all such. And St. Paul warneth us to flee from the worshipping of them, if we regard the kingdom of God and life everlasting, and dread the wrath of God and everlasting damnation. For it is not possible that we should be worshippers of images and the true servants of God also; as St. Paul teacheth in 2 Cor. vi., affirming that there can be no more consent or agreement between the temple of God-which all true christians be-and images, than between righteousness and unrighteousness, between light and darkness, between the faithful and the unfaithful, or between Christ and the devil.”

The second part of the homily appeals to the testimony of the fathers of the primitive church in corroboration of the same doctrine. Among others, Lactantius is referred to, as saying:—

"There is no doubt, but that no religion is in that place wheresoever any image is; for if religion stand in godly things, and there is no godliness but in heavenly things, then be images without religion."

But the conduct of Epiphanius in reference to paintings when used in churches as aids to devotion, merits particular attention.

"Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamine, in Cyprus, a very holy and learned man, who lived in Theodosius the Emperor's time, about 390 years after our Saviour Christ's ascension, writeth thus to John, Patriarch of Jerusalem: 'I entered,' saith Epiphanius, "into a certain church to pray I found there a linen cloth hanging in the church door, painted, and having in it the image of Christ,* as it were, or of some other saint; for I remember not well whose image it was; therefore, when I did see the image of a man hanging in the church of Christ, contrary to the authority of the scriptures, I did tear it, and gave counsel to the keepers of that church, that they should wind a poor man that was dead in the said cloth, and so bury him.'

"A man may most justly wonder of images, so directly against God's Holy Word and strict commandment, how they should enter in. But images were not yet worshipped in Eusebius's time, nor publicly set up in churches and temples; and they who privately had them did err of a certain zeal, and not by malice; but afterwards they crept out of private houses into churches, and so bred first superstition, and last of all idolatry, amongst christians."

"From learning by painted stories, it came by little and little to idolatry. Which when godly men-as well emperors and learned bishops as others-perceived, they commanded that such pictures, images, or idols, should be used no more. It is certain, that by the space of 300 years and more, after the death of our Saviour Christ, and before these godly emperors reigned, there were no images publicly in churches or temples. How would the idolatrous glory,

*The efforts made by a certain section of the clergy in the present day, to decorate what they improperly term “the altar"; to introduce pictures into our churches; and to set up the cross-"the notorious emblem of Romish superstition," as Dr. Fausset calls it; clearly prove that it is Popery, and not primitive christianity, which they wish to see re-established. But to obey, is better than to break God's commandments, under the pretence of assisting our devotions.

if they had so much antiquity and authority for them, as is here against them!"

"Gregory the First, Bishop of Rome, was the first learned bishop that did allow the open having of images in churches, that can be known by any writing or history of antiquity. And upon this Gregory do all image-worshippers at this day ground their defence. But as all things that be amiss, have from a tolerable beginning grown worse and worse, till they at the last became intolerable, so did this matter of images. First, men used privately stories painted in tables, cloths, and walls; afterwards gross and embossed images privately in their own houses; then afterwards, pictures first, and after them embossed images, began to creep into churches; learned and godly men ever speaking against them."

"No image can be made of Christ but a lying image-as the scripture peculiarly calleth images lies-for Christ is God and Man. Seeing, therefore, that of the Godhead, which is the most excellent part, no image can be made, it is falsely called the image of Christ. . . Wherefore, seeing that religion ought to be grounded upon truth, images, which cannot be without lies, ought not to be made, or put to any use of religion, or to be placed in churches."

"Where they say that images, so they be not worshipped, as things indifferent may be tolerated in temples and churches; we infer and say for the adversative, that all our images of God, our Saviour Christ, and his saints, publicly set up in temples and churches-places peculiarly appointed to the true worshipping of God-be not things indifferent, nor tolerable, but against God's law and commandment, taking their own interpretation and exposition of it."

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Images in churches have been and ever will be offences and stumbling-blocks, specially to the weak, simple, and blind common people. Therefore, woe be to the erector, setter-up, and maintainer of images in churches, for a greater penalty remaineth for him than the death of the body."

"At the second council of Nice, the bishops and clergy decreed that images should be worshipped: and so by occasion of these stumblingblocks, not only the unlearned and simple, but the learned and wise; not only the people, but the bishops; not the sheep, but the shepherds themselves who should have been guides in the right way, and lights to shine in darkness-being blinded by the bewitching of images, as blind guides of the blind, fell both into the pit of damnable idolatry.'

"And thus you see, how from having of images privately, it came to public setting of them up in churches and temples, although without harm at the first, as was then of some wise and learned men judged; and from simple having them there, it came at the last to worshipping of them; first, by the rude people-who specially, as the scripture teacheth, are in danger of superstition and idolatry—and afterwards by the bishops, the learned, and by the whole clergy. So that laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees of men, women, and children of whole christendom-an horrible and most dreadful thing to think-have been at once drowned in abominable VOL. II.-November 1840.

Z

idolatry ; of all other vices most detested of God, and most damnable to man; and that by the space of eight hundred years and more.”*

"God is as much forsaken, and the bond of love between man and him as much broken, by idolatry, which is spiritual fornication, as is the knot and bond of marriage broken by carnal fornication.Ӡ

"Shall God's word, by God commanded to be read unto all and known of all, for danger of heresy, as they say, be shut up? And idols and images, notwithstanding they be forbidden by God, and notwithstanding the danger of idolatry by them, shall they yet be set up, suffered, and maintained in churches and temples? O worldly and fleshly wisdom! ever bent to maintain the inventions and traditions of men by carnal reason, and by the same to disannul or deface the holy ordinances, laws, and honour of the eternal God, who is to be honoured and praised for ever. Amen."

The foregoing extracts from the homilies mark the scriptural light in which the Church of England views idolatry. Aware of the heinous character of this sin, and of its ruinous consequences, —that it alienates man from his Maker, and separates a church from Christ,—she in the most unequivocal terms, condemns all approaches to it. Obsta principiis is the maxim which she inculcates. We see, on her part, no tampering with this odious vice, nor any disingenuous attempt on her part to palliate or excuse it, under the hollow pretext of its aiding our devotions. But, O that her practice were more strictly in accordance with her doctrines and precepts! And here we are reminded of the memorable sentiment of Bishop Burnet, who, in speaking of our church, observes: "If I could justify all our practices as well as I can do our principles, there were no ground to fear hurt from all the cavils of mortals."

Considering the unjustifiable lengths to which some persons are going in the present day, it becomes necessary to appeal to the authorised formularies of our church, in order to show the decided manner in which she reprobates the practice of setting up images, pictures and all emblems of Romish superstition, in places dedicated to the worship of God.

Idolatry is not a sin to be trifled with or connived at. What ever has the remotest tendencey to lead to it, ought most scrupulously to be avoided. Let us, then, as members of an apostolical church, bear in mind the apostolical injunction-" Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

*This but little agrees with what Dr. Hook says respecting the church "ministering grace according to the exigency of the times," and that too, during the long night of Papal darkness.

+ It is thus clear, that in the opinion of our church, idolatry divorces a church from Christ.

THIRD REPORT OF THE guildford PROTESTANT

ASSOCIATION.

"There are some who abuse this place by trying to prove that heretics are not to be punished or put to death, which they who do, seem to me to be anxious about themselves. First, indeed, it does not refer only to heretics, but to men who are children of the devil, as opposed to the children of the kingdom, among whom heretics are the chief species, but not the only kind. Therefore, they who deny that heretics are to be put to death, ought much rather to deny that thieves, much rather that murderers, ought to be put to death, for heretics are so much the more pernicious than thieves and murderers, as it is a greater crime to steal and slay the souls of men than their bodies."

Commentary on Mat. xiii. 16.

By MALDONATUS, a standard of Maynooth College.

YOUR Committee, in presenting this their Third Annual Report, are thankful to be enabled to assure you that they have been blessed with considerable success, and the means of circulating much important information in this neighbourhood and throughout the country, respecting the principles, the designs, and the progress of Popery.

They have recenty published three highly important handbills, entitled respectively

"The awful Perjury of the Popish Bishops of Ireland."

"Murderous Effects of the Confessional."

"Awful Guilt of the Popish Bishops of Ireland."

Of these and other publications, your Committee have circulated nearly 10,000 copies; and these handbills having been adopted by the London Association, have been still more widely circulated throughout the country, and from the serious nature of their statements have forced Mr. O'Connell at a public meeting, and Dr. Murray, the Popish Archbishop of Dublin, by letter, publicly to endeavour, though wholly unsuccessfully, to remove the stigma cast upon them. The facts they proclaim, however, cannot be denied, and only require full investigation to satisfy, as well as to shock and startle, all enquirers.

It is gratifying to your Committee, to learn that although the Romish Priest still continues his Sunday afternoon visits to Guildford, his congregation is reduced to a very limited number indeed, and notwithstanding all his efforts (and they have been great, and worthy of a better cause), your Committee have been assured, that from being unable to make any progress in Guildford, his services have been transferred to Islington for several days in the week.

Your Committee have for the third time caused a petition to be presented to both Houses of Parliament against the annual parliamentary grant to the Popish College of Maynooth. These petitions were drawn up with much care, and contained some important parts of the evidence that has been made known as to the tenets inculcated in the class books of that college; and

therefore the petition was considered worthy of publication at length, in many newspapers in England and Ireland. The necessity of such petitions may be best known by reference to the speech of that fearless and uncompromising champion of truth, the Rev. Robert J. McGhee; in which he observes:

"Now what saith Reiffenstuel on the temporal punishments of heretics? Here I am reading from vol. v., p. 203, lib. v., Decretals, tit. vii., De Hereticis, of the temporal and corporal punishments of heretics."

The temporal punishment of heretics in this compendium are the following:

"First.-Infamy, and following from thence, incapacity for all civil

acts.

"Second.-Intestability, both active and passive (that is to say, can neither make a will, nor inherit property).

“Third.—Loss of all paternal power over their children.

"Fourth.-Loss of dowry, and all privileges granted by law to females.

"Fifth.-Confiscation of all their property.

"Sixth.―That vassals, and servants, and all others, are freed from all obligations, even though sworn due to their lord and master, other person.

or any

"Seventh.-Corporal punishment, and especially death and pepetual imprisonment."

After which the Rev. gentlemen proceeds:

"Let me briefly recapitulate the facts laid before you. You have here the class-books of Maynooth, which the students must purchase at their own expense, as well as her standards on ethics, laying down the fundamental law of persecution, that every baptized person is subject to the Roman Catholic Church; and that the Church justly sentences those who revolt from her authority to excommunication, loss of property, exile, imprisonment, or death, for what she pleases to pronounce their heresy. Recollect you have seen her commentaries on the scripture, not only asserting the same principles, but basing her crimes on the authority of God. She places, you recollect, one limit to her persecution, and but one, namely, the fear of just retributive retaliation; the facility of carrying on her cruelties with impunity-the privilege of enjoying security in slaughter.

"Recollect that you have seen for all these principles, not only the authority of her ethics and her divinity, but the enactments of her canon law, and that law adds to her the power to put her wretched victims not only to death, but to torture, as you have heard. So that while we have senses, while we have eyes and ears, to see and hear the documents on that table, there is not a shadow of doubt that can rest on the mind of any human being as to her principles, as they are

* A luminous and corrected report of which is given in a little tract entitled "Popery in Maynooth as supported by the British Government."-Price 3d. Published by the Protestant Association, Exeter Hall, London, and may be obtained of the Secretary of the Guildford Association.