before the genuine doctrine of the gospel can be received. "God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Acts x, 34, 35.

But another evasion from the censure of idolatry in image worship, is, that it is no greater an evil to make images to represent the saints, than it is to stamp an image on coin to represent the sovereign to whose dominions it belongs; or the making of any other portrait or personal representation. The mere making of images as representations of saints may have nothing evil in it, more than drawing portraits or stamping a coin, but it would be a cause of great astonishment, if we were to see any person bowing down to the image of a sovereign on a coin, or to any other portrait, kneeling down and kissing it in honour of the individual whom it might represent. Surely, a person who could be capable of such conduct, would be considered as in a state of insanity, or under the most infatuated delusion. It may be said, that there can be no proper comparison here, as there is a great difference between an earthly king, and a saint in heaven. But what difference can there be in this case, as neither the one nor the other is a proper object of divine worship? And even if they were, it is idolatry to bow to images of any sort, because God has declared it shall not be done. Those, therefore, who disobey him in this, are transgressors of the law, even in what they think to be a pious act of divine worship.

See the evil of having departed from God in the

early ages of christianity, when these pagan customs were first partially introduced in the church. I hesitate not to say, that many are now so grossly superstitious, that they are far more careful to preserve relics and images of saints, than concerned for the salvation of their own souls, or the souls of their fellow-creatures, for whom Christ died; and there are more prayers offered by some to saints than to God, who is alone the proper object of worship and divine homage. "For he is a Spirit, and all those who worship him aright, must worship him in spirit and in truth." John iv, 24.

Of Infallibility.

INFALLIBILITY is another astonishing privilege claimed by the Church of Rome, which she tells us was first given by Christ to his apostles, and afterwards handed down to her by succession. But as this pretended succession has been already proved to be false, by incontrovertible argument, it shews at once, that the Church of Rome is entirely cut off from every claim of infallibility from that quarter, which breaks the rotten cable of her false anchor, and leaves her to be tossed amongst the floating islands of uncertainty and disappointment. For, that man is a fallible creature, nothing is more certain. Even in his primeval innocence, when all his powers, both mental and corporeal, were unreservedly engaged in the service of his Creator, and when he had more knowledge and wisdom than all the popes of Rome together, and was pure, upright, holy, and happy, even then he was not infallible, else he could not have fallen; and if Adam was not infallible in his first estate, can any of his posterity be so in their fallen condition? Nay, the voice of heaven cries, that "All flesh is as grass;" (Isa. xl, 6;) that "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;" (Prov. xxii, 15.;) and that "The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;"" so mischievous and fickle, that the question is asked, "Who can know it? Jer. xvii, 9.

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If this be the character which heaven gives of man, where can we find human infallibility? For St. Peter himself, who is falsely said by the Church of Rome to have been the first pope or bishop of Rome, was not infallible; for when he came to Antioch, St. Paul withstood him to the face, "Because he was to be blamed." Gal. ii, 11. Here then we see that Peter departed from the guidance of the Spirit; which proves he was not infallible. But some may be ready to sneer at this argument, and say, that they "Do not believe infallibility to rest in the pope by himself, nor in any of the members of the councils by themselves; but when the council are assembled, and the pope at their head, then they are infallible." But this is a mere fallacy, and contributes nothing to the establishment of such doctrine; because if the pope and the council are not infallible when separate from each other, their meeting together can no more make them infallible than the meeting together of a hundred blind men ican restore them all to sight! If they were all blind when separate from each other, a sound pair of eyes could not be found amongst them when assembled together, for they would remain blind still for all the good their convention could do them. And should a thousand illiterate men meet together for the purpose of becoming thoroughly acquainted with the principles of literature, they could receive no more instruction froin each other in that case, than if they had never met, for a profound scholar could not be found amongst them. No more can the pope and the

councils be infallible by meeting together. Therefore their claims to infallibility are false and ridiculous. Although the promise of Jesus Christ to his church is infallible, which is,-"Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world;" yet he has not made this promise exclusively to one sect, party, or denomination of people, more than to another; but wherever there is a people who love and obey him, with each of them he has promised to dwell, saying,-"He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." John xiv, 21.

Thus the people who love Christ, whoever they be, his promise is infallible towards them, so long as they continue faithful; but they are not infallible because of that promise, as Christ is no otherwise than conditionally engaged in the fulfilment of it. And although some denominations of people may depart from him, yet all do not; for he has had a few of his witnesses in all ages who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal; and if one nation or people reject him, he will turn to another. When the Jews refused him, he turned unto the Gentiles: and so faithful is he to his infallible promise in being with his church to the end of the world, and so independent is he on the world for its fulfilment, that though all men should go astray, he is able of the stones to raise up a church to obey him; therefore, it is Christ and his promise which are infallible, and not any people who may profess to be his; for if they

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