most orthodox, cordial, and bitter! The poor heathen would have a task assigned him more delicate and difficult than fell to the lot of Paris, when called on by three goddesses to award the palm of beauty!

The Church of Rome pleads a Revelation in her favour; so do the Greek, and the Mahomedan, and the Hindoo; and they seem all equally worthy of credit.

Suppose the Hon. and Rev. George Spencer were trying to convert an infidel to the faith which he has adopted. He would say:

"Let me first observe, that an infallible guide is a great blessing to the world, as it prevents variety of opinion among men."

"Nonsense, my dear Sir," replies the infidel; "there is as great variety of opinion in the Church of Rome as any where else in the world. Doctrines the most heterogeneous and contradictory are cherished within her pale. But she cares not what errors and vices swarm within, provided she can extort outward submission to her authority. It is not for orthodoxy or morality, but for external uniformity she contends. For this, hecatombs innumerable have bled upon her altars. Prevent variety of opinion, indeed! As well might she undertake to arrest the mo

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tion of the pulse without destroying life. To compel all the minds in the world, ignorant and educated, stupid and intelligent, gay and contemplative, to think alike! How Utopian! How preposterous! Charles V. could not make a few watches go together; remember how sagely the ex-emperor moralised thereon. The machinery of the human mind is more complicated and delicate than that of a watch! Your Inquisition, Sir, could not prevent the Reformation. Coercion may make hypocrites of knaves and cowards. The upright and honourable are its martyrs.

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Well, Sir, as this is a mere subsidiary argument I will not stop to contest that point, but come to the main question at issue. The infallibility of our church is a doctrine of Revelation, as clearly established as any other truth of the Christian religion. I will first refer you to Matt.

"Hold, Sir! not so fast," remarks the Infidel. "You are about to prove the infallibility of the Papal Church from the Bible. I am glad that your infallible mother condescends to appeal to my private judgment as to the meaning of the Bible, and especially on a point so important!— the very foundation on which she stands! But allow me to say that there is a preliminary

question-I do not believe in the Bible. I hold it to be a collection of fables, a mass of absurdity from beginning to end. You must demonstrate, first of all, that there is a God. Secondly, that

he has spoken to man. Thirdly, you must settle the canon of Scripture, adducing such arguments as are calculated to satisfy a candid mind as to the authenticity and inspiration of the Bible. When you have done this, I will expect you to point out the portions of Scripture that teach the infalliblity of the Church of Rome, and also to maintain the soundness of your private interpretation of those passages. A hard task!"

"Oh, not at all, I assure you!" replies Mr. Spencer, "we receive God's word, written and unwritten, on the authority of the Church, without which we could not know what was Scripture, or what not. Here lies our immense advantage over all the Protestant sects."

"Ah! Sir," observes the Infidel, "I did not think you were a gentleman of such extreme simplicity! You undertake to prove the infallibility of your church. You refer to Scripture. I ask you to show me by solid arguments that your Scriptures and your traditions are not pure inventions-mere idle fictions; and you quietly refer me to the authority of your church!-the very thing in dispute! How soon you convert

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the party on trial into the judge! Pretty logic, indeed! A gentleman comes into court asserting his right to an estate. His counsel makes a speech in his favour. The judge calls for proof of title. A will is handed in. The judge remarks, that if the will be indeed genuine, it is a matter of considerable doubt whether it would bear an interpretation favourable to the claimant ; but that being a question for subsequent consideration, he calls, in the first instance, for proof of the genuineness of the document. My Lord, says the counsel, the document is certainly genuine. My client most positively asserts it—nay, is ready to swear it; and as the estate is worth only about £100,000 a year, surely you would not suspect so honourable a man of stating what is false for such a trifle! Would not this man be laughed out of court, or punished for forgery? Yet such is the predicament in which you have placed the Pope! Observe the vicious circle. Is the Pope infallible? Yes; for the Bible asserts it. Is the Bible inspired? Yes; for the Pope asserts it. Was there ever, in the annals of sophistry, a more palpable, clumsy, begging of the question than this? And yet it is upon this assumption that you are about to build the 'baseless fabric' of an infallible church! And this assumption, so glaringly unfounded, is her

S

sole authority for murdering Jews, Turks, and Protestants, whenever she has had the power.

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Suppose some usurper should, by force of arms, seize the sceptre of Britain; and, in order to vindicate his conduct, should allege that the country would otherwise be shamefully misgoverned. This plea of expediency being indignantly rejected by Parliament, he contends that the constitution has been violated; and that, under the circumstances of the case, he is justified by MAGNA CHARTA in ascending the throne. This, after much contention, intriguing, and corruption, is at length reluctantly admitted. But, in a very short time, the usurper begins to abuse his power, and tramples on the rights of the people abolishing trial by jury, the privilege of petition, and the liberty of the press; espionage, proscriptions, confiscations, and executions being the order of the day. At length, a deputation from the House of Commons waits upon the tyrant. They recount their grievances, and appeal to Magna Charta, the great charter of their liberty, and the very document on which he had rested his right to the throne. • Insolent men!' interrupts the usurper, frowning and stamping with fury, 'know you not that the document you speak of possesses no authority whatever without my sign manual and interpre