WE have now considered, each in its turn, the Romish and the Protestant rules of faith. We have endeavoured to shew, that an opposition to the reception of the scriptures as the sole rule, leads to infidelity; -and that the difficulties suggested by Dr. Wiseman are not insuperable. But we are now to propose a third objection,-to wit, that the Romish principle, 'that God has appointed HIS CHURCH the infallible and unfailing depository of all truth,' is beset with not only the same, but ten times greater difficulties than those which have been pointed out in the Protestant rule.

This evidently involves a comparison of the two rules of faith; and to conduct this impartially it will be necessary to pass again in review all Dr. Wiseman's objections to the use of Holy Scripture as a rule.

But it may be as well to ask, at starting, what is

1 Wiseman's First Lecture, p. 20.

the particular point concerning which the two systems are to be especially compared? It is that of inapplicability. Dr. Wiseman asserts that the Protestant rule is fraught with so many difficulties, as absolutely to render it in practice inapplicable, and void of fruit.' And we shall now endeavour to shew that this objection attaches in a much greater degree to the Romish rule, than to the Protestant. But this we must do by passing in review all the alleged 'difficulties,' arrayed by Dr. Wiseman against the use of scripture, and inquiring whether they do not apply far more decidedly to the rule and standard which he himself proposes.

Let us, then, to do full justice to Dr. Wiseman, recapitulate the difficulties' which he brings forward, and as far as possible in his own words.

Dr. Wiseman contends that the books of scripture cannot have been intended to constitute the rule of faith, for the following reasons:

1. That the adoption of such a rule implies a necessity, on the part of every individual receiving it, of a tedious investigation into the genuineness and authenticity of those books:

2. Also, of a further inquiry, as to whether no other books of equal authority have been lost or excluded, so as to leave the rule incomplete :

3. Also, whether it be beyond doubt, that these books were not only the real productions of their alleged authors, but were actually given by divine inspiration.

And, considering that these three points include a vast field of inquiry and laborious investigation, the doctor asks, 'Can a rule, in the approach to which you must pass through such a labyrinth of difficul

U

ties, be that which God has given us as a guide to the poorest, the most illiterate, and the simplest of his creatures?

4. But the supposition that God gave his holy word to be the only rule of faith to all men,' leads to another difficulty; it must be translated into every language, that all men may have access to it.' Now, says Dr. Wiseman, ‘are you aware of the difficulty of undertaking a translation of it? Whenever the attempt has been made in modern times; in the first instance it has generally failed, and even after many repeated attempts, it has proved unsatisfactory.' 'And we cannot suppose that God would stake the whole usefulness and value of his rule upon the private or particular abilities of man.'

5. Again, consider the paucity of copies of the Bible, until modern times. God could not mean, that for 1400 years man was to be without a guide; and that mankind should have to wait until human genius had given efficacy to it by its discoveries and inventions. Such cannot be the qualities or conditions of the rule.'

6. Lastly: To be the rule of faith, it cannot be sufficient that men should possess and read it, but they must surely be able to comprehend it. In fact, who ever heard of the propriety and wisdom of placing in men's hands a code, or rule, which it was impossible for the greater portion of them to comprehend?'

'Such, then,' says the doctor, are the difficulties regarding the application of this rule: a difficulty of procuring and preserving the proper sense of the original by correct translations; a difficulty of bringing these translations within the reach of all; a difficulty,

not to say an impossibility, of enabling all to understand it.''

These being the several points, upon which Dr. Wiseman rests his conclusion, that the scriptures were not intended as a sole or sufficient rule of faith, we shall now proceed to shew, that the same or still greater difficulties attend the adoption of the Romish rule.

But let us first understand, distinctly, what we are to bring into comparison with the scriptures, as furnishing mankind with a safer and more unerring guide than God's own revealed word?

This may be described in Dr. Wiseman's words, as 'the church of Christ, which has been appointed by God to take charge of, and keep safe, those doctrines, committed to her from the beginning, to be taught, at all times, to all nations.' 2

With this definition of the Romish rule, let us proceed at once to consider Dr. Wiseman's first objection, and to inquire whether his own rule is free from the difficulties which he professes to find in the use of the holy scriptures.

His first objection is, that, if all men, even the most illiterate, have a right to study the word of God, -if it be not only the right, but the duty of even the most ignorant, to study that word, and thence to draw his belief:-it is likewise his duty to satisfy himself that it is the word of God.' And 'in the first place, before any one can even commence the examination of that rule, which the church proposes to him, he must have satisfied himself that all the books and writings which are collected together in that

1 Wiseman's Second Lecture, p. 48.

2 Wiseman's Third Lecture, p. 61.

volume, are really the genuine works of those whose names they bear.'1

Now let us keep this practical difficulty fixedly in view, and inquire whether the rule which Dr. Wiseman proposes as a more excellent way,' is not far, very far, more difficult of application than that to which he himself objects.

The doctor is dealing with the case of one who is in neutral circumstances; that is, of one who has not yet finally received the scriptures as the word of God. And he argues that if, instead of first submitting himself to the church, and then receiving the scriptures on her authority, the inquirer begins by endeavouring to satisfy himself as to the divine authority of the sacred writings, he will find the difficulties so great, and the investigation so tedious, as to make it manifest that this was not the course intended by God; but that the church is to be first submitted to as our guide, and then the scriptures received on her guarantee and recommendation.

Now let us try this course for a few moments, and see if we have really changed for the better.

The very instant the inquirer sets out, he will find that he has not improved, but considerably deteriorated his prospects of success.

Protestantism proposed to him THE BIBLE as his rule and guide. Now at least there was a remarkable concurrence of testimony in behalf of this book. There is but one Bible in the world, and in every corner of the earth this one book is known, and is accepted by all sorts or societies of Christians, as God's own revealed word.

1 Wiseman's Second Lecture, p. 32.