With

lication of certain Catholic works of controversy, and lastly, the present Pope's reprobation of mixed marriages between Catholics and Protestants, as so many arguments against the abolition of the Acts grounded on Oates's Plot!* respect to the Test Act in particular, I pronounced it impracticable, and therefore no barrier to the Established Church. In fact, it no sooner passed, than the Dissenters eluded it by means of occasional conformity; and accordingly, the Army, the Navy, the Corporations, and the Ministry itself, have ever since been indiscriminately filled with them.† On the other hand, a practical dispensation from the Test, by an annual Act for this purpose, is found to be necessary, with respect to the members of the Established Church themselves (not one in a thousand of whom ever take it), to prevent the dissolution of the Army and Navy.-I quoted Swift, as asserting that a disqualifying law on account of Religion, is a degree of religious persecution. The Vicar answers me with copious citations from him against both Catholics and Dissenters. But, once more I say, it is not my business, nor is it in my power to make Protestant

* Reply, p. 354.

† It is credibly reported that His late Majesty having asked his Minister, the great Henry Dundas, whether he had qualified himself for office, as a member of the Church of England? He answered, that he was a Deacon of the Church of Scotland, and ever would remain so. Let. xlix. P. 187.

writers consistent with themselves. We all know, for example, how pointedly Swift ridiculed the differences between the Established Church and the Dissenters; his account of the two nations that went to war with each other about the practice of breaking their eggs at the big end or the little end : yet with all his keen sarcasm on both the bigendians and the little-endians, he is proved to be as violent a big-endian as the most zealous of his nation.

Instead then of buttressing up those disgraceful monuments of England's phrenzy, as "the barriers of the Established Church," let the Rev. Vicar devise some means, if he can, of causing all his brethren to believe and support the articles of their own Church, especially the fundamental articles of our common Christianity, the Trinity and the Incarnation. Next, let him exert himself in stopping the course of that Bibliomania, which is evidently and rapidly sapping its foundations. Lastly, as far as he dreads the influence of the Catholic Religion, persuaded, as he is, of the victorious nature of his Reply, let him engage his patrons (instead of endeavouring to suppress the present work, as they did the Letters to a Prebendary) to get it, or else The End of Controversy, printed and published in parallel letters with it: for what chance has ignorance in a combat with truth; bigotry with reasoning; idolatry and blasphemy with pure Christianity!

J. M., D.D.

LETTER XXIII.

ON MIRACLES.

DEAR SIR;-In treating of the characters or marks of the True Church, in The Second Part of The End of Religious Controversy, I mentioned, of course, the character of Holiness, which is ascribed to it in the Apostles' Creed, where every Christian is taught to say: I believe in the HOLY Catholic Church. This distinctive mark of Holiness I proved to belong to that Church, which I shewed, at the same time, to be distinctively ONE, distinctively CATHOLIC, and distinctively APOSTOLICAL. The Holiness itself I shewed to consist, first, in the purity of her doctrine; secondly, in the peculiar means she possesses, of attaining to sanctity; thirdly, in the fruits of sanctity, namely, all the Saints in the calendar and other persons, who in every age and country have been most conspicuous for their Christian virtues; lastly, in the Divine attestation of her sanctity in the Miracles with which God has not ceased, from time to time, to illustrate exclusively her communion. The three other marks of the true Church, the Vicar, in a great measure, overlooks, or, at least, mentions them without much emotion; but the claim to a succession of miracles

in the Catholic Church puts him out of all patience, as it does most other Protestants. This appears from his introduction of this subject, where he writes as follows: "It is painful to think that, in the present enlightened age, a gentleman like Dr. M., who displays learning in almost every department of science, who possesses experience, intelligence, and taste, who writes well and reasons acutely, should be so besotted as not only to believe himself, but attempt to induce others to believe all the stupid legends of the dark ages, and the modern fabrications of the same stamp. Such fatuity would be a miracle in itself, were it not known how Superstition debases the reason, when it has gained the ascendant over the mind."* In return, the present author says that such lofty compliments as the Vicar pays him might tempt him to a degree of vanity, did not the Rev. gentleman evince a total absence of mind in paying them, in as much as he ascribes to me a belief in all the stupid legends of the dark ages, and modern fabrications of the same stamp; whereas, in the very passage he refers to, I have distinctly avowed that "A vast number of incredible and false miracles, as well as other fables, have been forged and believed in every age of the Church, including that of the Apostles." Some writers, who have dealt most largely in these articles, I have repro

* Reply, p. 361.

bated by name. In conclusion, however, I argued thus: "Are we to deny the truth of all history, because there are numberless false histories? And are we to question the four Evangelists, because there have been several fabricated Gospels? Most certainly not: but we are to make use of the discernment which God has given us, to distinguish false documents and accounts of every kind from those which are true: and we ought to employ double diligence in examining alledged revelations and events, contrary to the general laws of nature."* I would appeal to the Vicar's best friends whether this language of the author shews him to be so besotted and debased in reason, as to believe all the stupid legends of the dark ages, and modern fabrications of the same stamp!

You know, Dear Sir, as does every other reader of the Old and New Testaments, that the whole history of God's people is one tissue of Miracles. Moses and the other Prophets, Christ and his Apostles, wrought numberless Miracles, and appealed to these in proof of their Mission, and the truths which they announced. So far from leading us to expect a cessation of Miracles, our Divine master has expressly told us: If any man believeth in me, the works that I do he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do. John, xiv. 12. All this I stated at greater length in

* End of Controv., Letter xxiv. p. 112.