of Scripture, which when continued through successive ages becomes tradition, is fully as necessary as Scripture itself to a correct knowledge of Gospel-truth, or in other words to a pure faith. Upon this supposition the sense of Scripture has been decided for us long ago, and all that we have to do, is to bow before that decision. On the other hand it is asserted, that the many corruptions which introduced themselves into the doctrines of the church in remoter ages, and the many conflicting opinions concerning the sense of Scripture which have since then arisen, clearly prove that the right interpretation of Scripture, if there be any at all that is the right one to the exclusion of all others, has never yet been ascertained; and that therefore every individual is not only entitled, but in a manner bound, to set out on a voyage of discovery for the right interpretation; and that whenever any set of individuals happen to agree to a considerable extent in their interpretation, they are both entitled and bound to set themselves apart, and announce themselves to the world as new, and in comparison with all that have gone before, or are existing around them, surpassingly correct interpreters. Upon this supposition the sense of Scripture cannot at any time be said to be definitively ascertained; but in the hope that we are all more or less on the road

towards ascertaining it, we must all pursue our several and incongruous lines of interpretation, wholly independent, on one hand, of the authority of antiquity and tradition, and on the other hand, in perpetual dependance on what a day may bring forth.

Το expose the fallacies which lie at the root of, and are involved in, these two opposite systems, and to show that the truth is to be found not between, but above them both, is the main object of the following pages; to do so, not in the spirit of accusation, but in the spirit of charity, my most earnest desire. What I propose to myself is, not as an Anglican churchman to engage in controversy with the Romanist and the Dissenter, or as a sound and catholic member of my church with unsound and practically sectarian churchmen of any kind; but to trace to their source the evils which in this respect have in all ages beset the church, to show that they are the natural offspring of the evil heart of man, of doubt on one hand, and of presumption on the other; and above all, to point out that simple walk of faith which, equally removed from doubt and from presumption, declining neither to the right hand nor to the left, is the sure and only path to a right knowledge and a blessed appropriation of the truth as it is in Jesus. I shall consider myself

as having failed altogether of accomplishing the task I have undertaken, if I only confirm my brother churchmen in the opinion which they are supposed to entertain, that the Anglican church occupies the true ground in opposition to Popery and Schism; or if I only suggest to the Romanist and the Dissenter reasons for questioning the correctness of the positions which they have severally assumed; if I do not prevail upon those who, being churchmen in name, are professedly of the same faith, to concur with me in laying our hands upon our hearts and pushing the question home to our own consciences, how far we have any of us, individually or collectively, suffered ourselves to fall under the influence of those two great enemies of the truth, doubt and presumption; how far we have, especially amidst the spiritual ferment of the present day, unwarily departed from that simple faith and humble obedience, which is our only sure refuge from the conflicting squalls and tempests of human opinion, and in which unless we be built up as a church, and as individual members of the same, it is wholly impossible that we should "endure to the end."

As regards the arrangement of the heads of my argument, I propose, in a series of short essays, each forming a separate argument on the particular point to which it is devoted, and yet connected

with each other as members of the main argument, to consider successively, and in such order as the subject itself may suggest, the component parts of that which, under the name of Christianity, proposes itself to us for our adoption by faith, deducing from the nature of each part, and the connexion existing between the parts, the practical rule of faith, and pointing out the errors which have arisen, or are likely to arise, out of a departure, under whatever name or pretext, from that rule. In doing this, I shall necessarily assume certain matters of fact, carefully guarding myself, however, not to assume any except such as are clearly established by the authority of Scripture. To show that the appeal to Scripture is both the only legitimate and a sufficient appeal, is itself part of the argument, and will not be lost sight of in the progress of the work. It is therefore no petitio principii, but merely a statement in anticipation of that which hereafter I intend to prove, if at the close of these introductory remarks I beg my readers to bear in mind that I write as one who himself has subscribed, and that I write chiefly, though not exclusively, for those who with me profess to receive, those articles of our church in which it is asserted, that "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read 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, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation;" and that "although the church be a witness and a keeper of Holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of salvation." {