you nor Maria Mörl, nor Domenica Lazzari, really intend to deceive the world. You are but passive instruments in the hands of others, for objects which you cannot discern. What, has the Bishop of Trent and his priests, to whom you carried letters of recommendation, no object? Your famous authority, Görres, states, that within two months the Estatica was visited by more than 40,000 persons, until the zealous government of Austria took alarm, and put a stop, not to the visiting of the saints, but to the vast crowds gathering at one time. Now those prints, which the Estatica and the Addolorata fingered in such an unearthly manner, and of which your lordship bought a large quantity, are sold for not less than two-pence each; and perhaps, although you say they do not receive largesses, you might, in the fervour of your devotion, squeeze a little donation into the hand of Domenica's mother, or the excellent confessor. The altar stood erect in the saint's room, we are told, with all the insignia of the mass; and perhaps your party might be tempted to leave a gift upon it; but whether or no, how much does 40,000 times two amount to, if given in two months time? and what has become of the yearly revenue of at least £1000? No, my lord, these things are not done without an object; and if your visit was worth nothing to the diocese in point of hard cash, it will be most valuable in shape of recommendation, for what English party would ever travel through the Tyrol and not go and see Maria Mörl? unless she goes off into a convent, which will doubtless be the termination of this mysterious affair. As for us, we have perused this extraordinary letter with more pain than amusement; and when we had come to the end, we could not forbear exclaiming, "These be thy gods, O Church of Rome!" We are not, however, disposed to bear hard upon the well-meaning, credulous nobleman, for we suspect that he will hear from other quarters no small rebuke of his imprudence. We would strongly recommend his lordship to continue to trust more to the guidance of the author of Hierurgia than to Ambrose Lisle Phillips. Dr. Rock would never have allowed

that letter to be published had he known what it contained;-it was an evil hour, when the noble lord escaped the vigilance of his domestic chaplain, and betrayed in this matter rather a want of gratitude for the able assistance that learned person has rendered his lordship in former publications. We are glad, however, to find that due obedience to authority is now re-established at Alton Towers, for our bookseller assures us that Mr. Dolman has now no more copies of this ill-starred letter to dispose of;-they are by this time, for the most part we imagine, in a purgatorial fire, and we doubt whether any indulgence will be applicable to them before they are completely consumed. Our readers may not perhaps know who the gentleman is who thought that "good might come out of the publication of the letter." Mr. Phillips, much to the grief of his respected father, fell when very young into the hands of a foreign Popish priest, and became, at the age we believe of sixteen or seventeen, a confirmed adherent of the Church of Rome; he lived much among the Jesuits at Rome during his youth, and was in a great measure the cause of Mr. Spencer's conversions; he accompanied that gentleman to Rome, and exercised a vigilant inspection over him during his initiation into the mysteries of the religion of Italy; and perhaps the reverend gentleman owed his final establishment in a great measure to the zeal and promptitude of Mr. Phillips. We had almost forgotten these circumstances, until the name of that gentleman appeared in this famous letter; but we gather, from the use he has made of his judgment, that he has increased in love of the marvellous, for which, as a youth, he was very remarkable. We will add a hope, that he has diminished in that fierceness of bigotry which his conversation sometimes betrayed, and which was not less fearful because it was associated with a mild and smiling exterior. Finally, we recommend to Mr. Sibthorp to consider what the nature of that devotion is which has so fascinated his soul as to lead him into the Church of Rome. "The apparent devotedness to religious duties," which he so much admired, he will find is nourish

ed with such food as the Padua and Parisian miracles,and revived by a visit to some Estatica in a distant region. We are mistaken if that deluded gentleman will not soon discover, that what he calls devotion is not the true worship of God, and that winking Madonnas and fasting prodigies are not legitimate incentives to devotion; but when he exercises some of that honesty and candour for which we still give him credit, what will he say to a system of fraud carried on and sanctioned by that very visible Head whom he considers

necessary for the centralization of the Christian religion, but around whom revolve all those lying wonders which we have undertaken to expose? We have not space to examine Mr. Sibthorp's reasons for becoming a Roman Catholic; but we would respectfully inquire of him, whether he has ever considered the reasons which he may draw from the extracts we have here given, as amongst those which we might allege for not following him in his recent resolution.

It is our design to give such extracts, from time to time, from high authority, as set forth truly and ably refute the principal errors of the Church of Rome. We do this the more readily, because the glaring errors of that church, strange as it may seem, we fully believe, are poorly understood in our Protestant community. The following is an extract from Archbishop Tillotson, showing the vagaries, and perversions of the truth which prevail in the Church of Rome, regarding the Eucharist.

First, The infinite scandal of this doctrine to the Christian religion. And that upon these four accounts:-1. Of the stupidity of this doctrine. 2. The real barbarousness of this sacrament and rite of our religion, upon supposition of the truth of this doctrine. 3. Of the cruel and bloody consequences of it. 4. Of the danger of idolatry; which they are certainly guilty of, if this doctrine be not true.

1. Upon account of the stupidity of this doctrine, I remember that Tully, who was a man of very good sense, instanceth in the conceit of eating God as the extremity of madness, and so stupid an apprehension as he thought no man was ever guilty of. "When we call," (De Nat. Deorum, 1. 3.) says he, "the fruits of the earth Ceres, and wine Bacchus, we use but the common language: but do you think any man so mad as to believe that which he eats to be God?" It seems

he could not believe that so extravagant a folly had ever entered into the mind of man. It is a very severe saying of Averroes the Arabian philosopher, (who lived after this doctrine was entertained among Christians,) and ought to make the Church of Rome blush, if she can: "I have travelled," says he, "over the world, and have found divers sects; but so sottish a sect or law I never found, as is the sect of the Christians; because with their own teeth they devour their God whom they worship." (Dionys. Carthus. in 4 dist. 10. art. 1.) It was great stupidity in the people of Israel to say, Come, let us make us Gods; but it was civilly said of them, Let us make us Gods, that may go before us, in comparison of the Church of Rome, who say, Let us make a God that we may eat him. So that upon the whole matter I cannot but wonder, that they should choose thus to expose faith to the contempt of all that are imbued with reason. And to speak the plain. truth, the Christian religion was never so horribly exposed to the scorn of atheists and infidels, as it hath been by this most absurd and senseless doctrine. But thus it was foretold that the Man of Sin should come with power and signs, and lying miracles, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, (2 Thes. ii. 10,) with all the legerdemain and juggling tricks of falsehood and imposture; amongst which this of transubstantiation, which they call a miracle, and we a cheat, is one of the

chief; and in all probability those common juggling words of Hocus-pocus, are nothing else but a corruption of Hoc est corpus, by way of ridiculous imitation of the Priests of the Church of Rome in their trick of transubstantiation. Into such contempt by this foolish doctrine, and pretended miracle of theirs, have they brought the most sacred and venerable mystery of our religion.

2. It is very scandalous likewise upon account of the real barbarousness of this sacrament and rite of our religion, upon supposition of the truth of this doctrine. Literally to eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and to drink his blood, St. Augustine, as I have showed before, declares to be a great impiety. And the impiety and barbarousness of the thing is not in truth extenuated, but only the appearance of it, by its being done under the species of bread and wine; for the thing they acknowledge is really done, and they believe that they verily eat and drink the natural flesh and blood of Christ. And what can any man do more unworthy towards his friend? How can he possibly use him more barbarously, than to feast upon his living flesh and blood? It is one of the greatest wonders in the world, that it should ever enter into the minds of men to put upon our Saviour's words, so easily capable of a more convenient sense, and so necessarily requiring it, a meaning so plainly contrary to reason and sense, and even to humanity itself. Had the ancient Christians owned any such doctrine, we should have heard it from the adversaries of our religion in every page of their writings; and they would have desired no greater advantage against the Christians, than to have been able to hit them in the teeth with their feastings upon the natural flesh and blood of their Lord, and their God, and their best friend. What endless triumphs would they have made upon this subject? And with what confidence would they have set the cruelty used by Christians in their sacrament, against their God Saturn's eating his own children, and all the cruel and bloody rites of their idolatry? But that no such thing was then objected by the Heathens to the Christians, is to a wise man instead of a

thousand demonstrations that no such doctrine was then believed.

3. It is scandalous also upon account of the cruel and bloody consequences of this doctrine; so contrary to the plain laws of Christianity, and to one great end and design of this sacrament, which is to unite Christians in the most perfect love and charity to one another: whereas this doctrine hath been the occasion of the most barbarous and bloody tragedies that ever were acted in the world. For this hath been in the church of Rome the great burning article; and as absurd and unreasonable as it is, more Christians have been murdered for the denial of it than perhaps for all the other articles of their religion: And I think it may generally pass for a true observation, that all sects are commonly most hot and furiousfor those things for which there is least reason; for what men want of reason for their opinions, they usually supply and make up in rage. And it was no more than needed to use this severity upon this occasion, for nothing but the cruel fear of death could in probability have driven so great a part of mankind into the acknowledgment of so unreasonable and senseless a doctrine.

O blessed Saviour! thou best friend and greatest lover of mankind, who can imagine thou didst ever intend that men should ever kill one another for not being able to believe contrary to their senses; for being unwilling to think, that thou shouldst make one of the most horrid and barbarous things that can be imagined, a main duty and principal mystery of thy religion; for not flattering the pride and presumption of the priest, who says he can make God, and for not complying with the folly and stupidity of the people, who are made to believe that they can eat him?

4. Upon account of the danger of idolatry; which they are certainly guilty of if this doctrine be not true, and such a change as they pretend be not made in the sacrament: for if it be not, then they worship a creature instead of the Creator, God blessed for ever. But such a change I have shown to be impossible; or if it could be, yet they can never be certain that it is, and consequently are always in

danger of idolatry: and that they can never be certain that such a change is made, is evident; because, according to the express determination of the council of Trent, that depends upon the mind and intention of the priest which cannot certainly be known but by revelation, which is not pretended in this case. And if they be mistaken in this change, through the knavery or crossness of the priest, who will not make God but, when he thinks fit, they must not think to excuse

themselves from idolatry because they intend to worship God and not a creature; for so the Persians might be excused from idolatry in worshipping the sun, because they intend to worship God and not a creature; and so indeed we may excuse all the idolatry that ever was in the world, which is nothing else but a mistake of the Deity, and upon that mistake a worshiping of something as God which is not God.

THE glorious gospel of the blessed God, committed to the trust of his ministers (1 Tim. i. 11), is the richest treasure which they can dispense to men. In proportion to the excellency of the treasure is the responsibility of faithfulness to their trust.

How rich that treasure is, what tongue can utter! It is the good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, that there has been born for us, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. It is the faith ful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the very chief. It

is the good news, that, though our God is beyond compare pure and holy, just and righteous, he so loved the world, the sinful, rebellious world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

By simple faith in God's testimony concerning his Son, we enter into the most delightful of all feelings, that God loves us, though vile and sinful, and is our most tender and merciful Father, and thus we have the rich privilege of being his children. This faith is its own evidence in the peace, joy, love, and gratitude with which it fills the bosom of the

• Abridged from the Introduction to "The Testimony of the Reformers, edited by Mr. Bickersteth. London."

VOL. I.-4

Christian, and the holiness which it produces in his life. He that believeth hath the witness in himself. In his very coming to Christ he knows that he is among the elect, and has been drawn of the Father to come; all that the Father giveth me shall come unto me: no man can come to me, except the Father draw him: my sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Under the blessed influence of these truths, and by the new creating power of the Holy Ghost, the Christian loves as his tender Father the Great God, loves his Saviour Jesus, and all his fellow-men; and in the diligent use of all God's appointed means of grace, he is daily conformed, more and more, to his heavenly Lord, and becomes meet for his everlasting inheritance.

Satan, the god of this world, seeing this blessed effect of the pure gospel of Christ, has ever bent his strength from the very beginning, to mar and adulterate it. We see this in the necessity of the first council at Jerusalem, and in the epistles generally, especially those to the Romans and Galatians. The Lord who foresaw that Rome would be one grand instrument employed by Satan to obscure and overthrow the gospel of the grace of God, in his infinite wisdom and love provided the most complete, systematic, full and orderly statement of salvation by grace, addressed specially to the Romans,

that it might be their guard from these devices of that enemy.

To maintain the purity of the gospel, to be full of zeal and godly jealousy on this point, is a great part of our fidelity as stewards of the mysteries of Christ. Especially does it become us to be so when there is reason to think that the grossest corruption of the gospel that the world has ever yet seen, is again reviving among us.

We live in most awful, heart-stirring and fearful times, from infidelity as well as from popery. We cannot indeed be blind to the fact, that INFIDELITY is a more open enemy to Christ than popery, not even pretending to hold ONE of the truths of the gospel, and in its very nature excluding altogether the hopes, the joys, and the holiness, the present and the everlasting happiness of delighting in God, which comes by Christ our Saviour. The writings of infidels on the continent fearfully embody now all kinds of blasphemy. In the language of Cecil, "The infidel conspiracy approaches nearest to popery. But infidelity is a suicide. It dies by its own malignity. It is known and read of all men. No man was ever injured essentially by it who was fortified with but a small portion of the genuine spirit of Christianity, its contrition and its docility. Nor is it one in its efforts; its end is one, but its means are disjointed, various and often clashing. Popery debases and alloys Christianity; but infidelity is a furnace, wherein it is purified and refined. The injuries done to it by popery will be repaired by the very attacks of infidelity." Yet Mr. Cecil said, "The church has endured a pagan and a papal persecution. There remains for her an infidel persecution,general, bitter, purifying, and cementing."

We must not then overlook this foe, as one also to be met: and it can only be met by the same bright, holy, joyful, and heavenly light of divine truth shining in our principles, in our words, and in our lives; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as

lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.

POPERY is a more dangerous enemy because it pretends to be the warmest and only real friend of Christ. Believing what protestants do of popery, its state and progress cannot but be a matter of deep interest and concern. If we love, as we do from the heart, papists who as our fellow men, are with ourselves the objects of the love of the same God and Father, (John iii. 16.) who are with ourselves redeemed by the same divine blood, (2 Cor. v. 19.) and who have the same promises of the Holy Spirit as ourselves, (Luke xi. 13.) how can we but see, with deep sympathy, any progress in that which we believe is abominable to God, our Father, and ruinous to the everlasting welfare of our fellow men, our brethren in the flesh!

We believe popery to be THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY, (2 Thess. ii. 7.) with Cecil, we think it "the masterpiece of Satan— formed to overwhelm to enchant-to sit as the great whore making the earth drunk with her fornications," (Rev. xvii. 1, 2.) and believing this, and knowing that there are now in the world probably one hundred millions of our fellow men under this delusion, surely it is our bounden duty with all affection and earnestness to entreat all papists, come out of her that ye partake not of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

There is much reason to fear that POPERY IS NOW ADVANCING and extending in this country and in the United States of America; and it is very desirable that Protestants should be made acquainted with this fact, and be stirred up to exertion against so great an evil.

In considering the present state of popery, it must be admitted that it has different features in different countries. On THE CONTINENT, popery, in its ecclesiastical revenues and political power, has materially suffered by the varied revolutions which have taken place in France, in Spain, in Portugal, and in other countries. Its dominion and influence to injure externally, have thus been greatly crippled and overthrown. Infi