fact,  any  reason  for  believing  that  these  celebrated  recluses
had  a  different  creed  and  different  notions  of  Church  govern-
ment, from  the  men  of  their  age  ;  these  two  points  shall  be
considered  separately.  But,  before  entering  into  particulars
on  either  of  these  heads,  let  it  be  asked  whether  on  general
grounds,  it  be  at  all  probable  that,  as  both  the  Irish  and  the
inhabitants  of  the  south  of  Scotland  were  taught  by  mission-
aries from  Home,  of  whom  the  chief  were  Ninian,  Palla-
dius,  and  St.  Patrick,  there  would  be  any  discrepancy
amongst  the  converts,  in  that  illiterate  and  uninquiring  age,
respecting  the  things  that  they  were  desired  to  believe  .or  the
usages  which  they  were  enjoined  to  observe.  Is  it  not  to  be
presumed  that,  to  the  full  amount  of  their  belief  and  prac-
tice, whatever  might  be  the  extent  of  these,  the  Irish  and
Picts  believed  and  acted  just  as  the  Christians  at  Home,  as
well  as  those  among  the  Britons,  their  neighbours,  believed
and  acted  at  the  same  period  ?  There  is,  indeed  no  ground
to  doubt  that  at  the  early  epoch  under  consideration,  the
whole  body  of  Christians  in  the  British  Isles  displayed  the
most  exact  uniformity  in  their  ritual :  and  amongst  an  igno-
rant people,  the  ceremonies  of  religion  are  the  only  medium
through  which  can  be  ascertained  the  articles  of  faith,  as
well  as  the  object  and  intention  of  their  worship.
"  Now  when  we  reflect  that  Columba  who  established  his
monastery  at  lona  about  the  year  560,  came  from  Ireland,
where  everything  ecclesiastical  had  been  established  by  St.
