successor. Risking all the consequences, he will, most likely, offer a sceptre to the infant King of Rome, whose little hands have, as yet, only swayed a rattle.

It has ever been an object with the Romanists, to endeavour to serve their own religion by inflaming the unhappy disputes of Protestants amongst themselves. Popery was busied for many years, not only in directly opposing Protestantism, but by breaking in pieces the bond of union amongst the professors of the reformed religion, and making them jealous of each other. Camden (Annales Elizabethæ, A. D. 1569), says, that "while Harding, Sanders, and others, attacked our church on one side; Coleman, Button, Hallingham, Benson and others, were as busy. on the other; who, under the pretence of a purer reformation, opposed the discipline, Liturgy, and calling of our Bishops, as approaching too near to the Church of Rome.' One of the ingenious pieces of advice given to Young, by Signior Ballarini, concerning the best way of managing the Popish interest in England, upon King Charles II's Restoration was this: " to make appear, underhand, how near the doctrine, worship, and discipline of the Church of England comes to us [the Papists]: at how little distance their common-prayer is from our mass; and that the wisest and ablest men of that way, are so moderate, that they would willingly come over to us, or, at least, meet us half way; hereby the more stayed men will become more odious, and others will run out of all religion for fear of Popery." Now this was exactly conceived in the spirit of what is now called Jacobinism; to make men dissatisfied with the established order of things; and to introduce the principles of disorganization. Partial as Rome is to Episcopacy, she would willingly have destroyed it amongst the English Protestants, and priesthood too, in the hope of recovering her own supremacy, during the prevalence of the confusions which must have ensued. At least Cardinal Barberini said so, in the hearing of a witness who testified the fact to Bishop Stillingfleet (at that time Dean of St. Paul's). His expression was: "I could be contented there were no Priests in England, so there were no Bishops ;"-" for then," adds Stillingfleet," their work would do itself."* Now this is ecclesiastical jacobinism. The artifices of Rome have but too well succeeded. The English Protestants are a disunited people. Many of them believe the lies propagated by the emissaries of Rome. Some of them espouse the cause of the very men who delight in seeing them divided, and feel satisfaction in contemplating aloof the success of their own schemes. They cry up liberality to the skies. The

See the Preface to Stillingficet's Unreasonableness of Separation, pages ix, xiv, xxi,

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Papists will be very happy to obtain their ends by means of Protestant liberality. The Papists abound with liberality, and have a most scrupulous regard for tender consciences! Do our worthy fellow countrymen know that the mode of insinuating Popery into any country, has been reduced to a system? Stillingfleet (page xix.) quotes the Jesuit Contzens, who particularly prescribes three rules for this precious purpose. That it be done under a pretence of ease to tender consciences, which will gain a reputation to the prince, and not seem to be done from his own inclination, but out of kindness to his people. 2. That when liberty is granted, then the parties be forbid to contend with each other; for that will make way the more easily for one side to prevail, and the prince will be commended for his love of peace. 3. That those who suspect the design, and preach against it, be traduced as men that preach very unseasonable doctrine, that they are proud, self-opiniators, and enemies to peace and union." We cannot wonder at the way in which some of the steady friends of Protestantism have been railed at of late; we cannot wonder any longer at the epithets which have been applied to them-Protestant bigots—c.-This is a part of the system, which was never more fully carried into effect than in these our days. Many Protestants, afraid of the imputation of bigotry, join in the cry against those of their brethren who deserve their best thanks. Since the era of the Revolution, never has Popery been more audacious in its pretences, or more intemperate in its language, than at present. An ignorant maa might be led to believe that Popery has never, at any time, been tyrannical, never intolerant; that it never made war on common sense; that it never fabricated a miracle; that it never garbled holy writ; mistranslated Scripture to serve a purpose; prohibited the use of the Bible to the bulk of the people; set the Apocrypha on a level with canonical Scripture, and explained both by vague tradition; that it never falsified the page of history; that it never trenched on civil liberty; that it never trampled on the necks of Kings; that it never absolved subjects from their allegiance to lawful Sovereigns; that it never anathematized both people and princes; that it never pretended to give away kingdoms, and to dispose of the surface of the globe at its pleasure; that it never erected the tribunal of the inquisition; that it never employed the rack; and that, in England, it never attempted the horrible enterprize of blowing up the King and the Parliament, by means of gunpowder. An ignorant man might be induced to believe that the Papists have been grossly traduced; that they are innocent sufferers; and that whoever opposes their claims, must be a stranger to liberality of sentiment. If this be the case, we fear that there men who must be classed with the ignorant.-This is,

are many

unhappily, but too true. The arts of Popery have prevailed too far. The Komanists have attained a degree of popularity. Many of the descendants of their ancient opponents, now fight their battles. The Protestants are become disunited! and that has happened in our days which our fathers would have counted a prodigy,-professors of the reformed religion no longer deem it necessary to repress the growth of Popery. The Papists have carried things further than they once even ventured to hope; they have not only contrived to set Protestant against Protestant, and sow the seeds of disunion amongst them; but they have gained over a very large number of Protestants to their side. At least they have contrived to lull them into neutrality. We here beg leave to appeal to the whole country, whether we have not, from the commencement of our labours, called on Protestants, of all denominations, to make common cause with us. We acknowledge that we are members of the Established Church; but we have ever been accustomed to look with brotherly eyes on all churches, and all classes of Christians, which have cleared themselves from the corruptions of the Church of Rome. Little did we expect that the Church of England should be left to contend almost single-handed against the Papists, re inforced as they have been to a certain degree with some formidable alliances which they have contrived to make amongst the Dissenters. If any classes of non-conformists join the Papists in the attempt to obtain a repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts; they must be very short-sighted if they do not see what the necessary effects of giving power to the Papists must be. If the Protestant ascendancy be overturned, they cannot expect to gain by it. They must be crushed in the common ruin of Protestantism. The Papists praise them to the skies at present; they are the only friends of freedom; they are the liberal assertors of the natural rights of mankind! Can the Protestant Dissenters be so easily gulled? In a state of civil society, there must be a surrender of many natural rights; and when the laws of religion and society are combined together, so as not to be separated, as is ever the case among Christians; mankind are still farther removed from a state of nature. But supposing the Papists here, or in Ireland, or in both countries, to gain the ascendancy, what will be the consequence? What have Protestants to expect from those who class with Heretics, and consign to damnation all who are out of the pale of the Romish Church. In this case, the Protestant non-conformists will soon suffer under disabilities and penalties, compared to which the Test Laws will be as nothing. They will find the little finger" of the Papists, "heavier than the loins" of their brethren who are members of the establishment; if they complain of " the yoke" now laid on them they will find that of the Papists incomparably" heavier;" a yoke

indeed which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear. If they think themselves exposed at present to the lash of the law, how will they wince under the scorpions" with which the Papists will scourge them?-They are forming a dangerous alliance. It has a shew of something desirable, conciliation or peace; but it is no more than a vain “ shadow of good things to come," and can only end in the most galling bondage to the conciliators and pacificators themselves. Our non-conformist brethren truckling to the Papists, are much in the situation of the continental powers who have entered into treaty with Buonaparte. The Austrian's were jealous of the Prussians, the Prussians hated the Dutch, and the Austrians detested the Brabanters. The Bavarians were the old allies of France, and promised themselves great advantages in being set above the other states of Germany, and securing the favour and protection of the great nation. There was not a petty prince who did not hope to be raised to the rank of an elector; there was not an elector who did not expect to exchange his electoral cap for a royal diadem. They all looked for the removal of disqualifications, and the impartition of rights, privileges, and immunities. The world has never witnessed such a mass of disappointed ambition. Their mutual jealousies produced universál rain. They, who should have made common cause against the common enemy, have been subjugated in detail. They, who once possessed independence, and ranked as sovereigns of free nations, are now humbled in the dust. Some of the princes have obtained crowns ;-but what relief gave the crowns which they wore, to the fatigues of the harnessed kings who once drew the chariot of Sesostris ?--The Protestant Dissenters should be the last people in Britain who should promote Roman Catholic ascendancy; the Papists can never cordially associate with them; if the Romanists cannot endure the episcopal Church of England, is it possible to conceive that they will tolerate any Christians who disown; or dislike, church government by bishops? What advantage can the Presbyterians, Independents, or Anabaptists propose to themselves, by endangering the Established Church, in setting free the Papists from legal restraints? and if the main body of the Protestant Dissenters may not hope for toleration, acknowledging two sacraments; what may the Quakers expect, who solemnize no sacrament at all?

It has long been a practice with the Roman Catholics to instigate Protestant against Protestant, as we have observed. Hence some of our brethren, who have endeavoured to carry things to an extreme, and to reform the Reformation itself, have been accustomed to impute to the Established Church, too great a resemblance to Popery. That the Church acknowledges three orders amongst those who are set apart to "minister in

holy things," namely, bishops, priests, and deacons, must not be allowed to furnish matter of impeachment against her, because the Papists recognize them also. Whatever the Church of Rome retains, either in discipline er doctrine, derived from the usage or the recorded precedents of the inspired Apostles, must be good. The Reformers of our National Church gave an illustrious example of their moderation and sound sense, in retaining whatever has the sanction of the primitive Christians, although adopted by the Romish Church. Will ingenuous minds condemn our Church because she resembles that of Rome in copying the apostolic forms? Would to God that Rome had never gone beyond them! and blessed be Providence that the re-founders of our ancient British Church respected, revered, and adopted them!-The Church of Christ, established in this country, has been said to resemble the Church of Rome. Does it resemble it in the denial of toleration? In claiming exclusive salvation for its members? Our Church admits that out of the Church of Christ there can be no safety; whereas the Romish Church allows salvation to none but those of her own communion, confining the term Catholic Church to the particular Church of Rome. The Liturgy of the Church of England is formed on the model of the most ancient Liturgies of the Christian Church; it is no way disfigured by the load of ceremonies under which the Papists have buried primitive simplicity; and is not deformed by the vain repetitions to be found in the Romish services, or by the idolatrous invocation of the departed spirits of those holy men of God, who, when alive, rejected divine honors with sensible horror. The Church of England styles the Virgin Mary "blessed;" but it does not address her to intercede with God for sinful men; because there is but one mediator between God and man, and because she has not the attributes of omniscience and omnipotence, without which no being can hear or grant the petitions of millions of worshippers in millions of places, at one and the same point of time. The Church of England believes that Jesus Christ was once offered to take away the sins of the whole world; but she does not pretend to create a Saviour, nor yet to offer him up day by day; as the Papists audaciously pretend to do, and presume to attempt, in what they call the Sacrifice of the Mass-Where is then this resemblance, which some people have found out, between the Church of England and the Church of Rome-No; we repel the imputation. We are steady Prótestants. No men in the world are firmer opposers of the tyranny of the Pope, or sincerer ADVOCATES for liberty of conscience opposed to the proud claim of Popish Infallibility, than the members of the Church of England.-What class of men in the country resists the claims of the Romanists more decidedly than the Church-of-England-men withstand them? Her Clergy have distinguished themselves most gloriously. Her Dioceses, her Arch