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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit an un seul cliche, il est film* d partir de I'anglo sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images n6c3ssaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 3:x 1 2 3 4 5 6 NINTH LECTURE, BEroBE TRt PROTESTANT ALLIANCE, OF NOVA SCOTIA. B*V RB-v". ROBERT "W-IIjSOig-. PRICE fOUR-PENCf. ^^e- >v m ^' v< ■I .4 '>¥ 'I . i! ,' % ^ V 4 i ...*r- ^ PROTESTANT ALLIANCE LECTURES. THE PAPAL SUPREMACY EXAMINED. T NINTH LECTURE, DELIVERED BEFORE THE PROTESTANT AULUNCE,' OP NOVA SCOTIA. ..^^ AT TEMPERANCE HALL, HALIFAX. ON FRIDAT TtVKNINa. APRIL 29lh, 1850. B'X- REV. HOBBRT WlLiSOWr. A •.'• HALIFAX, N. S: VBINTBD AT THB WB8LBTAN C01WEBKNCE STBAX PBISI. 1859. a c ^//nl THE PAPAL SUPREMACY EXAMINED. .. BY V^jV. ROBERT WILSON. Among the reading and thinking part of the commXiftity, there has been for some time past one en^ssing/topic of conversation. That topici need scarcely siy. is Tj«| P>pacic. It is generally regarded as a question pu 'which every man is bound to speak 'who loves God and His truth; who loves his country and wishes her p'rosperity ;*and who ^Joves his fellow-men, and wishes to see their libeijtie* consolidated and extended, and their circumstances imjjroved. Hence, in the delivery of this lecture, we are only discharging' what we regard as a solemn and imperative duty to God, t& you, and to our country. >'• We are about to speak of a system, not of men, except as they are its exponents, or its advocates, or as,thej are'influr. enced by it.- We have to deal with things, rather than., with persons ; and with both only as they may serve to disclose the character and viralcnce of a system. Thft adherents of that system we are very far from wishing either to wound or to grieve. Our wish is to speak the truth, an4 to speak the truth in love. We hold firmly, as sacred truthsv^the princi- ples,— that the Bible, which wfe believe to be the. Word of God, is the only and all-suflBcient nile of foith and practice; that it is the right and duty of. every man to search and to interpret the Word of God for himself ; that no man is accountable to his fellow-man for his religious Sentiments; r-6 1 . "^'Ctesar's due be ever paid ^ To C«sar and his throne. • . ^'"^o^ciencos and souls were made To be the Lord's alone." »»«. is a settled one nLfTT .°^- ^'"'' °"l>» Msi.ss.at.-rC^V „ '«.*f""-W while re«„ ,: Protestant ooramunitie " P««=npt,o„ „f any „f ft', ,f . • rJfoWig- „ade .this avowal ». .i ii P?Wi. these Colour \v TT"' '^ «™'''«>'=y«f ^:w. have to ours, o' „ ,t ';:^:^r"! °""-' -«.-» ™, taking part in a meeting t„ p ft" V ,°"' ''""'° '* removal of the civil disablH.iL TTT ^'"■'"'"'™t, for the rigit in -itself; aoTtf i ' T "T ^'^ ''^"™ " "- «spo«siWo for it than we are f„"°,T T'' ""^ "" "° •>"'^'> G^. which we labour rpti^totT'-r/'*" '^""^ °f >"r Pope, or „„v tWha " '""'*'■ J*"' against ' ^.ardmal, or any ArcM>;»l,„„ ^ ■ ihbishop, any ■\ flict pain or >tber he bo 1- " Ven- raise, on ainst our deprive the body 1 us the !e reason siastical exist, or berefore, proscrip- . y of the to l)e we are ' ahcy of Roinao ohgion lie life for the abour- it was more Td of gainst any Bishop, or any Priest, exercising any kind of authority over^ .*■ U9, we enter our indignant protest ; as a manifest violation IR f^ British independence and British freedom, and as a wantoa -..k insult to the British crown and British subjects. We hav« • • no sympathy and no respect for those who would assign to . . , Popery a liberty in these Colonics wliich no Roman Catholic State on the continent of Europe that is desirous of preserving the least vestige of indepondeiice is able to allow. France, Austria, Bavaria, even Spain itself, tind it necessary to enter . into formal concordats with the Pope, wliich is neither moro nor less than a binding of his Holiness to keep the peace ^ith their respective dominions. We, as ix Prptestant people, can enter into no sucii arrangements. Are we, then, to bo left a prey to the cupidity and ambition of Rome? Are we to stand silently by and see our dearest liberties wrenched from us by tlie njaudlln cry " Do'nt persecute"? Away with such insane ftillies — su(.'h treacherous and dastardly counsels. Let Roman Catholics, we repeat, have the same political • privileges and the same religious freedom as other men; 4et them be.free to build chapels, to perform eereinonies, to ipako <'on vents, to endow monasteries, or to do ought elsp that they. / UKiy be taught to believe connected with their spiritual ^el- ■ ■ fare. J}ut woe with the day when we» shaU, forg' ' ihat, however ipiiet and peaceable subjects Roman Catholics jaiay , oftentimes .be, we have no deadlier foe than that • (jglo^l jjower, to whose authority and .to whose intorests ours 'are ever subordinated in eveiy true papist's heart ! Let the hour come when that power shall have full sway -over us, and oar liberties shall be scattered to the wind, to be Repurchased only by years of toil, and at the e^cpense of .conflicts and agonies which will furnish matter for a aecond " Book of Martyrs." ' . Many around us sneer at the cry of ." No Popery," as if it werfe the most wicked or -silly cry that could jwssibly bt 'fc may not spread and pm.ner amon.m • .1 • our bumble judcnent hat t .. ^ " "' '''^' '" rotestants Having a deep sense, therefore, of the ^ravifv Pernicious !!„ L Tu" """'""' '""'^'^ P"»'™ ''» pergonal indoZd" nT «» ""^ '" "'" "''•'"^"°" °^ religion, sentimem ''™f ^ P""",""'' "■« »n-nptio„ of the wuare it nas no motive to conciliate foPs nnrl \.i, Ireland, m Spain, .„ p„„„gal, i„ Austria, i„ Italy, /nj 1" you "UM»k arountl," ' 1»< l"tl'l the inomimoiits of i>!ii)al power I ' Italy is the ('hained victim of tlio iiios^t horrid ae^^lJoti.snl. Komo is a casi; <»t' priests,— H'vcry twenty-tliinl iiuin iiu't in her stroets is a priest ; the I'opo and a wretclifd set of ('ardi- nals arc her systematic misgoveriutrs ; her prisons arc full of state oft'enders ; her best and nohlest si»irits are living in sad exile, and her populace sunk in degradation and uiisery Kirwan says,— '• There is tu.t a worse-governed, less-religious, «.r more innnoral iteoplo in Christendom tiian in the Holy City." And again,—-' What are, in Italy, the fruits of the Papacy at this hourV Swarms of priests, monks, nuns, and beggars ; poverty, ignorance, and superstition. The press is fcihaeid.'d ; no liberty, civil or religious ; no secairity of pro- peity ; no IJiblc ; no Sa1)batli ; splendid Churclies, conv(«rted into opera houses, with no congregations ; and lying wonders without lunnber, and without end." We believe that all our own grertnoss, freedom, and prosperity, as a pe(»ple, are, under God, the result of tho free circulutioji of the Bible amongst us, and the diffusion of its pnnciples. We know, on the other hand, what rivers of blood tho Konum Catholic Church has shed. Its whole history proves it a horrible Ecclesiastical Desiiotism, under whose domination neither civil nor religious freedom can live — and whoso arguments have ever been the rack, the dun- geon, the gibbet, and the sword. It makes the priesthood everything, and the peoi»le nothing but drudges and slaves —hewers of wood and drawers of water to the Church. To believe implicitly what tho priest says— to do without a munnur what the priest bids— to confess to the priest— to do the penance he commands— and to pray for the absolution he grants, are all the privileges it allows to the people. To think for themselves, or to doubt the dogmas of the Church, subjects them to eternal damnation. Indeed, except they are baptized by the priest, and confirmed by the priest, and aMved by the pHest fl "^* Within the r,l J y '*^""«fc »^« saved H 'none in th. '^ ^"^'^* "Pon them fi '^ ^°''"b'« ■I Hat we may n-i/- J.„ . under r ' '«'»»''"™ieated r^ , ^ ""'S'"'"" juslifi- Chureli ci ji » required ■.«,] „ 7 . " ^^^ be signified to the Chief Pontiff, that then he may proclaim his subjects absolved from their allegiance, and bestow hia kingdom upon any good Catholic, who, the heretic being exterminated, shall possess it without any contradiction." Such is the acknowledged law of the Romish Church, in which you perceive the Pope claims the right to set up and dethrone kings ; to compel them to punish heretics, and to dispose of the nations of the earth according to his sovereign will. All this he has repeatedly done, as in the case of Henry IV. of Germany, and John of England. In mil, published in the year 1197, by Pope Innocent Hi., he declared : " That it was not fit any man should be invested with authority who did not serve and obey the Holy See." At another time he proclaimed : " That he would not endure the least contempt of himself, or of God, whose place he held on earth, but would punish every disobedience without de- lay, and convin(?e the world that he was determined to act like a sovereign." Such to this day are the lofty preten- sions of the Pope — nor is he slack to carry theih out where he has the power to do so. Indeed every Archbishop of the Romish Church, on receiving the pallium, takes an oath to this effect : " All heretics, schismatics, and rebels, against our lord, the Pope, or his aforesaid successors, I will per- secute and attack to the utmost of my power." Still more horrible is the oath said to be taken by every Jesuit priest. And yet, forsooth, wo are charged with being political in our movement. In one ense we cannot help ourselves. The Church of Rome is essentially a political Church. It does actually interfere, and professes a Divine right to interfere with the civil magistrate. The Pope is a temporal as well as spiritual prince ; and hi| whole system is in favor of temporal as well as spiritual despotism — the temporal being always held to be subordinate to the spiritual, and comprehended by it. The Canon Law Is clear and decisive 10 on these points. ,„^ . , words are in the p„„er'of T''""' '!''"l^ ^-d temporal fc^n-f^oftheprio^tC ,h° ott ^''?''-«'o one is ,^^ »oMie„,_(,„t the latter he' '", ""= '"'"''» "' """gs »d «o™™a„d of the fo^eV oT ^'^ "' "" *»"' "^^ ""■er-the temporal rnderth?,":"','""^' ^^ "*r L "-"^Vof faith that 11^ ^.f/^^'™' """ it is 01 Z *» power and jurisdi^ r.tTrJ""'"'^™'^ ^ Tl.™,a,tothe/ao,,„efearle°L ^^ ^ »' Kome." ■"■■"^-es they planned sef^Tf,,"''- '" '«'-««on to other yi era, and excellent Xlt^'^f "^ 'bould seen J »ffoet,„g the eonseientions tri ;„ ^ ^''°"'' ^'tout espeeialiy arranged as a T "^ ""y- This wa, population. Did\he;;:oi^;™ V''° ^°"'» Cath* D.d the clergy meet at a 1,, "'* S"'""''" »"<i joy? "'<"'• fet.iudg„,ent deterlii? , T""' "'«" '" ">o ™e of - -ot? .Nothing of the™ "d T' ""' ""'" -4 . w .ted the j„dg,„e„t „f the P^e?"^ '""' '» ^"'"o. «nd -.:. : ^joiir- -"^^^^'"n^t-"- »o. ^ne^etit'Tcrrrr"^"- ^ ~x Sovereign an.I l,. ' ""'^ Revised bv nnr i, i f fe" ana her couneiilnr« n. ^ ^^ beloved ^^'"an Catholics of Ireh , u '^'^'^^ ^'^'^^ to the -r^^ei. f,ee. Not t^v d """ ''^^^ ^^^ -s //"•^'^^^ ^and that has no n^o^ T''' ^''''' ^ut by a '^^^ the l^Vror of cC ''''' '^ -le in Engird 11 Such are the principles and workings of that Church, which is lifting its head among us, which, before high heaven, is claiming our submission to its authority, and which tells us, if we do not receive its dogmas, we are damned. What then shall be done? What is our duty as Protestants? 1. Manifestly, it is our duty to unite with all who have the truth in its defence and diffusion. But what means shall we employ ? Shall we unite with those who manifest their Protestantism by making and burning effigies of Popes, Cardinals, and Bishops? By no means. These are the foolish exhibitions of foolish boys or more foolish men. Shall we unite in the ciy, "The Church is in danger"? We cannot do that, because we believe we belong to a Church founded on the " Rock of Ages," against which " the gates of hell shall never prevail." " Our Redeemer is mighty, the Lord of Hosts is his name." "Empires may fall, and sects, and states; But tmth's inviolable gates Defy each hostile shock. The Church of Clirist can never fall, Strong stands her heaven-protected wall, 'Tis founded on a rock. Shall we then, unite, with those who would petition Parliament to deprive the Roman Catholics of their civil rights as subjects of the British crown ? By no means. The Roman Catholics have as much right as ourselves to the free exercise of theu- religion, without let or hindrance. Shall we petition Parliament to grant no money for the support of their system ? With all our heart ; but at the same time that no money be granted by Government for the support of the religion of any denomination. We say emphatically, No Government grants for the rearing of Roman Catholic prieiti. 12 This is a subjoct on which we can nffi. . ■ wl>-el.itisourdmy,„,p,J" ?" ''^'^ •» speak, and „„ of Government favor Ttv t ""T' "'^'- O"' '"y "tier had or »„ght. v,'' ZT "'^ ""= '""'« -ever "■e large an,oun.°„f fre'd ' ^ ," """"•^- ^^° '*« m tbe blessing of God, wHavr 1„ ^^P^"'? "Wch, ,L„gh not shine on anofe^o n^" ^luft' ^'° ™ "- .«>a of Britain. We homiZl l c ""^^ '" *e free ■s not another c„wned held "1 Z 7 ^""'•^- ^^^ to be compaml with Vxci T "' "" ""'■* ^-l-y ««ry attempt on the part of 1{„„. . •" "^ P"^"'' »S^nst '°-»»- But. at the same ITo '""f " '^' ^"'^""^ Breth.n,we.ellthem,Xal TLT 'k °" ^""^»'»"' ttat they mnst not Wfe ,„ L^'"*'» fandness and love. support, bnt put their tml il? "T™' &■• Pecuniary »»d wield „„ otier weapTn 27 f "L ""^ """> S»™„r: ■f 4ey intend effectual yto" |"»' "' "-e Spirit, Thus, siraply, fo„iM J^ " "PPo^' Popery and infidelity, ■"ony 'o the spiritnalL ot onTRlr ^^l *" ^"^ »« <es«. tbe great principles o/^hZ^^^'T' ^'°«^°"' '^<' «« *h we are Lled byTT, ™'t-*y''' "^^ ''"'^ '» Let US go forth with the simnleT ?' P™™' "'"'es. truth and Gespei institutirtv nf th"'- *"° °' <^-P<" banner,-" The Lord is ou^'k" ^, mscriptioa on our giver, lie wiU save us " Ti,l ^^' ^'^ '^ our Law- Thou comest against' u, tvt "' f " '"^ *» the Pope,- ders, and th.a.fn ta^ ,11°"^'":? ^»°™S^- »/«. n- Bridget, and Peter' imd P uTTJg^ *'°''^''"-^> ""■' s«mt8 m the calender. AnrI i. ""^ ^Soiy, and all the us influenced and encoural fc? tt^ """f °°'"'* "S""^' despots of Spain, i^, ^If «>« e™el and e«crable butchered many of 2- 1" '..""'^ ^™'=«' "ho have -der foot thi LZ\7,l 'T:^\"' '-P% on 13 thee in the sevan-hilled city. But we come against thee in the name of the Lord our God, with the armor of righteous- ness, and tlie sword of the spirit; and through the grace of God, we will prevail against thcc, utterly destroy thy dark and despotic system, liberate thy slaves, and join with tl.em in the triumphant shout, — Babylon is fallen, and the nations of the earth are free. 2. We are called upon to "Search the Scriptures," and especially to labor after a clear understanding of those Scriptures which Popery has perverted to the apparent sup- port of her system. The first principle of Popery is, the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome. That supremacy she professes to found on Matt., xvi, 18, 19, — " And I say unto thee that thou art Peter," &c. This passage is regarded by the Church of Rome as the main pillar of the Papacy, and as affording a Scriptural war- rant for the supremacy which the Bishop of Rome claims over all other pastors and churches, and which he has been enabled to maintain, during many ages, with singular arro- gance and confidence, over a great part of the so-called Christian world. We, as Protestants, consider all such presumptuous claims as an impious invasion of the Divine prerogative of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sole Head of the Church, and as a flagrant usurpation of the privileges of the Christian people; and we therefore refuse to acknowledge any such right, on the part of a foreign prelate, to lord it over our consciences ; but yet it may be interesting to know by what arguments the adherents of the Papacy justify these pretensions in appealing to this Scripture, and how they con- trive to find in our Lord's Words to Peter the key-stone of the lofty arch of their hierarchal system. And we trust it will not bo considered as an unprofitable waste of time if we devote a single hour to the investigation of this subject, especially when we reflect how many millions of souls are 2 (,/ ill 14 « '-n spiritual bondage bv th. fabric of P«n!]T ^^''^'^tiien ami mn , ^''"•5' «"^ % these vrorrT '^''"'^ ^'^''^-^ ^^V. off, ^«ter the fo„!?.: ''? ««i^/^«« that 0^1!/ ''^*^^^^- flubfecter] r ^^ supremacy over H,l .r *^^ ®«^''our "»IK.^omI to/f?''» a" matter ff J' t ''° ™' f«i. stall be !»,„„,, ™\ ^'"'"««*ver ttou .4ail " ', I 5*s, and what ^o^o"y and 'ate the vast treating this ^e passage. constjtutecf '<^ supreme resentativo *^Je whole- '■s of con- 'd wij] of Saviour ^tJes, an(i is autho- ^ claims sajs he e name sfituted urch so Words 3J fur- power i that >m of Was ■ and that 5ins, ven U^ Oft ait 35 The Romish writers further assert that Peter being investoS with these extraordinary powers, in the course of his ministry repaired to Home, and laid the foundation of the Church there, wliere he presiJed as Uishop, and finally sealed his testimony with his blood ; and that the whole of the privi- leges and prei-ogatives thus couferrerl upon hinj wei-e trans- mitted to the Bishops of Rome, as his successors in that Church ; and by virtue of this right they are to be acknow- ledged as the supreme rulers of the Church— universal pas- tors and vicars of Jesus Christ. Consequently it is the duty •of all Christian pastors and Churches to honour and submit to them as such ; and those who refuse to do so cut themselves off from the body of Christ, are ipso facto excluded from the communion of the faithful, are to bo regarded as heretical and schisraatical, and virtually endanger the salvation of their souls. In this predicament all Protestaets are supposed to be placed, and being out of the pale of the Church, are abandoned to the uncovenanted mercies of God — for out of their Church they pretend " there is no salvation." II. We shall now endeavour to expose the fallacy of this reasoning. These are no doubt high pretensions, and the inferences drawn from them are of a very grave and solemn character j •but if we examine them with a little attention we shall see sufficient reason to reject them, as in the highest degree arro- gant and unfounded. For in the first place, it cannot be ■conclusively shown that our Lord refers to Peter personally as " the rock " on which the Church is built. Long before the xise of ^ho Papacy some of the most enlightened Fathers of the Church, " including some of the early Bishops of Rome, particularly Gregory the Great, and also the famous Augus- tine, Bishop of Hippo, maintained that it was the faith which Peter professed, and not the apostle personally, that our Lord F;f: 11 Hi •" Ji'sus as the Christ tj T f '""■ ''"-''""^^ Im M: t ™''*P, .. the .nointe/jwtf " "' *^™- »'' l.« C Ch°rch. Take away any o7 L' ™"' "»'' «"'«. «f t ho J°;»«y and iarmonio^,/ ;^ "f;- 7''-»n of these uZ Wdnessid t.„trif i;:'^7°««<i natural), great •Joes in Greek, a reek ^^ "*'• "■"'»'' "'Med hif, loir ^ '^-r'- *r:.i-itrfr-' ^ ^ tlV?'''''°°''l««''«on given ,fL, ^"•' *'»' I'cter ^-^./.hfeh&Tr """""^ "'^ '-'^ ■ Ho" :'"• »'tention to hi,„ St ' °"' ^°"' 'looted n,„eh on ■' »'«™e„taadC'te r;:f""^ -"^'.--gui:;: f ,• » «.nspic„„„, p,„,, ;„ °^*; « '"» n,„s,er. He also ooeupied Cta«t. But as to w, L '^ '"" "" il'Mrious ser™! !^ *m without eentradietlr He^""^ ^"-Mi,, .d,„, * ^oM c^ God. Christ h^,etf isT" '°^"'"™^ "^ Ao ^o^foundation of ,he Churr jV. ""^ "^'"'"•'«' "^ "'o Therefore thus saith the W, r .' '^ ^'""'''' "^i«. lU '" » f-"a«oo a stone, a li^l^"^; f^'* ^ % in .> «>ne, a preeions corner-stone. . and on this 's confeKsion <Ji« Church ^^n of the 'J Jiis 3It's- ing. of the ^ou under. rest upon parato the result will so truths, t'jcr said a falJinnr b great Jiipi to idniitted t Peter ^■Jien ho u wij], G Was of Jlis for his Jupied lurcli, nt of vhich this the tho 10, (iofi ne» 17 a sure foundatic>ti." Again in Psalm cxviii. 22, 23, wcrcarl, "The stone which tho builders refused is become the head- stone of the cornet. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvel- lous in our eyes." And it is ol)scrvablo that Peter himself appeals to the passa.qc in Isaiah in ])roof of this doctrine, in the first Epistle, ii. 4, 0: " Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, IJchold I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, ■ elect, precious ; and he tliat lielieveth in him shall not be -confounded." Ami that no other can share in this honour is ■evident from what Paul says, (1 Cor. iii. 11,) "For other •foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ' ' What a poor basis would Peter himself have •been on which to rest the Church ! In this same chapter we find our Lord addressing him as an adversary, and reproving him for his aversion to the mention of his sufferings, (verses •22, 23,) "Get thee behind me Satan," &c. On another occasion, when we 6nd him rashly requesting that Jesus would suffer him to come to him on the water, on seeing the •wind boisterous, overcome with fear, he cried out as he felt himself sinking, " Loi-d save me." At another time we find him, under the influence of false shame, repeatedly and solemly denying all personal knowledge of that Saviour whom ho now so nobly confessed. And long after the effusion of tlie Holy S-pirit, he was openly rebuked by Paul for his dissi- mulation in the matter of eating with the Gentile converts, (Gal. ii. 2, 11.) Peter himself claimed no such prin)acy over his brethren as has been demanded for him. Though he .proposed the olection of a new apostle in the room of Judas, he Mi the* •choice of the individual to the 120 disciples, (Acts i. 26,) though he spoke at the assembly held at Jerusalem respect- ing the circumcision of the Gentiles, he does not seem to have presided at the meeting; that, however, appears to have been /?oufcrrcd on James, who speaks, of him, with true primitive r pi ' 18 simplicity by bis onVinal name. •' SiU^on." and proposed tho law which was aftemard. agreed to. (Acts xv. U, 21 ) 1"« first Ytlo, ho s.n.ply designates himself as a follow-elder or co-presbyter, (chap v. 1). His chief distinction was bis bemg specially sent to the ,/ew,, as Paid was to the Ge.ti/es. And as Peter himself claimed no such ,,rerogative. so nei- W was It yielded to him by his brethren or by the churches; thus he was commissioned alr.ng with John, by the apostles. hem m the faith Acts viii. U, 15.) Wo have also seen that he was rebuked by Paul in presence of the Church at Antioch which does not look like the recognition of supre- |»acy. The same apostle asserts that in no respect was he inferior to, yea, that ho was " not a whit behind tho chief of the apostles;" which, even allowing there is a reference to 1 eter, is a claim of equality at least. (2 Cor. xi. 5.) And the sanae thing is implied when Paul says. '' For he that hath wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the- creumcision the same was mighty in me towards the Gen- tiles. (Gal. ,.. 8.). that is they were both equally endowed and distinguished in their respective spheres. But, further; all claim to such supremacy is virtually condemned by our Lord as inconsistent with the spirit- uality of His kingdom, and with that humility and equa- lity which bo ii^ulcated on his disciples. When James and John had raised the indignation of their brethren by claiming the precedence in his kingdom, " Jesus called them, and said, \e know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them ; but it shall not be so amon. you • but who,,oever will be great among you, let him be your minister, (or attendant,) and whosoever will be chief amon<^ you let hira bo your servant." (Matt., xx, 25 28 > Dposed tlio 18,21.) inrclit'8 ill llow-cldor »n was hin Gentiles. e, so nei- chnrches; 3 apostles I eonfirm ilso seen hureli at af supre- was he chief of ;renco to ) And he tliat } of the le Gen- ;ndnwed irtually spirit- d equa- James ren by d theni; xercise xercisc gyou; } your unong 284 19 And still more explicitly, when exposing the prido and vanity of the Jewish Sevihes, ho says, "But be not ye called lliibbi, for one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren, (or equal,) and call no man your father uiKju the earth, (the very title arrogated to himself by the Bishop of Tiome,) for one is your Father, who is in heaven ; neither be ye called master, for one is your Master, even Christ. (Matt., xxiii, 1), 10.) Allowing that Peter was, in a limited sense, the rock or foundation of the Church, it was only as ho was inspired to deliver the doctrines and institutions of the Christian faith, which constitutes the true basis of the spiritual edifice ; but tins, however, ho holds, not exclusively, but in onnnon with the rest of his brethren. Thus, Paul, in speaking of the Church as a temple, represents it as " being built on the foundation "—not of Peter only, but—" of the Apostles and Prophets." (Ephesians, ii, 20.) And in the sublime description of the New Jerusalem which we have in Revela- tions the wall of the city is said to have twelve foundations, "and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb." (Chap, xxi.) We proceed now to an examination of the " keys," and the " binding and loosing." When our Lord said to Peter, " I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," it was doubtless a figurative expression; but its proper meaning may easily be discovered. A key is to open and fasten a door — it is not a Churclvdoor, either of Homo or any other in this case, but the door of the kingdom. When we do not understand a sulyect wo require a key to the difficulty — in other words, an explanation. A key to Arith- metic is a book that explains how to do the sums we could not do alone. So a key to the kingdom of heaven is an explanation of its terms, — letting us into a subject \Vhich is naturally beyond us. The Gospel is frequently described n 120 ;'"«'• oye I,a,l „,t .seen n, .1.1/ ' ^''''^''' '' ^cl, . " Which Chn«t gave thV;:'';,: ";''•'' ^"r^"-^*^'"«"^ '-' thus unlock tho «ocrot,s of the I 1 .f'^' ^'''"^^ ^''^'^ '"'ght J^ook what was for a<.s lo . ,, "" 'j'^' "'"' P"^ '"^o GodC « opened l,y DiWn n ' ''^ " '"^''^'^'^ --f^Ty^ '-«-' "...I l.i, „i|l.-„„ I,,. " " ■ '*'" "'"'I'l no. n,„| „„t "■Men,, ,„ ,,„4 :•:,;;- ";«'vc. „,e ,.,, „,. „,„' '°7- A„,i a, ,1,0 jr„,j, s ,,: ! ; ",""' <™'" ""' 'I* "ii'oA^.tH .0 „,„ S:',;:; - % o. „,,„„„„,„„ , '" "'« word, ,vl,i,|, ,„„ „1 7. '""■■ '«l"™ll'c,l ,„ „,, '"<'»'. Ilm^ g™„.| „„,k „f ,^ " ' ""'■% .1.0 New To,,,,. °^=»«I by i„ „„„ wi, „fl',i t;-^. "'"" "'» «'W "over -I'lis IS ,1,0 Uoet,i„„ of ,. ; , yvy spiri,, are now i„ Cj^f T, '"'f '' """ "''"- wLoreof «,ey (tho K„^,i,,, ;, " ", ^T''^''' »»^-'. "^0 koy, 'kem,oIvo, aro „„ „„■;;„, ^ ,?'"'!">• » g«»"y '«,t C^o^d, \t^ny ,„a„ f„ ,r/'7' "'!'' "/ "«/"•<"»,•« „/ ae - '«) te,>o /u.Lori,y f ,t:',rr"' '"",■"' ^^^ » -"»> (m proof). If am man l! ""'' "'« °M fetor. Wers, for yo |,„™ ,?' ' "'^ " ^^« "« to voa "■"d'ton, no,..,, and fifeo \;'";'^: " '" "-"^ing it undo; yomolve,, and then, that oo" '' '''^ '" ""'^ "»' in '*<'//>^ ietteth into the will 01 Goil, lined; hut ''t'y might nto God's 'i<l this is t find out III could s of file not di.s. •Jiination '1 to us, »nii the Testa. ;ho kc'jr never 10 sou], whoso 1 cjirJy keys thinff fthe arnal etors ority you ok; ider in is, •e8, rill 'J I of (Jod." Thus, also, John Hales, of Katon Coliego, in ii tract concerning the power of tiie keys, dated " from my Ptudy, this Mth day of iSfurch, l';'}7," confirms these views: " The kingdom of hoaven is eomiiared to a house, from which all tho sons of Adam an by nature excluded; whatsoever then it is that u;ivos us way, that removes all obstacles which hinder us from entrance, that must be understood by tho namo of keys. Now, all these means of entrance were all laid down in tho gospels of our Lord Jesus Christ, committed, by him fully and first of all to tho Apostles, to bo reported all the world over." To whom, then, do these keys belong? To whom does the light of tlie sun belong? To whom does tho air of heaven belong? AVo ans-wer, tho light belongs to all who have eyes to see, and the air to all who have lungs to breathe. So these keys belong to ill who have souls to save. But tho professed successors of Peter set up an exclusive claim or monopoly, and they found this exclusive right to the keys on these words, " Thou art Peter and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." It would certainly have fitted better if our Lord had said, — " Thou art tho Pope of Rome— thou art Pius IX ;" but as he mentioned only Peter, quite another individual, plain men will wonder what that has to do with tho Pope any more than w f'l llie Emperor of China. But they get out of tuis by saying, they are I*eter's successors. It is, however, very unfortunate for the Pope and his Church, that if he were proved Iter's successor the passage would not help him, since it happens to make no provision for successors. They ai-e not mentioned in the deeds. The only plan, therefore, left for his holiness is to extend the doctrine of transubstantiation, and prove that as tho wafer is turned into Christ so the Pope is turned into Peter. The one is just as good as the other, and there is no othei" defence ; for whilst i the Catholic head reciter «< Ti "nd there the matter end, ' ^'""' ""■' "<« Pelei-," »p Of Christ-. k4j„„ cirz:' V ' '"° "'"•"« »f ft-th, both to ,l,e J,„, „„j IT' r "l^""' "'o J"' <»»>-«•„„ of Ae three tluld ^^' ™' ''« "^ *e through h« instrumentalitv • ZV n .''"^ "^ ^'™'^« ^ P-eh the Gospel to ci'nZ twhw Y ''^ "*» -"' 3'l>«e „ore the first fruits of Ae r\ ''™'"'- '^^'^ "• "•) M. classes; and m thjs t^J *V^'™'™ Ctu-h among to %th„ foundation otZcL 7 ' '"''^^' ^ »« «>« kmgdom. But it t „„e « 1' f •" "•*" ""' <>"' "f -*r .0 i, ,te foundatL „nd "f «> " ''""""». -'1 "O^d have no sueeessor. " ""' ™^I»« ""^ aj^tlo »ever the" d'^ Ci,'^^^"'' i" "^'''^'"^ P*"-. " VVhat- fcj binding and loosing, „7fi„d1hU ""^ """^ '"' "■'"'"' "d elsewhere .„ all thf.Zi^t T^ ™"' '»''''■• ""?"«- "■« *ve„ after his res.™ ' Z "'f """"^ "Pi*"™' '» ever sins *« remit , bey reZii f'" "'™ " «^''««>- ''e^ndingit:;-^^^^^^^^^^^ '» '»' e,uivS ^^ We commission of Je^ 7 , ^ ™' "^ ^"''■ '.« ««^P«1; and whato r,ll l"""^""' ™ '» P»bM '"■d down as the law. Chr t Jul, .™"°"""*'''' '-'«" "-ey ^;ap™.iso, He would faririrr'.'"'-'" "^^Savo What, therefore, they did X' , '■'■'"°''' "' '"■'"'on. '» declare the hw-,o bl /, 7 "'"' °"'' '""^d 'vas P™«tly servitude, and Zl t ' "' " ■^"'■"■^'' "•'-1 and ^^i^-yandhishilSTliltr^ir^^'''--^' "'snc- If men were itestant in^ ot Pet er,' evidentlj he setting ' the door 'St hy the Pentecost 'ing sent equently I XV. 7.) I amonff be said door of on, and a2)ost]o What- meant mpart- red to oseso- rhose- ), an at to Wish they ?ave I'cn. was and rist ero ih carelessness and sin they were to bind this law upon them, •' but now God commandeth all men everywhere to repent '' If men were pricked to the heart, and desirous of salvation they were loosed on this principle which is ratified in heaven' " believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.'' If men continued impenitent, then this law is binding, " he that believeth not sliall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." And thus whosesoever sins the apostles by this Gospel law have remitted, they are remitted in hea- ven; whosesoever sins by those laws are retained, are retain- ed in heaven. So that we have not to go to priests, to none of whom has Christ given power to absolve from sins, but to the apostles, whose writings are the Gospels, and the 'laws of which are ratified by Christ,— bound in heaven. No minister in the world, and no church in the world, has power to forgive sins,— tiie form of absolution in the Ro'mish Church is a blaspliemous forgery; a priest is no more than another man ; Christ gives him no power, no authority at all : no church has any power in these matters; all that any one can do is to tell men what Christ said by His holy apos- tles and prophets. The apostles never jorgave any sins. Peter himself did not pronounce absolution on Simon Magus, but exhorted him to repent and pray to God for forgiveness ] and it is awfully presumptuous in any man to take it upon him, as the Pope and his clergy do, authoritatively to absolve another from sin, or to decide his future destiny. This is the prerogative of God. Would you know, then, whose sins are remitted? Look into the promises of the Gospel, given by the apostles, and ratified by the Saviour. Would you know whose sins are retained? Examine their declarations, —the law they have made binding on the world— the only law by which wo shall bo tried before the judgment seat of Christ. This is the meaning of being " bound in heaven ;"— the sen- tence of the apostles in the New Testament about each one 'M of «,, „m aland g«Hl ,„,1 be carried out at the last ™t else s fal«,. here ,s our true ground of absolutioa-all else i, a delus,o„. So much, then, for the ■• binding a„d lolt " Now supposing „ ,„„ „,,^ „ = J^^o. fo low that he was to have any successors in .ho possess rof he p,.rjga.,ves; far less can it bo shown that L B hop' si! Tr„-r '■'«'" "> ''•'P^P"'"^ .h-s power to Hem W rhe B,shop of Antioch or of Jerusalem cou d a,^ f umshed a much better claim to this distinction if .U .rcumstanee „f Peter, residing or lablrrt l tmu h d as a suffieent plea in a matter of such « npor „c^ a£::^:rf ^-::rh:fiher.r:- -:t apostle ever was in R„„e at all has been doubted by so ! oiher stdL >"' "• «™"""^ "''"■'« *»' 1- -^rtit:?rr;i:r:drrr; marfvrflnm h,r « -c • J^*^* "'^, ana there sufFored niartjrdom by crucifixion, under the Emperor Nero Fv.n pastor, we have no evidence : there is in fact J r ■" scriptu. by „*« .1,0 ch„eh L ^„^iz:::^Tz H.^ seems to have been purposely eoneealer Mo JlX J aul wrote his hpistlo to the Komans, about the venr 5S ™ ''''""° ™™» "^ l--^ ^«' been there, for he s^uZ ht 25 anxiety to "impart to them some spiritual gifts," whicli oiKlowments were generally eonferrc.l l.y the laying on of the hands of the apostles. On his arrival' thither, as^related in tlie last chapter of the Acts, no mention is made of his bein^ introduced to Peter, which would hardly have been omitted had that apostle been there. In the epistles addres.sed by Paul fr(Mn Komc to the Ephcsians, Philippians, Colossians, Phdemon, and Timotliy, no salutation is sent from Peter,' though several inferior persons are mentioned ; and among all the names enuruorated in Romans xvi, amounting to between twenty and thirty, no notice is taken of Peter, which seems clearly to prove that when that epistle was written he was not there. From all this it is evident that if Peter ever was in Home he came thither to die, not to reign; but the connect- ing link being wanting, the whole chain falls to the ground. The earlier Bishops of Pvome were humble, devoted men, and some of them suffered martyrdom under the heathe.i emperors ; they claimed no authority over their brethren re- pudiated the title of universal bishop, and denounced those who would lay claim to it as anti-christ. But with the pro- gress of Christianity the number of professing Christians in Home was rapidly multiplied, and through the injudicious largesses of the wealtiiy members, the power and influence of the bishops gradually increased. They also encouraged appeals to themselves fi-om other churches, which gave them a plausible pretence for deciding in matters of controversy. After the civil establishment of the Christian faith by Con- stantine the Great, they rapidly rose in pomp and splendour under the patronage of the imperial convert; and it is related that such were the emoluments connected with the office of bishop soon after this time, that it became an object of ambi- tion to worldly men, and was contested with all the koennesa incident to a political election. 8 •26 We need only read tho preface to Jjowcr's ' Ilisf ..v nP .i Popes/ to find illustrations of the inZ us ,.^''^^°^V " -s growth of the Papal power/i:t3;':::^ r one po,ut, that in tlio be-iunin^ of il... f fi !° ti- year my i3o„ifacom;,t :'";:".''' >^''*;>; ('" »lf in,„ ,1,0 favour of Pl.ocao nine f ,',"?"'"'"' '''"'■ Sn,. of 7.>„™ ■ '^■■'•"l'-. iottlriig ,1,0 Eiii„cuiafy on the two „va, oi,io.), Ko,„e an,, Co„s,ami„opl tZ ^ Z &00 of IW, l,coau.o of hi, l,a,,oa t„ CKiac, 1 1 .f Eo,„a„ Bi.h„p3 had' all' r.: c, : Til vr"'" ,'": >.,.oahi„,^f ,oi,„,o.ai,i..o„o:^;h„^;;::^^ children ho caused ,o be inl,„u,a„ly lbu,el,e,«l in ,1, , souce of their father ;, . •'""."■""■"-" ™ <ne TO- «-— e,t.hiet'r::::s';!-:,rs Such IS the testimony of one who had ample opportunities S,a,e»„f ,1,0 Ch„,,,l, were «„:!^„! ' T" "' "'" ""' title of ..the Pa,ri,„„„; , g K, ^ , , ''"' ""''"' ""^ '««y or i5t. J eter; and he was raised to lli the rank of a tcniporai Sovereign by Pepin, King of Franco, uiid his son Charlunmgno, about the year 755. With tlio atniuisition of temporal power, a right was chiimed to the use of the tcniporai sword, and thus that Church whoso "faith was .spoken of thnnigliout tlie wlmlc world," wliich was "planted wholly a right seed" and whicli was "espoused as a chaste virgin to Christ," at last assumed the character of a cruel per- secutor, and appeared as the mother of harlots, drunken with the blood of the Saints and 3Iartyrs of Jesus. The IJishop or chief Pastor was transformed into the Pope, or Father, })y way of eminence, and styled ' his Holiness,' or ' tlie Holy Fatlier,' a name appropriated to the Most High, (John xvii. 11) ; ilie Presbyters and Deacons were converted into Cardi- nals, or Ecclesiastical Princes ; the Kings of the earth wore re(|uired to bow to tho autJiority of the Sovereign Pontiff; refractory kingdoms were excommunicated or interdicted from religious ordinances ; princes were crowned, and bishops invested in their office by the haughty prelate of the Vati- can, who claimed the power of deposing or suspending them, and of absolving subjects from their oath of allegiance to their lawful sovcreion, — as in the case of Elizabeth of Vm"- land : and presuming " to change times and laws," the same "lawless one " published dispensations and granted indul- gences, as if he wore literally empowered to open or shut the gi'.tes of heaven at his pleasure. The mystery of uiiquity is described by the proj)het Daniel, under the symbol of " tho little horn," (Dan. vii. 20-'25); it is further developed in Paul's second epistle to tho Thessalonians (chap. ii. 5-12), under the character of "the man of sin, the son of perdi- tion ;" and it is drawn to the life by the apostle John in the lie volutions, under tho two-fold chai'acter of " tho beast with horns like a lamb and speaking as a dragon," and " tlie gor- geously arrayed harlot, sitting upon the many waters." (Uev. xiii. 17.) IJut tho same prophecies which reveal its rise set i'8 limits to its (h '^^ ^^"''a^'on, and predict its fall -T},.. t w it iu Lis time." "» lau. -l"o Lord iiasten (!■) A„,l, at tho fi,-,t »W ' ."%<■■' «V'™«<y. 'ivo „„ earth, h"' ™"f ■"l"""^ "» visible r„,„.oso,„a. a."l fallible n,a„ ^2 :!• ''•'^■rr"'^^"' '"*" "-^ » ^'^W^ ». wbat shall ;e,„afe;- /p*" ''" ^'"f" '' '"'""'Wo •• ^ -1. other; I i-owi , : ti^rr" -""■■"""««->« tradietory decrees tlmt „, "y"""'- '" 'I'" «Pt«smg „ud eo„- ™c»ssiv' Sk!!l. '":;""""' ''"^ I-"™ -»od by «"-• or ord:i*^"i,st>" "'r """"" "»^ -' twenty.four trand »I • *"''''° ' ""J K' no fewer (ha„ •if) ten power and usurpation — hytlie votes of the Roman Christians, bv the voice of the Roman multitude, by the election of priests, by the mandate of an armed mob, by the aiipolnt- ment of the civil magistrate, by the choice of cardinals, by the imperious will of eourtezansr by the ])urchase of money, and by the assassination of predecessors ! Infallible ! and yet some popes, testina; them by the Romish creed, were crrorists, respecting apocryiiha, image-worship, transubstanti- ation, half-connnunion, and almost, if not absolutely eveiy peculiar doctrine and rite of Romanism ; and otiiers, tested even by tlie aggregate orthodox creed, were either heretics, anti-beatitudinarians, sailducecs, monothelites, pelagians and arians I Vet cacli of these popes was the successor of Peter, and (Jiu'ist's vicegerent upon earth ! All !«uch arrogant pretensions are utterly inconsistent with the Saviour's prerogative, who is repeatedly declared to bo *' iiead over all things to the Cluireh." (Kph., i, 22 ; Col, i, IS.) " Who Ijolds the stars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of tlie golden candlesticks, and who has the keys of death and of the invisible world." (Rev., i, 18 j 111, <•) (2.) We have a right to expect some resemblance in ovt- ward condition betv;ecn the pretended successor of Peter and vicar of Jesus Christ, and those whose representative he claims to be. Take the case of the Apostle Peter, and is there any point of similarity between him and the Bishop of Rome i Peter was an itinerant preacher travelling on foot from place to place,— the proud prelate of Rome resides at his ease in a palace, surrounded with armed guards, receiving or sending ambassadors, and affecting the style and attriljutes of royalty. I'eter, with the keys of the kingdom, opened the Gosptd to the Jews and proselytes on the day of Pentecost, — the Pope pretends to have the keys that he -may lock the Gospel up ; ijrst, iu ii musty library ; second, in the second-hand vulgate 7 J^^tin; third, intlicHfn.^ofjI... n , . -«wm,, ,•„,,,,„,,,* :f^c..^^ -"« » -nriod „„,„,_„,„ iw."^',, ;'''« f--'-. 1-0.0,. y« tliat Potor i,„, ,„ . I,. , „ '"""'■^ ""'l 'l'»>vn, it, „„,, ^''i'l. "led™, tl,o eUerfl"' ^^' ^"'"■» ^«''- I'^tor « of 0„,1, „„, L,2: '.'7f "'>-»'''f »" oMo,.. f,.„i „,„ J-...u*of.i~^^^^^ forces hy virtue of yi^o.^/; ' / ,. ^ "^'' ^•"""".•.u.l.s ;muI fi'^Jiy lucre of Pur-^Z "''^'"''^^' ^'"^' '•-('"•'-•^ "'o I'ave I none, "-the Pope ,,,, j^'f' ^'^'''- «"«l «oI,l •••"'1 tax the world pir .. ,1 \ ^u f '''T'' "^ ^^''"-^■' to another, "-_the Pope «,v. il . ?"" ^'" '"'•''^''•^ ""'^' J>'^- .ays, «. 1)0 not 1 t'o C T ^' •'''''' ""^'' -'• lVsays,Ia,„ ^ lord 1 1 , ^'' ^^'"^••'o'-^"-InU, ,!„ -'•<^' "I am a .'nfu T, " o , ^ .^''t^^'"'^^- J'^"-" ^^^ylod '' His Holiness " ' ^^^^-^V'-l.ut the Pope is olaimstobo. Thoono,!.., ,','"* ™'?™nt lio "- one g„i„g „b„„ ft '!;.'„""" "' "''-^ '"'■■•''- ^«o!u.io„ and ncvor an cW '=,'""'"''^ "'' "> ^"'^"o" vaI,-.ho o„o HdinXra . t,Tl:" ,""" "«" f^"" oai.ar.soned mule; or i„ a riw,/ °"'" °" " ''"I'lv 01.0 novor crowned h,t wit , 111™ ,, , "■"*' '"'"-•■ "'o . '^"'■■>i%' to h, a j„dge or divider the other gras])in;^ at universal doininiuii and treating kings a< vassals and de|>endents, permitting them to ki.ss liis font (»r to jiidd liis stirrup, as Alexander III. di<l to the kings ol' h'rance and England, or to wait bare-footed at his gate, as (Jregory AMI. did to Henry IV., or appearing under a gor- geous canojiy home on men shoulders, or on an elevated ])latforni so jnoved hy inaehinery as to give him the appear- ance of heing suspended in the air, while he no sooner is S(H;n at the great window of St. Peter's than the vast multi- tude fall prostrate befitro him as to an incarnate deity, while he stretclies out his hand anil gives thenj his blessing. So true is tlie prediction of Paul that he " opposeth and ex- aiti!tli himself abdve all that is ealled Glod, or is w<irshii»ped, so that he as God sittetli in the temple of God, shewing himself that ho is (j!od." (2 Thess., ii, 3.) Look on this ])ieture and on that. Are they alike ? {'•]. ) We have a right at least to expect some rcscnd)lancc in point of moral character. ]Jut though there were un- (|uesti(»nably some popes, especially in the earlier periods of the Church's history, exemplary in their lives, others have ))een infamous for profligacy. As early as the Sixth Cen- tury Vigllius was exconnuunicated by a Council of Carthage, and condennied as a heretic by the second Council of Con- stantinople ; he changed his creed six times, and was distin- tinguished as a traitor and an assassin. In the Ninth (V'utury, Formosus was a simonist and a perjurer, and his corpse, jirevious to sepulchre, was dragged through the streets of Iconic and thrown into the Tiber. Stei)lien \ll. and IJonifacc VI. wore contemporarics-^the former is called by Paronlus "a most wicked man" — he condenmed his jiredeccssor Formosus, unearthed his body and set it uj) for mock judicial trial; but he was himself, in his turn, con- demned, debased, and ignominiously strangled. The Tenth Century plunges deep into thg. abominations of the Paj)acy. 32 ^fanz u. Join, vrr „ • -^ "'^' ''^'"'ot (^.".,,.11 , I., „„ „. .; ,'„ "'r •'';i"-"i ''.v « i!.»,>»n ''--.."in .,oi:!:L:;\.!;i ;■'■;':;,;::"::, ■:;"--•;•" »n ..i,.„o«.„ |,„,„i. j,„„„,|. . '] ' • '' »'l"l"'y l>y tl.eo,,li„arylfrof ,/'";' ''° '''"'""' »W-"-» "> ». for the «« ,1 t ''",'"'"' ™'-''»— -f «'. JMc, Kvo„ .1,0 p OS , ' olX f 'Lo- Fotomlo,! vic.r, „f (;,,h,, .o..po.,u „„.„.,, „,L., ,.;,,:;,xi,f ■«"■■■■'-' ""■• "-'"'""""r^- ««' Whocxcl4«l oo tlic imitation for the (liaiuoiul and soM liis filasri for a ])rccious stone it would have been an infamous roUtory. So our blessed Lord made Simon into a precious stone— a gem ; but the Pope comes to pass off" uixjn the world a most wretched and gaudy flash imitation, and charges dearly fur it. It is time the eyes of his followers were opened ; it is time that the nations repudiated, in the name of reason, in the nine of liberty, in the name of our connnon numhood, in the n^une of Christ, in the name of his Gospel, this Popeshiji— this supremacy which holds the world in spiritual chihlishness and bondage. What, then, is to be done ? First, without controversy, let us take Luther's p.salm, and sing it with more faith aud fervor than we have ever yet done, ".God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble," &c. " The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge." ^ This done, let us sit down to consider. Wisdom is the fruit of reflection, and thought the parent of action. There are two ways in which this mighty ecclesiastical despotism concerns, and threatens most seriously to aflect, us, and in reference to which, as in ancient Sparta, who ever, when liberty was in danger, remained neutral, was deemed a traitor, so now, whoever shall be found indifferent must be held to betray a sacred trust, so far as in him lies to place our liberties and religion in jeopardy, and to be himself in peril of the awful denunciation pronounced on some of old, who "came not forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty." As patriots, in-d lovers of our country, the throne, and the constitution under which we live, we are most deeply inter- ested in the present aspect of Roman affairs. We regard the whole of the movement of the l^apacy, not only here but throughout the world, as nothing more and nothing less Uian a mighty effort to place us under the dominion of the Pope, '■immimimiv'mtBfm' ♦>i*iO!S*«w''Mr-- 3* I- a d I J • ' :™,"-'"'"-^ ('""»"-■» not wl,oll,„. i, "..aes wo ,1,„1| ,],,™ )„',,„,. '"• "'i'"" J«''jlo„ s l)ut tho sl.rl, .P "^ I''^'""^ "^'*^' I'^'rU'^otl nought "" tilt syl, of .successive generati..ns will bo ,r,r,l " \C unto U8 for wo aro fallen " - u J , ^^""^ To prevent such a (loom let us .,« win. .i i ""i.e With ixi 'f ,:;r,ri'r""''t -^ '""'""■™- liut, tl, ! ^ *"""»'" '""'"■ l"» sway- iiut tiiere is anot 101- and even (■„■ „„ ,, I» tola.,, of ,1,0 ,„ovo,„°l „ ,; """" T'T'"" '•'" '" »ff«at t!,o interest, nf . . , "' °"'' """ '''• ■"* ''"'y vital o,.j:::t:\iret,;;;;;:^^ ouo 85 Calvin >vroto, an.l Lutimor sufforcl. shall continue in this ^ l,na unvitiatcl ami unol.cuvo.l. 1. the .aerili.MU aoa h o the awful sufl-erer on Calvary to ho exehanj^c.l tor the Mas. . T. tlie i.viesthood of the only IVIediator to he substituted l.y a Vviesthood luude with hands V Is the spotless rol.e of unna- l.uel'H ri.d.touusness to he touched and soiled hy an addition of the .vorks of man v Ts the nien-y-'^eat to he ohstmcted by tho confessional V Is i.uv^^atory to bo interposed between heaven and hellV Is tiie supremacy of Christ to bo trans- ferred into the han.ls of a vilo worm of tho dust ".^ J l.ese are .luestions whieh, in all their solemn weight and nnport- ance, are now before us, and it behoves us to deeule the.,,, and to be up and doing ere the ark of tho W be n^ the Philistines' hands. Pope'T •« " ^"•^*'»«^' S'^l'^'l- -;! l"^""' tion of Christianity,-a perversion of tho glad tidings ot re.leeming nierey to a lost world. It misrepresents the char- ,,ter of (Jod. It earieatures the work of Chnst. It throws a cloud over all tho sinner's prospects and cuts away the only foundation on which he can build safely for eternity. Anu .hall the " truth of the gospel," be yielded to such a system as this, and the glorious verities of salvation exchanged for such iictions as these V No, not for an hour. Our allegianco to the Kin" of Zion, our obligations to the Saviour of snuiers, our love to our fellow-men, an.l our responsibility to tho judge of all foibid it and summons us with trumpet voice to united enterprise and action »uu\ Ours is the battle. The aggression is theirs. Ihey have made the onslaught. We will repel it, repel it to a man. father let us say "the battle is not ours, but the Lords He calls us to it. lie has prepared the armour. He buls us .'.., cmipped therein, to the field. The weapons of our ^valfare are n..t carnal, but spiritual. Heason. truth, >^cr,p- tu,e and prayer- wo disclahn all others ; but these we mean to em ploy to the utmost of what our laws and constitution 8G will allow. No peace with l?ome. But we love to content plate the war. and the resources to prosecute it wl.ich, as thristirns, we enjoy. Wo want no other bond of alliance than the "unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace" among ourselves. We want no other instnuncnt than the . sword of the Spirit wliich is the Word of God." We want no other energy than that of wliich the prophet sjioke • •' x\ot .y might nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts And we want no otlier medium to bring it down than that which the patriarch employed at Bethel, when he wrestled with the angel of the covenant and prevailed. J. rayer and correspondent action have won the victory before they will achieve it still. ■ Let us, then, fellow Christians and fellow Protestants of every name, who love "the truth of Christ," unite at the present emergency with that earnestness and afiection which the crisis demands, to resist the corruption of Popery, and to vindicate and perpetuate amongst us the great doctrines of the "common salvation." Let there be no strife between us, nor divisions, nor broken rank in all our borders. Israel s tribes fought under different banners, but their "Leader and Commander " was one. Their cause was one. 1 he spirit by which they were actuated was the same, ;ind the Ixod under whom they were engaged is the "same yes- terday to-day, and for ever." To us as to them there is but •' one body, and one spirit, and one Lord, and one faith one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all' an^ through all and in all." The watchword of-the enemy is "Divide' and conquer:" ht otcrs be "Union is stren..th." Ihus-the petty states ofGree'ce wasted their resources in mutual wars; but when tb^ great King of Persia appeared ot> their shores, followed by a million of men, they laid aside their ancient grievances, united together as one man, and drove back the common enemy with shame and dishonour to • a: his own land. Nothing can he nioic appropriate to om- subject or our position than the touching and dying prayer of the young King Edward, " O Lord, heal the division<s of Protestants and deliver the kingdom from Papistry." It is our comfort to know that the true Church of (Un-ist is indestructilK;. It i,. foiu.lud, not on Peter, not on Pojics, but on the rock of eternal truth, " Other^ foundation can no man lay," &(% It was prepared in heaven, laid on earth, revealed in tlie GosihjI, and selected by Propliets, Ajwstles! and righteou.s rnen as their own. "Behold I lay in Zion," &c. On this true berevor.s of every age and of every clime have built; and if resting on this, all Churches, all Apostks and all Christians are equal. In this respect there is no preference, and no superiority, among them. .\11 are saf«>, and all are h(.norable. 8oon may that day conic, when every nation shall be sunmioned, every heart awake, and every ear open, U) hear the Eternal Jehovah, amidst the joys of saints, the songs of angels, and the acclamations of* the univejse! proclaim that glorious truth which the insj.rod I'rophet delighted to record. -'I'he hands of Zerubabel have laid the foundations of this house ; his hands shall also Hnish it ; and he shall bring forth the head stone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unt» you." Let all the people ^y Amen. " What thougli the gates of hell withstood, Yet must this huiUling rise : 'Tis tliine own work. Ahnifjhty God, And wondrous m our eyes." ■ ''i^'