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"Restore," said the priest, "the thing you have stolen, to its rightful owner."

"Do you take it," said the penitent.

"No, I shall not," said the priest; "you must give it to the

"But he has refused to take it."

"If this be the case, you may keep it."

The priest granted him a full absolution. The penitent knelt and kissed his hand, craved his benediction, crossed himself, and departed with a clear conscience, and a very valuable gold watch into the bargain.

ROMISH CHURCH NOT ALWAYS THE SAME.-During the first three hundred years, their papal indulgences were yet unhatched; their purgatory fire was yet unkindled; transubstantiation was yet unbaked; the treasury of merits was yet uninvented; the pope's transcendent power was yet uncreated; ecclesiastics were unexempted; and deposing of kings yet undreamed. The people were as yet not cozened of the cup; communion in one kind was yet unthought of; it was not then customary to mutter liturgies in a tongue unknown; nor were wooden or brazen gods then worshipped; they worshipped that which they knew "in spirit and in truth; and they called on him in whom they believed."

THE TITLE OF PAPIST.-It has been objected to by some protestants, and by the papists, that this is an opprobrious title; and that we ought from courtesy, to lay it aside in our writings and speeches.

We answer, we shall not lay it aside. It is one of the many very appropriate and highly expressive names of the followers and worshippers of their head, and Lord, the pope.

They own him as their only king. They admit him to occupy on earth, the place of Jesus Christ; "teneat locum Christi." They admit him to be the head of all indulgences; as the fount of pardoning power. For the priest pronounces pardon "judicially," from the "tribunal of confessions," by virtue of the power to pardon sin, and give absolution, given to him through his bishop, from

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the pope. They are in the strictest sense, called papists; even as true believers are called Christians after CHRIST.

But, the fact is, the principal authors of Roman history, and the expounders of Romanism, do glory in the name of papists. This is not generally known by either protestants, or papists. Bishop Barlow in his work, "Brutum fulmen," has shown this. In his epistle to the reader he proves out of Baronius, in his “Martyrol. R." that he boasts of this title, and glories in it.

We shall quote the words of Baronius, in his "Martyrology," under October 16. "The modern heretics call catholics, papists. Certainly they could not give them a more glorious title. Let it, therefore, be our praise living, and our epitaph when dead, ever to be called PAPISTS. Sint ideo nobis viventibus, hæc semper

præconia laudum, et post-mortem tituli sepulcrales, ut sic semper dicamur papistæ.'

And, moreover, we may add, that Gother recognised the title in his book, "the papist misrepresented." See London Protestant Journal, for August, 1831.

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EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM A FATHER TO HIS CHILDREN.

ON Thursday, the last week in Lent, a singular ceremony takes place, an account of which is thus given by an eye-witness: "It is instituted in commemoration of our Savior's washing the feet of the apostles; but here there were thirteen instead of twelve. The odd one is the representative of the angel that once came to the table of twelve that St. Gregory was serving; and though it is not asserted that the said angel had his feet washed, or indeed did anything but eat, yet as the pope can hardly do less for him than the rest, he shares in the ablution as well as the repast.

"The twelve were old priests, but the one who performed the part of the angel was very young. They were all dressed in loose white gowns, with white caps on their heads, and clean woollen stockings, and were seated in a row along the wall, under a canopy. When the pope entered, and took his seat at the top of the room, the whole company of them knelt in their places, turning toward

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him; on his hand being extended in benediction, they all rose again and reseated themselves.

"The splendid garments of the pope were then taken off, and clad in a white linen robe, which he had on under the others, and wearing the bishop's mitre instead of the tiara, he approached the pilgrims, took from an attendant a silver bucket of water, knelt before the first of them, immersed one foot in the water, put water over it with his hand, and touched it with a square fringed cloth, kissed the leg, and gave the cloth and a sort of white flower, or feather, to the man; then went on to the next. The whole ceremony was over, I think, in less than two minutes, so rapidly was this act of humility gone through. Thence the pope returned to his throne, put on his robes of white and silver again, and proceeded to the Sala della Tavola, whither we followed, not without extreme difficulty, so immense was the crowd. The thirteen priests were now seated in a row at the table, which was spread with a variety of dishes and adorned with a profusion of flowers. The pope gave the blessing, and walking along the side of the table opposite to them, handed each of them bread, then plates, and lastly, cups of wine. They regularly all rose up to receive what he presented; and the pope having gone through the forms of service, and given them his parting benediction, left them to finish their dinner in peace. They carry away what they can not eat, and receive a small sum of money besides."

Now, what an absurdity is there in this annual ceremony! When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he charged them to do to others as he had done to them; but the best obedience would be rendered not to the letter, but to the spirit of the command. In eastern countries persons travelling usually on foot, had to pass over dusty spots and scorching sands, having only the soles of their feet covered with sandals, which were fastened with thongs about the ankles. Any one coming from a journey, felt, therefore, that the first thing necessary for his comfort, was the washing of his feet, and hence the performance of this service, or even providing him with water, being the first kind action that was required by a friend or a stranger, came, of course, to designate all the duties of hospitality and brotherly kindness. Thus Paul mentions the washing of the saints' feet as implying a spirit of true benevolence; in this sense, then, and in this only, Christ's example is as binding now as it was in the first age of Christianity. The pope has there