more isolated than you are. The communion of the Church of Rome is, in itself, larger than that of the Church of England; but though composed of more numerous members, she is not less isolated than we are. Even as the giant, though consisting of larger proportions, would be but a vain boaster, if he accused the little man of sitting more alone than himself. Nay, what should we say of him, if he attempted to seize the diminutive chair, and was prepared, in case of resistance, to put to death. its occupier? Such is the reasonableness of the pretensions of the Romanists, and such is the conduct which they have pursued towards us. And the boast of their universality, and our isolation, is rendered the more ridiculous, by the existence of so many independent witnesses of the conflict, who are as little connected with Rome, nay, who are as hostile to her, as we are; and who are doomed, by her, to the same state of isolation and nonentity. The Greeks, the Syrians, and the Swedes, no more pertain to Rome than we do, and yet they exist, and perpetuate their branches of the Catholic Church in uninterrupted succession, in spite of the anathemas of the Vatican.

But let us now inquire more particularly as to this, our so-called state of isolation, which is

apt to strike a person, who, without reflection, regards the position of an Anglican travelling or residing in a continental country in communion with Rome. Shut out from christian followship, and from the external consolations of his faith, he seems to be considered as unholy, incapable of any community of thought, feeling, or sympathy, with all around him, as soon as there is question of the most important interests of man. He is excluded from the use of the sacrament of our Lord's body and blood, and from all the other rites of our common religion; and, after his death, the last home of the faithful is denied to his dishonoured remains, while the utmost stretch of charity can scarcely regard, as possible, the salvation of his soul. This our exclusion from all christian fellowship with those nations of Europe which are the most ancient, among the most polished, and with whom our intercourse is the most frequent, seems at first sight to imply a state of isolation, which, by our own choice, we have incurred, remaining voluntarily apart from the great, boasted centre of christian unity. But let us, on the other hand, take the instance of a foreign Romanist, who visits this country. Is not his isolation as great as that of the Anglican in Spain, or in Italy? Is not he

ast star put fon al community of thought, Jeding mi smary, vii professing Chriszas rami i rest wild he not des SLC MIL, VET I M ie the existence immys is if sels- the Romish sehism? Es drei u or the vich & trne Catholie, V sound endlesstick Tribes, would erase or you ¤ comunica with sehisMEDS, VASİą st an star which is unlawfully Led LIS the rear of the Church in Usvaly, and be ministered into by priests, TIN LISTS & TINDO of all ecclesiasDie order and spine.

A purile case would be that of a nonRomanist in lay, supposing freedom of opinion to be conceded, and an Italian sect to arise independent of the Church of Rome, and excluded by doctrinal and practical differences of great importance, from her rites and her observances, but possessing the outward form of a church, derived, supposing this to be admissible on ecclesiastical grounds,) through the Greek or the Anglican communions. Without stopping to inquire whether this might or might not be a justifiable schism, it would, at all events, be altar raised against altar, and ministry opposing ministry: and the non-Romanist traveller

would thus be encouraging schism. So false is the practical universality of Rome, in as far as this country is concerned. A Romanist here performs his acts of worship through the instrumentality of Bishops whose rightful sees are in Mesopotamia, it may be, or in Upper Egypt, and of priests ordained by them, who are in this country, lawless intruders, maintaining a state of revolt against the rightful authorities, and upholding the pretensions of an Italian prelate, wholly unconnected with this island, or with our branch of the Church. And the isolation of the Romanist in England, were it not for this communion of schism, would be a much stronger case against him, than is our isolation in a Popish land, for we are excluded from his communion, whereas he excludes himself from ours. An Anglican is banished from an intercommunion with Romanists, while there is nothing, in so far as we are concerned, to prevent a Romanist from observing all the rites of our common religion according to our forms; and, in fact, this is what was done by the whole Romanist body in England, during the first twelve years of the reign of Elizabeth. In the spirit of christian fellowship we held out to him the right hand of brotherhood in our rites and offices; while he turns from us as heathens and publi

cans, and will have nothing in common with On which side then, it may be asked, is the isolation?

We must not forget too, that, although at present, we may still be inferior in numbers to the branches of the Christian Church which are connected with the see of Rome, our communion is a vast and rapidly-increasing body. And if we calculate the number of Bishops of whom it consists, we shall see that they would make a highly respectable appearance in an oecumenical council, were such an assembly to be brought together. If we enumerate the Bishops of the Church of England and Ireland, and of the colonies, reckoning the additional ones that are forthwith to be consecrated for the West Indies and for Malta, and the Bishops of the Churches of Scotland, and of America, we shall find that they amount to eighty chief pastors of the Church of Christ; and these, not as were the Bishops of Numidia, thickly studded over a limited region, like rural deans; but presiding over widely-extended districts, and an immense population, and ruling the reformed Christian Church, from the furthest east to the most distant west, and from the frozen ocean to the shores of the Pacific.

But we turn to the future prospects of the