Roman Catholics, as adhering in politics, or as having a political attachment or subserviency to the Roman see, You affix to them an opprobrious description which they do not deserve, and which they reject with scorn; and You offer to the whole body, and to every individual of which it is composed, a personal insult. But, let me ask,-have the Protestant Powers on the Continent shown more attachment to England than the Roman Catholic? In Marlborough's wars, who adhered longest to the banners of England, the Austrians, or the Dutch? In the contest with America, which preserved their allegiance to their sovereign, the Catholic or the Protestant colonies? In the French revolution, which soonest deserted England, Austria and Spain, or Denmark, Sweden and Holland? Who was Great Britain's last and most honourable ally, through the whole of that tremendous contest? The Pope. Which party in France now most curses the success of the British arms at Waterloo? and most wishes the complete humiliation of the British nation? The Anti-Catholic. LETTER II. & III. THE ANGLO SAXONS. Identity of the doctrine preached to them, and the doctrine of the Council of Trent. I HAVE asserted, as you justly observe (page 29), and I now confidently repeat the assertion," that "the doctrines of the Church of Rome were the same "in the days of St. Augustine, when the Anglo"Saxons were converted, with those which are now "received as established by the Council of Trent." In opposition to this assertion, you produce from Bishop Stillingfleet, thirteen instances, in which they differ. I lament that I have not time to discuss them, as I think I could, with very little trouble, show, even to your satisfaction, that, in all the instances of a supposed disagreement between the two churches, which you produce from the works of that prelate, there is not even one, in which he does not misrepresent either the doctrine of the Anglo-Saxon church, or the doctrine of the Council of Trent, or both; or propound conclusions which his premises do not warrant. Roman Catholics, as adhering in politics, or as having a political attachment or subserviency to the Roman see, You affix to them an opprobrious description which they do not deserve, and which they reject with scorn; and You offer to the whole body, and to every individual of which it is composed, a personal insult. But, let me ask,-have the Protestant Powers on the Continent shown more attachment to England than the Roman Catholic? In Marlborough's wars, who adhered longest to the banners of England, the Austrians, or the Dutch? In the contest with America, which preserved their allegiance to their sovereign, the Catholic or the Protestant colonies? In the French revolution, which soonest deserted England, Austria and Spain, or Denmark, Sweden and Holland? Who was Great Britain's last and most honourable ally, through the whole of that tremendous contest? The Pope. Which party in France now most curses the success of the British arms at Waterloo? and most wishes the complete humiliation of the British nation? The Anti-Catholic. LETTER II. & III. THE ANGLO SAXONS. Identity of the doctrine preached to them, and the doctrine of the Council of Trent. I HAVE asserted, as you justly observe (page 29), and I now confidently repeat the assertion," that "the doctrines of the Church of Rome were the same "in the days of St. Augustine, when the Anglo"Saxons were converted, with those which are now "received as established by the Council of Trent." In opposition to this assertion, you produce from Bishop Stillingfleet, thirteen instances, in which they differ. I lament that I have not time to discuss them, as I think I could, with very little trouble, show, even to your satisfaction, that, in all the instances of a supposed disagreement between the two churches, which you produce from the works of that prelate, there is not even one, in which he does not misrepresent either the doctrine of the Anglo-Saxon church, or the doctrine of the Council of Trent, or both; or propound conclusions which his premises do not warrant. To convince you that my assertion is founded, I beg leave to refer you to " The Protestant's Apology for the Roman Church, by John Brerely, priest," (Tractate I, section 1, p. 57.) He shows, beyond the possibility of disproof, that the most powerful adversaries of the Church of Rome have unequivocally acknowledged the identity of the Anglo-Saxon and Trentine doctrines, and reproached the memory of the Apostles of the Anglo-Saxons with this identity. The adversary writers, who so describe it, “are "not," says Mr. Brerely, "writers of vulgar note; "but, such as are for learning most accomplished: "as namely, Dr. Humfrey, Carion, Luke Osiander, "the Century-writers of Magdeburgh, and others. These," he says, "describe the particulars of the religion as then taught and professed by St. Gregory and St. Augustine. They recite and affirm "the said confessed particulars to be altars, vest"ments, images, chalices, crosses, candlesticks, censers, holy vessels, holy water, the sprinkling thereof, reliques, translations, and religious de"dicating of churches to the bones and ashes of "saints, consecration of altars, chalices and cor"porals, consecration of the fonte of baptism, "chrism and oyle, consecration of churches with 66 sprinkling of holy water, celebration of mass, "the Archbishop's pall at solemn mass time, (Romanarum cæremoniarum codices), Romish mass "bookes, (et onus cæremoniarum); a burden of cere"monies; also, free will, merit and indulgences, 1 |