not the same as ours-the same as that which was set forth by the four first general councils-the same as that which the Council of Trent asserted that it is the Firm and only foundation against which the gates of hell shall never prevail' but you call him to subscribe a profession of faith which no Christian Church on earth ever saw or heard of till the month of December, 1564, exactly 282 years ago.

"Now I wish to place this one simple fact prominently before your own view, and that of all the Roman Catholics of Ireland; for I am quite certain that if they knew this one fact, it would not be very difficult to lead them to see that their brethren of the Church of England are not heretics, and that we could easily be united in the ancient holy Catholic Faith again. Then to borrow from your friend, (Mr. O'Connell,) Ireland should be

"Now, Most Rev. Sirs, I beg while you are, as I understand, assembled in Dublin, to propose to you all, as I have already proposed to the most Rev. Dr. Murray

"I propose that you should receive me into your Church on one simple condition, namely-That when you bring your ritual with you, and your form for absolving heretics to me to subscribe, you prove to me that the creed which you call on me to adopt, was ever known or heard of in the Christian Church by man, woman, or child, till the year, 1564.

"I invite you, on the other hand, to bring your own edition of General Councils, by Mansi, printed at Rome, and I will undertake to show you, that if the Council of Ephesus be true, a bishop, by the very act of proposing such a creed to a man wishing to join his church, incurs the sentence of being deposed from his office; and also, that by the testimony of the Council of Trent, you propose to me to depart from The summary of faith in which all who professed the faith of Christ up to the year 1546 necessarily agreed-you call me to leave that which the Council of Trent de

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clared to be the firm and only foundation against which the gates of hell should never prevail.

"Now, most Rev. Sirs, I enclose to you by this post, addressed to the care of Mr. Coyne, the document on this important subject which I have before enclosed to the priests. You can answer whether I write truly or falsely.

"If your creed be that of the ancient Christian Church, the ancient holy Catholic Church of Ireland, then you can on my own offer, demand of me publicly to join your Church by subscribing it.

"But if not, then I entreat you to give up the novelties which the Bishop of Rome added to the ancient creed of Ireland and of Christendom; and for Christ's sake and your own sake, let us all unite in honest Christian fellowship in subscribing the faith of the ancient holy Catholic Church of Ireland.

"I write this with the hope that all my reverend brethren in the four provinces will follow my examplethat they will call for the documents on the creeds which I enclose to you; and that they will then practically prove to our dear Roman Catholic countrymen that they may all yet, by God's mercy, be brought to unite in the ancient faith of our own old Catholic Church of Ireland, and cast away all novelties which our forefathers never knew. I have the honour to be, Most Rev. Sirs, your Faithful Servant in the Old Faith,

"R. J. M'GHEE.

"London, April 30, 1846."

the cordial thanks of the Committee be tendered to those Protestant friends who have sustained the Committee, in its efforts for Christ's cause by their pecuniary contributions.

"II.-Resolved, That Our acknowledgments are also due to the million and a quarter petitioners against the Maynooth Endowment Bill, whose efforts, however ineffectual hitherto for the object immediately in view, have not been, and will not be, unproductive of blessings, civil and religious, to the Church of Christ.

"III. That we gratefully recognise the hand of Almighty God in overruling the recent inroad on our Protestant constitution, as an occasion for calling forth a most extensive, seasonable, and permanently valuable testimony in favour of scriptural truth and our common Protestant principles; and also as the means of binding together the hearts of brethren of various denominations: And that our best wishes and prayers attend every effort made in good faith, to consolidate by the Divine help, the affectionate union already commenced.

"IV. That we feel the necessity of contemplating, deliberately and prayerfully, the prospects which lie before the Protestants of the United Kingdom: That we cannot disguise from ourselves the probability, that the endowment of Maynooth may become the stepping-stone to a more extensive establishment of the Papal system in Ireland, unless the intentions of statesmen can be counteracted by the united efforts of the Church of Christ: And that we feel it a duty to avow our conviction, that the maintenance of two Establishments, the one Protestant, and the other Popish, would be a policy of an essentially Infidel

character.

"V.-That, entertaining these views, The Central Anti-Maynooth Committee do remain organized; and that the Chairman, the Treasurer, R. C. L. Bevan, Esq., Thos. Farmer, Esq., and R. B. Seeley, Esq., be requested to convene it for business, on the occurrence of any political event which may render its operation advisable.

communicated to the leading Members of both Houses of Parliament."

LUTHER EXCOMMUNICATED AND CURSED BY POPE LEO X.

WHILE these things were passing, the Papacy was renewing its assaults. On the 28th of March, which was the Thursday before Easter, all Rome resounded with a solemn sentence of excommunication. It is the custom at this season to publish the terrible bull in cœná Domini,* which is nothing but a long string of curses. On that day the Pope, arrayed in his pontifical robes, hurled his fierce anathemas at Luther,

When Luther was apprised of this excommunication, he published the form of it, with some remarks in that caustic style which he knew so well how to assume. The following is a specimen :—

The Pope.-"Leo, bishop."

Luther.-"Bishop! as much as a wolf is a shepherd; for a bishop's duty is to give godly exhortations, not to vomit forth imprecations and

curses.

Luther." For Christ is not suffi cient: we have another besides."

The Pope." To preserve the holy communion of the faithful, we follow

* This is the same bull as that set up

Luther." Because they have sought to possess themselves of the holy Scriptures, and admonished the Pope to be modest, and preach the word of God."

The Pope." And Martin Luther, recently condemned by us for a like heresy, together with all his adherents, and all persons, whosoever they may be, who aid or abet him."

Luther."I thank thee, most gracious Pontiff, that thou hast proclaimed me in company with all these Christians. It is an honour for me to have had my name proclaimed at Rome at the time of the festival, in so glorious a manner, and to have it circulated throughout the world with the names of all those humble confessors of Christ."

The Pope." In like manner, we excommunicate and curse all pirates and corsairs.

and Christ himself should give way to the Pope."

The Pope.-"In like manner we excommunicate and curse all those who falsify our bulls and letters apostolical.

Luther." But God's letters; God's holy Scriptures,-any one may condemn and burn them!"

The Pope.-"In like manner we excommunicate and curse all those who intercept any provisions on their passage to our city of Rome. . . .'

Luther." He snarles and bites like a dog that is battling for his bone."

The Pope." In like manner we condemn, and we curse all those who withhold any privileges, dues, tithes, or revenues belonging to the clergy."

Luther." Forasmuch as Christ hath said, 'If any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also;' (Matt. v. 40); and ye have now heard Our commentary thereon.

The Pope. station, dignity, order, authority, or rank, be they even bishops or kings."

"Whatever be their

Luther. For there shall be false teachers among you, who shall despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities,' saith the Scripture." (Jude 8.)

The Pope." In like manner we condemn and curse all who in any manner whatsoever shall molest the city of Rome, the kingdom of Sicily, the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, the patrimony of St. Peter in Tuscany, the duchy of Spoleto, the marquesite of Ancona, the Campagna, the cities of Ferrara and Benevento, or any other city or territory belonging to the Church of Rome."

Luther." O, Peter, thou poor fisherman! how hast thou become master of Rome and so many kingdoms besides? I bid the all hail! Peter! King of Sicily! . . . . and fisherman of Bethsaida."

The Pope. "We excommunicate and curse all chancellors, counsellors, parliaments, procurators, governors, officials, bishops, and others who shall resist any of our letters admonitory, permissive, prohibitory, mediatory, or executive."

Luther." For the Holy See seeks only to live in idleness, pomp and

THE SPIRIT OF HIS MOUTH. INDEPENDENT CATHOLIC CHURCH. —We understand there is a movement in this city to establish an independent Catholic Church, in accordance with the avowed principles of the Reformation now in progress in Germany. A city German paper contains a call for a pastor of a new Catholic Church. It is understood that the subscribers to this church are numerous, and the main object of their Association is the establishment of a Catholic Church, Independent of the Pope and Bishops.-Cincinnati Gazette.

Though the errors of Popery have been exposed a thousand times in the most cogent and unanswerable manner, the system still stands green and flourishing, putting forth vigorous branches, and bearing plentifully the fruit of death: and, doubtless, it will continue to outlive all that man can do for its overthrow, until the Lord see meet to blow upon it with the breath of his mouth, when like a hollow tree, or a house built on sand, it will fall, and great will be the fall thereof.

Some indications of this fall are already perceptible, and, like most of the Lord's doings, they come from an unexpected quarter. Not through the instrumentality of Evangelical or Protestant Societies, or from the world's Conventions against Popery the glory, in these cases, might have been, to some extent, ascribed to man --but through the instrumentality of a previously unknown German priest. Do we, therefore, undervalue the other means? Surely not.

They have been blessed in the enlightenment and conversion of many souls, and thus have the seal of God's approbation; and even though they had never been the means of converting

one, it is not the less our duty to preach the Gospel to every creature. But we mean to exalt the glory of God as much as lies in our feeble power, by calling attention to the fact, that he still employs the weak things of the world to confound the strong, yea, things that are not to bring to nought things that are!

We are led to these reflections by reading the foregoing paragraph in a newspaper from Cincinnati. Where the Church of Rome had, with extraordinary pains, and at enormous expense, created a stronghold of Popery-a centre of influence-a perfeet metropolis of power, from which to subdue and govern, the immense valley of the Missisippi. Against the progress of Romanism in the West, Home Missionary, American Protestant, Tract, Bible, Sabbath School, and a host of other Societies, have for years directed their unwearied energies without making any perceptible impression. But lo! the Lord only breathes upon it, and the fabric begins to crumble away from among the very fingers of the Pope and the Propaganda.-Montreal Missionary Record.

SLOWLY AND STEADILY ON

WARD.

OUR Puritan fathers never acted in a hurry, nor with a view to temporary good. They acted on broad, general principles; they laid their foundations deep and strong; they waited patiently for the fruits, and the fruits came; and when they did come, they were worth the having, So must we do, if we would make any real progress, or even retain the characteristic excellences of the Pu ritan race. This is the policy of our opponents, the Romanists, and it is a wise policy, and they pursue it with an energy and a perseverance, which, if they only had the truth on their side, would make them irresistible,

The men that are needed, are not men who do things with a flash, and then leave all things darker than before; but men who can look får a-head, men who can form and carry out large views; men who, for Christ's sake, are willing to labour amid ob

scurity, and hardships, and privation, when they know all the while that they would at any moment better their worldly lot by quitting the field. When I was a boy, and lived in Massachusetts, Caleb Strong was the Federal candidate for Governor, and his party were accustomed to placard on the walls and posts in every direction, A long pull, a Strong pull, and a pull altogether." Now this is just what we want for the West: A long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether; and it is only such men as are capable of helping at such a pull, that we can make good use of in the great struggle between truth and error now going on, and thickening around us.

DIVISION THE WORK OF
JESUITISM.

THE secret agency of the dispensed Jesuits had done wonders in splitting into hostile factions the lovers of God's truth in England; and their regular brethren were pointing to this work of their own order here as well as on the Continent, with fiendish exultation; and shouting, to the extent of their voices, to astonished and believing Europe, "Behold the fruits of Protestantism." The order itself, now largely increased in numbers, wealth, and importance, was pledged to the extent of its immense resources for the recovery of England. The English seminaries (splendidly supported by the English Catholics) were theirs. Five of these were already established, and the number of them was increasing continually. The professors of these seminaries were the most eminent men that the order afforded: so they had already acquired a high and deserved character as seats of learning, and were the resorts for education, of nearly the whole of the younger branches of the Catholic nobility and gentry of England; for secular as well as clerical studies were pursued by the students. The clerical students at these seminaries were all candidates for the English Mission. They consisted mainly of English refugees for religion, not, how

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ever, without a sprinkling of ardent enthusiastic dupes of other countries, who, lured by the prospect of the crown of martyrdom, offered themselves voluntarily to share the perils and the glories of the enterprise. For the worldly-wise and crafty rulers of the order knew well the value and importance of the religious fanaticism which had inspired their founder, and were profoundly skilled in the arts of exciting and directing it in their pupils. Trained from early youth to the implicit unhesitating submission of the understanding and conscience in all things to the will of the superior, their alumni cared for no dogmas in religion, save those parts of the Romish system which are controverted by Protestants, and acknowledged no religious duties, save those of stirring up the English Papists to rebellion, and the reduction of England to the obedience of the Papacy. Many of the seminarists had found their way to England already; a still larger body was now at the disposal of the conspirators. From the "Hidden Works of Darkness, or the Jesuits of Ancient and Modern Times," by W. Osburn, Esq., now nearly ready as one of the special series of the Protestant Association.

A YOUNG man, R. D., one of the pupils in our Institute, at Belle Riviere, went, a short time ago, to visit his parents at L. His father, although troubled himself by many doubts, thought the religion of his son to be false. R., in despair of convincing his father, who was apprehensive of some mistake in the statements and proofs that were urged upon him, proposed to him that they should go together and see the priest. The father consented, and they went. The priest had just finished saying his mass, and was still in the sacristy.

Father.-Sir, I bring you my son, that you should prove to him that his religion is false.

Priest.-Oh, look here M. D., it