P. One of thy predecessors, Gregory VII. asserted the same; nor could it be difficult for you to impose such a belief on the ignorant and superstitious; but here it won't do: we ask for good deeds.

U. I certainly did not expect that! Thou mightest surely call the commoa people to account; but the Popes ought to have free entrance.

P. No such thing; they who call themselves vice-gerents of Christ, must show whether they are so according to the real meaning of the word-whether they, like their Lord and Master, have been pious, humble, charitable, humane, indefatigably zealous for the welfare of mankind, forgiving and generous.

U. I have nothing of, the kind to show, but could give you some specimens of a contrary spirit.

P. Well, let me know them.

U. Out of many I will mention but one, which occasionally has troubled my mind; but thou must not judge me too severely.

P. Thou shalt have thy due.

U. Once upon a time I suspected that a conspiracy was being formed against me. I had no proofs, but the mere thought of such a possibility so enraged me, that, amongst others, I had five cardinals put to the torture in my presence.

P. Did they acknowledge themselves guilty?

U. On the contrary; they all of them asserted their innocence till they breathed their last, and called me before the judgment of the Lord.

P. There I must send thee, too. How could the happy ones acknowledge thee as one of them-thou who art guilty of such cruelty!

(To be continued.)

INCREASED EFFORT ON BEHALF OF IRELAND.

To the Editor of the Protestant Advocate, and Irish Missionary Magazine. REV. SIR, I have now taken your Magazine from the commencement of the present year, and it was with feelings of great pleasure and delight that I looked forward to the return of each successive month, in order that I might be gratified by the perusal of my favourite magazine. I do, dear sir, admire

in a high degree that spirit of Christian love and benevolence which pervades its pages: that party spirit it put far from it, is indeed self-evident, because all denominations of Christians have though its columns a medium of making known to the world the success of the Gospel in the missionary field of Ireland. I rejoice, sir, to think there is a time coming, and trust it is not far distant, when the Churches of our land shall arise from that slumber in which they have too long been indulging, and use every energy they possess for the spread of pure and undefiled religion in the dark parts of poor neglected Ireland; and how, dear sir, is this mighty conquest to be achieved? Is it not by sending forth more faithful men of God, who shall proclaim salvation through the cross to their perishing fellow-men, and whose one grand object shall be the glory of God? It is, sir, my candid opinion, that if the pure Gospel be preached in all its godlike simplicity, and souls converted to Jehovah, that yet Ireland shall be as the bright morning star, and that from her now neglected isle many shall rise up who shall proclaim to the heathen abroad, "what great things God hath wrought." Should not every Christian shudder when he takes into consideration that so vast a number of his fellow-men are perishing daily for lack of the Gospel, and yet he is rendering no help (or next to none) to alleviate their wretched condition? Let him remember that each soul that is sinking into perdition is immortal. Oh ! let each Christian look at the awful responsibility which attaches itself to him. Let him remember what God has done for his own soul, and that "Where much has been given (or done) much will be required," and, methinks, with all these considerations in view, he will bestir himself and arise, and be found at the post of duty. That it is the duty of every Christian to use his influence (so far as that influence extends) in extending the cause of the blessed Redeemer none will deny; and yet, alas, how few use that influence as they ought. We are now about to enter upon a new period of time; the present year will soon be numbered with past years, and we shall be hailed by a new one. Let each Christian determine, if spared, to enter on a new year, to begin

"The mode of exacting money at stations is, the parish priest, with his curate, attend on a certain day, by appointment, at the house of the most wealthy of their parishioners. The two priests, or more, as it may be, begin by confessions; the priests are each supplied with a plate, which he places near him: the poor creatures approach in succession, and before they utter a syllable, they must put down the cash (the Easter or Christmas due.) It is, —no money, no absolution. Voluntary contributions vary from half-a-crown a year to ten pounds. Extreme unction, from half-a-crown to ten shillings: this is exacted in the most inhuman way. On one occasion, I witnessed a priest performing this act of grace, and the poor creature, who, after receiving it, was asked by the priest for the anointing money, replied, she had not wherewith to get herself a drink of whey. He replied, "May you never have it, nor receive the benefit of the sacrament which you now take."

"In addition to this," says Mr. Delaney, I have another document from

another quarter, collected from the people themselves, stating that the lowest price of baptismal fees is half-a-crown; marriages, sixteen shillings, if the parties are called in Church; but if not, two pounds; reading masses, and blessed clay for the dead, five shillings; masses to release from purgatory, five shillings each, and these are the lowest prices from the poorest individuals. Now, Mr. Croly, in his most valuable pamphlet, shows that the publication of banns is generally laid aside, for this very reason, that money must be raised for the maintenance of the bishop, to whom belongs the mulct for the dispensation, and to whom a portion of the fee is paid. In the action, says Mr. Delaney, brought by priest Lyons against Major Bingham, the following were proved to be the fees charged by Mr. Lyons in his parish:-Marriage, one pound, eleven shillings, and sixpence, to three pounds; baptisms, three shillings and two-pence; householder's money, three shillings and two-pence; yearly salary for every child above ten years of age going to confession, tenpence; a family going to confession, five or six shillings; extreme unction, one shilling; legacies for the deceased, six shillings; blessed clay, half-acrown; a bart of corn, that is, twenty sheaves, or one shilling and eightpence instead. Priest Flannery was brought to prove on oath, that he knew those fees in Mr. Lyons' parish, that he had it from the bishop that they had received his sanction that they were higher than some and lower than others; that is, a fair average for Ireland.

The population of Ireland, as returned to Parliament in 1831, gives the proportion of inhabitants returned to that of houses returned, as six individuals in every house, with a surplus of 176,657 persons, or a fraction of oneseventh. Now, estimating the Roman Catholics at 7,000,000, and allowing six inhabitants to a house, the number of houses inhabited by them would be 1,166,666; and hence the amount of priests' income for Ireland is calculated to be as follows::

£ 8. d.

116,666 12 0

48,611 0 0

.... 36,448 50

at the same number, though there are many more so many infants being stillborn, or dying unbaptized, at the average of 5s.... Deaths, averaged as 1 to 48 persons,making145,833, for these are included unctions, masses, funerals, blessed-clay, which might be charged scparately, but take the whole at 5s. Stations. Suppose that only two-thirds of the number fit to go to confessions, and who pay Easter dues, go to stations, and suppose they only go to one station in the year instead of two, and only pay 1s., which is under the truth, it gives........ Masses for the dead. Suppose that on the lowest average we may consider two masses to deliver souls from purgatory, said for each individual that dies; if some die who have none said for them, others have hundreds, as they are able to pay for them: so say two masses for

233,333 12 0

145,853 souls at the lowest rate, 2s. 6d. each Intention masses. Let us suppose that out of the whole population there are but 150,000 who give money in advance for masses for their souls; suppose they have but two masses each at 2s. 6d. A poor labourer is mentioned as having £12, and a poor woman £6, of them, omitting the Purgatorian Societies.. Hay-money, for priest's

horse, 1s. 6d. per house. It amounted to 20d. in Binghamstown: and the failure of it in towns and cities is more than counterbalanced by oats

£. s. d.

36,458 5 0

37,500 0 0

&c. given to the priests. 87,499 16 0

Making a total of...... £1,051,601 16 0 for the annual revenue of the priests in Ireland. This, however, is but a low calculation; there are others who make it upwards of £1,400,000.

And yet it is for the training of men to be connected with such a priesthood as this, who exact so much from the poor of Ireland, and who, in addition to this, raise between £20,000 and £30,000 annually, in the form of "rent" for the great agitator, who is the tool of the Papacy, and who send £8,000 or £10,000 every year to the funds of the Propaganda, to furnish means to send forth emissaries to disturb the peace, and to destroy the labours of Protestant Missionaries in various parts of the world, as they have recently done in the South Seas; we say, it is to train men in connexion with such a priesthood as this, that Sir R. Peel and his coadjutors have endowed Maynooth. Is it possible? Talk about the squalid poverty and wretchedness of the people of Ireland, how is it possible to be otherwise, while infected with such cruel exactors as these?

If there will be any grief in heaven, sure it will be for this that we have done no more for God on earth.—Adam.

REFLECTIONS AT THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR.

(From the Diary of a Christian Lady, deceased.)

Fugitive year, farewell; your pleasures your enterprises, and perplexities, are all terminated.

The blooming beauties of spring, the rich spreading foliage of summer, and the luscious reposes of autumn, have yielded to the keen piercing blasts of winter; and in their quick succession fulfilled the ancient declaration, “Seed time and harvest, summer and winter, cold and heat, shall not cease." O Lord, thy works are great, sought out of them that have pleasure therein. This earth, the starry heavens, the glorious orb of day, the silvery moon, the mighty deep, all-all manifest the hand that formed them is Divine; while every rolling year is a renewed testimony of the veracity of the Almighty, and a fresh excitement to confide in his power and goodness.

The song of Israel on the echoing banks of the Red Sea will not be unsuitable at the present season. "The Lord is my strength, he is my salvation, he is my God. I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, I will exalt him;" indeed, every closing year is a fit season to enumerate my mercies and deliverances, both temporal and spiritual, and to present a tributary theme to the author of my welfare, and the constant supplier of my numerous wants and necessities. O, my heavenly father, had thy paternal compassions been suspended during the past year only for the shortest period, ofttime I must have sunk in wretchedness, misery, and woe. I will, therefore, praise thee, for the continuance of natural life, with all its comforts and endearments; for the air I breathe, the faculties I possess, the food I eat, the raiment I put on, the dwelling I inhabit, the society I enjoy, all come from thee; thou art the source of every blessing, and the inexhaustible stream of my sweetest satisfactions. Yet, while I praise thee, O my God, for these inferior things, I would more especially supplicate Divine assistance to enable me to present a sacred offering of gratitude for the maintenance of spiritual life in my soul. This cometh also from the Lord of Hosts, who is mighty in counsel, and wonderful in his dealings

with the children of men. Notwithstanding my accumulated provocations during the passing year, the bread of heaven, the water of life, the robe of righteousness, the garments of salvation, the privileges and immunities of Mount Zion, the communion of saints, with the forgiveness of sins through the Lord Jesus my redeemer, I humbly trust have been Vouchsafed unto me.

That these hopes may not be vain and delusive, the result of an erroneous imagination or self-love, the deceitfulness of sin, and the subtilty of the great adversary of my soul, dear sacred Spirit, aid me in a close impartial investigation of this momentous subject; let it be made self-evident and conclusive, that I am a sincere, obedient, humble follower of the Lamb, an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men, adorning the Gospel I profess by a holy life, by meekness, by long-suffering, by patience, and all the retired virtues and graces of Christianity. For experimental religion, withShow out any practical results is vain. " me thy faith by thy works" is the fundamental principle established by the dear Redeemer himself, when he said, "If any man love me, let him keep my commandments." Dear Saviour, grant me a just estimate of myself, and of my character in thy sight. I now supplicate. thy scrutiny. "O Lord, search me and try me, and lead me in the way everlasting, and if the school of affliction await me, let me not shudder at the discipline of thy rod, or faint when rebuked of thee."

When the gathering cloud of adversity spreads its dark and gloomy shade around me, O reconcile me to the several dispensations of thy Providence, by fresh discoveries of thine adorable character, and the tenderest intimations of thy love. Dear Saviour, say, "my loving kindness I will not take from thee, or suffer my faithfulness to fail ; I will never leave thee, no, never forsake thee." In every new distress I will cry unto God, unto God who performeth all things for me.

"I'll think again of all thy ways,

And talk thy wonders o'er, Thy wonders of recovering grace, When flesh could hope no more.' My heavenly father; the residue of my days I leave with thee. Bestow or

D

withhold whatever will most conduce to thy glory, and the best interests of my immortal soul. O banish far from me all inordinate heart-rending care about the things of this life; yes, "do with me as seemeth good in thy sight."

The dream of life will soon be over, and a boundless eternity ensue; the great day of the Lord is at hand, and the tremendous summons, "Come to judgment, come to judgment," will shortly break on my astonished ear.

Throned on a cloud our God shall come,
Bright flames prepare his way;
Thunder and darkness-fire and storm
Lead on the dreadful day.

"The earth and sea will then give up their dead, and both small and great" stand before their august judge.

Jesus himself will descend from the highest heavens in his father's glory, in his own glory, and in the glory of adoring angels; he will take to himself his beloved people to behold his triumphal victories, and the splendid achievements of his cross.

O Christian, exult in thy glorious prospects, and in thy free unmerited reward; the conqueror's song will soon be thine; "for he that is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, he that gave thee to thirst after the waters of life, and to hunger after the bread of life, will soon lead thee to fountains of living water, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb." A celestial envoy will conduct thee through the gates of the new Jerusalem to eat of the fruit of the tree of life, to go no more out for ever."

"O glorious hour! O blest abode !
I shall be near and like my God;
And flesh, and sin, no more control
The sacred pleasures of my soul."

D'AUBIGNE'S CHRISTIAN

UNITY.

Second unity:* There is one Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit, who is the life of the body. The apostle does not say, There is one Pope, or one Primate, or one general Synod, or one company or class, or one prince, one state. He says: There is one Spirit. The Spirit who dwells within all your brethren is the Spirit who dwells within you. Ye are the temples of the same Spirit.

Third unity: There is one hope.
*The first appeared in No. XV. p. 342.

It

is of little importance in what part of the world you were born, the nation of which you form a part, the form of your visage, the colour of your skin, the government under which you live. There is one and the same heaven which will contain you eternally. There is one hope.

Fourth unity: There is one Lord. We have not many masters; and whoever belongs to the one and only Lord Jesus Christ, dead and risen, is of us. What does it signify that he worships God in another edifice, with another liturgy, or even without any human book! That which is important, is not that we follow, as it was once required, an apostle; but that we follow the one Lord.

Fifth unity: There is one faith. The question here is not of tedious symbols, of multiplied articles. Certainly we love confessions of faith, but it is not of them the apostle speaks; it is of "that inward and living thing," as Luther expresses it, of that produced by the Spirit in the heart, which is necessarily everywhere the same; of that faith of such value, that all the saints have been partakers of it with us, and which unites those even whom Articles of faith separate.

Sixth unity: There is one baptism. The baptism of regeneration by renewing of the Holy Ghost. There, where the graces, of which water is the sign, there, where the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ is found, there is unity. We shall not be separated by some difference in the exterior rite, by the fact that much or little water is used, or that it is assigned to one age or the other. After having visited the churches at Rome, I took a survey of those of Milan; and whilst at Rome they baptized by aspersion, I found in the ancient Churches of St. Ambrose that they baptized by immersion, plunging the infant into the water. This notable difference of the Ambrosian rite is not regarded by Rome as breaking the unity. Shall we manifest more of formalism, exclusiveness, and bigotry than Rome itself exhibits?

Seventh unity: There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Of whom is God the Father? Of all; of all those who have received the Spirit of adoption; the Spirit of his Son of all those who say, in a confidence truly filial, Our Father, who artin heaven. Of all-of all!