canonical 
 epistle to St. Amphilochius, " That women guilty of adultery, and 
 who had corifessed it, should not be exposed to public notice, agreeably 
 to what the Fathers had appointed ; lest it should be an occasion of 
 her death." St. Basil ep. 199, ad. Amphiloc. Can. 34, t. ii. p. 171, 
 or torn iii. p. 295. 
 
 When some had indiscreetly required sinners to make a public 
 confession of secret sins, St. Leo condemned their presumption, which 
 he calls unjust, and contrary to the apostolic rule, " Since it is enough," 
 says he, " to discover the guilt of consciences in secret confession, to 
 the Priests alone." St. Leo, ep. 136. 
 
 It is evident therefore that the secret, as well as public confession of 
 sins was practised, in the Christian Church, both in the East and West, 
 during the twelve-hundred years, beginning with the second century, 
 that the penitential canons were in force. This confession was made 
 with a view of obtaining sacramental absolution of the sins con- 
 fessed, which, according to the practice of Rome, was given to public 
 penitents, on the Thursday before Easter, as Pope Innocent I. testi- 
 fies, in his canonical epistle to Decentius, cited above. 
 
 Note [L], page 99. 
 
 The Fast of Lent, an Apostolical Institution, observed, 
 in the earliest ages of the Christian Church, as a duty 
 of conscientious Obligation. 
 
 If we trace back the religious observance of Lent, in the Christian 
 Church, through every age from the present time, we shall find it 
 clearly mentioned in the councils and ecclesiastical writers of every 
 century, up to the very first. These monuments and vouchers, in all 
 parts of the church, evidently carry it as high as any such monuments 
 are extant, that is to the time, when the immediate disciples of the 
 Apostles were living and governed the chief sees. 
 
 The dispute which was raised in the second century about the day 
 on which the feast of Easter was to be kept, was called by Eusebius 
 (lib. v, Hist. cap. 23) the question about the time, " when the solemn 
 fast was to be closed." St. Polycarp went to Rome to confer with 
 Pope Anicetus on this subject, in the year 158. 
 
 Origen, about the year 254, writes : " We have the days of Lent 
 consecrated to fasting. Also the fourth and sixth days of the week, 
 on which we solemnly fast. Homil. xi, in Levit. t. ii. In Homil. x. 
 he names the " forty days fast of Lent." 
 
 The 
 
108 
 
 The council of Laodicea, held about 364, enacts, ** That all the 
 days of Lent must be observed in fasting, and that Thursday in the 
 last week is not to be excepted." Can.i. Cone. Gen. toni. i, p. 1506.. 
 
 St. Athanasius, before the year 373, says, speaking of what had 
 been done by Gregory the Arian, " These things were transacted in 
 the holy time of Lent itself, about the feast of Easter, when the 
 brethren fasted." In Encycl. t. 1. p. 114. 
 
 St. Basil, about the same time, writes, " To them who willingly 
 undertake it, fasting is at all times, profitable — but chiefly now, when 
 a solemn fast is every where published. There is no island, no con- 
 tinent, no city, no nation, no corner of the earth, where it is not 
 heard. — Let no one then exclude himself from the number of fasters ; 
 in which number every age, all ranks, take their place." Homil. ii. de 
 Jejun. torn ii. 
 
 St. Ambrose writes about the year 397, " Except Saturday and 
 Sunday, we fast every day in Lent." Lib. de Elia et Jejunio c. 
 10. torn i. 
 
 St. Augustin teaches, before the year 430, that the fast of Lent 
 is recommended by the authority of the fasts of Moses and Elias in 
 the old law, and of Christ in the Gospel. " Christ fasted forty days, to 
 shew that the Gospel was not in opposition to the law and the Pro- 
 phets." Lib. ii. ad Inquisit. Januarii, torn ii, c. xxv — " Before Easter 
 we fast forty days." Tract xvii, in Joan, torn ix — " There are forty 
 days, most holy over the earth, which all Christians, whom God re 
 conciles to himself in Christ, observe with singular devotion, as Easter 
 approaches." Serm. de diversis, 73, torn. x. 
 
 The ancient Fathers attest that the Fast of Lent is an Apostolical 
 tradition, or institution. 
 
 St. Jerom writes, in his 27th epistle to Marcella, before the year 
 420, " We fast one Lent by Apostolical tradition, the whole world 
 agreeing with us herein." 
 
 St. Leo, about 450, says, " Let the Apostolical institution of forty 
 days be spent in fasting." Serm. vi, de Quadrages. 
 
 St. Isidore, of Seville, says, about the year 630, " Lent is kept 
 over the whole world, by an Apostolic institution." Orig. lib. vi, 
 c. 19. 
 
 The fast of Lent was enforced and observed in the primitive ages, 
 as a duty of conscientious obligation. 
 
 St. Caesarius, of Aries, about the year 540, pronounces, that " To fast 
 on other days is a remedy of sin, and entitles to a reward. Not to fast 
 in Lent, is a sin. He who fasts at another time, shall obtain pardon. 
 He who is able and does not fast on these days, shall suffer punish- 
 ment." Horn. ii. 
 
 St. Ambrose says, " To neglect entirely, the fast of Lent is a 
 
 sacrilege ; 
 
169 
 
 sacrilege : to transgress it in part, is a sin." Homil. vii, now xxifi, 
 n.2. 
 
 In the 69th of the Apostolical Canons, it is enacted, " If any 
 Bishop, Priest, Deacon, Reader, or Precentor, does not fast the 
 forty days of the Passover, or (the weekly stations of) Wednesday 
 and Friday, unless through bodily weakness he be not able, let him 
 be deposed. But if he he a layman, let him be excommunicated." 
 
 From the Canons of Councils, the writings of the Fathers, and 
 the practice of the church, from the first ages down to the present 
 time, it appears that the fast of Lent was observed from the begin- 
 ning as an Apostolical and ecclesiastical law, binding all Christians, 
 as far as health and strength permitted. 
 
 Note [M], p. 99. 
 
 Holy Orders, Matrimony, and extreme Unction, were 
 administered, in the earliest ages of the cliurch, as 
 Sacraments or Institutions of Christ, by which grace 
 was conferred. 
 
 1°. On Holy Orders. 
 
 The principal rite by which Bishops, Priests, and Deacons were 
 ordained from the beginning, was the imposition of hands, accom- 
 panied with a set form of words ; to this other rites were added, 
 which belonged at least to the integrity of the ordination. By the 
 sacred rite of ordination, the ministers of the church were conse- 
 crated, and power and grace were given to them to perform such 
 offices, as belong to their order, and regard the worship of God and 
 the salvation of souls. 
 
 The rite of ordination, by which this sacred character, this power 
 and grace are conferred on those who are made ministers of Christ, 
 was practised from the beginning in the Christian Church. 
 
 In the fourth Council of Carthage, in the year 398, mention is 
 made of the ordination of Bishops, Priests ; and Deacons, by the 
 imposition of hands, and prayer. On the ordination of a Priest it is 
 there said, " When a Priest is ordained, while the Bishop blesses him, 
 and holds his hand over his head, the other Priests present shall hold 
 their hands near to that of the Bishop, over his head." Cone. Carth. 
 can. ii. Cone. Gen. torn. ii. 
 
 St. Ambrose, or the ancient author of the book on the sacerdotal 
 dignity among the works of St. Ambrose, speaks of the character 
 and grace conferred by the sacrament of orders, in these words, 
 " Who gives the episcopal grace ? God, or Man ? You will answer 
 without doubt, God : yet God gives it by the ministry of man. It is 
 
 z man 
 
170 
 
 man who imposes his hand, it is God who bestows the grace. The 
 Minister imposes his suppliant right hand ; and God gives the blessing 
 with his powerful right hand. The Bishop performs the rite of the 
 ordination ; but it is God who confers the dignity of the sacred cha- 
 racter." cap. v. 
 
 St. Chrysostom speaks the same language, in his 14th Homily, on 
 the acts of the Apostles, on the words, and when they had prayed, 
 they laid their hands upon them. (Actsvi, 6.) " They were ordained 
 by prayer. This is the ^s^«tov<«, the laying on of hands, that is, ordi- 
 nation. The hand is laid on, but God operates: it is his hand, when 
 the ordination is duly performed, that touches the head." torn. ix. 
 The holy Father here teaches that spiritual grace is conferred by the 
 operation of God, when this external right is performed. 
 
 The same doctor of the church expresses himself in the following 
 words, on the origin and excellence of the powers of the Christian 
 Priesthood. " Though the Priesthood be exercised on earth, yet it 
 is of a heavenly character. For neither man, nor angel, nor arch- 
 angel, nor any created power, but the Holy Ghost himself, esta- 
 blished that sacred order, and taught men to think, that they exer- 
 cised a ministry of angels, in a mortal body. Wherefore, whoever 
 is exalted to the Priesthood, ought to be as pure, as if he were 
 already in heaven, among those blessed spirits. When you see our 
 Lord, placed upon the altar, and there offered up, the Bishop cele- 
 brating the sacrifice, and praying, purpled, as it were, with that 
 precious blood, do you seem to yourself to be amongst men, and still 
 dwelling on earth ? Living, as yet, upon earth, Priests dispense the 
 things of heaven, and they have received a power, which God would 
 not give to angels, nor archangels. It was not to angels, but to 
 Priests that he said, whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall he bound 
 in heaven, and ivhatsoever yon shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in 
 heaven. (Matt, xviii. 18.) Temporal princes have power to bind 
 the body; the episcopal power binds the soul, and is connected with 
 heaven ; God ratifying above, what the Bishop does below ; the 
 Master confirming the sentence of his servant." St. Chrysostom, De 
 Sacerdotio, lib. iii, torn. iv. 
 
 St. Augustin teaches, that ordination is a sacrament, no less than 
 baptism. " Both (baptism and order) are sacraments, and both are 
 by a certain consecration given to man : the first, when he is bap- 
 tised : the second, when he is ordained : and, therefore, in the Ca- 
 tholic Church, neither of them is repeated." St. Aug. contra Ep. 
 Parmen. lib. ii, cap. xiii, torn. vii. 
 
 St. Leo writes, " Besides the authority of general practice, which 
 we know to have come down from the teaching of the Apostles, the 
 Scripture declares, that when Paul and Barnabas, by the command 
 
 of 
 
171 
 
 of the Holy Spirit, were sent to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, 
 they (Simon, Lucius, and Manahen,) fasting and praying, laid their 
 hands upon them ; and this, that we might know, how great should 
 be the caution of them that give, and of them that receive it, that the 
 sacrament of so high a grace be not performed negligently." Ep. xi, 
 al. Ixxxi, ad Dioscor. Alex. 
 
 In the Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius, we have the prayers for the 
 blessing of those who are thereby promoted to different orders. — Li- 
 turgia Romana vetus, edente L. A. Muratorio, torn, i, p. 621, 622. 
 
 In the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, the greater part of the prayers 
 and ceremonies, by which all the orders are conferred, are given 
 nearly in the same words and form, as those which are now observed 
 in the Roman Pontifical. — See Liturgia Romana, torn, ii, p. 405, &c. — 
 Ex Codice Vaticano, sseculi Decimi. 
 
 2°. On Matrimony. 
 
 Christian matrimony was, from the first ages of the church, consi- 
 dered as a sacrament, by which grace is given to those, who worthily 
 receive it. 
 
 Tertullian, about 245, thus speaks of a Christian marriage : — " How 
 can I describe the happiness of that marriage, which the church ap- 
 proves, the oblation confirms, the angels proclaim when sealed, and 
 the Father ratifies." Lib. ad Uxorem, c. ix, p. 282. 
 
 St. Ambrose, about the year 397, writes, " We know, that God is 
 the Lord, and the guardian of marriage, who will not suffer another's 
 bed to be defiled. He that commits this crime, sins against God, 
 whose law he violates, whose favour he renounces ; and therefore, 
 because he sins against him, he loses the participation of this hea- 
 venly sacrament." Lib. i, de Abraham, c. vii, torn. i. — In his 33d 
 Epistle ad Vigil, the same Father says, " The marriage must be ren- 
 dered holy, by the sacerdotal blessing." 
 
 St. Augustin speaks of marriage as a sacrament in various parts of 
 his works. In his book de Bono Conjug he writes, " In the marriages 
 of our women, the sanctity of the sacrament is of the greatest weight," 
 c. xviii, t. vi. " In all nations, the great good of marriage consists in 
 the propagation of children, and the fidelity of the parties ; but among 
 Christians, there is, besides, the holiness of the sacrament." Ibid, 
 c. xxiv. 
 
 St. Leo, about 460, teaches, that " the nuptial union has, from the 
 beginning, been so appointed, that besides the conjunction of man 
 and woman, there should also be the sacrament of Chiist, and his 
 church.'' Ep. ii, al. xcii, ad Rusticum. 
 
 The doctrine, that Christian matrimony is a sacrament, which con- 
 fers grace on the parties, who worthily receive it, is indeed the common 
 
 z 2 doctrine 
 
17* 
 
 doctrine of the Latin and Greek church, even of all the heretical and 
 schismatical churches in the East, as is evident from the rituals and 
 books of the administration of sacraments, used by the Greek church, 
 and the churches of the Copths, the Jacobites, the Nestorians, and 
 other*. 
 
 3°. On Extreme Unction. 
 
 This sacred rite, which is administered in the Roman Catholic 
 church to dying persons, in order to strengthen them with grace to 
 bear their sickness with patience, and to die happily, has been used 
 as a sacrament, both by the Latin and Greek churches, from the 
 earliest times. 
 
 Pope Innocent I. about the year 417, in his letter to Decentius, 
 an Italian Bishop, after having remarked, that the traditions of the 
 Apostles should be every where observed, and particularly those of 
 Rome, which are derived from St. Peter, says, " You cite the words 
 of St. James, Is any man sick among you, let him bring in the priests 
 of the church, &c. This passage, doubtless, is to be understood of 
 the sick among the faithful, who may be anointed with the holy 
 chrism ; which, when consecrated by the Bishop, not only Priests, 
 but all Christians, may use, in anointing themselves and others, in 
 
 cases of necessity When the Bishop can, or is inclined to attend, 
 
 he may give his blessing, and anoint with that chrism, which it was 
 his office to consecrate." Ep. ad Decent. Cone. Gen. torn. ii. 
 
 St. Augustin thus spoke to the faithful: — " As often as sickness 
 happens, the sick man should receive the body and blood of Christ, 
 and then anoint his body, in order to comply with the words of the 
 Apostle, Is any man sick among you, &c. Consider, brethren, that he 
 who, in his sickness, has recourse to the church, will deserve to ob- 
 tain the restoration of his health, and the forgiveness of his sins." 
 Serm. cexv. de temp. t. x. 
 
 In the Sacramentary of St. Gregory the Great, are found the 
 ancient rite of blessing the holy oil, with which the sick are to be 
 anointed, and the form of administering this sacrament, by prayer, 
 and the unction of the senses of the sick person, with the blessed oil. 
 It is there prescribed, that he should be anointed in the form of a 
 cross. The Priest says, " I anoint thee with the holy oil, in the 
 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, &c 
 
 and may this sacred unction of oil be to thee an expulsion of disease 
 and weakness, and the wished-for remission of all thy sins." Then 
 he communicates him, with the body and the blood of the Lord." 
 S. Greg. lib. Sacrament. Oratio ad infirmum ungendura. 
 
 Note 
 
173 
 
 Note [N] p. 100. 
 
 In the Primitive Times it was held necessary that all 
 Churches, and the faithful Disciples of Christ, wher- 
 ever THEY WERE DISPERSED, SHOULD BE IN COMMUNION WITH 
 
 the particular cliurch of rome, as the first church 
 in the Christian World, and the centre of Unity. 
 
 St. Irenaeus, who died in the year 202, thus expresses himself on 
 this subject: — " As it would be tedious to enumerate the whole list 
 of successors in all the episcopal sees, I shall confine myself to that 
 of Rome, the greatest, and most ancient, and most illustrious church, 
 founded by the glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul, receiving from 
 them her doctrine, which was announced to all men, and which, 
 through the succession of her Bishops, is come down to us. With 
 this church, on account of its superior headship, it is necessary that 
 every other church, that is, the faithful of all countries, should be in 
 communion, (convenire). They, therefore, having founded and in- 
 structed this church, committed the administration thereof to Linus, 
 To him succeeded Anacletus ; then, in the third place, Clement. To 
 Clement succeeded Evaristus, to him Alexander, and then Sixtus, 
 who was followed by Telesphorus, Hyginus, Pius, and Anicetus. But 
 Soter having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius, the twelfth from the 
 Apostles, now governs the church." Adv. Here. 1. iii, c. iii. 
 
 Tertullian, who died in 245 writes. " Let them (the heretics) pro- 
 duce the origin of their Churches ; the regular succession of their 
 Bishops. Smyrna has her Polycarp, appointed by St. John : Rome 
 her Clement, ordained by St. Peter ; and so the other Churches. . . . 
 In Italy there is Rome; an authority, to which we can readily appeal. 
 Happy Church, which the great Apostles fully impregnated with all 
 their doctrine and with their blood." De Praescrip. c. xxxii and xxxvi. 
 
 St. Cyprian, who suffered martyrdom in 258, writing to Pope 
 Cornelius, states the improper conduct of certain Schismatics, who 
 had gone from Africa to Rome, and says ; "After these attempts, having 
 chosen a Bishop for themselves, they dare to sail and to carry letters 
 from Schismatics and profane men to the chair of Peter, and to the 
 principal Church, •whence the sacerdotal unity took its rise ; not reflect- 
 ing, that the members of that Church are Romans, whose faith was 
 praised by St. Paul, to whom perfidy can have no access." Ep. 59. 
 
 St. Optatus of Milevis, about the year 380, writes thus to Par- 
 menianus the Donatist, " You cannot deny that St. Peter, the chief 
 of the Apostles, established an episcopal chair at Rome : this chair 
 was one ; that all others might preserve unity, by the union which they hold 
 with it ;.. .. so that now, he is a Schismatic and an offender, who 
 sets up another, against the only chair." De Schismat. Donat Lib. 2. 
 
 St. 
 
17* 
 
 St. Jerom, seeing a division in the church of Antioch, and not 
 knowing whom to adhere to, wrote two letters to Pope Damasus, in 
 376 or 377, to consult him, how he ought to act. In the first he says, 
 " I am joined in communion with your Holiness ; that is, with the 
 chair of Peter. Upon that rock I know the church is built. Who- 
 ever eats the lamb out of that house, is a profane person. Whoever 
 
 is not in the ark, shall perish in the deluge Whoever gathers 
 
 not with you, scatters ; he who is not Christ's, belongs to Anti- 
 christ Order me, if you please, what I should do." Not receiv- 
 ing a speedy answer, St. Jerom wrote a second letter, conjuring his 
 Holiness to answer his difficulties, and not despise a soul, for which 
 Jesus Christ died. " On one side," says he, " the Arian fury rages, 
 supported by the secular power : on the other side the church (at 
 Antioch) being divided into three parts, each would needs draw me 
 to itself. All the time, I cease not to cry out, Whoever is united to 
 the chair of Peter, he is mine !" Ep. 14 & 16, ad Damas. 
 
 From these and other testimonies, which might be cited, we may 
 see, that in the early ages of the Christian church, the Bishop of 
 Rome, as the successor of St. Peter, was respected as the visible head 
 of the church of Christ on earth, as the common Father of the faith- 
 ful, and as the centre of unity, in faith and government. We may 
 also see, that all true Christians felt it to be their duty, to be united 
 in communion with him, as members with their head, as children with 
 their Father, and as subjects of the kingdom of Christ, of which he 
 was acknowledged to be the supreme Ruler on earth. 
 
 Note [O], page 100. 
 
 The Bishops of Rome have ever been acknowledged, from 
 the earliest ages of christianity, as the supreme 
 Rulers on Earth of the whole Church of Christ; and 
 have exercised an acknowledged primacy of spiritual 
 Jurisdiction, as of Divine Right, over all other par- 
 ticular Christian Churches. 
 
 The truth of this assertion will be shewn, by well attested acts of 
 the acknowledged exercise of this superior jurisdiction over the 
 Eastern and Western Churches, before and after the division of the 
 empire. 
 
 1°. Pope Victor, in order to maintain unity of discipline in the 
 church, insisted on the churches of Lesser Asia conforming to 
 the observance of the church of Rome, and of other Christian 
 churches, respecting the time of celebrating Easter. Several coun- 
 cils held at Rome, in Palestine, in Gaul, and other places, had una- 
 nimously determined the point, according to the Roman custom. 
 
 Polycrate*, 
 
175 
 
 Polycratea, and other Asiatic Bishops, were determined to adhere to 
 their own custom. Pope Victor, at last, threatened to cut them off 
 from the communion of the church. St. Irenseus, in 200, wrote a let- 
 ter to the Pope, in his own name, and in that of his brethren in Gaul, 
 recommending a toleration of the custom for some time longer, and 
 advising him, not totally to cut off so many churches from the body 
 of the universal church. But neither the Asiatic Bishops, whom 
 Pope Victor had threatened with excommunication, if they refused to 
 comply with his requisition ; nor those, who endeavoured to dissuade 
 him, out of motives of prudence and charity, from carrying his threat 
 into execution, are known to have ever questioned his right to enforce 
 his requisition. What could have given the Bishop of Rome juris- 
 diction over the churches in Asia, but the character of Supreme 
 Pastor of the Universal Church ? See Euseb. lib. 5, Hist. c. 24, et 
 epist. Polycrat. ad Vict, ibidem. 
 
 2°. About the year 255, St. Stephen, Bishop of Rome, condemned 
 the practice of rebaptising those, who had been otherwise, in due 
 form, baptised by heretics. He required that St. Cyprian, of Car- 
 thage, and Firmilianus, of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, should conform to 
 the tradition of the church in that respect; and threatened them with 
 excommunication if they did not comply. By what authority did 
 Pope Stephen act? By the supreme authority of the Apostolic See, 
 as Firmilianus insinuates, in his epistle to St. Cyprian, torn, i, Cone, 
 page 757. 
 
 St. Vincent, of Lerins, observes on this subject, in his first Commo- 
 nitorium, cap. 5, " Then Stephen, of blessed memory, Bishop of the 
 Apostolic See, made resistance, together with his other colleagues, to 
 the erroneous practice of St. Cyprian, &c, distinguishing himself above 
 the rest by his zeal ; and thinking it becoming, I conceive, so much 
 to surpass all others by his exertions, in defending the faith, as he was 
 raised above them all by the authority of his. see." St. Cyprian him- 
 self, in his letter to Pope Cornelius, calls the church at Rome, the 
 chair of Peter, and the principal churchy tvhence the sacerdotal unity 
 took its rise, &c. Ep. 59. 
 
 3°. About the year 269, some of the faithful of Alexandria, sus- 
 pecting St. Dionysius, the Patriarch of that See, of entertaining opi- 
 nions against the consubstantiality of the Son, laid an accusation 
 against him, before St. Dionysius, Bishop of Rome. The Pope called 
 upon the Patriarch to give to him an account of his faith. The 
 Patriarch cleared himself, by the letter, which he accordingly wrote, 
 to refute the charge, and defend his character. St. Athanasius bears 
 testimony to this fact, in his book on the Synods of Rimini and Seleu- 
 cia. Why did the Catholics of Alexandria carry their charge against 
 their Patriarch to the Bishop of Rome? Why did the Patriarch of 
 
 Alexandria 
 
176 
 
 Alexandria Submit to justify himself before the Bishop of Home; but 
 because they acknowledged in his see a superior tribunal and juris- 
 diction, even over the Patriarchs of the East ? 
 
 4»°. When St. Athanasius was expelled from his see, by the Arians, 
 Pope Julius cited him and his enemies, before the tribunal of the 
 Apostolic See. Why did these Patriarchs, and other Bishops of the 
 East, submit to these citations? Was not this an acknowledgment 
 of their subordination to the superior authority of the Bishop of 
 Rome ? Pope Julius, in his celebrated epistle to the Eusebians, in 
 the year 341, inserted by St. Athanasius in his second Apology 
 against the Arians, says, that he had cited to a synod at Rome Atha- 
 nasius, whom they had accused. " He came," says the Pope, M not of 
 his own accord, but after he was sent for, and had received our letters. 
 .... But why was not particular information communicated to us, con- 
 cerning the church of Alexandria ? Do you not know, that it is the 
 custom, for the case to be first laid before us in writing, in order that 
 from hence a just decision may be sent ? Certainly, if any such sus- 
 picion were entertained against the Bishop of that see, it should have 
 been communicated to this church. . . .The rule which I give you, is 
 that, which we have received from the blessed Apostle Peter, and I 
 believe it to be so well known to every body, that 1 should not have 
 mentioned it, had I not been thrown into such a state of anxiety by 
 what has taken place." 
 
 From this letter of Pope Julius, which St. Anthanasius himself in- 
 serted in his Apology, it appears, that St. Athanasius, Patriarch of 
 Alexandria, obeyed the citation of the Pope ; that what the Pope did 
 on this occasion, was not a novel act, but an ancient custom ; and that 
 in following it, he proceeded according to the rule of government 
 received from St. Peter. 
 
 On this subject Theodoret writes, lib. ii, Hist. c. 3, torn. 3, " The 
 Eusebians sent to Julius, the Roman Bishop, the calumnies which 
 they had got up against Athanasius. Julius, following the ecclesias- 
 tical rule, commanded them to come to Rome, and appointed a day 
 for the hearing of Athanasius." 
 
 5°. Pope Julius, in the year 341, by his apostolical authority, re- 
 stored St. Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria ; Paul, Bishop of Con- 
 stantinople; Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra ; Asclepas, Bishop of Gaza; 
 and Lucius, Bishop of Adrianople, to their sees, of which they had 
 been deprived by the Arians. Of this proceeding Sozomen writes in 
 the following words, lib. iii, Hist. Eccles. cap. 7 : — " When the Bishop 
 of Rome had heard the accusations against them, and had found that 
 these Bishops all adhered to the faith of the Council of Nice, he re- 
 ceived them to his communion. And as, by the dignity of his see, 
 he was charged with the care of all, he reinstated each one in his own 
 
 respective 
 
177 
 
 respective church." — Socrates, lib. 2, c. 15, also states, that " Atha- 
 nasius, Paul, Asclepas, Marcellus, and Lucius, went to Rome, and 
 exposed their case to Julius, Bishop of that city. He, by virtue of the 
 prerogative of his see, sending them with letters, full of vigour, to 
 the Bishops in the East, restored to each of them his respective see." 
 It was by the supreme authority and prerogative of the See of Rome, 
 that this jurisdiction was exercised over Bishops and Patriarchs in 
 Asia, and Egypt. 
 
 6°. When Eustathius, Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, had been con- 
 demned and deposed by a council of Arians, held at Melitina in 360, 
 he appealed to Pope Liberius. The Pope restored him to his see, after 
 he had complied with the proposals made to him. Eustathius produced 
 the letters of the Pope, before the Bishops assembled in council at 
 Tyana, in Cappadocia; and in consequence, without any question 
 about the authority of Pope Liberius, he was put in possession of his 
 church. This is stated by St. Basil the Great, in his 74th letter, ad 
 Occidentales Episcopos de Eustathio Sebasteno. 
 
 7°. In the year 403, St. Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, 
 was unjustly condemned, and deposed, by a synod of thirty-six 
 Bishops, held in a church at Chalcedon, called the Synod at the Oak ; 
 where Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, presided. St. Chrysostom 
 wrote to Pope Innocent, entreating him to declare null and void all 
 that had been done, as no injustice could be more notorious. His 
 letter to the Pope is conceived in these words : — " Write, I pray, and 
 by your authority decree, that these iniquitous acts, done in my ab- 
 sence, and without any refusal on my part to submit to a lawful tribunal, 
 shall be of no effect. Subject the authors of these proceedings to the 
 censures of the church. Send your orders, that I, who am innocent, 
 who am not convicted, nor proved, nor found guilty of any crime, may be 
 restored to my church." Epist. 1, ad Innocent. — Surely this appeal from 
 St. John Chrysostom, the most illustrious Patriarch of Constantinople, 
 to the Pope, was a strong testimony of the authority of the tribunal 
 of the Apostolic See, and of the superior jurisdiction of the Bishop of 
 Rome over even the Patriarchs of the East. The ancient custom of 
 appealing to Rome, had been confirmed by the 3d, 4th, and 7th 
 Canons of the General Council of Sardica, in 347, which was as an 
 appendix to the Council of Nice. By those Canons, it was declared, 
 that any Bishop deposed by a synod in his province, has a right to 
 appeal to the Bishop of Rome. 
 
 8°. When the Council of Milevum, in Africa, had, in 416, con- 
 demned the Pelagian errors, St. Augustin wrote a letter to Pope 
 Innocent I. in the name of the council, in these words : — " Since the 
 Lord, by the signal gift of his grace, has placed you in the Apostolic 
 See, and. in our times, has exhibited such a character in your person, 
 that it will be rather imputed to our negligence, than to any haugh- 
 
 2 A tines* 
 
178 
 
 tiness or neglect of duty on your part, if we do not expose to your 
 Holiness, what seems necessary for the good of the church ; we there- 
 fore beseech you to give your pastoral attention to the dangers of the 
 weak members of Christ. A new heresy, a pernicious tempest has 
 been raised, by the enemies of the grace of Christ, who are endea- 
 vouring, by their impious discourses, to deprive us of the blessing we 
 implore in the Lord's Prayer But we think, that with the mer- 
 ciful aid of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is pleased to direct you, when 
 you apply to him for counsel, and to grant your petitions, those, who 
 entertain these perverse and pernicious doctrines, will yield to the 
 authority of your Holiness, which is derived from the authority of the 
 Holy Scriptures," &c. Epis. 92, ad Innoc. 1. 
 
 Could Pope Innocent have exercised his apostolical authority in 
 the churches of Africa, in suppressing the Pelagian errors, if he had 
 not been the Supreme Pastor of the whole church ? Could St. Au- 
 gustin, and the Bishops of this African council, have declared that 
 this authority, which they invoked, was derived from the authority of 
 the sacred Scriptures, if they had not acknowledged it to be of divine 
 institution, and divine right ? 
 
 Pope Innocent, in his answer to this letter, writes, " That all 
 ecclesiastical matters, throughout the world are, by divine right, to 
 be referred to the Apostolic See ; that is, to Peter, the author of its 
 name and honour." He commends the Bishops of this council, for 
 so doing : " Following," says he, " the ancient rule, which you know 
 with me, has been always observed, by the whole world." 
 
 The confirmation, given by Pope Innocent to the Council of Mile- 
 vum, and also to that of Carthage, held the same year, being brought 
 to Africa, St. Augustin said, " The decisions of the two councils 
 having been already sent to the Apostolic See, the rescripts are also 
 come from thence. The cause is now finished. Would to God, that 
 the error may at last have an end." St. Aug. Serm. 131, n. 10. 
 
 9°. Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, taught false doctrine in 
 his church. Pope Celestine, well informed of the fact, commissioned 
 St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, in his name, to proceed against 
 Nestorius, and to deprive him of the communion of the church, 
 unless he retracted his error. The Pope gave the commission to St. 
 Cyril in these terms : " Wherefore you, with the authority of this see, 
 and acting in our name, place, and power, shall execute this sentence, 
 with the utmost rigour ; viz. that, if within ten days, to be counted 
 from the day on which this our admonition is signified to him, he 
 does not in express terms anathematise his wicked doctrine, your 
 Holiness shall immediately provide for that see, and he shall know 
 that he is excommunicated." Epist. ad Cyrillum, 1 part. Cone. 
 Ephes. cap. 15. 
 The Bishops of the General Council of Ephesus, in 431, thought 
 
 it 
 
179 
 
 it their duty to comply with the injunction of this letter of Pope 
 Celestine. They motive the sentence of the deposition of Nestorius 
 in these words : " Compelled by the sacred canons, and by the epistle 
 of our most holy father and fellow minister, Celestine, Bishop of the 
 Church of Rome, bathed in tears, we proceed to pronounce this dole- 
 ful sentence against him." Act 1, Cone. Ephes. 
 
 In the second action, or session, the Pope's Legate spoke in these 
 terms : — u We give thanks to this holy and venerable Synod, that 
 after the letters of our holy and blessed Pope had been read to you, 
 you expressed your joyful feelings to your holy Head, by your accla- 
 mations. For you are not ignorant, that the blessed Apostle Peter is 
 the head of all the faithful, even of the Apostles." In this address 
 to the fathers of the council, the Bishop of Rome is called their head. 
 
 The same Legate spoke more explicitly on this subject in the third 
 action. " There is no doubt, indeed it is known to all ages, that the 
 most holy and blessed Peter, prince and head of the Apostles, pillar 
 of the faith, and foundation of the Catholic church, received the keys 
 of the kingdom from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Re- 
 deemer of mankind, and that the power of binding and loosing was 
 given to him ; who, to this time, and at all times, lives and exercises 
 judgment in his successors. Hence our holy and most blessed Pope 
 Celestine, Bishop, who is the successor in order, and holds the place 
 of Peter, has sent us to this synod, to supply his presence." 
 
 Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, spoke thus in the fourth action : — 
 " It was the duty of John, the most reverend Bishop of Antioch, con- 
 sidering this holy, and great, and general synod, to come without 
 delay, and clear himself of those things, which are laid to his charge, 
 before the Apostolic See of Rome, which is with us here ; and to 
 shew obedience, and to do honour to the apostolical holy Roman 
 Church of God, by which the Church of Antioch must be directed 
 and judged, as custom, derived from the apostolic rule and tradition, 
 particularly requires," This is the language of the Patriarch of Je- 
 rusalem, proclaiming, before a general council, held in the East, the 
 superior judicial authority of the Bishop of Rome over the Patriarch 
 of Antioch. 
 
 In the General Council of Chalcedon, held in 451, the Legates of 
 Pope Leo pronounced sentence against Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alex- 
 andria, in these words; — " Wherefore the holy and most blessed 
 Pope, Leo, head of the universal church, invested with the dignity of 
 the Apostle Peter, who is named the foundation of the church, and 
 the rock of the faith, and the keeper of the gate of the kingdom of 
 Heaven, hath, by us his legates, with the consent of the holy synod, 
 stripped him (Dioscorus) of his episcopal dignity, and removed him 
 from every sacerdotal function." Epist. S. Leonis ad Episcopos 
 Galliae. In this instance, Pope Leo exercised a high act of his pri- 
 macy, 
 
ISO 
 
 macy, in the General Council of Chalcedon ; when, in his name, and 
 by his authority, as head of the universal church, and as invested with 
 the dignity of Peter, sentence was pronounced against the second 
 Patriarch of the church, with the consent of the whole synod, acknow- 
 ledging this right and authority in the Bishop of Rome. 
 
 Must there not then be an error in the assertion, that the acts of 
 Councils, the language of Fathers, of Bishops, and even of Popes, con- 
 tradict the pretensions of the Papacy (to supreme spiritual jurisdic- 
 tion over every part of the Church of Christ), and trace its rise, after 
 the division of the empire, which took place about the year 378 ? 
 
 Surely sufficient proof is given, in the authentic testimonies cited 
 above, of the acknowledged exercise of the supreme jurisdiction of 
 the Bishop of Rome over the Bishops and Patriarchs of the East, in 
 many instances, before the period of the division of the empire. 
 Many instances might have been cited of the exercise of the same 
 jurisdiction in the West, but they were not necessary ; and it might 
 have been said by some, that the Bishop of Rome acted, in regard to 
 these churches, in his quality of Patriarch of the West. 
 
 This supreme jurisdiction, exercised by the Bishops of Rome over 
 •so many great churches, in different parts of the world, during the 
 first three centuries, was not derived from the concession of Bishops, 
 much less from the grants of Emperors or Princes; but it was a juris- 
 diction derived from the authority of the Sacred Scriptures, as St. 
 Augustin, and the African Bishops assembled in council at Milevum, 
 declared ; it was a supreme judicial and governing authority, which 
 descended to the Bishops of Rome, in succession from St. Peter ; it 
 was that same authority, which was originally given by Christ to St. 
 Peter, who lives, and exercises judgment in his successors, according 
 to the language spoken in the Council of Ephesus. The exercise of 
 this same supreme authority, by which the true church of Christ is 
 held together, in unity, may be traced through all ages to the present 
 time. 
 
 Thus, whilst the Holy Scriptures, and the genuine records of an- 
 cient usage and practice supply us with proof of the real authority, 
 and of the legitimate privileges conferred on the church, and derived 
 from Christ on all particular churches, which are true members of his 
 body; they shew also, that all these particular churches are subor- 
 dinate to the supreme authority of the chair of Peter, and of the prin- 
 cipal church, ichence the sacerdotal unity took its rise (St. Cyprian) ; 
 and that they are subject to the legitimate successor of St. Peter, the 
 Bishop of Rome, as members to the head of the visible church of 
 Christ on earth. 
 
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