66 ance. In England, however, a spirit of resentment broke out in va"rious reigns, in consequence of the oppressions and horrible conduct "of those anti-christian blasphemers, which continued with more or "less violence till the time of the great Wickliffe, of whom we shall "speak more fully in the following pages."-P. 223.

Can any one refrain from smiling at this account by Fox? These German emperors, according to his account, must have been shockingly base dastards, to have submitted to such humiliation. But they "dared "not," he says, "make any resistance!" No, indeed; who was to prevent them? Tell us by what power, and under what authority, the popes were so exalted and the emperors so humbled. Let us have chapter and verse, and do not let this tale rest on bare assertion. We have shewn that Henry II. attacked the pope with arms in his very capital, and is it likely that an emperor, we cannot say whether a predecessor or successor of this Henry, for we cannot tell by the relation of Fox which of the popes named Alexander, there having been seven of that name, nor which emperor called Frederick, of whom there have been four; is it likely, we say, that an emperor would submit to such

an indignity, or a pope, whose interest it must have been to live in peace and amity with a powerful sovereign, require such an act of submission from a monarch? No man of unclouded mind can ever believe it; nor could such a story ever have gained credit in this country, had not the people been previously hoodwinked and begulled out of their wits.

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But though the German emperors were such cowards, our ancestors, it seems, were not to be humbled and trodden upon by "those anti-christian blasphemers," as Fox and his editors call the popes. A" spirit of resentment," it is said, "broke out in various reigns." Well, and why not specify distinctly the reigns in which this spirit made its appearance, and the cause of its appearing? There is history to refer to, and by making this reference a disposition would have been manifested to court inquiry into the truth of the fact. That some opposition was made to the temporal encroachments of some of the popes is what no Catholic will deny; nay, our best Catholic writers frequently mention the stand made by our ancestors in terms of praise, and cite these instances as a proof of the spirit of independence, not of resentment, that animated the Catholics of those days, denominated by silly ignorant bigots the "days of darkness." However, as Fox says he shall speak more fully of these days in his account of Wickliffe, we shall do the same, and follow him inch by inch in his catalogue of lies.

"SECTION II.

ACCOUNT OF WICKLIFFE, AND OF THE MARTYRS WHO SUFFERED IN DEFENCE OF HIS DOCTRINES."

This is a most important period in the history of our country, and deserves much attention. According to his custom, Fox introduces his account with a mixture of truth and falsehood, of facts and fictions, well calculated to work on the generous credulity of Englishmen, who are proverbial for their dislike to every thing oppressive, and their attachment to justice; but who are unfortunately so misled by the misrepresentations and falsehoods of interested writers, that they mistake error for truth, despotism for freedom, and wrong for justice. The following are the introductory remarks made by Fox regarding the errors of John Wickliffe." The first attempts made in England to"wards the reformation of the church, took place in the reign of Ed"ward III. about A. D. 1350, when John Wickliffe appeared. This early star of the English church was public reader of divinity in the university of Oxford, and, by the learned of his day, was accounted "deeply versed in theology, and all kinds of philosophy. This even his adversaries allowed, as Walden, his bitterest enemy, writing to pope Martin, says, that he was wonderfully astonished at his strong argu"ments, with the places of authority which he had gathered, with the "vehemence and force of his reasons, &c. At the time of his appearr ance, the greatest darkness pervaded the church. Scarcely any.

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"thing but the name of Christ remained; his true doctrine being as far "unknown to the most part, as his name was common to all. As to 'faith, consolation, the end and use of the law, the office of Christ, our "impotency and weakness, the greatness and strength of sin, of true

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"works, grace, and free justification by faith, wherein Christianity con"sists, they were either unknown or disregarded. Scripture learning and divinity were known but to a few, and that in the schools only, where they were turned and converted into sophistry. Instead "of Peter and Paul, men occupied their time in studying Aquinas and "Scotus; and, forsaking the lively power of God's spiritual word and doctrine, were altogether led and blinded with outward ceremonies "and human traditions, insomuch that scarcely any other thing was seon in the churches, taught or spoken of in sermons or intended or "sought after in their whole lives, but the heaping up of ceremo"nies upon ceremonies; and the people were taught to worship no "other thing but that which they saw, and almost all they saw they "worshipped. But Wickliffe was inspired with a purer sense of religion, and knowing it to be his duty to impart the gracious blessing "to others, he published his belief with regard to the several articles "of religion, in which he differed from the common doctrine. Pope Gregory XI. hearing this, condemned some of his tenets, and com<< manded the archbishop of Canterbury, and the bishop of London, to << oblige him to subscribe the condemnation of them; and, in case of re"fusal, to summon him to Rome. This commission could not easily be "executed, Wickliffe having powerful friends, the chief of whom was "John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, son of Edward III. The archbishop “holding a synod at St. Paul's, Wickliffe appeared, accompanied by the "duke of Lancaster and lord Percy, marshal of England, when a dispute "arising whether Wickliffe should answer sitting or standing, the duke "of Lancaster proceeded to threats, and treated the bishop with very "little ceremony. The people present thinking the bishop in danger, "sided with him, so that the duke and the earl marshal thought it pru66 dent to retire, and to take Wickliffe with them. After this an insurrec❝tion ensued, the clergy and their emissaries spreading a report that the "duke of Lancaster had persuaded the king to take away the privileges "of the city of London, &c. which fired the people to such a degree "that they broke open the Marshalsea, and freed all the prisoners; and "not contented with this, a vast number of them went to the duke's "palace in the Savoy, when missing his person, they plundered his "house. For this outrage the duke of Lancaster caused the lord mayor and aldermen to be removed from their offices, imagining that they "had not used their authority to quell the mutineers. After this, the bishops meeting a second time, Wickliffe explained to them his sen"timents with regard to the sacrament of the eucharist, in opposition to the belief of the papists; for which the bishops only enjoined him silence, not daring at that time to proceed to greater extremities "against him."-Pp. 224, 225.

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The martyrologist is not correct, even in his setting out; the attempt of Wickliffe and his followers were not to reform, which means to change from worse to better, but to deform, that is, to disfigure, to dishonour the church, and convulse the state. In the first case, however, he was frustrated, as we shall presently shew, by the watchful eye of her Divine Founder, and the vigilance of her lawful pastors; in the latter he was unfortunately more successful. The greatest darkness, we are told, perraded the church at the time of Wickliffe's appearance, and the

true doctrine of Christ, it is said, was unknown to the most part of the world. Scripture learning and divinity, were known but to a few, "and that in the schools only, where they were turned and converted "into sophistry. Instead of Peter and Paul, men occupied their time " in studying Aquinas and Scotus-and the people were taught to wor"ship no other thing but that which they saw, and almost all they saw "they worshipped."-These are bold assertions, but a little reflection, and a slight glance at sacred and profane history will soon shew how groundless they are. Christ has said, that his words should not fail; that his church should be guided by the Spirit of Truth; that the gates of hell should not prevail against her; that she should continue one and the same to the end of the world; and, that she should never be obscured by the mist of darkness, but should be like a city placed on the top of a mountain, a light and guide to all men. These are plain and unequivocal texts from scripture, which every one may read and understand too, unless reason is perverted, and the brain is disordered - with chimerical notions. Now, then, how could the church be pervaded with darkness, unless the promises of Christ became void? And, is there a man laying claim to the name of a Christian, that has the hardihood openly to avow that Christ has failed in his promise? Fox calls the popes "anti-christian blasphemers," but, is he not here a blasphemer himself, in asserting that the church was at one time in darkness, in opposition to the promises made by GOD, that the church never should be in darkness?

But it was not wholly in darkness, it may be said; a spark of the gospel was still treasured up, to burst forth upon the world, and chase away the abominations of Popery. This is a fine flight of imagination, and much used by the adversaries of the Catholic church, to lull the credulous into belief. However, let us look to the history of the world, and see how this light shone forth, and how the darkness, as it is called, enveloped it. We have, in our first volume, displayed the progress of Christianity in the early ages of the church, and shewn how the errors of dogmatizers were detected and condemned.-That the greatest care was taken by the pastors of the Catholic church, either by general councils, or provincial synods, or written epistles, or word of mouth, to condemn every species of novelty, and caution the people to beware of the deceits of designing men, whose object was to involve them in confusion, and ensnare them in the meshes of error. We have shewn that Fox himself, so late as the seventh century, ad"mitted the right of the pope to assemble synods, and condemn heretics. He has classed the holy pope Martin amongst his "godly martyrs," and praised him for condemning the errors of the Monothelites nor has he, in one single instance, shewn any authority by which the popes were deprived of that right which he has allowed them, and which they have exercised from the first foundation of the church to the present day, and will continue to exercise it, in spite of the world and the devil, to the end of time. At the commencement of this volume we have shewn how the Catholic faith was introduced into this · island by missionaries sent from Rome, and the same faith was propagated by missionaries sent by the popes in all the different countries of the world which did not receive it personally from the apostles. Wick

liffe began his career about the year 1371, so that England had been in the possession of the Catholic faith near EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS, had acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of Rome during that time, and was governed in spiritual matters by a regular and unbroken hierarchy. A consecutive list of archbishops and bishops of all and every diocess in the kingdom can be produced from their first foundation to the time when they were displaced by the ruthless hand of Elizabeth, and intruders thrust into the vacant sees, in which they were secured by act of parliament. The kings of England, the emperors of both the eastern and western empires (with the exception of some of the former who held schismatical opinions, but agreed in point of faith, and were for their disobedience consigned by the vengeance of God to the infidel Mahometans) with the kings of France and the other monarchs of Europe, were all of one faith and one religion with the other. There were in every age a number of the most eminent doctors and professors of divinity, and for some hundred years the monks and friars of England had raised high the character of the country, in point of science, literature, and theology. If they studied Aquinas and Scotus, they also studied Peter and Paul, for Aquinas believed and taught the same doctrines as those blessed apostles received and preached by the command of their Divine Master. During this period, as in former ages, several synods and councils were held in divers countries, for the suppression of error and sectarianism, which occasionally started up, such as the Bogomilians, Petrobusians, Waldenses, Albigenses, Flagellantes, Begardians, and others, some of which we have noticed in our first volume.

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We are told that Wickliffe was inspired with a purer sense of religion; knowing it to be his duty to impart the gracious blessing to others, he published his belief with regard to the several articles of religion, in which he differed from the common doctrine." This is very true; he did differ from the common doctrine, and it was for differing from the truth, that is from the common faith of the whole, world, that he was condemned as a false teacher. But he was an inspired man! This assertion may suit the fanatic who deals in private inspiration; the sensi→ ble man however will require some test to prove his inspiration. From whom did he receive his credentials? Who commissioned him to preach a doctrine, differing from those taught by the apostles, and believed in common by all the world? The fact is, if Wickliffe were inspired, it was by the spirit of revenge for a disappointment he experienced in losing the wardenship of Canterbury-hall, in Oxford, into which place he had contrived to hedge. himself. Wickliffe made his appeal to the pope, who decided against. him, which inspired him with fresh resentment, and was the principal cause of his opposition to the pope. had previously been engaged in a dispute with the friars, and finding himself not likely to obtain the promotion he sought for, he determined to rail against benefices and temporalties generally, to have his rewenge on the whole body of the clergy, his own creatures excepted. Such doctrines could not fail to meet with admirers among hungry ambitious courtiers, and as he declaimed also against tithes, the people, who were oppressed at that time, owing to the expensive wars of Edward the third, were ready to catch at his doctrine. The novelty

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