foundation upon which the infallible authority of the self-styled universal bishop of Rome is based. I ask, is it not founded upon the sand, of which our Saviour speaks in his gospel? I repeat it, to call the Pope, "God on earth," is blasphemy so monstrous, that even Satan himself, cunning as he is, could not invent a greater profanation of the name of God, or assume greater pretentions, or manifest a more infernal spirit, or teach a more obnoxious and criminal doctrine than this.

AVARICE, THE CORNER STONE OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.

.

That avarice is another foundation of the church of Rome, and the corner stone of the whole popish edifice, is not difficult to prove. It was Boniface VIII. who begun the traffic of indulgences and forgivness of sins. It was he, who declared that his bulls had the power of law, and were received in Purgatory in favor of souls. To amass greater treasures, the Pope sells dispensations of degrees [forbidden by the law of God,] and sanctions marriage even among the nearest relations. The bulls of bishops, arch-bishops, and cardinal

hats are dearly sold. Is it surprising, that Sixtus IV usually said, "as long as we have a pen and ink to write, money will not fail."

Let us only open the volumes of the history of papal Rome, and we will find that at the time, when England was yet under her yoke, the preaching of crusades against the infidels, and the promises of the remission of all sins, was the order of the day, the draining of England's money was carried on as voraciously as a leech, drawing blood from the veins; such was the constant practice of the popes. Justly therefore, did Pope Boniface call England, "his inexhaustable treasury."

Let us look to Germany, where Tetzel peddled Indulgences by order of the Pope Leo X. The avarice of the Roman Pontiffs reached such a height, that the princes in Germany could no longer endure, and the monarchs no longer countenance it. It was not Luther who caused the protestation against the corruptions of the church of Rome, it was the avarice of Leo X. which provoked it, and accelerated the glorious Reform'ation. With all these historical facts before him, will an enlightened Roman Catholic buy indulgences? Will he continue to shut his eyes

against the gospel truth? Will he make the avarice of the court of Rome the foundation of his soul's salvation? "O, how are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished.""

MORAL CORRUPTION OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.

What can be expected of a church, which is founded upon ambition, usurpation and avarice? Is it not certain, that she will even fall deeper into the abyss of error, and abandon herself to all manner of corruption? Such is the actual state of the church of Rome.

Let us examine the lives of the popes, who governed that church. from the moment she began to degenerate from her ancient purity, and we shall find events, which scarcely have a parallel in the history of heathen Rome, and which must fill every moral mind with disgust and horror.

John XI. governed the church of Rome towards the tenth century,2 and was the natural son of pope Sergius. His debauched life correspond

'Samuel chap. i. v. 27.

2Baronius vita Pontificis ad annum 931,

ed with his illegitimate origin. Baronius calls him, "a monster of iniquity."

John XII. who succeeded that monster, was not more than eighteen years of age when he occupied his place, and was in no respect better than his predecessor, and even Baronius' speaks of him with execration and horror. As my object is however, not to offer at present, any extensive work on Popery, I can only refer my readers to those authors who have written, the lives of the Popes, as Luitprand, Siegbert, Platina, Onuphre and Baronius. The latter characterizes John XII. as a gambler, whore-monger, swearer, Sabbath-breaker, blood-thirsty, and a man capable of all iniquities. That great historian assures us that his death was in conformity with his life; that he died in the midst of debauchery and violent agitations of the devil. It is really presumptuous to attempt to prove, that such men were chosen by the Holy Spirit, as infallible heads of his blood-bought church.

A certain Boniface poisoned two others, in order to become their successor; and Benedict IX. was not more than ten years old, when he was raised to the seat of Peter, by the bloody faction

'Baronius vita pontiff ann. 955.

of his father, who [as Baronius says,] was a monster sitting upon the chair of St. Peter.There were periods, when we had three popes at the same time, and each excommunicating the others. Some [as we learn from history] have been murderers, adulterers, simoniacs, perjurers, and guilty of every crime imaginable. To say, that these were chosen by the Holy Ghost to be the infallible heads of his true church, is in reality saying, that Jesus Christ had chosen the infernal princes to announce his gospel, and appointed his santanic majesty as his successor to dispense the truth of his church.

Who can persuade himself that God had chosen pope Hildebrand, and such like profligates, who had been sold to iniquity, as organs of the 'Holy Spirit and Vicars of Christ? But why need I speak of a period before the reformation? Go, reader, go to Rome now, enter within the so-called metropolis of the Catholic church, and you will find every evening, [as soon as it is dark] carri-. ages of cardinals and bishops, before different houses, not indeed before palaces, where the noble lady resides, but before the humble dwelling of the citizens, where their eminences and my lord bishops spend the evening with their respec