the Heathen. the time of celebrating this perverted sacrament; and hence comes the custom of the Priests saying masses for the dead, which is a source of abundant income to their Church. Nor must I omit to name, as growing up in those times, the despotism of the Romish priesthood. When the people were brought to believe that the Priest could give to the baptismal water a mysterious influence, by which its application actually secured the regeneration of the soul; and that, by the same ministerial agency, the bread and wine of the Lord's supper were either miraculously transformed into, or mysteriously associated with, the real body and blood of Christ; they were prepared to put themselves wholly under the control of a priesthood that had acquired by this means unbounded influence. That influence was soon taken advantage of. The Priests impudently asserted, that salvation was impossible without partaking of these "tremendous mysteries" at their hands. And it was soon believed that they had the power to shut any person out of the kingdom of heaven by refusing him the sacraments. What an

The dead were prayed for at

engine of torture and of tyranny the priesthood

then possessed, and still possesses, in the fallen Church of Rome! Such was the Church that sent Missionaries to convert the inhabitants of this country, who possessed at that time a Christianity much purer than Rome could teach. And she employs the same means still. Wherever Christianity is planted, and makes converts among the Heathen, she goes to "blast the blooming work of grace," and, backed by the cannon of Roman Catholic powers, she tries to force her dogmas upon the natives.

At this time, that is to say, about the close of the sixth century, came the Romish Missionaries to England; but found, on their first landing on the coast of Kent, both a Church and a Bishop. They settled at Canterbury, and were very successful among the Heathen population: but it must not be forgotten that it was not simply the religion of the Apostles and the Bible that they taught, but also the errors we have described; and that the Pope strongly recommended his Missionaries to accommodate their customs to the rites of the Pagans, in order that they might the sooner be induced to embrace Christianity. Having made many converts from Heathenism among the Saxons,

they turned their attention to the ancient British Christians, and sought a union with them; but demanded as its basis that they should observe the Roman time of holding Easter, adopt the Roman form of baptism and other ceremonies, and co-operate with the Roman Clergy in converting the Saxons. The Britons replied, that they would do none of these things, nor receive Augustine as their Archbishop; (for to that office he had been lately appointed by the Pope ;) and they kept their resolution the more firmly, because of the threats employed by Augustine, and his haughty demeanour. Thus did they maintain their independence. But from this time the Romish influence increased, although checked at intervals. The Pope's Missionaries, having come accredited by him and by various continental Kings, continued to increase their power among the Saxon invaders of our island; and as these were stronger politically than the Britons who had refused the Romish yoke, that power was, through them, made to be felt by the noble-minded and simple British Christians. Augustine and his successors never lost sight of the authority given them by the Pope, though it was not recognised by the Britons,

and they seized every favourable opportunity to exercise it. At length, the Saxon King of the Northumbrians, who with his people had been converted to Christianity by the Scots, and who had presented one of the mightiest barriers to Rome, was induced to declare in favour of the Roman time of keeping Easter, and thus virtually to submit his kingdom to the authority of that power. Then the Bishop of York must go to Rome for consecration, and after him the Archbishop of Canterbury: but even in the eighth century the Saxon Kings had not so far given up their power as to submit implicitly to the Pope; for in the instance of Wilfrid there was a rejection of his appointment to the archbishopric of York; yet, when the Pope threatened to withhold the sacrament of the eucharist, the Northumbrians made terms with Rome by admitting Wilfrid to the bishopric and abbey of Hexham. Thus you see there was a course of events gradually breaking down all resistance to the Papal authority, and the agents of Rome knew too well how to take advantage of them. We now see the Saxon kingdoms under her sway. Not so the British churches; for even in the time of Bede they resisted it. Yet were they

compelled at length, by fear of bloodshed, to a partial submission. It was not until the Saxons were united under one Sovereign, and that one at the disposal of Priests and Monks, that the great apostasy spread its baneful influence to all parts of the island. At this period, then, the Pope gains the ascendency, and with him the most debasing superstitions.

While our country was under his government, many examples are to be found of Romish pride, arrogance, and meddling. When there were not as many Bishops in the land as would please Pope Formosus, his curse and excommunication were sent over, and King and subjects were placed under interdict.* So, also, when King John refused to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, he was by name excommunicated, and his people suffered to live and die like dogs, without worship, without sacraments, and without

* An interdict is a prohibition of worship, sacraments, and all religious rites, even that of Christian burial. Often have provinces, and even nations, when placed under interdict on account of a quarrel between the Pope and their Sovereign, rebelled against the latter, and so forced him to submit.