outside, because (as M. Delauncy, a Doctor of the Sorbonne has said,) the saints were considered only as servants, but Now, having become masters, they will not have them any longer pay their attendance at the entry. The introduction of this practice must have been of very late date. As you, sir, have a high esteem for the illustrious bishop of this city (Lyons), you will not refuse to believe one of his predecessors, who lived in the ninth century,-I mean St. Agobard, bishop of Lyons. He says that, in order to avoid superstition, the orthodox fathers carefully provided, that there should be no image in the churches, fearing lest what is worshipped should appear upon the walls.

2. That the scriptures do not contain a single commandment either for the worship or the invocation of angels and saints, nor any threatening against those who do not invoke them; but they reprove those who do invoke them; as in the case of St. John. (Rev. XXII 9.) Such invocation, consequently, is a novelty which never was preached either by Jesus Christ or by the Apostles.

3. That divine service was not performed in a language unknown to the people for the first six centuries, nor indeed until the Latin language had lost its purity.

4. That the priests, pastors, or bishops were at liberty to marry; that most of the apostles were married, and that marriage was never prohibited by them; that several holy bishops and presbyters in the primitive church, were married, as Spiridion, Eupsychius, bishop of Cæsarea, Gregory of Nicea, Sidonius Apollinaris, bishop of Clermont, Novatus, and Gregory of Nazianzum, &c. that the law of celibacy was not introduced until the time of Siricius, towards the end of the fourth century, and that it was only received in the Latin church; for the eastern churches, which are at least as ancient as the Romish church, do not allow of priests unless they are married.

5. That Monachism cannot plead antiquity, for the date of each order is known; and that it is also known when many of their festivals were instituted, lent was enjoined, ceremonies were established and the pope's authority was enlarged. We medalists, for instance, knew that there was no triple crown anciently put upon the heads of the popes. The medal of pope Adrian, (as you know) was simply a bishop's mitre: and in the Mosaic-work at St. Susannah and other places in Rome, the head of pope Leo is bare.

6. That the communion in both kinds was instituted by our Lord, as the Greek church has observed it in all ages, as pope Gelasius commanded it, on pain of excommunication; consequently, the denial of the cup is a new thing in the Latin church.* Gregory de Valentia, indeed, states, that communion in one kind did not begin to prevail generally until a short time before the Council of Constance, viz. towards the close of the fourteenth century; and, according to the opinion of Scotus, it was received as an article of faith only in the (fourth) Lateran council. (A.D. 1215) Where then is your antiquity in this point? The primitiveness (or antiquity) of transubstantiation may well be questioned, since no corresponding word to

That this doctrine is a novelty is most decisively proved by the standards of the church. See pages 133. 134. of this vol. chaps. 2. 3. in which the council of Trent admits it. And pages 178. 179. where the quotations from the catechism prove the same.

denote it, is to be found in any ancient Greek or Latin dictionary, notwithstanding the copiousness of these two languages: nor have I been able to find any trace of it in the lexicon of Suidas, who was a Christian, and who gives the words used by Christians and pagans: and I think that the ancient fathers, and the canons of most ancient councils, will be searched for it in vain.

7. That there is no word to be found which expresses purgatory: and if it were to be found any where, the proper place would, unquestionably, be in the epitaphs of the ancient christians. You, sir, are very conversant in antiquity; and I shall be very glad to learn from you, whence it comes that we never read in ancient epitaphs, before the seventh or eighth century, the phrases, orate pro eo, (pray for him) or requiescat in pace (may he rest in peace!) which are so common in modern epitaphs: but we simply meet with obiit in pace (he died in peace,) abiit in somnum pacis, (he departed into a sleep of peace,) depositus est in pace, (he was interred in peace,) quiescit in pace, (he rests in peace,) acceptus est apud Deum, (he is accepted of God,) with the addition of the day of their death. Whence I infer, that it was their opinion, that the faithful were supposed to enter into a sleep of peace, that is to say, into heaven as soon as they were dead I have many inscriptions of the first six centuries, but I have not met with one, in which any mention is made of the remedy of souls, which is so commonly wished to the deceased in modern epitaphs. Nor, in any of the ancient bas-reliefs which I have seen, have I ever observed any representation of purgatory, or of priests saying mass at an altar, with congregations kneeling, though in such we meet with the principal mysteries of the church.

Are not all these considerations and facts well calculated sir to make any, but especially an antiquarian, suspect that there are various novelties in that very church which imagines herself to be so very ancient? For when a question is about antiquity, it is not an antiquity of four or five hundred years, that we must adhere to; but the first and purest antiquity. After all, you cannot boast of antiquity, except in those essential points in which you agree with us, and in the greater part of your ceremonies which are copied from those of the heathens, as M. DuChoul, an antiquary of this city, has acknowledged, notwithstanding he was a member of your communion.

Allow me now to add, what one of our ministers said on this subject:-"you say, that you have antiquity."-In a certain sense, I admit that you have: and in one respect we are new. The whole of the western church was a sick body: we, by the grace of God, are cured: in this respect we are new. You still continue sick: in this respect antiquity is on your side, which is as much the more disadvantageous to you, as inveterate distempers lead to death. As reformed, indeed, we are new, just as a body is new when it is healed; but, as orthodox Christians, we are ancient. The reformation is an event which befel the church that by no means effects its essence. The fundamental points on which salvation depends, are true faith and lawful worship. Where were you before Calvin," is the question asked of us. We reply, "we were in such a society

much like that in which the true Jews lived, in the time of Jesus Christ; in a place where we were not very safe."

Forgive me for adding a remark, which I do not offer for the purpose of making an odious comparison between you and the Arians, the enemies of the Deity of Jesus Christ: God keep me from entertaining such a thought! I wish not to give you pain, but only to explain myself the better. You know, that when the Roman empire was almost entirely Arian, the Arians pretended that they were to be called Catholics, and were offended when they were called Arians: and, on the other hand they treated the orthodox as schismatics aud heretics, calling them Athanasians, Eustachians, and Luciferians, after the names of the orthodox bishops, who had boldly defended the truth. Would they have been justified in saying (to the Orthodox) "you are altogether new; where were you before Athanasius, before Eustachius, before Lucifer of Cagliari?" as it is said to us, "where were you before Luther, before Calvin, before Zumgle?"

Upon the whole matter, whatever eclipse the Romish church has suffered in matters of faith, there always have been doctors, and whole nations, who have protested against her errors;-such, for instance, were Iconoclasts, the council of Frankfort, the Berengarians, Bertram, and those of his judgement; the Vaudois the Albigenses, and the Hussites. Nor will it avail you in order to ward off this blow, to say that they were heretics, since neither God nor the holy scripture has condemned them but only the Romish church, which was both judge and party, and which is not infallible, though she herself pretends to be so. So that we say, that THERE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN PROTESTANTS, who did protest against abuses, both publickly in their assemblies, which were much the purest part of the church, and privately within the very bosom of the Romish church.

Will any allege, in behalf of the antiquity of your dogmas, those books which have been inserted in your Bibliotheca Patrum, and which are either evident forgeries or very uncertain? For instance, the Liturgy (or mass) of St. James, St. Peter, St. Mark, the catholic epistle of Barnabas &c.: for, if these books are really the productions of those apostles, why are they not put among the books of the New Testament? The epistles of Ignatius, the works of Dionysius the Areopagite, cited by the same author for the invocation of saints, purgatory, and the monastic life, though he elsewhere admits. that it is very uncertain whether that book was really written by Dionysius.

But, to pass to something less serious; I have no doubt, sir, as you are curious in medals, that you will read with pleasure a singular instance of the prejudice which the ablest men of your communion entertain, concerning the antiquity of their religion. You know that father Veron found, or put, the mass in the Holy Scriptures, though your subsequent translators have not been of the same opinion. What I am about to mention is yet more surprising. M. De Peiresc, that distinguished antiquary, for whom the learned have cherished the highest veneration, pretended that he had found the mass on medals. His manuscripts have come into my possesion and I am enabled to prove what Istate. The very medal in ques

tion is by no means as rare as has been supposed; and there are very few among the curious who have not seen it. He imagined, then, that a medal of Constantine, on the reverse of which was a species of altar, and a figure raised upon it with the inscription Beata Tranquilitas-was a representation of the Sacramental Host upon the altar. Upon this he wrote a dissertation of four or five pages, and endeavoured to prove his opinion by reasons which he deemed incontrovertible. Unhappily, however, a petty antiquarian, (the same if you please who is now writing to you) has discovered, by inspecting a better impression of the medal, that this round figure is nothing but a globe of the world, set on its basis, with the zodaic and planets engraved upon it, to express the public happiness and peace which existed during the reign of Constantine.

Thus, sir, I conclude, by protesting to you, that, by the grace of God, I have my conscience in perfect peace; daily beseeching God to teach the truth to those who are ignorant of it, or who only partially know it, whosoever they may be; and that he will vouchsafe to inspire us all with his love, and with the love of our neighbour, with which dispositions we cannot perish, and without which we cannot possess Him who is very love and charity. For the rest, I most humbly thank you for your kindness to our printers (at Lyons): and I should only have had my thanks to write, if I had not considered myself bound to reply to the earnest solicitations with which you have honoured me, by opening my heart as sincerely as you could wish, intreating you to take this liberty in good part, and to believe me ever, Sir, yours, &c.

JACOB SPON.

The Religion of Christ and of Antichrist.

"Where was your religion before Luther?" Just where it is now, -in the Bible. Just where it was when John said, "if any man shall add unto these things, God will add unto him the plagues that are written in this book, and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, &c." (Rev. xxii. 18. 19.) "Where is the Popish religion?" In their books, published by order of Councils and Popes. He that denies these, is under sentence of anathema by the holy council of Trent. (See art. xi. Cat. creed.)

Here are two religions the one in the Bible, the other in the sacred canons, general councils,-and decrees of the council of Trent. The head of the one is Christ, the head of the other the Pope. The follower of one is called a Christian, of the other a Papist; one promises obedience to Christ, to run in the way of his commandments, the other promises vows and swears obedience to the Pope. The one obeys the command of Christ to "search the scriptures," to learn of him,-the other obeys the commands of the Pope, not to study them," as they are dangerous when read privately, but to search the prayer book, catechism, &c., and there learn what the papacy teaches. That is, the one is a follower of Christ-the other of Antichrist."

CATHOLIC PROPAGANDISM IN THE UNITED STATES.

In the Rue Vivienne, which is one of the principal streets of Paris, is a very extensive reading room, circulating library, and book store, owned by M. M. Galignani; and here is one of the most common resorts of the English and Americans in Paris. The same establishment issues a daily English News-Paper called Galignani's Messenger, which has a very extensive circulation, and is perhaps the largest Gazette published in France. From the No. of that paper dated March 2, 1837. I cut out the advertisement which follows, and which I venture to elucidate by a few notes.

To the Charitable and Humane.

Gentlemen and Ladies.-You are already acquainted with the history of America since its first discovery. That portion of it espe cially to which I wish to draw your attention, is the government of the United States, rescued from the hands of the King of England sixty years ago. This territory is larger than all Europe, and comprises twenty-four separate republican governments, united together under one President, chosen by the States every four years.' The Catholics who came here from Europe experienced the same persecutions which they suffered in England, the law being the same; they were consequently debarred from the free exercise of the Catholic religion. But after the date of the declaration of independence, every person had a right by law (de jure) to profess and practice the religion of his conscience, without restriction or impediment. As the Catholic emigrants from Europe, especially from Ireland, Germany, and France, were very numerous, and increas ing every year from the period of the revolution up to this date, it is evident that their numbers have at length become a very considerable portion of the population, dispersed and spread over all parts of this vast and extensive region: so that twelve dioceses (each diocese having its own respective bishop, appointed by the Holy See) have been created and erected in the United States within these thirty years past, viz.-Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Charleston, Boston, Cincinnati, Bardstown, St. Louis, New Orleans, Mobile, Detroit, and Vincennes. Each diocese is as large and extensive as a kingdom is in Europe. Here are many tribes of Indians (savages), many of whom are converted occasionally to the Catholic and Christian faith. All the different sects and heresies prevalent in Europe are to be found here, with their peculiar prejudices. The mission is very difficult here; the country being thinly peopled, missionaries have long and painful journeys to undertake, and are subject to privations of every kind. §

The object of this address is to solicit charitable contributions for the purpose of erecting and establishing places of divine worship, and seminaries for the education of youth of both sexes. | My diocese requires assistance more than any other in America, as it comprises three States, viz. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and has a population of two millions of inhabitants, scattered through this vast extent of territory "where the harvest is great and