influence the phenomena of nature, as by arts of magic and sorcery;-that it made a heaven and a hell of its own, so far as to hold the keys of both; and to delude or alarm mankind, by allurements or threats drawn from its powers over the invisible world;-that it converted the God and Saviour of the Scriptures, and, with him, the mother of an incarnate Deity, and his early followers and martyrs, into so many ministers of fraud, licentiousness, vindictive passion, ambition, and avarice ;—that it consummated its regulated system of crime by the establishment of the Inquisition, a scheme of guilt and cruelty unparalleled among mankind; and the inventor of which attained the devilish pre-eminence of having been, individually, the cause of more human misery, than ever resulted from the bloody practices either of ancient or modern idolatry. As there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth; so, by analogy, there was joy in hell, when it was whispered in the councils of darkness that a professed disciple of Jesus Christ was plotting to support his cause, by inflicting upon the enemies of THE CHURCH lingering tortures and death! These are hard words; but I write them with entire deliberation. It lies upon the very surface of history, since the maturity of the Papal conspiracy, that these hard words are those of truth and soberness. If at this present time, and during the suspension of a more cruel policy, the court of Rome continues to countenance the impious ceremonies practised by the Papal populace*; if it connives at the vulgar notions of the efficacy of the mass, penance, absolution, and extreme unction; if it does these things from a secret knowledge that they are essential to the existence of its supremacy -thus pandering, upon a settled system, to the depraved taste of its adherents-it is an insult to the common sense of mankind, and at the same time inexpressibly perfidious to the souls of men, to bring forward a smooth explanation of the abstract doctrines of Romanism; as though even the purest creed could expunge the crimes of its professors! Yet this has re *The descriptions of these, by such eye-witnesses as the authors of The Diary of an Invalid,' Rome in the Nineteenth Century,' and the Classical Tour' though Mr. Eustace is an avowed advocate of the abominations so brilliantly disguised by the touches of his pencil-are assumed, except in the last instance, to be quite correct. Indeed, they have never been called in question; but, on the contrary, regarded as far short of the truth. The entire system cannot be described; and the reader of Mr. Blanco White's book must be sensible of the restrictions imposed upon a witness, who has seen what he dare not detail.As to what may be observed of Popery at home, it is like looking at a wolf through the bars of a menagerie. In relation to its guilt, it is catching a distant view of the Palais Royale. cently been done in the Declaration of the Roman-Catholic Bishops; and it was done long ago by Bossuet, whose book is little better than an unblushing attempt to render truth and falsehood convertible terms. If, however, the principle were once admitted, that men are to be acquitted or condemned according to the integrity of their opinions, the very swindler, who holds up his hand at the Old Bailey, might defy all his prosecutors, and on the score that, whatever were his actions, he had composed a work on the elements of moral science, which would convince scepticism itself of his innocence and love of honesty. This would be, in fact, his appeal to his principles, the declaration of his faith; and, of course, his prosecutors must, in such case, either withdraw the indictment, or, otherwise, persist in the trial in the face of the most veritable confession ever presented to human examination. For the recoil of many of the preceding accusations, the writer, as a Protestant, must prepare himself and his associates. This he will do hereafter; and in the attitude, not of a defendant, but of a confessor. In one of the deepest strains of Cowper's moral music, he recommends peace among the nations, on the ground of their common fellowship in sorrow :— Sure there is need of social intercourse, We, therefore, the adherents, whether of the Catholic or Reformed communion, ought to cultivate mutual sympathy, on account of our being severally partakers of the guilt diffused among us all. Accordingly, in the present critical state of the Protestant earth, they who dwell there, and more especially the members of the northern and southern Establishments of Great Britain, should remember the obligation imposed on them, by their own anti-papal formularies, to put to silence, by well-doing, the ignorance of foolish men; and, by such arts of conciliation, to attempt the restoration of peace among the belligerents of the Christian world. We have long since struck adversaries dumb, by speaking and by writing well. What remains to be effected is, to illustrate our doctrine by holiness of life. The public confessions of both churches are monuments of theological wisdom, although, in some points, not coincident with each other; at best, imperfect, and exposed to imputations of inconsistency. But one spirit animates both; and this is acknowledged by separatists, who secede on other grounds; as, for example, those of discipline, alliance with the state, and the use of liturgical books. We, of the sister churches, loudly boast of creeds and rituals expurgated from the feculence and harlotry of Babylon. Therefore should our conduct be equally stainless; purified from all the legalized wickedness of the deserted hierarchy, and recalling the plea of certain of the early Christians: Non magna eloquimur, sed vivimus. If, indeed, an embassy were sent from Rome to ascertain what we were, the legate should properly be referred to the change wrought in public manners by the influence of the national faith. This would be in perfect accordance with the reply made by Jesus Christ to the disciples of his pre |