Protestants of the empire who read such a Journal are able from every point to look intelligently abroad over the entire field of battle, and our Journal, as its circulation increases, will also acquire a local interest in every district.

Without some such joint means of communication the organization of the Protestantism of the empire for the increasing struggle seems impossible; but this, as our circulation extends, will lead to a clear understanding and perfect unity of action upon public questions amongst all the Protestants of the empire, and not only enable us to cope successfully with the banded forces of the Man of Sin, but to bring an influence to bear on the advancement of the cause of Christian truth and liberty, which, by the blessing of God, would be irresistible. In order to all this, however, it is necessary to secure extensive cooperation. Already our circulation amounts to about 30,000, and our Work has met with the approbation of many Protestant Associations and leading Protestants. There is no reason why, with proper effort and organization, our circulation should not be forced up to 100,000, or even to half a million, as suggested by the Birmingham Committee. In this way an engine of vast power would be called into existence, upon whose fidelity to the cause of Protestantism, the Protestants of the empire could always reckon. This is very far from being the case with many of the existing apparently Protestant organs, many of which break down at the very time when their steadfastness is of most importance.

We commence a new year with redoubled confidence, and with a humble determination to devote ourselves with renewed energy to our work. We hold it foul scorn that the friends of Protestantism should suffer themselves to be misrepresented and robbed of their dear bought privileges by a hireling press acting upon time-serving politicians; and having overcome all the initial difficulties of our undertaking, we venture humbly and prayerfully to anticipate that our work-published, as it is, at once in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin-will embrace in its sweep the entire range of the Empire, and arouse, concentrate, and direct the slumbering energies of scattered and divided Protestantism.

We trust we may confidently calculate on the support of Protestant committees and zealous Protestants throughout the country, in extending our circulation, as it is morally impossible that joint and vigorous action can be secured without the diffusion of ample and accurate information.

Revising Editor, Rev. W. CUNNINGHAM, D.D., Principal of the New College, Edinburgh.

INTRODUCTION.

OUR Journal starts at a most important crisis in our national history, and its nature and objects have already been fully stated in our Prospectus, which has been widely circulated.

It is now beyond all question, that the entire power and policy of Rome is being directed against Britain, with a view to its being subjected again to the degrading slavery of the Vatican. The power of this unscriptural system is restored in many other parts of Europe, and whilst Britain stands as a mighty barrier in the way of Papal supremacy, she presents a noble prize to Papal ambition. Rome has also of late received great encouragement to turn the whole resources of the Propaganda in this direction. The grants of money given to her agents in all the colonies-the endowment of Maynooth, by which 500 priests are under constant training at the expense of Britain— the defection of multitudes in the Church of England-the influx of hosts of Irish Papists into all British cities-the prevalence of a gross ignorance, assuming the form of a spurious liberalism, on the subject of the Antichristian apostasy-the extension of the franchise in Ireland— the divisions of Protestants-the discovery that a portion of the great machinery of the Reformation, the press, the school, and even the pulpit, may, in the hands of Jesuitism, be wielded against Protestantism, and in behalf of Rome,-all these have no doubt been so many encouragements to the Man of Sin to ply every effort to reconquer Britain. Some of our readers may be disposed to smile at the apparent hopelessness of such a project, and to fold their hands to sleep, but this will only prove how little they know of Popery, of human nature, of history, and of the actual progress which this mysterious system is making. Rome is working in London at this moment the capital of Britain, and in some sense, of the world, as well as in all the provinces, with a skill and a determination which it would be well for Protestants to imitate, but which it is the height of folly to despise.

The leading object of our Journal will be to expose all these movements, and the true nature of Popery itself as an unchangeable system of falsehood and spiritual tyranny. We shall endeavour to convert, by means of full intelligence, the instinctive and traditional hatred of VOL. I. NO. I.-JULY 1851.

A

this system which prevails amongst our population, into an enlightened determination to resist its progress, and seek, by the grace of God, to convert its adherents; and our work is made cheap for the very purpose, that it may find its way into all the cottages of our peasantry and houses of our artisans.

In prosecuting our object, we shall offer uncompromising opposition to all direct support of Popery on the part of Government. We shall demand the withdrawal of the Maynooth grant, and of all Popish grants in the colonies; and that either there be no nunneries or monastic institutions, or that they be open to the inspection of the civil magistrate, like all other places of confinement. We shall demand that legislative protection be afforded to Romanists from the harpies that hover round deathbeds for the purpose of extorting bequests; and that the amplest protection be afforded to all from the brutality and intolerance of Popish mobs. We shall expose without reserve the treacherous and Jesuitical machinations of the Tractarian party in the Church of England, and help on to the uttermost every well-considered plan by which the friends of truth may extend the cause of the Reformation. With mere denominational peculiarities we shall not interfere, but take our stand on the broader platform of Christian truth and liberty, against Antichristian errcz and bondage. We shall take part with the oppressed friends of truth in all Popish lands, and labour to secure for them the liberty enjoyed by all in this free and happy country.

Whilst the main object of our Journal, however, shall be to deal with Popery in all its bearings, we shall be happy to advance every good work of a more general nature. Avoiding all mere political disputes, the social condition of the people at large-everything fitted to raise them in the scale of comfort-will secure our warm support.

We have only farther to explain, that those who support and circulate this Journal are not to be held committed to every particular expression or sentiment which it may contain. We shall most anxiously avoid all causes of offence amongst true Protestants, but the supporters of our Journal are only understood to maintain cordially the distinctive principles of the "SCOTTISH REFORMATION SOCIETY."

And now, we commend our cause to God, and our object to the prayers and cordial support of the Protestants of the land. We have no personal interests to serve by this undertaking, but are anxious "to serve our generation according to the will of God." We are anxious for our dear native country, that it should be an ark in which truth shall find refuge, and many stout-hearted defenders, till all these calamities be overpast; and that from it should sound forth the Word of God, not only amongst the hundreds of thousands of degraded Romanists, but amongst the millions of heathens that are also sitting in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death. The blood of martyrs cries to us from the ground, "Be up and doing." Time, eternity, death, judgment, the love of God, the interests of never-dying souls, our own and our children's dearest interests, all cry as with ten thousand voices, "It is high time to awake out of sleep! no surrender! no compromise! no inactivity! until God's great enemy is driven from the field, and the cry goes up under the whole heaven, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.''

ALLEGED MISREPRESENTATION OF POPERY BY PROTESTANTS. NOTHING is more common among Popish writers than to allege that Protestants habitually misunderstand and misrepresent the doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome. They usually hold up this practice of misrepresentation as habitually and peculiarly characteristic of Protestant controversialists, and ascribe to it in a great measure the feelings with which Popery is generally regarded amongst us. This favourite allegation of Papists has no solid foundation to rest upon, and should be regarded in no other light than as a mere controversial artifice. It is true that almost all controversies have exhibited instances of misconception and misrepresentation, and have furnished cases in which there was a want of due care and candour in representing the opinions and arguments of opponents. Specimens of this too common result of controversy are no doubt to be found in the writings of the advocates of Pro*estantism; but there is no ground whatever for alleging, as Papists do, that Protestants have been peculiarly chargeable with this offence, or that Popery has been peculiarly exposed to this injustice. The Reformers were not charged by their opponents with misrepresenting the doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome, though they gave the very same representations upon these points as modern Protestants have done. The Reformers had too good means of knowing what was taught and practised in the Church of Rome to render it politic to adduce against them the charge of misrepresenting. This charge they could have easily and conclusively answered. It was not till the seventeenth century, that Papists, finding the difficulty of defending their tenets, devised, among other expedients for evading a fair, direct, and manly discussion of the points that had been controverted between the Reformers and their opponents, that of alleging that Protestants misrepresented their opinions; while, at the same time, to give additional plausibility to this allegation, they laboured to put a fallacious gloss upon the tenets of their Church. Bossuet's celebrated work, entitled, "The Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholic Church in matters of Controversy," was directed to this object; and though on its first publication it was condemned by the more honest Papists, as misrepresenting the doctrines of the Church of Rome to accommodate them to Protestant tastes, it has been largely employed in modern times to prove that Protestants are guilty of misrepresenting Popery. Whenever any Protestant controversialist is really convicted of misrepresenting Popery, or of ascribing to Papists tenets and practices which they can honestly disclaim, or for which they cannot be proved to be responsible, let him receive the censure which he merits. But let no regard be paid to the common Popish allegation, that Protestants in general are in the habi of misrepresenting the Church of Rome, and ascribing to Romanists tenets which they do not believe. This allegation is altogether unfounded, and is indeed a mere artifice intended to impose upon those Protestants who are either unable or unwilling to investigate the matter. The Church of Rome has her symbolic or standard books, to the truth of which she has pledged herself, and an assent to which she requires of all who are subject to her authority. Protestants have access to these books, and are just as able to understand their meaning and import as Romanists are. Ever since Romanists devised the artifice of alleging

that their doctrines and practices were usually misunderstood and misrepresented, Protestant writers in general have been particularly careful not to misrepresent them, and have taken great pains to draw their representations of Romanism from the acknowledged standard books of the Church of Rome, and from the writings of her own most approved authors. Indeed, it may be said with truth, that Protestant works often give a more accurate representation of Popery than those of its own defenders in modern times. Protestants who are possessed of competent learning, and use due care and diligence, are as able to ascertain correctly what are the true doctrines of the Church of Rome as Papists are, and they are under less temptation to misrepresent them. Protestants are fully satisfied that they can conclusively refute the real doctrines of Popery without needing to misrepresent them; while the more intelligent Papists can scarcely fail to see, that it is no easy matter to defend their doctrines from Scripture and reason, and are thus tempted to explain them away, or to involve their more obnoxious features in subtle and insidious glosses.

It is not true that Protestant controversialists have been in the habit of misrepresenting Popery; but it is true that Popish controversialists have been in the habit of misrepresenting both Popery and Protestantism, that is, of giving a more favourable view of the import of Popish doctrines, and a more unfavourable view of the import of Protestant doctrines, than truth and evidence warrant. There never has existed any class or description of men who so habitually and shamelessly violated the rules of integrity and veracity as the champions of Popery. No one who has carefully examined their writings and their ordinary mode of procedure, will refuse to concur with Mr. M'Gavin in the following statement, contained in the fifty-third No. of the Protestant, "I do not say that there are not individuals attached to the Church of Rome who have a regard to truth, who would abide by it in their dealings with their neighbours, and who are therefore better than their religion; but I do not hesitate to affirm, that it is impossible for any man to be an active promoter or defender of Popery, without having recourse to lying and imposition." One of the many forms which this want of veracity has assumed, is that of misrepresenting the doctrines and practices both of Protestants and of their own Church. With respect to the misrepresentation of opponents, this has not only been largely and unscrupulously practised by Romish writers, but by the Jesuits it has been. openly defended as lawful and right, upon the principle of the end sanctifying the means. The object of the fifteenth of Pascal's Provincial Letters is to prove "that the Jesuits first exclude calumny from their catalogue of crimes, and then employ it in denouncing their opponents." (M'Crie's Translation, p. 237.) When such principles as Pascal quotes in this letter from eminent Jesuit writers, are openly avowed and defended, we need not be surprised at anything that is done by the advocates of Popery, in misrepresenting the opinions, and slandering the character of their opponents. There are two books which are in general circulation among the Romanists of this country, and which contain the grossest misrepresentations of the doctrines and practices of Protestants,-viz., Bishop Challoner's "Touchstone of the New Religion," and Baddeley's "Sure Way to find out the True Religion." These works contain misrepresentations of Protestantism and Protestants so gross, that it is not