A troop of young infidels, set on by the bigots of the place, being informed of the proceeding, determined to put the patience and meekness of the Bible people to the test. Accordingly, they posted themselves at a certain place where the parties returning from the wedding were obliged to pass; and on seeing the peaceful company of our friends approach, burst out into discordant yells, overwhelming them with the most opprobrious epithets. These humble disciples of the Gospel continued their journey in peace, replying in the mildest terms to the insults offered to them. In proportion to their meekness, however, the rage of their enemies increased. These latter, determined on having it in their power to say that the Bible people could resent an injury, proceeded to a clover field belonging to one of the friends, and cutting down a sufficient quantity, strewed it in the high road, in the same manner as the Roman-Catholic processions in the country are conducted; and then, with branches of trees in their hands, they ranged themselves on both sides, and, as the friends passed along, cried out, with boisterous tones,' Long life, long life to the Bible people!' The parties thus insulted endured the new affront without flinching; until at length the fury of their opponents increased to such a degree on their re-entering the village, that they actually took up stones and pelted them, hoping thereby to exasperate them, and to shew that the Bible people could be angry as well as others. Here, however, they were again disappointed; for our friends quickened their pace, and took hasty refuge in their houses. The Mayor, having been informed of what had taken place, immediately instituted inquiries among the sufferers, hoping to engage them to prefer their complaints at law against those who had injured them so wantonly; but the answer they gave was, that God had put it into their hearts to forgive the evil done to them; so that, not out of vain boasting, but in the true spirit of the Gospel, they earnestly entreated the Mayor to take no notice whatever of the whole affair. This is assuredly one of the noblest triumphs of the Bible, and is, at the same time, a noble result of the labours of our colporteurs.

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My husband! The Bible! the Bible! We have at last got it again!' On hearing her cries a man came running in. What!' said he, the Bible? Where is it? where is it?' At these words the woman turned again to the colporteur, who held a Bible in his hand; and, hastily seizing it, she pressed it to her bosom, exclaiming at the same time, 'No! no! I shall never let it go again!'

"The following may serve as an explanation of the foregoing: The Bible had actually been once in the house; it had been read; but in a moment of fear it had been given up to the curé, who had destroyed it. As much, however, of it as had been read, made a lasting impression upon the readers and hearers; and not a day passed but sighs and prayers were offered up for the return of the Bible-seller.

"Does not this remind you of the woman in the Gospel, who, having found again the piece of silver which she had lost, called her friends and neighbours together, saying,

Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.' The resemblance between her and the woman in my narrative was in every respect great; for the latter actually went about among her neighbours to announce her good fortune in having succeeded in repossessing herself of what she considered the most valuable of all treasures."

REVIEW.

The Child's Book of Martyrs, in one vol., published by the Protestant Association, 11, Exeter Hall, Nisbet's, Baisler's, and the Protestant Depôt, 55, Aldermanbury, London.

This interesting little work, which has appeared in numbers, is now complete, and bound up in one small and neat volume.

We wish we had space in our columns to give the whole of the Editor's address, as that would perhaps best shew the motive and object of the work-we however insert the following:

"It is, then, the object of this little book to record the troubles and sufferings of some of those faithful witnesses, who suffered in England for the truth of the gospel,—the reason why they suffered, and the evidence they gave of their attachment to Christ, in defending that truth against all their adversaries. Hoping that, while reading the histories of many, of whom the world was not worthy,' you will learn the great lesson, that those who honour Jesus shall be honoured, while those who despise Him shall be lightly

esteemed; and that you may be very thankful that God has cast your lot in this land, at a time when the Bible is freely circulated, and the gospel freely preached.

"Now I want you particularly to bear one thing in mind. The gospel teaches us to hate sin; we cannot hate sin too much; but it no where teaches us to hate sinners. God hates sin; the Bible teaches us, that 'He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity;' but God does not hate poor sinners. In giving His beloved Son to die, 'the Just for the unjust,' you see, at once, how God hated sin, and how he loved the sinner. Well, then, you will find in the conduct of the martyrs of Jesus, that they followed the example of their Blessed Master, who, when He was reviled, reviled not again.' They never, through fear of persecution, kept back or concealed the truth,-they never spoke lightly of sin to please and obtain the favour of sinners; but, like the apostle of old, they counted the loss of all things,' yea, even life itself, a positive gain, so that they might win Christ;"-they went on their way, a faithful and a prayerful band, knowing that while they were weak, and insufficient of themselves to do any manner of good, He in whom they trusted had promised that His grace should be sufficient for them.' Mark well, then, in the following histories, the conduct of the persecutor and oppressor, on the one hand, and of the bold faithful servant of God on the other. Mark, how vain, how useless, were the efforts made to stop the progress of God's word, or to stop the mouths of those whose hearts God had filled with His truth. And, if your hearts are led to love Jesus and to hate sin, -that bitter thing that nailed him to the cross, your prayer will be, that you may be enabled by His grace to resist every temptation to evil,-that you may be faithful and true to His word, and choose, rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a

season.'"'

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We trust further to advert to this publi

cation in our next number.

CABINET.

It was well said by an old divine, that it is the office of a Romish Bishop to teach men to be ignorant.

The best things corrupted become the worst a bad man is the worst of all creatures-a bad Christian the worst of all men -a bad professor the worst of all Christiansand a bad minister the worst of all professors.

POETRY.

CRANMER.

THE martyrdom of Cranmer excited signal indignation in England, as a remorseless murder, combining all the tyranny and cruelty of Rome. But his eminent learning and his exemplary character, Cranmer's rank, as the first Prelate of the Church, rendered him only a victim more eagerly desired After a trial, in which all the principles of justice by the bloodthirsty supremacy of the Popedom. and religion were equally violated, the venerable Archbishop was brought to the Stake. He perished flame, to be burned first, as the instrument of his with sacred constancy, holding his right hand in the unhappy recantation, and, with extraordinary fortitude, declaring his sorrow for that single act of weakness, by crying out-"This unworthy handthis unworthy hand!" until he died.

The mighty city's voice is still,
As on her spirit hung a cloud,
As if some sudden sense of ill

Awoke her anguish, deep, not loud;
As when we stand beside the wave,
And see those sink whom none can save.
And man meets man with looks of gloom,
And eyes weep then that seldom weep,
And steps, as if they trod the tomb,

From street to street in silence creep;
And groups are seen, with startled ear,
Catching each distant sound of fear.
But, clustering round a prison door,

Are seen the soldier's plume and lance; And sullen crowds around it pour,

With clenching hand and frowning glance, And prayers that quick for vengeance rise, For, on that day, a martyr dies! And now the prison-portals ope,

And from its arches, deep and dim, Gleam silver cross, and broidered cope,

And swells of death the chaunted hymn,
And in the torches' tossing glare
Throng mitred brows and tonsures bare.
But there moved one-his step was slow,
His eye was cast upon the ground,
And, when out burst the cry of woe,

He looked as if he heard no sound-
As if his step alone were there;
But his wan lips were moved in prayer.
And now the train has reached the pile-

There stands the monk, the man of blood: Upon his cheek the bigot's smile,

To see the faggot's living food; And round him, wrapped in cope and cowl, His tools of murder, fierce and foul. No longer stooped that prisoner's browHis form was sudden majesty ; His cheek was lighted with the glow

Of one who saw deliverance nighWho longed to leave a mighty name, Tried by the test of gore and flame.

PRAYING TO SAINTS.

THIS is one of the numerous points in which Roman Catholics and Protestants differ from each other. They, the Roman Catholics, pray to departed saints. This they acknowledge they do, nor are they at all ashamed of the practice, but endeavour to justify it. If any one doubts that they hold to the invocation of saints, as they express it, let him consult the notes to their own Rhemish Testament, or look into their book of prayers, where he will read the very language in which they make their supplication to the saints.

We Protestants do not pray to saints, and we think we have pretty good reasons for not doing it. We will mention some of them, in the hope that they will appear to be equally good reasons why Catholics should not pray to saints.

1. We do not feel the need of saints to pray to. We have a great and good God to go unto, whose ear is ever open to our cry, and we think that is enough; we do not want any other object of prayer. Whenever we feel the need of any thing, we judge it best to apply directly to our heavenly Father, especially since James, one of the saints, testifies, that "every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." (Jas. i. 17.) Others may, in their necessity, if they

VOL. V.

please, apply to the saints, but we choose to ask of the great Giver of all good. In doing so, we think we are much more likely to receive than if we invoke the saints.

It is true, being sinners, we need an advocate with the Father; but we do not need more than one, and him we have in Jesus Christ, as John, another saint, testifies: "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John ii. 1.) John speaks of only one advocate; and Paul asserts that as there is but one God, so there is but one mediator between God and men. Yet the Catholics will have it, that there are advocates many and mediators many. The notes of the Rhemish translators on 1 Tim. ii. 5, and 1 John ii. 1, assert the doctrine of a plurality of mediators and advocates. The object of those notes is to show, that if any man sin, he has many advocates with the Father, and that that there are more mediators than one between God and men; the very reverse of what those texts assert! I am aware that the Catholics say that saints are mediators only in a subordinate sense; but I say they are mediators in no sense. Does the Bible speak of them as mediators in any sense? Those words, "mediator" and "advocate," are in the Bible sacredly appropriated to Christ. There is but one, and it is He. We come to the Father by Him. To Him

we come immediately. Here we need no daysman.

2. We Protestants have always regarded prayer as a part of worship, as much as praise and confession of sin. Now, our Saviour says, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." We dare not, therefore, pray to any other than God. We should not like to be guilty of the idolatry of worshipping a creature.

:

3. If we were disposed to pray to the saints, yet we should not exactly know how to do it. Were we to pray to them generally, without singling any out by name, it would be a kind of praying at random and we strongly suspect that our requests would not be attended to, for it may be among saints in heaven, as it is among their less perfect brethren on earth, that what is made every body's business comes to be regarded as nobody's. If, on the other hand, we apply to specific saints, and invoke them by name, this supposes that we know just who the saints are. It implies either that we could see into their hearts while they lived, or that we can see into heaven now-both which far outreach our power. We might make some sad mistake in praying to deceased men who have passed for saints. It is easy enough to ascertain who the church regards as saints, but the canonized may not exactly correspond to the sanctified. But, supposing this difficulty removed, and that we know certain individuals, who, having once lived on earth, are now in heaven; the next thing is, to make them hear us, for there is manifestly no use in preferring requests to those who cannot hear them. How is this to be done? The saints are in heaven the suppliant sinner is on earth, and the distance between them is great. Saints in heaven are not within call of sinners on earth. Where is the proof of it? If I say, Peter, pray for me," how is he to know I say it? Peter is not omnipresent. Do they say that God communicates to him the fact; but where is the proof of that? Besides, what does it amount to? God, according to this theory, informs Peter that a certain sinner on earth wants him, Peter, to ask Him, the Lord, to grant him something. This is a roundabout method of getting at the thing. The man had better, a great deal, not trouble Peter, but say at once," God be merciful to me a sinner."

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But the Catholics ask with an air of triumph, if we do not request living saints to pray for us. We do, for we have inspired authority for that. But that is not praying to them. There is a wide difference between

praying to a saint in heaven, and asking a fellow-traveller to Zion on earth to pray To GOD for us. Every one must see that. When a Christian asks his minister or his Christian friend to beseech God for him, he does not consider that he is praying to him or invoking him. Besides we never ask one to pray for us, unless we know he is within hearing. We should think it very silly to do so. We must have proof of his presence before we think of making any request of him. Yet the Catholics are continually making requests of creatures, of whose presence with them they have not a particle of proof, and who, being creatures, it is certain cannot be present with all that call upon them. How many individuals are every day, at the same hour, calling on the blessed Virgin for assistance! It is all folly, unless she be omnipresent-a goddess, which the Bible certainly does not represent her as being. She occupies but one small spot in the universe of God, and it is probably a great way off. She cannot hear, even if she could help. Do you suppose that her calm repose in heaven is suffered to be disturbed by the ten thousand confused voices that cry to her without ceasing from earth? Never.

In looking over the Bible, the book which contains the religion of Protestants, and which, being older than the Roman Catholic religion, proves the seniority of Protestantism over Popery, I find no account of praying to saints. I do not read of Joshua praying to Moses; or of Elisha invoking Elijah. No, there is not a word of what constitutes so much of the devotion of the Catholic, in either Testament. We do not find anything in the Acts or Epistles about praying to the beloved Virgin, whom they call our Lady, in allusion to the phrase our Lord. Those writers say nothing about the mother. It is all about the Son. What heretics Luke and the rest of them were! How worthy of being excommunicated! Catholic books are full of the blessed Virgin. The Bible is all about Christ. There is the difference.

The

But I forgot. The New Testament does record one instance of prayer to a departed saint. The record is in Luke xvi. saint prayed to was Abraham. The supplicant was a rich man in hell, and he made two requests. Here is the Catholic's authority for this doctrine of praying to deceased saints, so far as he gets it out of the Bible. Let him make the most of it. When, however, he takes into consideration that it was offered from hell, and by a man who lived and died in ignorance and in neglect of