The constitutions of the Roman Catholic, and Protestant Churches, differ in nothing more, than in the following important points: The Catholic Church, acknowledges the authority of the Scriptures, and, in addition to them, a body of traditionary law. She receives both under the authority, and with the interpretation of the Church, and believes that the authority of the Church in receiving and interpreting them is infallible. The Protestant Churches generally profess to acknowledge no law but the Scriptures, no interpreter of the Scriptures, but the understanding and conscience of the individual who peruses them. That the Roman Catholic Church should propound a formulary of her faith, enlarge this formulary from time to time, as further interpretation is wanted, and enforce acquiscence in it by spiritual censures, is consistent with _her_ principles. Whether such a pretension can be avowed, without inconsistency, by any Protestant Church, has been a subject of much discussion. In point of fact, however, no Protestant Church is without her formulary, or abstains from enforcing it by temporal provisions and spiritual censures. To enforce their formularies by civil penalties, is inconsistent with the principles, of every christian church. All churches howsoever have so enforced, and have blamed the others, for so enforcing them. Such formularies, from the circumstance of their collecting into one instrument, several articles, of religious belief, are generally known on the Continent, by the appellation of SYMBOLIC BOOKS. I. The symbolic books, received by ALL TRINITARIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES,--are, 1. _The Symbol of the Apostles_; and 2. _The Nicene Symbol_. II. The symbolic books, received by the ROMAN CATHOLIC Church,--are, 1. The General Councils; 2. Among these,--_the Council of Trent_,--as immediately applying to the controversies between the Catholic and Protestant Churches, is particularly regarded; 3. _The Symbol of Pope Pius IV_.; 4. _The Catechism of the Council of Trent_. III. The symbolic books of the GREEK CHURCH,--are, 1. _The Confession, of her true and sincere faith_, which, on the taking of Constantinople, by Mahomet II, in 1453, Gennadius, its patriarch, presented to the conqueror; 2. _The Orthodox Confession, of the Catholic and Apostolic Greek Church_, published in 1642, by Mogilow, the Metropolitan of Kiow. IV. The symbolic books of the LUTHERAN CHURCHES, are 1. _The Confession of Augsburgh_; 2. _The Apology of the Confession of Augsburgh_; 3. _The Articles of Smalcald_; 4. _And_, (in the opinion of some Lutheran Churches),--_The Form of Concord_; 5. _The Saxon, Wirtenburgian, Suabian, Pomeranian, Mansfeldian, Antwerpensian, and Copenhagen Confessions_, possess, in particular places, the authority of Symbolic books:--the two first are particularly respected.