creed which I draw from its revelations. And yet I see, that in the world around me there prevail variations of religious belief almost innumerable. I see the wise, the learned, the able, the pious, upholding, as the undoubted truth of God, the most contradictory sentiments. Whom then shall I follow ?" Such is the difficulty which naturally presents itself to every cautious, meditative mind, and which in these times is forced upon the notice even of the most rash and unthinking of earnest-minded Christians.

Many and various are the solutions which are proposed by different sects and persons. The doubting believer is almost as much distracted by the multiplicity of the paths which profess to lead to the unspotted purity of Gospel truth, as by the aberrations of the individuals who pretend to be walking along the right road which God has marked out. He not only sees that those persons who assert that they have all sought the real truth by the same unerring track, put forward the most opposite views of the real character of true religious faith; but that while some follow one guide, others commit themselves to the leading of another, while each alleges that the teacher whom he himself has selected is the only trustworthy instructor.

At this point, therefore, a choice must be made. We must decide upon some one criterion, whereby we may test the various religious creeds which prevail in the professedly Christian world. We must select some touchstone, by the use of which we may distinguish between truth and falsehood, between God's unsullied doctrine, and man's devices or corruptions. It avails us nothing that we accept the Bible as the pure word of God, unless we have reasonable trust that we are employing the right means for ascertaining its contents. Its voice will be uttered to deaf ears, if we have no reason for thinking that we are using a fit instrument for searching into its pages. At the present day, however, this great truth seems to be well nigh forgotten, both in the controversies between Protestants and Romanists, and in the debates between the various divisions of Protestants themselves. The British press

is crowded with works on the individual errors of all parties: almost every week supplies some new refutation of the notions of some sect and we seem to have forgotten that there is one general assertion which involves nearly all others, and the neglect of which cannot be compensated by the utmost learning or clearness of reasoning displayed on those propositions which

follow from it. We meet perpetually with speeches, sermons, and essays, against transubstantiation, against adoration of saints, against the mass; but few persons seem to think that it is to no purpose that they prove the Romish Church to be wrong on these points, so long as the Romanists uphold them simply on the authority of their Church. Many zealous Protestants believe that they are really counteracting the errors of Romanism, when they lay open the abominable practices of the Papists ; forgetting that this will in no way prevent a truly candid and unprejudiced mind from receiving the fundamental principle of the Church of Rome, when it is supported by plausible and positive proofs. For a man, whose judgment is not warped by previous dislike or good-will, is well aware, that no religious system is to be judged by the inconsistencies of those who profess it. And therefore it is in vain to expect that any truth will eventually prevail, when we have no more to urge in its favour than the fact, that many who oppose it are ungodly men. If, indeed, the influence of a religion, from the very nature of the religion itself, is hurtful in its consequences; or if experience has shown, that though fully acted up to, it is yet inadequate to produce any

beneficial results; in such case we should be justified in rejecting a system so defective, unless the evidence in its favour be strong indeed. But when all that we urge against the doctrines of our opponents is their own personal misconduct; when from their errors in life we proceed to infer the falsehood of their opinions, without showing that their evil deeds are the necessary consequence of their sentiments, rather than the delinquencies of individuals; instead of convincing those who are unbiassed by prejudice, that the truth is on our side, we rather furnish our adversaries with a weapon for striking a blow at a set of articles of faith, which can stand in need of such fallacious reasonings.

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The same may also be said of a mode of proceeding which is adopted by many members of the Church of England, in their endeavours to refute the opinions of those persons in their own communion, whom they believe to have a tendency towards Romanist doctrines. Arguments from Scripture, proofs from common sense, and from the consequences which must follow from the notions controverted, are eagerly brought forward by those who affix the stigma of "Popish" to various members of the English Church. The question in debate between the various parties is

scarcely ever met upon its true ground; the principle on which almost every thing else depends is lost sight of; and the consequence must be, that if the truth do not materially suffer from the superficial reasonings of those who are debating it, at least no progress can be made towards a satisfactory conclusion.

It is therefore proposed to discuss in the following pages the question, on which depends so much of the controversy between Protestants and Romanists, and between different members of the Anglican Church. That question, it is conceived, is concerning the use of what are commonly called Church authority, tradition, and private judgment, in the investigation of the truths revealed by Christ and his apostles. It is evident at first sight, that until a point of a nature so important be settled, we can proceed no further in our search for religious truth. Until we know where to seek for the revealed doctrines of Christianity, and are convinced that in our investigation we are following the right guide, we may spare ourselves the labour of searching altogether. So long as the Church of Rome makes no pretension to justify all her doctrines from God's written word, and demands credence for all notions, and obedience to all