instead of to the apostles, drink ye all the wine of

it, and the word shed, applying to the New Tes tament, instead of to the blood of Christ, is absurd and laughable even to a beginner of the Greek language; people who have Calmet and other ex pounders of the Scriptures, who teach the Greek in schools, should they not know that (testament) is feminine, and aa (blood) is neutre gender? It is impossible, it must be a wilful and deliberate deception. In addition to that, I found no sacred vestment; no crossings; no evò lutions whatever; no breathing on the cup; nb mass in the Bible; whom should I believe, the Bible or the church of Rome?-certainly the Bi ble. My Roman Catholic brethren see, that it is not the spirit of Protestantism, or criticism, which induces me to write, but to call forth a spirit of investigation from the hearts of my dear Roman Catholic friends, is the only object.

Though disappointed in my expectations, though the Bible contradicted the councils and the whole church, still it was impossible for me to make up my mind, and to decide against the church. Therefore I continued the investigation with regard to the PRAYERS, being an essential part of the mass; in the hope that the church and the Bible would in that point agree. Here is the result of it.

But this man (Christ) after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ev

At the oblation of the host, he prays: "Accept, O, Holy Father, Almighty and eter-er, sat down on the right nal God, this unspotted host which I, thy unworthy servant offer unto thee, my living and true God, for my innumerable sins," &c.

hand of God." Epist. Heb. c. x. v. 20.

"Christ was once of fered to bear the sins of many." Ep. Heb. c. ix.

v. 28.

The Church of Rome. Commemoration of the dead.

"Be mindful, O Lord, of thy servants who are before us with the gone sign of faith, and rest in sleep of peace. To these, O Lord, and to all that sleep in Christ, grant we beseech thee a place of refreshment, light and peace."

"Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world, give them eternal rest." Canon of the mass.

St. Peter's Chair.

"Neither is there salvation in any other (but Christ,) for there is none

other name under hea

"O Lord, who by delivering to the blessed apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven given among men ven, didst give him the whereby we must be saved." Acts c. iv. v.

power of binding and 12.
loosing, grant that by
his intercession, we may
be freed from the bonds
of our sins." Missal.
Roman.

Having found no passage in the Bible to support even the prayers of the mass, my faith be

gan to shake; my confidence in the sincerity of the church to diminish, and suspicion against spiritual tyranny awakened in my bosom. Now I know the reason why the reading of the Bible is forbidden, was the language of my heart, that the deception of priests might not be detected. My partiality to the church, and my prejudices lessened every day, and I became a more impartial inquirer after the truth of the gospel. So I could soon discern that the mass was not an institution of the primitive churches, but a priestly fabrication of the Lateran Council in the year 1214, and afterwards sealed with the thousand anathemas in the council of Trent. I evidently saw that if that doctrine had been the doctrine of the primitive churches, would the council of Trent have been obliged to introduce it with so many "Let him be accursed 2" Soon I discovered the shameful perversion of the Holy Bible, and the privation of the greatest of all privileges, the cup which the Lord gave to his disciples.

The consequence of all this was awful, I had no faith in the authority, and infallibility of the church; no confidence in the priests, but looked on them as spiritual tyrants. I became dissatisfied with myself for having been so ignorant, and

superstitious, that I for so long a time, believed a lie. The Scriptures I believed to be the inspired word of God, but it was a dead letter for me; L read the Scriptures not to edify myself, or to apply it to the state of my sinful heart, and troubled soul, but to find out the anti-biblical doctrines, and other anti-scriptural practices of the church of Rome; and after I had found new errors, I felt happy. In one word I was no Roman Catholic in heart, nor a real believer in the gospel of Christ; I was more a negative Deist, than a true Christian.

What was my surprise, when I made known my thoughts to some priests, my intimate friends, to find that they were rank infidels. With the Scriptures they were unacquainted; the doctrines of the church they considered as human fabrications; and the ceremonies as forms without the spirit of godliness. They mocked at and ridiculed things most sacred in the of a devoted papist; they laughed at the ignorance of the poor and deluded people, and often expressed contempt, even hatred against the spiritual tyrants. Such instances I witnessed many times. In Rome all is appearance and hypocrisy. But as soon as the heart can find another sincere heart, then the

eye