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example, those arbitrary and unnatural distinctions of caste which keep nine-tenths of the vast population of India in the most miserable state of degradation. The Jesuits can incur only deeper condemnation when confronted with examples of still higher authority. We do not find in the old Gospel that the founder of Christianity ever refused to mix with any, however poor and vile their condition in life might be, nor that he was ever deterred by motives of policy or pride from entering the abodes, or even laying his hands on the persons of those whose infirmities so far required his benevolent aid. Nor do we read that that Apostle who inculcated condescension "to men of low estate," was afraid of reminding the proud Brahmins of Athens that their blood was neither purer nor more divine than that of the meanest of their fellow creatures. But we cannot suppose that such antiquated records as these could supply any precedents for the imitation of Jesuits, whose proceedings uniformly evince that their missionary code was extracted from another and much newer Gospel. Of this we shall discover more striking indications when we come next to detail the medley of pagan rites and ceremonies which they both observed themselves and liberally permitted in their converts. QUISPIAM.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CONTROVERSY RECOMMENDED TO THE CLERGY.

"The proselyting spirit of the Church of Rome is now employed amongst us with a zeal and activity which meet with little counteraction, but from the good sense and general information of the age. At the same time, the bulky volumes of controversy which load the shelves of our public libraries, are become harmless on the one side and useless on the other. But well-written, compact, and tangible volumes, like the present,* are capable of no little mischief. The real merits of the question are comprehended by few; and he who is understood to have proved that, in the first centuries of the Christian æra, the doctrines and disciplines of our national Church were, with few exceptions, those of Rome, will also be understood to have, at least, authority and antiquity on his side. Meanwhile the unwary and uninformed will fail to perceive that there is, properly speaking, no authority where there is no inspiration, and that while the Catholic refers to the dark ages, the religion of Protestants appeals to the authority of the Apostles, and to the antiquity of the first century.

"While we are thus assailed from without, it is foolish to be squabbling about metaphysical and often unintelligible points of doctrine among ourselves. Let us unite to repel that enemy against whom Luther and Calvin were united. For this purpose, some short, clear, and popular refutation of the errors of the Church of Rome would have great effect. Of this kind we have nothing at present. The old version of Jewell's Apology would not be endured; and no man of taste or modesty would undertake to transfuse into a modern translation the vigour and graces, the indignant declamation, and heart-felt earnestness of the original. Both parties, we rejoice to say, have equal command of a free and unlicensed press; but in the mean time, we rejoice still

The Reviewer (Dr. Whittaker) is alluding to that exhibition of "flimsy sophistry, misapplied erudition, servile subjection of the understanding, and malignant bigotry," generally called "Lingard's Antiquities of the Saxon Church."

more in the reflection, that the Established Clergy have the ear of ninetenths of the people, and though they should ordinarily be employed on better things than routing Bellarmine and confounding Baronius,' yet clear and simple expositions of the scriptural principles of our own Church, confronted with the errors and absurdities of Popery, in places where the propagandists are at work, would be neither unseasonable nor ineffectual.

"In the present circumstances of the country, we cannot suppress our apprehensions that the watchmen slumber while the city is threatened. Death has indeed recently deprived us of many able men; but a proper stimulus, we are convinced, might even yet bring forward others, with talents not inadequate to the task at which we hinted. Great emergencies produce great abilities; but in common prudence, something short of the actual establishment of a religion like that of Rome, ought to arouse us; and, while its ministers, after a concealment of more than two centuries, obtrude themselves upon the public, and avow the wildest absurdities of the darkest ages, it surely concerns us to see that our countrymen are not deceived. The unread and almost unreadable volumes of our Reformers contain mines of precious materials, unwrought indeed, but capable of being moulded into symmetry and grace. Their qualifications were pertinacious industry and laborious accumulation : qualifications not then misplaced, for they had readers like themselves. If attention is now to be awakened, compression, brevity, arrangement, lively illustration, and elegance, will be necessary; such, however, are the attainments of the present race of scholars, that these attractions may be united with the utmost precision and severity of reasoniug. To men of such powers we earnestly recommend the Catholic controversy." -Quarterly Review, March, 1812. No. 13, p. 105-7.

RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

IRELAND.

INSTANCES OF JESUISTICAL CHI

CANERY.

From the Quarterly Extracts of the British
Reformation Society.

"I am extremely happy to hear that a Society has been established to promote the religious principles of the Reformation, and I shall always feel happy to afford the Committee any information in my power. The circumstances of

about which you desire to learn, are of such a peculiar nature that much is not to be expected there at once to follow the exertions which are making. You are aware that it is the very Pandemonium of Popery, and there is such a host of Priests to be combated and watched, through all their Jesuistical chicanery, that it

is only very slowly we can calculate upon making progress. My Rev. Brethren and I have seen so many attempts at imposition in nominal converts that we have felt it almost impossible to proceed one step for fear of being imposed on. The Priests have constantly sent persons to us feigning a desire to read their recantation without having intention of doing so.

"Though not officially connected with from my making myself troublesome as a tract distributor and a Secretary to the Bible Society, I was the chief mark at which all their attempts were levelled: I shall occupy your attention by one example of their manner of proceeding. A welldressed young man, like a Priest, waited on me one day to say that

having determined to renounce Popery he was referred to me; that he was a gentleman educated in

College; that he was a classical teacher of two or three languages; and that he would make a public renunciation, if I pleased; but that as his own friends would be so much exasperated with him for such an action, he should be thrown out of employment; and surely, said he, 'I cannot be left to starve,' leaving it open for me to make some offer for what seemed a most desirable convert. Suspecting him at once, I told him, that though glad to receive him, I feared he had been imposed on by the falsehoods of the Priests, who proclaimed from their altars that we were paying so much a head for converts; that it was totally untrue; and that we considered a man who would become a Protestant for a sum of money, would become a Turk if he got a little more. He denied that he expected any thing only not to be left to starve. But on finding I suspected him, and that I fully declared my mind on the subject both of the errors of Popery, and the unblushing falsehoods of the Priests in saying that a pecuniary reward was to be obtained, he wished me good morning. It afterwards appeared he was a decoy, sent from the college, to make a bold attempt at inducing me to offer something."

"You have no doubt frequently heard of Priests visiting sick Protestants; and taking advantage of the stupor antecedent to death, in order to attempt to proselytize them. I can mention a remarkable instance of this, which lately occurred in. A respectable female, who had grown blind from old age, was visited by a person, who introduced himself as a Protestant clergyman, paid her several visits, and read to her or conversed with her. For a long time she believed him to be what he professed; received him gladly, and was gratified for his visits. After a while, however, she

detected him, by his beginning to reason in defence of transubstantiation; and she then turned him out of the house. I dare say that this is by no means an uncommon occurrence, and had the old lady been less informed on religious subjects than she was; or had the Jesuit who attacked her in this truly insidious manner, been more cautious, it is by no means unlikely that she might have fallen a victim to his deep laid scheme. It failed, however, and has, I believe, put many families in very much on their guard. There have, however, I am sorry to say, been several instances in - and its neighbourhood of these nominal conversions, occasioned by Priests coming to death-beds, and getting permission to administer the 'Viatica' to people in a state of insensibility.

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"As for conversions of Protestants to Popery, they are in almost all cases effected by some Popish relations bringing in the Priest in the last extremity of sickness, in many instances without the consent of the parties, or, after he or she has become incapable of making a rational choice."

EAGER DESIRE FOR THE SCRIPTURES.

From the Twenty-first Report of the Hibernian Bible Society.

In answer to the objection, that there is an unwillingness on the part of the people to receive the Scriptures, the Report of the Kingscourt Auxiliary observes:

"It has been said, the people will not take the Bible. This is not the fact; they will take itthey demand it; they will not only take it, but even from their hardgot earnings they will most cheerfully purchase it. Such is the anxiety at present to read the Holy Scriptures, that many have come to this very village, the distance of 20 and 27 miles, to buy that sacred book. It is not many months since a number of persons in a remote part of the country, nearly 30 miles from Kingscourt, raised

a sum of money amongst them. selves, procured a horse, and deputed a man to come here to get a supply of the Holy Scriptures. Here we theorise not, but state facts-and facts known to several respectable persons who are now present at this meeting."

The Associations in connection with the Leitrim Auxiliary are reported to continue effective, notwithstanding many and serious difficulties. The Return states, that at present there is a great spirit of inquiry abroad, and that such has been the anxiety of some of the poor people to possess a Bible, that they have offered labour in payment. In reference to the beneficial effects that may have resulted from the society's operations, the following passage occurs :

"A more general knowledge of the Scriptures exists since the establishment of Bible Societies in this county. There have been many instances of persons, who, on being asked if they ever heard the word of God, have declared that they did not. This is not now generally the case."

The following very interesting statement, relative to the desire for the Irish Scriptures, and the demand for them which is likely to exist, is contained in the Annual Return of the Youghal Auxiliary:

"A large number of persons, amounting to some thousands, are now engaged in this neighbourhood, and in the County of Waterford, adjacent to Youghal, in either reading or preparing to read the Scriptures in the Irish language and character. They are occupied in this way every evening after work, and on Sundays. The consequence has been, that card-playing, the ale-house, &c. have been given up; and we trust that, in the course of time, the most bene

ficial effects will, under the Divine blessing, be the happy result. The strongest opposition has been given, but hitherto without effect. The affections of the people have been engaged by giving them the Scriptures in the language they understand. They seem quite convinced that they have been dealt with fairly, and see now no reason why they should be precluded from searching the Scriptures themselves. The scholars consist of individuals of all ages: more, however, than two-thirds are adults-some from 50 to 70 years of age."

It has been generally found, that wherever the Irish Testament has been introduced, a desire has been created for possessing an English Testament, and ultimately an English Bible with marginal references. In Kingscourt, in the County of Cavan, in consequence of the circulation of the Irish Testament, such an anxiety for the English Scriptures was excited, that not less than 360 copies were distributed by the Auxiliary Bible Society there during the first year of its existence. These were chiefly sold; and many of the peasantry (some of them day-labourers) paid so high as four shillings for a copy of the Bible with marginal references. A member of the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, being present at the First Anniversary of the Auxiliary, in September last, was so strongly convinced of the importance of supplying the demand on cheaper terms, that, on application being made, a large number of Bibles were transmitted to the Kingscourt Auxiliary by your Committee; and the poor in that interesting place will now be enabled to have their family Bibles in the English language, on terms suited to their circumstances.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS, &c.

We have received a pamphlet entitled a "Short Address, &c." and should be glad to be favoured with the Author's address.

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