such a sense of things ought in no way to paralyze endeavours in behalf of the holy cause of the Catholic "faith once delivered "to the saints;" but should have the effect of sobering and strengthening, and, I may add, of spiritualizing our views, as looking forward rather in the hope of being ourselves with GOD, than of what may happen here: above all things as motives to Christian courage and Christian compassion, with respect to ourselves and the rest of mankind, and Christian reverence with respect to God. With these for our watchwords, if we act up to them, we shall never fail.

15. The voice of warning.

The conclusion to be deduced from the whole subject may be this. Now that we are called upon, from every quarter, to prepare ourselves for something coming on, and all things appears to portend an approaching struggle of the powers of good and evil, it appears highly desirable that, under the excitement of the day, we should not mistake the matter, but consider in what our true strength lies, namely, in repentance and obedience; and from thence, having made our peace with God, in possessing our souls in patience.

On the other hand, that we do not set too high a value on the temporal advantages of the Church, or allow them to come into competition with sacred and high principles, remembering that at such times especially, "the Refiner sits" to "purify the sons "of Levi." It is He who hath told us to buy of Him "gold "tried in the fire;" in distinction, we may suppose, from false worldly principles, which will not abide the day of proof; for during our prosperity, it has been indeed the case, that we have been "lukewarm, neither cold nor hot." Now through the foregoing Treatise it has been often found necessary to refer to our blessed SAVIOUR's awful warning to the Churches, in the vision of the evangelical Prophet, inasmuch as we there have His own words addressed to particular Churches, which had been brought up like our own, and established in the faith; and our object has been to ascertain, as far as we reverently may, His voice to our

own Church. It so happens that His warning to one of those Churches is very much the same as we have supposed it to be to ourselves. It were indeed presumptuous to say that the whole argument herein deduced, if true, becomes equivalent and parallel to any thing so divine and holy as those sacred words of our LORD Himself; yet we may, I think, venture to say, that our LORD does in those words of Scripture speak to us, and that the subject which has been pursued, points our attention to those His words, and has the effect of laying an emphatic stress and particular application to each verse and part of it, as having a reference, in our own case, to some of the points which have been commented on. The warning is this:

"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true "Witness, the beginning of the creation of GoD; I know

thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would "thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art luke

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warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of "my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased "with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not "that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and “blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried "in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, "that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy "nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with

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eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I "rebuke and chasten: be zealous, therefore, and repent. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man "hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, "and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that "overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, " even as I also overcame, and am set down with my "FATHER in His throne. He that hath an ear, let him "hear what the SPIRIT saith unto the Churches '."

1 Rev. iii. 14-22.

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NOTE.-Some things in the foregoing pages may have been spoken of as new, of which it would be more correct to say, that original forms, to which they can be traced, are not known to the writer, but there may possibly be such; e. g. the Collect for Quinquagesima Sunday has been thus spoken of, but some have observed that the language and spirit of that Collect savour of antiquity, more than of later religion. So also with regard to the appointed Sunday Lessons, it may be that their selection is not so recent as we have supposed, but that reasons for their appointment may be found in former Liturgies: see, for instance, the Sundays in Lent and the previous season in the Roman Breviary.

[THIRD EDITION.]

These Tracts are published in Numbers, and sold at the price of 2d. for each sheet, or 7s. for 50 copies.

LONDON: PRinted for J. G. F. & J. RIVINGTON,

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1842.

GILBERT & RIVINGTON, Printers, St. John's Square, London.

TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

ON RESERVE IN COMMUNICATING RELIGIOUS
KNOWLEDGE.

PART IV.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH.

1. No argument adduced against the principle: history of the. subject in the writer's mind.

2. Testimony of the early Church full and extensive.

3. The existence of what has been termed the Disciplina Arcani.

4. Indications of the principle independent of any known definite system.

5. The Disciplina a rule of a moral nature.

6. The whole subject connected with a great religious principle and rule of conduct.

7. Catholic mode of interpreting Scripture founded on the

same.

8. High authority for this mode of Scriptural interpretation. 9. Reverence and caution observable in the Fathers.

10. Reserve in revelation not confined to God's word.

11. Origen's mode of considering the subject as moral not intellectual.

VOL. V.-87.

B

12. The same discussed at length by St. Clement of Alexandria.

13. The testimony of the Ancient Church to the doctrine of Christ Crucified.

14. The practice and principle of the Ancient Church perfectly analogous to our LORD's example.

PART V.

THE PRINCIPLE OPPOSED TO CERTAIN MODERN RELIGIOUS OPINIONS.

1. The nature of the objections which have been made.

2. On preaching the word most effectually.

3. On teaching the doctrine of the Atonement.

4. Danger in forming a plan of our own different from that of Scripture.

5. Statement of the case from plain moral principles.

6. All Scripture in perfect harmony as opposed to this modern system.

7. On eloquent preaching and delivery.

8. This peculiar system a worldly system.

PART VI.

THE SYSTEM OF THE CHURCH, ONE OF RESERVE.

1. The principle considered with reference to ourselves. 2. The holiness of God's House of Prayer.

3. Sacraments, Church Ordinances, and practices.

4. The Church realizes the kingdom in secret.

5. This Reserve the best preservative of sound Church principles.

6. Caution necessary with respect to the latent senses of Scripture.

7. Secret religious duties, conversation, and controversy.

8. Untenable objections on the ground of our present position.

9. This sacred principle more than ever needed.

10. Want of reverence now prevailing.

11. Summary of the whole subject.