I think we have found, with reference to the Romish religion, what Archimedes could not find when he wanted to move the world. He said he could move it, provided he could have a place to stand on, from which he could with his lever act upon the world. But, as no such place could be found for him, the world was not moved. I think, however, that I have discovered a spot, from which we can not only move, but utterly subvert "Let us adore the Five most sacred Wounds of Christ our Lord, and each one in particular. We will also condole with the most Holy Mother of Christ, whose soul was pierced with the Sword of Grief, standing under the cross of her beloved Son. And likewise, we will Praise and Magnify the most Blessed Trinity, for so great and incomprehensible a benefit." This reminds us of the frontispiece, which I have already mentioned: but it would be hard to say, to what "great and incomprehensible benefit" the reference is made. The immediate antecedent is evident from what I have quoted, and (according to the grammatical construction, and the punctuation) seems to be evidently "the most Holy Mother of Christ, whose soul was pierced with the Sword of Grief, standing under the cross of her beloved Son." (One would think by the way, that "most Holy" is an epithet which might have been reserved for the One Living and True God, and not bestowed upon a mere creature. But Romish Hypordulia, which belongs to "the Blessed Virgin," very often runs into Latria-which, according to their own doctrine, belongs to God alone.) The book then proceeds: "To the Wound of the Left Foot. My Lord Jesus Christ! I humbly adore the most Sacred Wound of your Left Foot; I render you thanks for that cruel pain suffered with so great Love and Charity; I feelingly compassionate your torments, and the excessive grief of your most afflicted Mother. Our Father, Hail Mary. the Roman Catholic religion. We pass over her absurdity and her intolerance, and plant ourselves on her idolatry. Here we will stand, and from this place we will carry on our operations against her. If the Roman Catholic church is idolatrous, can she stand? Must she not fall? What! a church that is plainly idolatrous maintain its ground as the church of Christ! It is impossible. It is but for the eyes of mankind to be opened to see her idolatry, and her reign is over. The common sense of the world cannot long brook prayers To the Wound of the Right Foot. My Lord Jesus Christ! I humbly adore the most Sacred Wound of your Right Foot, &c. To the Wound of the Left Hand. My Lord Jesus Christ! I humbly adore the most Sacred Wound of your Left Hand, &c. To the Wound of the Right Hand. My Lord Jesus Christ! I humbly adore the most Sacred Wound of your Right Hand, &c. Grant also, my Jesus! speedy Peace and Repose to the souls in Purgatory; cause your holy servants in this world to make daily Progress in Perfection, especially those who are of this Confraternity. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, &c. To the Wound in his Sacred Side. My Lord Jesus Christ! I humbly adore the most Sacred Wound in your blessed Side, rendering thanks for the immense love manifested towards us, at the opening of your inflamed heart, I feelingly condole the Affront, and the excessive Grief of your most afflicted Mother. Grant me pure Love and perfect Charity, that loving you above all things, and all things in you, my miserable soul, by the assistance of your Holy and hymns to creatures, and supplications of mercy to that of which bread is made. I would not have it persecuted; I would not have one of its adherents harmed in the slightest degree; but there are some things which the enlightened intellect of man cannot tolerate; and this is the chief of those things which are intolerable to reason. It must go off the stage, even though infidelity should come on and occupy it. The religion that is not of the Bible, and that scoffs at reason, must come to an end. I have no fears of its coming to any higher ascen Grace, may be worthy to breathe out in the Sacred Wound of your blessed Side. I humbly beg dear Jesus! you'll protect your Holy Catholic Church, direct your governing Vicar upon earth, all Ecclesiastical Orders and Secular Persons, who are instrumental in bringing souls to their Duty. Preserve in your happy Service, all Christian Kings and Princes. Reduce into the Way of Salvation, all those that are gone astray, whether through Malice or Ignorance. Bring under your sweet Yoke all infidels, Hereticks, and other Enemies of your Holy Name. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, &c. Not long after, we have a prayer which commences thus: "Let us have recourse to the ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, beseeching her to protect us under the Shadow of her Wings, until the Wrath of God be appeased. That she'll obtain for us pure Contrition and Perseverance in the Holy Grace of her blessed Son." This Devotion "to the Five Wounds" is repeatedly referred to in "the Devotion of the Sacred Heart," mentioned in the note, p. 61. In "the Poor Man's Manual," I find these prayers: "Hail, most precious and sacred blood, which flowing out of the side of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, washest away the spots of our offences; cleanse, sanctify, and preserve my soul, I beseech thee, to everlasting life. Amen." "Soul of Christ, sanctify me; body of Christ, save me; water issuing out of the side of Christ, wash me.' So that not the whole Christ in His glorious fulness is worshipped; but so many parts of Him!! I leave it to the reader to make his own reflections upon these specimens of Romish Devotion. A. S. T. dancy than that it now occupies. My hope is in God; but if it were not, it would be in man.* *I am afraid that neither Scripture, nor Reason, nor Experience, will warrant us in cherishing any "hope in man,” with regard to either the downfall of Popery, or any effectual hindrance to its progress. In one year, I think, as many as twenty of the principal Literati of Germany, with William Schlegel at their head, went over from the profession of Protestantism to Popery; and some of those among ourselves, who have of late years gone over to Popery, have been men of considerable ability and literary standing. The fact is, that irrational as well as unscriptural as it is, and abounding with monstrous absurdities both in its Doctrines and its Practices— Popery is the Religion of Fallen Man—of humanity in its corruption and depravity; and, in its Protean varieties, it adapts itself to all the natural propensities of man's depraved heart, as we find them variously developed in different individuals. This might be illustrated at large: but it would require a chapter, and not a note. Therefore let man, with all his reasoning powers and intellectual pride, know this, and lay it earnestly to heart, that they who have not received the "Love of the Truth, that they might be saved," have nothing in them which can effectually preserve them from becoming the victims and votaries, and even the willing and miserable tools of that "Mystery of Iniquity, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;" for God, in righteous but most terrible judgement, may "send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." (2 Thess. ft. 7-11.) Look to it, therefore, all ye who profess and call yourselves Protestants. Your privilege is very great, in having in your hands an open Bible-those Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Tim. iii. 15.) But, if your privilege is great, so are your responsibilities. Those Scriptures, and those who faithfully preach the Word of God, must be unto you, either a savour of life unto life, or a savour of death unto death. (2 Cor. ii. 14-17.) If you receive not the Love of the Truth, that you may be saved, it will witness against you; and great will be the danger of utter apostasywhether to Popery with all its delusions, or to the cheerless darkness of Infidelity; and aggravated and awful will be your final doom. 66 A. S. T. 24. Image Worship. If there be any truth in phrenology, I judge that Roman Catholics must have the organ of veneration very largely developed. There are no people, unless it be some pagans, who are so inclined to worship. They worship almost every thing that comes in their way, with scarcely any discrimination. The value of worship, with them, seems to depend on the variety of objects worshipped. What a pity it is they cannot confine their worship within narrower bounds! What a pity they are not satisfied with one object of religious venerationthe great and glorious God! But no. Besides Him, they must have a host of creatures-angels, saints, and what not-as objects of adoration. Nor are they satisfied with these beings themselves. They must have visible representations of them to bow down unto, and to worship. They want something to worship which they can see. In the profession of faith, which I find in the little book, published in Baltimore under the sanction of the archbishop, from which I have quoted so freely already—and to which I love to appeal, seeing it is published so near home, and there can be no dispute about its authority- I find this paragraph among others: "I most firmly assert, that the images of Christ, of the mother of God, ever virgin, and also of the saints, ought to be had and retained, and that due honor and veneration is to be given them."* This doctrine sounds a little different from that promul *This is one of the unapostolical Articles of the Creed of Pope Pius IV. I find it word for word in "The Grounds of the Catholic Doctrine, as contained in the Profession of Faith, published by Pope Pius IV. By the Ven. and Right Rev. Richard Challoner, D.D., Bishop of Debra, and Vic. Ap. Fifteenth Edition. London: T. Jones, 63, Paternoster Row, Catholic Publisher, 1844"-with the single exception, that (in that citation of the Article) the word "other" is inserted before the word "saints" (" and the other saints"). On the Creed of Pius IV., I will only observe that it can F |