and Professor of Biblical Greek in our University, delivered an able and appropriate sermon from the following words, taken from the prophecy of Ezekiel, viii. c., 12th and 13th v.:"Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do." The congregation, though literally wedged together in the church, remained patiently and attentively to the close of his discourse. We shall not, in our brief notice of this memorable ceremony, attempt an analysis of it; but, in a word, he clearly and cleverly stated the saving truths of the Gospel of Christ, as taught in the ancient Church of Ireland, and contrasted them with the false and unscriptural teaching of the modern Church of Rome. All the converts sealed their solemn profession by partaking of the holy communion, and signing the recantation roll; after which they each received a copy of the sacred Scriptures, and the Book of Common Prayer. The only regret we have to express on the subject is, that hundreds went away from the church who were unable to gain admission to witness the interesting ceremony. We could wish to see it trebled in size. Mr. Scott announced that he would, God willing, receive another class of converts on the first Sabbath in the month of May next. MISCELLANEOUS. WE give the subjoined extracts from "Cecil's Remains," the fourth edition, in two vols. "The Church has endured a Pagan and a Papal persecution. There remains for her an Infidel persecution, general, bitter, purifying, cementing."-Vol. ii., page 494. We cannot refrain from adding a few more remarks from the same talented author, on the same subject; the sterling truth and sober judg ment contained in them will, we trust, be a sufficient apology for presenting them← 66 Popery was the master-piece of Satan, I believe him utterly incapable of such another contrivance. It was a systematic and infallible plan for forming manacles and mufflers for the human mind. It was a well laid design to render Christianity contemptible by the abuse of its principles and its institutions. It was formed to overwhelm, to enchant, to sit, as the great whore, making the earth drunk with her fornications.' Popery debases and alloys Christianity."-Page 495. "A spiritual mind is a mortified mind. The Church of Rome talks much of mortification, but her mortification is not radical and spiritual. Simon Stylites will willingly mortify himself upon a pillow if he can bring people around him to pray to him, to pray for them. But the spiritual mind must mortify itself in whatever would retard its ascent towards heaven, it must rise on the wings of faith, and hope, and love."-Page 553. CABINET. DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST, OUR PATTERN. The virtues of his life were pure without any mixture of infirmity or imperfection: He had humility without meanness of spirit; innocency without weakness; wisdom without cunning; and constancy of resolution in that which is good, without stiffness of conceit and peremptoriness of humour: in a word, his virtues were shining and very exleast extravagant. His life was even traordinary, without being in the and of one tenour, without noise and tumult, always employed about the same work, in doing the things which pleased God and were of greatest benefit and advantage to men. Who would not write after such a copy, so perfect and yet so familiar, and fit for our imitation? Who would not be ambitious to live the life which God lived when he was pleased to become man and dwell among us ?— Bishop Jeremy Taylor.-Sermon 137. NOTICES OF BOOKS. Martin Luther's Authority of Councils and Churches; translated from the High German, by the Rev. C. B. SMYTHE, Oxon., translator of Luther's "Treatise upon the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." London: Painter, Strand, 1847. Pp. 219. THE translator has done good service to the Protestant cause in many ways, by bringing under the notice of our readers this learned and useful Treatise of the great German Reformer. Popery in Ireland, a Warning to Protestants in England; being a Lecture delivered before the Islington Protestant Institute, Monday, Jan. - 18th, 1847, by the Rev. A. R. C. DALLAS, M.A., Rector of Wonston, Hants. London: Seeleys. Pp. 52. MR. DALLAS has treated the subject in a Christian spirit, and has given many striking instances of the practical evils of Popery, whether affecting social happiness, or public peace and prosperity. The name of Mr. Dallas will commend the work to our readers. Household Verses, by BERNARD BARTON. Dedicated by permission to the Queen. Virtue, Ivy Lane. Pp. 240. A SPIRIT of simplicity and piety pervades many of the Poems in this little work. The following may be taken as a specimen: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever!” THE firmest friends may change, Or death, of all bereave us. The friend who never fails? May trust when grief assails! For such He ever careth, And now ! as yesterday ! The Light of Prophecy let in on the Dark Places of the Papacy; being an Exposition of 2 Thess. ii. 3-12, showing its exact fulfilment in the Church of Rome, with special reference to the aspect of that Church in the present day, by the Rev. ALEXANDER HISLOP. Edinburgh: Whyte and Co. London: Longman and Co. Pp. 206. THIS is a very valuable book. It . Dun YORK.-Two Lectures were given here on the morning and evening of Friday, March the 5th, by Mr. Lord; T. Price, Esq., presided on each occasion. There were present, Rev. T. Price, Rev. S. Myers, Rev. G. Camidge, Rev. J. Crofts, Rev. combe.. Much interest was taken in the proceedings, and we hope shortly to be able to announce the formation of a Protestant Association for the higher classes of York and its vicinity, as there is already one for the operatives. DURHAM. Several parties here were called on by Mr. Lord, and we hope a meeting may shortly be held in that ancient city, or a Lecture or two be delivered on some topic calculated to lead our Protestant fellow-countrymen there, to a line of conduct, with reference to the next election, adapted to the crisis in which the country is at this moment placed. NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.-On the evening of Monday, March 8th, Mr. Lord was prepared to give a Lecture, as had been announced. The large lecture-room was nearly filled at an early hour, and after the Rev. H. Wight, the Incumbent of St. John's, had taken the Chair, and commenced proceedings with prayer, and observations as to the spirit in which such efforts should be carried on, Mr. Lord proceeded to address the Meeting. He had not long spoken, when a number of persons, as if by concerted plan, commenced interruptions which seemed likely to break up the meeting. The violence of some of the opponents was excessive. At length, endeavours were made to arrange that some one should be selected on behalf of the Roman Catholics, to represent them; and it was put from the Chair, whether a person who had thrust himself more prominently forward, and created and persisted in the disturbance, should speak on their behalf. This they negatived almost unanimously, but the noise was kept up, and several friends left the room. At length it was arranged that the person who had interrupted should speak for ten minutes, and then the Lecturer for ten minutes. This plan was acted on, and the meeting at last closed quietly, the Chairman pronouncing the blessing. A collection was made in the room, and the Chairman announced that it was not expected that the Roman Catholics should put anything into the plate, to which several of them responded with hearty cries of "But we will-we will." We believe the result of even that stormy, and, in many respects, painful, Meeting, will be in various ways satisfactory. The way in which the Lecturer answered many of the assertions in behalf of Popery, and the objections against Protestantism, convinced many that neither Popery, nor its professors or advocates, were infallible, whilst the reiterated condemnation of the Bible Societies, by the Encyclical letter of the present Pope, proved the unmitigated hostility of Popery to the written word of God, and the quotations from the same Encyclical, of the language in which the Pope calls on all to supplicate the Virgin Mary, Peter, and Paul, and all the saints in heaven! left not a doubt but Rome was politic in keeping the Scriptures in the back ground, and for omitting, or qualifying down the second command, which forbids idolatry, and the bowing down to images. We would strongly exhort our operative friends in Newcastle to form a Society amongst themselves, and we believe they will find amongst the clergy and the laity those who will gladly aid them in the work. CARLISLE.-Arrangements are in preparation here for a Meeting or Lecture, we hope at no distant day. LONDON.--PROTESTANT LECTURES. -Arrangements have been made for the delivery of two Lectures in the Music Hall, Store-street, Bedfordsquare, by James Lord, Esq. The first on the evening of Tuesday, April 20th, and a second on the evening of April 27th. KENDAL. - Mr. Lord lectured here on the evening of Wednesday, March the 10th; G. B. Crewdson, Esq., in the chair. The Meeting was numerously and respectably attended, the large room being filled in every part. Amongst those present were, Rev. Mr. Meredyth, Rev. Mr. Latrobe, G. B. Crewdson, Esq., R. Braithwaite, Esq., C. Braithwaite, Esq. We have given a fuller notice of this Lecture elsewhere. The following morning a Meeting was held at the house of Robert Braithwaite, Esq., and an Association was formed for the town of Kendal and its vicinity. LANCASTER.-Mr. Lord lectured here on Friday evening, March 12th. The Rev. the Vicar presided. There were present, the Mayor of Lancaster, Sharp, Esq., E. D. Salisbury, Esq., Rev. J. Dodson, the Vicar of Cockerham, and a respectable audience. Admission was by tickets. ERRATA. Protestant Magazine, Feb. 1847, page 42-3. For Bolders read Boldero. For Lock read Loch. Page 65. For Sir W. Lingston's petition, read In Islington, a petition. THE ANNUAL MEETING of the PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION will be held in the Large Hall, EXETER HALL, WEDNESDAY, 12th of MAY. Macintosh, Printer, Great New Street, London. PROTESTANT MAGAZINE. MAY, 1847. DEFEAT OF THE PROTESTANTISM EXTINCTION BILL. THIS Bill is happily now defeated. We have given, at p. 157, the result of the division, together with the speeches of the Earl of Arundel and Mr. Plumptre. We should like to see the same boldness and unweariedness displayed by Protestants, in bringing in Bills to protect and promote Protestantism, as we see evinced by Roman Catholics, and some Protestants, in favour of Popery. To the Earl of Arundel we are indebted for the heading of the present Article. His avowal, that the struggle between the corrupt Church, of which he is an honourable member, was not likely to terminate with mere toleration—which Roman Catholics have enjoyed— nor with the bestowal of civil privileges, which they have long had to a greater extent in this country, than Protestants have enjoyed in Continental nations-but must go on to supremacy-had a startling effect, and decided at least one waverer in the House to oppose the Bill, who had not before been adverse to it. Such, we doubt not, will be the effect very extensively out of doors. The words of the Noble Lord were, as reported in the "Times," Thursday, April 15: “His Hon. Friend who had just sat down (Sir R. H. INGLIS) had said that the Church of Rome was antagonistic to Protestantism. He perfectly agreed with his Honourable Friend: so it was. And so it would be, as long as the world should last, or till Protestantism itself should be extinguished." (Ironical cheers from the Opposition.) We have prepared, for the benefit of our readers, the following epitome of the very important debate of Wednesday, as reported in the "Times" of Thursday, the 15th of April last : Sir ROBERT INGLIS, in moving that the House resolve itself into Committee that day six months, remarked, that this was one of the measures introduced of late years, having a direct tendency to unprotestantize England and to degrade her Church. The real question at issue, however, was not the Church of England, but the Protestantism of England. England was, at this moment, a Protestant state, and the provisions of this Bill tended to destroy that character. He thanked God that England was still a Protestant state-that was the great ornament and bulwark of our country; and God forbid that any who called themselves Protestants should be ashamed of that which was their distinction, their blessing, and their honour. He regarded the Church of Rome, for the last three centuries, as the inexorable and constant enemy of Protestantism, and, especially in this country, as the unchangeable foe of the Church of England, and he challenged any Member of that House to show that the Church had changed in one jot or tittle during the last three centuries. But in 1829, there were, unhappily, some men who held that any fear of Rome was now chimerical. But events subsequent to that period had VOL. IX.-May, 1847. New Series, No. 17. K disabused the minds of many. They could not forget what the Jesuits had done and were doing, nor pass by what had taken place in France, in Switzerland, in Germany, and Belgium. He knew there were those who regarded the real danger to the Church of England, he could not say the danger to Protestantism, -to arise not from the Church of Rome, but from those of an opposite extreme in religion. For his own part, he would not deny himself the gratification of repeating, that to Protestantism as such, not being a negative, but as being the testimony of able men to the great truths to be found in the Bible, he was so much attached, that though he believed the particular form of Protestantism existing in this country, was the shrine and the bulwark of England's glory, yet, on the whole, he would prefer the doctrines of any sect carrying the Bible in their hands-the authorized version, he meant, and not any improved version of those who denied the Divinity of our blessed Lord, he would deliberately prefer them to those who withheld the Bible itself. (Cheers.) He would not consent to any further concession. He looked to foreign countries, and he found that in none, ruled over even by Roman Catholic monarchs, would they admit the Jesuits, Belgium alone excepted, as this Bill proposed. He trusted the Noble Lord, the leader of this House, would not forget the dying words of his illustrious ancestor,-words which seemed almost prophetic,— "Not to assist in the progress of Popery." He called on the Noble Lord, his Noble Friend the Prime Minister of England, to act in the spirit of his illustrious ancestor, to resist the degradation of the Church of England, the humiliation of Protestantism, and the final ascendancy of the Church of Rome. The speeches of the Earl of Arundel and Mr. Plumptre, are given in extenso at page 157. Lord H. VANE supported the Bill, and was followed by Mr. SPOONER, who observed, that though he had not been opposed to the concession of 1829, yet if that discussion were to come over again, nothing would induce him to give his assent to such a measure. If the extinction of Protestantism had then been talked of, as now it has been, would Parliament ever have consented to pass that Bill ? Protestants had reason to be fatally convinced, that in passing that measure, they had committed a great mistake. Let it be known, however, that the extinction of Protestantism was the object Roman Catholics had in view,-its extinction whether by force, stratagem, or conviction,-let but that be proclaimed throughout the British realm, and they would see what would be the echo of the Protestant people of England. Mr. SHEIL next rose, denying the motives imputed to Romanists, and the insinuations against their Church. He attempted a vindication of the Order of Jesuits, and on his assertion, would have the Protestants of this country disbelieve the accusations of history against them. He did not believe there was a strong feeling amongst Protestants against this measure. Where were their petitions ?* He saw no reason why a Roman Catholic should not be Lord Chancellor of Ireland. *Two remarks may here be made ;-some say, why petition an expiring Parliament ? others, why petition at all, seeing how our anti-Maynooth petitions were disregarded? We have strong feelings. The hustings will prove this.— ED. P. M. |