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"4. Because Mr. O'Connell's character as a controversialist and a public man generally, but viewed more especially in reference to the oath taken by Roman catholic members of parliament, disqualifies him for the office of a public censor, and at once releases this committee from all obligation to meet his challenge, and compels it, for the sake of its own reputation, to refuse him even the usual courtesy of a reply.

"II. That this committee takes this opportunity of repudiating certain sentiments, which, though referred to in Mr. O'Connell's communication, yet have been also attributed to this committee by persons of great consideration and influence, and claim, therefore its respectful notice.

"1. This committee denies that it has sought to procure the national support for any system established or approved by the Wesleyan body for the education of the children of Wesleyans, while it has, at the same time, deprecated the extension of that support to other religious sects. On the contrary, this committee, acting, as it believes, in perfect harmony with the Wesleyan body generally, has expressly recorded its opinion that, under the existing circumstances of the country, it is inexpedient to adopt any new system of national education, and has thus declared its willingness to submit, for the present, to the disadvantage of entire exclusion from all national educational provisions, rather than to the evils which any immediate alteration of the former system appeared to this committee to involve.

2. This committee equally denies any sympathy with those sentiments of opposition to the principles of national religious establishments, which, in utter disregard of the clear and cautious terms of their recent memorial, have been imputed to the Wesleyans of Manchester. That memorial placed the opposition to the then project of her Majesty's government on the strong grounds of conscience, and of our right to full religious liberty. It then proceeded to show how that project violated the principles of religious liberty, by its seeking to tax the Wesleyans, for the teaching the maintenance of systems of religion, which they, in common with the vast majority of their fellow-countrymen, believe to be false and injurious.' This committee still maintains its protest against an exaction so unrighteous. But the Wesleyans of Manchester have never expressed any objection to be taxed for the teaching and maintenance of any system of religion which can present to them the two characteristicsfirst, of conserving and propagating those great views of Christian truth which all orthodox Protestants unite to hold; and, secondly, of commanding the general support and sympathy of the majority of their fellow-countrymen.

"3. That this committee takes the earliest opportunity of recording its conviction of the perfect identity, in the intention

of its projectors, in the violation of public religious feeling, and in the probability of the most mischievous results, of the system of education which has received the sanction of the House of Commons with that particular scheme against which the efforts of this committee were directed; and declares its determination, in the fear of GOD, and in reliance upon His blessing, to persist in opposing every system of national education, which by attempting to meet the case of all classes of religionists, shall compromise the principles of liberty and truth, and sacrifice the interests and wishes of the really pious and sincere to the pretensions of every usurper of the name of religion for the purposes of ambition. or of gain.

"JOHN RIGG, Chairman."

THE EXILES OF ZILLERTHAL.

(From the Quarterly Review.)

THE accounts before us, of the expulsion of the Zillerdale Protestants from Austria, present to us the Popery of the 19th century, and afford a very clear idea of the nature of the system, and of the effect which it produces upon crowned heads, and statesmen subject to its influence. The accounts come from unquestionable authority. But indeed enemies themselves do not deny the fact that four hundred harmless inhabitants of the Tyrol have been forcibly expelled from their homes and their possessions-simply because they refused to remain in the communion of Rome.

In the case of this Austrian oppression prudence forbade the fires and massacres, the dragonades and confiscations of former centuries; but the denial of justice, the withholding of the religious liberty guaranteed by the law, the refusal of Christian burial, and the most barbarous and unnatural prohibition to enter into the marriage state, concluded at last by an expulsion from house and home, can be designated by no milder term than that of persecution. When Protestants speak of the flames of Smithfield, or the horrors of St. Bartholomew's night, they are told that these things are not to be imputed to the religion of Rome, but to the barbarism of the age. They then point to the unprincipled perfidy which suggested, and the wanton cruelty which accompanied the revocation of the edict of Nantes; but again the times are made to bear the blame. The Saltzburg persecution, conducted by a Romish archbishop, rises up in the protestant mind as proof that in the eighteenth century the practice of Popery was still the same; but it is once more replied that the true principles of civilization and toleration were not understood till within the last forty years. The history of the Zillerdale exiles comes to testify

that even in the present age of supposed illumination the system of Rome remains unchanged-as intolerant, as tyrannical, as faithless, as it was in the darkest of the ages that have passed away.

One poor family, with seven children, had their effects packed upon a small cart or truck, ready for departure the following morning, when a rich relation came and offered the father a handsome freehold farm, if he would adhere to Romanism. I am not going to sell my religion,' was the calm reply.

Through the princely and Christian munificence of the king of Prussia, each of the exiles has obtained a refuge and a house and farm suitable to his means in the domains of Erdmansdorff in the province of Silesia. To the eternal honour of our late sovereign William the Fourth be it recorded, that he was the first who moved in the matter. The title of the work containing this interesting narrative is "The Protestant Zillerdalers in Silesia."

A ROMISH GEM OF THEOLOGY AND HISTORY.

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COMMUNICATED BY THE AUTHOR OF A SKETCH OF POPERY."

(Continued from page 104.)

AFTER the extraordinary miracle of the infant who kicked down the rock, follows another, not less extraordinary. Dr. Ardent thus proceeds: "The second miracle or sign was that St. "Aubert seeing that there was no fresh water necessary to those "who dwelt in that place, in such an affair invoked the aid of "the archangel, who shewed him a place, which the holy man "struck with his stick: God caused a fine fountain of water for "the use of humankind, which even has many miraculous virtues "against many maladies. Incredulous atheists-enemies of mira"cles and deniers of the infinite power of God-mock at this; on "the contrary, all good and faithful christians, honouring God and "admiring him in his works, will believe it as easily as to have "made a living woman of the rib of the man-changing the water "into wine, and the wine into blood-the rod into a serpent, and "the serpent into a rod-to make living waters spring from a "hard rock." I fear my readers will think it far more difficult to be believed; inasmuch as the miracles here enumerated (with the exception of the conversion of wine into blood, which I presume to allude to transubstantiation,) are asserted by the divine authority of the bible; while this miracle is supported only by the testimony of Father Ardent, whom we have seen to be a very indifferent theologian, and who, for aught we know, may be an equally inaccurate historian. "St. Aubert, very sad because "there were no marks nor visible signs of this holy archangel to "leave in memory in this place; the holy archangel appeared to

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"him and commanded him to send faithful messengers to Mount Gargan, to ask from the canons of the church built in his memory, part of the pall (poëll) or vermillion cloth which the "said archangel had brought there, and part of the marble on "which he had sat; which the bishop did diligently." I am very sorry that I do not possess a breviary or popish calendar of the deeds of the saints; I have searched profane history and geography in vain for the acts performed there by the angel, and am therefore compelled to leave my readers in sad ignorance on the subject: perhaps they will suffer no great loss-Gargan is afterwards said to be the Italian hill of that name. "The "messengers reciting all that had happened, the canons of Gar"gan believed it,"-(these holy men had strong faith)" and willingly gave them the said jewels;" (i. e. the scraps of red cloth and the marble, an original kind of jewels certainly,) " which they brought with reverence; and by touching them on their "return, twelve blind persons, in divers places, were cured and enlightened. Arrived near the place, an ancient blind woman "coming out of her dwelling, would follow them for devotion, "suddenly she received her sight; in memory of which "miracle the village was named Beauvoir, which formerly was "called Austeriac.'

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Our author seems to be haunted with the idea that his miraculous records are liable to the doubts of those who may read them: we have already met with several corroborative lists of miracles, some more correct, and others less so; we now come to another catalogue, which seems to be rehearsed with more attention to truth than its predecessors. The doctor says: "Have not mira"cles been as easy for God to do by his archangel, as by the rod or crook of Moses who did so many wonders in Egypt, in lead"ing them across the deserts of Arabia, (whom-the wonders?)'by the ark of the old testament at Jericho-at the Jordan among the Palestines (Philistines?) and the Betsamites, (the "men of Bethshemesh?)-by the mantle of Elisha upon the river,' (by Dr. Ardent's leave it was the mantle of Elijah, and not of Elisha); " and by the bones of Elisha to resuscitate a dead man -by the fishpond of the porches to cure all sorts of maladies— "by the washing of Siloe to enlighten one blind from his birth"by the shadow of St. Peter to cure all maladies," (this is a slight poetical licence of Dr. Ardent's, for scripture does not inform us that Peter's shadow actually possessed healing powers, although the people imagined such to be the case, Acts, v. 15,) -by the bonds of St. Paul to chase malignant spirits from "human bodies," (the text of Acts, xix. 12, says: that "they brought to the sick handkerchiefs or aprons," but how these were the bonds of St Paul is not here nor elsewhere explained :) "-by the relics of St. Stephen, and the flowers which had

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"only touched them, done so many illustrious miracles as the "blessed Augustine recites." The composition of this last sentence is as fine as its contents are apocryphal: this introduction of traditionary miracles among the true ones of scripture, is a constant practice of Romish writers, who hope to pass off their "lying wonders" for real ones, by mixing them up with the narratives of the bible.

LITERARY NOTICES.

The Apology of the Church of England, and an Epistle to Seigneor Scipio on the Council of Trent. By the Right Rev. Father in God, JOHN JEWELL, D.D., Bishop of Salisbury. With Notes and a Life of the Author. London: Wertheim. 24mo. pp. 231.

THE republication, in a neat and commodious form, of the work of this able champion of the protestant faith, has given us very great pleasure. To comment on it at this day would be superfluous indeed; but we may be allowed to suggest that a re-publication of the equally celebrated and even more useful "Defence of the Apology," would complete the service which has now been rendered to the Christian public.

The Nullity of the Government of Queen Victoria in Ireland; or, the Pope the virtual_Ruler of the Land. By the Rev. R. J. MGHEE, M.A. Dublin: R. M. Tims; London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co. THIS is one of the most important works that has lately issued from the press.

CABINET.

George the ThIRD ON THE EMANCIPATION BILL.-"I shall count any man my personal enemy who proposes any such measure, the most Jacobinical thing I ever heard of."-Life of Wilberforce.

SCOTTISH PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION.-In the year 1558, when James the Sixth refused to join what was called the holy league of the Popish Sovereigns against England, the Scotch in general, as we are informed by Sir Walter Scott," shewed the firmest determination to support the King, a bond of association was entered into for the maintenance of true religion, and defence of their lawful sovereign. This association was joined with emulous alacrity by subjects of every rank."

THE CHURCHES OF ENGLAND AND ROME.-Some one having used the hackneyed sarcasm that between the churches of England and Rome there is but a paper wall. "True," it was replied, "but the whole Bible is printed on it."-Cambrian.

THE REFORMATION. "Under the superintending Providence of God, at the Reformation in England there was no departure from sound principles -there was no desperate plunge into untried forms of worship and new modes of faith, such as was the case in other countries; but it was a return to the purer system of early days-it was a separation, not a subversion; it

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