tic. The original manuscripts, subscribed by the houses of convocation were burnt in the fire of London; but Dr. Bennet has collated the oldest copies now extant, and it appears that there are no variations of any importance.

“It is generally believed that Cranmer and Ridley* were chiefly concerned in framing the forty-two articles, upon which our thirty nine are founded; but Burnet says, that questions relating to them were given about to many bishops and divines, who gave in their several answers, that were collated and examined very minutely; all sides had a free and fair hearing before conclusions were made.' Indeed, caution and moderation are no less conspicious in them, than a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, and of the early opinions and practice of Christians.

"Bishop Burnet, in his History of the Reformation,† has preserved the forty-two articles published by King Edward the Sixth, and has pointed out in what respect they differ from the thirty-nine articles which are now in force.‡

"These thirty-nine articles are arranged with great judgment and perspicuity; and may be considered under four general divisions; the first five contain the Christian doctrines concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; in the sixth, seventh, and eighth, the rule of Faith is established; the next ten relate to Christians as individuals; and the remaining twenty-one relate to them as they are members of a religious society. But as all confessions of faith have had a reference to existing heresies, we shall here find not only the positive doctrines of the Gospel asserted, but also the principle errors and corruptions of the Church of Rome, and most of the extravagancies into which certain protestant sects fell at the time of the Reformation, rejected and condemned."

You thus observe that, in the opinion of Bishop Tomline, the XXXIX Articles may be considered under four general divisions-that in the sixth, seventh, and eighth, the rule of our Faith is established, and that the twenty-one last relate to Christians as they are members of a religious society. You also observe from the "certain passages, &c.," as they stand in Tract 90, that the author of that Tract has blended together two divisions of the Articles in a very extraordinary way. He has thus dealt with the sixth and the twentieth Articles; and his first observations upon those articles thus combined is this:

"Two instruments of Christian teaching are spoken of in these articles, Holy Scripture and the Church."

They followed principally the Augsbourg confessions, which was drawn up by Melancthon.

+ Collections, No, 55. vol. 2.

Whoever wishes to see a full account of every thing which passed relative to these articles, may consult Dr. Bennet's "Essay on the Thirtynine Articles."

His object then appears to be to magnify the authority of the Apocrypha. Indeed, he says positively that the books which are commonly called Apocrypha are not asserted in the sixth article to be destitute of inspiration, or to be simply human, but to be not canonical; (see page 6, thirteenth line from top,) and also (page 75, sixth line from the bottom,) "that the inspiration of the Apocrypha is taught in the Homilies;" What is the difference between the two phrases, "destitute of inspiration," and "not canonical" you will not probably understand: neither if the Apocrypha be inspired, or if it be more than human, will you be able to understand why the Church of England does not apply the books therein to establish any doctrine. In that case the compilers of the thirtynine articles appear to be worthy of blame. But when *we consider that those books contain no prophecy nor any authentic mark of inspiration, that they were all written subsequent to the cessation of the prophetic spirit, but before the promulgation of the Gospel; that they were not included in the Jewish canon, and therefore received no sanction from our Saviour; that they are not cited nor alluded to in any part of the New Testament; that they are not mentioned as inspired writings by any ecclesiastical writer of the first three centuries; and that they are expressly rejected by Athanasius and Jerome in the fourth century; it is most reasonable to infer that they are simply human, and that the Church of England has acted with true wisdom in not applying them to establish any doctrine. The custom in the church of England now is the same as it was in the primitive Church with regard to the Apocrypha. Some of those books are read for example of life and instruction of manners. Thus, the two fathers above referred to and several subsequent authors speak of the Apocrypha with great respect: (the words of Jerome indeed are quoted in the sixth article): but the same authority

* See Bishop Tomline's exposition of Article VI.

was never ascribed thereto as to the Old and New Testament, till the council of Trent, at its fourth session, admitted all the books of the Apocrypha, except the prayer of Manasses and the third and fourth books of Esdras, into their canon and declared them to be equal in authority to the other books of the Old Testament.

The Council of Trent having passed a decree to this effect, it is evident that the Church of England differs from the Church of Rome in respect to the Canon of Scripture. Hence you will infer that the creeds of the two Churches must be widely different; because the Apocrypha is a portion of the rule of faith to the Church of Rome, whilst it is not so with the Church of England. But in order to shew that those articles of the Church of England which relate to the rule of Faith are drawn up against the Creed of the Church of Rome, it will be well to refer to the Decrees and Canons of the Council of Trent, in which is contained the Faith of the modern Church of Rome* One of these decrees on the subject of Scripture and Tradition, (i. e. the unwritten word,) which was made at the fourth Session of the council holden on the 8th of April,† 1546, is thus quoted by Bishop Marsh.

"This sacred, œcumenical, and general Synod of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Spirit, and presided over by the three Legates of the Apostolic See, having this object perpetually in view, that, errors being removed, the real purity of the Gospel may be preserved in the Church; which, was promised aforetime by the prophets in the Holy Scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God first promulgated by his own mouth, and afterwards ordained to be preached to every creature by the Apostles, as being a fountain both of saving truth, and instruction of manners; knowing

* See Marsh's Comparative view of the Churches of England & Rome. Chap. ii., to which admirable work I am indebted for many of these observations.

+ The original Articles of the Church of England were not agreed upon till the year 1552.

further that this truth and instruction is contained in the written books and in the unwritten traditions, which having been received by the Apostles, either from the mouth of Christ himself, or from the dictates of the Holy Spirit, were handed down and transmitted even to us; following the example of the orthodox Fathers, receives and venerates, with sentiments of equal piety and reverence all the books as well of the Old as of the New Testament, (including the Apocrypha,) since one God was the author of them both, and also the Traditions, relating as well to faith, as to morals, inasmuch as coming either from the mouth of Christ himself, or dictated by the Holy Spirit, they have been preserved in the Catholic Church in uninterrupted succession." Then, after an enumeration of the books which constitute the canon of Scripture according to the Church of Rome, the decree proceeds as follows. "But if every one shall not receive, as sacred and canonical, those books, with all their parts, so as they are usually read in the Catholic Church, and contained in the ancient Vulgate Latin Edition, or shall knowingly and designedly contemn the aforesaid TRADITIONS, let him be accursed. Let all men therefore understand in what order and method, this Synod, after laying the foundation of a confession of faith, is about to proceed, and what testimonies and authorities it chiefly intends to use for the conformation of Doctrines and the establishment of Morals in the Church."

You thus see that the creed of the Church of Rome is founded on Scripture, (including the Apocrypha,) and TRADITION; whereas the creed of the Church of England is founded on Scripture alone. Now as the creed of the former was defined by the council of Trent in the year 1546, so the creed of the latter was defined by the synod of London some years afterwards.* Our sixth article corresponds exactly with the above decree. For as the council of Trent had then declared the authorities by which it proposed to establish its In the year 1552.

doctrines, so the synod of London declared on what authority its doctrines were founded. The council of Trent had acknowledged two equal and independent authorities as foundations. But our sixth article declares that there is only one such authority. "Holy Scripture," says this article, containeth all things necessary to salvation, so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." This article thus directly contradicts the above decree of the council of Trent. For instead of describing the total rule of Faith as composed of two partial rules of Faith, namely, Scripture and Tradition; instead of describing Tradition, or the unwritten word, as equal in authority with Scripture; it gives the whole authority to Scripture alone. The twentieth and Twenty-first articles are no less decisive. The former declares that "although the Church be a witness and keeper of Holy Writ, yet as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so beside the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of salvation." The latter declares that things ordained by General Councils "as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture." But this clause in Article XXI, the author of Tract 90 seems to have forgotten, a clause which is directly pointed against all such General Councils, as the Council of Trent, where many things relating to faith were ordained, of which it neither was nor could be declared that they were taken out of Holy Scriptures.

Thus by that Council twelve Articles of Faith were actually added to the Apostles' Creed, and to these all beneficed Clergymen belonging to the Church of Rome are bound to subscribe; but it is a melancholy truth that to several of these articles many passages in Tract 90 are not opposed.

I am persuaded that such will be your opinion, if you