Churches, though their forms might not at all accord with her own, as discovered in her early history, are well known to those who have made the Church of Scotland, even partially, a subject of study. Let me merely refer to a few points. Though occupying a small mountainous country, and differing materially, at least in form, from the religious observances of the larger part of the island, there is nothing narrow or exclusive in the spirit or practice of the early Church of Scotland. In her Confessions of Faith and Catechisms, and the forms of public prayer which were drawn up for the use of the Catechists and Scripture readers, who were employed in the absence of a stated ministry, THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL evidently holds a prominent place. The Scots Confession of Faith, of 1650, begins by wishing "Grace, mercy and peace to all the realms where the true knowledge of Christ is professed," whether that profession be in the Presbyterian form or not. There are also prayers for particular Churches under trial-as for the Reformed Church of England, though her government was Episcopal. It is well known that in early days, those of Edward VI., the Reformers of the Continent and of Britain contemplated a grand Protestant league, which only the fraudulent machinations of Popery defeated, by sending emissaries of discord from abroad under the guise of friends. In such a bond, none could rejoice more than the fathers of the Scottish Church. After the days of Edward, when the Episcopacy of the Church of England became much more rigid and exclusive, and the hope of further reformation began to grow faint; above all, when the Erastianism of James and the semi-popery of Charles I. had inflicted serious injury upon the Church of Scotland, it is not wonderful that she should become cool, nay, opposed to that Church. The Church of England could be no longer regarded as the same Christian body; and, indeed, she was then daily approximating much nearer to the new Popish school, than the evangelical portion of the English Church at the present day. But the Church of Scotland still cherished the warmest sympathy and benevolence for the foreign Churches of the Reformation, as we have seen from her generous contributions in their behalf; and she cherished similar feelings towards the evangelical and reforming party in England, usually called the Puritans, a party, be it remembered, not inconsiderable, as many imagine, but almost dividing the country, and embracing much, if not most, of the ministerial talent, and learning, and use

fulness of the time. When Charles, by the semi-popish counsels of Laud, had brought matters to such a pass that the country was involved in civil war, and the Episcopal Establishment was subverted, never did any party show greater anxiety, or labour with greater zeal and self-denial for Christian union, than the Church of Scotland. She sought to bind the three kingdoms into a holy brotherhood; and had all parties been as much under the influence of religious principle as she was-apart from political motives— she would have been much more successful. Her correspondence with the Westminster Assembly breathes the most earnest desire for peace and uniformity. Her chief hostility is to Popery under its different phases; and unsuccessful as the Church of Scotland, from unhappy circumstances, was, in bringing about so perfect and permanent a concord with the Christian Churches of England and Ireland, as she longed and laboured after, yet such root had her principles taken in England, that on the passing of the Act of Uniformity by Charles II., not less than two thousand Presbyterian ministers were ejected from their charges-men of whom historians have related, that "to say that they far excelled any whom England can produce at the present day, in learning and worth, would not be flattery, but faint praise." At the same time, it is believed nearly one-half of the religious part of the community left the fellowship of the Established Church. Nor should it be forgotten, that such was the strength of the Presbyterians of England, that after preparing, during the dread silence of above twenty years of persecution, theological works which have constituted an important part of the food of the Christian Church in every subsequent age to the present hour, she burst out into such vigour the moment the Toleration Act was passed, that in twentyfive years she could boast of an accession of eight hundred newly erected places of worship. It would be difficult, in the same period, to point to any religious party which indicated greater spiritual vitality; and yet they were the friends and brothers of the Church of Scotland. Their love of peace and union, too, is well known. The celebrated Richard Baxter might, in this respect, be said to be their representative. From the absence of the exercise of Presbyterian Church government, however, and other causes, the Presbyterian professors of England, like many others, became unsound in doctrine, and have long ceased to be a distinctive body. The Church of Scotland, too, with her religious

declension in the last century, ceased to be so warm in her affection for other Churches. She did not care for Christian union as she had once done; but, blessed be God! she is in this, as in many respects, reviving and setting an example to others of renewed Christian harmony. She has received to her pale those who have been separated for a century; she has opened her pulpits to the Presbyterians of England and Ireland; and is at the present moment entering into friendly correspondence with various Churches, particularly on the Continent and in the United States of America, and taking important steps for making all who are at one in great principles, one also in visible communion. In short, she is renewing the spirit of her early days. If it ever was supposed that Presbyterian Church government was adverse to peace and union, either at home or abroad, such an idea must rapidly disappear before the most pleasing evidence to the contrary. The facts to which I have alluded, all show the depth of the Church's principle and piety, and rebuke the sweeping charges brought by the friends of infidelity against the peaceable character of Christianity and of Christian Churches. But a vast deal remains to be done in all the Churches of the Reformation, before their members shall see eye to eye, and the peace of Jerusalem be universally established. The God of truth has promised, and will accomplish the promise in his own good time. Let us join our prayers for its fulfilment with those of the ascended Saviour. Jesus said, "I pray for those that shall believe on me through their (his disciples) word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

SECTION VI.

THE CHURCHES OF FRANCE AND SCOTLAND PROTEST AGAINST THE CORRUPTIONS OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.

The different features in the character of the Protestant Church of France, which I have already presented, are, I humbly conceive, in no small degree, decisive of her truly Christian spirit. The feature to which I have now to call the reader's attention is scarcely less interesting, while it is, if possible, a still more striking illustration of her attachment to the Gospel of Christ. The feature to which I allude is,

HER MANLY PROTEST AGAINST THE CORRUPTIONS OF THE

CHURCH OF ROME. Many, especially at the present day, have light views of Popery. They look upon it as one of the many forms of Christianity, and see nothing very serious in its evils. Widely different are the views of Scripture upon the subject. The Word of God describes Popery as the great enemy of Christ and of his Church, and denounces against its adherents the most dreadful doom, reaching to nothing short of utter destruction. Popery runs, throughout, directly counter to all that is peculiar and vital in the truth of God, subverting the law, and marring the Gospel, and perverting ordinances. Indeed, it seems a grand device of Satan to neutralize the whole scheme of Divine Revelation. The Reformers, and the Churches which they planted, were familiarly acquainted with it in its true spirit and operation from sad experience: hence they drew up their Confessions of Faith, armed against it at every point. Instead of cultivating any alliance with the Church of Rome, they dreaded the most distant approach to union, and constructed their most important measures of Church discipline, schools, &c., in such a way as to weaken and counteract Popery on every hand. We do not greatly wonder at their zeal. Just as men know, and value, and love the Gospel of the grace of God, must they hate Popery; while a thorough acquaintance with Popery seems almost essential to the enlightened appreciation of the Gospel, the dark ground of the picture setting off the illuminated figures the more brightly and impressively. The early Church of France, though seated in the heart of a great Popish country, with comparatively few adherents, subjected to many privations and oppressions, and in danger of provoking fresh assaults, yet lifted up a bold protest against the errors and corruptions of the Romish Church. She inserted among her articles of faith, the following strong, but just representation of Antichrist. We give the form in which it was put by the Synod of Gap in 1603:

"That article treating of Antichrist shall be the one and thirtieth in order in our Confession of Faith, and shall be thus worded: Whereas the Bishop of Rome hath erected for himself a temporal monarchy in the Christian world, and usurping a sovereign authority and lordship over all churches and pastors, doth exalt himself to that degree of insolency, as to be called God, and will be adored, arrogating unto himself all power in heaven and in earth, and to dispose of all ecclesiastical matters, to define articles of faith, to authorize

and expound at his pleasure the Sacred Scriptures, and to buy and sell the souls of men-to dispense with vows, oaths and covenants, and to institute new ordinances of religious worship: and in the civil state he tramples under foot all lawful authority of magistrates-setting up and pulling down kings, disposing of kings and of their kingdoms at his pleasure: We therefore believe and maintain that he is truly and properly The Antichrist, the Son of Perdition, predicted in the holy prophets-that great whore clothed with scarlet, sitting upon seven mountains in that great city, which had dominion over the kings of the earth; and we hope, and wait, that the Lord, according to his promise, and as he hath already begun, will confound him by the Spirit of his mouth, and destroy him finally by the brightness of his coming."Again,

"Divers pastors and members of several churches remonstrated in this Assembly, how they had been troubled and prosecuted for calling the Pope Antichrist in their private and public discourses. This Synod protesting that this was the common faith and confession of all our churches, and of this present Synod, that the Pope is the Great Antichrist, and one of the principal causes of our separation and departure from the Church of Rome; and that this confession was contained in, and extracted out of the Holy Scriptures; that it had been sealed with the blood of a world of martyrs: Therefore, all the faithful, be they pastors or private Christians, are exhorted constantly to persist in the profession of it, and openly and boldly to confess it; yea, and this very article shall be inserted into the body of the Confession of our Faith; and the general deputies of our churches at court are required to petition his Majesty, that none of his officers, in any sovereign or other inferior courts of judicature, may be suffered to infringe our liberty of conscience, granted us by his edicts, of making a free confession of our faith, and that none of them may trouble or vex us, as divers of them have done for this very matter. And whoso are now prosecuted and molested on this account, or may be hereafter, they shall be supported and defended by the whole body of the churches in the best manner that can be, according to that firm bond of union which is established among us. And letters shall be written to our lords, the judges in the mixed courts, to exhort them vigorously to maintain this article of our common confession."

It would seem that this bold statement gave great offence.