money! What then do you think King Solomon was a liar?

Paul. King Solomon a liar, Murphy? Why, I have said nothing about King Solomon. What do you mean?

Murphy. I mean nothing more nor less than this, that King Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun:" but deliverance from purgatory without money would be a new thing, and then you know King Solomon would have been a liar.

Then you

Paul. Now I understand you. both expected to pay money, and were willing to pay it?

Murphy. Undoubtedly; nor I only, but all my Catholic neighbours also.

Paul. Do you think, Murphy, that without this plenary indulgence the Priests of that cathedral would have received, from Nov. 28th to Dec. 27th, one-tenth of what they actually did receive?

Murphy. No, nor one-twentieth.

Paul. Did it never occur to you,-for, in spite of your Priests, I perceive you have ventured now and then to think for yourself,—did it never occur to you that there is a singular discrepancy between the doctrine of St. Peter, and that of his successors? The former you know says, "Ye are not redeemed with such corruptible things as silver or gold, but with

the precious blood of Christ;" whereas the latter teach that the money must tinkle, or the soul cannot escape from the fire of purgatory. Blood, without either money or fire, was the doctrine of St. Peter; but his successors lose sight of the blood, and insist on the money and the fire, or, to speak more properly, the money or the fire; for give the Priests plenty of the former, and the soul shall very soon escape from the latter.

Murphy. Yes, it has more than once occurred to me; and, indeed, one Sunday, after mass was over, and the Priest and I were having a little whisky punch together at a whisky shop, I asked him how it was that blood redeemed our souls from hell, and money redeemed them from purgatory? He looked rather displeased, and said, "Murphy, it is not for you to inquire into the mysteries of religion: your business is to believe as the Church believes." I knew it would not do to push the inquiry farther just then, and therefore waved it till we had drunk a little more whisky; for he was a dear lover of whisky, and the whisky always made him very merry and loquacious. When I perceived the whisky had taken effect, I ventured to repeat my question; to which he replied, "Murphy, you devil,"-in this familiar way our Priests often address us,-" Murphy, you devil, hear and mind what I say: I tell you

that Jesus Christ by his death has redeemed the souls of men from hell, and that he pardons all the mortal sins of Christians; but the little every-day sins of good people he does not forgive, but in kindness to his church, that is, to his Priests, he turns them over to them, that they may have it in their power either to send the offenders to purgatory, or to keep them out, as they please. Now this, Murphy, you perceive, produces subjection and obedience to us of the sacred order, their lawful Priests; for we are at once the object of the people's fear and hope. Besides, Murphy, it is a doctrine which is at once both pleasant and profitable ;-pleasant to the poor souls to be delivered, and pro fitable to us their deliverers." To which I ventured to reply, " But it would be pleasanter still for the poor soul to go to heaven direct;— and, besides, it has always appeared very strange to me, that a man should be pardoned for high treason, and punished for petty larceny; that the greater, the infinitely greater, offence should be freely forgiven, whilst a mere trifling deviation from propriety should be visited with purgatorial fire." Hold your peace, Murphy," rejoined the Priest; "these things are too deep for you. I am afraid you are beginning to play the heretic, through the exertions of those Bible-men and their Missionaries; but, by the blessed Virgin, I'll drive both Missionaries and

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Bibles out of my parish." Perceiving him to kindle, I pursued my inquiries no farther.

Paul. Happy for you, Murphy, that you are protected by a Protestant Government! There was a time,-during the reign of the bloody Queen Mary, whose memory is held up to the execration of posterity,-when, had you given expression to such sentiments, they would have made you pass through the fire to Moloch, (the impious absurdities of Popery!) and, except you had recanted, would have sent your soul, not to purgatory, but to hell.

Murphy. On the subject of purgatory, I doubt no longer. You have fully convinced me that it is not in the Bible; that neither Moses nor the Prophets, Jesus Christ, nor the Apostles, ever taught it; that it is of pagan origin; that it never found its way into the Christian church, till both its Ministers and people had become exceedingly ignorant and depraved; that it is awfully demoralizing and debasing in its effects; and that purgatory and indulgences are twin daughters of the Apocalyptic whore, by whose abominations their masters, the Priests, get great gain. I am therefore resolved not to make this lie my refuge, but to seek for pardon and a preparation for heaven in this life; which I am encouraged to hope for, not through my own sufferings, but through the sufferings of Him who died the just for the

unjust, whose blood cleanseth from all sin,who took the penitent thief from the cross to paradise, who has pronounced all who die in the Lord, happy, and whose disciples have, in all ages, been blessed with a good hope through grace, that when the earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, they shall have a building above, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Paul. So then, the Bull of Pope Pius has lost all its charms with you.

Murphy. Indeed it has. And the money which I intended to give the Priest to pray my parents out of purgatory, I will now devote to other purposes. With a part of it I will buy a Bible, that I may read the word of God to my wife and children; with a second I will buy a few clothes for the family; and the rest shall be expended in mending my cabin, and making it water and wind tight against winter. Now, Sir, I must leave you; but I cannot do it without most heartily thanking you for the information you have given me. May every blessing attend you and yours for ever!

Paul. Thank you, Murphy; and I most sincerely implore the same blessings upon you and yours. I am thankful for your deliverance from the unscriptural and dangerous doctrine of purgatory. Read your Bible much, and and will be led into all necespray much, you