Pope Gregory considered as impious. Pope Gelasius, in the fifth century, condemned communion in one kind as sacrilegious his successors enforce it."-Wordsworth.

Let every sincere and thoughtful mind weigh well the danger of seeking to this so-called infallible Church as a refuge from doubt and difficulty. Too many instances have we seen in the present day of men having great mental endowments being caught in this snare, "which offers a refuge to the thoughtful as well as a sanctuary to the profane. We may well consider a system which gains such an ascendancy over some minds as really a masterpiece of delusion.

"Man instinctively seeks good in all its kinds and degrees. The intellect desires repose in immutable truth, the heart to rest on secured blessedness. A Church claiming infallibility appeals to both, and says, 'Rest in me.'"-E. M. Bates.

"Come

To

Oh! beware of listening to this siren voice! unto Me," says Christ, "and I will give you rest." put any Church or any thing in the place of Christ, is to wander from the path that leads to solid happiness. Whereas to draw near to Christ in humble and heartfelt prayer, to depend upon Him in all His fulness, to feed upon His Word, to walk in the way of His commandments, and to implore the constant aid of His Holy Spirit, is the true road to endless peace, to perfect rest, and to bliss unspeakable.

CHAPTER VI.

NINTH ARTICLE OF THE CREED, CONTINUED.

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

CATECHISM.

Q. What is meant by the Communion of Saints ? A. That all the faithful are members of one body, and assist each other by their prayers and good works.

Q. And have we any communion with the saints in heaven?

A. Yes; we communicate with them as our fellow members, under the same head Jesus Christ; and are helped by their prayers.

OBSERVATIONS.

This portion of the article, like the former, begins with an invaluable truth. As the circulation of the blood is to the life of the natural body, so is the circulation of the Spirit of God through all the members of the Church

doctrines and ceremonies, or perhaps so many cases of notorious unholiness. Rome was once a holy Church, but it was her unholiness that caused the Reformation; and though there have been individuals in her own communion who have mourned over this unholiness, and though much may be traced to the influence of secular Princes, and though we are willing to listen to what Roman Catholics urge upon us, of the distinction to be made between the Papal Court and the Church of Rome; still, that very distinction overturns the pretensions of the Papacy: for if spiritual life is to flow to the Church from the Papacy, and the Papacy itself is corrupt, what must follow but the corruption of the Church that is dependent upon it? How pathetically does Baronius mourn over the vile, unsightly, execrable things that have been intruded into the sacred Apostolic See of Rome!

CATECHISM.

Q. HOW IS THE CHURCH CATHOLIC OR UNIVERSAL? A. BECAUSE SHE SUBSISTS IN ALL AGES, TEACHES ALL NATIONS, AND MAINTAINS ALL TRUTHS.

OBSERVATIONS.

Before the death of Christ, His Church had been chiefly confined to the Jews. After that stupendous event it was extended by His command to all the world, and by the teaching of the Apostles became Catholic or Universal; therefore every Christian Church since their day has borne this Catholic character. Rome was one among

a We say 'chiefly,' because Patriarchal families and Proselytes were of God's Church.

the many Gentile places to which this mercy was extended, and we cannot refuse to admit that she has carried the name of Christ and many of the precepts of the Christian religion to many nations sitting in darkness; but she has not circulated the pure unadulterated coin of the kingdom. What would an earthly sovereign pronounce, upon finding that, instead of circulating pure gold in his dominions, his subjects and servants had debased it with the alloy of inferior metals, and had made use of his image and superscription to give it currency? Would he not declare it to be forgery, and pass sentence upon them accordingly? When the Church of Rome speaks of her missions, she must compare her teachings with those with which she was herself first nourished by St. Paul. His own anathema stands recorded against those who adulterate the simple truth of the Gospel. How greatly do the errors held by the Church of Rome neutralize the truths she maintains! Oh for some heavenly mind to spring up in that Church and brush them all away! The glorious Redeemer Himself, who conferred the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, was the true founder of primitive Christianity; and, under Him, the Apostles.

CATECHISM.

Q. How is the Church Apostolic?

A. Because in her pastors she comes down by a continued succession from the Apostles of Christ; and has her doctrine, her orders, and her mission from them.

OBSERVATIONS.

The Apostles (says Tertullian) endowed with supernatural powers, first preached the Gospel and founded Churches in Judea: they then went forth unto the Gentiles, preaching in like manner, and founding Churches in every city. From these Churches others were propagated, and continue to be propagated to the present day, which are all reckoned in the number of Apostolic Churches, inasmuch as they are the offspring of Apostolic Churches.

If the Church of Rome were in her first purity, she could only be reckoned as one amongst many; but she commands things now that are in opposition to the Scriptures, and therefore does not derive all her doctrines from the Apostles, neither can she be said to derive her mission from them. Indeed there are many who think that she forfeits the title of a Christian Church by the errors she inculcates.

Antioch is said to have been the birthplace of St. Luke, and the episcopate of St. Peter. It was here that Paul and Barnabas planted the Gospel standard, and here the followers of our Redeemer were first called Christians. The Church of Antioch was famous for three centuries, and when Theodosius the Great prohibited all pagan worship, 100,000 of its inhabitants were of the Christian faith, amounting to one-fifth of the population. At the present time it is little else than a heap of ruins.

According to Eusebius, Origen, and Jerome, St. Peter preached in Galatia, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, and