tactics-Alterations in their Bibles, Catechisms, &c. 26 30 indulgences; or, how to fill the Devil's exchequer.. 112 57 ...... 172 Rev. Dr. Lingard on the suppression of the second commandment Satan the first Pope-Is scripture to be taken literally?.. 36 43 168 10 42 92 Take care of your head... The writings of the Fathers must be tested by the word of God "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." The scapular; or, the worsted God The careless mother; or, the Virgin Mary's neglect of Jesus.. .... The old faith; or, the Protestant's creed is all in the Bible 64, 105, 135, 169 The Bible the best teacher Uncertainty of tradition, and the folly of building our faith upon it.. 8 ...... 60 STEPNEY PRESS, WHITE HORSE LANE, MILE END ROAD-D. FRANCIS. THE CHRISTIAN WATCHMAN, AND MIDLAND COUNTIES' PROTESTANT MAGAZINE. THE CHARACTER AND TOKENS OF THE TRUE CATHOLIC CHURCH. WE commenced our first volume with a discourse from the pen of the Rev. R. W. Sibthorp B.D. late Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, on "the Character of the Papacy," in which it was clearly shewn that all the scriptural marks of the great "Anti-Christ," "the Man of Sin," "the Son of Perdition," were found fearfully conglomerated in the Romish Beast, the Scarlet Lady of the Seven Hills,-the CHURCH OF ROME. We commence our present volume with another sermon from the same pen, on "the Character and Tokens of the True Catholic Church," which will be found equally deserving of the prayerful consideration of our numerous readers; and this is the more needful since a sect of modern heretics has usurped the name of "the Catholic Church," which, however, is no part or portion of the "True Catholic Church." But we will not detain our readers any longer from the perusal of this masterly discourse. EPHESIANS v. 25-27. CHRIST also loved the Church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. THE word CHURCH has various meanings in the New Testament. It sometimes signifies, such Christians, whether more or fewer, as assembled to worship GOD in one place, being B commonly in those days a chamber in a private house: thus St. Paul speaks of the Church which was in the house of Aquila and Priscilla ;* and addresses an Epistle to Philemon, and to the Church in his house.† Sometimes it signifies all the Christians of one city, neighbourhood, or province, whether worshipping in one place or otherwise: thus we read of the Church of Corinth, and of Thessalonica; of the Churches of Galatia, and of Asia. Sometimes in the opinion of many Protestants as well as Romanists, are intended by the word Church, the rulers or heads thereof, who exercised a jurisdiction over particular assemblies, or over the collective congregations of any city or province, or over the whole Christian Church: thus that passage is frequently understood: If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the CHURCH; (i. e. the rulers thereof,) but if he neglect to hear the CHURCH, let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican. But it is also used to designate the whole body of believers in CHRIST, who were (as the original words both in Greek and Latin signify,) called or gathered out of the unbelieving world by the grace of God, and united into one body, distinguished in the New Testament by various names, such as Disciples, Saints, Believers, Faithful, Elect, Christians, and the Church. In this last sense we are to understand the word in the text: CHRIST also loved the CHURCH; i.e. not merely, the little assembly who worshipped him in the house of Aquila, or of Philemon; not only the Christians of Corinth, or of Asia; nor alone, the rulers or ruler of the Church or Churches; but all, who having been called to faith in him by the grace of the HOLY SPIRIT, formed that body of believers which collectively bore his name. In this sense also, St. Paul speaks of himself as once persecuting the CHURCH;¶ of CHRIST as the Head of the Body the CHURCH;** and exhorts the elders of Ephesus to feed the CHURCH of GOD, which he hath purchased with his own blood.†† But I need not multiply quotations to the same point. The relation of the CHURCH in this sense, or of the whole company of the Faithful to CHRIST is variously set *Romans xvi. 5. Matthew xviii. 17. ** Colossians i, 18. + Philemon 2. Philippians iii. 6. forth, as that of the Body to the Head-of the wife to the husband-of the household to the master-and of the fold to the shepherd: and St. Paul in his First Epistle to Timothy, speaks of the house of GOD, which is the CHURCH of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.* There is received both by Roman Catholics and Protestants a declaration or Confession of Faith commonly called the Apostles' Creed, probably because it contains such truths as accord with the Apostles' writings, and the belief of which may be gathered from them to be essential to the faith of Christians. Though not the most ancient Creed extant, it is unquestionably of very great antiquity. It contains this clause; "I believe-in the Holy Catholic CHURCH;" in Latin, "Credo in Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam." There is also a Creed, called the Nicene, (because drawn up at the great council of Nice, in the year 325, and completed in that held at Constantinople, A.D. 383,) which has these words, "one Catholic and Apostolic CHURCH:" or in Latin, "Unam, Sanctam, Catholicam, et Apostolicam Ecclesiam." Both these Creeds are read in the Morning Service of the Church of England every Sunday; and the latter, regularly in the Mass of the Roman Church; and in the services of both Churches, the reading of the Nicene Creed follows next after the Gospel of the day; because, I conceive, supposed to sum up in few words, the fundamental truths of those holy Gospels, of which a select portion has just been read to the people. I advert to these two Confessions of Faith, because all true Protestants (though some may not particularly use, I know none who object to them,) as well as Roman Catholics admit of and concur in them both. Now in one respect Protestants and Romanists will agree in the interpretation of the words, "One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church" Both will say, "We mean by them, not any assembly of Christians meeting in one place of worship, nor the Christians of any one city or province, nor the ruler or rulers of the Church, but the whole body of the Faithful, or Believers in CHRIST JESUS; in fact, what is called in the Text, and elsewhere in HOLY SCRIPTURE, the Church. But as to further 1 Timothy iii. 15. |