Symbolism

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. It has, undoubtedly, excited surprise, and it has even been made a matter of reproach against us by well-meaning readers, that we have not, prior to all the subjects here discussed, treated of the article of Church authority. For it appears a matter of self-evidence, that any discussion respecting the doctrines of a confession, should be postponed to the enquiry into the authority which that confession follows, and the sources from which it derives its tenets. In fact, this appears indeed to be self-evident, if we merely look at the matter from without; and such an appearance has misled many.