"There are two societies of which we are members; of the world, by our natural birth; of the Church, by our spiritual birth in Baptism. When we are admitted into the Christian covenant, we renounce this world as a wicked world, and become members of the Church, which is called the Holy Church. Both these societies are influential on those who belong to them; the one corrupts, the other sanctifies: therefore, it is of the last importance to mankind to consider and understand the difference between them.

"The world is composed of men lost by the fall; disposed to all manner of evil; ignorant of the way of peace; at enmity with God, and with one another; delighting themselves in the pride of appearance, and the vanity of distinction.

"The Scripture says, " the whole world lieth in wickedness." What human philosophy says of this description we are not to regard if it is the description which stands in the Holy Scriptures, we are not to consider what men may say of it.

"Such is the world, and such are we all, so far as we are members of it: God therefore, of his infinite mercy, takes us out of this wicked society, and translates us into another. He delivers us from the power of darkness, and translates us into the kingdom of his dear Son; and without this translation, we are inevitably lost.

"This society is a body, of which the Holy Spirit is the life; and this life being communicated to those who are taken into the Church, they are thereby made partakers of an holy life, which is elsewhere called, the life of God; from which life they are alienated who are out of this society."

The existence of this society no Christian can consistently deny, who repeats with sincerity the Creed of the Apostles; for he says, "I believe in the Holy Ghost, and the holy Catholic Church ;" and as it appears necessary to salvation, that every man should be a member of the Church, the only question of importance remaining is, how we shall secure a continuance in the Church, after being admitted into it unconsciously in our earliest infancy?

"Within the notion of the Church are comprehended," says Bishop Pearson, "good and bad, being both externally called, and both professing the same faith. For the kingdom of Heaven is like unto a field, in which wheat and tares grow together till the harvest ;"" like unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind;"— "like unto a floor, in which is laid up both wheat and chaff;"-" like unto a marriage-feast, in which some have on the wedding-garment, and some have not "it is the ark of Noah, in which were preserved beasts clean and unclean. This is that great house in which there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earth, and

some to honour and some to dishonour. There are many called, of all which the Church consisteth; but there are few chosen, of those which are called, and thereby within the Church."

Our first great business is to be among the few which will be chosen. The breach of the vow in Baptism may perhaps exclude us; and who has not been guilty of such an infraction? What remains then, but the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which is peculiarly calculated to unite us to the Head of the Church; and to all the members by Communion? It is not safe to neglect this offered means of preserving ourselves, during life, in the holy society, in the kingdom of Heaven, of which Jesus Christ is the Lord or Governor. We read, that the "Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved. There is no other name given under Heaven among men whereby they must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ :" and the benefit of his name cannot be given but to those in his kingdom; that is, in his church. As none were saved in the deluge, but such as were within the ark of Noah, "so none," says Bishop Pearson, "shall ever escape the eternal wrath of God, which belong not to the Church of God. This is the congregation of those persons here on earth, who shall hereafter meet in Heaven."

The Communion of Saints, which in the Creed we profess to believe, and so often and solemnly re

peat; or the Communion of good men, accepted members of the Church of Christ, is best promoted by Eucharistical Communion, or the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. In that holy rite, we have a mystical union with Christ; "and," as the same great prelate observes," the spiritual conjunction of the members to the Head, is the true foundation of the Communion which one member hath with another; all the members living and increasing by the same influence which they receive from him."

In the transcendant polity of the kingdom of Christ, the Sacrament forms not only the bond of allegiance to the King; but of love, amity, and confederation among all the subjects, thus united in peace with each other, as well as in obedience to their Prince, by the law of love,

"If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship one with another*." When Christ sent St. Paul to the Gentiles, it was to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Christ t." Those who are not of the Catholic Church of Christ are still Gentiles: St. Paul, by his preaching, has not opened their eyes; they are

* 1 John i. 6, 7.

† Acts xxvi. 18.

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not, "turned from darkness to light, nor from the power of Satan unto God." Consequently, they have not received forgiveness of sins, but have voluntarily renounced the inheritance which they might have possessed, had they become adopted children of Christ by union with him and Communion with the Church.

SECTION XXV.

The Idea erroneous, that the Maintenance of the Dignity of the Catholic Church, and the Rites of Christianity, is unfavourable to Civil Liberty.

GOOD order, subordination, tranquillity, justice, and mercy, are the legitimate and lovely children of true Religion. It is a most unfortunate mistake, and a most únjust calumny to think and affirm, that the Catholic Church of Christ is hostile to the common rights of human nature.

Has any system of polity ever existed in the world, which honored the poorest and lowest ranks in society, as it is honoured by the Christian Religion? In the Kingdom of Christ, which is the Church, man is respected as man, exclusively of all regard to the external circumstances of rank, riches, honours, or station. All human beings in it are