the Seventh, and the late king of Naples, which (having accidentally fallen into my hands) I have now produced, may not be looked upon as uninteresting in the present state of the Catholic Question. When entering upon the consideration of this most important question, it is melancholy to reflect, even at the present advanced period of civilization, with how much asperity towards each other the different sects of Christians still uphold the doctrines by which they are divided. From the earliest heresies of the Ebionites and Gnostics, from the Novatian and Arian schism, to the present time, the charitable feeling which would dictate to every Christian the belief, that a merciful Creator could not attribute, as a crime, the conscientious interpretation of the Revelations he had vouchsafed to render to mankind, appears never to have been entertained. The professed Arian was formerly persecuted as an infidel, who dared to derogate from the attributes of his Saviour; while, at the present moment, the Protestant and the Catholic, though in equal reverence of the inspired writings upon which their religions are founded, yet anathematize each other for the various interpretations of those passages, which each conscientiously believes he correctly understands. It is in vain to reason upon these divisions, which distract mankind. The prejudices of habit, the jealousies and vânities of men, yield not to the force of argument, or to the voice of truth; and where a feeling of religious charity would seek to heal the discord which has oppressed the world, the interests of man step in to arrest its influence. Thus, in the support of that mighty fabric, which, in the silence of the dark ages, grew to a commanding height, and, as the church of Christ, assumed unbounded power over the civil and religious government of the world, a host of followers rise up at every step, defending its interests, protecting its supremacy, and, under the veil of sanctity, dealing forth damnation upon those, who, by resisting their construction of Holy Writ, would shake them from an authority which has never been attained by the greatest despots who have reigned over the nations of the earth*. Looking fairly at the pretensions of the Roman Pontiff and the Catholic Church, conceding to them all they may claim from the basis upon which their power is assumed, it is impossible to deny that, according to their mode of interpreting it, no human authority can be set in competition with them. The words of the apostle * The authority accruing to the priesthood from the confessional alone, is superior to any which has ever been established over mankind. St. Matthew, in which the declaration of Our Saviour's will is delivered to us, are the following (ch. xvi. v. 18, 19): "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the 66 66 gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom "of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and what"soever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed " in heaven.” If these words are correctly interpreted as conveying to us, that to Peter, and to his successors in the See of Rome, without limitation as to time, Our Saviour granted the privilege of representing him on earth; that he appointed him and them the head of all the members of his church; that he assured to them an infallibility of judgment, and required from all Christians an equal faith in their decisions as if they proceeded from himself, then it is a sacrilege to compare any authority on earth to that which is thus conceded *. The prostration of the sovereigns of the world It is difficult to come to such a conclusion as this, as to the real intention of Our Saviour: first, because the words used do not appear to justify it, particularly since the natural inference to be drawn from them is, that Our Saviour referred to the faith which St. Peter had testified, saying, “Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God." It was upon the rock of this faith that Our Saviour de before the Holy Person in whom this amazing privilege resides, is not only an homage due to clared he would build his church (a); next, because so important a grant of power is mentioned only by St. Matthew, the rest of the apostles being silent upon this subject; and lastly, because the general doctrine contained in that same gospel, as in all the others, is at variance with any such pretension; and because there is not the slightest evidence that the apostles, either before or after the death of Our Saviour, ever in any way acknowledged it. In this gospel of St. Matthew (b), chap. xx. ver. 26, it is stated, "Whosoever will be great amongst you, let him be your "minister; and whosoever will be chief amongst you, let "him be your servant." Chap. xxiii. ver. 8: "But be not "called Rabbi, for one is your master, even Christ, and "all of ye are brethren." St. Mark, chap. ix. ver. 34:" But "they held their peace; for by the way they had disputed 66 among themselves who should be the greatest. And he "sat down and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If 66 any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, "and servant of all." Chap. x. ver. 42: But "Jesus called (a) This doctrine is maintained by the Council of Ephesus, Conc. vol. iii. p. 135; by St. Ambrose in his work, De Incor. chap. 5; by St. Cyril of Alexandria, Dial. 4. de Trin.; by St. Augustin in his Serm. 270, in Die Pent. & 76 de Verb. Dom. n. 2, &c. &c. (b) According to the Catholic history of the Popes, St. Mark was commissioned by St. Peter, while at Rome, to write his Gospel. It is therefore a very singular circumstance that he should not mention those words of Our Saviour, by which his patron is supposed to be nominated as the head of the Christian church. Eusebius states that the Gospel of St. Mark was at first surreptitiously taken from the preaching of St. Peter, but the apostle having discovered it, he sanctioned it. If this was the case, there could not be a stronger proof that St. Peter himself did not teach that he was the rock on which the church of Christ was built, since in St. Mark's Gospel these words are never mentioned. St. Matthew, in which the declaration of Our Saviour's will is delivered to us, are the following (ch. xvi. v. 18, 19): "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the 66 66 gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom "of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on 66 earth, shall be bound in heaven, and what"soever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed "in heaven." If these words are correctly interpreted as conveying to us, that to Peter, and to his successors in the See of Rome, without limitation as to time, Our Saviour granted the privilege of representing him on earth; that he appointed him and them the head of all the members of his church; that he assured to them an infallibility of judgment, and required from all Christians an equal faith in their decisions as if they proceeded from himself, then it is a sacrilege to compare any authority on earth to that which is thus conceded *. The prostration of the sovereigns of the world It is difficult to come to such a conclusion as this, as to the real intention of Our Saviour: first, because the words used do not appear to justify it, particularly since the natural inference to be drawn from them is, that Our Saviour referred to the faith which St. Peter had testified, saying, "Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God." It was upon the rock of this faith that Our Saviour de |