the end of all controversy, believing as I do that. "Whatsoever is not written therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith."* I believe then in the communion of saints because the Bible says, Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.'+ The communion of saints means their perfect oneness in affection, cause, prospect, everything. Thus our Lord prays that they be one.'

all may

999

"Yes," said Mrs. Dalton interrupting him, "His church is one-only one.

Will you excuse me, Mr. surprise that, with your

Seldon, if I express my thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, you pay no attention to its laws against schism? You make quite a bosom friend of Mr. Lester, the schismatic teacher from T

"He is a friend of my Master, Mrs. Dalton," said Ridley with firmness," and what God hath cleansed that call thou not unclean.' Mr. Lester was separated to God from his early youth. Among dissenters he first learned that the blood of Jesus Hebrews xii. 22, 23.

* Article 6.

Christ cleanseth from all sin;' and among dissenters he learned to love his brother also.' He has spent sixty years in my Saviour's service, and who am I, that I should not love him, or seek his friendship?"

66

"I have often heard you object to dissenting ministers very warmly," said Philip; even some men possessed of more zeal and energy than old Mr. Lester can boast."

"You never heard me object to zeal and energy in a good cause, Philip," said his brother, "though you certainly have heard me condemn bitterness of spirit, and unholy alliances, whoever may be guilty of feeling the one, or forming the other."

Every dissenting teacher," said Mrs. Dalton, "is plainly making a division; every churchman, therefore, is commanded to avoid him. Perhaps he may be very little mistaken in his opinions; still, whatever are his motives, he is making a separation, and I must avoid him. Be his gentleness and mildness what they may, in comparison with the miserable bitterness of most modern dissenters; be his personal holiness, his moral and intellectual qualifications what they may; be his friendship however dear to me; how can I continue it when God has commanded me to avoid him ?”*

* Tract on Unity, by H. W. Wilberforce.

"God has nowhere commanded you to avoid such men," replied Ridley Seldon.

"that

"I think you forget, Ridley," said Philip, St. Paul, in the last chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, gives the express command."

"Read the chapter fairly, Philip," said Ridley, "and you will not think so. Mr. Lester teaches nothing contrary to the doctrine we have learned. I know that where dissent and division exist, there is, or has been, something wrong; but whether those who separated were always those who caused the separation remains to be proved. I have not time now to enter upon the argument, but would remind you that while St. Paul rebukes this kind of division as carnal in the Church of Corinth, he does not desire the man who said 'I am of Paul,' to avoid him who said I am of Apollos.' He reproves both, and points both again to Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." The contentions between churchmen and dissenters are always loudest and fiercest when there is not much true religion, at least on one side. Dissenters, in their eagerness to pull down church establishments, have joined in an unholy political confederacy with Romanists. Churchmen would join themselves to the papacy by an ecclesiastical bond, in order the more surely to unchurch dissenters * 1 Cor. i. 24.

and prove them schismatic. I believe that Rome will contrive to unite these two contending parties into one power, adverse only to the spiritual, the Protestant religion."

"You are very fond of that word Protestant, Mr. Seldon," said Mrs. Dalton; why, in the name of all that is true and scriptural, should we lump ourselves up with the Babel crew of Protestants, who may be Socinians, Irvingites, or anything else? We shall never get over these vulgar errors until we reform our phraseology and maintain the Church of England in her true position as a branch of the one only church, and as being utterly unconnected with any other which will not communicate with her, and being, in these realms, the only religious body which it is safe, or lawful to join."

"I will not dispute with you about names, Mrs. Dalton, or persuade you to wear that of Protestant, since you do not protest against error. But I will now tell my errand. I came to charge you with the death of an immortal soul, and to urge on your conscience David's repenting cry, Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God.""

As Ridley spoke the last few words, he fixed his eyes on Mrs. Dalton. She quailed beneath his reproving gaze, but she strove to cover her confusion

Clement Walton.

by saying, "I do not quite understand you, Mr. Seldon; I may have uttered opinions differing

'It is no mere matter of opinion of which I speak," said Ridley Seldon calmly and solemnly. "You were the means I believe, madam, of bringing priest Mahon to Mr. Delany?"

66

"O! I am glad you have spoken out, Mr. Seldon," replied Mrs. Dalton, "for now I can completely exonerate myself from the accusation. It was at the earnest entreaty of poor Delany that I sent for Mr. Mahon. He told me he was a stranger here; that he had no friend of his own communion, save his Irish servant, Brian; that he must die without the sacred rites of his church, unless some one would take pity on him, and send for a priest."

"You said just now, madam," returned Ridley, "that there is no religious body within these realms which it is safe or lawful to join, save the church of England."

66 You must allow that the Roman Church is a branch of the church catholic," replied Mrs. Dalton. I met with an excellent man lately, whose name you probably know-Mr. ; and he told me that ' when in the east he recognised in the Greek Catholic church the ancient form of communion, much overlaid, indeed, with superstitious customs, but requiring