without having recourse to the laws of the land in which they live; abstinence from blood, from things strangled, from fornication, and from sacrifices to idols. But having already exceeded what I purposed, I must not enlarge at present.

Before concluding, I must, however, hint at what cannot fail of attracting the attention of the most superficial observer, who pays any attention to revelation, and to the manners and disposition of the present age.

In the predictions of the Lord concerning the signs of the destruction of Jerusalem, blended with those of his second coming; and in those of the apostles relative to the latter event, we have many circumstances noted, which are strikingly applicable to our times: Lo here is Christ, and lo there-Many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many-Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold-When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? They eat, they drink, they marry, and are given in marriage; they buy, they plant, they build They say Peace and safety-They scoff, and ask, Where is the promise of his coming?'*

What gloriously enlightened times, say our contemporaries, are these in which we live-We have got rid of bigotry and superstition -arts and sciences flourish-men are humanized-not only individuals but whole nations formerly hostile, with barbarity, to each other are now so civilized, that even their wars wear the appearance of amity, and their feuds, that of friendship, compared with the rancour and

desolations of former times-toleration and liberty of conscience gain ground apace-none but fools or enthusiasts concern themselves with creeds or confessions-philosophy and liberality of sentiment are cultivated-universal charity and benevolence prevail-and the period quickly approaches when we shall be just what we ought to be.

With this delusion (for so it is called in Scripture) Christians are in such imminent danger of being carried away, that nothing less than Omnipotence preserves them from the contagion; nay, they are represented to be so far overcome, as to be like sentinels sleeping on their posts; and so far agreed with the world, as to lose sight of their real condition, "poor, wretched, miserable, blind, and naked;" and to 'fancy themselves rich and increased with goods, standing in need of nothing.'

The whole course of God's providence, both with respect to the nations, and in his churches, of late, conspires to shew that his second coming is at hand. The call to the professors of his name, therefore, is. Watch and be sober

Be zealous, and repent,' And to them who are dwelling carelessly in Babylon, he says, 'Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues-Her plagues shall come in one day, death, mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burnt with fire: for strong is the LORD GOD who judgeth her,' †

As he has done from the beginning, so is the Most High still doing. He is making the schemes and plans of men subservient to

the doctrines of Scripture, and the practice enjoined by them, infinitely more pernicious than the most poignant asperity of language. If great plainness of speech be allowable on any subject, it must be on those which relate to the eternal concerns of man, in the world to come!

Apologies to them who hate the principles for which I contend, would be equally vain and absurd. -From such I ask, I expect no quarter. Those who are friendly to such principles, overlooking the foibles of the author, will forgive inelegance of style, and inaccuracy of expression, as well as such errors and mistakes as are not repugnant or hostile to the saving Truth,-If any other errors than these occur, it

will be the office of love and friendship, properly so called, to detect and correct them.

Should the reflections, which I have put together, contribute in any degree to promote the enquiry, WHAT IS TRUTH? my object will be attained. And should silent contempt be my portion, it will be some consolation, that much more important works have often been so treated. Having no reason, then, to be forward in publishing, nor any cause to be solicitous about concealing my real name, I shall beg leave to subscribe myself, with great respect,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant, SIMPLEX.

THE fourth council of Lateran, which was held in the month of November, 1215, may be considered as the zenith of the Papal power. Innocent had recently triumphed over the King of England and treated that country as a fief of Rome. The heresy of the Albigenses, the most threatening which had ever appeared since the fall of the Empire, had been put down by a general crusade. The nations of Europe stood mute before that power, which now crushed every thing beneath its feet. The council itself was the most numerous and influential which had ever been assembled under the auspices of the Pope. It consisted of five hundred Bishops and Archbishops, a greater number of Abbots and

Priors, besides delegates of absent Prelates, Patriarchs, and ambassadors of Christian Courts, all gathered together to bow the knee to the prince of the Roman Church. This council was not like most of the others which had been called previously, for the purpose of settling internal disputes, or like some of those which took place afterwards, as the Council of Constance, to depose rival Popes, and appoint a new one. Nor like the Council of Trent, where the delegates of the different nations set up their several claims to orthodoxy, disputed concerning the faith, and protracted the dispute through several years. On the contrary, this council was simply called together to hear the decision

of the Pope, as to what constituted the faith, and how it was to be upheld. Very little time sufficed to perform the task. It was dismissed in about a month after having passed seventy Canons. At this time the doctrine of the real presence was finally pronounced to be the belief of the Roman Church; and to fix precisely, and for ever, the nature of the tenet, the name of transubstantiation was invented. Another Canon enjoined upon the faithful of both sexes the necessity of confessing to their own Curate, once a year, at least. But the great object of the council was to adopt measures against the enemies of the Church both internal and external-against the Saracens in the east and the Albigenses in the west. The Crusades for the recovery of the Holy Land, had now lasted for a hundred and twenty years, and as they had been attended with little success the enthusiasm of the people began to abate. The zeal of the Popes however continued to be fed, for the immense quantity of Pilgrims which came to Rome on their way to Judea, tended greatly to fill the Papal exchequer. As a matter of course therefore, a Crusade to the east would always be considered by the Pope as a holy war,"

The Crusade against the Albigenses was now put a stop to; and after due consideration the conquered territory was given to Simon Montfort, as a reward for his great services to the Church in that expedition. It soon proved, however, that the country although conquered was not subdued, and in a short time an appeal to arms was made against the usurper. He fell during the strife, and his Son, after having in vain endeavoured to bend the people to his

yoke, resigned the province to the King of France. It was at last brought into subjection in the year 1229, by the mother of St. Louis, Queen Blanche, who acted as Regent during her son's minority.

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As soon as this took place, the Court of Inquisition was instituted, and in four years afterwards the Dominicans were appointed to conduct it. The Dominicans were a religious order which had lately sprung up in the church of Rome, and played in after ages, a very important part in her history. To give any thing like a satisfactory account of the religious orders, with their several characteristics, would require a volume; but perhaps it may be sufficient for our present purpose to arrange them under four classes, springing up at different epochs, and each one surpassing its predecessors wickedness. The first class is the Monks, properly so called, who arose at a very early period in the history of the Church. They were brought under a regular rule by Benedict of Nursia, about the year 529, and continued for several centuries without any rivals except those of a like nature with themselves. The second class is the Military order, who originated during the time of the Crusades, joining the duties of a soldier to that of a Monk. The third class is the Preaching Brethren or Friars, who commenced operations about a hundred years after the Military orders, and whose task it was to itinerate, and endeavour to convert the heretics. Lastly, there is the Jesuit, whose special mission was to overturn the Reformation, and for this purpose they were not only allowed to itinerate, but to spread themselves like the frogs of Egypt into all the recesses of the land,

from the secret chambers of the Rhine, to the meanest hovel of the people. What the Jesuits were after the Reformation, the Friars were before, the firmest support of the Papacy; being in general the most devoted servants of the Pope, and having the most complete system of machinery for carrying out his designs.

The two principal orders of Friars had their origin in the time of Innocent III. and were approved of by him, although it does not appear that they were formerly recognized as a new religious order during his pontificate. The various orders of Monks had become already so numerous, that the council of Lateran at his dictation, gave its voice against the creation of new orders, affirming that it was desirable to reform the old orders rather than to make new ones, yet in less than ten years after that announcement, the two orders of Dominicans and Franciscans were established.

St. Dominic first came into notice in the earlier part of the Albigensian persecutions, before the general slaughter commenced. He does not seem to have been of the number of original spies sent out by Innocent for reporting concerning the state of heresy, and stirring up the rulers against the heretics. So great was his zeal that he went of his own accord and joined himself to those heresy hunters. He was a Spaniard by birth, and possessed in a remarkable degree that blind submission to the Church of Rome, and inflexible disregard of every principle and feeling that stood opposed to its claims, for which his countrymen have since become so infamous. Possessed of a gift, rare in those days, the gift of eloquence, he was anxious to try its power upon the

Albigenses; but they, being accustomed to the preaching of the Apostles and Prophets, were in no wise so carried away with his oratory as he had anticipated. He therefore turned his eloquence into other more likely channels. When he found it could not convert the heretics, he used it to stir up the zeal of the orthodox, and in this he only succeeded too well. He soon surpassed all his fellows in the work of destruction. It is recorded of him that in one day eighty persons were beheaded, and four hundred burned alive, by his order, and in his sight. By such means he recommended himself to the Court of Rome; and his followers, who were deeply imbued with his principles, soon became the most favoured of all the Papal agents, and were intrusted with its most important commissions. The Inquisition in particular, that terrible engine of Satan, was chiefly under their control. A dispute has taken place whether or not Dominic was the founder of the Inquisition. This is a mere contention about words. The facts of the case are these:-he was one of the most noted among those who made inquiry into the state of heresy in the South of France, on behalf of the Pope; taking notice of all who were opposed to the pretentions of Rome, and as far as in them lay, procuring their condemnation. Hence in a few years he and his collegues received the designation of Inquisitors. But the scene of their labours was still an enemy's country. They could not do any thing as yet, in a judicial capacity This must be deferred until the province has become subject to Catholic rulers. When civil war was brought to a close under the rule of Queen Blanche, in that very

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