as though any thing were impossible with God; we would only say to him further, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures neither the power of God." But there is an

other class of persons to whom also this language must be addressed. Men, who wrapt up in the conceit of human wisdom and the powers of science, imagine that by the simple process of the cultivation of the human mind in early youth they can regenerate the world. There is a fearful declaration of such sentiments in high quarters to be found in a document which has been traced to the privy council of education itself. After a powerful description of the evils. of Chartism, her Majesty's Commissioners of Education propound this fearful dogma. Now the sole effectual means of preventing the tremendous evils with which the anarchical spirit of the manufacturing population threatens the country, is by giving the working people a good secular education, to enable them to understand,' &c. Here is a sentiment, which, emanating from such a quarter, ought to rouse the Christian feelings of the country. It is in vain to talk about 'hallowing all institutions by the influence of religion,' after such an opinion has been uttered; for if secular education be the ' SOLE remedy,' religious education is not a remedy at all. And, worse than this, a passage follows, in which it is urged that Chartists, Socialists, and all disturbers of the public peace, (like the Devil) quotescripture in defence of their doings; and with unnecessary profaneness, the specimen passages are given;

whence it is argued, that in order to prevent the people being misled by scripture, the knowledge of the people must be increased, and their intellectual powers strengthened, so as to enable them to grapple with error and to overcome it!' Say we not well to such writers,

Ye yourselves do err, not know

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ing the scriptures, neither the power of God?" What! is God's word so ductile in the hands of bad men, that human science must be called in to rescue it from perversion? Did ye never read, Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath perverted thee?" Know ye not that these scriptures have declared that "the world by wisdom knew not God?" And that it is by "the foolishness of preaching," and not by the keenness of secular education,' that God will "save them that believe!" Nor can we leave this fearful profession of error without pointing out the identity of all heresy, even of those heresies which appear to be inconsistent with each other. Here are men whose general opinions are at the antipodes to each other; the secular educationists, and the worshippers of antiquity; they start in opposite directions, aud they arrive at the same point of error, the dishonouring of God's holy word! One class says, the scriptures are so obscure, or so insufficient, or defective, that they can be understood only by the Church, and must be read only by her permission, and under her guidance; the other class, from pretty nearly the same premises, viz. the dangerous perversion of which scripture is capable, argues the necessity of cultivating the human intellect, that it may grapple with the difficulties of God's word, and overcome error ! Thus both parties place the revelation of God beneath the authority of man. One would suppose that among the ranks of the learned and the scientific, there had never been "such fools as make a mock of sin; " or say in their hearts that there is no God," -and that among the folios of the ancient fathers, there was nothing to be found but infallible and luminous truth! We say again to both parties-"Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, neither the power of God."

To another class the same lan

guage might be applied; to the Sacramentarians, or Symbolists. Respecting these, Augustine said in his day, that the Lord's Supper, being the representation or figure of a sacrifice, had come to be called a sacrifice and that Baptism, being a sign of regeneration, had come to be called regeneration, and so superstition crept in. This heresy is revived in our own day and there are those who bid men preach the sacraments,' while the gospel is to be preached with reserve. The same teachers would send us from the uncertainties of this one volume of scriptures, to the five hundred volumes of ancient tractarians in dead lan

:

guages! Oh that such men were as mighty in the Scriptures, as they are in the traditions of men ! Then would they listen to Paul declaring that he was sent "not to baptise but to preach the gospel; ""determining to know nothing but Christ Jesus and him crucified;" "to declare the whole counsel of God," and "to keep back nothing that was profitable to them!"

But I hasten to notice that class of errors which especially demands our notice on this occasion. And I would that those who are misled by it, our Roman Catholic fellow countrymen, would candidly, and in the spirit of prayer, study the Scriptures for themselves, and compare the dogmas of the church to which they profess to belong, with the plain written word of God; and then would they soon follow the example of hundreds in Ireland who have come out from Rome. Certain I am that many in this country who call themselves Catholics, abjure in their hearts some of the doctrines of their church, which they are required to believe on pain of eternal anathemas. The kindness of their hearts rejects her persecuting dogmas, and the reflex light of Protestantism dispels the darkness of

superstition. Time forbids that I should notice more than two or three often accredited heresies of the Roman Church. Take their fundamental tenet, that Peter is the head of the Church; and that as the head of the Romish Church, he is the head of the Church catholic. Try this by Scripture." Thou art Peter," said our Lord, “and on this rock I will build my church." What need we further witness ? asks the Romanist. Stay, we reply, read on-almost in the same breath, what did our Lord call this same Peter? He said to him, "Get thee behind me, Satan !" If then Peter is the rock on which the church is built, how is he "Satan," the prince of darkness? Is he the king of both worlds? Impossible! There must be in both limbs of the sentence a different and consistent meaning. For the fundamental truth and confession of faith which Peter had uttered, Christ called him Peter, and said, this truth is the rock upon which my church is built; for the worldly sentiment which he avowed just afterwards, advising our Lord to forego the cross, for this carnal opinion so fully developed afterwards in a corrupt church, Jesus called Peter Satan, because he taught the doctrine of Satan. Admit the figure in the former case, as you must do the latter, and all is consistent and beautiful, and the foundation of Romanism entirely slips from under her!

See the deluded votary worshipping the Virgin Mary-extolling her even above the Lord to whom she gave birth; applying epithets to her wholly unwarranted by Scripture, and fearfully profane! Holy Virgin, Mother of God!' -the hundred times repeated language of the Roman breviary:— as if God could have a mother! as if God could be born, could live and die! No such ، confusion of substance' is to be found in Scripture : it was ، Christ that died,

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not God! And though by mysterious and hidden union he was both God and man in one Christ, yet we never find in the inspired word any thing so revolting to our feelings, as an express imputation to the Deity of the sinless infirmities of manhood!- Holy Virgin, Mother of God, command thy Son.' Oh, fearful impiety! Oh, spirit of a dead woman-command thy Son'-the Lord of glory to hear our prayers.' Will he obey the commands of his human mother, now on the throne of his glory, who heeded not her injunctions here on earth, from the moment in which he assumed the public office of Messiah? "Woman, what have I to do with thee ?" said he to his mother, when she would have interfered with the exercise of his miraculous powers! "Blessed is the womb that bear thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked ".

exclaimed a certain woman in the crowd, charmed with the beauty of his instruction! But what did he reply? Did he admit that his mother after the flesh had on that account any pre-eminence in the Church? Far otherwise! “ Yea, RATHER, blessed is who hears the word of God, and keeps it! " And upon one other occasion, when it would seem that his mother joined with his brethren in esteeming him beside himself, and would have checked him in his public career; he was told, Behold, thy mother, and thy brethren, stand without, desiring to speak with thee"-unable to approach thee for the crowd. And what was his reply? Did he say, Oh, make way for my blessed mother, virgin; let the crowd of ordinary believers stand aside and make way for the Queen of heaven?' No-he seemed to heed her little ! he said, "Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hands to his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For

ever

whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother!" (Matt. xii. 46-50.) We would say to all who hold the authority of Rome-" do ye not greatly err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God?” To every other

error of the Roman Church the same process might be applied— but time forbids. Rather let me urge all, both Protestants and Romanists, to search the Scriptures. They are the simple, unadulterated fountain of truth: do you "know them? Have you studied them from end to end? It is God's book, have you read it? Not in detached portions, or in favourite passages, but as an entire volume, in itself essentially one? All false doctrine, both among Protestants and Romanists, springs from ignorance of the holy Scriptures! Are you ignorant of them? Are you learned in them?

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Mighty' in them? Would to God that all who hear me would ponder these things, and so read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the word of God, that they might find it to be the power of God unto their salvation, by Christ Jesus!

In conclusion, I would observe that an obvious reference is deducible from this subject if "the Scriptures and the power of God," are the sources of all truth, and the neglect of them the cause of error; should we not then be most anxious that the youthful population of the land should be trained, not merely in secular knowledge, which will avail them nothing towards God, but in the life-giving truths of holy Scripture? Hence my ground of appeal for our Christian schools: we have 900 children in our Daily National Schools, besides about 800 in our Sunday Schools, exclusive of our Infants' Schools, in which 1000 infants drink in the milk of God's word.