hearted, and the teachable, into woods and forests, to search for berries, or to dig for roots, when they may have the bread of life and the clusters of the true vine brought to their own board? Shall we compel the honest and sincere Bercean to turn over more volumes than would fill the largest room, when he may carry in his hand the volume of the sacred Scriptures, and store its treasures in his bosom? Much praise, no doubt, and much regard, are due those who have qualified themselves, in the field of learning and by long study, to attain a better knowledge of the original languages of the sacred Scripture, and of the grounds of solid criticism, than the early confessors might have: but those faithful witnesses did very much; they left a thousandfold more benefit, both by their examples and their writings, than may compensate slips and misconceptions, which none but misconceited and ungrateful men delight to hold up to scorn. Much praise, then, and regard are due to those who can turn the volumes of the Fathers to advantage, and have the welcome leisure for the purpose; those who become acquainted thus with what has been said, or done, or written in past ages. There will not cease to be the want of such men in the Church, since, as Solomon observes, there is nothing new under the sun, at least in the rambles of the human mind; and if all books were cast into the sea, as some have wished, in the spirit of him who burned

the manuscripts of Alexandria, yet might the same things come up again. Many men have, indeed, unweetingly revived such things, and have taken them to be their own, and been derided for their pains. But let us, my Reverend Brethren, cling closely to those principles, and that standard of the truth, without which we may fluctuate for ever, or wade after floating corks and feathers, till the deep waters close upon us; till death shuts the curtain, and the sequel may be, to lie down empty at the last, and to lose the fruit of all our labours.

But not to close with so sad a picture, one word from our blessed Lord's lips shall plant in us a better hope, and fix a glad assurance in our hearts: "Whosoever," said our Divine Instructor, "shall "drink of the water that I shall give him, it shall "be unto him a well of water springing up into "everlasting life."

POSTSCRIPT.

I WILL here subjoin some testimonies from our own store, the good old English pastors of our Church, for with all my admiration of the zeal of many in the present day, and my fears too lest I should fall short, or lest they should exceed, I must confess that I very much admire the judgment of the past age in our Church, and have never found it yet surpassed.

Excellent are the words of Archbishop Tennison, "The Apostles were themselves without error, both "in their own assent to the fundamentals of the "Christian faith, and in the delivery of them. They "heard the oracles of Christ from his own mouth, "and they were witnesses of his resurrection, and

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they spake what they had seen and heard. They gave to the world assurance of the truth, by the "miraculous signs of their apostolic office, and if they had not had such assistance themselves, and "could not have given proof to others of their mission, there would have been a defect in the first

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promulgation of the Gospel, and such as could not

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"afterwards have been amended. That which at "first had been delivered with uncertainty, would "with greater uncertainty have been conveyed down "to after ages, and men, who, in process of time, "graft error upon truth, would much more have grafted error upon uncertain opinion. Ever since "the Apostles' times, there has been true faith, and "the profession of it in the Catholic Church, and it "will be so till faith shall expire, and men shall see "Him on whom they before believed. For a Church "cannot subsist without the fundamentals of Christ

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ianity; and Christ hath sealed this truth with his

promise that there shall be a Church as long as "this world continues. I mean by a Church, a "visible society of Christians, both ministers and "people, for public worship upon earth cannot be "invisible." In this you see is included, by this wise and judicious prelate, all the provisions which Christ and His Apostles made for every settled Church in all lands.

Speaking of councils, as one of the pretended infallibles, having shown the deference due to them, and the regard which our Church pays to them, he reminds us that, "The council of Constantinople, "under Constantine Copronymus, consisting of three "hundred and thirty-eight bishops, decreed against "the use of images in churches, yet the second "council of Nice, consisting of about three hundred

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and fifty bishops, determined for it; and awhile