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tendency of mankind to draw their own conclusions;-or we should say, repose with perfect confidence upon the direction your opinions will receive from the most high-minded, the most intelligent, the best educated men of this or any other country. The House of Lords is composed of those who bring the best disciplined minds to the investigation of truth. It is composed of acute statesmen, whose

talents have been called into actioned of ssary habits of their

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political life;-of great lawyers, who have been elevated to the rank of hereditary counsellors of the Crown, from their splendid talents, and their laborious services ;-of the heads of the clergy, whose acquirements are the most extensive, and whose tempers are best prepared to administer justice in mercy of naval and military officers, o whose professional habits have fitted them to be accurate judges in 10 questions of foreign manners, and whose knowledge of the world basis naturally given a force and expansion to their understandingsandiq lastly, of the noble representatives of illustrious families, whose lives a have been passed in the discharge of the peculiar duties of their rank, iq in the intercourse of that polished society which naturally inspires thes most elevated sentiments. It would be impossible to entrust the direc tion of our opinions to any body of men who could pronounce a more lq wise or a more honest judgment-equally removed from servility to by authority, or submission to popular violence. Let the decision being what it may, we shall implicitly bow to its authority, in the confidence that our own means of forming an opinion must have been greatly w inferior to those possessed by judges who have for three months de-91 voted all the energy of their understandings to the examination of this ent solemn question. We have restrained ourselves from the expression, edt almost from the admission, of any decided conviction in this matter and if we have not joined the rout of those who have thought fit to sdt pronounce according to the direction of their own partialities, by oilt offering to a person under accusation, however illustrious, those conditio gratulations which belong saloned to undeniable and undisputed inno cence, we shall not be the less ready to express our satisfaction, shouldrons the House of Peers pronounce that her Majesty's character is as oub unspotted as her friends and partizans have so loudly and so intempe bivs rately asserted.moissbiano svira of qu

& Jerins esdem Jedw It is not probable that many of our readers have read the answers not which the Queen has given to the various persons by whom she has orito been addressed. Nor is it likely that they have perused with much do attention the speeches of her Majesty's Counsel before the House ofis to Lords. To those who have bestowed any consideration upon those asid compositions we would offer an few opbservations. The sentiments bre which her Majesty's addresses express are in many points inconsistent m with the allegiance which the Queen, as a subject, herself owes; and alst are calculated to turn aside the people from the respect which is due oaib to their Sovereign, and from the love which they ought to bear tonieud those who are in authority under him." Of the feeling which has dictated such an expression of opinions it is not for us to speak.

But we are sure that the virtuous good sense of the English people will not receive the violent language which is offered to them under such circumstances, as the sober principles of truth and reason. In their intercourse with the world they must have seen the bitterness which is always produced by mixing up passion with argument; and they will consider the circumstances under which the Queen has been placed (whether by her own imprudence or by the contrivance of unjust persons remains to be seen), as one of those occasions which must have the effect of calling up violent feelings, and of infusing a vindictive and inconsiderate spirit into every expression which proceeds from such a source. The answers of the Queen are also manifestly written to serve the purpose of a faction which is labouring to introduce discontent and anarchy among us. Those who can think for themselves will resist such opinions, in whatever shape they may present themselves-whether in the answers of a Queen, or in a twopenny pamphlet,-whether in the declamation of an itinerant demagogue, or in the eloquence of an incautious advocate before the highest tribunal of the land. With regard to the harangues of her Majesty's able Counsel, it is unnecessary to observe upon the caution with which they ought to be received. It is the business and the duty of a pleader to make out the best case for his client;-and he is perhaps to be excused if the warmth of his advocacy carries him beyond the temperate assertion of those sentiments which he is instructed to maintain. But there is not the same excuse for those who calmly adopt such opinions; it is for the pleader to assert, but for the lover of truth to examine.

Whatever be the issue of this unhappy investigation, the people have only one duty, which is expressed as simply as it may be acted upon-"Hold to the Laws.”

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Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.—ST. MARK, ix. 24. THIS was said by one who strongly felt the necessity of faith, but found his heart yet under the influence of unbelief, still struggling with that worldly spirit which is the great enemy of Religion.

Most people who repeat their Creed every Sunday would be offended if they were charged with unbelief of those articles they profess. The proof would be to ask them their meaning: if able to answer rightly, then to compare their faith with their practice; and if these did not agree, the charge of unbelief would still lie heavy on them, however well they might be able to explain their principles. We consent to the Articles of our Belief by custom. To a man fond of the world, nothing is so disagreeable as to examine the real state of his Faith; because, if he convince himself of the faith, he must give up the pleasures of sin, or live in perpetual terror. We therefore compromise the matter; we profess the Religion of Christ, without examination, and so pursue our evil ways without remorse. This, I fear, is the history of most of us. It is high time to look a little deeper, and see if, while we are easy under our ignorance, we are safe also.

Long ago I did examine, and was alarmed by my inquiries;-we are not safe. Those very articles we profess condemn us, if we do not truly believe them-if we do not prove our faith by practising what we believe. I have gone far enough into the matter to perceive the difficulty of such a sound and steady belief as is required of us, and I am forced to exclaim, with the converted sinner in the text, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

I would wish these words to be in your thoughts, while I proceed to examine the articles of our faith, as delivered in the Creed. May God shed his blessing upon our endeavours to come to a right understanding of them.

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The custom of making a public declaration of faith began in the earliest times of the Church. While Christianity was struggling against the dark errors of idolatry, and suffering under the violence of persecution, it was important to distinguish the believers in Christ from their enemies, secret or avowed; and it was equally necessary then, as now, to keep up, in the minds of all sincere Christians, the knowledge of the chief Articles of our Belief, and to show to the rest of mankind that we glory in the faith of our Blessed Redeemer.

It was the more necessary to have some short form to refer to, on account of the differences that soon arose among men of opposite opinions, some of whom, by wrong interpretations of Scripture, began to lead away the minds of the people, teaching doctrines in contradic tion of the true spirit of the Gospel.

Creeds, in ancient times, were commonly sung verse by verse, as a part of divine service, a practice which formerly prevailed in England, though now confined chiefly to our cathedrals, although generally so performed in other Christian countries. Many such professions of faith, composed by various authors, have come down to our times, and many others are referred to, differing more or less from each other, according to the interpretations which were given of difficult parts of the Sacred Writings.

Three of these forms are in use in our Church, which were drawn up in the early ages of Christianity; these are called,

The Nicene Creed,

The Creed of St. Athanasius, and

The Apostle's Creed.

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You are to understand these were all composed by men like ourselves, and therefore have no other claim to our respect but as they declare the true faith of Christ as contained in the Bible, upon which authority only our Church requires them "to be thoroughly received and believed, for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture."

The Nicene Creed, which forms a part of our Communion Service, is so called because it was drawn up and agreed to at the Religious Council assembled at Nice, in the Lesser Asia, 325 years after the time of our blessed Saviour; the conclusion was added some years later.

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This profession of faith was judged necessary at that time, to con tradict the assertions of those who had denied the divine nature of Jesus Christ, upon which article of our faith it therefore dwells with much earnestness. It contains generally the same declarations as the Apostle's Creed, but more fully expressed. Others at that time hav ing doubted the authority of Scripture, which teaches us to believe in the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity, this Creed enlarges upon that article also; and at the conclusion, in stating the article respecting the forgiveness of sins, we are reminded that Baptism is the means whereby we are freed from the original curse laid upon the children of Adam. The only omission is, that sentence which states our Saviour's descent into Hell, which probably was left out to avoid

a difference with those who disputed the meaning of this article in former Creeds. I should observe, that the Greek, Roman, and English churches, all receive this Creed as a true standard of the Christian Faith.

The Creed which bears the name of St. Athanasius is understood, by the most eminent writers, not to have been the work of that father. Athanasius was Bishop of Alexandria, in Egypt, near 400 years after Christ, and was celebrated for the zeal and learning with which he maintained the true faith of the Gospel, amidst the great heresies of those times. This Creed was not known in the Church for upwards of 100 years after his death, but being composed in conformity to the known principles of that distinguished person, it has ever since gone by his name.

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It is appointed to be rehearsed on the chief festivals of the Church, because it is more particularly full on the doctrine of the Trinity; and it is to be read with a due consideration of the difficulty of that great mystery of our religion. We should bear in mind that a doctrine is not contrary to reason because we do not understand it: our imperfect faculties cannot comprehend how three persons can be united in one God; but as we find it clearly so declared in Scripture, we are bound to believe it upon the word of God. After stating this article of faith at the commencement of the Creed, a sentence follows which has given great uneasiness to many devout persons: the Creed says, therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity." And at the conclusion, after stating the other Articles of our Belief in Christ, are added the following words,-"This is the Catholic Faith, which, except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved." Now there are, and have been, many pious men, who, from ignorance or want of ca pacity, could not prevail on themselves to embrace the great doctrine of the Trinity, who would be condemned by these hard sentences if literally understood, and who therefore have altogether refused their assent to this Creed. It is very true words to this effect are to be found in the Bible: St. Paul "without faith shall no man see God;" says, (Heb. chap. xi. ver. 6.) and we learn from St. Mark, that our Saviour himself, just before he ascended to the Father, commanded his Disciples, saying, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark, chap. xvi. ver. 16.) This word "damned," as I have before stated, does not mean eternal doom at the day of judgment, but signifies" condemned" by that rule of faith which proceeded from Christ. The declaration is thisthey that believe and practice the faith of Christ, shall receive the high rewards of his promise; but they to whom the Gospel is offered, who have an opportunity to learn its value, and ungratefully reject it, will assuredly be punished for their disobedience. We, and all mankind, can alone be saved through Jesus Christ, "for there is no other name under Heaven whereby we may be saved." All his servants, therefore, who have the means and ability to learn and understand the whole Christian faith, are bound to use their best exertions to acquire

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