kept with heretics," but so long as he acknowledges either priestly absolution, or the spiritual power of the Pope.

"But the late act, you say, does not either tolerate or encourage Roman Catholics." I appeal to matter of fact. Do not the Romanists themselves understand it as a toleration? You know they do. And does it not already (let alone what it may do by and by) encourage them to preach openly, to build chapels (at Bath and elsewhere), to raise seminaries, and to make numerous converts day by day to their intolerant, persecuting principles ? I can point out, if need be, several of the persons. And they are increasing daily.

But" nothing dangerous to English liberty is to be apprehended from them." I am not certain of that. Some time since a Romish priest came to one I knew; and after talking with her largely, broke out, "You are no heretic! You have the experience of a real Christian!" "And would you," she asked, "burn me alive?" He said, "God forbid !-Unless it were for the good of the Church!"

Now what security could she have had for her life, if it had depended on that man? The good of the Church would have burst all the ties of truth, justice, and mercy. Especially when seconded by the absolution of a priest, or (if need were) a Papal pardon.

If any one please to answer this, and to set his name, I shall probably reply.-But the productions of anonymous writers, I do not promise to take any notice of.

I am, Sir, your humble Servant,
JOHN WESLEY.

City Road, Jan. 21, 1780.

COLPORTAGE.

THE season is returned in which the distributors of the sacred volumes renew their labours. More than forty Colporteurs, all French, with the exception of two, have quitted the domestic hearth to devote themselves to the different fields which the Lord seems to have indicated. The great majority of these dear_labourers belonged, a few years ago, to the Roman communion. Convinced by the reading of the Bible, is it astonishing that they experience a desire to go among their former co-religionists, to make them acquainted with the good tidings which are the foundation of their own hopes?

To distribute in the midst of a Popish population the book of God, without note or comment, that is to say, without the alloy

of man's words; to present them the version of Sacy, approved by the Bishops of France, and by the University; and to offer to Protestants the same book in the versions in use in our Churches; such is the task of these messengers.

The Colporteurs also carry along with them tracts, composed by faithful Christians versed in the Holy Scriptures. Such tracts are needful to awaken consciences, and make persons comprehend what is the holiness of the law of a God thrice holy, whose eyes cannot behold iniquity without abhorrence, and who is too just to clear the guilty. They are needful to direct those who are but little instructed in the study, and to explain to them the harmony which exists between the different parts of the sacred volume. They are needed to fix the eye upon the "head-stone of the corner, the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh," and to shew that from the first verse of the Bible to the last, Christ is spoken of as "the true God and eternal life, the only Saviour, the only Head of the Church." In a word, they are desirable to supply the want of knowledge in the humble peasant, and thus to furnish him with means not only to defend himself against error, but in his turn to attack, in the name of his gracious Lord, and by the declarations of His Word, every religion which does not proclaim salvation acquired by the precious blood of Christ, once offered, to take away the sins of those who believe.

You, into whose heart the Lord has put the desire to contribute to the distribution of the book of God, and to render testimony to Him, know that the Colporteur ought daily to expect to meet with opposition to the circulation of the sacred volume. The numerous blessings which, through the goodness of God, have accompanied this work; the miracles (for each conversion of a sinner, is it not a miracle ?)—the miracles which have been the fruit of the reading of that book, which alone is mighty to convince, correct, instruct, and give peace to the troubled soul, burdened by the sense of sin; all the tokens, in a word, of the goodness of God which have accompanied this work, must have awakened the hatred of Satan, and we may expect it will manifest itself in the first place, by persevering and multiplied efforts to hinder the people from reading the Bible.

We speak not of the countries where the Jesuits are seated on the steps of the throne. There the Bible, prisons, servitude, or obscurantism, and revolt, are terms, or rather ideas, inseparable. But in countries

where religious liberty has hitherto been enjoyed, how many obstacles seem to be preparing! Already in France they talk of projects of a law to be presented to the Chamber of Deputies for arresting colportage. And while, under the cloak of the public journals, they suffer the humblest families to be invaded with feuilletons filled with impiety and impurity; while in all the towns the poorest may procure, for a few centimes, the most immoral works and the hideous fragments of the impiety of the past generation, there are some bold enough to dare to arrest the dissemination of the only book, which can promote the happiness of man and stop the gangrene which devours human society!

May the Lord, who works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure, give us grace to remember that he has granted a way of salvation, but that there is but one Saviour, and that the Bible is the word of that Saviour. May he give us grace to remember, that to recount" the noble works that he has done," is the high calling of every one of his redeemed! Let us, then, encourage the circulation of the word of life, and may the Saviour deign, of his goodness, to shed upon his Church in these days, a fresh effusion of the Holy Spirit, in order that every one who belongs to him may become a fellow-worker with him,that the name of the only beloved Son of God may be glorified throughout the earth!

THE PROTESTANT RELIGION,

"THE SAFE WAY."

BY SIR HUMPHREY LYNDE, A.d. 1630. THE following extracts are sufficient to prove that it is safer, even on Popish grounds, to belong to the Protestant Church than to the Church of Rome. The Papists, he observes, admit that "it is the safer way to persist in that Church where both sides agree, than where one part stands single in opinion by themselves." Now," he adds, "I will join issue with them on this very point."

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"First, then, we say there is a heaven and a hell. It is true, say they; but there is a purgatory also. In the first part they join with us, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way

where both sides agree.

"We say, we shall be saved by the merits and satisfaction of Christ. It is true, say they ; but there are, likewise, merits of saints, and satisfactions of our own, helpful

and necessary to salvation. In the first part they join with us, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way where both sides agree.

"We say, the Sacrament of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are two proper sacraments instituted by Christ. It is true, say they; but there are five more to be received as true and proper sacraments. The first two they confess with us, in the latter five they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way where both sides agree.

"We say, with the Evangelist, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord,' &c.-(Matt. iv.) It is true, say they; but there are saints and angels also that are to be invocated and adored. In the first part they join with us, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way where both sides agree.

"We say, that Christ is the mediator and intercessor between God and man. It is true, say they; but the saints and angels are our intercessors and mediators also. In the first part they join with us, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way where both sides agree.

"We say, that Christ is the Head of the Church. It is true, say they; but there is also another visible head of the Church, which is the Pope. In the first part they join with us, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way where both sides agree.

"We say, there are two-and-twenty books of canonical Scripture. It is true, say they; but there are other books also, as Tobit, Judith, &c., that are canonical. In the first part they approve all that we hold, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way where both sides agree.

"We say, Scripture is the Rule of Faith. It is true, say they; but there are unwritten traditions likewise that must be added to the Scriptures. In the first part they join with us, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer way where both sides agree.

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Lastly, we say, there are Twelve Articles of the Creed, and this is the Confession of all Christian Churches. It is true, say

they; but there are Twelve Articles more, published by Pope Pius IV., to be received by Catholics. In the first place they confess all that we hold, in the latter they stand single by themselves; and that is the safer where both sides agree." side, by the confession of our adversaries,

LOUGHBOROUGH AND ASHBY PRO

TESTANT TRACT SOCIETY.

THE anniversary meeting of this Society, was held in the large room at the King's Head Inn, Loughborough, on Wednesday last, October 8. William Herrick, Esq., of Beaumanor Park, in the chair. PresentE. B. Farnham, Esq. M.P., R. G. Cresswell, Esq., Revs. J. Dalby, E. H. Hoare, J. Babington, R. Stammers, T. Burnaby, T. Holme, &c., when the report, of which the following is a portion, was received:

"In presenting their tenth report, your Committee have again to use the language of thankfulness and hope. Considering the defensive character and limited sphere of your Society's operations, they cannot have many new or striking facts to record; nor can they easily ascertain the exact amount of success in checking the progress of Romanism, which may be due to their efforts apart from other means. Still, whatever be their own share in the work, they feel themselves justified in saying that, during the past year, the cause of Protestant Truth has been generally maintained in the district. While the proselytizing efforts of Rome have been carried on with unabated zeal, the Committee are confident that she has not gained ground on the whole, and that there is little reason to fear her advances, provided that due pains be taken to enlighten the people. But on this condition the result of the struggle depends. The machinery for the propagation of Romish error, is now so fully organized and brought to bear upon the mass of the people, that, unless they are clearly instructed in the questions at issue, some individuals cannot fail to be led away; and accordingly, this has happened in several instances, especially amongst the poorest classes. Your Society's Tracts, if always at hand and carefully studied, would supply the requisite information to those who are assailed. But without some agency to circulate them, and call attention to their contents, to explain difficulties, to meet objections, and to answer the arguments which may have been used in particular cases by the Priests, your Committee feel that the tracts themselves must be inadequate for the object in view. It is not enough to provide the weapons for our spiritual warfare; they must also be drawn forth and brought into use.

"Impressed with these views, your Committee, after the last Anniversary, recorded their opinion that it would be expedient to extend their means of defence against Romish aggression by the employment of lay agency, where it should be practicable,

under the sanction of, and in co-operation with the parochial clergy. At a subsequent meeting, they resolved to open a special fund for defraying this new source of expence; and, with the consent of the subscribers to the special fund, they adopted as their agent in Loughborough, the individual who had been placed there by the same influential persons in the preceding year, and whose services had already been found so effective. This plan, your Committee are happy to say, has fully answered their expectations. By the assiduous and able exertions of the Scripture reader, under God's blessing, no fewer than twenty-two families have been reclaimed from the errors of Romanism during the past year. Twenty-five children, in addition to those reported last year, have been brought back from the Romish school. And besides these positive results, a considerable amount of good has been effected amongst those classes who were most open to the solicitations of the priests. They are made aware that their spiritual welfare is regarded with interest by their Protestant brethren, and that, if they desire information, they have the ready means of obtaining it from one who comes among them with the two-fold authority of the Parochial Clergy and your Society. Already has the instruction, thus supplied at the critical moment, been blessed to the preservation of several families from apostacy, and to their clearer knowledge and more hearty reception of the truth. The Scripture reader's visits generally are received with thankfulness, and are awakening in many a spirit of religious enquiry and consideration, which, it is humbly hoped, may issue in more than a mere rejection of error. These good results will be more readily appreciated, when you reflect upon the various and powerful means which have been at work in favour of Rome, among the people of Loughborough. Several Priests and females, liberally aided by wealthy individuals, are employed in visiting from house to house, and persuading the inmates, wherever they can gain a hearing, to frequent the chapel, and to send their children to the Romish school. About thirty Irish families, resident in the town, constitute a zealous and attached body of supporters: and those worldly attractions which Rome knows so well how to use, are freely put forth as occasions arise. The clerical costume and the processions now so frequent in the streets, recal to the memory of the intelligent Protestant the struggles of past days, and afford a significant indication of the unchanged spirit of those who thus openly set at nought the law of the land.