excommunicates; and cutting off all the Christian world who treat her supremacy with contempt, she must insist upon her Universality, though it reached not beyond the diocese of Rome, or was solely confined to the Pope himself, who would then be the "centre of Unity-the supreme, infallible, and universal Church!" The most zealous of the Romish Church are those most ignorant of the doctrines of their Saviour, which, by every means their interested clergy can devise, are withheld from them, whilst none who dissent from the Established Church of England have ever yet been hardy enough publicly to CONDEMN HER TENets. Even Popery "blames Protestants," but "for taking the bread and wine as a bare remembrance" of their Lord's death, as he himself commanded it to be taken. Let but Roman Catholics receive the Scriptures as they have been bequeathed to all by the inspired writers of them, and if these confirm them in their belief in Popery they can still persevere in it. To induce them to such a perusal is the object of these pages. But as we have given, in his own words, Dr. Challoner's "Rational Inducements to the Roman Catholic Faith," we will now quote what we think to be much more RATIONAL INDUCEMENTS FOR ROMANISTS TO JOIN THE COMMUNION OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCH. [We copy the following Letter verbatim et literatim, which it may be almost unnecessary to add, caused a great "sensation," as the French term it, throughout all France. It first appeared in the Courier Française, and, in consequence of the rapid extent of its publication, many were led to "search the Scriptures;" to "serve God with a zeal according to knowledge ;" and who, in consequence, became members of the Protestant Church. When it first appeared, every effort was made to suppress its circulation, but in vain. The Procureur du Roi paid a domiciliary visit to the printer, seizing all the copies of the paper they could find on his premises; and several Protestant gentlemen at Lyons, who exerted themselves in their circulation, were imprisoned by the Mayor. However, it appeared nothing illegal could be proved against any of the parties, who were speedily liberated, and the impressions seized restored to the printer. M. Lefevre was a merchant, much esteemed and respected in his own neighbourhood; and editions of his Letter were printed and reprinted until there were scarcely any persons in France (except only those who feared the threatening of the Priests) who had not read it. In Lyons and its vicinity, so many became converts to the Reformed Church, that several parishes actually petitioned for Protestant ministers.] LETTER OF M. LEFEVRE ON HIS CONVERSION TO Lyons, 25th June, 1825. “SIR, You inquire what were the motives that actuated me in the step I have just taken, and why I have attached so much importance to becoming a member of the Christian Reformed Church; I am ready to inform you, and to open my mind to you with the utmost candour. The Gospel, my Conscience, my Reason,-these, in three words, have been my guides and advisers. "I knew, by my own experience, that man is intended for a religious being; I felt the need of uniting myself to God by implicit faith and by worship; but I felt also that this faith and this worship ought to have nothing in them contrary to that natural light, that reason, that consciousness of right and wrong which God has implanted within us; and that every religion which should not accord with these grand principles, or should shrink from being examined upon them, could not be divine, since God cannot contradict himself, and his works cannot dread the light. "It became, therefore, my wish to recur to the foundation. of Christian faith, by studying the Holy Scriptures in the love of truth; and from that moment, I may say, a new day broke upon me. I read also some of the writings of those Fathers of the Church who lived nearest to the times of the Apostles; and they accorded with the Gospel, in convincing me that the Christian Reformed Church was the true Church of Jesus Christ, since its faith and worship perfectly agreed with the doctrines of the Founder of Christianity, and with those of his Apostles; and since I found nothing therein opposed to my natural light. "I thought from the first that I ought to have recourse to the Word of God alone, the divinity of which I acknowledged; and not to the opinions of men, frequently led astray by their own passions and interests; that I ought to look upon the Scripture as infallible, and to read it myself; that it must be so clear to enable me to understand whatever in it concerned my faith and practice; and that I ought not to seek the rule of that faith in human tradition. Scripture itself confirmed my opinion; for there I read that the law of the Lord is perfect * ;'—that is, 'inspired by God, to instruct, to rebuke, to correct, and to conduct to piety and righteousness † ;→ that Jesus Christ himself said to his disciples, Search the Scriptures;' that he condemned traditions, saying of the Scribes, 'in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines which are only the commandments of men; for they leave the commandments of God to follow the traditions of men ;'-that St. Paul anathematizes all religious instruction which is not drawn from the Gospel: There are some that trouble you, who would overturn the Gospel of Jesus Christ; but should we ourselves, or should an angel from heaven, preach a Gospel unto you different from that which we have preached, let him be accursed §;'-that the Gospel is plain to those whom their passions blind not, as St. Paul also says: If the Gospel which we preached is yet veiled, it is to those who perish that it is veiled; to those unbelievers whose minds the god of this world hath blinded, in order that they may not be enlightened by the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God |;'-that St. Ambrose also says: The Holy Scripture is useful to every one. St. Chrysostom says: The reading of the Scriptures is a strong bulwark 2 6 See the version of the Bible, by Lemaistre de Sacy, published at Paris in 1759, with the Royal approbation and privilege, by William Despiez, printer to the King and the Clergy of France. Ps. xix. 8. † 2 Tim. iii. 16. § Gal. i. 8, 9, Mark vii. 7, 8. against sin; and ignorance of the Scriptures is a great precipice, a deep abyss St. Basil also tells us: All that is not included in the divinity-inspired Scripture, not being of faith is sin.' I felt, therefore, that it was my duty to examine Scripture alone, to seek therein what I ought to believe and to do. I perceived that it was the way pointed out by St. Paul himself, who, far from forbidding this examination to the people, says, Prove all things; approve that which is good †.' I dare not assent to the opinion of any church, merely as a church, nor of any council, while Jesus Christ announced, there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, which shall do great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive, if it were possible, the very elect '.-St. John also says, on this subject: My well beloved, believe not every spirit: but try whether the spirits be of God, for many false prophets are risen in the world §.' The Abbé de Paleime himself admits, that the Council may err, and that, with regard to faith, private belief should be preferred to that of the Pope himself." I dread Councils,' says St. Gregory of Nazianzen, and I have never seen any which have not done more harm than good.' The principles of Scripture, and of the earliest Fathers, are those of the Reformed Church; and I remarked with pleasure that she established her faith only as God and our own understandings tell us that it ought to be established. I observed that the ministers of religion were, in the Gospel, forbidden to seek temporal power, riches, and honour; that charity, meekness, and humility, were to be characteristics of the priests of Jesus Christ. Peter says unto them, Feed the flock of God with which you are charged, watching over its conduct, not by a forced necessity, but by a voluntary affection, which should be according to God: not by a shameful desire of gain, but by a disinterested charity; not domineering over the Lord's heritage, but becoming examples to the flock, by a virtue which springs from the St. Chrysostom, Homily on Lazarus. 1 Thess. v. 21. § 1 John iv. 1. heart and Jesus Christ himself tells them, Trouble not yourselves concerning gold or silver, or money in your purset.' He declares to them, that if they act otherwise they are but Scribes and Pharisees, whom he reproves, saying, They love salutations in the public places, and to be called of men master; but as for you, desire not to be called master, because you have but one master, and you are all brethren. Neither call any one on earth your father, because you have but one Father, which is in heaven; and be not called teacher, because you have but one teacher and but one master, which is Christ. He who is great among you shall be your servant: for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and whosoever abaseth himself shall be exalted. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because under the pretence of your long prayers you devour widow's houses. It is for this that you shall receive a more rigorous judgment. Woe unto you, for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, and yet you are within full of rapine and uncleanness .' 6 "I observed, likewise, that their marriage was approved of by the Word of God, since it was not His will to make of them a separate caste, with interests inimical to those of society, and prevented from practising numerous virtues to which the father of a family is called. St. Paul says, 'Let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn §.' In writing to Timothy: The bishop then must be blameless; he must have married but one wife; he must be sober, prudent, grave, and modest, loving hospitality, able to teach; he must not be given to wine, neither violent nor hasty to strike; but just and moderate, far from disputes, disinterested; he must govern well his own household, keeping his children in obedience, and in all propriety ||.' He says again: Have we not power to lead with us a wife, who may be our sister in Jesus Christ, as do the other Apostles, and the brothers of our Lord, and Cephas?' And St. Clement, of Alexandria, says himself, There are some who con |