course, must be the work of a priest. Just here is the root and source of the error. Had there never been any men-made Priesthood in the Christian Church, we should never have heard of such unscriptural and absurd fantasies as the twin doctrines of Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation. We repeat: When the Sacrament was instituted by our Lord, He "gave thanks" for the bread and wine, but offered no prayer, nor performed any act of "consecration"; and after He had given thanks, He called the bread bread,' and the wine

the fruit of the vine.' "The corporal presence of the glorified Christ in the Sacramental bread and wine is impossible, because the glorified body of Christ is not flesh and blood; and "the spiritual presence" in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine is equally impossible, because the spiritual presence of a Body is absurd. And then as to the "mysterious gift" spoken of by the Primate what is it, and how is it received? His answer is: "We cannot define it." If so, is it wise to be so sure that it is a reality? We are not surprised that he cannot define the supposed gift, for it were easier to describe infinitude or

paint a soul than to give the definition of a thing which has no reality. As the late Dean Alford truly said: "The figment of sacerdotal consecration of the elements by transmitted power is as alien from the Apostolic writings as it is from the spirit of the Gospel." And Dean Farrar the other day in Belfast with equal correctness said: "Consubstantiation is a mere metaphysical, incomprehensive, meaningless conception, a jargon of unmeaning words, illustrations only of the pride, the want of commonsense, in theological speculation."

CHAPTER IV.

CONCERNING DOCTRINES.

In this chapter we shall briefly examine the Creeds and the Articles. We need not quote them all, but only the parts which can be shown to be unscriptural.

I. In the so-called Apostles' Creed, it is said regarding the crucified Saviour that "He descended into hell." Now, the word 'hell' is an old mistranslation of the Greek term Hades, which refers to the intermediate state between death and the resurrection, and not to Gehenna, which shall be the abode of the lost after the day of Judgment. When our Saviour died upon the cross, His spirit passed into Hades-first into its paradise, and then into its prison. What do we read? 'Jesus, remember me, when Thou comest in Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto

thee, To-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise' (Luke xxiii. 42, 43). Put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit; in which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison' (1 Pet. iii. 18, 19). He foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was He left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption' (Acts ii. 31). Jesus did not descend into hell. As the author of Our Life after Death says: "It were well if our Church removed this antiquated blunder from her Prayer-book." Intelligent persons may know that Hades is the right word; but multitudes of others are ignorant of this fact, and humbly accept the teaching of the Creed, which is not true.

2. In the Nicene Creed we find these words: "I believe in one Catholick and Apostolick Church." If the words in Article 19 are remembered-" The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men"; and also those of the Litany, "That it may please Thee to rule and govern Thy holy Church universal in the right way"—no objection need be urged against the statement in the Creed. But if this belief is restricted to an organic Church,

as it frequently is by narrow-minded bigots, then assuredly we ought to refuse assent to any such faith-a faith which unchurches other churches, introduces schism into the Body of Christ, and nourishes an exclusive and pharisaical spirit, which is thoroughly anti-Christian both in its nature and action. When Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, he sent his Epistle to the churches, not to the Church. And when John wrote the Revelation, he sent it to the seven churches in Asia, not to the Church. The one Church of Christ embraces all the churches, by whatever names they may be known, because the great brotherhood of believers in Him is the Church.

3. In the Athanasian Creed there are several points which demand notice. It begins thus: "Whosoever will be saved: before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholick Faith. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled: without doubt he shall perish everlastingly." And thus it ends: “This is the Catholick Faith: which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved." These are awful declarations for men to make to men, even if every word of the Creed were