"Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip said to him:

COME AND SEE."-(John i. 46.)

LONDON:

BURNS AND LAMBERT, 17 PORTMAN STREET,

PORTMAN SQUARE.

READER, PARK STREET, BRISTOL.

1851.

141. k. 555.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE favourable manner in which the first Volume of these Tracts has been received by the Catholic public has encouraged the Editors to issue the second half-year's numbers in a similar form.

The table of contents will shew that some progress has been made towards the fulfilment of the intention which they expressed in the Advertisement to the preceding Volume, of completing the several subjects which had been commenced. It must be obvious, however, from the nature of the series and the number and extent of the subjects which it is designed to embrace, that some little time must necessarily elapse before the different sets can be brought to a conclusion, particularly as, for the sake of due variety, several have to be carried on together, and each receive in turn its proper share of attention.

It will be observed that separate Tracts have been occasionally introduced which have no apparent connexion with others in the series; but most of these will be found to illustrate points of Catholic doctrine or practice discussed in other numbers, and to fall into their natural places when the several volumes come to be made up. Such numbers as, in the end, prove not to belong to any particular series will be collected into a "Miscellaneous" volume.

It is the earnest desire of the Editors to make this series of Tracts as popular, by which they mean as generally useful, as possible. The better therefore to secure this object,

they intend for the future to make a division in their subjects, and for this purpose have begun what they have called an "Extra Series." In this series will be included all such Tracts as being of a narrative order, and continuations of one and the same subject, cannot be considered as in any manner independent of each other, but may rather be compared to chapters in a book. Of this kind are "The Church of our Fathers," of which three numbers have been published, and "How the Pope became a King," in three parts, with its sequel, "The Popes the Founders of Modern Europe," in two parts. Both of these sets will therefore be withdrawn from the general series and transferred to the "Extra" one; but it is the intention of the Editors to continue them, with a view to the formation of small volumes suitable for lending-libraries, school-presents, &c.

This plan will also enable the Editors to publish, as occasion serves, numbers, such as No. (IV.) on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (forming No. I. of the "Extra Series") in the present volume, which seem to be required, in order to give completeness to particular subjects, but are less adapted for general distribution. Those who are acquainted with Protestant controversial Tracts (e. g. the publications of the Christian Knowledge Society or the Religious Tract Society) do not need to be told that they abound with misstatements and objections against Catholic doctrine, the refutation or solution of which, owing to the peculiar and sometimes purely theological nature of the subject, it often requires considerable thought and attention to master, simple and conclusive as such solution or refutation may be. It did not seem well to pass over questions of this description altogether, especially as one professed design of the series is to expose Protestant errors and misrepresen

tations. At the same time it will be endeavoured as much as possible to make such discussions subservient to an object which the Editors have nearer at heart even than the exposure of Protestant error, viz. the clear statement and elucidation of Catholic doctrine and principles.

To keep this series the more distinct, each Tract belonging to it will be headed "Extra Series," and numbered in Roman instead of in ordinary figures. It may also here be mentioned that fewer copies will be printed of this series than of the ordinary one; the object of the separate publication being to satisfy the particular requirements stated above, not to provide Tracts for general distribution.

Experience proves that for practical purposes each Tract ought to be complete in itself, although it may happen to be one of a course. Accordingly the Editors have endeavoured to act on this rule. For instance, the Tracts in the series "Protestantism weighed in its own balance and found wanting," though numbered consecutively and tending to one common conclusion, have been so constructed that they do not require to be read in connexion with each other. Where the subject was of a more extended nature, and could not be satisfactorily disposed of in a single Tract, separate points have been discussed in successive numbers in such a way as to present in each one definite idea to the reader's mind. Some particular portion of doctrine has been explained, or some popular objection removed. In such cases, each number may therefore still be considered to have an individual completeness, although for a thorough understanding of the whole subject to which they belong it is necessary that the other numbers of the same series should be read in connexion with it. Of this kind are Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and