themselves down in the most irrational notion, that religion is a doubtful thing, and that truth is not attainable. Thus they die in doubt, and only awake to certainty. The same want of principle runs through their whole character. A Latitudinarian in religion is good for nought; he has no fixed principles in any thing; you can never depend on him. In every department of life—in his family, in society, in public, as a politician, as a neighbour-he is inconsistent and wavering. This is the curse of the age-this wavering, unsettled state-and cannot be sufficiently deplored and denounced. My chief advice to every friend of mine would be, first determine what is truth, and then act upon it. To go on doubting till your life's end is a miserable philosophy, and must end in ruin. For myself I bless God that I have been educated in the principles of His Apostolic Church. I have sought diligently into the truth of these principles, and am firmly convinced that they are from heaven; and now my constant care is to live according to them. My hope and prayer is to live and die in the communion of the Church of Christ."

66

“I observe,” said Ridley, thoughtfully, “ that

in your conversation you constantly use the word Church, coupling it with the epithets Apostolic, or Catholic; and that it seems to form a cardinal point in your religious creed."

ᎻᎬᎡᏴᎬᎡᎢ,

It does. "I believe in one Catholic and Apostolic Church;" that is my creed, and so it is yours. It has formed a part of the creed of every Christian from the beginning, and is publicly confessed by every member of the Church of England. The very fact of its occupying a place amongst the great articles of the Christian faith, and having been preserved through so long a succession of ages, proves that it must be of primary importance.

RIDLEY.

Yet I confess I never had any very distinct notion of what is meant by the expression.

HERBERT.

Too many persons, I fear, are in the same case with yourself. And it is this forgetfulness of a most important doctrine which has led to the endless schisms and divisions that vex the Church; and which, while it prevails, must for ever prevent reunion. On other points of doc

7

trine many denominations of Christians agree with Churchmen. They believe in God the Father, who made them; God the Son, who redeemed them; and God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth them. But in the doctrine of the

Church they differ. And it is the right or wrong belief in this one doctrine of the one Catholic and Apostolic Church, which makes all the difference in their conduct,-rendering them sound orthodox Churchmen or wavering schismatics. Even amongst professed members of the Church the wrong interpretation, or want of sincere faith in this doctrine, causes a lamentable vacillation in religious matters.

RIDLEY.

The doctrine in question must be of great importance. I should like to hear your explanation of it, for I confess myself to be a sharer in the prevailing ignorance in this matter. The word Church, I have observed, is most loosely applied in the language of the world. In newspaper phraseology, and in the language of Parliament, it is used to represent the aggregate body of the clergy.

HERBERT.

That is a decidedly wrong and mischievous

application of it; and the sooner we drop it the better. It breeds a false and pernicious notion that the clergy are a body dissociated in their views and interests from the people; whereas, in truth, they are but the ministers or servants of the Church and of Christ, its head; and their interests and privileges are bound up with those of the whole community of which God has made them ministers.

RIDLEY.

Some of our periodicals-and some which one would least suspect of very spiritual viewshave lately changed their phraseology, and speak of the Church as the body of true believers in all the world-that is to say, good men of all sects and denominations.

HERBERT.

You said well, that some "not very spiritual persons" had adopted this mode of speaking of the Church. It is manifestly a mere political manoeuvre; the object of which is to wrest the appellation of Churchmen from the members of the English Church, to whom only, in this country, it rightfully belongs. This insidious. attempt makes it the more necessary to spread widely the knowledge of the true doctrine of the

Catholic and Apostolic Church in which we profess our belief.

RIDLEY.

I should like to understand the real merits of this question.

HERBERT.

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Let us turn to the Bible. The word Church occurs in a good many places in Scripture, in the large majority of which it is applied to a religious community existing visibly upon earth, which was liable to persecution', vexation2, extension; which could receive complaints*; admit, or eject members; deliberate', decide in controversies, send messengers', be edified 1o, fed", taken care of 12, salute 13 and be saluted 14; in short, could exercise all the functions of a visible human society. All these functions and accidents are ascribed, in different parts of Scripture, to the Church; sometimes in its united capacity; sometimes as represented by