the Apostles," would not have been out of place. This creed expresses the chief doctrines professed by Protestants; but as there are no allusions in it to transubstantiation, Papal supremacy, &c., it cannot be said to express the chief doctrines of Popery. Erasmus has denied that it was composed by the Apostles; and Mr. Charles Butler observes, that "if it were their composition, it seems unaccountable that it should not be mentioned in the Acts* of the Apostles; that no reference to it should be found in any of the Apostolic epistles; that it was not included among the canonical writings; and that, when the council of Ephesus, and afterwards when the council of Chalcedon proscribed all creeds except the Nicene, neither excepted the symbol of the Apostles from the general proscription." However, as several writers have declared, that the articles of this creed were agreed to by the Apostles, Protestants distinguish it as theirs; and profess its belief, not merely because their spiritual directors have no better reason to give them in its favour than that "it must be true;" but because it really is that express faith which they are taught to believe, and in which their own conviction confirms them.

But we now come to the question of "Can you prove that Christ's Church upon earth is always visible?" And the reply, in the affirmative, is supported by quotations, first, from Micah, describing it "as a mountain upon the top of mountains, exposed to the view of all nations flowing unto it."

* Mr. C. Butler being a Roman Catholic himself-and by those of his own communion termed liberal, and justly acknowledged by all to be learned this gentleman, a thorough good Romanist, who avows [See Book of the Rom. Cat. Ch.'] his belief that "full power was delegated to the Bishop of Rome by St. Peter;"-in the wafer changing, by the power of his Church, to real flesh and blood,—that sins are forgiven by his priest, &c. &c.-has he not, we ask, shown some incautiousness in his very rational appeal to the " Acts of the Apostles" to learn their own acts? To these "Acts" Protestants always appeal; and they, as all persons, calling themselves Christians, ought to do, rely upon them for their knowledge of what the Apostles taught and enforced. But from these Acts we learn not of supremacy, purgatory, image-worship, &c. &c. &c. Wherein do these "Acts" of the Apostles evince the arrogance, avarice, impiety, and inhumanity, of Popery? We heartily wish all Papists to appeal to the Acts of the Apostles, and contrast them with the acts of their Popes.

From Daniel," as a great mountain filling the whole earth;" and from Matthew, "as a city set on a hill, which cannot be hid," &c. Now, who, we ask, but a Pope, would seek to imply-or who, but the most ignorant Papist, could be led to suppose, that these figurative expressions were to be literally applied to material objects? If it be denied that any such interpretation is intended, why not have shown from the Scriptures that Christ's Church upon earth must always be distinguished from every other by her "GOOD WORKS?" But, instead of this, here is the "Visible Church" spoken of, as though the true Church of Christ might always be known by a stone or wooden cross placed upon the top of it; or, that, because St. Peter's at Rome is the largest church, the paths to its approach must lead direct to heaven. The texts applied above," as a city set on a hill," &c., in proof of "Christ's Church on earth being always visible "-(the Pope having already, in the "Profession of Faith," insisted that this Church is his own)-are from the 5th of Matthew, the chapter from which we quoted the above extracts, and from which we extract the following, in illustration of the true sense and meaning of the above line. Our Saviour is addressing his disciples, and says,

Ver. 13. " Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."

14. "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid."

15. "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."

16. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your GOOD WORKS, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven."

Papists, as we have already observed, are not permitted to peruse the sacred Scriptures, lest that "light of the world," emanating from CHRIST himself, should, at once, show forth the pernicious doctrines of Popery. But, we exhort such of them as dare to, so far, transgress the mandates of the Vatican as to open the New Testament, as also our Protestant brethren (particularly those in Popish neighbourhoods), to compare the particular lines picked out of the Scriptures with the context of the whole chapters from whence they are selected, as in the instance just given, for the obvious purpose of misleading those not permitted to inquire into the truth. The most humble classes of our Irish Roman Catholic fellowsubjects-men who have never seen a Bible or Testament, and who could not read it although they had ;-yet they are taught to say, that their "clergy give Scripture for all they say and do."

We beg to remind our readers, that by this way of perverting the Gospel-(and which, it will be seen, is persisted in throughout the whole Popish faith)—it may at all times be made subservient to the worst of temporal purposes. Suppose a Roman Catholic (either of the clergy or laity), who wished a scriptural excuse for following his own uncharitable inclinations:-he may, according to Papal quotation, religiously (!!) bid his debtor rot in gaol, and prove that he has scriptural authority for his hard-heartedness. The debtor we will imagine to sue somewhat after this sort :-" I am unable to pay your demand upon me, but, deprived of liberty, I have no hopes of doing so; let, then, my necessities plead in extenuation of the injury you may have sustained by what I owe you; release me from prison, and by my industry I shall be enabled to pay you by degrees." But to this appeal (were we to judge from Popish extracts from the Scriptures) the creditor would be wrong to attend; since his reply would be justified by the 5th of Matthew (as above quoted) v. 26

66 Verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

Direct as is the contrast of this expression of our Saviour, in the sense in which we have thus applied it, to the meaning he himself explicitly conveyed to his disciples when it proceeded from his own lips; yet, can it be said to be a greater perversion of the truth and intent of the Gospel, than those sentences selected to prove that the doctrines of the Church of Rome are in unison with the doctrines of Christ? We think not: our readers will judge for themselves. We now proceed to

SECT. II.-That Christ's Church upon earth is always One. How do you prove that Christ's Church upon earth can be but one ?

"That without faith

From many texts of Scripture, Song of Solomon, vi. 9, 10. “My dove, my undefiled is but one-fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners." John x. 16. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold," viz. the Gentiles, (who were then divided from the Jews) "them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." Eph. iv. 4, 5. "There is one body and one spirit, as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism." In fine, as we have seen already, the Church of Christ is a kingdom which shall stand for ever; and therefore must be always one. "For every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." Matt. xii. 25. May not persons be saved in any religion? No, certainly. St. Paul tells us, Heb. xi. 6. it is impossible to please God; and St. Peter assures us, Acts iv. 12. "That there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we may be saved, but the name of Jesus." And Christ himself tells us, Mark xvi. 16. "He that believeth not shall be damned." So that it is manifest from the Holy Scripture, that true faith is necessary to salvation. Now true faith, in order to please God, and save our souls, must be entire; that is to say, we must believe without exception all such articles, as by God and his Church are proposed to be believed: and he that voluntarily and obstinately disbelieveth any one of these articles, is no less void of true saving faith, than he that disbelieves them all as St. James tells, with regard to practical duties, chap. ii. 10. "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, yet offend in one point, is guilty of all." Hence St. Paul, Gal. v. 20, reckons heresies, that is, false religions, amongst those works of the flesh, of which he pro

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nounces, "that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God:" and God himself, Isa. lx. 12, tells his Church, "the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish."

Can any one be out of the way of salvation without the guilt of mortal sin?

No. But all such, as through obstinacy, negligence, or indifference in matters of religion, will not hear the true church and her pastors, are guilty of mortal sin. Matt. xviii. 17, "If he neglect to hear the church, let him be to thee as a heathen man and a publican." Luke x. 16. "He that heareth you," (the pastors of the church) "heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me."

But what do you think of those whose conscience persuades them that they are in the true church?

If this error of theirs proceed from invincible ignorance, they may be excused from the sin of heresy; provided, that in the sincere disposition of their hearts, they would gladly embrace the truth, if they could find it out, in spite of all opposition of interest, passion, &c. But if this error of their conscience be not invincible, but such as they might discover if they were in earnest, in a matter of so great consequence; their conscience will not excuse them, no more than St. Paul's, whilst out of blind zeal he persecuted the church; or the mistaken conscience of the Jews, when putting the disciples of Christ to death, they thought they did a service to God, John xvi. 2. "For there is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the ends thereof are the ways of death." Prov. xvi. 25.

But does not the Scripture somewhere say, "that a remnant of all religions shall be saved?"

No: though I have often heard such words alleged by Protestants, they are not anywhere to be found in Scripture, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelations. I suppose, what has given occasion to their mistake, must have been the words of St. Paul, Rom. ix. 27, where, quoting Isaiah x. 22, he tells us, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant (that is, a small part of them only)" shall be saved:" which remnant the Apostle himself explains, Rom. xi. 5. of such of the Jewish nation as at that time by entering into the Church were saved by God's grace. But what is this relation to a salvation of a remnant of all religions? A doctrine so visibly contradicting the Scripture, that even the English Protestant Church herself, in the 18th of her 39 articles, has declared them to be accursed, who presume to maintain it,

That CHRIST's Church upon earth is always one, and in heaven also, we are not inclined to dispute, and this admission will spare us the trouble of commenting on the two or three sentences picked out of the Scriptures to prove it, and