stood, or that the most opposite interpretations could be equally agreeable to him. It could not admit that it should enter into the spirit and economy of his mission, to replace the multiplied idolatrous societies and superstitious worships, by a variety of separate sects, of incoherent and opposite communions; it could not admit that it was his will there should prevail in his Church almost as general a confusion of ideas as prevailed under the empire of blinded reason, and that there should be no better understanding amongst us in the bosom of the true religion than there was in paganism. Where there exists an opposition of dogmas and a contrariety of opinions, there necessarily is error: and it would be absurd to suppose God indiscriminately favourable to falsehood and truth. Reason, on the contrary, tells us, that the God of all truth, in communicating himself to man, could reveal but one doctrine, and establish but one spiritual government, it being a fact that a difference in government produces more or less a difference in doctrine.

Reason tells us, he must have been desirous that his dogmas and precepts, whatever they were, should be adopted just as he had taught them; that nothing should be added to, or taken from them; that men should never presume to give them a signification different from that, which he himself had assigned them. It tells us in fine, that he came to display to the world the light of his revelation, to substitute a uniformity of belief in place of a variety of superstitions, to unite from north to south, from east to west, in one single association, under the yoke of the same doctrine and the same spiritual government, so many nations widely differing from each other in interests, customs, climates, preju

dices and language: a design too grand for any mortal legislator whatsoever, but which well became him, who was entitled to the homage of the universe.'

One of your own divines has spoken well on this subject: "Nor is the importance of Unity," says he, "much less in these latter days of Chris

tianity, for as much as all divisions in all times "destroy that beauty and loveliness, which would "otherwise attract all men's admiration and af"fection....... It is not the sublimity of Christian

doctrine, nor the gloriousness of the hopes it pro"pounds, that will so recommend it to the opinion "and esteem of beholders, as when it shall be said, "Ecce ut Christiani amant, when they shall observe "the love, concord, and unanimity amongst the pro❝fessors of it. And the want of this hardens the "hearts of Jews, and Turks, and Pagans more "against it, than all the reasons and proofs we can "give for it, will soften them, and instead of opening "their ears and hearts to entertain it, open their

"Hear, O ye innumerable nations, all ye men endowed with reason, whether Greeks or Barbarians! I call to me all "the human race, of which I am the Creator, by the will of the "Father. Come to me, and be subjected and united to God alone "and to his only Word." Thus does Clement of Alexandria represent Jesus Christ, as speaking in his admonition to the gentiles. And, in another place, the same father says again: "At his circum"cision he received the name of Jesus, which signifies salvation

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of the people..... And truly he then became the salvation "of the people; not of one but of many; yea of all nations, and "of the whole earth," Homil, in vcc. Domini, inter diversas.

2 Dr. Goodman in his work entitled, "A Serious and Compassionate Inquiry into the Causes of the present Neglect and Contempt of the Protestant Religion and Church of England." London 1675. pages 106, 107.-Part 2nd, Chap. 2nd, 3d Edition.

"mouths in contempt and blasphemy against it." On the contrary, the proofs of christianity would easily enter into the heart by the most moving and irresistible of all proofs, the perfect union of Christians among themselves. Where, in fact, are we to look for the cause of this unanimity? How are we to account for this union of mind and heart among the innumerable faithful, strangers to one another in language, customs, climate, and government? No human institution could ever have effected so great a prodigy; Jews, Turks, idolators, all would have felt its force; all would have acknowledged and adored a supernațural and divine operation. We may then reasonably conclude, that if men's passions had not revolted against the yoke of authority; if restless spirits had not been borne away with the mania of dogmatising, and subtilizing upon mysteries; if ambitious hypocrites and proud sectarians had not divided brethren, torn the Church and miserably dragged entire nations after them into schism and error, the plan of our divine legislator would have been gloriously accomplished, infidelity would have disappeared, all nations would have been brought over to the Christian religion from every part of the globe the same prayers would be offered up to our only and adorable mediator, the world would be at the foot of the cross, and heaven-born unity would reign undisturbed throughout the world.

II. Reason has sufficiently proved that it is not merely expedient, but necessary, that the economy of Christian revelation be inseparable from the most absolute unity. We will, therefore, proceed a step further, and pass on to facts. Is it true that Jesus Christ was really desirous that unity should prevail in his Church and in his doctrine? Are we certain. that he actually taught it as an essential dogma of his

law? Let us open the archives that contain it, and first call to mind a principle on which protestants and catholics are agreed; The principle is, that every one ought to believe and admit what is clearly expressed in the Holy Scripture. Now, therefore, let us see whether the dogma of the unity of the Church, both in its government and its faith, is found to be taught with that degree of clearness, which requires our assent, which commands and bears away our submission and our belief.

He, who would understand the plan that our divine legislator proposed to himself in coming down upon earth, should collect with care whatever the evangelists tell us concerning it in the different circumstances of his life. These different passages collected together and compared with each other, will prove to demonstration the correctness of the views, that unassisted reason has already taken of the subject. Our Saviour himself shall now open his thoughts and reveal to us that the end of his preaching and of his death, were 1st, to call to himself all the nations of the earth; 2dly, to unite them all together in one body, in the same doctrine and sentiments.

1st, Saint Matthew relates that, being struck with the humility of the centurion and with the faith that animated his petition, our Lord turned towards those who were following him, and said to them; "Amen, I say to you, I have not found so great "faith in Israel: and I say to you, that many shall "come from the east and the west, and shall sit "down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." On mount Olivet, after

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'Ch. VIII. v. 11.

having foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, and before he announced that of the world, he said to his disciples; "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be "preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all "nations, and then shall the consummation come.”ı We will, moreover, adduce the words uttered by him in the house of Simon during his repast with Lazarus, after he had raised him from the grave. Mary came with great piety to pour precious ointment on his feet: and Judas having censured this affectionate tribute of respect and tenderness as an act of prodigality, Jesus vouchsafes to justify it, and adds: "Amen, I say to 66 you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached "in the whole world, that also which she hath done, "shall be told for a memory of her." Who does not discover in these as well as in the foregoing words, the intention of the legislator that his law should be announced to the world, and that all the nations of the earth should be called unto it?

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So far, he had satisfied himself with insinuating it on certain occasions; it was reserved for a later period to point it out more expressly. After his resurrection it was that he opened himself to his apostles upon the subject, when he declared to them the greatness and the extent of the ministry he laid upon them. Going," said he to them, "teach all "nations ........ teaching them to observe all things "whatsoever I have commanded you." And at his last appearance, when on the point of returning to heaven, he again commands his apostles to execute his intentions: he addresses them with these words, the last that have ever been heard from his divine

1 Saint Matthew, ch. XXIV. v. 14.-Mat. ch. XXVI. v. 13.— St. Mat. ch. XXVIII. v. 19.