proves nothing. The scribes and paratory matter. I had no papers Pharisees "compassed sea and land" arranged, of which my friend someto make one convert, and when they times complains.-[Some movement had found one, they made him ten at the extremity of the room, wheretimes more the child of hell than upon the learned gentleman paused, before. We know also that the and John Kendal, Esq., Catholic Mahometans made gigantic efforts chairman, rose to order. The to spread their delusions over the learned gentleman then resumed as world, and therefore, mere effort or follows:-I have entered the room mere successful proselytism, how-this evening with the intention, at ever wide-spread, does not prove a least, of following him step by step, church or a sect to be true. You in order, if possible, to avoid the may have read of priests who have reproach which I so frequently and endured martyrdom with the cru- so justly urge against him, and cifix in their hands, but such mar- which, in return, with mimic accutyrdom is no proof of truth, for such racy, I have so often received from death is emulated by the savage him, of " wandering" from the subHindoo wife, who submits to be ject. I cannot, however, be guilty burned, a willing martyr, on her of much deviation from the subject husband's funeral-pile. It is well in hand if I follow him so closely as known that the Mahometan devotee I intend to do. The learned genwill submit to privations the most tleman began by reading some arduous, and to stripes and lacer- copious extracts from Dean Milner. ations the most galling, to tortures I shall merely advert to these. I more intense than Jesuit priest ever have not time to dwell much upon met-to privations more severe them, but I shall refer to the first than we have any notion of, in page I have opened, in order to order to make converts to his faith, show how inconsistently my learned under the inspiring but fallacious opponent reasons, and how inconexpectation of hereafter, for his sistently Dean Milner reasons, on the reward, entering into a paradise subjects relating to CATHOLICITY, reserved for the faithful, where (as though he states many historical he imagines) there is one round of facts, in an unprotestant—that is, perpetual enjoyment, and where life in an unperverting manner. My and beauty are alike immortal. I learned opponent complains that contend, therefore, in conclusion, I quoted only those extracts from that mere success in proselytism is Dean Milner which I considered no evidence, no criterion of truth. subservient to my purpose; and he The Roman Church may be the thinks it rather extraordinary that most successful proselytizer, and I did not entertain you on the last may, notwithstanding, rival only evening when we met, with all the more closely the speed, and victories, declamation against our superstiand features of Satan. tion," and with all the calumny which he, Dean Milner, utters against our saints; and that I did not mis-spend my time by reading Mr. FRENCH.-I never felt more to you those passages where Dean at a loss to know what course to Milner lays down his opinion that steer than at the present moment. the Pope is antichrist; and that I I entered this room totally unen- did not point out the particular cumbered with any thing like pre-period when popes became, or might

[The reverend gentleman's time here terminated.]

R

I am very glad, indeed-[turning to Mr. Cumming, and smilingyou adverted to it, for it just corroborates my argument. [A laugh.]

be denominated, Antichrist. We period, as well as the whole scene scorn all such calumny, whether it of persecution, is very barren of proceeds from Dean Milner or from such characters-namely, saints, theologians of the present day. I pastors, and reformers."-Ib. 204. know where to look for Antichrist perfectly accordant with the description given of Antichrist by Scripture. But I shall not at the present moment insult the feelings of any one present by saying where that gigantic form of predicted iniquity rears its towering head. I have it in my own imagination. I know where to look for it, and though I have often heard the Church of Rome called "the lady of Babylon, dressed in scarlet"[simpering there is another great scarlet object carrying impiety and wickedness into every region of the globe, the head of which church is clothed in scarlet-a correspondence, in my idea, much nearer the accuracy of the description found in the Bible than any which my learned friend can give of the popes of Rome. In the very first page which he opened of Milner, my learned opponent read the following words:

Rev. J. CUMMING.--[Laughing] Oh, very well; you are quite welcome. Mr. FRENCH.-Now, gentlemen, this is the fourth century; and an age more fruitful in saints, pastors, and splendid martyrs is not to be found in the whole calendar of the Church of God. It is impossible for any one conversant with ecclesiastical history, as my learned friend is, to find more crowded traces of sanctity to be met with in any age during the persecution of Dioclesian. Even Dean Milner himself, only about ten lines above the place which my learned friend, in his sagacity, singled out in order to throw obloquy on the Church of Rome-even Dean Milner himself will corroborate my assertion; and I shall beg to direct you and my learned opponent to but ten or twelve lines on the same page, a little higher. He says:

"Afterwards the master of the mines coming thither, as if by an imperial rescript, divided the suf ferers into classes. Some he or dered to dwell in Cyprus, others in Libanus; the rest he dispersed and harassed with various drudgeries in different parts of Palestine. Four he singled out for the examination of the military commander, who burnt them to death. Sylvanus, a bishop of great piety; John, as Egyptian; and thirty-seven others, were the same day beheaded by order of Maximin."-Id. p. 204.

Now, my friends, this is the age which my learned opponent wishes to call your attention to, as being

remarkably barren in genuine piety | astonish my learned friend not a and sanctity; whereas it is one in little)-I deny the authenticity of which every Catholic glories, as the that Bible. [The audience seemed model for all succeeding ages for surprised at this statement, made as martyrs and for missionaries, teach- it was abstractedly.] I think I shall ing them how to live, to suffer, and put my learned friend's ingenuity die in the cause of our Lord Jesus considerably "on the rack" this Christ. Who is there, I again evening, for, argumentandi causa, say, deeply versed in ecclesiastical I say, I deny the authenticity of history, that has not indelibly im- the Bible. Be not satisfied, my printed on his memory the sanguin- friends, when my learned antagonist ary, the exquisitely cruel persecu- comes to illustrate a point-be not tions suffered by martyrs during the satisfied, I beseech of you, if you reign of the wicked and abominable seek to be profited,-when he Dioclesian? But, gentlemen, before points out text upon text, be not I lay this book out of my hand, satisfied with every gaudy flourish there is a short passage which I of rhetoric, and every enthusiastic wish to lay before you, of much exclamation, when laid before you more importance than any thing on certain texts, in which he inwhich my learned friend, in his so- dulges in his style of "oriental" phistical train of reasoning, has diction. No, my friends, listen to thought proper to present to you sound and serious argument. Let this evening. You are well aware my learned friend tell you satisfacof the difference between our Rule torily how he knows these books to of Faith and the Rule of Faith be inspired. Let him not say, Here which my learned friend threw so is John, Here is Paul, and Here is ostentatiously down on the table the Peter; that is not the way to prove last time I had the honour of meet- it. I must have some solid and ing him, when he said in such a convincing proof that these books pompous strain:-"I know not were written by inspired evangelists where Mr. French's Rule of Faith -some solid internal proofs; and is, but there is mine," suiting the when he has done that, he will have action to the word, and throwing obtained, perhaps, an object for down the Bible. Now, gentlemen, which he has expressed a great I am acting on the defensive, and anxiety and a great desire-viz. if I am obliged to try, but it is totally he rejects tradition, and can prove impossible, to answer the lengthen it without, I have no objection to ing string of accusations he has step over to his religion. In the brought against us. I shall take mean time, as I take tradition to be them one by one, and give the best the ground of the rule by which the answer which I can; and if time world has been Christianized, and should fail me, let him not upbraid the Bible to be but a part of that me in the end for leaving any thing sacred tradition, I shall adhere to unanswered. But, gentlemen, I wish my plan. I believe in the Bible, to put him on the defensive. I wish because the great CHURCH fostered to impose upon him the onus pro- it in her sacred bosom from age to bandi; I wish my learned opponent to prove to this assembly, how it is that the Bible comes to be your Rule of Faith? to prove the authenticity of the Bible; and-(I am going to

age, and tells me undeniably that it is so. I know no other test. It is impossible for the learned gentleman to have the effrontery to assert, that if your Protestant brethren

were unacquainted with the actual | rejects that test, he is a mere ide books of the Bible, and if they were conjecturer as to what book is spo all suddenly presented to you in stolical, and apocryphal, and what company with fifty other books, is not so. To show you, my friends, holy books, that may be put with that, at least, I am speaking the them, written in ancient times-it language of antiquity, that I am is impossible, I say, for him to not falling into the fantastic vice d assert that you would all come to this age of modernism—namely, the same conclusion, and, by the incurable penchant for dogmatizing same natural induction, know the for myself-I shall read to you a Bible from the rest, and point to passage from Dean Milner. He is this as genuine, and throw away talking of Irenæus, who is called by that as apocryphal. If you could the ecclesiastical historian Eusebius find any two men in this audience"a successor of the apostles." He to do so, then I would say, let us was a disciple of Polycarp, who was have it for our Rule of Faith. But a disciple of St. John the Evange it is totally impossible, and I throw list. Speaking of Irenæus, he says, down the gauntlet of defiance to my "He makes a strong use," sa learned antagonist, or to any other Milner, "of the argument of tre man on earth, to prove to me that dition in support of the apostoliel it is capable of being done. Only doctrine against the novel heresies. let a jury of twelve men sit down His acquaintance with the primitive deliberately, and would they all Christians justified him in pressing come to the same conclusion? this argument. The force of it, i.. Would they all say, Here is inspira- a certain degree, is obvious, though. tion, and here it is not? Would the Papists have perverted his dethey say the Song of Solomon bears clarations in favour of their own evident marks of inspiration? and Church. But what may not men when they come to passages which, pervert and abuse? The reasonable translated into English-and I must use of tradition, as a collateral proof speak the truth, however improper of Christian doctrines, is not hence invalidated. What he observes here concerning the barbarous nations is remarkable. If there were any doubt concerning the least article, ought we not to have recourse to the most ancient churches where the apostles lived? What if the apostles had left us no writings whatever? ought we not to follow the tradition which they left with those to whom they committed the care of the churches? It is what several barbarous nations do, who believe in Jesus without paper or ink, having the doctrine of salvation written on their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and faithfully keeping up to ancient tradition concerning one God the Creator and his Son Jesus Christ.

it

may be to allude to them-but passages in your version of the Testament which savour of obscenity in their English garb, though not in the original one; without the testimony of the Church, to the effect that these passages are inspired, what twelve men would come to the conclusion that they are inspired? No: it is wholly impossible. Whereas, in rejecting tradition, the Bible falls to the ground, there is then no Bible in existence. Evangelio ipsi non crederem," says St. Augustine, in the fourth century; "I would not believe in the Bible itself, unless induced to it by the authority of the Catholic Church." There is the test, the only test; and the moment the learned gentleman

Those who have received

this faith without Scripture are barbarians, as to their manner of speaking, compared with us; but as to their sentiments and behaviour, they are very wise and very acceptable to God; and they persevere in the practice of justice and charity. And if any one should preach to them in their language what the heretics have invented, they would immediately stop their ears and flee far off, and would not even hear those blasphemies.'

[looking at the audience]-demand-
ing great silence while it is read
[Silence being restored, the learned
gentleman read the passage in a very
measured and impressive manner.
After which he exclaimed-]

Just so is it! The Catholic in the present day who is illiterate, but well-grounded in his religion, if he were to meet the learned gentleman in a stage-coach, and if he (the learned gentleman) were to endeavour to reason him out of his religion, he would pause and shut his ears and say to him, "I am not learned enough to dispute with you, but I am learned in the doctrines of my religion; I believe in the sacred traditions of the Church: I leave you to the enjoyment of your learning; leave me to the enjoyment of my religion." But you see here most evidently, gentlemen, that in ancient times (and that is all that

"Thus, it appears, that to the illiterate barbarians, tradition, though a poor substitute, supplied the place of the written word. We may not, however, suppose that their faith was blind and implicit. Our author gives a strong testimony to their godliness; and those of them who were taught indeed of God would have in themselves the strongest and most reasonable of all proofs of the divinity of their religion. This this dispute was instituted for, is a valuable evidence of the Holy Spirit's influences, and of the native energy of Divine truth on the hearts and lives of very illiterate men."Mark

to prove whether my or his religion be the ancient one,)—and I think you must by this time be thoroughly satisfied that my religion accords with primitive antiquity, and that his is "the offspring of modern enlightenment," to use his own expression upon one occasion. For you may possibly remember (I think it was on the second or third day of the disputation) my reverend friend maintained in a most solemn manner, that, instead of having pure Christianity the nearer you approached the days of Christ

you see I read every thing fairly-what he says against us; you see he reasons with all the feebleness of my learned friend when he has no solid ground to go upon. And mark, this very Irenæus, in another passage, which I have not before me, but which I quote memoriter, talking of the Church of Rome, says: 66 Ad hanc ecclesiam necesse est omnem convenire ecclesiam"-that is, "To this Church of that, instead of a true knowledge Rome must every other church of Scripture, and a knowledge appeal."

of pure and unadulterated ChrisAnd this same Irenæus points tianity increasing, that it was more out an occasion where the Pope of likely to be in its acmé now that Rome was appealed to, and where the full light of learning, philosophy he excommunicated a certain church and science had burst in upon the in Asia for not obeying him world, than it was in days immedi Whispering on and around the plat- ately succeeding the apostles! Now, form, but he goes on to say, and my friends, I shall quote another this is a very remarkable passage passage or two from Irenæus,