Wayside Notes.

THE ANTIQUITY OF THE PROTESTANT RELIGION. "After the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets."—ACTS xxiv. 14.

BELOVED, we live in solemn and perilous times; thousands have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. God seems, on account of the wickedness of our land, to have sent a strong delusion among the people, that they should believe a lie. If we look even at the preaching socalled "evangelical," for the most part it is of such a milk-and-water character, that with it the Lord's people become sick at heart. God be praised that we have a few names in dear Old England which have not defiled their garments, and are not ashamed to declare the whole counsel of God. May the Lord support them in this trying time.

Then, again, if we look at the rapid advance which Popery is making in our country, we see the truth of Rome's declaration, "that England is now the arena where will be exhibited her conquests." Oh that our countrymen would take warning ere it is too late! It behoves us, then, beloved, under such circumstances, to be well grounded in the faith; and it seems laid upon us at this season to show from God's word that the spirit of the Protestant faith has been the same from the very foundation of the world and, although it may be true that the term signifies a protest against the errors of Rome, which were particularly manifest at the time of the glorious Reformation, yet the spirit of a protest against a false religion has been the same in all ages of the world's history. So also from the first the Lord has had a people, truly called in Paul's time "Christians first in Antioch;" but ages before this, as in the days of Jacob, called the children of Israel; and long before this, even before the deluge, called "sons of God." So, while titles have differed, the people of God have been the same; and, while terms have differed, the fundamentals of their holy religion have ever been unchanged. We know that this is diverging from the usual tenour of our monthly notes to you, beloved; but the signs of the times demand it of us. The beloved apostle Paul said, "After the way which some call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets;" to which declaration we add our hearty Amen and amen.

And now, beloved, may the Spirit of God guide us while we think of this important subject,

I. Doctrinally. II. Practically.

I. DOCTRINALLY.

That is to say, we wish to show from God's word the antiquity of those doctrines which Protestants hold dear, and consider the foundation of their most holy religion; and we will draw attention to,

The antiquity of the doctrine of the Trinity.-Moses (the inspired writer of the book of Creation) sets forth the Trinity. He declares (under the Spirit of inspiration) that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Here is the First Person in the glorious Trinity. The

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same mighty Person says, "Let us make man." Here is His own reference to the Second Person in the glorious Trinity. Then it is declared, "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Here is a distinct reference to the Third Person in the Trinity. Furthermore, that the children of Israel realized the Trinity is evident. It is said of them, that the Lord chided them at Meribah, because they tempted Him, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" (Exod. xvii. 7). Of which occurrence the apostle Paul writes: "Neither let us tempt CHRIST, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents" (1 Cor. x. 9). Nor can we doubt that the Trinity was realized by the Old Testament prophets and saints. For example: David prays for the Spirit of God; while Isaiah writes clearly enough of Christ, and of the Spirit of the Lord. Surely we need not multiply testimonies to prove the antiquity of this doctrine, and that God's people always acknowledged and adored the Trinity. But it may be said, "Well, but this doctrine is the doctrine of the Roman Catholic as well as the Protestant." Whether it be the doctrine or not, the papist emphatically dishonours the Trinity; for instance, the title of "vicar of Jesus Christ and head of the universal Church" arrogated by the Pope, is an encroachment upon the supreme dignity of Christ, the only Head of the Church. It is a dishonour cast upon the Second Person, and therefore upon all. Again,

The Lord Jesus Christ has ever been the Object of the faith of God's people.— We must believe from the Scriptures that from the time of Adam no man hath been saved but by Jesus Christ, the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." From the very earliest period He was revealed to many of the Old Testament saints, who saw by faith the Lord Jesus Christ, and their need of His atonement, more clearly than the disciples of our Lord who walked and talked with Him on earth. For instance: Abraham "rejoiced to see His day; and saw it, and was glad." David prophetically said of the Son of God, "Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." Long before David (in the time of Moses) He was announced as "the Prophet whom God would raise up unto the Israelites." Earlier still (in the time of Jacob) He was foretold as that Shiloh to whom should be the gathering of the nations. Nay, earlier yet (in the time of Abraham) His advent was an object of desire, as that Seed in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed. And, if we go back to the time of Adam, our first parents were shown that salvation alone can come by Him, "as that Seed who shall bruise the serpent's head." Thus, from the foundation of the world to the present time, there has been salvation in no other; and "there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Again,

Protestants hold the sufficiency of the Scriptures as a rule of faith.-As states the apostle Paul in the passage which heads our paper: "After the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets." Such believe that the law of the Lord is perfect; it wants nothing added to it, or taken from it. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." And they bow to the will of Jehovah, who declares, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you." "Every word of God is pure." "Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" (Prov. xxx. 5, 6). "I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If

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any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book " (Rev. xxii. 18). "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is NO LIGHT in them" (Isa. viii. 20). 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them" (Luke xvi. 29). "The Holy Scriptures are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." Now see how Rome teaches the contrary, to this resting her faith in the traditions of the fathers, declaring the insufficiency of the Scriptures. Note her own assertions upon this point: "I most stedfastly admit and embrace the apostolical and ecclesiastical traditions; with the rest of the constitutions and observations of the same Church. All saving truth is NOT contained in the Holy Scripture, but partly in the Scripture and partly in unwritten traditions, which whosoever doth not receive with like piety and reverence as he doth the Scriptures, is accursed." And now, if we bring Rome's teaching to the test of God's word, how completely she shows herself to be the apostate Church! For instance, she teaches,

1. The prohibition of the reading the Scriptures by the common people.-Her assertion is, "If any one shall have the presumption to read or possess them without a written permission, he shall not receive absolution until he have first delivered up such Bible to the ordinary," while the Scriptures teach, "Seek ye the book of the Lord, and read" (Isa. xxxiv. 16). "Search the Scriptures," is the command of Jesus Christ (John v. 39). "I charge you," says Paul, "that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren." Again, Rome teaches,

2. The dogma of transubstantiation.-Her assertion is, " In the most holy sacrament of the eucharist there is really and substantially the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ; and there is a conversion of the whole substance of the bread into His body, and of the whole substance of the wine into His blood, which conversion the [Roman] Catholic Church calls transubstantiation," while the Scriptures assert that the body of Christ is in heaven, where it must remain until the end of the world: "Whom the heavens must receive until the time of the restitution of all things" (Acts iii. 21). "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life" (John vi. 63). Again, Rome teaches,

3. The sacrifice of the mass.-Her assertion is, "I further profess that in the mass is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and dead. If any one say that in the mass there is not a true and proper sacrifice offered unto God, let him be accursed," while the Scriptures teach, "Without shedding of blood is no remission" of sins (Heb. ix. 22). "By the one offering [that is, of Himself] He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Heb. x. 14). Again, Rome teaches the error of

4. Auricular confession.-Her assertion being, "If any one shall deny either that sacramental confession was instituted by divine command, or shall say aught against the practice of secretly confessing to the priest alone, as it has been observed from the beginning, let him be accursed," while the Bible teaches, "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee [O God], and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (Psalm xxxii. 5). Again, Rome teaches,

5. Of a state of purgatory, and the need of praying for the dead.-Her assertion is, "I constantly hold that there is a purgatory, and that the

souls detained there are assisted by the prayers of the faithful," while the Scriptures declare that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." "The grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth" (Isa. xxxviii. 18). "The dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun (Eccles. ix. 5, 6). Again, Rome teaches,

6. The worship of images. Her assertion is, "I most firmly assert that the images of Christ and of the mother of God, who was always a virgin, are to be had and retained, and that due honour and worship is to be given to them;" while the Scriptures command: "Thou shalt NOT make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt NOT bow down thyself to them, nor serve them" (Exod. xx. 4, 5.)

Is it not, then, obvious that Rome, from her very teaching, shows herself to be the apostate Church? She prohibits the common people reading the Scriptures; she promulgates the unscriptural dogmas of transubstantiation, the sacrifice of the mass, auricular confession, purgatory, and the worshipping of images, and thus "walking in craftiness deceives immortal souls." May God deliver dear old England from Rome's deceptions and tyranny, a tyranny which enchains every land where its power is tolerated. And now we will contemplate this subject,

II. PRACTICALLY :

that is to say, we believe that practically the true religion of Christ has ever been the same. The ceremonies and mysteries of the Mosaic Dispensation respected the Messiah who was to come; those of the Gospel Dispensation represent Him as having come. The former shadowed out the truth which was promised, the latter showed the truth actually fulfilledJesus being the same, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." So that, if asked, as Protestants, where our religion was before the time of Martin Luther (a question Papists are very fond of using), we reply, “In Christ, from the foundation of the world." But we are willing to concede that they also can claim antiquity; for we think that, coeval with the spirit and faith of the Protestant religion, was the spirit and errors of the Popish religion. We know it is stated that the peculiar dogmas of the Romish Church were never collected together in one formulary until Pius IV. reduced them into the form of a creed in the year 1564, but we think there is no difficulty in proving that from the very foundation of the world the spirit of Popery has ever been practically the same. For instance, it commenced with the very children of our first parents, and may be

seen

1. In the character of Cain, who slew his brother Abel because his religion was offensive to him, and his brother's offering accepted by God. Here is the spirit of Popery; reckoning all who differ from her to be heretics, she says "they are justly punished with death."

Again, the same spirit was manifested,

2. In the making of the golden calf (Exod. xxxii.).-Because Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, Aaron advised the children of Israel to break off their golden earrings, and make them into a golden calf, saying to them, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." And the Lord was very angry with them, and said, "Ob.

this people have made them gods of gold. Here, then, is the very spirit of Popery, substituting a calf of gold to become mediator between God and man; for says the Church of Rome, "It is lawful to represent God and the Holy Trinity by images, which are to be duly honoured, venerated, and worshipped.

Furthermore it was displayed,

3. In the characters of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who entered into a conspiracy against the Lord's prophets, declaring that they were the true priesthood, precisely what the Church of Rome does in her pretended infallibility and apostolical succession.

And then it was characterized in,

4. The Baal worshippers, who built temples and erected idols as objects of worship. Here again is the spirit of popery; for the Church of Rome enjoins the kissing of images, uncovering the head to them, offering incense, bowing and making prayers to them;" the adoration of the host and of the cross are two other notorious instances of idolatrous worship. Also it was seen,

5. In the character of Ahaz and his followers, "who set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree". (2 Kings xvii. 10). Those who have travelled in a Popish country know how completely this is carried out.

So, too, was it strikingly shown,

6. In the character of Nebuchadnezzar, who counted all heretics who would not fall down and worship the golden image that he had set up, and ordered them to be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Here was the true spirit of Popery; for Rome arrogates to herself the power of punishing all whom she denounces as heretics and schismatics, her words being, "such are to be summoned to trial, punished, and condemned with an anathema."

And, lastly, it was manifested,

7. In the hypocritical services of Israel (for they were not all Israel who were of Israel), who had appointed the festivals and feast-days, and burnt offerings and meat offerings, concerning which the Lord said, "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies." Here again is the spirit of Popery, Rome's command being, "The Holy Council [of Trent] exhorts all pastors that they use all their commands, and especially those which relate to the mortification of the flesh, as the choice of meats and fasts, as also to those which tend to the increase of piety as the devout and religious celebration of feast days." So that Popery has always been the same in spirit and will be to the end. Well, but it is said that in this advanced age Rome is much more tolerant, and that her persecution is a matter of past history. We cannot too strongly insist upon the fact that the maintenance of the Protestant religion, which is based upon the word of God, is essential to the very existence of the constitution of England, and that however plausible Rome may appear she is bound by her canon law to claim the restitution of all property, lay and ecclesiastical, possessed by Protestants; let her therefore come into power, and she is bound by her unalterable principles to dethrone a Protestant Queen, treat herself and subjects as heretics, confiscate their property, and set up the Roman Catholic hierarchy. This is the true state of things. This is the unalterable and secret purpose of Rome. Oh that England would wake up before it is too late! Oh that our countrymen were alive to her subtlety! We believe that Popery is at the bottom of all