ON THE INCREASING STRIDES OF POPERY.

VINCENT of Lerins is no where proved so true in his rule, quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus, as in the means which the Papists have invariably, in all countries, and under every denomination of their priesthood, employed to disseminate the apostate doctrines of their Church. The rapid increase of Romanism throughout the country, the idea fondly cherished by foreign Papists that England is again about to crouch beneath the sway of the Vatican, and be the spiritual puppet of the Pope, his cardinals, and polyonomous hierarchy; the unconstitutional conduct of the Ministry with respect to this Church, appetent of universal sway, both spiritual and temporal, unscrupulous as to the means of acquiring it, regardless of oaths, presumptuously deemed absolvable where policy finds the excuse for the infraction of them; the vile confederacy of Dissenters with these enemies of the very faith which they profess, and the apathy of too many in the Church, whilst the war-clarion is sounded without the walls of our Zion, and treachery is performing its ungodly and filthy work within them, separately, and in the aggregate, incite us to reiterate the alarm, and call our Israel to their tents.

The question oscillates not between liberality and illiberality, between toleration and bigotry: on the one hand it is, whether the mortal mother of Jesus Christ, born in the flesh, the saints of the New Testament, and the canonized human beings regarded as saints and almost apotheosized, are fit subjects for our prayers; whether indulgences and other things contrary to the spirit of Christianity, are to be admitted as sound parts of Christianity; and whether traditions and doctrines, which have no foundation in the Word of God, are to be accepted as co-equal in authority with the inspired precepts: on the other hand it is, whether such a religion, one so foully apostatized from scriptural simplicity and orthodoxy, shall be permitted to make its self-assumed claims a mask for worldly cupidity, secular power, and unrestrainable tyranny over both body and soul?

When, as in a recent instance, we find a clergyman labouring to prove to his congregation that the words in 1 Tim. iv. 1-2-3, may not be explained by the errors of the Church of Rome, which had not apostatized from the faith once delivered to the saints, but had kept it, BECAUSE THE CHURCH OF ROME HAD RETAINED THE ESSENTIALS OF CHRISTIANITY, although it had fallen into the grossest idolatry, can we fail to notice the influence which this hierarchy is seeking to gain among the members of our communion, and the false reasoning which virtually admits the fact, which is denied, and disproves the words of the Apology? When we recollect, likewise, the attempt not long since made by a Popish priest to obtain the cure of one of our parishes, by false representations to the incumbent, can we be blind to the all-various arts which are employed by this party?

The scriptural canon is, that we should judge the tree by its fruits: so judging the Roman Catholics, we find our assertions verified by an immense mass of evidence. The man of sin, who was to sit in the Temple of God, shewing himself as God-the Vicarius Dei, as the Pope styles himself, would hardly enthrone himself in this profane majesty, or affect this representation of Deity, without at least assuming some Christian externals, without at least asserting and enforcing some of the essentials of Christianity; consequently, the adoption of essentials is an insufficient reason to detach the accredited interpretation from the prophecy. The Church of Rome may hold sound doctrines; but does it therefore follow that it may not hold unsound creeds and unsound doctrines together with them? The Breviary and other books evince, that, if it be sound in parts, it is unsound in others: thus, particular soundness is no evidence of universal; and the nature of the unsound portions of its belief clearly demonstrates it to be apostate. The Pharisees, indeed, believed the Word of God; but they made it of no effect through their traditions: they worshipped God; but they worshipped him in vain : because they taught for doctrines the commandments of men. Are not the cases parallel-at least they are in these respects: for, like the apostate Jews of old, the Papists fear God, but worship graven images !

The same preacher to whom we have alluded, attempts, in an equally inconsequential manner, to turn away the interpretation of other parts of the prophecy from Popery, just as some writers of the Oriel-school have endeavoured to do before him. All these approximations to this most dangerous Church, which Monsieur Jurieux rightly calls la plus intolerante de toutes les sectes Chretiennes, we view with great aversion; and cannot avoid foreseeing that the nearer we are brought in our formularies and opinions to it, the easier and the more imperceptible will be the transition to it. The artful nature of the attempt, the manner in which it has been conducted, the plain object to which it is directed, have all the appearance of Jesuitical intrigue: and when it is recollected that on some occasions Jesuits have affected to belong to Churches which they account heretical, and have, to a certain extent, animadverted on Romanism so as to lull suspicion, and have an opportunity of enticing away proselytes, when it might suit them to display their real character, we cannot be accused of indulging suspicion to too great a degree.

The confession of faith which the Jesuits imposed on their Hungarian converts, which was made known to the Protestant Germans by J. W. Dieck, and was, some years back, translated in one of our newspapers, shows more of the horrible tendency of their creed than a hundred attacks by its enemies could have revealed. As it is not sufficiently known in this country, we insert it for the benefit of our readers :

CONFESSION OF FAITH.

1. We believe and confess, that under the peculiar care of our high authorities, both spiritual and civil, we have, by the diligence and aid of the Rev.

Fathers, the Jesuits, been brought from the heretical way and faith to the true Roman Catholic and saving one, and that we have embraced the same voluntarily, and without any compulsion. We now make our public confessions to the world with our mouth and with our tongue.

2. We confess and believe, that the Pope of Rome is the head of the Church, and that HE CANNOT ERR.

3. We confess and believe, that THE POPE OF ROME IS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF CHRIST, AND HAS FULL POWER TO FORGIVE AND TO RETAIN SIN ARBITRARILY,

AND TO CAST INTO HELL AND TO EXCOMMUNICATE WHOMSOEVER HE PLEASES.

4.

We confess, that every new thing instituted by the Pope, whether it be contained in the Scriptures or not, whatsoever he has commanded, is true, divine, and saving, which the common man has to value more than the commandments of the living God.

5. We confess, that THE MOST HOLY POPE IS TO BE HONOURED BY EVERY ONE WITH DIVINE HONOUR, AND WITH THE PROFOUNDEST REVERENCE, JUST AS IT IS DUE TO THE LORD CHRIST HIMSELF.

6. We confess and maintain, that the Pope is to be heard by men in all things as a most holy father: hence, such heretics as live contrary to his institutions shall not only without any exception, and without any mercy, be destroyed by fire, but also be cast into hell, both body and soul.

7. We confess, that the reading of the Holy Scriptures is the cause of all corruptions and sects, and the fountain of blasphemy.

8. We confess, that the invocation of dead saints, worshipping their holy images, bending the knee before them, going to them in processions, clothing them, and lighting tapers before them, is holy, useful, and saving.

9. We confess, that saying mass for the dead, almsgiving, and praying, is profitable and saving.

10. We confess, that every priest is greater than the Mother of God, Mary herself, inasmuch as she brought forth the Lord Christ only once, and brings him forth no more: but a Roman priest sacrifices and creates the Lord Christ not only once, but whenever he pleases; yea, and after having created him he swallows him entirely.

11. We confess, that THE POPE AT ROME HAS POWER TO ALTER THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, AND TO ADD AND DIMINISH AS HE PLEASES.

12. We confess, that souls are, after death, purified in purgatory, and that the sacrifices of the mass, by the priests, afford them help to their deliverance. 13. We confess, that receiving the sacrament in one kind is good and saving, but in two kinds is heretical and damnable (or condemnable).

14. We confess and believe, that those who receive the holy sacrament in one kind, receive the whole Christ with body and blood, with his Godhead and his bones, though they use and eat the mere bread,

15. We confess, that there are seven true and real sacraments.

16. We confess, that God is worshipped in images, and that THROUGH THEM people know God.

17. We confess, that angels and men must esteem the Holy Virgin Mary higher than Christ the Son of God.

18. We confess, that the Holy Virgin Mary is Queen of Heaven, who governs together with the Son, and according to whose will the Son must do all.

19. We confess, that the BONES OF SAINTS have great virtue in themselves, on account of which THEY MUST BE WORSHIPPED BY MEN, AND CHAPELS MUST BE

BUILT FOR THEM,

As,

20. We confess, that the Roman faith is the Catholic one, is unadulterated, divine, saving, primitive, and true; but that the Evangelical, [that is, the Protestant], which we have voluntarily renounced, is false, erroneous, blasphemous, cursed, heretical, pernicious, seditious, wicked, fictitious, and invented. therefore, the Roman religion, as of one kind, is thoroughly and perfectly good and saving, we curse all those who have introduced to us this opposing and wicked heresy of two kinds. WE CURSE OUR PARENTS, who brought us up to this heretical faith. We CURSE, likewise, those who made the Roman Catholic faith doubtful and suspicious to us; and we CURSE those who administered to us the cursed cup. Yea, we CURSE ourselves, and call us cursed, because we made ourselves partakers of this cursed heretical cup, out of which it is not lawful to drink.

21. We confess, that the HOLY SCRIPTURES ARE IMPERFECT AND A DEAD LETTER, WITHOUT THE EXPLANATION OF THE POPE AT ROme, and his pERMISSION TO READ THEM.

22. We confess, that one mass of a Roman priest for a soul is of much more use than a hundred and more Evangelical sermons. And hence we CURSE all those books which we have read, and in which the heretical and blasphemous doctrine is contained. We CURSE, likewise, all our own works which we have done whilst living in this heretical faith, lest peradventure we might merit anything by them at the last judgment before God. All this we do with an upright mind, and confirm, by a public renunciation of the heretical doctrine in the presence of the Reverend Father, in the presence of the very learned gentlemen, of the venerable matrons, of the young men and young women, that the Roman Church in these and similar articles, is the true one. Moreover, we swear that as long as we live we will never any more turn again to these heretical doctrines of two kinds, even if we should not be under any restraint. WE ALSO SWEAR, THAT SO LONG AS WE HAVE A DROP OF BLOOD IN OUR BODY, WE WILL PERSECUTE THIS CURSED EVANGELICAL DOCTRINE, AND ERADICATE IT, SECRETLY AND PUBLICLY, VIOLENTLY AND DECEITFULLY, WITH WORDS AND WITH DEEDS, THE SWORD NOT EXCLUDED. Finally, we SWEAR, before God, before the holy angels, and before you here present, that in case of a change (in Church or State) we will never, either from fear or complaisance, depart from this saving Roman Catholic and Divine Church, nor turn again to, or embrace the cursed Evangelical heresy.

What can we think of a Church which claims an inerrant head, who arrogates to himself the honour of being Christ's representative, and the power of arbitrarily forgiving or retaining sins, and thrusting whom he pleases into hell-whose commands are to be accounted divine, whether they be consistent or inconsistent with the Scriptures, who, also, exacts the same homage and reverence as our Saviour? What of a Church which accounts the Scriptures the cause of heresies, and calls them imperfect and a dead letter without the Pope's explanation and permission to read them, and which gives to the Pope the power of altering them as he pleases, of adding to them, and taking from them? What inference must we draw, when we read that the Virgin Mary is the Queen of Heaven, governing conjointly with her Son, according to whose will the Son must do all, and that she must be esteemed higher than Christ the Son of God; yet, that every priest is greater than herself, because he has the power of sacrificing, creating, and swallowing Christ, whenever he pleases; but that every priest, much more the Pope, is greater than the Son of God, and therefore fulfils the prophecy respecting HIM who should exalt himself

above God? How can any of us be found to abet an insidious and organized body which enjoins that parents be cursed, which swears to PER

SECUTE, ERADICATE SECRETLY AND PUBLICLY, VIOLENTLY AND DECEITFULLY, WITH WORDS AND WITH DEEDS, THE SWORD NOT EXCLUDED, all those who differ from it and oppose it? How far do those differ from madmen who assist it in gaining the ascendancy?

Is there a Christian who has read his Bible, that can justify this Confession of Faith by his Bible? Should there, then, be one in the land who should seek to entice the unwary to an approach to this sect? Past ages have certified us what the Romanists will do what they then did they will again do, if they shall acquire the power. Who forgets that on the apprehension of Dr. Parry, for attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth the absolution from the intended murder, by Pope Gregory XIII., was found in his pocket? and who is not aware, that in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, an absolution from murders by wholesale may be seen? Yet, this is the Church to which many would trust; this is the Church whose experienced violence has not deterred thousands from seeking to enable it to commence again its violent career. Every art that perverse ingenuity can devise to enthral us again under its yoke of bondage is employed: the full and complicated machinery of Popery is in rapid action: missionary-priests swarm over the country, seeking, as wolves, whom they may devour the insignia of Antichrist are attempted to be raised in our Churches; monasteries, colleges, cathedrals, and chapels, are, as it were, instantaneously rising, where, a few years since, no Papist could be found; and the dread confessional is performing its hideous task. Popish priests intrude themselves into our prisons; and females, indecorously veiling their proper shame in fanaticism, aspire to join the proselyting phalanx, indecently seeking access to the cells of the imprisoned, that, by blandishments and the persuasive lures of their sex, they may estrange from the Protestant faith those who are writhing under the sentences of the law!

:

Where are the oaths of the Emancipation Act?-broken with more than Punic perjury! Where is the national sense of insult?-prostrated in radical debasement! Should not, then, Protestants join in one mighty body to defend their religion for which martyrs bled, and, careless of Hume and his Orange-fears, cement an union through the realm, which may be capable of efficiently opposing the approaching evils? To the treacherous Protestants who aid the Romanists, especially and emphatically to the Oxonian party, we say, in the words of Horace

Injurioso ne pede proruas

Stantem columnam; neu populus frequens
Ad arma cessantes, ad arma

Concitet, Imperiumque frangat.

Lib. i. Ode 35. v. 13.