But my Diocesan tells me, that “_literally_ understood this Creed makes no distinctions, no contingencies, but unconditionally and unequivocally asserts that all who receive it not, are doomed to irretrievable perdition.” {44b} God forbid! But if it be so, _literally_ the Saviour of mankind has pronounced the same uncontingent, undistinguishing, unequivocal doom, upon all who believe not the _gospel_. “_He_ that believeth not shall be damned, {44c} _whosoever_ believeth on him shall not _perish_, but have everlasting life,” {44d} the converse is, _whosoever_ believeth _not_ shall perish everlastingly; for “he that believeth not shall not see _life_, but the _wrath of God abideth on him_, {44e} they _all_ shall be damned, who believe not THE truth.” {44f} But we cannot bring ourselves to think that it can consist with the goodness of Him “whose tender mercies are over all His works,” to doom to “irretrievable perdition,” _millions_ of His creatures for the non-performance of an _impossibility_. We consequently limit this awful sentence against those who “love unrighteousness,” and wilfully reject the _offer_ of salvation. The context forces us to this application of the anathema. But I am not asking in what sense we are to _understand_ the threat of scripture, but applying to it the same reasoning through which the Athanasian Creed is attacked; and I assert that _literally_ understood, the texts which I have quoted, as undistinguishingly doom to perdition _all_ who do not believe the gospel, as does the Athanasian Creed all who do not hold the Catholic Faith. But if we are to ascertain the sense of scripture by comparing it with scripture, the text with the context, why are we to be debarred from ascertaining the sense and meaning of our Church formularies, by the application of the same canon of interpretation? Why are so invidious objections to be conjured up and bruited abroad against our Church, by tying us down to the _letter_ of her forms, to the utter disregard of their meaning, and the spirit in which they have been imposed? I cannot express my own view of these monitory clauses, better than in the language of a contemporary divine, “their connection and relative force is this: whosoever desires to be saved it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith, and if he who has this faith keep it not, for he cannot keep it except he has first had it or held it, he cannot be saved, but without doubt shall perish everlastingly. The warning, therefore, is directed to him only who keeps not the faith which he has been taught, which has been put into his hands, which he has had hold of.” {45}