our church who was more than any other tempted to sweep away everything popish as a remnant of Babylon, and abstained most scrupulously from so doing, it was Archbishop Cranmer, whose name Mr. Bickersteth places first on the list of those eminent reformers whom he misnames the founders of our church. The violence of some protestants taught his candid and discriminating mind a lesson which Baxter confessed himself to have learnt late in life, and which some teachers in our church have still to learn-viz., "to be more impartial, and to know that Satan can use even the terms popery and antichrist to bring truth into question and discredit." Yours truly,

W. B. BARTER.

P.S. I should have said nothing more had I not been called upon by some of my parishioners who wished to emigrate, and came to shew me a letter which they had received from a relation near New York. Among the many advantages of his situation, the writer mentioned that he lived near a meeting-house where there was a faithful minister of the gospel, the constant burthen of whose exhortations was this— "Be faithful, be faithful, and Babylon must come down." It struck me forcibly how very like the whole tenour of Mr. Bickersteth's work was the faithful preaching of this American independent; and at the same time, how different from the scriptural exhortation to faithfulness, both in its motive and end, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' The painful conviction also followed, that the opinion of a valued friend, well versed in American affairs, might be correct. He told me, that popery was not only gaining ground in that country, but was making proselytes of the best characters, of those who, under other circumstances, would, humanly speaking, have been among the firmest and the most consistent adherents of the truth. "For," he said, "humble and meek spirits hear such extravagant opinions advocated by the various sects, combined with such violent abuse, both of popery and of each other, that they are driven into the Roman-catholic church in order to be at peace, and receive as truth the gross deception that it is the pure and only church of Christ." If offences must come, and dissensions, and falling away, may the church of England be deserted by the lovers of change, the evil speakers, the self-opinionated; may it never be justly laid to her charge that, by her unchristian violence, she has offended one of these little ones.

A VISIT TO BIRR-THE REV. MESSIEURS CROTTY-THE INDEPENDENT CATHOLIC CHAPEL OF BIRR.

SIR,-As I had heard and read, within the last few years, a good deal respecting the Rev. Messieurs Crotty, of Birr, I was very desirous of an opportunity of visiting that town, that I might with my own eyes see their chapel and congregation, and make inquiry on the spot, from those who could give the best information, respecting their past and present proceedings. That opportunity lately occurred, while I was staying some time with a friend in the neighbourhood of Birr.

It is, I believe, very generally known that the division among the Roman catholics of Birr originated in the refusal of the Romish bishop of the diocess to appoint the Rev. Michael Crotty to be their parish priest. He had been for several years the curate of the parish, and had endeared himself to the people by his humane and charitable character. On the appointment of another man, the Rev. Mr. Kennedy, who is now also Romish bishop in the diocess, those who were attached to Mr. Crotty took possession for him of the new chapel in the town, which had been built chiefly through his exertions. They were, however, after some time, compelled by law and military force to resign the chapel, and then they provided another place for their own use, and formed a separate congregation under Mr. Crotty and his cousin the Rev. William Crotty.

The building which they use at present for a chapel consists of two long but narrow rooms, that form nearly a right angle. Across the end of each of these there is a deep gallery; and near the angle, fronting one of the rooms, stands the altar. Within the railing of the altar there is a row of seats, and outside these are a few forms, and these constitute the whole accommodation for sitting in the chapel. There are two doors, and adjoining each, inside, a receptacle for water is fixed in the wall. I observed but a few persons sprinkle themselves, and those who did so generally made an obeisance to the altar. There were about a dozen pictures hung round the rooms, such as are generally seen in Romish chapels, but no one seemed to take any notice of them. The altar was furnished with most of the usual requisites for the celebration of mass, (as they still call the service,) a book in manuscript, robes for the priest, communion vessels, and four candles; but, instead of a picture, the ten commandments, including of course the second, are placed over the altar. With regard to the pictures along the walls, the candles on the altar, the water at the doors, and such like, as they are things indifferent in themselves, they are permitted by the Messieurs Crotty still to remain, because the removal of them would be likely to give offence to many of their followers, at least for some time longer, till they are more fully instructed. They, however, never say anything in their favour; on the contrary, whenever they allude to them, which they do occasionally, they point out their inefficacy, and the guilt of making a superstitious use of them.

The day I attended the chapel, the 9th of October, as Mr. Michael Crotty was from home, his cousin Mr. William Crotty, who is the younger of the two, officiated. He commenced with putting on his robes, and as he put on each part he used a short and appropriate prayer. Two acolothists or attendants waited on him. The service was the Romish service of the mass, but all in English, and divested of everything superstitious, or idolatrous, or contrary to the word of God. He received the sacrament in both kinds, the bread and wine, and administered it in the same way to one of the congregation, and then concluded with the ordinary prayers. There was nothing that could offend any Christian, except perhaps the great number of formal evolutions on the part of the priest that accompanied each part of the service. I listened with the most critical ear, and there was but one

sentence I could wish altered. It was one that ran thus-" I confess to God before the Virgin Mary, St. Michael," &c., &c. Mr. Crotty, with whom I had an interview the Tuesday following, and to whom I pointed out this passage, appeared to think it received some sanction. from what is said in the sixth verse of the twelfth chapter of Tobit. As, however, it is not sanctioned by the canonical scriptures, it is to be expunged out of the service. It was only reserved as a substitute for the popish "General Confession," which is positively idolatrous; and as all their changes have been gradual, to avoid giving offences, it could not be got rid of at once,

After the celebration of the sacrament or mass, Mr. Crotty commenced his sermon, choosing for his text the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. His topics were, the miserable end of the rich if they are wicked, and the final blessedness of the poor if in this life they are resigned to their lot and righteous in their ways; the refutation of the doctrine of purgatory, to which he was led by the circumstance of the parable speaking of only two places after death, hell and Abraham's bosom, and an explanation of the passages which are generally brought forward in support of the doctrine; the right and imperative duty of the people to read the scriptures, which is so clearly implied by Abraham's words, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;" and the awful consequences of an ignorance of the word of God..

Throughout the whole discourse, he never lost sight of the great and leading principles of the gospel; on the contrary, he stated them clearly, and boldly proclaimed them as his own. He preached extempore, and for about forty-five minutes. His language was plain and nervous, his reasoning close and convincing, and his delivery very energetic. Two or three times, according to a general practice, he paused, and solicited inquiry and objections to his arguments, if such occurred to any of his congregation; but no person made an inquiry or stated an objection. On the whole, I never heard a more effective discourse, and it was listened to throughout with breathless attention,

At first the Messieurs Crotty made very little alteration in the mode of celebrating mass, but as their own minds became more enlightened and their people could bear it, they gradually purified the service till they brought it to its present state. A similar gradual change has taken place in their doctrines and the character of their preaching. They baptize. They marry. They still confess, anoint, and absolve, when specially required to do so; but, as far as they can, they do not allow these practices to be considered essential, and by their explanations they endeavour to prevent a superstitious use of them. In a short time they intend to publish their Service, or Prayer Book, and also a catechism for the children of their flock; and when the new chapel is finished, they purpose converting the present one into a Sunday and day school. Already they have distributed among the members of their congregation several hundred copies of the scriptures, which are read and constantly discussed by them and the Romanists or Kennedyites, as they are sometimes called.

Though the morning was severe, there were between four and five VOL. XI.-March, 1837. 2 P

hundred persons present, including about twenty protestants. The great majority of the congregation were of the humbler classes, and nearly all grown-up persons. There were, however, in attendance some respectable tradesmen and shopkeepers of the town, and also some respectable farmers from the country.

From all I could learn I have reason to believe that the followers of the Messieurs Crotty, of all ages and classes, amount to nearly two thousand persons. Of these some are more enlightened, and more convinced of the errors of popery, than others. Their followers, at first, were more numerous than they appear to be now. Several, through various influences, have dropped away from them, but of these some have returned to their congregation, and some new converts are coming over to them.

The new chapel, which is building by subscription, is, by this time, I should think, roofed and slated. It is calculated that it will hold about 800 persons. It is built on Lord Rosse's property, who has promised a lease for ever at a nominal rent, and a deed also is to be drawn up and signed by the trustees, in order that the chapel may be secured in future times, come what may, for the celebration of public worship on scriptural principles. There are seven trustees of the chapel, the Messieurs Crotty and Mr. P. Carrol, who had been Romanists, and four protestants. Of those seven, John Loyd, Esq., of Birr, is the treasurer, through whose hands all the subscriptions pass. Mr. Loyd, as everybody who is acquainted with him knows, is a highly respectable, intelligent, and independent gentleman. He assured me that, without delay, the lease and trust deed should be duly executed.

Having several times heard attacks made upon the character of the Messieurs Crotty, I made very particular inquiry on that point while I was at Birr, and I could not detect even an insinuation there against the moral character of either of these gentlemen. Their enemies, who are both numerous and watchful, may and will do all in their power to put them down, but in point of character the Messieurs Crotty are invulnerable. Their work appears to be a part of that great movement which is now in progress for the overthrow of Romanism in this country; and if it be of God, the gates of hell, the schemes of the devil and of wicked men, cannot prevail against it. I am, Sir, &c., J. BOOKER.

Killurin Parsonage, Dec. 26th, 1836.

P.S.-This letter would have been published long since, but that the writer waited to receive an authentication of two or three of the statements, about which he entertained some doubts.

THE ATHENÆUM.

SIR,It is a bad sign of the times to find neological opinions assumed and brought forward in our popular literary periodicals. Low views of scriptural inspiration are thus silently inculcated in a manner which produces its baneful effect the more successfully, because the existence of the poison is not suspected. All that can be done in such cases is,

to point out the objectionable sentiment, so as to put those at least who are right minded upon their guard.

As a matter of duty, therefore, I send you the following extract from the Athenæum of Jan. 14, (No. 481, p. 32, col. 4.)

"We have been favoured with communications respecting the extraordinary anecdotes of divination by the fluid mirror recorded in Mr. Lane's Egypt. Several persons who have witnessed such exhibitions assure us, that their wonders have not been exaggerated, and that the belief in the præternatural vision of persons who have not reached the age of puberty is general throughout the east. That it has been so from the earliest time may be inferred from the scriptural prediction, "Your young men (rather, your young boys) shall see visions."

So that, according to this writer, the scriptural prediction (as he calls it, I presume out of condescension to the prejudice which still exists in favour of Christianity,) a prediction which the New Testament quotes as having been fulfilled in one of the most remarkable events of our religion, is, after all, no more than an instance of the great antiquity of the superstitious belief, still prevalent throughout the east, in the supernatural vision of persons not yet arrived at the age of puberty! I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

Φ.

LONDON CHURCH COMMITTEE.

MY DEAR FRIEND,-There is no end of affirming and re-affirming the same things; but since a charge of "breaking the eighth commandment" has again been brought against the "Committee for the London Churches," by a writer in your pages, (pp. 172-4,) and this, of course, will prevent some from supporting it, and furnish an excuse to others, allow me once more to restate the case, as distinctly as I can.

The committee did not mean, by their resolution, to express any wish that the cathedral of St. Paul's should be despoiled, or that the churches should be endowed out of its spoils. Of course I do not mean to say that there may not have been any individual who might not have thought the recommendations of the so-called church commission justifiable; there may or may not have been; I know of none; but I assert this, that the committee did not mean, in the most distant way, to sanction any such measure as the abolition of the prebends of St. Paul's, and the confiscation of their revenues to a general fund. The only principle maintained in the resolution was, that the funds given for the benefit of London should be employed for the benefit of London, and not transferred, e. g., to Lancashire. Of course, a body, whose president was a commissioner, could not choose that time and place to petition against the commission, and ask their president to head their condemnation of it. But, (which is the charge brought against them,) they did not sanction it. The principle of annexation satisfies all the expressions used; and no one will say that any principle is wronged by annexing to the prebends of St. Paul's, cure of souls in the immediate dependencies of St. Paul's, the very sphere which St. Paul's was intended to influence, and for which more immediately it was in part a sort of missionary foundation. No one, I believe, has objected to