States, she has within the last sixteen years multiplied her bishops, priests, and religious of both sexes, her churches and convents, her colleges and monasteries, beyond what the most enthusiastic could have hoped for at the commencement of the reign of Gregory XVI. We shall see her, moreover, convening councils and synods, enacting canons and statutes to bring ecclesiastical discipline, for the benefit of laity and clergy, as near to its just standard as the circumstances of the country will allow. In one word, we shall see her making that silent but rapid progress so consoling to us, but so alarming to those who are ignorant of the objects of her mission, glory to God in the highest, on earth peace to men of good will, and the salvation of souls, for which Christ shed his precious blood." In the above extract we have taken the liberty to italicise a few passages, to which we would particularly direct the attention of our readers. 1. It appears that the progress of popery in our hitherto protestant country, is such as to excite the wonder even of its most ardent advocates. And yet many protestants, at least in name, appear to be blind to the signs of the times, and consider those as alarmists, or idle dreamers, who apprehend danger to our free institutions from the spread of this politico-religious system. 2. We have the admission that, as soon as "the circumstances of the country will allow," the "ecclesiastical discipline" of popery will be brought " to its just standard" among us. What this "just standard" is, none who have read the history of past times, or who are conversant with the present state of popish countries, need be told. An attempt was made some years ago, rather prematurely, to enforce "ecclesiastical discipline," when a member of the Ohio senate was knocked down in the streets of Cincinnati for not taking off his hat, while the popish bishop was passing in procession to consecrate a chapel. "If such things are done in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?" We beg our readers to notice the corruption of one of the most beautiful passages of the word of God, sanctioned by the Douay translators. The "mission" of the church is to proclaim" peace to men of good will." But there is no peace to protestants, who popery. are men ill affected to the errors of THE TENDENCIES OF ROMISH LITERATURE. 23 THE TENDENCIES OF ROMISH LITERATURE. LADY GEORGIANA FULLERTON. AMONG the late perverts to Rome of high degree, we find chronicled the name of Lady Georgiana Fullerton, sister to Lord Grenville, and authoress of "Ellen Middleton." After reading this exciting novel, and observing the peculiar cast of thought and train of remark when adverting to religious exercises and duties, we were not surprised to learn that our authoress had become a full convert to superstition, and at last entered the mystical precincts of Rome. When we see Alice bowing in her closet before a picture of the Savior, and then holding up the crucifix before the eyes of her dying husband; when we see what sacredness, awe, and efficacy, are attributed to the act of confession to a priest; when we hear Mrs. Tracy, heretofore the deadly enemy of Ellen Middleton, kneeling at her bedside, in hardly articulate tones saying to her, "Pray for us when you are in heaven;" finally, when we hear Ellen's speech to her husband, in which she says: "There is a blessed communion in which we both believe, between those who rest in heaven and those who struggle on earth; you will pray for me when I am gone; I will pray for you where I go:" who can doubt that the writer's mind was already enslaved to the errors of Romanism? When we came across these and such like passages, we concluded at once the writer must be a Romanist; but it seems now that these sentiments were only working in her mind, and preparing it for the great transition. Years ago the leaven of Puseyism had been infused into her mind, by some of those "very holy men" who had become the dupes of their own credulity and superstition, until they found themselves in the territory of Rome. Many of the most popular novels of the present day have in them the same spice of superstition and mysticism which is found in "Ellen Middleton," and through their silent and insidious influence the poison of error is widely diffused. A court-lady, daughter of the earl of Devonshire, having embraced the catholic religion (in the reign of Charles I.), was asked by Laud the reason of her conversion. "It is chiefly," said she, "because I hate to travel in a crowd." Being desired to explain her meaning, she replied: "I perceive your grace [Laud] and many others are making haste to Rome, and therefore, in order to 24 CHRIST THE LIVING HEAD. prevent being crowded, I have gone before you." It is a remarkable fact, that most of the late converts to Rome in England are from the higher classes; from the walks of literature, or the ranks of the aristocracy. Expecting perhaps that the road will be thronged, they have gone before to avoid the crowd. And truly, the defection of forty of the clergymen of the church of England is a significant and ominous fact. But it is no matter of surprise to us; it is what we have long expected. The Romish portion of the English church will go to Rome. The movement is begun which is to separate the chaff from the wheat, and determine on which side nominally protestant England will array herself. CHRIST THE LIVING HEAD. THE Church is in the wilderness, She looks to Christ, her living head. She glories in his cross alone, She brightens in each smile he gives, And in his promises she lives. She breathes no prayer to heaven's queen The bridegroom and his chosen bride? Columbia! thou spring of might and power, Never, "not even for one hour," Give place to her that would enslave. O never! never! be it said That hearts all noble, bold, and free, Should, by the wily serpent led, Yield and succumb to popery. This be thy long, thy lasting word, In lands abroad, or streets at home, BISHOP HUGHES AND GREGORY XVI. 25 BISHOP HUGHES AND GREGORY XVI. BISHOP HUGHES, the sturdy defender of the popedom, has taken great offence at the publication of an article in the Courier and Enquirer, purporting to be a letter from the correspondent of the Boston Atlas at Rome, in which certain things are imputed to Gregory XVI., which present the character of his holiness in rather an unfavorable light. The thing was soon reported at headquar ters, and, as we might have expected, drew forth the direful fulminations of the zealous vicar, chronicled in the Freeman's Journal of the 25th of July last. Knowing what the characters and lives of his predecessors generally have been, we were not at all surprised at the account given of Gregory XVI. The bishop does not consider and refute in detail the imputations cast upon his master, but, Jesuit-like, lumps them all together and stigmatizes them as calumnies-a gross and infamous libel on his moral character. He says: "The stupid calumny is refuted by the whole life of the deceased pontiff: the voice of catholic and protestant Europe has pronounced against it." If Gregory was the holy man he is represented to have been, why that solemn high mass and dirge at St. Mary's Roman catholic chapel, Moorsfields, London, on the 26th August last, for the repose of the soul of the pope? On Thursday, July 30, Bishop Kenrick celebrated pontifical mass for the repose of the soul of his late holiness, Pope Gregory XVI. Why must the self-styled vicar of Jesus Christ pass through a period of purgatorial sufferings ere he can attain the blessedness of heaven? This idolatrous ceremony must be performed in every branch of the papal church ere the pope can be released from purgatorial fires, and his soul, purified from sin, find rest in heaven. The bishop may assure himself, that his unqualified contradiction of the charges brought against Gregory will not be counted a just and conclusive refutation of them. Dying at the advanced age of eighty-one years, it would be strange if his passions had not cooled somewhat, and he had not maintained the appearance of sobriety and decorum before the world. If indeed he was not a bad man, sensual, proud, and ambitious, it must have been owing to the fact, that popery did not exert its natural and legitimate in 26 MASS FOR THE DEAD. fluence upon his life and character. his life and character. But time will bring the truth to light, and set this matter right between the bishop and those who called in question the purity of the head and pink of catholicity. MASS FOR THE DEAD. EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM A FATHER TO HIS CHILDREN. In some monastic establishments in England, the altar, placed on the right or left hand side, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered a privileged altar, from the pope having granted an indulgence, so that every person who celebrates mass upon it, with the design of obtaining an indulgence, will obtain one of ten, twenty, or perhaps a hundred days, for every such service. If the prior (the head of the institution) has received an intimation of the death of any individual, it is announced either after dinner, or after supper, when each of "the religious," as they are called, is directed to say a certain number of offices, and priests a certain number of masses, determined by the nearness or remoteness of the connexion existing between the deceased and the monastery. Sometimes a considerable sum (for instance, sixty pounds) has been sent for this purpose; if, therefore, there be ten priests in the monastery, the following order may be issued by the prior, on his rising "Let each priest say ten masses, as soon as possible, for the repose of the soul of, a patron (or patroness) of the order." In such announcements, however, special care is taken that a word may not be uttered as to the sum of money received. All such donations are concealed, also, from those without—externs, as they are denominated—as scrupulously as possible. Yet to this hour they are frequent and large. A short prayer is sometimes added at matins in these establishments; and this occurs when an office is about to be recited, with any particular intention; that is, as papists say, that the service may benefit an individual-for instance, by obtaining safety in a journey, promoting the welfare of a deceased friend or relation, or by diminishing the term of his remaining in purgatory. In this way a Romish priest has received money from twenty persons, in sums varying from two shillings and sixpence to a pound, for each |