and the efforts it is putting forth, without anxiety and alarm. The establishment of the order of the Jesuits in most of the countries of Europe, the movements in Prussia and Belgium, the increase of Popish chapels and seminaries in our country, show us too clearly. what we have to dread; and I am persuaded (he continued) that we shall ere long see a struggle arise, in which we shall have again to determine the question whether Popery or Protestantism is to have the ascendancy.' At a considerable interval there followed what was called the Papal aggression, whereby England was taken formal possession of, and parcelled out into dioceses in the name of the Pope. That event stirred Great Britain to its utmost depths. Scotland was specially roused on the occasion. No fewer than 491 petitions on the subject were presented to Parliament, having 291,654 signatures. Many were weak enough to imagine that such a demonstration would check the progress of Rome; but they little knew the kind of enemy with which they had to deal. Rome had fully calculated on all the temporary uproar and difficulty which she must encounter, but was as confident that, if nothing else was done, the uproar would soon subside, and she be left in peace to prosecute undisturbed her struggle against our religion and liberties. To a large extent, unfortunately, her anticipations have been realized. The real aggression is now steadily advancing. The kingdom has, to a large extent, gone to sleep; and Rome has been gaining steady influence amongst our nobility and gentry in the Church of England, amongst our statesmen, and in the country at large-nay, even over a portion of the public press. Her priests, trained at the public expense are, now being appointed and paid in many of our public institutions. Her chapels and monastic establishments are multiplying everywhere around us; she receives upwards of 300,000l. a-year from the public purse; she is strong in all our colonies; and freedom of speech in regard to Rome is almost put down even in the Parliament itself; whilst our political parties are outbidding each other in support of Popery. It requires no prophet to tell that, if this state of things goes on unchecked, it must ultimately lead to the subversion of our religion and liberties. (Hear, hear.) This may seem strong language, but it is the language of truth and soberness; and I ask if it was not in this very way that Popery acquired such triumphs of old? It did not descend upon any of the countries of Europe in the form of a sudden and dark eclipse, but by a gradual process of augmentation. Buildings increased, lands were acquired, agents were multiplied, until the whole machinery of government was paralyzed and made subordinate to a system still paramount in many Continental nations; and concerning which our great Adam Smith says, that it is "the most formidable conspiracy that ever was formed against the authority and security of civil government, as well as against the liberty, reason, and happiness of mankind." From the grasp of that system the Reformation, by the singular kindness of God, set us free; but a judicial blindness seems again to have seized upon our rulers, and upon a great mass of our people. The result is, that the emissaries of Rome are becoming again so bold and defiant, that they do not think it necessary even to cloak their schemes. They are perfectly frank in stating their objects and plans. At a late influential Meeting of Romanists in Belgium, Dr. Wiseman frankly explained the process by which all classes of politicians in Britain are now made subservient to the progress of Rome. Here are his words :-"Observe, firstly, that we have not chosen the Government under which we live, but we have considered it to be our duty to draw from it every aid possible. We have used the means which Providence placed at our disposal to ameliorate our condition. We have recognised two powers in the State-the Crown and the nation. We do not acknowledge any third power between these and us. Being thus placed, the principal object of our efforts has been to procure the necessary support in Parliament. But we are only a small group-a family, so to speak. And how were we to procure a majority in Parliament? All England only sends one Member to the House of Commons. Yet we did not despair. Catholics observed that the electors were divided between two parties, and they found that, by combining their strength, and then bringing it to bear in favour of one side or the other, they could cause that side to succeed which appeared the more disposed to do them justice. Thus have we taught the two parties in the State to count the power of Catholics as something." There is a wisdom in this which one cannot fail to admire, and we may give an illustration of the operation of this Romish screw upon our infatuated Statesmen. During last session of Parliament a Bill was passed authorizing the appointment and payment, at the public expense, of Popish priests in the jails of Britain. It would appear that when this Bill was passed, the Government pledged themselves to follow it up with a compulsory Act if necessary,-in other words, an Act, not only to allow, but to compel every prison district of Great Britain containing Romish criminals to support a priest at the public expense. Here, then, we bave the Reformation principle overthrown, and in immediate prospect the first framework of another Romish Church Establishment set up in Britain. The "Weekly Register," the organ of Cardinal Wiseman, in a leading article on the defeats which the attempts to appoint Romish chaplains under the recent Act have met with at several of the Magistrates' Courts in England, and having reference to the permissive character of the measure, says :-"We do not ourselves expect that the measure will be brought into practical operation in a dozen places in England, or in one place in Scotland. Ministers are, however, pledged to amend the Act, if experience should prove that it is a failure; and before Easter we shall be in a position to demand of them the fulfilment of their promise." Thus the great work of subverting the Reformation is going on step by step; and, meantime, the country seems drugged into stupor, and the great mass of our pulpits and platforms are dumb. Now, it was for the purpose of meeting this anticipated state of things that, about the time of the Papal aggression, the Scottish Reformation Society was formed, and the Protestant Institute of Scotland was projected. Romanism has two sides, and makes her aggressions in two ways-the one mainly political and social, the other religious. To meet mainly its one aspect, the Scottish Reformation Society was originated; and it has vigilantly watched over the proceedings of Rome in Parliament, and in the country, and endeavoured, with some success, by means of lectures, publications, petitions to the Legislature, and otherwise, to awaken to action all to whom the dearly-bought privileges of the Reformation were precious, and to defeat the machinations of the enemy. It was to meet the other aspect of Rome that the Protestant Institute of Scotland was projected,-viz., to instruct our youth in the religious principles of Popery, as opposed to Protestantism. As early as 1851, I find, in looking back, we had collected 250l. for the establishment of this Institute. This gradually increased by steady perseverance; and for some years past the Institute has been in successful operation under the able charge of my excellent friend Professor Wylie, and at length, to-day, we have the satisfaction of opening these commodious premises for its permanent business. (Applause.) The object of it, as I have said, is to enlighten all classes of the community, and especially all students, and future ministers, and teachers, in regard to the tone, nature, and bearings of the Romish controversy, and this without regard to sect or denomination. The Romish controversy was anterior to the divisions of Protestants, and Rome claims nothing short of the entire destruction of all the divisions of the Protestant ranks. We propose to accomplish our object by means of lectures, training-classes, and a well-selected library. We already extend our operations to Glasgow with much. success; and we propose to extend them as soon as possible to other leading towns of Scotland. Moreover, it is hoped that this will be a centre from whence well-trained missionaries will go forth to Romish districts, proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ, and instructing all classes in the Word of God. We are well aware that two vague impressions exist in a few minds, in opposition to our views and plans. Dr. Goold has referred to the opposition some have to controversy, as if it were not our duty to defend truth assailed on every side. They say, "Preach the gospel in all its fulness, and error will die of its own accord." Now, there is much ignorance and confusion here. There is no doubt that the work of Christ is to be advanced mainly by faithful preaching and earnest prayer. But what is faithful preaching? It surely consists in the exposure of error as well as in the manifestation of truth. This was the preaching of Christ Himself, who constantly contrasts truth and falsehood, and opposes Phariseees, Sadducees, and Herodians, as "Ye have heard that it hath been said, but I say." It was the characteristic of the preaching of all the apostles and reformers. Our modern critics, had they been alive, would have greatly objected to Paul when he "disputed daily in the school of one Tyrannus," and to nearly all the proceedings of Knox. Their doctrine is an admirable one for the Jesuits. Tell a gardener that he must simply sow seed and the weeds will die of their own accord, and he will smile at your simplicity; and it is precisely so in the spiritual world. And yet the unscriptural theory to which I have referred has been the main source of all the recent mischief in Scotland. Our wiser and better ancestors were not "dumb dogs that could not bark" (applause), they had their people thoroughly instructed in the controversy with Rome, regarding it as vital to the very existence of a protesting Church. They knew that a faithful minister was a watchman as well as a teacher,—-a shepherd to drive away the wolves as well as to lead the sheep to green pastures. (Applause.) But we, imagining ourselves to be wiser than the Word of God, have changed all this; and now that numbers of trained Jesuit emissaries are amongst us, writing and lecturing openly and insidiously against Protestantism in all our cities-now that droves of earnest, bigoted Irish Romanists are in all our towns, and in some of our rural districts, our people are left comparatively unarmed and helpless, as if there were no such text in the Bible as "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." The matter is a thoroughly practical one. These Romanists are all ready to say plausible things in defence of their system; and if you have nothing to say in reply, you have little prospect of doing them any good, whilst they are spreading incalculable mischief. Your ignorance and incapacity only hardens them in their delusions; and instead of the increasing power of truth, we see the melancholy spectacle of the darkness chasing the light even in this land of Sabbaths and Bibles. But some may be ready to say, Admitting all this to be true, is not the ordinary machinery of the Church sufficient to meet this emergency? Now, we do not in the least undervalue the ordinary machinery of the Church,-we need it all, and more; but experience has proved that, in the times in which we live, it is not sufficient. The ordinary army may be sufficient in ordinary times; but when an invasion comes all men must hasten to the rescue, and be trained to the use of arms. The ordinary staff of sailors in a ship may be sufficient during quiet and plain sailing; but when a leak is sprung all must, if necessary, go to the pumps; and when the ship is boarded by pirates, all must combine in repelling the attack. (Applause.) Such are our national circumstances at present. The idea, however, which we have on this subject will depend very much on our sense of danger, and that again will depend on the amount of our intelligence on this subject. To those who know and believe that Rome is carrying on a regular invasion of this country as the head-quarters of the Protestantism of the world, with the view of subverting our religion and liberties, and that all that was so dearly won at the Reformation is at stake, the most multiplied and energetic measures of resistance will not seem extravagant; to those who are blind, on the other hand, to the spiritual dreamer or traitor, any measures of defence at all will seem quite unnecessary. The times in which our lot is cast are ominous of evil. Infidelity is stalking abroad in open day. A sentimental pietism is vainly seeking to reconcile its position with a contempt for the sterner truth of God and the testimony of our fathers. The Church and the world are too much confounded together. All this is paving the way for superstition, and the triumph of the mystic Babylon, the greatest judgment with which a nation could be visited. Let us earnestly pray that this great evil may be averted, and let us seek to be steadfast on the Lord's side,-to "stand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand."-Abridged from the Witness, Nov. 14, 1863. Macintosh, Printer, Great New-street, London. THE PROTESTANT MAGAZINE. PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE Protestant Association. "The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England.”—ART, XXXVII. VOLUME XXVI.-A.D. 1864. LONDON: WILLIAM MACINTOSH, 24, PATERNOSTER-ROW; SEELEY, JACKSON, AND HALLIDAY, 54, FLEET-STREET; HATCHARD, PICCADILLY; NISBET AND CO., BERNERS-STREET, OXFORD-STREET; OFFICE OF THE ASSOCIATION, 11, BUCKINGHAM-STREET, STRAND; |