who proclaim that "the end can sanctify the means." We believe it must be admitted, however, that the difficulties they encounter are not equal to those with which the Protestants contend. It is not very difficult to make a Papist of a Pagan. No one who has read Southey's History of Brazil can be astonished at the success of Roman Catholics in their missionary efforts, and no one who has read Dr Buchanan's "Christian Researches," and noted there the horrors inflicted on their victims, and the apology for Christianity taught by them, can have the slightest sympathy with their exertions. To them, if to any in the present day, applies the awful censure, "Woe unto ye Pharisees, ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more a child of hell than yourselves." But it is with the facts we have now to do; we wish chiefly to show that they have progressed; we leave others to determine how and why. We find in Europe symptoms that Popery is once more at war with the Bible, and struggling for ancient ascendency. The following extract is from a fulmination of the Bishop of Bruges, dated Lent, 1838. We take it from the Monthly Extracts of the Bible Society of the 30th April, and it is accompanied with a notification that similar decrees have been made in France. "We are desirous that all our diocese ans should be apprised anew, that it is severely prohibited to every one, who is not provided with special permission to read and hold forbidden books, to purchase a Bible, or a commentary on the Bible, or any other books whatever, of the emissaries of the Bible Society, or to receive them gratis, or to retain such copies as they have in their possession. In any case we deem it our duty to state, that while holding error in detestation, individuals are nevertheless bound to abstain from all acts of violence towards the emissaries of the society in question; the constituted authorities alone being empowered by the laws, both human and divine, to employ force of arms and the exercise of justice.' Such is freedom in that popishly revolutionized land! In Holland, we hear with deep sorrow, that superstition is again making way, and is rapidly beating down that Protestant vanguard of Europe. In Leyden, three Roman Catholic chapels have been erected, and we understand, on unquestionable authority, progress has been made to an alarming extent. In France, the Archbishop of Paris has ventured on that which few Frenchmen now attempt-the counteraction of their arbitrary king. He has addressed the monarch, and has commenced to agitate for a renewal of the pomp and power of Romanism; and, with his party, he has already rendered the educational system as closely Popish as possible. In the Rhenish provinces of Prussia,* the Archbishop of Cologne has preferred the authority of the Pope to that of the King, and in direct contravention of the law, has displayed the bigotry of his religion, by forbidding Roman Catholics to marry Protestants. In Tyrol, as we have already mentioned in a note, hundreds have been banished from their native land, and expelled even beyond the extreme borders of the whole Austrian Empire for daring to worship the God of their fathers as those champions of truth dared to do in ancient times. Thus in every part of the world, Popery, now in close alliance with infidelity, is pursuing its triumphant course, is trampling on the consciences of mankind; rendering whole districts desolate of the word of life; and thwarting, with systematic zeal, the genuine ministers of the gospel. One short step more will enable that despotic power to complete the victory, to attack all recusants with pristine cruelty, and convert the most faithful countries into * In the Rhenish provinces the Roman Catholic population amounts to 1,678,745 souls. In the whole Prussian dominions, inclusive of those provinces, the number is not less than 6,000,000! In Nassau, they form nearly three-fifths of the population, and in both Baden and Bavaria, they are more than double the number of all the various Protestant sects. In Hanover there are upwards of 200,000 Roman Catholics, and in Austria they constitute the mass of the community. Such, also, is the case in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Sicily, Sardinia, South America, Madeira, parts of Greece, Ireland, the Azores, the Cape de Verd Islands, the Phillipine Islands, Lower Canada, Martinique, Isle of France, &c. &c. &c. slaughter-houses of afflicted truth. Every where under fraudulent liberal pretences the Roman Catholics are gaining over the unwary; and on such they are fastening the clanking fetters which our nobler ancestors, swelling with the dignity of freemen, burst asunder. The Jesuits who were put down when it was convenient to be quiescent, and when the jealous eyes of real Protestants were watching every trick, and were prepared to resist every nefarious design, are now called again into action, and are allowed in a degenerate age to undermine with impunity, and to prosper without remark. Nothing intrigue could procure is wanted, nothing falsehood could purchase is required, nothing concentrated ability and enormous wealth could obtain is now unpossessed by the Papists. With each concession they have obtained, their demands have increased; with every victory they have won, their morbid ambition has risen; and with accumulated strength, with augmented power, with expanded hopes, they have applied themselves to each fresh undertaking,-resolved, however, even if that be gained, to deem it nothing more important than an "instalment." But let us look at home, and scrutinize more narrowly in our own once free and blessed land the insidious and successful encroachments of Popery. In 1793, the franchise was granted to the Roman Catholics, and they were rendered admissible to corporations; in 1795, the grant was made to the College of Maynooth, and shortly after they were admitted to the bar, and to the higher ranks of the army. They then clamoured in Ireland and petitioned in England to be admitted to the legislature, making sundry plausible professions as to their intentions and principles. These are very well known, but they cannot be too generally circulated, and therefore, we will give specimens, and three only. In 1805, a petition was presented to Parliament, signed, among others, by Mr O'Connell, praying for "Emancipation." The petitioners stated, "That the Roman Catholic party felt bound to defend the right of pro perty as established by the laws now in being, and they solemnly abjured all and every idea of subverting the Church, or of using any privilege that might be granted to them to effect that object." In 1812, a similar petition was presented in an emphatic speech by Mr Brougham; that petition said, "We distinctly disavow any intention to subvert the Protestant Establishment, for the purpose of substituting a Roman Catholic Establishment in its stead."* Lastly, in 1826, the Roman Catholic bishops addressed the Protestants of England in a document, of which the following is an extract. "Bearing equally with you, our fellow subjects, the burdens of the country, and upholding equally its institutions and its glory, we claim to be admitted to a full participation in all the rights of British subjects. Every principle and practice hostile, in the remotest degree, to those institutions, we most explicitly disclaim. Year after year we repeat the humiliating task of disavowal, still we suffer the penalties of guilt." These, and many other similar declarations, deluded a very large portion of the people; and at length Parliament was recommended to consider the Roman Catholic claims. The King's speech on that occasion was as follows: His Majesty recommends that you take into your deliberate consideration the whole condition of Ireland, and that you should review the laws which impose civil disabilities on his Roman Catholic subjects. You will consider whether the removal of those disabilities can be effected consistently with the full and permanent security of our Establishments in Church and State, with the maintenance of the reformed religion established by law, and of the rights and privileges of the bishops and of the clergy of this realm, and of the churches committed to their charge." In answer to that speech, all parties in both houses unanimously concurred in an address, pledging themselves to have those important objects in view when settling this long agitated question. Consequently, two For these, and very many other interesting particulars, see the Bishop of Exeter's admirable speech, delivered March 1, 1838, published by the Protestant Association. clauses were inserted in the bill, one forbidding any Roman Catholic Ecclesiastic to assume the style and title of any bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland; in defiance of which, the Roman Catholic prelates have recently assumed the title of nearly every Protestant bishop, and have been left unprosecuted by the Government; and the other, imposing the following solemn oath on all Roman Catholic members of Parliament. "I do swear, that I will defend to the utmost of my power, the settlement of property within this realm as established by the laws; and I do hereby disclaim, disavow, and solemnly abjure any intention to subvert the present Church Establishment, as settled by law within this realm; and I do solemnly swear that I never will exercise any privilege to which I am, or may become entitled, to disturb or weaken the Protestant religion, or Protestant Government in this kingdom; and I do solemnly in the presence of God profess, testify, and declare, that I do make this declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain and ordinary sense of the words of this oath, without any evasion, equivocation, or mental reservation what. ever." Such were the circumstances under which the Popish bill passed, and such was the oath on which the friends of the Ecclesiastical Establishments and of Protestantism relied for their protection. What has been the result? We ask every reasonable man if every year since 1829 has not seen the political power of the Roman Catholics increase? And we ask further, if so much has been done in the first nine years after Emancipation, what may not the second nine years witness? In 1833, a bill passed, for which the Papists in the Houses of Parliament, with a very few exceptions, voted, abolishing ten bishoprics in Ireland, abolishing church rates in that country, and taxing all benefices above £300 a-year. In the same year, the grant to the Kildare Place Society, which had for many years carried on an extensive, and, we believe, very beneficial, and not unpopular system of bible education, was withdrawn; and in place of it, the national system of education was established, to which fifty thousand pounds is annually granted, and which is conducted by a board consisting of about equal proportions of Papists, Socinians, and nominal Protestants. As might have been expected, the Bible has been excluded from the schools. In lieu of it sundry extracts (not taken from the authorized version but translated by this "liberal" board), have been substituted; and, in consequence, the Protestants have almost in a body abstained from connexion with such a system, and the Papists are therefore left in undisturbed enjoyment of the large Government grant, while the Protestants are left without one word of sympathy or encouragement, and without the assistance of a shilling from the public treasury to which they contribute so considerable a proportion. So much for the year 1833, the first opportunity which the public excitement about the Reform bill had allowed for the consideration of general measures. In the following year Mr O'Connell moved a resolution that tithes should be appropriated to purposes of general public utility; and in 1835 came forth the celebrated appropriation clause, by the operation of which the Protestant ministers were to be withdrawn from 850 parishes in Ireland; and, as by that clause whenever there were less than fifty Protestants in a parish the church should be shut up and the property given-given on the spot, to Popish education under the resident Popish priest, it is evident that there was a direct premium on Protestant extermination in those places where rather more than fifty professors of the truth were found. In 1834 and 1835, too, Mr O'Connell and others of his party for the first time attended meetings in support of the Voluntary principle, that is agitated for the total destruction of the Church they had solemnly sworn to uphold. Happily both this notable scheme and the spoliation clause miserably failed, and then other measures became requisite. As the Roman Catholics found that they could not grasp the whole, or a large part of the Church property, they determined to introduce at least the narrow edge of the wedge, and to share something, however small, as a beginning. cordingly, last Session, when the Prisons' bill was under discussion, Mr Langdale introduced a clause, provid ing that whenever in any prison there shall be upwards of fifty persons of Ac any denomination, there shall there be a chaplain of that denomination paid by the Government. Thus, under cover of " any denomination," the Roman Catholics, who were alone concerned in the success of the trick, contrived to introduce a provision for the payment of some of their clergy; and Mr Baines, as the organ of the Dissenters, after stating, in terms which we do not hesitate to call false and disgraceful, that there were "no dissenters in prison," supported Mr Langdale's clause, and carried it. But it was thrown out in the House of Lords, though not, it appears, to the discouragement of the parties chiefly concerned, for we observe, by the "Catholic Magazine," that it is to be renewed next Session; and, on Dr Lingard's suggestion, with the additional provision that it shall extend to all persons confined for debt, as well as those incarcerated for criminal offen ces. But this is not the only measure on the part of the Roman Catholics that has signalised the present year. For first, on the 26th February, at a meeting held at the Sabloniere Hotel, a society was instituted for the "Diffusion of Catholic Publications," which was at once taken up by many eminent and wealthy individuals. And, secondly, at another meeting, held more recently, at which the advice and presence of Mr O'Connell were obtained, a formidable kind of association was formed, to be called "The Catholic Institute." Of this body the Earl of Shrewsbury is declared president; and, on the 26th July, a circular was published, which we find in the Catholic Magazine of August. The following noblemen and gentlemen therein named as the Vice-Presidents, and others it is said have been ap plied to, though their answers have not yet been received : The Earl of Newburgh. The Hon. Charles Langdale, M.P. A. H. Lynch, Esq., M. P.* Charles Towneley, Esq. of Towneley, Lancashire. Wm. Constable Maxwell, Esq., of Eringham Park, Yorkshire. John Menzies, Esq., of Pitfodels. William Lawson, Esq., of Brough Hall, Yorkshire. Andrew L. Phillips, of Garrendon Park, Leicestershire. Philip Jones, Esq., of Llanarth, Monmouthshire. James Wheble, Esq., of Woodley, Berkshire.† Robert Berkeley, Esq., of Spetchley, Worcestershire. Joseph Weld, Esq., of Lullworth Castle, Dorset. Among the objects declared-we say declared, in contradiction to entertained, for we do not expect from Roman Catholics much openness or candour, are the following :- We give them as embodied in the 11th, 12th, and 13th "Resolutions. No. 11." "That the funds of the institute shall be applied by the committee in providing a suitable place of meeting, and in recompensing the secretary, and such officers as they may consider necessary, for the purpose of conducting the affairs, and keeping the accounts of the institute; and that a further portion of the funds shall be applied in printing and circulating such pub * Mr Lynch has recently been appointed to the office of one of the Masters in Chancery, worth four thousand a-year. This gentleman is at present high-sheriff of Berkshire, and recently took advantage of the occasion to proceed at the head of a procession, and lay the first stone of a new Popish chapel at Reading. Mr Mornington, another Roman Catholic, being highsheriff of Herefordshire last year, did the same at Hereford; and, in that case, he marched out in very great pomp, and with the militia band playing the grand “Hallelujah chorus" of Handel. The Catholic Directory says two thousand persons were present," including the Mayor and his family, and several members of the Town Council." In Leicestershire, on laying the foundation of a chapel at Grace Dieu, Mr Ambrose Lisle Phillips" appeared in the dress of a Deputy-Lieutenant of the county, and Sir Charles Wolseley in a court dress." lications as, having the previous sanction of a clergyman duly authorized by the Vicar Apostolic of the London district, may be deemed useful to obviate calumny, to explain Catholic tenets, defend the purity and truth of Catholic doctrines, and circulate useful information on these subjects." No. 12. Resolved, "That the comImittee shall also undertake the examination of all cases of religious oppression, or of deprivation of rights of conscience of the poorer and less protected classes of Catholics, under any circumstances.' No. 13. Resolved, "That the committee shall be authorized to appoint sub-committees of not less than five members out of their own body, for any purposes of the institute, and also to organize local committees, and to solicit and avail themselves of the cooperation of individuals in different parts of Great Britain and the colonies." The result of this plan has been an arrangement for the complete organization of the whole Roman Catholic population. Not only are there to be district committees, but also there are to be parish committees, and these again are to be subdivided. This arrangement, in all its parts, bears evidently the stamp of Mr O'Connell's authorship. It is precisely like those organizations which he has formed in Ireland-sometimes publicly-some. times in secret-for the purpose of overbearing the Government. We hope, then, that this will convince the Protestants of Great Britain, if every thing else fails to excite them, that Popery is preparing for greater movements than have hitherto been made. It seems that now the Roman Catholics deem themselves strong enough to follow the course of their Irish brethren, and are preparing to consummate their intrigues by intimidation. Such was the policy adopted in Ire. land. At first, nothing was heard but professions of loyalty, nothing but promises of peace; but when the time came to speak out, first for emanci pation, then against tithes, and afterwards for repeal, all cloaks and coverings were cast aside, and the tremendous machinery so long preparing was suddenly unveiled to view. Nor let it be supposed, that those appliances and means which, in the sister island, have given Popery such victories, are here wanted. Every element of strength in one place, is enjoyed in the other. The priests are equally diligent; the public press (at least in London) is, to a very great extent, in the hands of the Roman Catholics; the Government are disposed to assist in any 66 heavy blow or great discouragement to Protestantism." These are all most important matters. The moment is propitious. In our Church has sprung up a new school of semi-Popish divinity, recommended by the virtues and talents of its professors, eating its way to the very core of the Protestant system of theology.† Modern Liberalism, infidelity, ultra high Church doctrines, the principles of political expediency-all these things have joined to help Popery forward in its prosperous and triumphant career. No secret is made by many, of their indifference to its rise, no sufficient impediment is offered to its plans; and we regret to add, that the non-conformists-those whose ancestors were boldest in their hostility to the then rampant heresy-are too generally either passive spectators of its progress, or active auxiliaries of its political designs. Public opinion, which formerly always evinced more or less of a Protestant spirit, now indicates no symptoms of that healthful and necessary characteristic. Bulwark after bulwark of our constitution and of our religion, has been lost through perfidy, apathy, or defeat; and now, at the present time, this nation, once renowned for the integrity of her counsellors, and the Christian principles of her parliament, is at the mercy of a profligate demagogue, intent on the introduction of a grovelling superstition, and a humiliating foreign despotism. We can no longer look for The first fruits of this resolution was the clause in the prison's bill to which we have alluded. It was introduced immediately after the formation of the institute. We allude to those unfortunate and deeply to be regretted publications-“ Tracts for the Times," ," "Froude's Remains," and Palmer's "Church of Christ," "Newman's Sermons," &c. &c. The time has gone by when those works can be passed over without notice, and the hope that their influence would fail, is now dead. |