every act of sin from the doubts which the Spirit of God suggests as to the goodness and prudence of his present conduct. So long as this is done, his belief is safe, for belief he has already. It was given to him in baptism. He has been brought up beneath it; as a child he never doubted. He has only to maintain what he possesses already, and to prevent it being snatched from him." "Doubting is not truth, but the very destroyer of truth."

From this quotation it will be seen how entirely the Professor would place the laymen under the dogmas of the priesthood. We are to doubt nothing coming from them, this doubting being the very destroyer of truth-he has made a mistake, he meant the destroyer of Puseyism. He says, so long as a man remains blind and deaf, his faith is secure. We think so too, and few will be found hardy enough to contradict the truism. And what that faith can be worth which requires these accompaniments to defend it, may be summed up in that small but comprehensive word-Nothing.

He again says, that as a child he never doubted. We grant he never doubted the faith he received at baptism, seeing it was of that invisible kind that mortal eye could not discern it.

As a test of faith he says:

"A socinian has been brought up in a creed which we, the members of the catholic church, know to be false and blasphemous, because it is contrary to the creed transmitted us by Christ to his apostles, by the apostles to the catholic church, by the catholic church to ourselves."

A Christian minister would have said, we know your creed to be false and blasphemous, because the Scriptures, the revealed will of God, pronounce it so. But why does a Puseyite fly to his creed to prove the Saviour's Deity? Is it not to be found in the Bible? And if not there, does he think that there is a socinian in existence who would lend his ear to his creed and unwritten twaddle? No; not one. And if better authority could not be produced, he would be justified in abiding as he is.

"In the same manner a Mahomedan would answer to an atheist; a Romanist to an epicurean; a catholic, who adheres to the positive creed of the catholic church, to the mere protestant, who thought less of retaining what was true, than of lopping off what was false."

What the Professor means by the latter part of the quotation is, to us at least, incomprehensible. He tells us that the protestant church had a greater regard for lopping off falsehood than retaining the truth. Now, what does a great regard for lopping off falsehood mean? To us it would signify

a desire of retaining the truth; but Professor Sewell makes it out that a lopping off falsehood does not so signify a regard for the truth. We leave the question to be decided by our readers, and if they think with the Professor, they may save themselves a very great deal of trouble in research and inquiry, seeing if they lopped off the false, they could not retain the truth. So also we are to infer that the anglo-catholic church, between which and protestantism a strong line of demarcation is drawn, had not that desire of lopping off the false, and therefore retained the truth in a greater degree, by keeping the false mixed up with it. Certainly this is a novel mode for the retention of truth; but, in truth, not more so than many other portions of the volume might have led us to expect. We are, however, now aware that a great mass of fiction is mixed up with this church; and we need be at no loss to account for the retention of anti-protestant rituals and ceremonies, seeing that she has not yet lopped off the false, and distinguished the truth.

On the exercise of our judgment he says:"Draw your notions of God's commands from your reason, and your reason may logically err; from your conscience, and your conscience is too often the voice of your own corrupt desires; from calculations of expediency, and how can you sum up the items? from human laws, and, as human, they are fallible; from general sentiments, and they also are human, and the majority of men are not wise and good, but ignorant and bad; from the declarations of a selfchosen teacher, as in popery, but your choice will be as erroneous as your moral character is defective; from the Bible, and the interpretation of the Bible, if left to your own inferences, will be tinged with your own inclinations, perplexed by your ignorance, misled by your own false judgments. more criterion remains; the real clear voice of God, attested by his appointed ministers, and preserved not only in the written word, but in the traditionary creeds, ritual, and history of the catholic church. And thus in morals as in theology, catholicity is the criterion of truth, and the first teacher to which we must have recourse."

One

It appears from this quotation, that the Bible is not sufficient to teach us God's commands, without the aid of traditionary creeds, rituals, and other fooleries, so necessary in the worship of God to every Puseyite. And further, if the Bible is left to our own explanations and inferences, in the depth of our ignorance, it would but perplex and mislead us. How careful the reverend gentleman is of our understandings, and for fear the exercise of our reason might harm us, he offers the services of his reverend bre

thren in the teaching of us, not merely by Scripture truth, but by creeds and traditionary twaddle.

On Christian politics he says:

"Let a man who really wishes to do right, without entering into any profound analysis of ethical principles, or cases of casuistry, resolve in all things whatever, to place himself under the control of his parents, as representatives of God; submitting to them even in the slightest points, giving up even to their caprices, abandoning all personal considerations in all things, except where a contrary law from a superior minister of God, say from the state, comes in to prohibit him. In the same manner, let him look to the state as another representative of God; and acknowledge its laws in all points as barriers within which to restrain his inclinations and actions, because the powers that be are ordained of God, never refusing to comply, except where the express authority of the church, confirmed as (not by) the word of God, prohibit him; and let him, in the same manner, keep his belief, his feelings, and acts of piety; his religious observances, whether ceremonial or spiritual, within the ordinances and injunctions of his church.

Let him receive them all from the existing communion to which he is attached, never questioning or wishing to alter them, or abandoning his present position, until the ancient catholic church, as the universally accredited witness of God's truth, comes in with some prohibition."

What a Solomon the Professor's man would be, to hold fast by the hem of his mamma's gown, and by his papa's coatsleeve, looking up into their faces on every occasion, to discern whether or not he is obeying the representatives of God. But the Professor has entirely lost sight of what the poor man is to do, should pa. and ma. be unfortunately amongst that class, whose desires and wishes are as opposite as north to south, and east to west. He has, we say, forgot to state what is to be done, should pa. say, do this, and ma., on the contrary, say, do that; as it would be well to know who is supreme, we suppose the Professor will acknowledge the woman as the master, seeing the prayer-book says, that the man is to worship the woman; but this ought to have been stated precisely, the thing being of such grave importance. We should suppose that this shape of a man, would be something after the fashion of the learned professor of anatomy in the Edinburgh University, who never yet uttered anything important, but it was ushered in with-my father said this, or my father said that, so that he is now generally known as "my father."

And it is also the duty of parents to chime in with their sweet voices, and by

VOL. I.

united strength and grand chorus, drown every thing like an idea arising in the Puseyite soul of their dear little man-little, for who can suppose a tall man led by apronstrings?-Faugh, 'tis only fit for Oxford, such an idea as that.

He also says that the state is only to be obeyed when the church does not interfere. Here is a plain declaration of the church's supremacy over the state, and also a supremacy more absolute than any we have yet heard of. We however trust that after such a declaration, the Professor will no longer in the bigotry of his soul, style the resistance of the Scottish church to the unauthorised, unlawful, and robber-like invasion of the state upon her privileges as an independent body, as "a wild fanaticism," seeing she seeks merely supremacy in matters spiritual, whilst his church both spiritual and temporal.

Again, the man is not to allow his feelings, belief, or piety, to extend beyond the ceremonies and ordinances of his church, in which repository of old wives' fables and traditionary humbug, they are to be kept at interest till applied for. He also conceives the church to be the safest repository for all "doubts," not getting beyond her toll-gate; and within the walls of her sanctuary, what anti-catholic doubts dare intrude?

As to the privileges at baptism,

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They may be lost, and are lost often." For our part, we never conceived them to be in such danger, never imagining them so far found as to be in danger of being lost. When we are convinced of their existence, we shall then consider the probability there exists of God allowing his wisdom, grace, and truth to be given, and withholding his support at the same time, to prevent such being lost or thrown away.

We have now arrived at the twenty-fifth chapter of the Professor's original work, and as it draws near to a close he seems as anxious to unbuild his theory, as he evinced earnestness in its erection at the commencement.

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Baptized Christians yet speak of their efforts to do right, as if they were endeavouring to obtain the gift of the Holy Spirit for the first time, instead of clinging to it as a treasure already within them. They study Christian truth as if it was all new, and they had not already been taught their creed. They think it necessary to look out for a religious community with which to live, as if they had not already been placed in it at baptism. They propose to secure the love of God and the favour of Christ, as if it had not been imparted to them while they were young in the cradle. And they ask for a sign of this love, in some violent emotion, or miraculous interference, totally disdaining the sign already given them in the water of the font."

H

How ably has the Professor employed himself in knocking down his absurd theory; we really do thank him for taking the trouble, as it will so much tend to confirm our anti-Puseyite protests.

First, then, he says, baptized Christians cannot discern the gift of the Spirit of God imparted to them at baptism, and strive to obtain it by other means and ways. To this we reply, if the receivers of a gift cannot discern it, how can the church prove they have received it? It therefore follows, that according to such declaration, the impartation of the Spirit at baptism, must be a delusion, a mere fanciful creation of the imagination in the promulgators of the doctrine.

Secondly, Baptized Christians study Christian truth as if it were all new, not having received a knowledge of such by the creed taught them. From this, then, we are led to conclude, that the giving of such knowledge is a farce, seeing if it had been given, the recipients would not have had to seek for fresh sources whereby to acquire that knowledge which the church so ignorantly pretends to have given in the creed.

Thirdly, Baptized Christians do look out for another religious community of which to become members, instead of remaining in the one in which they were baptized. From this, then, we are led to conclude, that the real wants of Christians cannot be supplied in the episcopal church, and therefore such church cannot be the holy catholic church, the body of Christ, by whom all wants are supplied, and every wound healed. To call itself, therefore, the catholic church, is presumptuous, seeing its falsity.

Fourthly, Baptized Christians cannot discern that God of love, and favour of Christ, implanted in them within their cradle, and do seek and try to find it as if they never had it. From whence we argue, that neither the love of God, nor favour of Christ, has been imparted to them, or they would have felt the effects of such, and not gone seeking after it. Therefore, the implied impartation of the love of God and favour of Christ, on the part of the episcopalian church, is a gross delusion and imposition.

Fifthly, Baptized Christians do totally disdain the sign given them at the font. From which we conclude that no sign has been given, or if any, it is of no avail, or it would not be so despised, and therefore the English church is again guilty of deceit, in pretending to give a sign which is a mere delusion.

From what has been stated, then, it will be seen that our doubts of the powers of the church were not founded only on our imagination, and also that the prohibition and doubting, on the part of the Professor, was

not given without good cause. We trust, therefore, that this may induce Christians to use their reasoning faculties, their eyes, ears, and every instrument that God has given them whereby to discern the truth. When a miracle is proclaimed, believe it not, doubt it, investigate it, and then decide doubt every thing but the word of God; investigate every thing it included. By these means truth will be seen, and falsehood exposed; "lop off what is false, and retain the truth."

"As the creed was given to the baptized person before he was baptized, so the first words to be uttered afterwards were also taught him in the Lord's prayer."

How the Professor, or any of the apostolic succession, could teach an infant in its "cradle" the creed, previous to baptism, and the Lord's prayer immediately afterwards, is one of those miracles which the "tremendous and awful " power of the church is "daily astonishing" the world with. But we are afraid that the infant, on arriving at maturity, will evince not the slightest recollection of the wondrous miracle performed on it by the holy catholic church.

"The child at baptism is taken into the arms of the minister, to show that no grace can be obtained except by union with the church."

If the church would but exhibit a few of the "graces " said to be in her possession, and practised within her pale, then we will believe she has what we at present do not believe" grace." And as to her imparting grace, our opinion is, that she requires more than she at present has for herself. She most certainly has none to spare.

"But if God has been pleased to appoint that man shall be his instrument and agent in carrying his blessings to mankind, and we choose to slight and despise man, and insist on communication with God, the Sovereign of the universe, without the intervention of his ministers, to hope for blessings from other channels invented by ourselves, to intrude on him without introduction or permission, may it not be, that even our very worship may become a profanation, and our prayers be turned into a curse?"

The word of God tells us, that "there is one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus," but Professor Sewell would make every clergyman a mediator and priest between us and God. Are we not to address Jehovah, the Sovereign Ruler of infinite power, but through the whinings of dead prayer, sent up on the smoke of Puseyite blasphemy? What, are we to be deprived of access to the great King, except by the permission of the episcopal clergy, and a set of heretical Puseyites, the latter of whom are damned in heresies unutterable, whose

hear with pleasure what the stranger had to say, the latter proceeded to address them as follows:

"Travellers, you all know, my young friends, have long had the privilege awarded them of drawing largely on the credulity of their countrymen. Some apology for doing so may be found for a traveller whose rambles may have been confined to a few fleeting years; for as the travels of any one man, they must of necessity be limited to a space, at best no more than a mere speck when compared with the surface of the globe; and as there lurks in the breast of almost every man, an ambition to excel all those of his own particular profession who have preceded him, it is, perhaps, not very much to be wondered at, considering the depravity of the human heart, that some individuals should occasionally be tempted to o'erstep the travels of truth when narrating, for the benefit of posterity, what they may have seen or felt. But, as the perambulations of him who now addresses you extend over a period of 6000 years, and, in extent, embrace the world's wide space, he can have no cause to strain facts to gain a name above his fellows, for, as a traveller, fellows he has none. In military phraseology, therefore, the evidence which I shall give to this assembly, touching the events to be noticed by me this evening, shall be truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

"It has long been a matter of great regret, not only to myself, but many others, having the interests and welfare of the British army deeply at heart, that, from an absence of profitable amusements, a considerable portion of the officers, not only in this, but in every other British garrison at home and abroad, are but too apt to spend those hours not required for regimental or garrison duty, in a manner but ill calculated to lead them to health or happiness, rank or honour. Feeling for the young friends around me, and flattering myself that I can in some small degree supply a portion of the amusement so much required by them, I have waited upon you to make a tender of my services--but they are free of all fee or reward-in the confident expectation that I may succeed in convincing, if not the whole, at least a portion of the smiling faces near me, of the egregious folly of spending the precious hours bestowed upon them by an all-wise and benevolent Providence, in the worse than childish manner now pursued by far too many of their military brethren.

"With the principal facts bearing on the events to which I shall feel it to be my duty to call your attention, you are, I have no doubt, perfectly familiar. But, your knowledge of those facts has been culled from historical records only-mine from personal observation; consequently, the tales of mili

tary adventure which I shall have the pleasure of submitting for your amusement, will, I very sincerely trust, be found to possess novelty, should they otherwise fail to merit the attention of my present auditory.

"From the days of Cain to the present period, the human heart has shown by clear and convincing evidence, by its own actions, that in all countries and in every clime, whether on the banks of the Ganges, the Danube, the Niger, or the Mississippi, it is, and always has been the same-full of pride, full of vanity, full of envy, full of malice, full of jealousy, full of deceit, full of cunning, full of revenge. Since the date of the first murder, when Cain, instigated by revenge, embrued his hands in the blood of his brother Abel, thousands, and tens of thousands, yea millions, of innocent persons have by revenge, urged onward by the other passions just alluded to, been hurried into the land of forgetfulness without one moment being afforded them to prepare for the great change they were about to undergo.

And,

as all these murders, and innumerable other crimes, have not been confined to one quarter of the world, to one country, or to one class of people, but have been committed in every quarter of the globe, in every nation, and by every description of men and women, white and black; by prince, by peer, by peasant, by soldier, by sailor, by civilian, a person dropping into the world would, if called upon before communicating with any one, to decide upon the character of its inhabitants from historical records only, at once pronounce them a race of criminals, every page of history being deeply stained with crime. The golden rule, 'Do unto others as you would that they should do unto you,' though well understood, has never yet been so extensively practised as it ought to be, particularly by those in whose hands have rested the fiat of peace or war. No! the conduct of nine-tenths of the rulers of nations and their subordinate officers, furnishes us, on the contrary, with an admirable specimen of the beautiful diplomatic and political maxim, that he who knows not how to dissemble, knows not how to rule.' Pyrrhus having entered the Peloponnesus at the head of a large army, the Arcadians despatched some Spartan ambassadors to him to sue for peace. The latter were received in the most friendly manner by the royal warrior, who, as a token of his peaceable intentions, promised to send his sons to Sparta to be instructed in the institutes of Lycurgus. The ambassadors, flattered by these professions of friendship, were busily engaged in magnifying the pacific disposition of the King of Epirus, when that restless chief appeared in Sparta with the whole of his forces. On the Spartans reproaching Pyrrhus with bad faith, he replied with a smile, 'It is not