it confers on Peter no authority whatever to
commission the barbers. Nay, our grand objection to the
pseudo-successors of Peter is, that they corrupted the Church
after this very manner, by commissioning the non-commissioned,
until they filled the groaning land with cardinals, bishops, and
abbots, monks and nuns,--

"Eremites and friars,
White, black, and grey, with all their trumpery.'"

Now, be it remembered that we are far from placing the
Church-employed schoolmaster on the level of the parson-employed
barber of our illustration. _Rationally_ considered, they are
very different orders indeed; but so far as _direct_ Scripture is
concerned, they stand, we contend, on exactly the same ground.
The laity would do well in this controversy to arm themselves
with the New Testament, and, if their opponents be very
intolerant, to hand them the volume, and request them to turn up
their authority. And, of course, if the intolerance be very
great, the authority must be very direct. Mere arguings on the
subject would but serve to show that it has no actual existence.
When the commission of a captain or lieutenant is legitimately
demanded, it is at once produced; but were one to demand the
commission of a sergeant or boatswain's mate, the man could at
best only reason about it.

THOUGHTS
ON
THE EDUCATIONAL QUESTION.

CHAPTER FIRST.

Disputes regarding the meaning embodied by Chalmers in his
Educational Document--Narrative suited to throw some light on
the subject--Consideration of the Document itself--Testimony
respecting it of the Hon. Mr. Fox Maule.

One of the most important controversies which has arisen within
the pale of the Romish Church--that between the Jansenists and
Jesuits--was made to hinge for many years on a case of disputed
meaning in the writings of a certain deceased author. There were five
doctrines of a well-defined character which, the Jesuits said, were to
be found in the works of Cornelius Jansenius, umquhile Bishop of
Ypres, but which, the Jansenists asserted, were not to be found in
anything Jansenius had ever written. And in the attempt to decide
this simple question of fact, as Pascal calls it, the School of the
Sorbonne and the Court of the Inquisition were completely baffled;
and zealous Roman Catholics heard without convictio