will be demolished as fables. Scepticism used to be cold, sneering and captious; it is now earnest, and will not stoop to jest, but rises to reason solemnly. Scepticism was wont to have no principles at all: but now it has laid hold of what it fancies to be a first principle, and with this, it goes through the region of Revelation, openly denying or affirming.

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There cannot be a doubt but that the ultimate result of the efforts of modern sceptics will be to lay bare the Divine strength and majesty of the pillars, and the structure of our holy faith, and to demonstrate that Christianity is in entire harmony with reason (even in the high sense which transcendentalists give to it). But for the present, mischief will be done; young and earnest minds will be seduced from Christianity, under the delusion that it is inconsistent with true philosophy, and they will be led to adopt such an elastic and worthless theology can easily be accommodated to their prevailing fancies. French people never have originated a theology, though they have originated a philosophy: and should the ardour of their minds be now turned away from political and social to religious questions, we have strong apprehensions lest they might produce a form of the most subtle and seductive error which has ever arisen against Bible Christianity. Well then-what are our hopes about Christianity in a struggle with the scepticism which is now being developed and matured? This is our one grand consolation :—that, from the beginning of Christianity, down to the present age, whatever form of scepticism had fully ripened and manifested itself, and as soon as it could possibly be fully met, the evidences of Christianity were forthwith turned and adapted to meet it, and it was successfully met and thoroughly refuted. We should like if Christian advocates were now preparing themselves for the contest with that current scepticism which is just being put into shape: but we do not entertain a single doubt that when the enemy stands out clearly in all his lines of attack, a competent champion will step forth from the armies of the living God. At present, the views of sceptics are not too vague for seducing followers, but they are too vague for a precise refutation at the hands of a Christian advocate. There is no system to be grappled with, otherwise, without fail, an adequate opponent would arise.

Leaving the question of the prospects of Christianity in Europe, as these are affected by Popery and scepticism, we shall, in a subsequent paper, attend to its prospects of conquest throughout the vast empire of heathen darkness.

IRELAND AND ITS PRIESTS.

The Union of Great Britain and Ireland is like an ill-assorted marriage, where nothing but discord prevails, and the wife, in place of being a helpmate to her husband, seeks to thwart all his measures for the common good, and frequently is in open rebellion to his authority.

The cause of this continued discord is to be found in the fact, that while England regarded Ireland as a conquered country, yet the conquest was never so complete as to render the Irish submissive subjects, or to reconcile or amalgamate them with the English settlers. Neither have the lower Irish ever been civilized. Their long internal feuds at an early period of their history, and afterwards the succession of wars with the English, at once prevented the people from acquiring the arts and habits of civilized life, and reduced the lower classes to such abject poverty as to habituate them for ever to live upon food the most cheaply raised, and in dwellings of the rudest kind, destitute of all those comforts which are deemed necessaries of life by the labourers of England. It is not surprising, therefore, that the acts of the Irish peasantry, at this day, prove them still to be barbarians. They are said to be warmhearted, hospitable, and brave, but such virtues are not incompatible with the rudest state of mankind; and are manifested by the savage Indian as well as by the Irish. Does not all the past history of Ireland, as well as what is enacted in the present time, prove, that the native Irish are cunning, revengeful, factious, turbulent, ignorant, and superstitious; that in order to accomplish an end, they will combine to adopt measures the most flagitious, effected by means the most cowardly, quite incompatible with their reputed bravery. They will shoot the doomed victim from behind a wall or hedge.

An irritation and animosity has been constantly kept up, from the time of the first invasion by Henry the Second, between the native Irish and the English, the Celt and the Saxon. The English have always been considered by the natives as foreigners and intruders, and while the English Parliament affected to treat Ireland as a conquered country, and to impose restraints and prohibitions upon her industry and commerce, the Irish patriots endeavoured to maintain the independence of their country, and at last succeeded in asserting the independence of their Parliament to that of Britain. In this state of things a powerful political party has always existed in Ireland, opposed to the claims and government of the English, so that even measures best calculated for the welfare of Ireland, are viewed with jealousy and meet with opposition.

Politics, however, is not the only, or even the chief ground of discord. Religion, guided by a crafty and disaffected Priesthood, acting upon an ignorant, superstitious and resentful people, has greatly fomented the quarrel. While England is a Protestant country, the great majority of the native Irish are Roman Catholics. The Reformation was attempted to be introduced into Ireland before the people had been prepared to receive it. At the time of the Reformation in England, reformed principles had made great way among the people. Their eyes were opened to the corruption of the institutions of the Church, as well as to the ignorance and vice of the Romish clergy, so that Henry the Eighth succeeded in suppressing the monasteries and other religious houses, and in transferring the Ecclesiastical jurisdiction from the Pope to himself, with the approbation of the people. It was not so, however, in Ireland. The people were not so advanced in intelligence as to see the errors of the Romish Church. The prerogative of

the King was less regarded in Ireland, and his Government was looked upon by many as a usurpation, and inimical to the independence of the country. Although, therefore, the English hierarchy and liturgy were introduced and established, yet they made few proselytes, except among the English partizans. The great body of the people adhered to their ancient priests, and to this day they are very much under their influence and guidance. These priests, taken chiefly from the lower class of the people, have uniformly espoused the popular cause, and have been found connected with every insurrection and popular tumult in that unhappy country.

Government finding the authority of the priesthood to be so great, have lately adopted the policy of conciliating them, by granting to them advantages and support they never before enjoyed. The soundness of this policy, however, may be very much questioned. We will say nothing at present of the contradiction, in a religious point of view, of a Protestant country contributing to the support and diffusion of a system of error. The statesmen of the day are not so much guided by religion, as by maxims of expediency and civil policy. They hold that the opinion of a majority, however erroneous, entitle them to the support of the State, and that if they will have a Roman Priesthood, it is better to have well-educated than ignorant Priests. In adopting these views, however, the political tendency of the religion and education so encouraged, seems to have been wholly overlooked.

It is notorious that the Church of Rome seeks not only spiritual but temporal power. She holds all beyond the pale of her Church to be heretics condemned to everlasting perdition. Her great aim and object, therefore, is to subvert all Protestant Governments. Toleration is not one of her maxims; she may temporize, but never tolerate. Persecution is an inherent principle of the Roman Church, and although Protestant Churches may have persecuted, yet they did it against principle, and must necessarily abandon persecution, when they become enlightened. But persecution is in accordance with the essential principles of the Church of Rome, which she can never abandon. The massacre of St. Bartholomew's eve is still regarded by her as a great act of faith.

The encroaching principles of the Church of Rome are so well understood, that even all the Catholic countries of Europe, where her Church has been established, have adopted precautions, and so limited the authority of the Church, as to insure their own safety. Thus, in Austria, the Bishops are all appointed by the Emperor, with the single exception of the Archbishop of Olmutz, who is elected by the Chapter of his See. All ecclesiastical statutes and ordinances must be submitted to the State before publication, and Bulls of the Pope have force only so long, as nothing is prescribed to the contrary by enactments of the State. In France, by an express concordat between Pope Leo X. and Francis I., the appointment of Bishops and Archbishops is vested in the Crown, and taken from the Chapters of Cathedrals and Metropolitan Churches. In Prussia, all nominations to Bishoprics must be presented to the Government for its approbation, before they can be allowed. In Spain and Portugal, the Pope's Bulls are ex

amined by the State, previous to being promulgated, and in the former country the Bull, "in cœna Domini," has been strictly interdicted. Even so near Rome as Naples, no decree of Rome can be promulgated without the consent of the Sovereign; and also in Russia, no mandate or Bull from Rome can be published without the Einperor's permis

sion.

If Roman Catholic States find it thus necessary to provide against the encroachments of Rome, how much more necessary is it for a Protestant State to do so. Yet Maynooth has been permanently endowed without any security taken that nothing shall be promulgated to the people of Ireland, subversive of the laws and authority of the kingdom. Is it not notorious, that the Romish Priests in Ireland look only to Rome for their guidance, and adopt only such measures as she may dictate, or as they may themselves think will extend their Church, or subvert the Protestant and British interests? Do they ever think of submitting to Government, for previous approbation, any rescript or instructions they may receive from Rome? The late denunciations at the altar, which have cast such a stigma on the Priests of Ireland, that honourable men even of their own communion have rebuked them, would never have taken place, had the Romish Clergy of Ireland been under similar restrictions as in other Catholic countries. We are no advocates for the endowment of Maynooth, and do not think it right for a Protestant State to grant money for instruction in, or for dissemination of the Romish Religion, but we say, if the Government do resolve, as a matter of State policy, to give support to, or even to tolerate the Roman Church in Ireland, they should have adopted precautions which have been found necessary by every independent country where that religion is allowed. Government should have complete control over the appointment of all the Romish Clergy before allowing them to exercise their functions; and no Bull, mandate, or other instruction from Rome should be allowed to be acted on, or have any authority, without being first submitted to Government. Neither should any book be used or taught in Maynooth till expressly authorised by Government. We understand that the eighth volume of Dens Theology which, on account of its dangerous principles, is prohibited in most countries of Europe, is openly sanctioned and recommended at Maynooth.

The College at Maynooth was erected as a temporary expedient to give that education at home, which subjects of this country could not obtain abroad, either from the Continent being then shut up against them, or from democratic principles being so prevalent as to render it inexpedient to allow British subjects to be educated abroad. It was accordingly supported by annual grants, which Parliament could, at any time, refuse. But now, since it has been put upon a permanent footing, and acknowledged as an institution supported by Government, surely Government has a right to know what is the true nature of the education taught there. They surely have a right to see that so influential a body as the Priests is trained not only to qualify them to teach their religion, but to inculcate principles of loyalty, peace, industry, and good will to their fellow-subjects. If no cognizance be taken of these things, are we to be surprised that every prejudice against this country should

be encouraged, every animosity fomented, and every faction and turbulent measure, and even treason and rebellion, favoured by a Priesthood who look upon the whole people of this country as enemies to their religion, and who regard our clergy as usurping their rights and benefices.

Discourses on some Peculiar and Unusual Texts of Scripture. By the Rev. JAMES COCHRANE, A.M., Author of "The World to Come," &c. &c. Edinburgh: Myles Macphail, 1848.

Originality in sermon-writing is greatly needed; and, surely, such sublime truth as the Gospel contains, will admit of endlessly new methods of statement, or, at least, of illustration. In the soul of sanctified genius, the Bible, though unchangeable in its essence, renews itself, like the material world, every moment. It may be expounded in a common-place manner; but the fault lies entirely in the teacher, and not in his themes. Yet we might infer from the many thousand dry discourses, that the freshness and growth of Scripture doctrine have long since been exhausted, that it is either impossible or undesirable to exhibit it in a new aspect, and that preaching must have an old style, as well as an old subject. Let us have no other Gospel, though it should be clothed and adorned with the noblest beauty, by an angel's intellect; yet why should the one Gospel, which is not the less glorious because it is ancient, be doomed to an embodiment in a mean, stiff, and oldfashioned literature? No one will dispute that, in the mass, volumes of sermons are the most unreadable productions, and, simply, because they are destitute of all the properties of interest, with which any subject, sacred or secular, should be discussed. A want of freshness, in this class of religious books, is universally felt.

We imagine, however, that to aim at originality, not by a change upon the structure and quality of thought in the sermons, but by a change in the selection of texts, is to begin at the wrong end, and is far too radical an improvement for our taste. Texts, like stars, never can become common-place. We acknowledge their unalienable sublimity and native impressiveness, even when we see them in the pages of a dry concordance. Preachers may very safely remit all painful anxiety upon this point, and allow the words of God to take care of their own freshness and interest. We call upon preachers to keep their minds quite calm and easy about texts, and just to strive to make their discourses as new and living as the plainest text is perennially. No" peculiar and unusual texts of Scripture" are needed as foundations to the most original and impressive sermons.

Mr. Cochrane's volume is sure to receive lively notoriety, and we anti