is always a bitter source of anguish to the mind of the person who commits it -As the prisoner is enclosed in his dungeon with chains, bars, and bolts, which at once prevent his enjoying the wholesome air and liberty, and make him curse his prison and the crime that fixed him in it, so is the catholic shut up in the dungeon of blasphemy and idolatry, prepared for him by his fathers, in which he feels the most excruciating agony and torment, and yet, from which he cannot escape, to enjoy the blessings and happiness of truth, and all the privileges of the British constitution.-In this dreadful state, the catholics must perceive with additional anguish of heart, that even the blessed virgin, with all their saints, images, and crosses, are deaf to their prayers, petitions, and invocations, and pay no more regard to any sign of worship offered them, than Baal did to the solemn importunate addresses of his besotted priests, when Elijah mocked them and said, "cry aloud, "for Baal is a God; either he is talking, or he "is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradven"ture he sleepeth, and must be awaked."-Nothing is more galling to people, than to have the absurdities and the errors of their religion exposed:-bence, the priests of Baal, who had not the power to turn their knives and lancets against the prophet's breast, turned them upon themselves till the blood gushed out. The chief priests and rulers of the people gnashed their teeth with rage and indignation, when they saw

Christ exposing the hypocrisy and corruption they had thrown over their religion-interfering to save men from the dreadful effects of them -and interposing his authority to prevent their worshipping the Creator in any way, excepting one;*-and the Catholics, perceiving the circulation of the Scriptures producing the same effect upon their images and crucifixes, that the ark of God did upon Dagon, when "set beside

It is a common opinion, uot much to be wondered at, where numerous religious sects abound, that it can never be expected that all men should be of one and the same religious way of thinking. How many kinds of religion does the Bible contain? How many Gods does it proclaim?" Is Christ "divided?" The stone that is to fill the whole world will never be split into pieces.-Institutions, called religious, and established by human authority, will always be imperfect, and therefore it would be in vain to suppose that any one of them should command universal approbation.-But this remark will not apply to the moral laws and precepts, which God has given for the use of all his rational creatures :-these laws and precepts are suited to the nature and capacities of all those whom he is pleased to form in his own image, and why should not all men be able to make them the rule of their practice? It is the corruptions that encompass God's laws-it is the clouds of error that hang over his truth, that produce different religious opinions, and prevent men from worshipping the Creator in one and the same manner.-Destroy the mystery of iniquity-strip protestantism of its errors-inculcate the great leading article of religion, with a solemnity and propriety worthy its importance, and teach the laws of God in the same plain and simple manner in which they are taught in the Bible-let instruction and example go hand in hand—and the prophecies of inspiration will soon be accomplished, and one God will be adored-one doctrine will have universal assent-and one religion only will be known from Pole to Pole. The voice of the Great" Shepherd" has proclaimed this truth, and whoever does not endeavour to promote this object, but calls all religions good, does, in fact, aim a heavy blow at the "stone cut out without hand," and tries to split it in pieces.

V

him in his temple ;" and knowing also that the protestants who favour their claims, as well as those who oppose them, equally hold their religion in contempt, and publicly avow their opinion-that the papacy, already reduced to the stump-like form" of the God of the Ashdodites, will soon be annihilated;—are full of those horrible sensations, which arise out of fear, despair, and vexation, and “

gnaw their

Annexed to the Declaration of the Catholic Bishops is," An Address from the British Roman "Catholics to their Protestant Fellow-country66 men," affording additional confirmation to the truth, that the subjects of" the beast" are feeling the sores and pains, that are occasioned by the pouring the contents of the fifth vial upon his kingdom. The following passages taken from it, will show the rature of the address, and the feelings of the persons who signed it.*

66

"Is there another country in the world

where, for conscience sake, several of the "most ancient nobles of the land are deprived "of their hereditary privileges?-Where hun

* Providence has suffered six millions of catholics to remain under this protestant Government, amongst other wise reasons, that the corruptions of their religion may be freely remarked upon, which could not have been done with safety under any catholic tyranny.-By means of this circumstance, the blessings of education, the advantage of a free press, and, above all, the inestimable treasure of the sacred writings, wide open to all, the false doctrine, abominations, and idolatry of Rome, may, and I hope will be exposed, till all men see them in their proper colours, and unite their efforts to destroy them.

"dreds of gentlemen, possessors of ancient and large landed estates, are deprived of honors " and rights-the usual attendants on birth "and property? Where the industry of the "merchant, and the talent of the lawyer are "checked in the midst of their respective "careers? Where six or seven millions of the "people are deprived of the benefit of equal "chances under equal laws? And as a proof "of the direful but natural effects of such a

66

system of law, we implore you to look at "Ireland--that island of genius and of fertility; behold her in all her nakedness and all "her misery.

66

"In a country boasting of peculiar liberality, we suffer severe privations because we differ "from you in religious belief. The remaining penaltics—neither few nor trivial—of a penal "code of unparalleled severity, still press upon us a catholic peer cannot sit and vote "in the House of Peers, and is thus deprived "of his most valuable birth-right; a catholic 66 commoner cannot sit and vote in the House "of Commons; a catholic freeholder may be "prevented from voting at elections for mem

bers; a catholic cannot sit in the Privy "Council, or be a Minister of the Crown; he "cannot be a Judge, or hold any Crown office "in any of the Spiritual, Equity, or Common "Law Courts; he may practise at the Bar, "but he cannot become a King's Counsel; he cannot hold any office in any of the corpo"rations; he cannot graduate at either of the

66

two Universities, much less enjoy any of the 66 numerous beneficial offices connected with "them, although both of those seats of learning "were founded by catholics: he cannot marry "either a protestant or a catholic, unless the 66 ceremony be performed by a protestant cler66 gyman; he cannot settle real or personal property for the use of his church, or of "catholic schools, or for any other purposes "of the catholic religion; he cannot vote at "vestries, or present to a living in the church, "though both of those rights seem to appertain "to the enjoyment of property, and may actually be exercised by infidels.

66

66

66

66

"Such are our principal grievances; but more than all we complain of the galling "brand of disgrace which is the consequence "of these disqualifications; which is more in"tolerable to honorable minds than the severest pressure of penal infliction, and necessarily implies guilt on our part, or injustice upon yours. "From early youth, to the last stage of existence, we are doomed to bear about us a painful feeling of inferiority, and of undeserved reproach.-We invite all to the cool "consideration of our principles; because we "know that they will bear the test of the "closest enquiry.

66

6.

6.

"Year after year we repeat the humiliating "task of disavowal; still we suffer the penal"ties of guilt. We ask you, is this to endure "for ever? Are we always to remain the vic"tims of misplaced suspicion? The doors of