brethren in episcopacy, would have to read the service to empty pews and deserted aisles.

Scotland pays her share of taxes in an equal ratio with England for the support of the government, and consequently, has an equal claim with England, for support in her various institutions. Let a demand, there

fore, be again made of government to obtain assistance for the Canadian Scottish establishment; let no discouragement they may receive, dishearten them; but let them repeat their attacks with renewed strength, till the government of necessity is compelled to grant what, in justice, ought to have been granted long ago.

PERHAPS, if we were to attempt it, we could not find, even in the edicts of the celebrated Hildebrand, more popish injunctions, than are to be found in the Puseyite essay on Christian Morals, by the Rev. Professor Sewell, who holds the moral philosophy chair in the once Protestant University of Oxford, which is now more renowned as the hot-bed of popish rites and superstitions; for from that nursery of youth in the paths of learning, there has, within the last few years, sprung up the deepest veneration for all sorts of papal tradition, and Romish ceremony. And although this feeling, which was threatening to ingulf the English church in the mysteries of Rome, has been seemingly quashed by the authority of the bishops, still it would seem to be alarmingly on the increase; whilst the most Jesuitical attempts are made by its followers in the promulgation of its doctrines; and none are more to be noted than the one before us, which is particularly addressed to the young-thinking, very probably, that it will be an easier task to stamp the importance of Puseyism on the minds of the young, than on those, whom the Professor regrets have had their eyes opened, and judge for themselves; instead of, as he recommends, taking the Parish Curate as the model of all the graces under the sun.

"You will criticise and judge me in all things, instead of docilely submitting to be guided by me and overruled." Thus, in the very outset of the work, an attempt is made to prevent the free exercise of the judgment. Why we are to submit to all he teaches, without criticism, is, we presume, on account of his inspiration by the Holy Spirit, so given him at baptism, and that infallibility which, as one of the apostolical succession, he here very significantly claims :

"You read 'Bruce's Travels.' They sound strange, but what harm arises from believing these to be true, even though, indeed, they were false? and what good pro

ceeds from doubting?" According to his own showing in another part of his work, there is much harm in believing that to be true, which, at the same time, may be false; for he says that what we have already believed in, we are not to give up on the mere ipse dixit of another, unless he can produce higher authority than his predecessor. Now, we will suppose "Bruce's Travels" all fable, and Park's all truth; the former comes first, delivers his tale, which we receive and believe in. Park arrives immediately afterwards and delivers his; but as we have already received the former's statement, we cannot receive the latter's, unless upon better authority than his mere ipse dixit. This, of course, he cannot give; he appeals to our sense of truth, this we cannot exercise; to our judgments - we dare not judge; and we must, therefore, receive Bruce's fables and reject Park's truth, contrary to the evidence of our judgment, and sense of truth, merely because the former came first, and the latter last. So much, then, for believing any thing we hear to the rejection of after statements; merely because such have no better authority than our reason to support them.

"The state agrees with your parent, and recommends, and, till lately, it would even compel, you to take the church as your instructor, and would prohibit others from drawing you away elsewhere, and would punish them for leading, and you for following. Even now the church is " established," that is, the government acknowledges it as the body whom it respects, and wishes to be respected and to be listened to by all its subjects. And so it has done for more than 1200 years. Now, with these two voices joining together, you must be running a great risk, setting at nought very grave testimony, if you adopt any other teacher than the clergyman of the parish." We have here a very candid avowal of the use which the Professor would make of the union between church and state; he regrets that the

days of penal enactments for nonconformity have passed by, and that the dissenter is allowed the free exercise of his reasoning faculties. As to the matter of punishment, we would esteem it heavier than we could bear, if we were compelled for a session to hear the Professor utter such anti-Christian humbug! If such is a sample of the tender mercies of the apostolic succession, we would add in the words of their liturgy, "From all such cruel monsters, good Lord, deliver us.' We are also informed that the state for 1200 years has called upon its subjects to listen unto, and respect the church.

In Henry VII.'s reign, the state called upon its subjects to obey the Pope and the papal ceremonies. In Henry VIII.'s time, it called upon them to

renounce

the Pope, and serve him as defender of the faith. In Edward VI.'s reign, it called upon the people to renounce popery, and conform to protestantism. In Mary's reign, it proclaimed Edward a heretic, and the state's edicts heresies, and commanded the Pope and his abominations to be again revered and worshipped. In Elizabeth's reign, it revoked the state's edicts of the former reign, and once more became protestant. In James II.'s reign, popery was again the order of the day; and in the next reign, it was again denounced, and protestantism proclaimed. Behold, then, the state edicts for the last 350 years, and we have quite enough of them without going back so far as 1200 years, which would only have been an enumeration of state follies and priestly impositions. Such is the result of conforming to state edicts in matters of religion, and giving up our own reason to be guided by others. We have also set before us very distinct information as to the extent of knowledge, the Professor would grant to Englishmen : "No one to set his authority above that of the clergyman of the parish," and to adopt any other teacher would be setting at nought very grave testimony.

What a

beautiful system is here laid open to our admiring view, whereby the minds of youth may be elevated and cultivated to the highest perfection! How high and admirable is our standard of perfection, how full of grace and virtue, how inspired with the love of all that is good and excellent, all that is sublime and lofty, is the parish parson! Surely the Professor is a man of discernment, and his Sancho Pancha a Christian Solomon ! This excellent and sole teacher of the young, may be a profound blockhead; profound in scanning a page of Latin, or repeating an ode of Homer, but whose head is as impenetrable to the entrance of common sense as a mile

stone. But yet this man, being parson of the parish, must be looked up to as a Solomon, whose word is law, and to contradict

VOL. I.

whom, would be a sin so deadly, that purgatorial fire could not rub it out.

Brought up, therefore, to believe the church, continue in it. Till a man impugns that belief, allow no doubt to intrude, and if doubt does intrude, reject it without seeking an answer-you do not need one. Where a man is found to impugn it, ask him, first, if he proposes to give you any thing instead? Has he any better authority of his own? Does he offer any good, threaten any evil? Will any ulterior measures follow if you do not listen to him? If none, turn away from him with contempt. He asks you to disallow your title to a possession wantonly, and for the sake of invalidating it, and for this only. Does he come threatening you with consequences, bid him first produce his own title-deeds. Ask the dissenter who claims to be a minister from God, with a right to assist you in your study, and in your practice of Christian ethics, 'Are you appointed? Have you been sent? Where is your commission? Where is the proof that I shall offend God by not listening to you? Where is the evidence that the message you would deliver really came from God?' Till they can show you this, rest secure as you are; you are obeying God in obeying your parents and your governors. And till he sends another messenger revoking their commission, you cannot depart from them without a grievous sin. This clergyman ought to say to you, I have neither will of my own, reason of my own, goodness of my own, nor power of my own; I am not an individual, but the representative of a vast body; each (of the clergy) acknowledging with me the same fact, that as individuals we are nothing."

Who

The truth of this latter assertion will not admit of even the shadow of a doubt. will question the fact thus honestly confessed, that the Puseyites of the establishment are in reality nonentities? What a representative of any body of men this parish nonentity must be! He tells us he has no reason of his own, we take his word for that without doubt; yet this non-reasoning mortal, this man without reason, is the intellectual model of the parish! O ye graces!

"I have no goodness of my own." We again very willingly allow the gentleman to be the best judge of his own worth, and at such valuation we take him. But, O ye Parish Beadles, what a model of virtue you have before your eyes; how much his excellence exceeds your loftiest conceptions; your very staves of office tremble at the approach of this spotless paragon; and this man is the standard of the intellect of the parish!

"I have no will of my own, nor power of my own. We suppose that when the Professor put these words into the mouth of his representative, he had an eye to that holy

C

state called matrimony, which, in many instances, makes laymen, as well as parish priests, dole out in mournful accents, "I have neither will of my own, nor power of my own."

We thank the Professor for the hint, seeing we have got both our will and power, and likely to keep them, if we do not fall in with the same customers as the miserable parish priest.

We are, likewise, to doubt nothing, even though that doubt be ever so strongly confirmed by our reason, if it be in regard to our faith. If this is not popery, we should much like to be informed what is; you are to make no use of the reason God has given you; it is a vain and useless thing, fit only to be exercised by dissenters; the church's wisdom is your reason, and on that wisdom you must rely, or be branded anathema. We appoint over you a man who declares he has no reason, but this man you are to take as your model of perfection and intellectuality, and beyond the ideas of this reasonless mortal, you are not to allow your intellects to soar, or it will be a very grievous sin, and you will incur the wrath of God in making use of that reason he has given you to honour, glorify, and enjoy him for ever. Behold, then, popery stamped on the black banner of Puseyism; it was by this system that popery raised its monstrous head, and exercised its deadly power over the souls and bodies of men. It took their reason away, knowing that such being accomplished, the united strength of nations would be unavailably opposed to Jesuitical craft and subtlety. So with Puseyism, it seeks to enslave the soul in awful adoration of the powers of the church, knowing that once having established such, the result afterwards was in its own hands. We, therefore, cannot too much attract attention to this aim of Puseyism, and to oppose such we say, "Prove all things." By this we shall ever be able to keep the deceits of Puseyism from blinding us, and so bringing us back to that dark night of popery and superstition, which so long held out against the advancement of civilization. We see, at the present moment, that wherever popery is in most power, ignorance and crime are greatest, and this will be wherever man is prevented the use of those reasoning powers, strengthened by a protestant religious education, which the ever blessed God gave him, for his well being, and his Creator's glory.

Popery hates the press, that splendid engine for the spread of knowledge, for its revelations is a heavy blow, and great discouragement to its numerous absurdities. The Professor tells his protégé to ask the dissenting clergyman the following questions; we shall represent the Dissenter, and a Puseyite parish priest the Establishment:

Puseyite. Are you appointed?

Dissenter. Yes; I am appointed by the flock over whom I am placed by God's grace, and am considered fit to teach the word of God by them, and by those from whom I received my Christian education and knowledge of Divine things. And now, having replied to your question, allow me to inquire of you, by whom you are appointed?

P. I am one of the Apostolic Catholic Church; one of the successors of the apostles, from whom I have my authority.

D. Produce such written authority.

P. There is none such required; I have it all from tradition.

D. Show me such tradition.

P. Such is not requisite, and besides, I cannot, as such is not written, but handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation; and this is even superior testimony to that of Scripture, seeing the evidence of Scripture depends on that given by tradition; I, therefore, have better authority than you, who merely take the Scriptures as your guide; but further, "Have you been sent?"

D. I consider I have been sent to preach the Gospel, as much as you have.

P. "Then show me your commission." D. With pleasure; in that blessed book, the Bible, which contains my creed, my law, and the articles of my faith, the Lord Jesus has commanded us, and all men, his disciples and followers, to go, preach the Gospel, and follow him. As one, therefore, of his Christian followers; as one desirous of proclaiming the glories of his grace, and the honour of his name, I have put on the badge of his ministry, even zeal for his glory; and now, according to the measure of his grace, the reason given me, and my knowledge of him through his written word, I proclaim the glad tidings of his salvation, as his disciple and ministering servant. But allow me to inquire of you, have you been sent, and where is your commission?

P. Though I have neither power, will, goodness, nor reason of my own, yet that "vast body," the clergy of the Episcopalian Church, known among ourselves as the apostolic succession, have delegated me to preach the Gospel, to be a light unto the parish in which I am placed, and the standard of all excellency unto the people. Being sent by such authority, and gifted by the Spirit of God, not only given me at baptism, but most copiously renewed on being "sent;" having also the power to forgive sins, and of binding or loosing, and all this given me by my church, composed of men such as me, having neither goodness nor reason, am I not, setting aside the trifling want of goodness, reason, will, and power, &c.; am I not, I say, more capable to preach the Gos

pel, and have stronger claims to the attention and reverence of the people than you, seeing my almost divine origin? But I have one more question for you, "Where is the evidence that the message you would deliver really came from God?"

D. My message, as I have already informed you, is from His written and revealed word, which has been handed down to me through sources on which I can rely; and have no doubt, from the internal testimony of such, the fulfilment of prophecies, and other events related therein, that that book is from God, the giver of all good. But allow me to put the same question to you?

P. The evidence of the truth of my message is also from Scripture, but there is a tradition, which no one but holy church has ever heard of, which informs me, that as a minister of the apostolic succession, I am entitled to command the respect and veneration of all men, more particularly of my parish, and this the state, for 1200 years, has commanded its subjects to grant. This is my authority; you cannot prove your Bible true, but we can, as it came to us, through the unbroken line of the apostolic army, from generation to generation. As to what we are accused of, in the shape of adding and taking from, mincing and changing of Scripture, ask the church; I cannot reply, as I have no reason nor will of my own to do so; my mother, holy church, keeps these useless things for me.

66

How came we here? did we come among you of ourselves without any authority to send us?" There is no fear but that the Puseyite priest will take good care that he has been regularly called in" before he gives his advice, so that, we believe, without doubt, that he has good authority as to the validity of his title-deeds before he appears in the parish.

"The church delegated to us the power, to which, if you would ever become good, you must have recourse at our hands." Implying that no goodness can exist out of the church, and consequently, that we poor Presbyterians, and English dissenters, have no hopes of ever becoming good, unless we blind our eyes, close our ears, exclude our reason, and embrace episcopacy.

"And they swear us to a rigid adherence to the truths which they put into our mouth. Nothing was to be added, nothing to be taken away." We suppose these truths of Puseyism stand in the place of unwritten tradition, which it has been thought most advisable to keep hid; and if they are what we stated, there will be no need to subtract the truth, whatever they may require added to them.

"It was not our own invention; it was put into our hands by others." How satis

factory it is to know that certain doctrines which a class of men promulgate, are not their invention: what authority for the truth of them! But this confession seems modest, as it evidently implies, that if the people imagined the doctrines to be of their invention, no credence would have been placed in them, but in leaving us to infer whose inventions they are, they imagine there may be some probability of their reception.

"Once more, these powers are very great; they are even awful; if not truly conferred by God, they are blasphemously assumed by man. I ask you, does this seem to indicate a human invention? Impostors indeed, have endeavoured to subdue the minds of followers, by vague threats and promises, which cannot be proved of Divine favour. But the promise of communicating to man the Divine nature itself, of bringing down the Deity from heaven, and infusing his own spirit into the souls of miserable mortals, this, which is nothing more than the every-day promise of the church, proclaimed and administered by every minister of the church, every time that he stands by the font, or serves at the altar-is it not so awful, so tremendous, that we scarcely bear to read it written, except in familiar words, which scarcely touch the ear? Should we not expect that such a lie, if lie it be; if God has never sanctioned the offer, must long since have drawn down vengeance on the blasphemer, instead of being preserved for 1800 years, as a great and holy treasure, the very palladium of the church, the cornerstone of the Christian faith, the salt of the earth?"

Truly, if such be the salt of the earth, it is that which has lost its savour, and fit only to be cast out, and trodden under feet of

men.

With regard to the powers claimed by the church, we agree with the Professor, that they are very great, very awful, and tremendous. If they are true, all dissenters are guilty in disobeying the church; if untrue, the church is guilty of gross blasphemy, lying, and deceit. Indeed, if there be one thing which our senses repudiate, it is these powers; for our every-day experience shows us, that the members of that church, whom she declares us having endowed with God's grace, and the influence of his Spirit; of having regenerated, and sanctified, and cleansed, are found, upon an average, to be as guilty of crime, as those who have not God's grace and the fa vour of his Spirit to uphold them. From this evidence of our sense, then, setting aside the plain contradiction of Scripture, as to the truth of them, we must at once decide, that as a delusion they are blasphemous, and a deceit upon the people. They are neither

founded on Scripture nor reason; but as a delusion, they are fit only to be practised on the blind, deaf, and senseless, as, on those who are in any manner enlightened, they would prove a folly. What can we say, then, of such powers? they are derogatory to the honour of God's name, and the glory of his saving grace.

The Professor forgets, in asserting that God would have visited his church with vengeance if her powers were a lie, that he has often so visited it with vengeance terrible. He counts back 1800 years since the church laid claim to such powers, which is false; but still, allowing such to be correct, does he mean to assert, against historic testimony, that God has not, at various times, terribly scourged his people for their sins? forgot the sufferings of the church under the heathen emperors of Rome? Has he forgot the overwhelming vengeance of the Lord, which destroyed the eastern Christians, who had denied the Divinity of the Saviour, by the sword of Mohammed, whose chief fury fell on them? Has he forgot how the

Has he

church suffered under the heathens of the Mohammedan countries? Has the sacking of Constantinople by the Mohammedan forces, in which the Greek church was nearly annihilated, slipped the memory of the Professor? and has the not lesser persecutions of the Babylonish Church of Rome also escaped his not very tenacious memory? Has he forgot the fires of Smithfield, and the martyrdom of his friend St. Charles the First, of traitor memory? Were there no signs of God's vengeance there? Can he still assert the want of God's warnings to an apostate church? If he can, and does, he is blinder than the mole, and deafer than the adder. It seems so odd, that one who can remember all the particularities of unwritten tradition, should have a memory so treacherous in regard to that which is written. He like

wise calls these powers the palladium of the church, the corner stone of Christianity. If the Professor had been a parish priest without reason, we should have set down his ignorance to such account; but as the sun and centre of Puseyism, its very "palladium and corner stone,' we cannot so ascribe it; and must, therefore, say, that such an assertion and belief, are derogatory to Christ's honour, Christ's word, Christ's cause, Christ's faith, and damnably fatal to the everlasting salvation of men's souls. What, is it possible, that we should live to hear a minister of the Episcopalian church, a church which, in pride of its doctrines and power, calls itself the only Holy Apostolic Catholic Church, that a minister of such, should be found laying his foundation on any other than Christ? The palladium, indeed! The corner stone, forsooth! If he had said that the powers of

the church, as claimed by Puseyism, were the paving stones of the road to hell, we should have believed him; for they are certainly more near to hell than heaven. And of this be assured, most Rev. Professor, that as ye now boast of having escaped God's judgments, as assuredly will you and your brother Puseyites be made the instruments in God's hands, of causing much trouble and suffering to the church of which ye are members. Ye shall see God's vengeance, proud boaster!

Talking of the state of the primitive church, he says:-

"For every bishop and diocese constituted a distinct church."

He is perfectly right here. A bishop's church was his congregation, and his diocese, where the members of such resided. Perfectly right, Sir. This time you have certainly hit it.

Again, as to the teaching of the church :"Such, then, are the grounds on which a minister of the church would claim, or ought to claim, to stand over you. The boy or young man who is now reading this little book, as your teacher and guide in the pursuit of your happiness and goodness, he has truths higher than man can reach, which you must learn; truths communicated by God to Christ, by Christ to his apostles, by the apostles to the Catholic church, by the Catholic church to our forefathers, from them passed on to this present generation, in this generation set before you each by the ministers whom the church has appointed. And they have powers mysterious and awful, which no mere human being could of himself pretend to possess; which through the same regular channel, successively derived from Christ, he will now exercise towards you, in making you, as you ought to be, wise, and good, and happy. No other professed minister of God in the country, can say the same. The Romanist has received the powers, but he confesses to have altered the doctrines, in the course of their transmission. The dissenter does not even pretend to have received either the power or the doctrines. He asserts, indeed, doctrines, and some few assert powers; but both are traced to man, to some human teacher of late date, or to some conception of his own, by which one man has wrought out one scheme, and another another, from the same words of the Bible. And thus both classes alike have imagined a creed, instead of receiving it, fixed and unalterable by an eternal revelation from God."

We are here told that the clergy have powers mysterious and awful, which no human being could of himself possess. To this he might have added, and which no human being ever saw exercised by those who falsely