ing whom he may devour, and to take away any good you have got; but when the enemy has robbed you, come back to Christ by faith, and you will find restitution again. My advice to you is, Ö O love the Lord with your heart, strength and mind: let him have the strength and flower of your affection, lay nothing in the balance with him; and as an evidence of your love, walk worthy of the Lord, to all well pleasing; contend for the faith once delivered to the saints; study, with the church, to cause his name to be remembered to all generations, that the people may praise him for ever and ever, who RESTORED WHAT HE TOOK NOT AWAY.

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The Editors of the Gospel Magazine.

MY DEAR SIR:

A PAPISTICAL DOCUMENT.

E.

As the Papisticy is now making rapid strides in our country, and likely again to be predominant, for which we have to thank a large body of our Dissenters, and Evangelical Separatists, I send you a curious document transmitted by William Weldon, trumpet major in the 13th Light Dragoons, quartered in Dublin, in the year 1798. Your constant reader,

Bath, Jan. 2, 1839.

H. GRANT.

THE good man speaking of the troubles and distress of Ireland, at the time he was there with his regiment, observes,

We cannot expect this kingdom to be quiet or tranquil while the whore of mystery-Babylon, or any of her harlot daughters can spread their baneful and soul-damning abominations amongst the poor, deluded, and blindly infatuated people thereof. For sure I am from the testimony of God's word, my own experience, and observations, that there are no errors that the powers of darkness can invent or brood, but what are to be found already in her, and I think scripture points this out most clearly to the Lord's own people: and she will wax worse and worse till the measure of her iniquity be full, and then she will be consumed, destroyed, and doomed to her own place, eternal misery and woe, by the glory and brightness of our Lord's coming to condemn her for ever. To prove this, let the believer search, with humble prayer, the books of Daniel, and John's Revelations, and Paul's Epistles, where they speak of these things coming to pass.

And here I beg leave to recite what at this time came to my own knowledge. One of the Regiments I served in, was the Royal and Loyal Durham Fencibles Infantry, a battalion well known to be of great bravery and courage against the rebels, and always victorious: commanded first by General Skirrett, after by that gallant officer, Colonel Bembridge. This corps when engaged with a body

of rebels, commanded by a priest, John Murphy, of whom there were nine of the same name and profession, and who had persuaded the poor blind banditti fighting under him, that he had caught the heretics' balls, meaning the king's troops, with ease in his hands: but at long run he caught one in his heart, which caused great consternation in their columns, and which ended in a great slaughter amongst them, for they fled, and left their idol dead on the field in the rifling of whose clothes was found part of their wicked creed, which reads as follows, as near as I can pick it out of the copy now by me; but it is somewhat defaced with age; nevertheless you have the substance of it.

The following articles of Popish faith were found in the pocket of Priest Murphy, who was killed at the battle of Arklow, June 9,

1798.

1. When we assemble, cross ourselves, saying, We acknowledge in the presence of Christ's Vicar, our Lord God the Pope, and in the presence of his holy primitive bishops, monks, friars, and priests.

2. That they can make vice virtue, and virtue vice, according to their pleasure. Falling flat on their faces, they proceed in this manner, speaking to the host, and saying, Holy, glorious, and admirable host, we acknowledge it according to our faith in the Pope, we must all fall down before the great effigy of our Lord God Almighty.

3. We acknowledge thee supreme of the Holy Father, the Lord God the Pope, and that he is Peter's Successor in the chair.

4. We acknowledge that Peter has the keys of heaven, and he will receive those only who acknowledge his supremacy.

5. We are bound to believe, there can be no salvation out of our holy church.

6. We are bound to believe, that the late holy massacre was lawful and just, put into execution against Protestants, and that we should continue the same as long as we can do it with safety to ourselves.

7. We are bound to curse the king, the rebels, and put out the candles four times in the year on heretics.

8. We are bound to believe that heretics can never be saved, unless they partake of that holy sacrament, extreme unction.

9. We are bound to believe that those who elope from our holy religion are under the power of the devil, whom heretics follow.

10. No faith is to be kept with heretics. We are bound by the most sacred oath; for says our holy father, They have followed damnation, and Luther and Calvin.

11. We are not to believe their oaths, for their principles are damnation.

12. We are bound to drive heretics out of the land with fire and sword, faggot and confusion. Our holy father says, if their power

prevails, we are all to become their slaves. The Hail Mary three times.

13. We are bound to absolve without any regard, all those who embrue their hands in the blood of heretics.

14. We are bound to believe that Christ's Vicar, our Lord God the Pope, can absolve all men, heretics excepted: and has given the like power to all his inferior clergy.

15. We are bound to believe all the articles commanded by our holy church.

16. We are bound to believe the Virgin Mary has more power in heaven, than any of the angels.

17. We are bound to pray to the holy angels, that they may pray

for us.

18. We are bound to believe the holy cross, holy water, holy earth, holy bones, holy people, and beads, and they are to be used on certain occasions.

19. We are bound to celebrate the holy mass in latin, having ourselves clothed in a holy vestment and shirt, bearing the holy cross on our shoulders, signifying we are the very Christ.

20. We are bound to believe that every time mass is celebrated, there is an expiatory for the living and the dead.

21. We are bound to believe the four places of purgatory, namely, Limbus Infantorum, Liinbus Patram, Meadows of Ease, and Meadows of Purgatory.

22. We are bound to believe that Christ was three days in Limbus Infantorum, where the souls of holy fathers go to, till they get a pass to go to the holy Peter.

23. We are bound to believe, that the souls of children unbaptized go to the Limbus Infantorum, until original sin is purged away by the help of holy masses said for them.

24. We acknowledge that the souls of christians go to purgatory, and remain there until we pray them out of it, that they may have power to walk the Meadows of Ease with safety, till it pleaseth the Holy Peter to open the gates of glory for them, where no heretic shall ever enter.

25. We are bound to kep Lent according to our clergy's pleasure, and to maintain the works of supererogation.

26. We are bound to believe the lakes of the North of Ireland to be holy, called Lough Darragh.

27. No other saint on that day, only them to whom it was dedicated.

28. And no man to enter into the office of a priest only he who is known to be a man, after the Pope Joan.

29. We maintain seven sacraments essential to salvation, namely, baptism, eucharist, penance, extreme unction, holy orders, confir mation, and matrimony.

30. We maintain, we can transubstantiate the bread and wine into the real body of Christ.

31. We believe that heretics eat their king of sacraments to their eternal damnation.

32. We believe that Christ is every where, but especially in our church.

33. We maintain, that we cannot know any thing without being in danger of the judgment.

34. We maintain, that heretics have neither the will of the prophets, or of Christ.

35. We acknowledge that the rosary of St. Bridget is to be said once or twice a week.

36. And lastly, that our holy church can never err.

Dear Reader, Whosoever thou art, or of whatever sect, name, or denomination in the Christian world, I beg you will, by prayer and meditation, compare faithfully and consider the above account (which can be testified by many living witnesses) with the pure and uncorrupted word of God, and with the life, doctrine, and glorious death of the meek and lowly Jesus, the Saviour of every poor sensible sinner, whose kingdom is not of this world, nor to be set up and maintained by any such carnal and wicked practices or things. No, no, we find our Saviour saying, " Put up thy sword, Peter, for whoso taketh the sword, in this my cause, shall perish by the sword" and "the servants of the Lord must be gentle, and not strive." And sure I am, that God our Saviour never will own, or give spiritual prosperity to any carnal weapons to further his righteous and glorious cause of eternal truth: no, The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual and mighty through God the Holy Spirit, to the pulling down the strong holds of Satan.

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A FRIENDLY EPISTLE TO A FAMILY OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH.

Dear friend and sister, Beloved of the Lord,

it is

I THANK and bless the Lord in your behalf for his great goodness, and tender mercy toward you, inasmuch as he hath made you a partaker of that life which will outlive death. I found in reading your salutary epistle a sweet savour of Jesus, for the contents of it flowed from life in the new heart, the Lord God of Israel hath given you, and though you still retain the word IF with yourself, yet a mercy that your word 1F, doth not destroy the apostle's, who saith, "IF God be for us, who can be against us?" Rom. viii. 31. Your remarks on the little book humbled me before the Lord, and I could not refrain from weeping before him, to think of his tender mercy toward me, such an unworthy, vile, and hell-deserving sinner, and that he should own and bless any thing, that I write or speak is marvellous in my eyes; but it is the Lord's doing. I can assure you that the little book is a child of many prayers, and fears, and it hath been my desire, and is now, that the Lord may be glorified, and many of his poor, tempted, and tried ones, comforted,

so that I with them, may rejoice in the Lord, and give him glory, and again repeat his praise, and say Amen.

Your account of dear Garrow affected my mind, he being one who was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, he therefore is at rest, and none of the arrows of the enemies can reach him now, neither did they injure him while he was with us in this lower house, for the Lord saith, "Nothing shall hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, and it will always be as David once said, "The Lord will look upon my affliction, and turn the curse into a blessing." This is our mercy at all times, in all places and situations, for nothing can alter our blessedness, given to us in Christ Jesus. Balaam said, "He hath blessed them and I cannot reverse it;" and it is written, "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil." It is very blessed to have the mind stayed upon the Lord, knowing him to be our God-the faithful God who cannot deny himself, so then, however tried and exercised we may be, yet the Lord will deliver us out of it all, and the result will be blessed, and as I have had such proofs of his faithfulness, I can write freely on the subject, and believing that you are in the same state of blessedness with me, yea, and the whole election of grace, you will have to acknowledge as all have, and must do, "Hitherto the Lord hath helped me," and it is of his mercies, and because his compassions fail not, that we are not consumed, this is very precious! As beggars ramble about at this season of the year, I felt an inclination to run up and pay you this visit, thinking that I should gain something by it, namely, another acceptable one from you: but I believe the knock at the door that will introduce this, is a little different from my personal knocking, which is three times, as I feel a need for so doing: And the first thing that I introduce to you in answer to the triple knock is, "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And it is my desire that your dear participate in the same blessings, being heirs together of the grace of life, and all one in Christ Jesus. Therefore I now state another threefold blessing for you; "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all, Amen." 2 Cor. xiii. 14.

and

may

These very dear truths received in the love of them, and mixed with faith, will enable you to keep Easter, making holiday in your hearts to the Lord, and you will rejoice with Paul," Christ our passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast, 1 Cor. vii. 8. And there are two scriptures more, that are inseparable from the above, and express the same truth, and triple blessing, which I pray that their contents may sweetly distil like the dew in your hearts, namely, "There are three that bare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one; and there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit,