hority; they are the views of
persons in the 16th century; and, again, it is not clear how far they
are, or are not, modified by the unauthoritative views of the 19th. I am
obliged, then, to exercise my own judgment; and I candidly declare to
you, that my judgment is unequal to so great a task. At least, this is
what troubles me, whenever the subject rises in my mind; for I have put
it from me."

"Well, then," said Carlton, "take them on _faith_."

"You mean, I suppose," said Charles, "that I must consider our Church
_infallible_."

Carlton felt the difficulty; he answered, "No, but you must act _as if_
it were infallible, from a sense of duty."

Charles smiled; then he looked grave; he stood still, and his eyes fell.
"If I _am_ to make a Church infallible," he said, "if I _must_ give up
private judgment, if I _must_ act on faith, there _is_ a Church which
has a greater claim on us all than the Church of England."

"My dear Reding," said Carlton, with some emotion, "where did you get
these notions?"

"I don't know," answered Charles; "somebody has said that they were in
the air. I have talked to no one, except one or two arguments I had with
different persons in my first year. I have driven the subject from me;
but when I once begin, you see it will out."

They walked on awhile in silence. "Do you really mean to say," asked
Carlton at length, "that it is so difficult to understand and receive
the Articles? To me they are quite clear enough, and speak the language
of common sense."

"Well, they seem to me," said Reding, "sometimes inconsistent with
themselves, sometimes with the Prayer Book; so that I am suspicious of
them; I don't know _what_ I am signing when I sign, yet I ought to sign
_ex-animo_. A blind submission I could make; I cannot make a blind
declaration."

"Give me some instances," said Carlton.

"For example," said Charles, "they distinctly receive the Lutheran
doctrine of justification by faith only, which the Prayer Book virtually
opposes in every one of its Offices. They refer to the Homilies as
authority, yet the Homilies speak of the books of the Apocrypha as
inspired, which the Articles implicitly deny. The Articles about
Ordination are in their spirit contrary to the Ordination Service. One
Article on the Sacraments speaks the doctrine of Melancthon, another
that of Calvin. One Article speaks of the Church's authority in
controversies of faith, yet another makes Scripture the ultimate ap