conceal his displeasure. They delivered in an answer to the queries and doubts proposed to them. The answer was sent after the Legate, who was then departed, that he might make use of it at his discretion, as the circumstances of times and affairs should require. The Pope expresses himself with the utmost reserve and obscurity. He seems afraid to divulge the secret of these queries and answers. But it is easy to discern his meaning without uncommon sagacity. The Jesuits, who apprehended great danger from a fresh Legation to China, took care, by their connexions at Rome, to procure a person who might raise certain casuistical difficulties and queries concerning the bull, and to have the decision thereof left to their brethren or friends. It is easy to conjecture both the doubts and the answers from Mezzabarba's indulgences. After this, methods were used to persuade the Pope, that it would be advisable to send both answers and queries after the Legate, with full powers to make use of them in case of necessity, and mitigate the severity of the bull. The Pope however, was cautious enough, neither to confirm, nor add to this writing. Hence, as Benedict the fourteenth urges, the Apostolical See retained a right, either to approve or condemn the contents thereof, as should seem good and expedient. Mezzabarba was very unwilling to produce this secret part of his commission. He insisted, as long as he could, with vehemence, upon the reception and observation of the bull without reserve or limitation. But when he was so closely beset both by the court and the Jesuits, as to be in danger of his life, his fears prevailed, and incited him to confess, that he had an order from the Pope to mitigate matters in some respects. They took him at his

word, and insisted, when he cante to Macao, upon his performing the promise made at Pekin. Had he declined it, he might have met with the fate of his predecessor, and ended his days in a prison. Benedict the fourteenth plainly declares, that he was tortured into a compliance with their requests.*

His pastoral letter to the Romish clergy in China, which was dated at Macao, November 4, 1721, begins with a loud and heavy complaint of the sufferings and anxieties he underwent in China. Then follows a moving exhortation to the clergy to be studious of peace, and obedient to the commands of the holy See. "These commands," adds he, "are contained in the Pope's bull, and I neither can, nor will, in the least invalidate their force." But as doubts had arisen concerning several Chinese customs, he desires to take notice of some few particulars, which may be tolerated. First, he permits the Chinese Christians to hang up in their houses, tables with the names of their ancestors inscribed, and to make use thereof, provided a declaration be affixed to them, and they be guarded against superstition. In the next place, he permits all such ceremonial honours to the deceased, in use among the Chinese, as are free from superstition and even from the imputation of it. He permits, in the third place, the honour paid to Confucius, so far as the same is political, and particularly deems it lawful to burn incense, light candles, and place meats before the tables, upon which only his name was written, and an explanatory declaration annexed. His fourth indulgence permits incense and lights to be offered at

la iis angustiis se positum intellexit, ut coactus fuerit in publicum emittere permissiones octo.

funerals, provided only that a note be delivered in, explaining the true intention of the person offering them. Next he permits Christians to prostrate themselves before the tables of Confucius and the forefathers, and even before the coffins of their own kindred. In the sixth place, he indulges them in offering in honour of the deceased, at their coffins and tablets, sweetmeats, fruits, flesh, and other meats, provided it be done without any prejudice to the faith. From this he proceeds to tolerate all prostration, on New-year's-day as well as at other times, before that table which is called Koteu. Lastly, he permits lights and incense before these tables, and dishes of meat to be served up at graves.

The Jesuits could have wished for no more, and more could not be done to defeat and invalidate the bull. The Legate was sensible of this, and being unwilling to expose the Pope, and the weakness of his decree to all the world, added, in the conclusion of his letter, a strict injunction to all ecclesiastics in China, to the Jesuits in particular, under pain of excommunication, not to translate this letter either into the Chinese or Tartar tongue, nor to communicate it to any but those who came in the office of missionaries to China. The indulgences contained in this piece could not be entirely withheld from the people, but the clergy were charged to dispense them cautiously, and reserve them for the highest exi

of some prudent men abated the violence of this flame, which however they were not able totally to extinguish. The Pope commanded the General of the Order to recal all his Jesuits from China, that the refractory might be brought to condign punishment, and forbad the increase of the society by new members, till further notice from him. What could be done in these circumstances? There was but one expedient left, the promise of obedience, and they had the comfort, in the mean while, of hoping that time would extricate them from this great distress. Their hopes were gratified sooner than could be expected. The death of Innocent vacated the See of Rome, and relieved the anxious Jesuits. His successor, Benedict the fourteenth, the present Pope, proved much more tractable. He ac cepted every promise that was made him; the Jesuits recovered their former situation, and the affairs of China, in which the confidence of his holiness did not find their account, lay dormant for a considerable time.

he was

Whilst these matters were transacting at Rome, the Church in China lost, in the person of her Protector, all her tranquillity and happiness. The great Emperor Cam-hi, the patron and disciple of the Jesuits, especially those of France, died on the twentieth of December, 1722, and before his decease placed the crown, obliged to relinquish, upon the head of Yong-Tching, his fourth son. The Emperors of China have, by the ancient laws of the Empire, a right to elect for a successor from among their sons, him who seems best qualified for a wise and happy reign. The Jesuits, by their power over the heart of Cam-hi, had contributed not a little to the election of

* Journal Universel, Tom. vii. p. 460.

Yong-Tching. He had discovered so early an inclination to them, and to the Christian cause, that they formed better hopes of him, than of all the other sons of the emperor. But they became sensible of their mistake as soon as he mounted the throne. His people admired in him all the good qualities of his father, except his partiality to the Jesuits and their faith. Yong-Tching continued to esteem them, and retained them at court and in pay, as ingenious artists, painters, watchmakers, astronomers, geometricians, and physicians. But he neither admitted them to a share of his political cares, nor of his time, nor of his affection. They remained in his palace, but in no other condition, than that of mechanics and officers, kept for certain purposes of convenience and amusement. This gave en couragement to those among the Chinese, who had been obliged in the late reign to stifle their dislike of the Christians and their faith. The Emperor hearkened with attention to all their representations. He unexpectedly repealed the edict published by his father in favour of the Christian religion, prohibited his subjects from embracing the law of the Europeans, and permitted his governors of provinces and officers of state to persecute the Christians and demolish their churches. It is needless to add, that they made use of this permission. A blind religious zeal, that has been long under a painful restraint, is naturally apt, when indulged, to break out with additional violence. The Emperor himself headed, and by his example animated the party against the Christian faith. He ordered all Romish ecclesiastics in his dominions into custody in the cities of Canton and Pekin, to

prevent any farther exercise of their function. Some time after, they were yet closer confined, upon his being informed, that they continued to discharge their duty in private. At length all but the Jesuits, who resided at Pekin, were banished to the little town of Macao, which is in some measure subject to the Portuguese, and lies on the sea-coasts, in the remotest part of the empire. The Jesuits, as their sole dependence was not upon preaching, reading mass, or hearing confession, suffered least by this dreadful storm, and took all opportunities to soften the Emperor's displeasure, and apologize for their persecuted brethren. But the only answer they had was a gracious repulse, and they were forced to acquiesce in a connivance for themselves, and the privilege to carry on their spiritual labours at court, and in the capital, without interruption. Their adversaries imputed all this mischief to them, pretending that they were detected in a conspiracy against the Emperor, and thereby provoked this persecution of the Christians. But the charge is highly improbable. The Emperor would hardly have entertained at his court, and have distinguished, from the rest of their brethren, by his favour, a set of men, whom he knew to have formed designs against his government and life. The Jesuits, on the other hand, derive this calamity from the bull Ex illa die. And doubtless they seem in this instance to have more reason on their side. It is possible that Yong-Tching grew impatient at the disputes occasioned by this decree between the Romish priests and his Christian subjects, and so, to prevent all farther animosity, prohibited the Christian religion itself.

(To be concluded in our next.)

OBSERVATIONS ON THE AMICABLE CONTROVERSY WITH THE SWISS MINISTER.

(To the Editors.) GENTLEMEN,-I have been much pleased, as I doubt not many of your readers have been, in perusing the letters to the Rev. Dr. Smith, from one of the worthy ministers who have been so cruelly banished from the Pays de Vaud, both in regard to the amiable spirit in which they are written, and the decided testimony they contain of their attachment to the most important truths of the gospel; but still one cannot but feel concerned that they should appear to have such confused ideas of the Scripture doctrine of assurance, as to lead them so to express themselves, as to raise suspicions in the minds of their best friends, that they were departing from the simplicity of the gospel. It may not, perhaps, be useless to consider a little how this may be accounted for.-In Gurnall's Christian Armour, there is a statement of this doctrine, (which, I think, he quotes from Dr. Ames,) that may, perhaps, help us in this inquiry.

"We read in Scripture," says he, "of

a three-fold Assurance:

"1. An Assurance of Understanding,

Col. ii. 2.

"2. An Assurance of Faith, Heb. x. 22.

"3. An Assurance of Hope, Heb.

otherwise), be saved." Now we know there can be no more in the conclusion than is in the premises, in proportion, therefore, to the force of his conviction of the truth of the promise, and the evidence he has of the reality of his faith and repentance, so will his hope be weak or strong."

Now, these good men in Switzerland, whose faith has been so severely tried, and who yet have found it sufficient to bear them up under all, cannot be supposed to be much exercised with doubts as to the reality and genuineness of their faith, and the natural consequence is, an equal liveliness of their hope; judging therefore from their own experience, they have, perhaps, been ready to suppose that wherever there is true faith there will in consequence be the same rejoicing in hope that has been so comforting and animating to themselves; not considering, what both Scripture and experience declare, that there may be true faith when mixed with many doubts and fears.

When the man who brought his son to Jesus for cure, was told by our Lord that "all things were possible to him that believeth," and he cried out, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief," he appears to be in doubt whether his faith was genuine, yet we find it was, for Jesus healed his son. And why are we exhorted to examine ourselves whether we be in the faith, and to prove ourselves, if there were not danger of our being deceived in this respect; thus it appears that the weak or vulnerable part of the syllogism before-mentioned is in the assumption. But this misthese good men; many there are apprehension is not peculiar to amongst us, who are very ready to draw the conclusion, yet take but little pains to examine the pre2 P

mises, who easily persuade themselves that they believe, that they may enjoy the comfort of the hope that accompanies it, and so, it is to be feared, that what is called assurance, might, in many instances, be more properly designated vain confidence. That great man, Archbishop Leighton, in one of his sermons, has the following observations on this subject: "This reflex act of assurance, though it be our duty to seek after it, is itself rather a gift and reward than a duty. But the direct and proper act of faith, is of perpetual use and necessity, and then most, when there is least of assurance, and it is no other than a recumbency or reliance, a rolling over of the soul upon free mercy."

A Welsh minister, not long ago, while exhorting his hearers to seek after the attainment of a full assurance of hope, paused a moment, and then said," But, my friends, I wish you all to remember, that assurance is a plant which grows very near to the throne of God, and if you wish to possess it, you must seek it there." Persons, therefore, who speak of assurance as if it were a constituent part of faith, seem to mix cause and effect confusedly together; and not only so, the assurance they speak of is far beyond hope, it is presumptuous confidence, for which they have no warrant in Scripture; very unlike that "good hope through grace" which the apostle speaks of; and is one of those pillows which the great adversary prepares, on which to lull the souls of men into the

sleep of carnal security. I am quite of the opinion of one of the old divines, "that as no man is beneath hope while he is above ground, so no man is above hope while he is beneath heaven." I do not mean to insinuate that the ministers of the Pays de Vaud profess such sentiments as those above stated, but I fear that unconsciously they have been the

mneas of encouraging them in others. I cannot but hope that their correspondence with Dr. S. may put them more on their guard in future, and that the present trial of their faith, which is more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, may be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. T. C. H.

GENTLEMEN-On the important subject which has been agitated in your instructive pages, between Dr. J. P. Smith and his correspondent, the amiable and excellent Swiss minister, I beg to submit some passages transcribed from the pastoral memorial of the late Dr. Ryland. The profound knowledge of theology, the exquisite discernment, and the luminous mind of that great man, were paralleled only by his deep, simple, and humble piety. I trust that the following extracts will contribute much towards placing the ct in a clear light.

S. E.

-The true Christian is concerned evangelical truth and duty in the face of to follow the Lord fully; to adhere to danger; to make progress in God's ways, running with patience the race set before him; abounding in the work and labour of love, Heb. vi. 11, 12. Though his hope is not always founded on a regular examination of evidence, yet it would always stand that test; and as he grows in other graces, so in humility and dependance on grace."-pp. 146, 147.

"For Christ to manifest himself unto us, as he does not unto the world, is for

him so to enlighten the mind by his spirit, as that the spiritual beauty, excel lence, and glory of Christ, as displayed in the written word, shall be realized, and make an answerable impression on the heart; even the glory of his divine perfections, power, mediatorial offices, vicarious obedience and death, is so manifested as to produce a heartfelt sense of his excellence, loveliness, and worthiness; and the wonderful glory and love of the whole Trinity, as displayed