enter "not into a mere school of human wisdom, but, as it were, into the laboratory of God himself;" where we find the Divine word authentically elucidated by the Divine operation. The "length and breadth, and depth and height" of the harmony appearing more and more to be such as God alone could have effected.

Is it not self-evident, then, that as these views increase in clearness, strength, and constancy, devotion will become proportionately deep, settled, and habitual? I am convinced that, ordinarily, the spiritual acting of the mind is made difficult by other causes besides actual moral corruption. It is physically painful to raise the animalised mind to objects so much beyond its natural sphere; and, when left a moment to itself, it sinks as much from weakness, as from want of wing, into a more congenial element than that of pure spiritual abstraction. To have access, then, to a region in which Divine truth may be found embodied and humanised, and in which, the more we advance, the more are even our natural feelings engaged and satisfied; until, as it were, reason becomes faith, and faith becomes reason. To have our range of mental apprehension thus enlarged and congenialised to our whole nature, will, assuredly, as much as any thing in this lower world can, facilitate our converse with things immortal and invisible. In countless instances, when we could not have, directly and without intermediate aid, embosomed ourselves in that light, which

Approach not, but with both wings veil their eyes,"

we may first find our minds attracted, and our feelings enkindled, by contemplating the vast column of united and divinely supported minds who have gone on before us, and who leave, as it were, behind them a path of brightness, like the galaxy in the heavens, on which we rejoice to have entered; and following such a cloud of witnesses, cannot but anticipate the same support and the same glorious issue. What but this was it, which St. Paul has taught us to practise, in the eleventh and twelfth of the Hebrews? And do we catch the spirit of his example, if we do not now add the Christian cloud of witnesses which eighteen centuries have produced, to those which alone the Apostle could contemplate?

I could say much more on this (I must think interesting) point, but you can enlarge (if you approve the idea) on the hints I have given. To shew you, however, that others have deeply considered the question of Catholic tradition, and, on the most deliberate reflection, have attached to it all the moment of which I have endeavoured to give the idea, I will add rather a long quotation from Bishop Beveridge.

Multa sunt quæ licet in Sacris Scripturis expresse ac definite non legantur, communi tamen omnium Christianorum consensione ex iis eruuntur: e. g.-Tres distinctas in Sacrosanctâ Trinitate personas venerandas esse, Patrem, Filium, et Spiritum Sanctum: hos singulos verum esse Deum; et tamen unum tantummodo esse. Deum, Christum avgwov esse, vere Deum ac vere hominem in unâ eâdemque persona. Hæc et similia, quamvis totidem verbis ac syllabis nec in Veteri nec in Novo Testamento traduntur, de iis, tamen, ut utroque fundatis, inter

omnes semper convenit Christianos; demptis tantummodo paucis quibusdam hæreticis, quorum in religione haud major habenda est ratio, quam monstrorum in naturâ. Sic etiam infantes sacro baptismate abluendos esse, et sponsores ad illud sacramentum adhibendos, Dominicam, sive primam per singulas septimanas feriam, religiose observandam esse,-Passionis, resurrectionis, et ascensionis Domini ad cœlum, necnon Spiritus Sancti adventûs, commemorationem per singulos annos peragendam. Ecclesiam ubique per episcopos, a presbyteris distinctos, iisque prælatos, administrandam esse. Hæc et alia hujusmodi nusquam in Sacris Scripturis diserte ac nominatim præcipiuntur; sed, nihilominus, per mille et quadringentos ab Apostolis annos in publicum Ecclesiæ usum ubique recepta fuerunt; nec ullam intra illud tempus invenire est Ecclesiam in ea non consentientem. Adeo ut quasi communes sint notiones omnium ab origine Christianorum animis insitæ, non tam ex ullis particularibus Sacræ Scripturæ locis, quam ex omnibus; ex generali totius Evangelii scopo et tenore; ex ipsâ religionis in eo stabilitæ, naturâ et proposito; atque ex constanti, denique, Apostolorum traditione, qui ecclesiasticos hujusmodi ritus, et generales, ut ita loquar, Evangelii interpretationes, per universum terrarum orbemà una cum fide propagarunt. Alioquin enim non credibile, immo vero impossibile prorsus esset, ut tam unanimi consensione ubique, et semper, et ab omnibus reciperentur.*

Hisce præmissis, primo intuitu patet, quid ex iis consequetur cum majorem enim omnibus quam singulis Christianis, et universæ quam particularibus quibuscunque Ecclesiis, fidem habendam esse nemo dubitet; cum plurima etiam sint in quæ universalis Ecclesia, per multa post Apostolos secula, consensit; cum hæc, denique, universalis

• I think all this substantially true; but I imagine the case of Catholic tradition might, by being more analytically explained, be placed on yet stronger ground. I have briefly attempted this in page 291.

Ecclesiæ consensio certissima sit, in iis quibus habeatur capitibus Sacræ Scripturæ interpretatio: hinc clarissime constat quali quantoque usui sint antiqui Patres, aliique omnium Ecclesiæ seculorum scriptores, quamque necessario ab iis consulendi sint quibus ecclesiasticas agitantibus controversias, vel sua salus, vel pax Ecclesiæ cordi est: si nulla enim veteris Ecclesiæ commentaria, nulla conciliorum acta, nulla historiæ ecclesiastica monumenta hodie extarent, quantis in tenebris circa ipsam nostram religionem versaremur? Quam facile esset subtili cuivis hæretico, vel sceleratissimo etiam impostori, pietatis speciem præ se ferenti, verba plerisque dare, eosque in perniciocissimos omnium generum errores inducere?

Quot, denique, et quanta cujusque modi incommoda hinc exorirentur? Sed nihil est quod iis enumerandis immoremur, cum inter tot tantasque imperiorum confusiones, ecclesiarum singularium tumultus, omniumque rerum humanarum perturbationes, sapientissimâ benignissimâque Dei Opt. Max. providentiâ ita comparatum sit, ut ab ipsis Apostolicis usque ad hæc nostra tempora, nulla sit ætas cujus ecclesiastica nobis monumenta non conservantur. E quibus, propterea, perfectam universalis Ecclesiæ ideam animo concipere, et pro comperto certoque habere possumus; quid per omnia secula admissum fuit, et quid rejectum; qui ritus et dogmata obtinuerunt; quæ hæreses et schismata explosa sunt et condemnata. Ex iis, denique, iisque solis, videre licet de quibus doctrinis disciplinisque inter omnes perpetuo Ecclesias convenit, et de quibus inter eas controversum est; adeoque, quid magis quidque minus necessarium est creditu et observatu. Quidquid enim de aliis dicendum est, ea saltem in quæ omnes ubique Ecclesiæ consenserunt, non possunt non certissima esse et necessario ab omnibus etiamnum retinenda.-Proœmium Codici Canonum Eccles. Prin.

I have thus been led, by your mention of the "Tour to Alet," to enter into a subject which,

when I began to write, I had no thought of adverting to, except so far as it was implied in the observations on the Fathers. I am not sorry, however, to have given you these ideas in a form which I hope will fit them for impartial consideration. I mean, that I have endeavoured to bring into the narrowest compass the strength of the cause. You have sometimes asked me, "What is Catholicity?" The authorities from the Church of England, and the quotation from Bishop Beveridge, give you, at least, a definite, and, I should hope, a tolerably satisfactory answer.

Assure Mrs. Harford of my cordial affection and regard. I now repeat in September what I said in July, though both sayings come to you together, that if Providence gives me strength again to go to England, Mrs. H. and you will be amongst my sincere inducements.

I began to write at Bellevue, and I finish in Dublin; where I mean to be, at least, for the next two months. I shall be sincerely gratified by hearing from you; and I will, as soon as possible, finish another long and, I fear, tedious letter respecting the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Adieu. Believe me,

Most faithfully and cordially yours,

Dawson Street, Sept. 25, 1814,

ALEXANDER KNOX.