And let it not be supposed that this is only a tacit way of avoiding a difficulty, to which our principles fairly conduct us. If they be honestly looked at, the Catholic principles have in them far more of real charity than any others. There is a large sense, in which every Baptized man is included in the Catholic Church, and may be, according to his measure, partaker of Her privileges; though he may not trace the grace to its true source, but may mistake the hand that blesses him. {102a} And the wideness of the Catholic principle, as to the bestowal of Baptismal grace, ought not to be lost sight of here. In the Church there seems to have been recognized a sort of threefold validity of Baptism. The first, {102b} as ordinarily received from a Minister of the Church; the second {103a} pertaining to the grace of martyrdom, or “Baptism by blood;” and the third {103b} even extending in cases of extreme necessity to Christian Confession, and the _earnest desire_ of the Sacrament. Doubtless, it is The All-seeing GOD alone who can decide on any individual case. Yet it is easy to see how the Catholic doctrine does at least open a wide door of charitable _hope_. {103c} How many even of those who are outwardly Schismatical, may not be _wholly_ so, we can never know here. How far the sincerity of some, or the circumstances of others, may avail as excuses before GOD, HE only can decide. Still, while our charity “hopeth all things,” we know that where there is _doubt_ only, there may be danger; and charity itself would oblige us to warn; for we think there _is_ this peril; and we warn those Churchmen of their greater peril, who sanction Religious principles, or frequent even doubtful assemblies, which the Church acknowledges not. They not only endanger themselves, but by their example may fatally mislead the souls of their brethren. But let us take the extremest case that can be alleged, namely, that of persons wilfully guilty of total and deliberate Schism from the Apostolic Church. When we deny to such all share in the Church’s peculiar grace here, or glory hereafter, are we denying them aught which they do not deny themselves? aught which they even wish to claim? For instance—The Church has ever maintained that Baptism in the Apostolic community conveys the most exalted and unearthly blessings, and by consequence maintains, that the unbaptized possess them not. But is it not a fact, that all such persons totally reject the notion of there being any spiritual value in Baptism? Does our uncharitableness then place them in a worse position than that which they voluntarily choose for themselves, and resolutely defend? Surely we are rather taking a high view of our own privileges and grace in CHRIST, than in any degree depriving others of theirs. We leave them where they place themselves. And it seems hard to call this a want of charity. It is impossible to say that we are depriving of Sacraments those who do not even pretend to