to scripture, they may sincerely fulfil the command of Christ, to worship God in spirit and in truth.

But it appears to me, that the only means of attaining this desirable object of CATHOLIC UNION, are humility of heart, and an obedient faith. That is, the will of the community must absorb that of the individual, and private judg ment must yield to the sacred authority of Christ's Church, (Luke x. 16); which, though a fond and tender Mother, always desiring our salvation, cannot sacrifice the duty and obligations of a Spouse, fully devoted to the service of her Lord. As a mother, who consults the general interests of her children, she will condescend to our infirmities; but as a spouse, must be entirely guided in her own condescension, by the revelations of Jesus Christ.-In return, there fore, while oUR CONDUCT is humble and dutiful, OUR FAITH must be simple and obedi ent. What the infant is to reason, man is to faith; and since we are to consider ourselves as little children, journeying towards heaven, (Matt. xviii. 3.) our faith must possess their characteristic qualities-simplicity and obedience.

The very word FAITH itself implies that full submission and reliance of mind, which ceases the moment reason becomes the moving spring of our thoughts and actions. More than once does the Apostle insist upon this obedience of faith, (Rom. xvi. 26.) and in this sense alone tells us, that the just man lives by faith. (Rom. i. 17.) In fact, a soul obedient to, and directed by this virtue, is exactly circumstanced like a man who, suffering himself to be led in the dark, places implicit confidence in his conductor; and while he feels the hand, and bears the voice that guide him, examines not the ground on which he moves. In the same manner, the Almighty proposes mysteries, inveloped in the dark

ness of a cloud, and affords a pillar of sufficient brilliance to conduct the way-faring Israelite to the Land of Promise; he supplies sufficient evidence to awe reason, but not to extinguish faith which, as the Apostle writes, is properly the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things which appear not. (Heb. ii. 1.). And St. Gregory, commenting on the passage, adds, "that faith is the consciousness of the existence of things which we cannot perceive.” Indeed, the things which are perceived are not objects of faith, but of perception and knowledge -Because thou hast seen mé, Thomas, thou hast believed, said Jesus Christ to his Apostle, blessed are they who have not seen, and have believed. (John xx. 29.)

The great mysteries of the Christian faith are contained in the Apostle's Creed, (the seven sacraments, the eucharistic sacrifice of Jesus Christ, original sin, &c. &c. being included under the infallibility of the Church,) and are proposed to the mind's assent, on that same divine authority which proposes to us faith in Jesus Christ, his Church, and in the scriptures. For the soul can never render an obedient faith, if it make any exception; because to except against one, is virtually to except against all, by destroying the motive, and subverting the foundation of faith. Neither does this divine authority change in its character by being delegated. Therefore, whether the Deity speak by himself, or through his Church by his ministers, (Luke x. 16.) he is equally entitled to our obedient faith; just as the authority of a court of law is the authority of a king-the authority of every inferior officer the authority of the chief -the authority of a steward the authority of the

master.

Now, while the Catholic Church proposes

every mystery of faith to her children, on the divine authority of Jesus Christ, true God; (John xvi. 16.) whose knowledge is as infinite as his power; (Matt. xxviii. 18.) the depth and sublimity of the thing proposed, cannot affect its truth, nor allow us to make any distinction in the nature of our assent. If the authority be entitled to our submission, the mystery justly claims the OBEDIENCE OF OUR FAITH.

This obedience of faith was, indeed, exacted by the Almighty of man, from the very beginning of the world, and is the essence of that religion received by the Patriarch, the Jew, and the Christian. Differing in form, their worship bas ever been one in principle: and their faith, firm and obedient in all the mysteries God successively revealed to them, has only received a correspondent increase, in proportion as the work of our redemption was developed. A larger

tribute, for instance, being required from Abraham, than from any of the preceding Patriarchs -more from the Israelites, after their departure from Egypt, than before-and finally, more from the Christians than even from the Jews.

Not that the Christian discipline is more ceremoniously exact, nor, perhaps, so particularly watched over as the Mosaic. But obedient faith is more the essence of, and fundamental principle of the new law than of the old. In the ancient law, every external rite and ceremony, however minute, was literally regulated by God himself; and this must have proved a strong incentive to obedience. But in the Christian dispensation, he has delegated that authority to his Church; and, having substituted the weak for the strong, continues to interpose vessels of clay to veil his Majesty from the sight of mortals. True, he has given every divine assurance that he will constantly abide with her, watch over her, and

protect her in essentials; yet, as he does not visibly interfere, he can only in doubts and difficulties be heard through her, as the depository of his law, and the channel of his graces. Of course, in this age of pride and infidelity, a greater obedience of faith a faith more ready, more submissive, more perfect, is absolutely requisite, for rendering to God the homage of that identical religion, which man is, and has been at all times, bound to pay him. In short, in the words of St. Austin, Amidst the several ways of gaining and acquiring truth, the first is humilitythe second is humility-the third is humility(Epist. 56.)

PREFACE.

PREFACE.

JESUS CHRIST revealed his own law, and established his own church; but this being accomplished, left all things relating to its government, discipline and liturgy, to be settled by those to whom his flock was committed. Without aspiring however to any plans of refined wisdom, the apostles only sought to regulate the external and internal economy of this church, for the edification of men.-Passing over the arch-policy of the Romans, and the classical elegance of the Greeks, they determined every thing by the rule of simplicity; and provided for the Church a firm, well ordered discipline, yet the most simple possible the characteristics of which, were prudence and humility for the superior-submission and docility for the inferior. Hence the prayers, rites and ceremonies, comprised in the liturgy of the Church, strike and edify by their simplicity-express more of the piety of the heart, than of the beauties of language or scholastic taste-will outlive the diction of poets and orátors, and may be viewed as the best relics of ancient manners.

The discipline and liturgy of a church being thus once settled and received by authority, it becomes the duty of every one to submit and conform to them; not because they are the best, which can be proposed, but upon the principle of union and charity. (1) For as St. Paul has

(1) Protestants seem perfectly to admit this Catholic principle, for in the paragraph treating of ceremonies, in their Common Prayer.

b