that no one who attentively studied the prophecies contained in the Holy Scriptures could seriously doubt that the ultimate restoration of the Jews formed a part of the divine economy. The Rev. J. W. Cunningham was of opinion that the example held out for the edification of mankind by the fulfilment of the prophecies in the case of the Jews, had been productive of incalculable good to the Christian commonwealth. Some people had the temerity to assert, that the Jews were too abandoned to afford a hope for their conversion; but he had no hesitation in asserting, that this opinion was founded in error. The world we lived in was a guilty world, yet no man thought of deserting it, neither should we think of deserting the Jews. It was a vain attempt to fix the charge of guilt upon them alone. The whole world was guilty before God. Admitting that they were the authors of their own misery, yet we had no right to exclude them, unworthy as they were, from the divine mercy. It was a gross mistake to suppose that the Jews were dead, when they were only sick; sick, indeed, from "the sole of the foot to the crown of the head," but yet with the prospect of recovery:-prisoners, indeed, but prisoners of hope, whose chains might be brokenprisoners who might yet participate in the joys of freedom. If, however, circumstances were as discouraging as they were in reality encouraging, we ought neither to despair, nor to desert the standard which had been unfurled. The Rev. Legh Richmond said, that if to come upon these boards, and to profess a warm and zealous attachment to this Society, were to incur the charge of enthusiasm, he was willing, in common with his worthy friend (Mr. Way), to be enrolled in the number of enthusiasts. If to believe in the certainty and sure accomplishment of God's promises were enthusiasm ; in such enthusiasm he was willing to live, and in such enthusiasm he desired to die. Men of all ranks, whatever they had been and whatever they were, ought to unite in praying for the peace of Jerusalem. The Rev. Daniel Wilson remarked, that, in addition to every other motive, we were bound by the ties of gratitude and self-love to exert our best energies in behalf of the Jews. Every effort which we made in favour of the Jews had a direct tendency to improve ourselves. The obscurity resting upon and overshadowing, as it were, the Old Testament was dissipated by the first advent, and in a similar manner the clouds which enveloped the second advent would be dispersed by the conversion of the Jews. The promise of the Messiah was the glory of the Old Testament, and the promise of the Spirit was the glory of the New; it therefore behoved every Christian to pray with earnestness and constancy for the effusion of the Holy Spirit, which alone can produce true conversion. POPISH MIRACLES, AND POPISH ENCROACHMENTS. IT has been well observed, that "the miracles wrought by Christ and his disciples are strikingly different in their circumstances, and in all the proofs of their genuineness, from the wonders related in the legendary tales of the Roman church;" and, it may be added, from the impostures of modern Jesuitism. The miracles recorded in the Sacred Scriptures were not insulated and extraordinary occurrences, but performed so constantly during the lives of the Apostles, that the right exercise and regulation of miraculous powers formed the frequent subject of admonition and exhortation." They were "not performed by a dominant party, possessing all the means and resources which a scheme of imposture might demand, but by persons in the most abject and dependent circumstances." They were not performed in a closet or a nunnery, in the presence of none but expecting, assisting, or credulous partisans, but "before enemies as well as friends, and before enemies too, whose inclination and interest would naturally lead them to the strictest investigation." They were also, generally speaking, unpremeditated acts; not announced for performance like a new play, on such a day, and at such an hour, and amidst such and such preparations, coadjutors, and contrivances. Unpurchased acts of mercy also were they; not dispensed in proportion to the number of masses paid for, and wax candles offered, but visiting the poor, the miserable, and those who could never requite them. Lastly, it must be observed, that the apostolic miracles were of so decided a character for genuineness and notoriety, that their reality was never even attempted to be questioned by the enemies of the faith, who were under the necessity of ascribing them to diabolical agency and magical delusion. It is also important to consider, that there was an avowed and a sufficient cause for the exertion of divine power in the former instance, but none for such interpositions in modern times. The establishment, on the ground of well-attested facts, of the divine authority of the Christian religion, was the purport and intention of the supernatural manifestations attendant on the commands of our Lord and his Apostles. This end was fully obtained. Upon this testimony the church was built. But what new revelation is to be authenticated, what fresh heavenly message is to be sealed by the wonders which Papists are now, in the nineteenth century, professing to perform? What is the cause of these deviations from the ordinary course of Providence? What is the lesson we are to learn from them? Even the heathen poets had a maxim, "never to introduce Jupiter but on an occasion worthy of a god's appearance." And we have certainly a right to demand of the Jesuits that they shall show us a fitting and sufficient reason for these awful, if real, manifestations of divine power. Miracles are never mere acts of divine benevolence; they are ever considered as attestations of the divine character or mission of the person performing them. Now, what is it that these Popish miracles can attest? The truth of the Christian religion? They are not needed for any such purpose. For what, then, are they given? There is but one reply that can be made; only one kind of testimony can be given by these modern miracles, and only one kind of testimony is meant to be educed from them; namely, an authorization of the claims of the Romish church to infallibility and supremacy, and the consequent condemnation of all Protestants as heretics from the only true church. Protestants allow their inability to work miracles. But if the Romanists can produce proofs of their superior and exclusive miraculous powers, the inference is evident, and the spectators must reply, "We will go with you, for God is with you." Bearing in mind, then, that the only attestation which can be supposed to be given by these miraculous works, is an attestation of the exclusive claims of the Church of Rome, our readers will peruse the following account, extracted from the Catholic Miscellany for June last, with some suspicion. "Miss Barbara O'Connor, aged 29 years, a choir-nun of the community of English Ladies, formerly established at Leeds, but now residing at New Hall, near Chelmsford, Essex, was attacked in November 1820, with a malady in her right arm, accompanied by excruciating pain. In the December following she lost the entire use of her hand and arm, so that she could not move a finger. Recourse was had to medical art, and the most distinguished practitioners were employed, particularly Mr. Carpue, of London, to restore the afflicted limb, but without effect. From the 23d of December 1820, till the 3d of last May, the pain continued without intermission, and the limb paralytic, though the swelling was at times reduced by the application of medicine. On the 5th of March last, Prince Hohenlohe was applied to by letter, who, in reply, dated Bamberg, March 16th, gave notice that he would offer up mass for the afflicted sister on the 3d of May, at eight o'clock, and invoke for her the sacred name of Jesus. The invalid made a retreat and a nine days' devotion, and prepared herself by a general confession. On the same day, and at the same hour, mass was likewise celebrated by the chaplain of the convent, and all the sisters communicated. At twenty minutes past eight, as the priest was beginning to read the last Gospel, Miss O'Connor felt a powerful emotion; she heard a sudden crack in her right shoulder, from which a thrilling sensation darted to the ends of her fingers, the pain instantly ceased, and motion was as simultaneously restored to both her arm and hand; the free use of which she continues to enjoy to this day. "For some time previously to the cure, Miss O'Connor had left off the use of medicine. On the 2d of May, however, she was visited by Dr. Badley, of Chelmsford, and Mr. Barlow, a surgeon of Writtle, who both examined her arm, and pronounced it to be in as bad a state as they had ever seen it: the wrist measured fifteen inches round. They both visited her again, shortly after the sudden cure, expressed their astonishment at the change they witnessed, and attributed it to the intervention of divine power and goodness.", One of the most remarkable features of this marvellous story is its obscurity. It is impossible to form any distinct idea, either of the disease or of the cure. "A malady, accompanied with excruciating pain""the limb paralytic"-"the wrist fifteen inches round." And this excruciating pain, and enormous enlargement, appears to have lasted for eighteen months; and at the end of that time the sufferer is spoken of, not as one worn out, as might have been expected, and just expiring under the weight of her suffering, but as going through a long course of religious exercises, and then resuming her place in the public worship of the chapel! But the cure. She felt a powerful emotion, aud heard a sudden crack in her right shoulder, from whence a thrilling sensation darted to the ends of her fingers, and motion was restored." But although the wrist measured fifteen inches only the day before, we are not informed whether or not this swelling has disappeared. Then, observe the manner of the cure. Christ meets the corpse of the widow's son, and salutes it with, "Young man, I say unto thee, arise!" His disciples pass by a cripple, and accost him, "In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk!" Here we see power in its simplicity, and we see it exerted for a rational and obvious purpose, namely, to give a convincing testimony to the divinity of their mission. But, in the present instance, we have another kind of transaction. A nun is troubled with a swelled wrist, the real extent of which malady is apparent from her having borne it eighteen months without being withdrawn from her accustomed duties. She has tried physicians, and wishes now to be cured by miraculous means. A Prince Hohenlohe, resident at Bamberg, in Germany, is written to, and accedes to the request. Instead, however, of proceeding immediately to the performance, he grauts them full time to make all necessary preparations. He writes in March, that in May, six weeks after, he "will offer up mass at a certain hour of the day, and will invoke the sacred name of Jesus." The good Catholics at home take their measures accordingly. The patient makes a retreat, devotion and confession. She is visited the very day before that fixed for the cure by her medical advisers, who take exact measure of the swelling, and who return immediately after the cure to bear witness of the wonder; but who do not appear, it is remarkable, to have been present, or to have expressed any desire to be present, at the supernatural removal of the disorder, which was to take place between these two visits. One would have thought the subject likely to have excited some interest in their minds. On the day fixed, however, measurement of the swelling having been duly taken and all things prepared, the convent are assembled in the chapel, and mass is celebrated. But we hear nothing of a single impartial individual called in to witness the expected miracle. However, at the appointed time, the nun hears a sudden crack, &c. and has ever since enjoyed the use of her arm and hand: whether with or without the swelling our informant saith not." The last miracle, we believe, which these gentlemen made public, was of too gross a nature for even their own followers to credit. A woman's breast, cut off and buried, we believe, was recovered and stuck on again, healthy as ever. This time they are more cautious: instead of giving us a story which no one can believe, they issue a statement which it is not worth while to doubt or deny. A swelled and painful wrist is cured, and the pain taken away. That is all; why should we doubt it? every apothecary can tell twenty more wonderful stories of recoveries, without the assistance of Prince Hohenlohe, and without "hearing a crack.” It is all a manifest deceit from beginning to end; and we say this, at the same time fully allowing that some or many of the participators in it may have been themselves deceived. To us this point is of little consequence. The only question is, what is the drift, the intention of all this? And the answer is obvious:-to establish the doctrine of the exclusive right of the Pa pists to the character of The Catholie church a doctrine from which proceeds, as a necessary consequence, the paramount duty of all its members to advance and uphold its supremacy, and to destroy and extirpate all "heresies." In connexion with this subject our readers will be struck with the following notice, given in the House of Commons, on Friday, the 28th of June. "Mr. J. BROWNE gave notice, that he would, early in the next session of Parliament, submit to the consideration of the House, a measure, the object of which was to provide for the payment of the Catholic clergy of Ireland out of the revenues of the state." Thus do the Papists proceed. But thirty years since, we were told that the concessions and privileges, then asked for, comprised the whole of their wishes, and would perfectly satisfy and content them. No sooner, however, were these granted, than another and a higher tone of demand is taken, an "emancipation" is claimed, meaning a full participation in political power. This step they think (we hope foolishly) that they are now assured of, and accordingly the next following one is already offered. To a partition of power they now add a partition of church revenues, or at least an equality of support. The Protestant Church is to impart a portion of her revenues to support the Romish priests; or else additional taxes are to be paid by a Protestant people for that revolting and unlawful purpose. By one method or other, a large addition is to be made to the immense sums which the priests already draw from their deluded people, and which they will doubtless continue to draw; and this large and uncalled-for addition will finally tend to the increase of their political power, which is the great and primary object of Jesuits in this and every other country. We are not sorry to see them thus unmasking themselves : on the one hand, proving by miracles that they possess the apostolic commission to bind and loose; and that, as a necessary consequence, all heretics who are annually and solemnly excommunicated by them, are in a reprobate state, from which all methods to recover them are lawful and praiseworthy; and advancing, on the other, their claims to a public revenue and establishment, in the very country in which, but a few years since, they professed to be so grateful for mere sufferance. Their views and plans begin now, we trust, to be generally understood. And we trust that their next attempt will be met with a general public movement, which may teach them that the people of England are not yet careless of this matter, or blind to the danger attending it. 319 REGISTER OF EVENTS. HOME. THE present Session of Parliament has been unusually protracted, owing, it appears, not to any peculiarly lengthened discussion, or to the progress of any measures of extraordinary magnitude or complexity, but to the multitude of níinor plans of legislation, and to the increase of a hypercritical spirit. A late Session has also a manifest tendency to lengthen itself, from the general absence of Members from town, and the consequent difficulty in procuring a sufficient attendance for the transaction of business. The measure of the greatest importance, which has lately engaged the attention of the Houses, has been an alteration of the laws respecting marriage. The provisions of the Act of the 26th of George II. are wholly rescinded, and a new system erected in their place. By it, more and greater difficulties than heretofore are placed in the way of the unauthorized marriage of minors, and securities of a very complex nature are insisted upon. But (and we hail with satisfaction the establishment of this principle), when once united by a duly authorized Minister, .no irregularity in the proceedings is to be allowed to vitiate or annul the contract, however it may expose the parties to punishment. An adventurer who, by perjury or subornation, obtains possession of an heiress, forfeits all his ill-got advantages of wealth, &c. to the Crown, but the union itself is not dissolved. It concerns our clerical friends to know, that all banns of marriage are for the future to be published by affixing to the door of the church, as well as in the usual manner. This Act is to be read by all clergymen on one Sunday during each of six months named in it, immediately after morning service. The revenue of the quarter ending July 5, fell short by about 35,000%. of the amount received in the same quarter of last year. But the taxes lately taken off would, if still in operation, have brought in nearly half a million in addition; so that so small a reduction in the receipts is tantamount to a considerable increase. The year's revenue, notwithstanding these repeals of taxes, exceeds, by 1,634,000l. that of the like period ending at July 1821. The state of the distressed and starving population of the southern coast of Ireland, is still most deplorable. What it must inevitably have been, had not God stirred up a most active spirit of benevolence in the breasts of the people of England, no imagination can conceive. The miserable creatures are now but just kept alive, and yet 230,000%. has been contributed for their support by the English, and large sums expended by the Government. The archiepiscopal sees of Armagh and Cashel have lately become vacant by the death of Drs. Stuart and Broderick. The following promotions have consequently taken place: Lord John Beresford, Lord Archbishop of Dublin, to the See of Armagh-the Right Rev. Dr. Magee, Bishop of Raphoe, to the Archbishopric of Dublin-the Very Rev. Archdeacon Bissett, to the Bishopric of Raphoe--and the Rev. R. Laurence, D. D. Regius Professor of Hebrew in the University of Oxford, to succeed the Archbishop of Cashel. FOREIGN. The provincial conspiracies in FRANCE appear to have been totally baffled. Gen. Berton, the chief of the revolted leaders, is to be brought to immediate trial. In the Chamber of Deputies, the Ministry seem to overcome all opposition. SPAIN has been the scene of a momentary struggle, out of which it certainly appeared, that some result must arise. But it is over, and all things resume their ordinary course. On the 29th of June, the King, while returning from the assembly of the Cortes, was insulted by seditious outcries. One of the most forward of the mob was cut down by a soldier of His Majesty's guard. Stones were thrown, and the Guards were much exasperated. Their temper, however, displayed itself fully two days after, when four battalions of their number took possession of the Prado, a fortified park near Madrid, and declared against the Constitution. They evidently expected the countenance of Ferdinand, and relied upon the guidance and encouragement of Gen. Morillo. But the King hesitated; Morillo declared against them; the militia was assembled, and they were blockaded. At last, after an engagement in which they received a repulse, a capitulation was agreed upon, and they were disbanded. Beyond the loss of lives resulting from these skirmishes, and the banishment from the capital of some suspected individuals, this revolt seems to have produced no result whatever. In fact, indecision appears to characterize the movements of all parties at Madrid. If the King had not been supposed to be dissatisfied with the existing order of things, the Guards would never have revolted in reliance on his countenance. And yet, if he were really wishing for an escape from his present predicament, it is inconceivable why he did not seize the opportunity of leading his Guards into the more loyal provinces, where an army might speedily have been formed. Again, the leaders of the Cortes have been suspected of designs upon the regal power, and of republican views. But if they entertain any such, it is strange that they did not use the present conjuncture for the implication of the King, and his consequent degradation. Notices and Acknowledgments. Aliquis--Account of Miss F. F.-Z.-Anna-Extract of a Letter from a Missionary, are received, and will most probably be inserted. Under consideration, Nora-Young Christian-S. T.-P. S.-Candidus-Veri Amator -Sunday Evening-P. F. W. The Distresses of Ireland must awaken the sympathy of every feeling mind; and the daily journals prove that British benevolence has not been appealed to in vain. Under all circumstances, therefore, it is perhaps advisable to postpone the communications of -Mentor-Barnabas-G. B. B. &c. We are always" anxious to correct any mis-statements or misrepresentations, which, through any cause, may find a place in our Magazine; " and we shall therefore be very happy to see the counter-statement of the Porteusian Bible Society, which, as a member of the Committee informs us, must be brought before the public immediately. We cannot, however, engage to insert any thing which we have not read. Perhaps the gentleman who has written to us upon the subject will favour us in his next epistle with the names of the Committee, Secretaries, Collector, Depositary, &c. &c. of the said Porteusian Bible Society. One respectable name is worth a hundred advertisements; but not one single name can we learn, though we really in propria persona did inquire at the Depository, No. 40, Frith Street, who the Committee were. We are not aware that any other religious or charitable institution is so exceedingly modest and retiring. Since the above was written and transmitted to our printer, we have received a copy of the Porteusian counter-statement, which, we understand, is intended to be stitched up as a bill in the present Number. On this paper we remark generally, that it is not true. It charges us with a refusal to correct the errors into which we have fallen. We have not given any such refusal; our not immediately answering an anonymous, or, for any thing we know, an unauthorized application, by no means justifies such an inference: silence may imply consent as well as refusal. We are not only ready to correct any errors, but are thankful to those who will point them out. In this attempt, however, the Porteusians completely fail. They charge us, First, with having stated erroneously that the distinctive marks were affixed by an individual. But they do not venture to assert that more than one person was employed on the occasion. We suppose that others might afterwards concur; but this does not alter our position. As to Bishop Porteus, he had evidently no more to do with it than the man in the moon. Secondly. They say that, in their Prospectus, Bishop Gastrell's name is expressly given as one from whose writings the work was originally compiled. This is certainly not the case in any prospectus which we have seen. But still, if this were so, it would not afford an answer to our question, Why an old work should be published with a new name? Doubtless many have been induced to suppose that they were purchasing somewhat new, instead of a book they had long possessed. Thirdly. We are charged with misrepresenting the Porteusians, as selling at higher prices than the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. We had said, that what is sold at Bartlett's Buildings for 7s. is charged at the Porteusian Office 8s. 6d. They answer, that, to subscribers the price is only 5s. 8d. We reply, that, to subscribers the Bartlett's Buildings price would be under 5s. To this counter-statement the Porteusians have annexed a list of highly respectable patrons and subscribers. But we are still completely in the dark as to the responsible officers of the institution; and this secrecy, we contend, has a suspicious appearance. The Bishop of Peterborough has published his Speech delivered in the House of Lords, June 7, with explanatory Notes, a Supplement, and a Copy of the Questions. We gave a brief outline of this Speech in our last Number, p. 274, to which we refer our readers. In the additions here made, his Lordship intimates that he has given up sending the Questions, and that, at the last ordination, they were answered at Peterborough, and will be so in future. This alteration does not appear to us quite consistent with the lofty tone assumed in the Speech. His Lordship, however, has his own way of doing things; and, strange to say, he affects to consider the final decision of the House of Lords as a triumph, and to contend that predestination is so much more preached now than in Archbishop Wake's times, as to render a different line of conduct necessary. On both points the Bishop is completely mistaken. The feeling of the House of Lords was evidently and strongly against his Lordship; though the novelty of the case, and the importance of a large discretionary power being left in the hands of a bishop, rendered the most decided opponents averse to take any strong or hasty measures. And it is most certain that predestination is much less preached at this moment than it was formerly. |