The Sun.
London, England, 1826-09-28 00:00:00

by experience to expect no beneficial result. In consequence oi
this mutual forbearance, the reasons of our separation from Rome,
and the real principles of the Homan Catholic: Church, which
once had been generally known, were no longer familiar to the
public ; and many persons were led to imagine, that a change had
been sensibly wrought in her system, that she had modified her
objectionable tenets, bad become inure tolerant to Christians
of other persuavions, and was disposed, if not formally to dis-
avow her exclusive pretensions, yet to abstain from pressing
them. It is true, that the principles which were taught in her
schools of divinity, as well as the public documents put forth by her
highest authorities contradicted this charitable supposition; but
few persons would be at the trouble of examining lectures in theo-
logy, and it was said, with some chew of probability, that official
papers must speak the language of form, which is prescribed by
ancient usage, and is not always to be understood in its strict
sense. The silence has however been broken ; and the question at
issue between the Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church has
been warmly debated on religious grounds, and, on, both aides,
with no mean ability. Of the issue of such a controversy, even
had the cause of truth been defended with less power of reason and
eloquence than was displayed on this occasion, there could be little
doubt. In the estimation at least of every Protestant, our adver-
saries have equally failed in the proof of their charges against our
National Church, and in the defence of their own. It is not my
intention to enter into the' general question, any branch of which
is too large for the present occasion, and which has been ably and
amply discussed in publications which are in the hands of every
one. The point to which I would draw your attention, is the
light which has been thrown, in the result of the controversy, on
the character of the Romish Church ; the utter disproval •of any
alteration, or even the possibility of alteration, in her principles,
claiMs, or doctrines. Whatever differenee of opinion, under the
counivauce, if not the allowance, of her rulers, may be tolerated,
in some respects and in some countries, all her Divines of any au-
thority agree in asserting, that she alone, with the successor of St.
Peter at her heed, the representative ,of Christ upon earth, is the
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, out of whose bosom there
it no salvation ; that to her all Churches are subject, as their mo-
ther and mistress; the parent to whom they are indebted for their
being; the sovereign from whom they derive their authority, awl
to whom their allegiance is due; that in virtue of the promisee
of Christ and the continual assistance of his Spirit, she is infallible,
exempt from the possibility of error, in Matters of faith, and
authorised to enforce her decisions on the consciefice of all
11risof faith, of worship, of government,
ill drawni
y
onder the supremacy of the Pope; is oiies-
sential to the constitution of her church, and admits of no hit-
t:l:lstii
unity Christians.
to a The
pd it
peachment. Her authority she . cannot renounce in the slightest
particular, because, emanating from Christ
,as ,r trust to be exer-
cited for the good of mankind,: it is inherent and inalienable; nor
can she subject her doctrines to revision, hecausc_jnfallibility pre-
cludes aberration from truth, and truth is incapable of variation.
The system of doctrine which she is thus engaged to maintain,
has been long since defined and established, by the Council of
Trent, and the creed of Pius the IVtli, which latter embodies the
peculiar doctrines rejected by
Protestants, and enjoins, under pain
of damnation, their reception by every Christian, together with
implicit belief of all that is held by the Romish Church, and the
renunciation of all oppoeite,errors. To this must be-added, her
utter rejection of any distinction of doctrines into fundamental or
not fundamental: she regards not the importance of the doctrine:
it is the slight to. her authority which subjects the offender to
anathema, for the obvious reason, that by impugning her jndg-
quettions her pretence to
went on the most insignificant point, he
inflillibilitY• This is 'ff I t strength of the RomishChurch,
the principle which
i of error, and prevents it
. cements the systen
from falling into inflexibility," as it is termed
by her _ ,vo ruin. It is this " sacred .
whale-
au tater, " her incompatibility with any error
ever,--in other wordsadherence to the whole
body of doctrines, ' her drlnined a'
h has once made
part of her creed,vhether true Or false, which I
.41 .
..lee
_iv.
Hence she disclaim, all
constitutes her principai. security.
' relating to her
hierarchy or anklet,
01i1.
feoimpromise in questions
and
even
the name of a Chung', to 4(!'''
and
denies
the
Privilege4the hope
of salvation to all individuals, uery Christian community, and .
autho-
rity. Ido not accuse her ofl: who refuse subjection to her
uncharitableness on account, ofethis
exclusive spirit: the authority. which she believes to bar keen..
conferred on her by Christ, it is her d ; the nVI
leges received at his hand,. • uty to exercise : p
the
. , site is nut •
at liberty to relinquish : faith delivered to her custody, at •
111 bound to maiptain in its in-
tegrity : and, if separation from 'I
of apostacy and the forfeiture of
tiTornmunion involves the guilt.
Promises of salvation, she is
under a sacred obligation to lift up her vniee and warn mankind of
their danger. nut, 11W Wore firini is Y she persuaded of her divint