doubt, the supposed efficacy which they believe to be in this fatiguing and excrutiating punishment, must be very great. On inquiring what they supposed it to be? some said, "they went there to perform the vows made during their sickness if they recovered," or as proxies for others. This they say is but small in comparison of the benefits they have received, and it is the least recompense they can make. One poor man told me "his brother intended to perform this penance, but death prevented him, and he came to release his brother's soul from purgatory." I asked him if he was advised by any one to do this? he said, “ yes, his clergy, but he had his doubts about the good of it, for he never saw one of them there." A woman in the employment of a gentleman residing near the place, who is well known for honor, truth, and respectability, made a vow that if she would recover from her sickness, to go her rounds at the Holy Island. She came there in a delicate state of health, and having attempted to perform her promise, she was obliged from weakness to give it up, but that the penance might be completed, she sent her son to perform the rest for her. There are others who go there to make atonement for their sins, and among this class of the superstitious, you generally find all the abandoned females of the country. When the penance is finished, the grossness of the language used is most disgusting. They tell you the demerit of sin cannot be more than the punishment they underwent the penance will take away the guilt, and some whiskey will wash away the remembrance of it. When the work of penance is finished, all repair to the tents, the drinking then commences, and in the evening the island is more like the ancient Cyprus, when dedicated to Venus, than a place to which the frequenters of it ascribe holiness. It is polluted with drunken revels and the most gross debauchery. POPISH PERSECUTION. Extracted from the Correspondence of the Watchman Newspaper of August 2nd, 1837. THE intolerance-nay, the hellish fury of priests, and the insensibility of a people of all others most exciteable on certain subjects, cannot be more tangibly exhibited than by the following brief relation of a fact, which I translated as closely as possible from the written paper put into my hands by a priest, an eye-witness of this martyrdom for conscience' sake, of a Spaniard, as lately as the year 1827 or 1828. a "On the outskirts of the city of Valencia, there is a village named Busafa. In this village was a schoolmaster, who, although born a Spaniard, professed in private life the religion of the Quakers. He was accused at the Tribunal of the Faith, and cast into prison in the city, in the prisons which bear the name of St. Narriso. The patience and meekness of this poor Quaker excited the admiration of the alcayde and jailors. Some fellow-prisoners of the worst description, were used to put that patience of his to the proof. One day they threw at his face with violence a cricket ball, which inflicted a wound on his cheek, but the Spanish Quaker calmly picked up the ball, and, with the most perfect mildness, replaced it into the hands of him who had thrown it. When clothing or food was distributed among the prisoners, he invariably sought out some other prisoner who appeared more necessitous than himself, to whom to impart a portion of it. The Senores of the Tribunal of the Faith endeavoured to bring him to make a solemn recantation of his belief as Quaker; but he said that he could not do anything against his conscience, nor could he lie to God. They condemned him to be hung, and he was transferred to the condemned cell, resigned fully to the will of God. On the 31st of July, he was taken from the prison to the scaffold, displaying perfect serenity. The crosses were removed from the scaffold. He was not clothed in the black dress usually put on culprits when brought out to execution, but appeared in a grey jacket and pantaloons. With a serious countenance and unfaltering mien he ascended the scaffold, conducted by father Felix, a bare-footed Carmelite friar, who was exhorting him to change his views, but the condemned victim replied in these words, (which were almost all he uttered from the time of his entering the condemned cell,) Shall one who has endeavoured to observe God's commandments be demned.' When the rope was adjusted, he desired the hangman to wait a moment, and raising his eyes towards heaven, prayed. In three minutes he ceased to live." con This fact occurred but a few years ago, and was witnessed by all the inhabitants of Valencia. The hangman who executed the sentence, the friar who attended him, his fellow-prisoners-these are yet alive, and there is no one but knows that he was an honest man, and speaks of him as the Quaker schoolmaster, who gave good instruction to the children, and who was condemned to be hung because he was a Quaker. This is strange indeed. W. H. RULE. ANTICHRIST WORKING SIGNS. "So shall Antichrist come in, working signs and lying wonders, as did Jannes and Jambres, to deface the gospel and glory of God."-Bishop Jewell. THE writings of the most eminent Roman Catholic authors who lived for many ages before, and for a considerable time after the Reformation, abound in relations of such lying wonders as the following. The consideration of the deep dishonour which they cast upon Christ, and the dark shade which, by such means, was interposed between the perishing souls of men and the saving light of the gospel, will repress the smile which such old wives' fables may at first create. "A parrot, sporting itself out of its cage, and being almost seized upon by a hawk, did but call upon St. Thomas à Becket, and the hawk fell down dead."-Gonon. page 16. "A falconer, being to be hanged for losing his lord's hawk, and having the rope about his neck, did but think upon our Lady of Halle (a place in Hainault, where her image was set up and more peculiarly worshipped), and forthwith the falcon came flying home, did light upon his shoulder, and so saved his life."-Just. Lips. de Virgo Hallensis. "A woman's bees not thriving, by the advice of her friend she steals a consecrated wafer, and placeth it in one of her hives, hoping it would drive away the disease, and bless all their undertakings. The devout bees, in honour of such a sacred guest, fall to work, and with their honeycombs make a pretty little church, with windows, a covering or roof, with a door, a belfry, and an altar too, upon which they laid the host, about which they continually flew, and by their humming praised the Lord."-Cæsar. l. 9, c. 6. "Friar Andreas de Anania, having some little birds roasted at his own desire, to stay his appetite, upon better consideration it went against his stomach to eat them: he makes but the sign of the cross, and presently they revived and flew away."—L'Alc des Cord. lib. 1, page 93. "A wicked Norman having his head cut off, the head tumbled along, crying out to be confessed, which afterwards it did to a priest."-Tho Cantiprat. l. 2, c. 29, sec. 24. "Alexandria Arragenia having also her head cut off, and thrown into a deep well, a hundred and fifty days after, it spoke and confessed its sins."—Andr. Rivet. Apol. pro B. Virg. l. 2, c. 15, page 374. "A Dutch painter using to draw the devil as ugly as possibly he could, the wicked spirit, in order to be revenged, one time took his opportunity, and threw down a high scaffold on which the painter stood upon which the poor man had fallen, so that his neck had been in danger, if the very picture of the Virgin Mary, which he had newly painted, had not reached out its hand, and held him up till other people came and helped him down."-Gono, page 136. "St. Agnes stole a cross from a little Christ, which she saw hang by a thread about his neck, at which theft he was well pleased and smiled."—Ib. page 300. "The little statue of Christ used to come out of its mother's arms, and eat victuals with a Spanish boy."-Ib. page 314. "The Virgin Mary and St. John, who are painted by the cross, used to come thence to Pope Celestine the Fifth, when a boy, and sing to him, and take the book from him which he used to carry."-Bzovius, Annal. An. 1294, sec. 3. "A little bird, being seized on by a greater, cried but one Ave Maria, and presently the great ravenous bird fell down dead."-Gonon. page 150. These blasphemous absurdities have now disappeared from the surface of Popery, but they are still retained under the cover of an unknown language, as the Breviarium Romanum proves. "The Neapolitans, by divine admonition, took away the body of Januarius, which, being brought first to Beneventum, from thence to the Monastery of the Mountain of the Virgin, lastly to Naples, and buried in the greater church, shines with 'many miracles. But it is especially to be related, that it extinguished balls of fire once breaking forth from Mount Vesuvius, causing terror, not only to the neighbouring, but also remote regions. It is also a very wonderful thing, that his blood, which is preserved in a glass vial, is seen even to the present day, when it is placed before the head of the same martyr, in a wonderful manner to dissolve and boil up, just as if it were newly poured out."-Brev. Rom. "Polimerius, driven to fury by these things, cut off the head of the holy bishop, which being done, his headless body being marvellously raised, taking up his own head which was thrown on the ground, carried it in his hands to the oratory, a distance of three hundred paces; from whence he was transferred to the chief temple, where he is worshipped to this day with the great devotion of the people of Asculum, and by a concourse of strangers. His blessed passion took place during the persecution of Diocletian.”—Ib. "Nicholas, born in that celebrated place, Patara, in Lycia, his parents obtained from God by their prayers. How great the sanc- free, and thenceforward the worship of the tity of which this man would be, was already holy chains was established in the city."apparent from his cradle; for when an in- Ib. fant, though on other days he was frequent in sucking the milk of his nurse, he only sucked once on Wednesday and Friday, and that in the evening, which practice of fasting he always observed for the rest of his life." -Ib. "Rose, born at Viterbium of pious parents, shone forth with every virtue, having become mistress of perfection, when she had scarcely learned to speak. "She was most charitable to the poor; when once, in winter, she privately brought to them bread, taken away for herself, at her father's command to deliver up what she carried hid in her bosom, the bread was turned into roses."-Ib. 66 'During the reign of Theodosius the Younger, when Eudocia, his wife, came to Jerusalem, for the purpose of discharging a vow, she was there presented with many gifts; more especially she received a remarkable present of an iron chain, adorned with gold and gems, which, they affirmed, was that with which Peter, the apostle, was bound by Herod. Eudocia, having piously worshipped the chain, afterwards sent it to Rome, to her daughter Eudoxia, who brought it to the Pope; and he, in his turn, shewed her another chain, with which, when Nero was emperor, the same apostle had been bound. "When, therefore, the Pope compared the Roman chain with that which had been PROTESTANT CONFERENCES. THE question is sometimes asked, "What can be done to make our Operative Associations more useful; they are useful now, but how can they be made more so?" This is a very important question, and it speaks well for our Operative brethren that they I wish to be more useful. We suggest that Protestant Conferences should be established by them, similar to those now working in two or three of our Metropolitan Associations. To establish such a Conference, no better step could be taken than to issue a circular like the following, which has been issued by the Committees of the City of London and Finsbury Associations: London and Finsbury Tradesmen and Opera"Sir, The Committees of the City of tives' Protestant Associations are desirous of establishing a Conference of the Members, for the purpose of mutual instruction on subjects connected with the Popish Controversy; trusting it may be the means of enabling many to "give a reason of the hope to contend earnestly for the faith once dethat is in them," and also of preparing them livered to the saints. Your attention is therefore invited to the following Articles for its regulation: Article I. Name. TANT CONFerence. brought from Jerusalem, it came to pass CITY OF LONDON AND FINSBURY PROTESthat they so united together, that it seemed not to be two but one chain, made by the same artist. By which miracle these sacred chains began to be held with such great honour, that on this account a church, with the title of Eudoxia, was dedicated in Esquiliæ, by the name of St. Peter at the Chains, and the festival of its memory is kept on the kalends of August. "From which time the honour, which it was the custom to be given to the profane solemnities of the Gentiles on that day, began to be transferred to the chains of St. Peter, which, being touched, healed the sick and cast out devils. After which manner it happened in the year of the salvation of mankind, nine hundred and sixty-nine, that one Comes, a servant of the emperor Otho, being possessed by an unclean spirit, tore himself with his teeth; whereupon, by the command of the emperor, he was brought to John, the Pope, who, as soon as he touched the neck of Comes with the sacred chain, the evil spirit, breaking forth, left the man To promote ainong the members a knowledge of the principles of the Great Reformation and of the corrupt doctrines and practices of the Apostate Church of Rome, that they may be enabled to refute the subtle arguments put forth amongst us by the supporters of that system of error, and to mainProtestant spirit, which under the Divine tain inviolate in principle and practice that blessing, has been the great bulwark of our civil and religious liberties. Article IV. Time and Order of Meetings. 1. That the Conference Meetings be held every alternate Monday evening, to commence at half-past Eight and close at Ten. 2. That the Member proposing the subject for consideration be allowed 20 minutes to open it, and 10 minutes in reply, in case of his absence the seconder to open it. Every other speaker not to exceed a quarter of an hour, unless by consent of the meeting. 3. That the Member who opened the last question, be the chairman on the next occasion, and so on in rotation. 4. That the chairman keep the speakers to the question, preserve order, and that his decision be final. 5. That before the subject for the evening be entered upon, the chairman shall put the following questions to the Meeting. Q. 1. Has any Member heard of any steps taken by the Romanists in his neighbourhood, for the furtherance of the interests of their Church, directly or indirectly, which it would be useful to this Meeting to know, if so, will he state what they are? Q. 2. Has any Member heard of any instances of Protestants being persecuted or annoyed on account of their principles, if so will he state them, that this Meeting may consider, whether its influence can in any way be advantageously employed, to remove such persecution or annoyance. Q. 3. Has any Member, during the last fortnight, experienced any difficulties in discussion with Romanists or others, or in reading, or in any way connected with the objects of this Conference, if so will he state them, that they may be investigated by this Meeting? 6. Should any answers be given to these queries, they are to take precedence of the subject for the evening; if not, the proposer to open the question as appointed. 7. That at 10 minutes to 10 the Chairman shall ask if any Member wishes to move an adjournment. If an adjournment be moved, seconded, and carried, then the mover and seconder of the adjournment attend at the next Meeting in time to open the debate, or pay a fine of 3d. to the funds. 8. That no Member at any Meeting of this Conference be allowed to introduce any question for discussion, or make any remark during debate, bearing at all upon the difference of discipline existing among the Protestant Churches. 9. That any Member is at liberty to introduce new questions for consideration, so long as they are strictly in accordance with these Regulations. 10. That General Quarterly Meetings be held, for the election of Secretary, choice of new questions, and for the general business of the Conference. 11. That no proposition to amend the laws be made, except at a Quarterly Meeting; a fortnight's notice being given to the Secretary, of such proposition, and by him notified to the Members at least one week previously to the Meeting. And that all Rules be subject to the approval of the Committee of the Association. 12. That the Secretary take minutes of the proceedings at all Meetings of the Conference, give notice of forthcoming subjects, and keep an account of the funds. 13. That if any Member refuse to comply with these Rules, or render himself obnoxious to the rest of the Members, he may be exat any of the usual Meetings, notice to be pelled by a majority of the Members present given, and a written charge read at the two Meetings next previous. If the accused is dissatisfied, he can at two weeks' notice call a special Meeting, that he may be heard in defence, and enquiry into the case made. Article V. Funds. That the Funds arising from the Weekly Subscriptions and Fines, be applied to the necessary expenses of the Conference, the surplus to be used for the formation of a Library. Fines. POPERY PANDERING TO HEA- AFTER Austin, who had been sent from Rome to England for that purpose by Pope Gregory, at the close of the sixth century, had succeeded in converting Ethelbert, king of Kent, to the christian religion, as it was then professed at Rome, he sent to the Pope for advice as to his future conduct. Gregory advised Austin not to destroy the heathen temples of the English, but only to remove the images of their gods; to wash the walls with holy water; to erect altars; and deposit relics in them, and so convert them into christian churches: not only to save the expense of building new ones, but that the people might be more easily prevailed upon to frequent those places of worship to which they had been accustomed. He directed him farther, to accommodate the ceremonies of the christian worship as much as possible to those of the heathen, that the people might not be much startled at the change; and in particular he advises him to allow the christian converts, on certain festivals, to kill and eat a great number of oxen to the glory of God, as they had formerly done to the honour of the devil. These admonitions, which were but too well observed, introduced the grossest corruptions into the christian worship, and shew how much the Apostles of the sixth and seventh centuries had departed from the simplicity and sincerity of those of the first."-Henry's Hist. of England. A ROMISH PROCESSION-THE PEOPLE BOWING DOWN TO THE OUR Operative brethren are too sincere and devout worshippers of the Lord Jesus Christ to render it necessary for us to warn them of the sin of bowing down to any created thing. But as Popish processions may very soon be more frequent than they have been for many years, (such is the restless and pushing activity of the Papists,) it may not be amiss to give the following anecdote of Lady Jane Grey, and to urge upon our readers the duty of staying away from all Popish sights and ceremonies whatsoever-no matter whether they be the consecration of an idolatrous mass-house, or a procession, or a poor victim taking the veil, adorned with a chaplet of roses round her head, as the beasts of old were who went up to be offered to the heathen gods. Alas that man should treat with such refined cruelty that sex which was meant to be the solace of his dark moments, the heightener of his joys, the soother of his grief, the brightest ornament of the domestic hearth, and the mother of his little ones. Fox and other historians relate that Lady Jane Grey, when very young, was at New Hall, in Essex, where Queen Mary (then princess) resided. One day, passing through the Chapel with Lady Ann Wharton, that lady made an obeisance to the consecrated wafer, hanging, as usual, in a box over the altar. Lady Jane, seeing this, wondered, and asked, if the princess was coming? Her companion replied, No," and said, she made the obeisance" to Him that made us all." Why," said the Lady Jane, "how can that be he that made us all, for the baker made him?" This being told to the Princess Mary, "she did never love her after." 66 |