contrary may be the case; so that all things are possible with this omnipotent church. You have already been informed, from the Polonese missal, fol., p. 237, that the Virgin Mary was Mother of the Holy Trinity. But GOD was from the beginning; therefore, unless they can make out that the Virgin Mary was before the beginning (and they will hardly insist upon that, though Satan never fails them at a pinch), the mother must have been born after her offspring!

The next case we have before us. We find, that the church at Jerusalem was in existence from the day of the Lord's crucifixion; and even before, if sending out deacons and disciples be any proof of the existence of a church, besides enjoying the actual presence of its head. But, when, after His death, the disciples met together and prayed, if any congregation of private Christians form a church in the sight of GOD, may it not be, at the very least, presumed, that, when the apostles and disciples, living witnesses of the LORD'S life, death, and resurrection, met together, they formed a church, almost as good, it may be, as that of Rome. Besides, we find, in our old friend the Douay Bible, the heading of the 4th chapter of Acts stands thus: "Peter and John are apprehended. Their constancy. The church is increased." Quere. What church? The church at Jerusalem. This was the year 33, in which our blessed LORD suffered. As time sufficient had scarcely elapsed to convey the intelligence of the Lord's death to Rome (nor did we hear of any Romish converts who could have conveyed thither the faith at this early period), it may puzzle them to prove there

was a church already established there. The first we hear of a church being at Rome is in the year 58, when St. Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans. They must, however, have been in a very advanced state of Christianity at that time to have been able to understand, perhaps, I ought rather to say, admit, the home truths therein contained, so repugnant as they are to man's pride and obstinacy; and yet, notwithstanding this, we learn the extraordinary fact, that, when St. Paul went to Rome in the year 62, certain brethren came to meet them as far as Apii Forum, and his Jew countrymen desired to hear of him something about "this sect," for all that they then seemed to know about it was, that it was "every where spoken against." This is strong presumptive evidence that St. Peter had not, up to this time, established a church there, upon which assumption our Romanists insist so much. But more of this anon. Of this one fact, we may, however, be very positive, that, if any church could claim the title of mother of all churches, it would be that of Jerusalem.

What is the meaning, then, of all this arrogance, presumption, and falsehood? The next word to "mother" explains it. Wherein is set forth another brazen and antichristian lie, declaring that she is the mistress of all churches. The churches of Constantinople and Greece always kept themselves free from her thraldom; the church in Britain never sat easy under her accursed yoke; and every now and then the sturdy islanders gave her such blows as made the wallowing old harlot of Rome to rub her sides with

pain and rage. But when at last she found a kindred soul in amiable and gentle Mary (commonly called bloody Mary), she only wreaked a little diabolical revenge, laying the land deluged with its own free noble blood! But in the mountain range in Piedmont, there always has existed a little apostolic community, which spite of suffering, murder, rape, and pillage, from this Christian meek and lowly apostolic church (!) rode the rough waves triumphant, despite of pope, the seraph Francis, or the holy inquisition founder, St. Dominic, to whom the Irish papists are desired to pray every night by the Romish primate of Ireland.

[I have mentioned this three times before; but, as we are crammed, like turkeys, with impudent and daring lies, by men who are called, in common parlance, "noble lords and honorable men," I think it well, continually to recur to this gentle fact, that the inquisition founder, and crusader against our poor Protestant brethren, the Waldenses, is the saint who is placed alongside seraphic Father Francis, and is nightly prayed to, by our Romish brethren, to make "intercession" for them.]

This brilliant little apostolic speck, the admiration of the Christian world, whilst, I grieve to say, it has been shamefully unsupported, ever did hold out against the encroachments and ambition of the hateful beast. And even now, though dwindled truly, through its sad adversity, speaks volumes of reproach to this once Christian country, by having proved how nobly it could suffer for the blessed religion of its GOD; of which it may be almost literally said, its members "were stoned

sawn asunder, tempted, slain by the sword, driven from their homes, destitute, afflicted, tormented, starving, (of whom this world was not worthy,) and wandered in deserts, and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth; not accepting (popish) deliverance, but fighting for their GoD, that they might obtain a better resurrection!" Heb. xi. 35-8.

Thus, then, this vain assumption of universal rule is false and puerile, and does but serve to make the holders more and more contemptible: and still the more especially, when the apparent weakness of their adversaries is considered. But the LORD was on their side, and therefore did they stand; the LORD was on their side, and therefore have they stood the battle front, even to this very hour! Well, indeed, had they reason, gratefully and victoriously, to sing the song of David. "If the Lord had not been on our side, when men rose up against us, then had they swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us." Ps. cxvii.

Oh! that we could, and would, exclaim with them, as they conclude the psalm of thanksgiving, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

But be of good cheer, my Christian friends, though the enemy compass us in on every side-though we are surrounded by infidelity, popery, and indifferentism; though this accumulated force gain possession

* Jones's History of the Waldenses is earnestly recommended to all Protestants, at this very awful crisis.

+ Maunsell's Letter to the Rev. Sydney Smith.

of the sanctuary, still will we not fear, for ourselves, or His Church, because we know that they who trust in the LORD shall stand firm as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but standeth for ever! But for our country-Oh, let your prayers unceasingly ascend to the throne of mercy, that the LORD may even yet spare our beauteous and (Oh! once) Christian land!

But why is this presumptuous claim set up? that Satan may rule in spirit all the kingdoms of the earth -that all the world may be tributary to his representative! Thus establishing herself in this expression -a very positive antichrist! because we hear that "Christ is the head of the church:" "for which," we also learn, "He gave himself, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish." Eph. v. 23. 27. Col. i. 18. 23. From which passage we learn two things-that Christ is the head of the church on earth, consequently any person or body claiming headship of the apostolic church MUST be anti-Christ! and next-that if only that church be Christ's, "which is pure, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing," it will not require a man to have sight so sharp as to see through a millstone, to discern that, as clearly as GOD ever spake, He has declared that the Romish church is not His church. But it is a church-they swear it is a church: and in these liberal lying times, it is uncharitable not to believe a man if he swears to you he thinks that white is black. Then if it be