opposition to that principle of faith which constitutes each individual the judge for himself of what he must believe; which, putting the sacred volume of God's inspired word into his hand, tells him, that it is his duty to discover, and when discovered, to believe, that which may seem there to have been taught. Now, it may be observed, that the truest and best proof of any hypothesis, simply considered as such, is to ascertain that it answers every part of the difficulty which it is intended to meet. For it is with it, as with the solution of › problem, where, if the result answer to all the data or suppositions it contains, and answer so, that on trying one portion by another, all are found to agree together, we are satisfied that the solution is correct. It is only on this principle, that the best grounded and most universally adopted theories of philosophy are based; it is on such reasoning as this, that the whole system of the heavens, according to the Newtonian philosophy, can be said to depend. We can have no means of arriving at an intuitive or direct knowledge of the constitution or construction of things; but where we find that laws hypothetically laid, uniformly correspond with all phenomena, and leave nothing vague, but on the contrary, satisfactorily account for all their parts, such a result is the strongest proof that the system devised accords exactly with the truth of things. It is on this form of argumentation that I have endeavoured to proceed. First of all, I considered the outward form and inward constitution of the Church of Christ to which he confided his religion, as a state foreshown, constituted, and actually existing. As a state foreshown; inasmuch as I explained to you, how God had ever worked in a certain course or order of providence for the preservation of truth among mankind; how a certain provision was made of old, whereby doctrines and hopes revealed to mankind, but lost to most of the world, in the corruption which ensued, were preserved; in the constitution of a certain establishment dedicated to that purpose. I showed you that this system was merely figurative of that which was to come; that all the figures, all the imagery and reasoning, and the very phrases which applied to it, were also applied to that which has succeeded it, as though this were to be nothing more than the perfecting, and fulfilling thereof. I endeavoured, at the same time, to explain how it was the natural order of God's providence that the course once commenced should go on in a persevering ordinance, until the end; and how, although we might expect a more perfect development, and brighter manifestations, it would be expecting a violation of His plan of action among men, if we anticipated any sudden change, or complete interruption, in that course which He had once commenced. I then showed you how, of old, there was a clear indication of some future means for the preservation of truth, and that a really efficacious provision; its necessary tendency being to perfect that of the former state, and therefore not merely to remove, but to exclude and prevent error. This forms one portion of the data given for constructing our system; and necessarily, whatever is built up as the Church of God, must be such as to fit exactly this basement presented in the old law. We come, then, to the New Testament: all that can be required to frame this superstructure is there, again and again described. We find, precisely, forms of expressions used through these descriptions which lead us to construct in our minds a perfectly corresponding system, so as to prove, that what is there established is really the fulfilment of former expectations. The same imagery is preserved, the very promises are made which seem necessary to fulfil what had been foreshown in the figurative dispensation. The harmony which reigned between the two counterparts upon the Catholic system was manifest, for the Catholic interpretation of the passages in the New Testament alone brought them into accordance with those which had before alluded to the provisions therein to be made; and thus formed the only interpretative link between the prophecy and its fulfilment. And this har : mony between the two systems gives us a second element towards the resolution of the problem in hand. Examining, then, more minutely, the constitution of this new religion or Church, no longer simply with reference to that which we might expect to find it, but in its own internal nd essential constitution as appointed by our blessed Saviour, we analyzed a series of texts; not, I believe, contenting ourselves with vague assertions, but decomposing them, when necessary, into words and phrases, and testing these by other passages on which there could be no doubt. The result was, that Christ did institute a governed society, or body, compactly and completely formed, which has within itself unity, and, composed of all the constitutive elements of a social body, possesses within itself authority and power, and recognises persons appointed for the exercise thereof. We found it, too, empowered and commissioned to collect under its sway, the entire human race; and what is far more worth, in it our blessed Redeemer promised so unfailingly to teach, until the end of time, and so efficaciously to assist, that whatsoever doctrines He had delivered to the apostles and their successors, should endure and be preserved in it until the final dissolution of created things. Here then, we have several new conditions, or requisites, that must be found in the constitution of Christ's kingdom, or in the form of his Church. In the next place, we found that there was a promise of a power to diffuse the Gospel; that a charge was given of preaching the truths of Christ to all nations and kingdoms that know not His name, to all who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. And therefore, to the Church was given the power or faculty of carrying that commission into execution,-it was to be the chosen instrument of God in spreading the Gospel of Christ over the earth. In fine, descending into some particulars of its constitution, we examined, last evening, the provision which Christ, in the plenitude of his power, made for the preservation of unity;by instituting the only means whereby this quality in any social body could be preserved-a centre of unity, a single point towards which all this system might turn; by giving to the whole a firm basis, or foundation, whereon to rest; by appointing an authoritative government to control all its parts. it Such was the constitution of that Church which we had to discover, such were the data to be verified; and no system can be the true religion of Christ, which does not exactly fill up all that I have sketched out, and answer all these conditions; -which does not present a perfect correspondence with every one of these elements of demonstration. Now, I can hardly think it necessary to go into proof to show how every one of these conditions, required in the Church of Christ, we have a right to believe, exists among us. I say, I can hardly think necessary; because I am sure that any one inclined to be on his guard against the form of argument which I have pursued, and, more particularly, any one who may have been cautioning his mind against being led away by this outline which I have drawn, of what we discovered in the Old Testament and in the Gospels, regarding the constitution of Christ's Church, if he was not at my former discourses, will suspect, that, instead of giving now the picture which we there discovered, I have been only propounding the system of Church government and authority which we maintain. For, it is impossible for any one acquainted with the Catholic doctrines. on this head, not to see the exact uniformity and correspondence of parts between it and what I have here thrown together. If it was foreshown of old, that the Church of Christ was in the form of a kingdom or government-that in the priesthood there was to be authority-that the Church should have such a saving power, such a certainty of decision, as that all its members were to be necessarily taught of God, and that all within its pale were to be peculiarly under his protection; most assuredly it is only the Catholic Church which holds such a system, which professes such a plan of Church Government, as can exactly embody all and every one of these images and types. In like manner, if it be said, that in the New Testament we shall find the fulfilment of this figure, by the institution of this authoritative system, it is certain that no Church pretends even to the possession of these rights, or professes to be so constituted, except the Catholic Church. Again, you can want no farther details, to show that there is a power in this Church to promulgate Christianity; for, I flatter myself, I have sufficiently demonstrated, that, comparatively, or, if I may so speak, absolutely, every attempt made by other religions has proved a failure; that, however bright their hopes at first, in every instance, where time has been given for full trial to be made, they have ultimately failed; while, on the other hand, not only in ancient times were Churches founded, which now have an existence requiring no foreign aid, but, since the great secession from the Church, the Gospel has been effectually preached in the east and the west, and religious communities have been established, which have stood the test of long, unwearied persecution, and of abandonment, neglect, and want. In this manner, I endeavoured, step by step, to follow the different classes of proofs, and show, by a certain simple and inductive system, how aptly and completely that form of Church Government that groundwork of faith which we hold-combines and comprehends them all. I thus showed you this correspondence of parts from the first announcement to the last institution, from prophecy to its latest fulfilment, as laid down in God's infallible word. But then, my brethren, we have examined also, although not in the same detail, that antagonist system, if I may so call it, which bases faith on a totally different principle. In my second discourse I entered fully into the natural and internal difficulties which seemed to embarrass it. I endeavoured to show you, that, instead of its proof starting essentially and logically, from an admitted principle, and then going gradually forward through propositions successively demon |