we enjoy. And shall we throw away the blessing, through an affected or false liberality-It would be criminal in the members of the church of Christ, to remove those guards from the doors of it, which prevent the interior of the beautiful structure from being defaced and polluted by the hands of its enemies.-Wolves, in whatever kind of clothing they may make their appearance, are ordered by the "good shepherd" to be kept out of his fold.—An apparent difference of opinion amongst protestants concerning the religion of Rome misleads the catholics, and induces many of them to suppose their protestant advocates think much better of it, than they really do; and this, without any other favour shewn them, tends to nourish and keep alive a religion which ought to be destroyed. Thus, such protestant liberality, is of the greatest injury to catholics themselves, by keeping them in their present state of "enmity with God;"it is also of great injury to protestantism, inas. much as it carries it back again to meet, and receive into its bosom the enemy it opposed, and conquered, three hundred years ago.What peace would protestantism long enjoy in such a case?—Religious corruption cannot be cured by encouraging and fostering it, any more than a wound in the human body, which absolutely requires the knife, can be cured by the application of gentle emollients.--Their apostacy could not be removed by gentle remonstrances, and tender treatment; hence - the terms, << serpents, vipers, hypocrites," were applied to his "stubborn and perverse countrymen," by Christ-and hence, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the present dispersion and captivity of Israel.-Was any man a real friend of Christ, who was equally a friend of the Scribes and Pharisees?It is true that Nicodemus went to Jesus and listened with deep attention to what he said upon particular points, which his curiosity led him to inquire into ;but it is equally true, that he went under the shades of night, and did not understand all he heard, as his interrogatory ejaculation, "how can these things be," very plainly proves.And where was this ruler of the people, when Christ was carried before Caiaphas, and arraigned before Pilate?-What kind of a friend is the man who recollects you not, in the hour of affliction and adversity?-In like manner, it is not easy to conceive, how a person can be a decided and zealous friend of Christ, who can advocate the cause of those, whose doctrine, is much more at variance with the truth, than that of the rulers of Israel, which was condemned by him. Such friends may have upon them certain apocalyptical marks; their outside may resemble "the lamb;"—their inside," the dragon;" and they may perhaps, unless prevented, be the means of making protestantism fulfil a difficult prophetical remark of St. John; -"he causeth the earth and them which dwell "therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed:"and thus, by an act of heinous wickedness, hasten the final catastrophe of the beast," from which every serions protestant, ought incessantly to pray that his chuich may be entirely free. The effect of Christ's exposure of error, was, that thousands of the Jews deserted it and turned to him;whilst those who obstinately persisted in it, were, as he predicted, ultimately ruined-aud it is worthy of remark, that although, their de scendants are every where to be found, and in some countries in great numbers, still worshipping God according to the law of Moses, they have never converted one single nation This is a proof, amongst many others, that the Mosaic dispensation was only intended for one people, and to continue only for a certain time, and then was to be superseded by the Christian religion, which would be for the whole world: and when the blindness of Israel begins to be removed, he will see this, and acknowledge. there is no withstanding the will of God;—and wiil readily admit that he deserved all the misfortunes and calamities he has experienced, since the day, when his apostacy made him choose darkness, and refuse the light that was graciously offered him.-If the friends of christianity were really zealous in its cause, and exerted themselves like its author in exposing religious errors, they would quickly succeed in rooting out the catholic faith:-in some countries very little of it remains:—and it is a reflection upon us, who are more enlightened, than any other nation under the sun, that we should bave so much of it in the British dominions.-Protestants compel their children to study the writings of heathen Greece and Rome, and could it be thought a very great hardship, or a very great breach of the rights and privileges of British subjects, if the legislature was to enact, as Moses did, that all persons in the British dominions should take care that their children are taught the commandments of God, and that the practical part of the bible should form a prominent feature in their education?If the children of the nobility and opulent families, are compelled by their instructors to commit to memory the most beautiful passages of the heathen poets of antiquity, why should not the children of ALL, whether catholics or protestants, whilst in the various seminaries of education, be compelled to commit to memory the finest parts of the sacred writings-the laws of God-the prayer which Christ taught his apostles-and his useful and practical precepts, which teach men to subdue their angry passions, and be kind and charitable to each other? But, though the protestant religion is a part of the British constitution, it does not seem to be held by some men, in the same estimation they hold the political part of it;-otherwise they would not speak lightly of it, or say that all religions were equally good.-If their ideas of religion were correct, then, if the protestant Q -- church was cut out of the British constitution, and either the catholic, or nahometan church was substituted in its place, our constitution would be just as pre-eminently excellent as it now is. Now, suppose a member of either of the two houses of parliament, who prefers the constitution as it is at present, and would like to see the catholics renounce their errors, should stand up in his place, and make a motion, that all British subjects, of whatever seet or religious persuasion, should make their children thoroughly acquainted with the laws and commandments of God, and with the principal prac tical parts of the old and new testament, and that without such knowledge ascertained by examination, no person should be considered qualified to hold any place of trust in these realms; how would such a motion be received, and how would such a senator be treat ed-In all probability he would be thought a fanatical visionary, and would be obliged to withdraw his motion, amidst the laughter and clamours of the surrounding senators: A real knowledge of the scriptures would give value to an oath, if it did not render it unnecesary, except on the most solemn occasions. The Jewish lawgiver was not accused of folly, or of tyrannically interfering with the liberty of conscience, when he established the following law in Israel :—" Ye shall lay up these words 66 in your hearts, and bind them for a sign upon 66 your hand, that they may be as frontlets |