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"reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom he preached unto them was Christ" (ver. 2). If, then, they would listen to the preacher at all, they could do no other than search the Scriptures, for it was precisely this to which he had directed their attention.

He had set before them the prophecies of the Old Testament relating to the sufferings, death, and rising again of the expected Messiah, and then he went on to tell them that in Jesus, whom he was come to preach to them, all these prophecies had been fulfilled. They searched the Scriptures, therefore, to see whether such things had, indeed, been foretold concerning the promised Saviour of mankind, and finding that they had, "many of them believed." But what did they believe? Did they really believe only what St. Paul was able to prove to them out of the Old Testament-for you must remember that this was the only part of the Bible then in existence--and did they refuse to believe any thing else for which he could not produce a written warrant out of those ancient Scriptures? If so, they could not even believe that Jesus was the Christ, since this could not possibly be proved out of the Old Testament, every word of which had been written long before Jesus was born. You see that they received that which was the most important article of all, that which was in fact the very foundation of every thing else, viz. that Jesus was the Christ- they received this, I say, not because they found it in the Bible, for it was not yet written there, but on the testimony of the preacher, St. Paul. Their study of the Scriptures might teach them that "thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day" (Luke xxiv. 46), and so far it may have disposed their minds towards believing one who came to them saying that these things had been fulfilled. But it could not do more than this; it could not teach them that they really had been fulfilled. Both this and every other Christian doctrine which was proposed to them, they received, as I have said, not from the written Word of God, but from the teacher that was sent to them, the Apostle St. Paul. Even so, a Catholic priest at the present day

might open and allege the Scriptures of the New Testament, in argument with a man who acknowledges their authority, as the Jews of Berea acknowledged the authority of the Scriptures of the Old Testament; and he might shew that our Lord established a society which was to endure throughout all ages, even until the end of time, and that He gave to this society power and authority to teach all nations all things whatsoever He had commanded. Then, having alleged thus much out of the written Word of God, he might still follow the example of St. Paul, and go on to shew that "this Jesus whom he preached was Christ;" that the Church which he preached to them was in very deed the society to which such high and noble privileges were promised in Holy Scripture; and any one who should give heed to his preaching in the same way as the Bereans did, would not fail to meet with the same reward: he also would "believe;" believe not only the one doctrine which had been thus proved to him from Holy Scripture, viz. that the Church was the appointed teacher of mankind, but also every other doctrine which the same teacher might propose to his belief, whether written in the Bible or not.

These are the principal texts alleged by Protestants in behalf of their favourite doctrine of "the Bible and the Bible only;" and you see that there is not one of them which really says any thing at all like what the Protestant says there is not one which teaches that the Bible contains all things necessary to salvation, so that we are not bound to believe any thing but what is written therein or may be proved thereby.

Neither is it any more to the purpose to quote, as is so often done, all those numerous texts which speak high and glorious things of the Word of God; for, in the first place, except they say distinctly (which they do not) that the written Word of God is all-sufficient, and contains every thing which we ought to know and believe for our soul's health, they do nothing towards really establishing the Protestant doctrine. But, secondly, it will be found, upon examination, that in almost every instance the texts really refer not to the written Word of God at all, but to the Word of God taught or preached.

Word of God taught or preached. This is a very important distinction, plain to every body when once it has been pointed out, yet commonly overlooked by Protestants in consequence of that false notion which they have been always taught, and into the truth of which they never stop to inquire, that the Bible is the only Word of God. They do not believe that God speaks to mankind in any other way than by a message written in a book; when, therefore, they hear any thing said about the word of God, they naturally take it for granted that it is the Bible which is being spoken of, and nothing else; whereas I will venture to say that there are few texts more manifestly opposed to Protestant doctrine upon this subject than some of these very passages which they so ignorantly refer to the Bible. Thus, St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians (1 Ep. ii. 13): "We thank God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God." What was this word of God? was it a written or a spoken word? "You heard it of us, but you received it as the word of God;" and you did right to receive it as such, for it is such in truth; God has sent His word or message to you through us, His messengers: "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor. i. 21); "God hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son" (Heb. i. 2); He sent His Son to preach the Gospel; and in the same way as the Father sent the Son, even so did the Son send us (St. John xx. 22); and in hearing us, you are in fact hearing Him; and in hearing Him, you are hearing Him that sent Him (St. Luke x. 16); so that our word is literally and truly the word of God. Who will deny that this is the plain and necessary meaning of the Apostle's words? and who will undertake to reconcile them with the principles of Protestantism?

Again, Protestants assuming that the only word of God. is the Bible, have sometimes explained those words of St. Paul, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. x. 17), as though they too were spoken of the Bible, and were intended to declare that faith comes by studying that book; in other words, that the Bible con

tains all that should be the subject of our faith, all that we need believe in order that we may be saved. But hear how the Apostle explains his own words: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent ?" (Rom. x. 13-15.) Can any thing be more distinct than this short but most pregnant passage? And how does the Protestant deal with it? The first part of it he understands as all others understand it also; Protestants as well as Catholics are all agreed, that in order to be saved, we must call upon God; all are agreed also, that in order to call upon God, we must first believe on Him, and that we cannot believe on Him except we have first heard of Him. But now comes the question that creates the separation between Catholics and Protestants: How are we to hear of Him? The Protestant answers, By reading the Bible, or listening to any body who will come and read it to us. The Catholic answers, By listening to a living preacher, and that preacher must have been sent by persons having authority for that purpose. The source from whence the Catholic answer is taken we see at once, for it might be stated in the very words of the Apostle, "How shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent?" But whence does the Protestant derive his answer? Is it from the Bible and the Bible only? Or is it not clear from this, and the many other instances that have been quoted in these pages, that the Protestant, whilst professing to follow the Bible, is really forcing the Bible to follow him?

Robson, Levey, and Franklyn, Great New Street, Fetter Lane.

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