entire absolution may be obtained for any sin you can name, by paying the stipulated sum.

"For sins which in the Holy Scriptures we find called down the terrific judgments of heaven, a man may obtain absolution from the Pope for two shillings, two and sixpence, and perhaps less. It is almost incredible what a source of revenue the sale of vuils of indulgences has been to the Romish church -what uncounted treasures have been amassed in the Pope's coffers by this means."

"No measures are untried, that crafty policy suggests, to extort masses for the dead-to solicit contributions for the relief of suffering souls in purgatory. Strange tales of frightful visions and apparitions are circulated,' of souls standing in burning brimestone, some up to their knees, and some to the chinof others swimming in cauldrons of melted lead, and devils pouring metal down their throats,' with many such stories, greedily swallowed by superstition and ignorance. Solicitors, or agents, bearing lanterns with a painted glass, representing naked persons enveloped in flames, parade the streets and enter houses with tales that alarm, and appeals that excite the compassion for these 'holy souls.'

"So great is the dread of the horrors of purgatory, that besides the satisfactions they make in their life time, many deluded souls leave large legacies to the church to procure masses daily, weekly, monthly and yearly, as far as their money will go. Thus also are multitudes of the living induced, through compassion for the supposed sufferings of their de ceased relatives, to spend large and frequent sums; sometimes even to forego many comforts and necessaries, to redeem by masses the souls of those they love from the horrors of the middle state. Many would rather starve their surviving families, than neglect the souls of the departed. This doctrine is. a mine, as profitable to the church, as the Indies to Spain."

"You cannot conceive, my dear brother, of the depravation of morals here. If nothing enters heaven 'that defileth,' it must be a comfortable thought to the priests as well as the people, that a place is mercifully provided to cleanse them from the impurities of the debauchery they indulge on earth. The celibacy of the priests is but a cloak for the most shameless wickedness, so frequent and impudent as scarce to seek concealment the day of judgment will reveal such enormities as will make every ear to tingle,"

"I wonder not, my brother, at the indignation which boiled in the breast of the bold and fearless Luther, at the shameful

and infamous raffic of indulgences. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" Little did he imagine the flame that burned within his own breast was the torch to kindle Christendom-a light to turn the eyes of ages towards the rising of that better day, so dear to the hearts of all Christ's followers. How great should be our gratitude, that we were not nurtured in the long reign of darkness, which shrouded this and other countries before the deep, loud blast of Luther's trumpet sounded the alarm among sleeping Christians. He began a noble work; may all our energies be enlisted in its advancement, till He, whose right it is, shall rule and reign from sea to sea-from the river to the ends of the earth. Great is the work, even of a private Christian, I believe, it he stands in his lot, doing with his might what his hands find to do.

"May you and I, my dear brother, be watchful and diligent in our Master's work, that when he cometh, he may say, "Well done, good and faithful servants, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

"Yours, in the bonds of the strongest affection,

HENRY S

APPENDIX,

CONTAINING THE PRESERVATIVE AGAINST

POPERY;

BY THE REV. JOSEPH BLANCO WHITE.

Formerly Caplain to the King of Spain, in the Royal Chapel of Scrille,—now a Clergyman of the Church of

England.

DIALOGUE I.

Containing an account of the Author; how the Errors of the Roman Catholic Church made him an Infidel; and how, to avoid her Tyranny, he ame to England, where the knowledge of the Protestant Religion. made hi again embrace Christianity.

Reader. Well, Sir, since you are pleased to wish for a conversation with me, may I make bold to ask who you are?

Author. By all means, my good friend. The truth is, that unless you know who I am, and by what strange and unforeseen events I happen to be here, our conversation would be to little purpose. You must, then, know, in the first place, Spaniard, and have been regularly bred and ordained a Catholic priest.

that I am a

R. Indeed, Sir! Perhaps you are one of those poor creatures who, I hear, have been driven out of Spain for having tried to give it a better government.

A. No, my friend: I have been now (1825) more than fifteen years in England, and came hither of my own accord, though I left behind every thing that was most dear to me, vesides very good preferment in the church, and the prospect of rising to higher places of honor and emolument.

R. Why, Sir! that appears strange.

A. So it must to those who are not acquainted with the evil from which I resolved to escape, at the expense of every thing I possessed in the world. You, my dear friend, have had your lot cast in a country which is perfectly free from religious tyranny. Were it possible for you to have been born in Spain, and yet to possess the free spirit of a Briton, you would not wonder at the determination which made me quit parents, kindred, friends, wealth and country, and cast myself upon the world at large, at the age of five and thirty, trusting to my own exertions for a maintenance. All this I did merely to escape from religious tyranny.

R. You quite surprise me, Sir! But I wish you would tell me what it is you mean by that religious tyranny, which you seem to have feared and hated so strongly.

A. You will easily understand it as I proceed with the story of my own life. I was born of gentle parents, and brought up with great care and tenderness. My father's family were Irish, and the English language being spoken by him and many of his dependants, I learned it when a boy; and thanks to that circumstance, which I consider as a means employed by Providence for my future good, I can now thus freely converse with you. Both my father and mother were Roman Catholics, extremely pious from their youth, and devoted to works of charity and piety during the whole course of their lives. It was natural that such good parents should educate their children in the most religious manner; and they spared themselves no pains to make me a good Roman Catholic. My disposition was not wayward; and I grew up strongly attached to the sort of religion which was instilled into my mind. I had scarcely arrived at my fourteenth year, when, believing that the life in which I could most please God was that of a clergyman, I asked my parents to prepare me for the church; which they agreed to with great joy. I passed many years at the university, took my degrees, and at the age of five and twenty, was made a Priest. It is the custom in Spain, when certain places become vacant in cathedrals, and other great churches, to invite as many clergyman as will allow themselves to be examined, before the public, to stand candidates for the vacancy. After the trial of their learning, the judges appointed by law, give the place to him whom they believe to be the most competent.--I should be ashamed to boast, but so it happened, that soon after my becoming a Priest, I was made one of the Chaplains of the King of Spain, in the way I have just told you. All had been, aitherto, wel enough with me; and I thank God that the ease

and good fortune which had always attended me, did not make me forget my duties as a Clergyman.-Doubts, however, had occurred to me now and then, as to whether the Roman Catholic religion was true. My fear of doing wrong by lis tening to them, made me hush them for a long time: but all my peace of mind was gone. In vain did I kneel and pray: the doubts would multiply upon me, disturbing all my devotions. Thus I struggled month after month, till unable to answer the objections that continually occurred to me, I renounced the Roman Catholic religion in my heart.

R. In your heart, Sir! I hope you do not mean that when you had settled with yourself that the Popish religion was false, you pretended still to be a Roman Catholic.

A. What would you think of a power, or authority, that would force you to act like a hypocrite?

R. I should think that it was no better than the government of the Turks, which, as I hear, treats men like beasts.

A. Well; now you will be able to understand what I mean by religious tyranny. The Popes of Rome believe that they have a right to oblige all men who have been baptized, but more especially those who have been baptized by their Priests, to continue Roman Catholics to their lives' end. Whenever any one living under their authority, has ventured to deny any of the doctrines which the Church of Rome believes, they have shut them up in prisons, tormented them upon the rack, and, if they would not recant, and unsay what they had given out as their real persuasion, the poor wretches have been burnt as heretics. The kings of Spain, being Catholics, acted upon these matters according to the will of the Pope; and, in order to prevent every Spainard from being any thing, at least in appearance, but a Papist, had established a court called the Inquisition, where a certain number of Priests tried, in secret, such people as were accused of having denied any of the articles of the Roman Catholic faith. Whenever, moved by fear of the consequences, the prisoner chose to eat his own words, and declare that he was wrong; the Priests sent him to do penance for a certain time, or laid a heavy fine upon him; but if the accused had courage to persist in his own opinion, then the Priests declared that he was a heretic, and gave him the public executioner, to be burnt alive.

up to R. You astonish me. Have you ever seen such things, Sir? A. I well remember the last that was burnt for being a heretic, in my own town, which is called Seville. It was a poor blind woman. I was then about eight years old, and saw the