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Again, I say, my dear friends, young and old, beware, beware of Popery-a system of falsehood-the more fraught with danger, because of the partial and insidious admixture of truth. Poison, when administered alone, is apt to excite a salutary alarm by the effects which it produces on the organs of taste or smell; but when cunningly blended with wholesome food, it is often unconsciously swallowed by its unsuspecting and ill-fated victims.

But, my friends, it is time that I should conclude this letter, although I do not find it easy to do so, when I am addressing you out of the abundance of my heart on a theme of such paramount importance. It is probable that many of the readers, whom I wish more particularly to address, may never be great in this world; but they may all be more than this, since they are all invited to be good, and by good I mean godly; for, in a scriptural sense, I consider goodness and godliness to be synonymous. These are only different names for the same vital principle, to which is annexed the proImise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come. I repeat then, my dear friends, to be good or godly is more than to be great or glorious. Many who have been great in this world,—— great in power, great in talent, great in learning, great in popularity, will, in the solemn day of account, be consigned to the regions of despair; whilst all, however obscure in station, however deficient in ability, who have trusted in the righteousness of Jesus, and experienced the sanctifying influence of his grace, shall attain a degree of elevation and felicity, which the pencil of the sublimest artist has been unable to pourtray, or the mind of the most imaginative poet to conceive, and of which (from the poverty of human language) the page of inspiration itself can only convey to the soul of the most enlightened and enraptured believer a very faint and inadequate conception.

II. MARIOLATRY.

THE next subject, to which I propose to invite your attention, my dear friends, is the consideration of the place which the Virgin Mary is entitled to occupy in the creed, and in the confidence, of every genuine believer in Christianity. On this point, as well as on most others, the Romish Church and ours are as diametrically at variance as it is possible to be. The Pope commands us to rely upon her intercession, and to worship her as the Mother of God. We speak of her with all becoming respect, as having miraculously ushered into the world the holy humanity of Him who died for our offences, and rose again for our justification; but we refuse to ascribe the slighest efficacy to her merits or mediation. On this most important subject of controversy, it can easily be made to appear, that we have on our side the four evangelists, the sacred historian of the Acts, and the unanimous consent of all the inspired apostles, by none of whom, our enemies themselves being judges, we are encouraged or enjoined to invoke the name of Mary, or to erect churches, altars, or images in her honour. In that ancient creed also, which is stated to have been drawn up by the apostles, all we are told concerning her is, that our Lord was "born of the Virgin Mary," a truth which we cheerfully admit as being worthy of all men to be received.

You would all, I am sure, participate in the abhorrence with which I cannot help contemplating Romanism, if your eyes had seen, as mine have, in Popish countries, an image of Mary erected in the centre of a bridge, or placed on the side of a highway, or enshrined in what must in courtesy be denominated a Christian place of worship, and a lamp burning before it, with crowds of abject devotees kneeling at its feet, telling their beads, beating their breasts, and all but "cutting themselves with knives and lancets," whilst imploring her assistance; or,

if

you had beheld her effigy carried in pomp along the streets, decked out in the tawdry paraphernalia of some antiquated court dress, and regarded as an object of ardent and universal adoration. I need not caution you

against the will-worship of the deluded nations who, at one time, worshipped Jupiter and Mercurius; but I would lift up my voice against the far more revolting Polytheism of Rome; and call upon all sincere Protestants to unite in destroying Popery; for otherwise they may rest assured, that Popery will succeed in destroying them. Has any idolatry ever been more gross than that which the Papists offer to the Virgin? If a mitred prelate were to present to me an image of Mary, and command me to kneel before it, I should say, Woman, what have I to do with thee?" The very appellation of "woman," given to the Virgin by our Lord himself, implies that she was subject to like passions, and stood in need of like mercy, with ourselves. Disclaiming all belief in her power to succour me in life, or at death, I would adopt her own language as recorded in the inspired volume, and say, " My soul doth magnify the LORD, and MY spirit rejoiceth in GOD MY SAVIOUR." You see, my

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friends, that the Lord was HER Saviour, as he must be ours, if we are saved at all; and there is " no salvation in any other" (and therefore not in the Virgin), "for there is none other name" (nor, consequently, that of Mary) "under heaven, given amongst men, whereby we must be saved." "Precious marbles (says Dr Arnold, vol. ii. p. 369), and precious stones, and gildings, and rich colouring, are to me like the kaleidoscope, and no more; and Popish churches are almost as inferior to ours, in my judgment, as their worship is to ours. I saw these two lines painted on the wall in the street today, near an image of the Virgin :

'Chivaole in morte aver Gesu per Padre.
Onori in vita la sua Santa Madre.'

I declare I do not know what name of abhorrence can be too strong for a religion which, holding the very

bread of life in its hands, thus feeds the people with poison."

I have observed with admiration, not, however, unmingled with pity, the subtlety and adroitness with which the worshippers of Mary endeavour to reconcile what is recorded concerning her in the Scripture, with what is proclaimed concerning her by their church. Hear, for instance, the statement of the eloquent and ingenious Massillon with regard to her:"Always submissive, whilst on earth; and in all the conditions of her mortal life, she had always respected this way of dependence as that by which grace intended. to conduct her at one time living in an entire submission to the will of Joseph-at another, attached to the orders and destiny of her Son-at one time entrusted to the beloved disciple, and looking upon him as the master of her actions and the arbiter of her conduct-at another time appearing amongst the followers of the disciples after the death of Jesus Christ, like one of the other faithful women-appearing to take no part in any thing -ascribing nothing to herself-not desiring to participate with the apostles in the government of the infant church-submitting herself to their laws and to their authority-affecting no pre-eminence in that holy assembly -every thing taking place without any mention being made of her without her assuming any authority-and conducting herself as a simple daughter of the church, she who was its protectress and mother," &c.

Now, if, in considering this highly-wrought statement, we separate what is matter-of-fact, as to which all parties agree, from gratuitous assertions, or far-fetched inferences, which form the subject of doubtful disputation, we find this eminent Romanist admitting, that Mary lived in a state of entire submission-that after the death of Jesus Christ she appeared like one of the other faithful women-that she was subject to the laws and authority of the apostles-claimed no pre-eminence-and that every thing passed without her being so much as named

amongst them. And is not this precisely what all Protestants concur in maintaining? Is there a single verse or expression in Scripture, which compels or warrants us to believe one jot or one tittle more, with respect to her influence or authority? How, then, is this same eminent writer justified in asserting (vol. vii. p. 286) that "she assumed" (i.e., on the day of her pretended assumption) "in heaven, at the right hand of her Son, that power which she had not been willing to exercise upon earth --she re-enters (?) into all her rights-she is established under Jesus Christ the mediatress of the faithful, the channel of graces, the hope and support of the church, the asylum of sinners, the protectress of the just, the resource of nations and empires, the Queen of heaven and earth. Yes, my brethren-the power of Mary has no other bounds than those of the love of her Son for her. He divides, so to speak, his authority with her-he renders her the distributress of his favours-he wills that we should address ourselves to her, if we would obtain every thing from him." Now, I challenge this most expert and experienced Romish casuist to produce a single text in confirmation of these assertions.

If, as the Papists maintain, Mary was wafted by angels to heaven, it is all but certain that this "assumption" must have taken place in the lifetime of John, who attained an extreme old age, and to whose care she was confided, when he was young enough to have been denominated her son, and probably also before either Peter or "Paul the aged" expired; then how does it happen that no mention is made in any of their epistles of an event so important and so glorious? I may also remark, that if Massillon be right, we should expect to find our Lord saying, "Go to my mother, all ye that are weary and heavy laden," instead of uttering the benign and condescending invitation, "Come unto me." When he says, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me," would he not have added (to prevent the possibility of our incurring eternal damnation by taking him at his word),

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