tion, any scheme for bettering the condition of the poor without the aid of the Gospel-so great is the rage for doing good—at any rate, at all hazards, we must do good-has a very taking aspect with religious people. And if such schemes seem to have a little temporary success, and a paper be printed and handed about with a few numerical or arithmetical results, then the witchery is complete-the sorcery succeeds: behold the sign and the wonder wrought, to seduce, if possible, even the elect! Poor, silly, sheep-beloved, but prone to stray; chosen, but not stedfast; believing, yet of little faith! Well for us that in the Lord who chose and called, we have the Shepherd who tends and will to the last preserve us!

There are two things, I said, foretold of these false Christs; and two things which determine their real character.

First, the false Christ has always more or less of enmity to the true Christ. It is the enmity of rivalry, leading to the enmity of antipathy. Persons professing benevolence have an idea that they have the right way of doing good. But Christ teaches that all good must come from him. They, however, know him not and consequently, when they hear this proclaimed, of course the feeling of rivalry and jealousy is engendered in their hearts. Hence such persons, with all their professed benevolence, and sometimes with a professed admiration for the character of Christ, as a model of benevolence, are always more or less at enmity with him in their hearts. They distrust his way of doing good, his scheme of mercy and salvation; they see in it no beauty that they should desire it; they see in it something that is different from their own way of doing good, or opposed to it; and therefore, however they may conceal the fact from others, however they may endeavour at first, as a thing too shocking to be conscious of, to conceal it from themselves, they are more or less at enmity with Christ. The father of sentimental infidelity, sees much in the sufferings of mortality which pains and grieves him. Not knowing the true causes and remedies, he assigns causes, and proposes remedies, of his own. But these are opposed to the Gospel system, and the Gospel system is opposed to him. Hence no man can be the disciple of Rousseau, without being at enmity with Christ.

What Christian is ignorant, at least what Christian who knows any thing of the world, that in bland people, who assume an appearance of goodness and benevolence, and are fond of schemes of amelioration and utility, expedients for exalting and enlarging the human intellect, and plans for the extension of science, and education, and the like, and are without Christ, there is generally more or less of a lurking enmity

to Christ; to his word, to his Gospel, to his people? For example, how does this sometimes come out in benevolent persons, as they are called, who are much disposed to almsgiving. As they are so fond of giving to the poor, it might be expected that poor Christians would come in for a share. But no. This is a very observable circumstance: and perhaps others will have noticed it, as well as myself. Poor Christians are omitted in their lists; poor Christians have no leaf in their book; poor Christians are passed over in their donations. They shew great kindness to the poor, but they dislike poor Christians. Because Christ for perhaps they are not quite conscious to themselves, as yet, that they are otherwise than true believers in Christhas shewn, as we read at the close of the xxv th chapter of St. Matthew, that the standing at his right hand or at his left, and the entering into life eternal or departing from him into everlasting fire, will go with the feeding the hungry, taking in the stranger, &c., or the not having done so, therefore they think they will make sure. They will feed the hungry, they will visit the sick, they will do all these things, and make their title to heaven certain. But they are mistaken, after all: they shall not so succeed. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." Ah, they did it to all besides: but their hearts were not right with HIM: they were influenced by their enmity towards HIM: they seemed kind, benevolent, liberal, tenderhearted, but they could not bear those who belonged to HIM: -they did it not to these! The least token of godliness was an exclusion. They did it not to one of the least of these! Thus, with all his benevolence, the false Christ stands detected.

But there is another mark, which, however, naturally goes with the former; and it is this: The false Christ has always a natural tendency to become an antichrist. The enmity of rivalry has a natural tendency, unless, as I have intimated already, it be checked in time, and turned by Divine grace to repentance and submission, to become the enmity of antipathy. The difference between the two characters is, that the false Christ assumes the character of the True, and professes to do his work, and so imitates or counterfeits him: while the antichrist is an open opposer; a persecutor, an infidel, or a blasphemer. But it is evident that the false Christ, having that enmity of which we have spoken, is already something of an antichrist in his heart; and, as the consequence, it often happens that, sooner or later, he comes out in that character. An awful fact! How often do we observe, in worldly persons who put on an appearance of

blandness and benevolence, a verging towards the avowal of infidelity! It is remarkable how the two things go together. Thus the false Christ gradually approximates towards the antichrist! A well-known individual is a remarkable instance of this. He began as a false Christ. Denouncing all existing institutions as sources of misery to mankind, he asserted that he could develop the means of happiness to all; and proposed plans of amelioration, co-operation, and gradual improvement, which were to do away with all distress, and with all evil. At this time people were at a loss to understand him. He betrayed, for a while, no very marked enmity to the Gospel; nay, seemed willing, though some doubted his sincerity, to introduce the Bible into his system. But since that, it seems, he has come out. We now hear of him in America, pitted against a minister of the Gospel, publicly disputing against the Christian religion. The false Christ stands detected, an ANTICHRIST!

I hope I have now said enough to shew, that the existence of false Christs and antichrists is among the signs of these times. Such cases as we have been considering, afford to me a more striking fulfilment of prophecy than any literal accomplishment could do. And the word of our Lord, that false Christs should come, I see far more fully accomplished in them, than when once, with an air of frantic menace, an individual deliberately uttered these words in my presence, "I am the Messiah!"

There have been false Christs in times past: there may be others yet to come. Let us not be blind to those, who are pre

sent and in the midst of us.

B.

IRELAND.

A Digest of the Evidence taken before Select Committees of the two Houses of Parliament, &c. By the Rev. W. PHELAN, B. D., and the Rev. M. O'SULLIVAN, A. M.

(Concluded from page 340.)

IN our last Number we gave some striking proofs and illustrations of the duplicity of the Romish priesthood, and referred to many more, which are detailed in the pages of the Digest. In passing on to the second part of the work before us, it will be our chief object to shew that Popery is still the same;

I. In its doctrines, which are false, unscriptural, idolatrous, and blasphemous:

II. In the arrogance and extravagance of its claims and pre

tensions :

III. In the awful manner in which it dispenses with the obligations of conscience and morality: and,

IV. In its persecuting spirit.

On the first of these points the volumes before us do not profess to give us any direct information. It is, however, impossible that a book should be compiled, giving authentic information respecting the Church of Rome, without supplying, at least incidentally, some information respecting its abominable doctrines. That, however, which the learned editors have, by the plan and nature of their work, been prevented from particularly considering, we must always consider as the main point-we must never lose sight of: for it is the doctrine of the Church of Rome which makes it what it is. Here is the root and fountain of all the evil. All the horrors and abominations of Popery arise out of the false doctrine which it holds; which is therefore a thing more horrible and abominable than all the rest put together; as the cause is greater than its effects, and the disease itself more dreadful than any or all of its symptoms. Surely he who does not see this, needs to be reminded of the warning of our Lord "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." Nevertheless, we fear-rather let us say, it is too evident-that, in these days of superficiality, this grand principle is sadly forgotten and disregarded. Yet it is the very principle of Protestantism, that on which the glorious and blessed Reformation turned. The outward and practical evils of Popery had been exposed again and again: they were confessed in strong terms by the Council of Constance, and by many Popish writers: but nothing was effectually done to correct the evil, till God was pleased to raise up Luther to preach the true doctrine of the Gospel, in opposition to the errors and delusions of that counterfeit Gospel which the Church of Rome, or rather Satan by her instrumentality, had substituted for it. We may fitly refer to the enormous practical abuses and abominations of the Romish Church, in order to awaken attention and alarm the ignorant; but we cease to be Protestants-we are unworthy of the nameso soon as we forget that doctrinal error, spiritual darkness, is the source of all, the abomination of abominations; and that Evangelical Truth is the weapon by which alone she can be effectually opposed and overthrown.

When that which withheld (To KαTEXOV) was taken out of the way, so that opportunity was given for the revelation of the man of sin, the son of perdition, the faith of the church, in regard

to the great doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation, was not only fixed and understood, but clearly defined and declared by the Nicene Creed. The Arian heresy and persecutions make it sufficiently evident, that the father of lies would gladly have set aside these fundamental truths. But this was a vain attempt; and he was therefore constrained, in setting up his grand system of iniquity and delusion, to proceed more craftily to work. Much as he hates all truth, he had wit enough to discover that a lie that is to stand, and pass current with the world for ages, must have some foundation of truth to rest upon: and, therefore, upon this foundation of acknowledged truth he proceeded to build the most awful system of lies which has ever deceived the world. The foundation of truth seems to make the system plausible, and gives its defenders vast advantages against all who would attack it: while the falsehood which is built thereon serves effectually to conceal or deform the truth, so that its sanctifying influence is more effectually prevented than by a direct denial; for nothing serves better to harden men in selfdeceit and sin, than a barren acknowledgment of some portion of Divine truth. We have met with the remark,' How many books are there which would do infinitely less mischief, if it were not that they contain so much that is good and true! for the good which they contain serves to recommend them to the unwary, and thus to introduce the evil; which is swallowed down without consideration; just as a man, who would carefully abstain from naked poison, drinks it down without suspicion when mingled with milk or wine.' We consider this as an important observation, and we apply it to Popery as a system. Even the little remnant of true believers, which in all ages have been found in Babylon, have served to make the system more specious. By a miracle of grace and mercy, they have been enabled to feed upon the truth which the Church of Rome allows, to the salvation of their souls, even as the bee contrives to suck honey out of the aconite; and they have found that promise fulfilled, which our Lord addressed to them who indeed believe, "If they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them." But Satan has made use of them in upholding and defending his system of delusion. Hence it becomes an imperious duty, that those persons, who (being members of the Church of Rome) are brought to the knowledge of the truth, should publicly come out and be separate from her otherwise they may be made instruments to confirm others in delusion, without themselves intending it. Perhaps we may say, Satan could not have done without such persons, any more than he could have built up his system of error without that foundation of truth

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