Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 1.djvu/96

Rh me that, Mr. Cartwright, who is the minister of the Independent Chapel at the Town, and who is reckoned to be a very learned man and an admired preacher,—that he should say in a Sermon, that the works of the Fathers were very imperfect, and their opinion not much to be trusted to."

"But," said I, "Richard, if a person, whose word you could take, were to shew you an old book written by persons who had seen our ; who had heard St. John and St. Paul preach, and had been well acquainted with them; should you not value such a book, and wish to know whether there was any thing in it, which could throw light on the history of those early times of the Church, and especially with reference to the subjects you and I have been now conversing on?"

"Indeed, Sir, I should," he said. "But if what Mr. Cartwright said is true, it is too much to expect that any such treasure should be found by us."

"No, Richard," I said, "it is not too much. The kind Prodence [sic] of has permitted some of the writings of those good men to be preserved to this day. And there is no more doubt that they are their genuine writings, than that Bishop Ken wrote the Evening Hymn, or Bishop Wilson that little book you like so much."

"If this is indeed as you say," he replied, "we have great reason to be thankful for such a proof of 's care for His Church. But I beg you, Sir, to tell me, whether there is any thing in these writings you speak of, which confirms what I have been venturing to state to you as my opinion gathered from Scripture, concerning the threefold distinction of Christian Ministers."

"Next Sunday," said I, "you shall see and judge for yourself."

As we came home from Church in the afternoon of the following Sunday, he reminded me of my promise; and I gave him a written paper, containing a few extracts, which I had translated from the works of the Apostolical Fathers, telling him, that I might possibly have made a mistake here and there in the rendering, but that he might depend on such being the general force and meaning of the passages.