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turu and destroy. If his meekness and humility, are worthy our admiration and imitation, so are also his courage and inflexible determination to condemn error, and propagate the truth, though such conduct led him to the cross. Had he temporised-had he been indif ferent whether his countrymen adopted his perfect system of religion, or continued in that which they received from their fathers—had he associated with the great men of his nation, and "winked at their errors,"—then, if a faction of his enemies had seized him, and carried him before the Roman governor, when that corrupt judge said, "I find no fault in him," there would have been found some of his friends, who would have raised their voices, and said, 'nei'ther do we find any fault in him.' But, because, he insisted on purity in the inward parts, and proscribed false worship, in whomsoever it was found, when the day of adversity and severe trial arrived, he stood completely alone, an immoveable rock of truth, an illustrious example of opposition to every species of religious error;-teaching his followers, never to give way to men, who hold doctrine repugnant to the word and commandments of God, but to oppose their pretensions, even at the hazard of persecution, or death in the most fearful forms.

(9)---SERPENTS, VIPERS, HYPO

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against the want of candour and liberality in the opposers of Catholic claims, venture to condemn this language of Christ, when addressing the great men of his nation, who set him and his doctrine at naught?-If gentleness and indulgence would have produced a better effect, he would never have made use of severity and rebuke. His wisdom dictated the right mode of treating his countrymen, who, rooted in prejudice and error, scorned his lessons of instruction and knowledge, and rejected his glad tidings of life and immortality.-If the doctrine of Christ alone opens the gate into his kingdom, and if the church of Rome is not built upon that doctrine, what kind of conduct, and what sort of language, are the members of the church of Christ to make use of towards the Roman Catholics?-Are they to speak of the religion of Rome as if it was equal in excellence to the religion of their divine master;—are they to shew the same favours to the members of it, that they shew to those who know the truth and walk in it?-As Christ did not behave in such a manner, to the corrupters of his heavenly father's religion,--are we to make allowance for, and shew indulgence to their errors-are we to observe a profonud silence concerning their false worship?-Christ did not act in this manner towards his countrymen, who preferred tradition, to the commandments of God, and external appearances, to internal worth.-Are we to shrink back with fear, and meanly and

cowardly turn our backs upon our duty, because some catholics, and some protestants assert that refusing the claims of Irish Catholics, will put the safety of the British empire at stake?— Such conduct would not resemble Christ's When a lawyer, connected with those rulers of the people, who possessed both the inclination and power to destroy Christ, said to him, "thou "reproachest us also, in saying woe unto you, "Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are "as graves which appear not, and the men that "walk over them are not aware of them;"-be betrayed no marks of fear, but added some of the severest remarks, he ever made upon the heads of Israel:-"Ye build the sepulchres of "the prophets, and your fathers killed them ;"truly ye bear witness, that ye allow the deeds "of your fathers:-for they indeed killed them, "and ye build their sepulchres.—Therefore, said also, the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they "shall slay and persecute,-that the blood of all "the prophets, which was shed from the founda"tion of the world may be required of this gene"ration."-And although he knew how much these remarks incensed the Scribes and Pharisees, and saw they were "laying wait for him, "and seeking to catch something out of his "mouth, that they might accuse him," he calmly and deliberately said to the "multitude gather"ed together to hear him;-my friends, be not "afraid of them that kill the body, and after

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"that have no more that they can do ;-but I "will forewarn you, whom ye shall fear;-fear "him, which after he hath killed, hath power to "cast into hell:-yea, I say unto you fear him." If we follow Christ's example, and boldly condemn the doctrine of Rome, and charge her priests with taking away the key of knowledge from her children, by shutting up the bible, and preaching to them in an unknown tongue, and say, that, on account of these things, the members of the church of Christ are justified, in all their excluding care and circumspection;—then a cry of intolerance, illiberality, and persecution is raised against us; and we are told, that we are acting very unlike him who was forbearing, kind, and gentle, and went about doing good to all;-nor, do the friends of the Catholics scruple to add, that such conduct will bring on a revolution, that will separate Ireland from her allegiance to the King of England.This would be a serious charge indeed, if it was any thing more than the ebullition of imaginations, heated with error and ignorance.-The deity will never again suffer the arms of those to prosper, who fight in the cause of a religion which he has consigned to perdition, and which we can see is rapidly sinking into that state. Before we are charged with acting in opposition to the spirit of the gospel, the whole conduct of Christ should be reviewed by the Catholics and their friends, lest, whilst we are blamed, He also should be involved in the same censure:

for, it is well known that he did not employ any persons to assist in his ministry, who were not convinced of the superior excellence and truth of his doctrine;-and his opinion upon this subject is very evident from the following remarks "A house divided against a house, "falleth, and every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation; and every one "that is not with me is against me:"-and it may be added, that in the same kingdom, the members of protestant and catholic churches, cannot long, with equal rights and privileges, exist together.

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The apostacy of the Jews in the time of Christ was not tinctured with idolatry, and yet it called forth very severe remarks, and indignant censure from him, who was never angry without a cause:-no real blame, then, can attach to christians for condemning and exposing an apostacy full of absurdities, and abounding with idolatrous practices. It is mistaken liberality, to speak well of the religion of Rome;it is false humanity to shew favour and kindness to people, which may have the effect of keeping them in ignorance and darkness. This was not the manner of Christ, nor of his apostles, nor of the primitive christians. They were kind, and liberal, and humane, and yet they spared not the conduct of false religionists, hypocrites, and idolaters.-Their cruel enemies persecuted them even unto death, but notwithstanding this, they propagated that truth which

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