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we now have in our possession." These are his words: "Because at this time heresy has infected the Church, the divine Scriptures only can afford a proof of genuine christianity, and a refuge to those who are desirous of arriving at the truth of the faith." Thus similarly speaks Irenæus, as to the subject of human traditions:

"The doctrines delivered by the apostles to the churches which they founded, and afterwards consigned by them to writing in the New Testament, in order that it might be in all future

go through twelve hundred years); you are to take all the writers of twelve hundred years, and you are to make them your witnesses, and you are to examine them all, and cross examine them all, and study them all, and endeavour to ascertain what they severally say, and what they say together, and find out the points on which they are agreed, which you are to receive as thus established by tradition; and reject the points about which they are not agreed, as points to be held in abeyance, and the truth and fallacy of which must be found in some other way. Now let us appeal to the time, let us appeal to the learning, let us appeal to the judgment, which would be required for such a work as this; and who is there that would say, that christianity could ever find its way through the world, if it were to be circulated in connection with a machinery such as this. And yet the Puseyites throw us on this system of Tradition, on this cumbrous machinery of interpretation." See Burnet's second Lecture on Tradition, page 11.

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ages, the ground and pillar of truth, is the only authoritative tradition," of which this Father speaks.

Sufficient evidence has surely been adduced from merely human authorities--if there be those who are foolish enough to give implicit credence to them-to show, that early Fathers made their final appeal to scripture. For the instant we cross the line of Inspiration, we are all of us completely out of the territory where the only rightful tribunal is erected, before which all matters concerning faith, duty, and worship must be decided, and at whose bar alone all true protestants demand to be tried. Paul appealed to Cæsar's judgment seat-the opponent of popery and Puseyism says, " I appeal alone to the Bible!" Hence we denounce the notion of a traditionary revelation, apart from the Scriptures, and call upon all who love and prize their Bibles, to do so likewise. Eor it is a grave affront, offered to the sufficiency and integrity of inspired truth, as well as to the Majesty of heaven, its author. It is also a strong delusion, which no mind can entertain, without the influence of the divine record upon it being weakened, and completely repelled from it. We know what followed in the Jewish Church [may God avert it from the Anglican Church], when another authority, independent

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of that of Moses and the prophets, was elevated to an improper equality with it. The human law gradually supplanted the divine, in its hold upon the public mind, until abject homage was paid to novelties and traditions, which opposed the commandments of God, and stripped all their sacred institutions of the sacredness and spiritual vitality, which alone rendered them valuable. And so it will be in our land, if God in awful jndgment give up the ministry of the Church of England, and the masses of the people, to the strong delusions of Tradition and sacramental efficacy, and all the other correlative errors of Puseyism. For with the Oxford divines, it seems that Tradition and Truth are henceforth to be yoked together; that the erring "Fathers"* of the early Church, many of whom

* Martin Luther says "When God's word is by 'the Fathers' expounded, construed, and glossed, then, in my judgment, it is even like to one that strains milk through a coal sack, which must needs spoil and make the milk black. Even so, God's word of itself is sufficiently pure, clean, bright, and clear; but through the doctrines, writings, and books of the Fathers, it is very sorely blackened, falsified, and spoiled."

How different the views of the Reformer, to the views and sentiments of the Vicar of the University Church (St. Mary's) at Oxford. The Rev. Mr. Newman, in his Lectures on Romanism and Popular Protestantism, says,

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taught the most awful errors,* are to pronounce their final dictum on the lively oracles of God; and that, turning away from the still, small, yet authoritative voice of the gospel, we are to pay obsequious homage to the mandate, "Hear the

"Catholic tradition is a divine informant in religious matters. We agree (says the writer) with the Romanist, in appealing to antiquity, as our 'GREAT TEACHER."" Page 47.

"Both Romanists and ourselves maintain as follows that whatever doctrine the primitive age unanimously attest, whether by consent of Fathers, or by councils, or by controversies, or in whatever way--whatever may fairly and reasonably be considered to be the universal belief of those ages [when and where was there UNIVERSAL BELIEF?], is to be received as coming from the Apostles."

Will GENUINE PROTESTANTS so easily agree with the Romanists, and these Oxford semi-Romanists, on these points? We, on the contrary, believe that the holy and inspired writings of the Apostles are the ONLY certain traditions which can be traced to them.

* An appeal to antiquity can be turned with tremendous force against the high church divines. Give the people a true history of christianity for the first three centuries, and you overturn the whole fabric of church power and veneration for antiquity. See this incontrovertibly illustrated in a masterly work entitled, "The Theology of the Early Christian Church Exhibited, in quotations from the writers of the first three centuries." By James Bennett, D. D. The Congregational Lecture for 1841. Eighth Series.

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Fathers," "HEAR THE CHURCH," and even allow the prayer book, and antiquity, a co-equality with the Bible! Thus the apple of discord, now thrown down by the semi-papists, is, the relative claims of revelation and tradition. Hence, as Chilling worth well remarks, "Our Judge of controversy, is our greatest controversy." If God had appointed a human judge, an historical censor, to pronounce infallibly in all causes of mental and controversial litigation, would not the path to the tribunal have been made to all, light, and clear, and plain? But Tradition only makes "darkness visible." How can the hard-working and unlettered masses of the people answer or decide all the vexed questions, connected with the involved and entangled enquiries concerning antiquity? Shall Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John lie on the shelf unheeded and untouched, till our poor ploughmen and operatives have ascertained thoroughly what the "Fathers" and certain Greek and Latin councils have said on various controverted passages in their Bibles? Oh, no; if any poor man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not. "Search the Scriptures" is our motto, and our advice to all. If this be not right, the Bereans must no longer be held up, as a noble example of intelligent investigation. If the Bible is not the only and