of his apostasy to the imperial city. Let him crawl, when there, into the temple. Let him lick the dust at the foot of the altar, above which sits our lord god the Pope, as a god," shewing himself that HE IS GOD." Let him say, O thou that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us! Then let him wait, and kneel, not daring to look up, to hear what shall be said concerning him.-Englishmen, churchmen, proud aristocrats, are you prepared for this?-Oh yes. You would capitulate, no doubt. You would make terms.- Capitulate with Rome? Capitulate with the Inquisition?

The wretch capitulates. Give him the torture!

Nay, think not of capitulating. Think not of union. Think not of terms with Rome. Think of the direr retribution of another day. Repent! repent! repent! Believe the Gospel!

As to those of our Dissenting friends who favour the Roman Catholics, and whom we look upon, in the present emergency, as singularly and particularly duped, deluded, and cozened, we have a few words for them also. It has been insinuated that they are disposed to favour the ambitious claims of the Papists, in the hope of humbling, perhaps of levelling, the Church of England. To level one of the great bulwarks of Protestantism and pure Christianity, purely on account of differences amongst ourselves! The thought is too shocking, and too unnatural, to be harboured. This subject, however, is one in which, as to essentials, we have little fear. In her immunities, perhaps, in her privileges, in her temporalities, the church may suffer. We say, perhaps, and only perhaps. But as to her essentials, we feel a firm hope, an unshaken persuasion, that she is destined still to exist, to flourish, and to increase-still holding up a standard against Rome; still retaining her character of decided and marked distinction from any other form of Protestant Christianity, that is established amongst us. And even if she could be injured, in this her higher character, we doubt not that in the same degree damage would result to other Protestant communities. When the church falls, the tabernacle may well tremble. They have too much of good in common, for one to be safe when the other suffers. In religious and political revolutions, we cannot always go to a certain length, and then stop; and the movers of the first change often become the victims of the second. Therefore, if our friends among the Dissenters seem amicably disposed towards the supporters of Romanism, it may be well to point out, how these feel towards them. We certainly advise them, though without intending any general recommendation of so bad a book, to procure and read the first sermon of the work before us. There, as we have

seen, they will find it on record, that their congregations are "heretical assemblies," and "without the pale of that Catholic church, to which the promises of the Gospel are addressed." There they are consigned, for their hope of salvation, as voluntarily separate from the body of Christ, to none but questionable comfort ;" and, inasmuch as the "separatist" ""stands not within the revealed limits of mercy,' to "uncovenanted graces." There they will learn, that their separation is "monstrous" that dissent is an "unchristian crime;" and that nothing but liberality (that is, nothing) prevents their "schisms" from being denominated "heresies."-Indeed, there are single expressions, in the present work, which are quite sufficient to make all take warning. The division between the Churches of England and Rome is only a " temporary interruption!" Those who would oppose their reunion are the " bigoted and the "factious!!" and those by whom that reunion is to be effected, "the negociating parties!!!"

But sen

Our opinion, indeed, with respect to our Dissenting brethren, is this: that in the favourable disposition which many of them now manifest, towards the claims of the Roman Catholics, there is much of what may be called sentiment or feeling: a feeling, for instance, that all men ought to stand on an equal footing, as to their civil rights. To this, in its proper place, and where it does not interfere with higher things, we cannot object for it is the cordial feeling of our own hearts. timent, and things of that sort, are often totally altered, by a very small change in the actual state of things. And this, we apprehend, might very soon be the case, with the sentiments of the Protestant Dissenters, who advocate Catholic emancipation. The only change necessary seems to be, that the Papists should get what they are now seeking for: and, from the attitude of candidates for political power, should be placed in the attitude of holders. Let us only suppose the thing to have taken place. It might take place within two months from the time when we are now writing. Let us suppose Popish judges on the Bench, Popish peers in the House of Lords, Popish representatives in the Commons, Popish privy councillors about the King, Popish ministers at the helm of affairs. What becomes of the present feeling, the present sentiment, of Dissenters? We can conceive the sixty-three ministers of London and its vicinity in a room together-all their sentiment evaporated in smoke-and looking at one another in profound astonishment, dumb confusion, and mutual reproach.-O yes, good sirs. What, you wished, did you? to see your Roman-Catholic "brethren" made equal with you? But look. See the result. They are not made equal with you. No. They are made much

These

higher. They have got completely the vantage of you. You are duped. See. They look down upon you, chuckling most heartily at your astonishment. For where do we see Dissenters-that is, where do we see honest Dissenters, men owning themselves to be Dissenters-holding those posts into which you have helped to hoist your Catholic "brethren?" Shew us a Presbyterian judge. Shew us an Independent privy councillor. Shew us a Wesleyan prime minister. Shew us a Huntingdonian peer of the realm. Shew us a Baptist member of the House of Commons. No. But-still supposing the point to be carriedwe can shew you Roman Catholics in all these stations. So that, after all, as it turns out, these Jesuits, by means of their Jack-a-lantern of equality, have DUPED you: they have got all they want, and you have got nothing: you see them in possession, and yourselves shut out: yes, shut out; and farther, a hundred times farther from participating, than ever you were before. For, however Papists hate Churchmen, they have an infinitely greater antipathy to Dissenters. They have sometimes so far forgotten themselves, as to declare their hatred to Churchmen. The reason is, because they could find words for it. They say nothing of their hatred to Dissenters. The reason is, because no words can express it. But what is this? The spectacle grows worse and worse! newly-appointed statesmen enter on their functions! They begin to deliberate! They begin (O poison!) to advise the King! They begin to LEGISLATE! What are now the feelings of our friends of the Three Denominations? Nay, more appalling still! Those old, rancorous enemies of the Dissenters, the high, aristocratic, Popish part of the Establishment, who have always hated them with a perfect hatred-these (suppose it for a moment), these have now united with the Papists, and are partakers of their power. These enter now, also, on the work of legislation; and, in their zeal for order and the unity of the church, are beginning to put in force, against conventicles and such-like shops of schism, those measures of salutary coercion which they have always had at heart! What now the dismay of the sixty-three petitioners (report says, actually sixty-nine! and some of them good men!!) on discovering the rod, which they have thus helped to make for their own backs!-Or suppose the contrary. Suppose the triumphant Papists, flushed with victory, to reject with scorn the proffered submission and alliance of their Church-of-England friends. Down goes the Church: that is, down goes one of the bulwarks, to which they, the Dissenters, as Protestants, owe their safety; and they themselves are left open, for the next attack.-What, you wished the

202 Proposed Union of the Churches of England and Rome.

Church to fall, did you? If that be possible, know that in the very seeming to have gained your wish, you are totally foiled. For what you wished to see fall, was the political church, the state church, the church in its immunities, temporalities, and secular patronage: not the church in its pure and Protestant doctrines and ordinances. But THESE, THESE are the marks of Papal enmity; THESE are the objects of Papal suppression: the doctrines; the pure Gospel; the truth! And as to church immunities, privileges, and temporalities, see! you have them retained, established, confirmed, saddled, and riveted on you, and on your children after you-aye, and augmented an hundredfold, by what the Reformation took away. We have met with certain documents, of late, in which we have been broadly told, that affairs are getting so bad in the Establishment, that all of us Churchmen, who are good men and true, must soon begin to think of leaving it, and joining the Dissenters. We will make bold to answer, that we think the contrary ought to take place. As matters are now going, we call upon conscientious Dissenters to begin to think of joining the Church. She is attacked, and they through her: and it behoves them to enter, as defenders, within her gates; just as brave soldiers throw themselves, sword in hand, into the bastion that is most hotly assaulted. Leave the Church of England? Abandon our Church? We thought we loved her always, but we now find our mistake. We never knew what it was to love her, as we love her now. Let every Churchman that prefers the Popelet every Churchman that prefers Protestant Dissent-let every man that bears a grudge against the Establishment in his heart

let every man that is afraid-let every man that does not know his own mind-let every man that is neither this nor that—take himself off, and welcome. Come, brethren. Three cheers for them at parting. Strike up, drummers; the usual march on such occasions. And now-a solemn preparation for all that may come upon us. Let each that is not ready, prepare himself in the Lord and, friends, remember this:

THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE NOT CARNAL, BUT MIGHTY THROUGH GOD.

We Protestants have long been talking, as if we were mightily to help the Lord in this contest. Let us now begin to talk, indeed it is high time, of His helping us.

In a word: Satan, at a thousand points, by a thousand avenues, is now making a grand rush against the truth. The prospect is alarming. But the very fact proves the progress that the Gospel is making amongst us. The devil hath great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Whatever

we do besides, therefore, let no believer be diverted from the plain, straightforward object, of promoting the cause of the Gospel, by the most direct and simple means. On that plan must it finally triumph in the world. On that plan must it finally triumph in our own hearts.

THOUGHTS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

(Continued from page 11.)

BY A CLERGYMAN.

XXXI. THE man of the world maintains a bland exterior; but the more we penetrate into his real character, the harder we find him. The Christian should carry his gentleness within, with some degree of outward plainness. In this respect, the Jewish tabernacle may be regarded as a type, not merely of the church, but of individual believers. Its richest ornaments lay hid within. Of the coverings that were laid over them, the inmost was the most splendid: "curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubims of cunning work." Next to this came the curtains of goats' hair. Then came a covering of rams' skins, coarser still; and a covering above of badgers' skins, the coarsest of all. (Ex. xxvi.)—I want that last covering, of badger's skin. What skin so tough? Lay hold of a badger, he cares not for you. He can turn round in his skin, and look you in the face.-Perhaps I want all besides. Perhaps, on looking inwards, I am forced to confess, that I am most lamentably defective in the essentials, the more precious furniture within, the hidden man of the heart. But, supposing a believer has every interior grace,-considering what a world he lives in; how many hard knocks he has to take; how many cuts from all sides; what a desert he has to pass through; in what a wilderness to pitch his tabernacle; it will be a great mercy, if, to cover all, to receive every thump, to take every thrust, he is provided with the badger's skin.

XXXII. The devil's favourite house, that in which he feels himself at home, is a man (Luke xi. 24); the next, a swine (viii. 33).

XXXIII. There are two ways in which a believer may be kept back from active usefulness. The first is, if he has a high opinion of himself. The glory of God is then engaged against him. He cannot be employed. He is laid aside, and some more humble instrument is taken. But suppose this conceit of his own talent and fitness is mercifully taken out of him. Then another way in which he may be kept unfruitful, is by the