into disgrace all that is truly Protestant and free, and subject and destroy the rights, privileges, and institutions, which as Protestants and Englishmen we so greatly value.

SYNODICAL LETTER OF THE FATHERS ASSEMBLED IN PROVINCIAL COUNCIL, AT ST. MARY'S, OSCOTT.

"We, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Province of Westminster, in Provincial Synod assembled, to our dearly beloved Brethren and Children in Christ, the Clergy, Secular and Regular, and the Faithful under our Jurisdiction.

"Health and Benediction in our Lord Christ Jesus."

A DOCUMENT with the above heading has recently appeared in some of the London and provincial papers.

What has been really transacted in this Synod, we have as yet no means of knowing, beyond what the "Synodical Letter" is pleased to tell us.

"The acts of a Provincial Council have no authority, and therefore cannot be made public, nor can its decrees be enforced, until they shall have been submitted to the correction and judgment of the Holy Apostolic See, and so have received its confirmation. Until then, whatever has been enacted, necessarily remains suspended and secret; but we trust it will not be long before we may communicate it to you."

Here is a direct intimation of an appeal to Rome, for sanction to acts which shall hereafter be binding as law upon the British subject. The Synod thus doing, what the Queen, Lords, and Commons singly cannot do, but only collectively. We have further in this letter, as follows:

"I. The first, and paramount subject, on which we desire to speak to you, as fathers, conveying to their children the dearest wishes and interests of their hearts, is the education of the poor. On this topic, you are yearly, and even more frequently, addressed by each of us; and it is difficult to add to the repeated and urgent appeals which are made to your consciences and your sympathies. But the more the subject is considered, the more its importance increases, and the more we feel it our duty to awaken your minds and hearts to its pressing claims.'

Their efforts are to be directed with more energy and union. "The first necessity, therefore, is a sufficient provision of education, adequate to the wants of our poor. It must become universal. No congregation should be allowed to remain without its schools, one for each sex. Where the poverty of the people is extreme, we earnestly exhort you, beloved children, whom God has blessed with riches, especially you who, from position, are the natural patrons of those

around you, to take upon yourselves lovingly this burthen, of providing, if possible permanently, for the education of your destitute neighbours. Do not rest until you see this want supplied: prefer the establishment of good schools to every other work. Indeed, wherever there may seem to be an opening for a new mission, we should prefer the erection of a school, so arranged as to serve temporarily for a chapel, to that of a church without one. For the building raised of living and chosen stones, the spiritual sanctuary of the Church, is of far greater importance than the temple made with hands. And it is the good school that secures the virtuous and edifying congregation."

The Poor School Committee is strongly recommended for support, and the Synod relies for further success redoubled exertions of the faithful.

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The establishment of middle schools in towns where there is a sufficient population to support them, is approved and urged forward.

Then comes a strong recommendation of the "Catholic University" with a pledge from the Synod to promote its interests.

"Acting under the directions, and with the approbation of the Holy See, seconded by the co-operation of their clergy and their flock, encouraged by the contributions of both hemispheres, these zealous prelates are aiming higher than we can dare-at the providing of an unmixed education of the very highest order. From our hearts we wish them success; and we are glad of this opportunity to testify to them our warmest sympathy. What we have hitherto done, we will continue to do-recommend the undertaking to the charity and liberality of our faithful people."

We suppose that the Stockport riots are referred to in the following paragraphs,—

"But you are exposed to trials of another sort, in which it is likewise our duty to direct you. Dearly beloved, we need not recal to your minds the many and various ways in which your faith, your morals, your pastors, your holiest institutions, your Church in fine, and your religion have been lately assailed. We need not trace the progress of injury from words to deeds, nor show the ripening of ill-judged expressions into destruction of property, shedding of blood, and desecration of what is most holy. And you know too that many persons around you, would not hesitate to proceed to greater lengths, where it permitted them. Now, under these circumstances, your line of duty is clear, and we must not refuse to point it out to you.

"First, then, we exhort you, not to be deterred by evil threats, nor by such injuries, from the free, the manly, and the Christian discharge of your duties, and the lawful defence of your rights, as citizens. Exercise the prerogatives which belong to you, in an honourable and generous spirit. Shrink not from any obligation imposed upon you by your state of life.

If in the senate, or among the representatives

of the people, or a magistrate, or holding any office of trust or honour, or a simple citizen, remember that your rights are the same as those of other persons similarly situated; and allow no one to daunt you, or drive you from the fearless, peaceful, and dispassionate performance of the duties which ever accompany a privilege."

The only piece of revenge permitted is certainly of a harmless character, so far as Protestants are concerned; would that they resorted to no harsher methods. We should tremble, however, for the souls of those using it to the full extent recommended.

Prayer to the Most High for pardon and peace through the blood of Jesus is a duty incumbent upon Christians for themselves and others. Prayer for those who despitefully use us and persecute us, is also a part of Christian duty, though often difficult, yet ever a delightful duty.

But prayer addressed to angels, or departed saints, is a solemn mockery, if not an idolatrous ceremony, against which the Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Colossians, seems expressly to have given the following caution:-"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind." (Col. ii. 18.)

The following is the paragraph we refer to. It forms the last but one of the Synodical Letter:

"One and only one revenge can we permit you, that of praying for all who afflict, or persecute, or hate you. Beg of God to turn their hearts to charity and peace, and bring them to the knowledge and love of his blessed truth. But not for them only must you pray, but for all who are not partakers of the same light or grace as have been vouchsafed to you. You have heard of the great charity with which God has inspired your brethren of other nations, of praying for the return of your beloved country to the unity of the faith. We surely will not be behind them in our zeal and love, where the motives, the interests, and the rewards of these virtues are so peculiarly our own. Pray then daily, though it be but one short Hail Mary, for the return of your fellow-countrymen to the one fold of Christ; that we may all be one, even as he and his Father are one."

THE MAYNOOTH INQUIRY.

SOME Contend that the Maynooth College question is too little to deserve all the attention which has been given it. We, however, prefer measuring the importance of withdrawing the grant by the efforts which Romanists make to secure its continuance and to avoid inquiry; rather than to relax our efforts at the suggestion of half-and-half Protestants.

Most agree that the grant is vicious in principle. Even Mr. Gladstone asserts this. That it is inexpedient in policy: and sinful when regarded in a religious view.

Each one of these grounds supplies reasons for the grant being withdrawn.

The charges made against the teaching of that seminary, and for a long while denied, are now admitted; and sought to be justified by Roman Catholics and the advocates of Popery. But just as the people of England have not been satisfied with such denial, so no more will they be satisfied with the attempted justification.

The Church of Rome assumes and would preserve a haughty superiority over Protestants in general, and the Church and Protestants of England in particular. Her own system she deems not only wise-but infallible. One which differs from hers must, therefore, be not only fallible, but unwise. Rome and England-and the respective advocates of such claim to be right. Neither should swerve from its own cause to please the other: Rome, consistent in her policy and stedfast adherence to her principles though bad, has not done so. England, wavering in her policy, has too often deserted her own good principles, and gone out of her way to conciliate the favour, or avoid the displeasure of Rome.

But the irreconcileable nature of the two systems still remains, and will continue while both endure. Hence all unprincipled compromises and concessions to Popery, while they fail to secure the attainment of the end for which they were made, weaken and entangle the party making them; and render it more difficult to withstand the ulterior claims and objects of the Papacy.

Whatever hard names Romanists would apply to those friends of the Protestant cause, who are placed in the forefront of the battle, will never, we trust, deter them from the prosecution of a right course.

To each of them we would say,

"Tu ne cede malis ;-sed contra, audentior ito."

or, in the language of Scripture would intreat them to endure hardships as good soldiers of Christ Jesus, fighting manfully under the banners of the Great Captain of our Salvation, knowing that, if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him; but that, if we deny him, he also will deny us. Tablet, of the 14th of August, in a leading article on the subject, observes :

The

"The chief, and virtually, the sole difficulty which we shall have to meet in the expected contest about Maynooth, is the absence of a common principle between us and our heretical inquisitors. We have to fight them with weapons of which they are ignorant, and we have

to meet objections utterly groundless, but resting on principles which we can hardly ascribe to our adversaries, unless they openly avow them. Our adversaries are not a regular army disciplined for war, but detachments flying here and there, indifferent to the injuries which they may inflict each on the other, provided they can do us damage. They attack us on grounds which are fatal sometimes to themselves, sometimes to other of our foes, but they do not regard the inconsistency, and their sole business is, as it seems, to assault and batter down, but never to conserve what is standing, or to raise up what has fallen.

"We are therefore driven to analogies, and to illustrations of the truth, partial and incomplete. They will not admit our principles, and we must therefore try to show them that they act upon them themselves, and that they could not do otherwise, even if they tried. The difference between us being this, that they have only a faint grasp of their principle, and that they act more from habit and tradition, while we have the advantage of all this, and further, a scientific apprehension of the question, and are able to apply a particular principle whenever it is applicable, and so secure the integrity of truth and justice."

Thus much for the real or supposed obtuseness, or want of similarity of view and principle, and the consequent incompeteney charged upon Protestants rightly to carry on the proposed investigation.

The charges, however, are, in the following paragraph of the same article, not denied, but that which is complained of by Protestants is justified and defended :

"Thus in the question of the alleged impurity of certain treatises with which the priesthood must be acquainted, it presents no difficulty to a Catholic, but to an educated, and even honest and devout Protestant, it is scarcely possible to present a satisfactory explanation; and this because the Protestant has in reality no theory of morals, and is blinded by the old sophistry that a general confession or a general sorrow without any outward manifestation, is sufficient expiation for all mortal sin. If such a Protestant could be convinced of our rectitude, and of the necessity of such teaching as our priests must receive, he would not be a Protestant, but would acknowledge his errors, and become a Christian. We have to deal, not with Protestants ready to receive the truth, but with those who hate it, who have sworn to destroy it, and who would welcome anything rather than a clear explanation of the teaching of Maynooth."

Protestants rightly instructed do not believe in the efficacy of any confession of man to man, or that penance is effectual to take away sin. The language of Scripture expresses the view of Protestants on this point, and that is, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin."

The article next proceeds

"We admit at once that the priesthood must be taught things which are unfit for the knowledge of women or of men; that they