trusts now is kept unmixed with any other. He has, consequently, in the
present address limited the range of his researches on the nature of
Primitive Christian Worship, to the writers of the Church Catholic who
lived before the Nicene Council, or were members of it.

In one department, however, he has been under the necessity of making,
to a certain extent, an exception to this rule. Having found no allusion
to the doctrine of the Assumption of the Virgin, on which much of the
religious worship now paid to her seems to be founded, in any work
written before the middle of the fifth century, he has been induced, in
his examination of the grounds on which that doctrine professes to be
built, to cite authors who flourished subsequently to the Nicene
Council.

The author would also mention, that although in substance he has
prepared this work for the examination of all Christians equally, and
trusts that it will be found not less interesting or profitable to the
members of his own Church than to any other, yet he has throughout
adopted the form of an address to his Roman Catholic countrymen. Such a
mode of conveying his sentiments he considered to be less controversial,
while the facts and the arguments would remain the same. His object is
not to condemn, but to convince: not to hold up to obloquy those who are
in error, but, as far as he may be allowed, to diminish an evil where it
already exists, and to check its further prevalence.

* * * * *

CONTENTS.

PART I.--CHAPTER I.

Introduction--The duty of examining the grounds of our Faith--Principles
of conducting that examination--Errors to be avoided--Proposed plan of
the present work.

CHAPTER II.

Sec. 1. Evidence of Holy Scripture, how to be ascertained
2. Direct Evidence of the Old Testament
3. Evidence of the Old Testament, continued
4. ------ New Testament

CHAPTER III.

Sec. 1. Evidence of Primitive Writers
2. ------ Apostolic Fathers

CHAPTER IV.

Sec. 1. Evidence of Justin Martyr
See also Appendix
2. Evidence of Irenaeus
3. ------ Clement of Alexandria
4. ------ Tertullian
------ Methodius
5. ------ Origen
See also Appendix
6. Supplementary Section on Origen
See also Appendix
7. Evidence of St. Cyprian
See also Appendix
8. Evidence of Lactantius
9. ------ Eusebius
See also Appendix
10. Apostolical Canons and Constitutions
11. Evidence of St.