What can be a greater absurdity than, that THE PRIEST IS MADE SUPERIOR TO CHRIST? For not only is he made the creator of the Son of God, but he is so, when and where he pleases. It is sufficient that the priest puts on an alb, a stole and a manipulum and repeats the words of consecration over any piece of bread and it is changed into the body, soul and divinity of Christ. And as the offering up of the sacrifice depends on the intention of the priest, so Christ may or may not be presented to God for the living and the dead, just as the priest decides. Thus, in both points of view, the priest is made much superior to Christ, and if this is regarded as the calumny of a Protestant, I will cite the words of their own writers. Thus Gabriel Biel, says, "whoever saw anything like this? He that created me (if I may say so) hath given me power to create him, and he that hath created me is created by my means.' Hence he tells us of the great dignity of the priesthood. Passing by the bands of angels, let us come to the queen of heaven and lady of the world. The same, though in plenitude of grace, goes beyond all the creatures, yet she yields

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'Lect. de Missa (citante Du Moulin.)

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to the hierarchs of the church, (i. e. the priests,) in the execution of the mystery committed unto them.'

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"Incredible things! (says Peter de Besse,) but yet true, that the power of priests is so great and their excellency so noble, that heaven depends on them. Joshua stopped the sun, but these stop Christ being in heaven, in the midst of an altar. The creature obeyed the first, but the Creator obeys the last. The sun obeyed the one, and God the others, as often as they pronounce the sacred words."2

This indeed is very strange language for the ear of a Protestant, but the Roman Catholics look upon the priests as something like God. Yea, they refer to him much more than to the true God.

Under this head I will refer to some of the absurdities of the missal used by the priests, some of which I now cite.

"Si Hostia consacrata despareat, vel casu aliquo ut vento, aut miraculo, vel ab aliquo animali accepta et nequeat reperiri, tunc altera consecretur ab eo loco incipiendo qui, &c.

'Fourth Lesson upon the Canon of the Mass.

*Besse chap. II. on the Royal Priesthood.

"If the consecrated host should disappear, either by some accident, or by the wind, or by a miracle, or be taken by some animal, &c. cannot be found; then let another be consecrated, beginning from the same place," &c. Sect. iii. 7.

It is horrible even to think, that such an abominable doctrine should be taught and considered an article of faith. That Christ, who is now in a glorified state, may be at any time carried about by the winds of heaven, or even eaten up by some animal.

"Si musca vel aranea, vel aliquid aliud ceciderit in calicem ante consacrationem, projiciat vinum in locum et aliud ponat in calice, misceat parum aquæ, offerat ut supra et prorequater missam; si post consacrationem ceciderit musca aut aliquid ejusmodi et fiat nausea sacerdoti, extrahat eam et lavet cum vino, finita missa cumburat, et combustio ac lotio hujusmodi in sacrarum projiciatur. Si autem non fuerit ei nausea, nec ullum periculum timeat, sumat cum sanguine."Sect. x. 5.

"If a fly, or a spider, or any other thing should fall into the cup, let him cast the wine into a proper place, and let him place some more in the cup, mix a little water, offer it as before, and

proceed with the mass. If a fly, or any thing of this kind, should fall into it after consecration, and the priest should feel a nausea, let him take it out and wash it with wine, and the mass being finished, let him burn it and let the ashes and refuse be cast into the sacristy. If however, he does not feel sick, or fear any danger, let him take it with the blood."

I will refrain from any remarks on the above section, they are abhorent to every idea we have of the Saviour's present exalted. state. I bring them only forward as the melancholy effects of human traditions. I shall cite only one more.

"Si aliquod venenatum contingerit Hostiam consacratam, tunc alteram consecret, et sumat modo que dictum est, et illa servetur in tabernaculo loco seperato, donec species eorrum pantur et corrupte deinde mittantur in sacrarum."

If any poisoned thing should touch the consecrated Host, then let him consecrate another, and let him take it in the same way as was mentioned; and let the former be kept in a separate place until the species corrupt, and so corrupted, let them be cast in the sacristy," Sect x. 7.

The priests themselves are ashamed of their own articles of faith, for in the Roman Missak

translated into English for the use of the laity, they are altogether omitted; and well they might be ashamed of such absurdities.

Delusion is equally a fruit of the mass. If our hopes of God's favor on earth and of his glory in the world to come, be placed on a false foundation, then we must be deceived, and delusion alone can be our portion. What benefit does a Roman Catholic derive from the mass? Comfort for their immortal souls and remission of their sins, on the ground that Christ has been offered up for their sins. The question is whether this be true or false comfort. If the first, we should be sorry to deprive any of it; but if the latter, we must say, "let no man beguile you." "Be not deceived." With regard to the remission of sins through the sacrifice of the mass, we cannot but believe that it is a gross deception, because this work was finished eighteen hundred years ago upon the cross. Jesus died once, and he dieth no more; and by his death he atoned for sin, and therefore the mass cannot be required. Moreover it is a useless sacrifice, because the priests repeat it often, yea daily, and because it is nothing but bread and wine and without the shedding