THE ILLUMINATOR. MANCHESTER, SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1830. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. gift and word of Christ." But as we go on, we shall introduce you into the company of many more converts of this class. This worthy character, comes, therefore, as an evidence too against St. Augustin; who indeed was never disposed to scrape off the cursed character of the horrible beast," nor" to take a faithful Dorothy to his bed." And it is perhaps one reason of the spleen John Bale bore him. For he tells us "that Augustin the Roman, was sent by Gregory I. to convert the English Saxons to the papistical faith." And again," that King Ethelbert, at length received Popery, with all its superstitions; yet so, that every one should receive this new worship of Gods, freely and with At the conclusion of our last article on the Catholic Church, we put the question,-" Have any ancient histo rians spoken ill of him?” That is to say of St. Augu-tin? Our answer is, most assuredly not: his memory was venerable in all antiquity both at home and abroad till the period of the Reformation, falsely so called. At that time a violent hatred to the religion he had planted, emboldened some shameless writers to take up their pens against him,out compulsion,”—And thus we find, that he charges St. and to asperse both his person and his ministry. "This Augustin with being a teacher and worshipper of many Augustin," says Holingshead in Descript. Brit. C. 27. Gods. Col. 1. " after his arrival converted the Saxons indeed from Paganism. But, as the Proverb says, bringing them out of God's blessing into the warm sun, he imbued them with no less hurtful superstitions, than those they were infected with before. For besides the bare name of Christ, and external contempt of pristine idolatry, he taught them nothing at all; but rather made an exchange from gross to subtle treachery, from open to secret idolatry, and from the name of Pagans to the bare title of Christianity." Gracious heavens! what outrageous calumnies. Accord ing to this lying author, the heathen Paganism professed by the Saxons before their conversion, was comparatively at least, God's blessing; and the Chistianity taught by St. Augustin was but a mere empty name. So that all our English ancestors for 900 years together were no Christians; and it will be very hard to shew, by what means either Catholics or Protestants are become Christians since, or that there is such a thing as a true Christian in the world. Pray, gentle reader, have a moderate share of patience, for we have a couple more of Protestant historians, not at all inferior to Holingshead, either for exactness in truth, or nicety of good manners: we mean honest John Bale and John Fox. To give you some faint idea of John Bale we shall give you his character, as drawn in miniature by his own hand. "When I was a boy of twelve years of age," says he (Cent. 5. fol. 245) "I was thrown into the hellish dungeon (barathrum) of Carmelite friars in Norwich." He must, we presume, have been placed there to learn his catechism; or the rudiments of the Latin language; for no one was ever admitted to be a religious man at twelve years of age. But our readers may be anxious to know how the man contrived to get out of this terrible dungeon. Let him speak himself: "The word of God appearing," says he," I saw my own deformed state," viz.; his being both a friar and a priest.-" I immediately scraped off the cursed character of the horrible beast, and took to myself a faithful wife, named Dorothy; not from any man, nor by the help of any man." Oh! what profaneness and blas phemy," but, by the special gift and word of Christ," Here, sincere inquirers, we have an eminent convert and champion of the Reformation, throwing off his religious habit,-renouncing the sacred priesthood, which he calls the cursed character of the horrible beast, and breaking through all the solemn vows he had made to God and all. this (we must apologize for repeating it)" by the special Catholic readers, is it not truly consoling to reflect, that, in the estimation of our greatest enemies, this is a fact clearly and undubitably established, that the religion which we now profess is indeed identically the same with that which St. Augustin preached to the Saxons, nearly 1300 years ago! The apostate Bale, is a willing witness that St. Augustin was a papist, and taught Popery ; and this proves that the religion preached to the Saxons was at least nine hundred years older than his own,-and how black soever the colours may be, in which Bale has represented it, we would all rather choose to have our portion in the other world with St. Augustin and the holy Pope St. Gregory, who sent him here, than with him and his "most faithful Dorothy" "that But let us proceed. Bale proceeds to inform us, Augustin made himself Archbishop by violence-that hẹ was more solicitous to get tithes and oblations for masses than to preach the gospel-and that he was the cause of the slaughter of one thousand two hundred monks. But the miserable lying wretch has undone himself; he has most signally failed. He did not reflect, that Venerable Bede, who knew St. Augustin's character much better than he could possibly do, gives him flatly the lie, in every part of his fabricated story; especially as to the slaughter of the "one thousand two hundred monks," which happened above a year after the death of St. Augustin, and was ordered by a Pagan king of the Northumbrians, with whom St. Augustin never had the least communication. The third Protestant historian, who appears as an evidence, both against St. Gregory, and St. Augustin, is John Fox,-in whose writings, the celebrated Jesuit writer, Father Parsons, who had carefully examined them, from the beginning to the end, declares, that to speak modestly, there were at least ten thousand notorious lies, either expressly asserted or insinuated. This vile author, (whose pen throws no scandal, but on those whom he commends; for, in truth, to call a man one of Fox's saints, is proverbially become the same, as to call him a great rogue) writes thus of St. Gregory: "about this time departed Gregory, bishop of Rome; of whom it is said, that of the number of all the first bishops before him, in the primitive church, he was the basest, and of all that came after him, he was the best." It may be asked, could any man, pretending to lay claim to the name of Christian, write thus of the great St.. Gregory? Indeed, John Fox, the lying historian, was the only one found who would dare to write in this manner of St. Gregory. What impudence, and insolent madness to write thus; to accuse that most eminent saint of baseness; and to say that he was the basest of all the bishops, his predecessors in the Roman See! This comparison reflects, at least, a less degree of baseness even on St. Peter himself, and all his holy successors, who for 390 years together, were all eminent saints, and almost all martyrs. However, John Fox, it may be said has paid a compliment to St. Gregory, by saying, "that of all who came after him, he was the best." cessors. To those who read Fox attentively it will appear evident enough, that he had no intention of honouring St.Gregory; but his object was to make monsters of all the saint's sucBut behold now, in what beautiful colours he has depicted St. Augustin, sitting at the appreach of the British bishops. “Much less,” says he, “would his pharizaical solemnity have girded himself, as Christ did, and wash his brethren's feet, after their journey; seeing his lordship was so high, or rather so heavy, or rather so proud, that he could not find in his heart, to give them a little moving of his body." Was there ever anything more impertinent or scurrilous ? We now turn from these three miserable lying men, (tres in uno conjuncti), to Mr. Collier, an Anglican parson and a writer of Ecclesiastical history. This gentleman does not join issue with the libellers of St. Augustin; on the contrary he gives him a most honourable character, and in speaking of him, he acts as a Christian writer should do. As to St. Augustin's being found in a sitting posture by the British bishops, he neither condemns nor justifies it directly, but only answers Cardinal Baronius's way of vindicating it; which to speak frankly, and with all due respect for the great talents of so renowned an author, we relish as little as Mr. Collier himself: and it would afford matter for much rejoicing, if we agreed as heartily in all other things as we do in this. But let us now come to an end of our historical account of this second public conversion: the conference being thus ended, as you see, without success, St. Augustin returned to his flock comforted, at least, with the consciousness of his own sincere intentions; though frustrated by the perverseness of those with whom he had to deal; but he found the Kentish Saxons in a much more Christian disposition. We have already informed our readers, that King Ethelbert being converted and baptized, the whole kingdom of Kent soon after followed his example, and thus received the faith of Christ, but it may be asked, were the other six kingdoms of the heptarchy also favoured with the same blessing? We answer, that they all came into the "One Sheepfold of the one Shepherd," one after another.-We shall give you a brief account of their conversion; according to the order of time. The East Saxons were converted the first after the people of Kent, by the preaching of St. Melitus, first bishop of London. After them, the EastAngles; principally by the preaching of their first bishop, St. Felix. The kingdom of the Northumbrians was converted in 625, by the preaching of St. Paulinus, the first Archbishop of York. That of the West Saxons by the preaching of St. Berinus. And that of the Mercians, or the Midland counties, the largest of all the seven, about the same time, under King Peda, who was baptized by bishop Finian, during the life, and against the will of his father, Pedna, being persuaded to it by Oswin, King of the Northumbrians, who gave him his daughter in marriage, upon condition that he would embrace the faith of Christ. And thus six kingdoms of the heptarchy were converted within the space of about 40 years, after St. Augustin's arrival in England; but the seventh, viz., that of the south Saxons, did not receive the gospel until about twenty years later, under King Ethelwold; chiefly by the preaching of St. Wilfrid, their first bishop. St. Augustin did not live long enough to see the conversion of the whole English nation: no, he died in the year 608, and was buried first near the church of St Peter and St. Paul, in Canterbury; (because it was not then quite finished) but as soon as it was finished and consecrated, his body was brought into the church, and decently buried in the northern porch, with an honourable inscription upon it. We shall conclude with Mr. Collier's character of this illustrious apostle of the English nation. "To speak a word or two of him," says he," by way of character, he was a very graceful person, lived suitably to the business of a missioner, and practised great austerities, and if he fell into any inequalities of temper-if he was too warm in his expostulations, or strained his privilege too far upon the Britons, it ought to be charged upon the score of human infirmities, and covered with his greater merit. This is certain, he engaged in a glorious undertaking broke through danger and discouragement-and was blessed with wonderful success. He converted the kingdom of Kent by the strength of his own conduct and miracles; that of the East Saxons by his agent and coadjutor Melitus. The spreading of Christianity thus far among the Saxons, was a great step towards the conversion of the rest. Let his memory therefore be mentioned with honour; and let us praise Almighty God, for making him so powerful an instrument in the happiness of this island.” -L. 2. p. 78. Thus we have given you as compendious a relation as was possible, of this celebrated conversion of England,— begun about the end of the sixth century, and completed not long after the middle of the seventh. We confidently trust that all sincere inquirers who are numbered with our readers, have read with attention and profit, and laid up in their memories all the principal heads of our historical narrative. We know that some may object, that they are at a loss to understand how Mr. Collier should not only own, that St. Augustin converted the kingdom of Kent by the force of miracles, but that he should even regard the religion to which it was converted by him, as the happiness of this island. Did God ever concur by supernatural signs and wonders, in the setting up of a false religion? Or can a false religion be the happiness of any nation? It is therefore manifest that Mr. Collier was convinced in his heart that St. Augustin and his followers preached the true faith in this island. We reply, that the consequence which the objectors draw from Mr. Collier's words is incontestable, and we shall only draw one consequence more, viz.: That the faith and religion which we Catholics profess at this time cannot but be the true one, if it be the same as that which was taught by St. Augustin; because it is impossible that the same Christian faith shall be true in one age, and false in another. But it will be asked, does Mr. Collier allow that the faith and religion professed at this time, by the Catholics of this country is the same as that which St. Augustin taught? He does not, but quite the contrary. It, however, shall be our pleasing duty in the next article, to prove beyond all doubt that his theory is opposed to facts, and to the most unquestionable historical documents. THE EVERLASTING CHURCH. By the Right Hon. T. B. Macauley. VII. TO PARSON STOWELL. Sir,-If in reply to the concluding argument of my last letter, either you or Mr. Lesley should answer, that those who knew Christ by his miracles, before they knew St. John, might upon Christ's words believe St. John; and those who first knew St. John to be a prophet before they knew Christ, might upon St. John's word believe Christ. We say, that this opens the old circle for us, and puts us out of all danger of being hemmed in. First then, we know the Church of Christ by her ontward visible marks, or motives of credibility, which are so strong and evident, that, according to St. Austin, a man must indeed be mad not to believe her. This then is the door, which lets us into the circle, and lets us out again when we are in it. This Church which is a society of the greatest wisdom and authority upon earth, tells us, for example that the whole New Testament was divinely inspired. We there. fore believe upon her testimony, that the New Testament contains nothing but revealed truths. Now amongst other truths contained in it, we find the positive promise of her," Matt. xvi. 18; and another promise, that he "will be with her even unto the end of the world," Matt. xviii. 19, We likewise find in St. Paul, that the "Church is the pillar and ground of truth," 1. Tim. iii. 15. Upon these and such like testimonies of the sacred Scriptures, we believe it to be a revealed truth, that the Church is Infallible. And thus the Church, known to me by her outward visible marks, first gives testimony for the Infallibility of the Scriptures, and then the Scriptures give testimony for the Infallibility of the church. And let any of our oppo• nents show us if they can, a difference between this circle, and that of proving St. John to be a prophet, from the testimony of Christ, and proving reciprocally Christ to be the Messias from the testimony of St. John. There is not, and there never was, on this earth an institution so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church. The history of that Church joins together the two great ages of civilisation. No other institution is left standing which carries the mind back to the time when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the Pantheon, and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian amphi-Christ, that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against theatre. The proudest royal houses are but of yesterday when compared with the line of the Supreme Pontiffs. That line we trace back, in an unbroken series, from the Pope who crowned Napoleon in the nineteenth century, to the Pope who crowned Pepin in the eighth ; and far beyond the time of Pepin the august dynasty extends, till it is lost in the twilight of fable. The republic of Venice came next in antiquity. But the republic of Venice was modern when compared with the Papacy; and the republic of Venice is gone, and the Papacy remains, not in decay, not a mere antique, but full of life and youthful vigour. The Catholic Church is still sending to the farthest ends of the world missionaries as zealous as those who landed in Kent with St. Augustin, and still confronting hostile kings with the same spirit with which she confronted Attila. The number of her children is greater than in any former age. Her acquisitions in the New World have more than compensated her for what she has lost in the Old. Her spiritual ascendancy extends over the vast countries which lie between the plains of Missouri and Cape Horn; countries, which, a century hence, may probably contain a population as large as that which now inhabits Europe. The members of her communion are certainly not fewer than one hundred and fifty millions (now two hundred millions). Nor do we see any sign which indicates that the term of her long-dominion is approaching. She saw the commencement of all the governments and of all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world, and feels no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all. She was respected before the Saxon had set foot in Britain, before the Frank had passed the Rhine, when Grecian eloquence still flourished at Antioch, when idols were still worshipped in the temple of Mecca; and she may still exist in undiminished vigour, when some traveller from New Zealand shall, in the midst of a vast solitude, take his stand upon a broken arch of Loudon Bridge, to sketch the ruins of St. Paul's But what then is a vicious circle ? We answer, a vicious circle is," when two propositions are made use of to infer one another reciprocally; without having any other proof to support them;" but if that be proved from other strong and convincing reasons, this opens the circle, and hinders it from being what we call a vicious one. Now this is the very case in reference to the Infallibility of the Church, and the authority of the sacred Scriptures. The Church of Christ, as such, is first proved from all the general motives of credibility, which clearly mark out this Church to us as the most illustrious, and therefore the most credible society upon earth, in matters of religion. Her authority, thus established, is a legal and sufficient evidence even for those truths which reason cannot fathom. If then amongst other points she propounds to her children these two articles, viz., the Divine authority of the Scriptures, and her own Infallibility in matters of religion, these two, like Christ and St. John, bearing witness to each other, yet having each a sufficient evidence from the motives of credibility, by which the church proves her charter for the delivery of revealed truths, the door is open, and there is no danger of running round in a vicious circle. However we must here observe, that when we believe the Scriptures or any other article, upon the authority of the Church, merely as she is an illustrious society, this is not an act of divine faith, but only preparatory to it; be cause divine faith is resolved wholly and solely into the revelation of God himself. But though it be not an act of divine faith, it is attended with such a mora' certainty, as excludes all reasonable doubt, and obliges us to believe it upon the revelation of God; because, as we are bound to do a thing when we are morally certain it is commanded by God, so we are bound to believe a thing when we are morally certain that it is revealed by God; and this belief is properly that supernatural assent of divine faith, which the Holy Ghost works in the hearts of all good christians. But there is another thing which secures us from a vicious circle, with reference to Mr. Lesley, and you; for a circle cannot be called vicious, with reference to an adversary, who, by his own principles is bound to admit either of the propositions, which prove each other reciprocally; and therefore, when we dispute with an Anglican, who, by his own principles is bound to believe the New Testament to have been divinely inspired, we may legally maintain the Infallibility of the Church against him, from texts taken out of those Sacred Writings; because it is a principle agreed upon between us, and no man is bound to prove a principle which has been conceded by his adversary. Indeed, though we ourselves did not believe one word of the New Testament, we might legally take the advantage of it against a Protestant who believes it: because a man's own principles, though in the hands of an enemy that denies them, are always lawful arms against him; for this is what we properly call argumentum ad hominem, a certain mode of confuting a man from his own principles. It is true indeed, were we to maintain the Infallibility of the Church against a Jew or Heathen, it would be ridiculous to prove it from any text out of the New Testament, because neither of them allows it to be the Word of God. Nor could we prove it from the authority of the Church, because both Jews and Heathens reject her authority; and therefore, we should be obliged in this ease to make use of other arguments to convince them. For instance, to convince the Jew, we should produce the testimony of the Ancient Prophets; and to convince the Heathen, we should propose to him those general motives of credibility, which are most proper to dispose him to a favourable opinion of the Christian faith. But, since we hope by the grace and favour of Heaven, that neither Parson Lesley, nor Parson Stowell, is either Jew or Heathen, but a Christian, and by consequence, believes as we do, that the New Testament has been written by Divine Inspiration, and contains nothing but revealed truths, its authority is between you and us, as a postula tum in mathematics, not to be called in question, or as a preliminary agreed upon by both sides. Indeed we think we should put an affront upon you, if we should labour to convince you that the Gospels contained the pure word of God. For then, you might with reason ask us, whether we took you for a Jew or a Heathen. And therefore, though we cannot prove to you, as being an Anglican, the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures from the Infallible authority of the Church, because you deny it; yet we may prove the Infallibility of the Church from the Scriptures, because you allow them; and if for dispute sake, you would take a fancy to deny them too, we should be forced to deal with you as with a Jew or Heathen. But since we are agreed, and have no manner of dispute about this matter, we shall always suppose the Inspiration of the Scriptures to be a principle of your own, and we shall take the advantage of them against you. And this, with your permission, places us ont of all danger of running round in a VICIOUS CIRCLE, or of standing in need of Mr. Lesley's or your aid, which has been offered very obligingly, to be conjured out of it. Indeed, we have much reason to hope we shall hear no more of it. For, in reality, such a poor threadbare argument, which, as you must know, has been confuted a thousand times, does no honour to you or your cause. We shall resume the subject next week.-I am yours, &c. &c. Manchester, April 6th, 1850. THE EDITOR. THE DREADFUL SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1850. PUNISHMENT OF APOSTACY. THE FORTY MARTYRS OF SEBASTE. A.D. 320. (Continued from our last:) The guards in the meantime ceased not to persuade them to sacrifice, that by so doing they might be allowed to pass to the warm bath. But though it is not easy to form a just idea of the bitter pain they must have undergone, of the whole number only one had the misfortune to be overcome; who, losing courage, went off from the pond to seek the relief in readiness for such as were disposed to renounce their faith but as the devil usually deceives his adorers, the apostate no sooner entered the warm water but he expired. This misfortune afflicted the martyrs, but they were quickly comforted by seeing his place and their number miraculously filled up. A sentinel was warming himself near the bath, having been posted there to observe if any of the martyrs were inclined to submit. While he was attending, he had a vision of blessed spirits descending from heaven on the martyrs, and distributing, as from their king,.rick presents and precious garments, (St. Ephrem adds crowns), to all these generous soldiers, one only excepted, who was their faint-hearted companion already mentioned. The guard, being struck with the celestial vision and the apostate's desertion, was converted upon it; and by a particular motion of the Holy Ghost, threw off his clothes, and placed himself in His stead amongst the thirty nine martyrs. Thus God heard their request, though in another manner than they imagined, "Which ought to make us adore the impenetrable secrets of his mercy and justice," says St. Ephrem, "in this instance, no less than in the reprobation of Judas, and the election of St. Matthias." In the morning, the judge ordered both those that were dead with the cold, and those that were still alive, to be laid on carriages-and cast into a fire. When the rest were thrown into a waggon to be carried to the pile, the youngest of them (whom the acts call Melito) was found alive; and the executioners, hoping he would change his resolution when he came to himself, left him behind. His mother, a woman of mean condition, and a widow, but zich in faith and-worthy to have a son a martyr, observing PRICE ONE PENNY this false compassion, reproached the executioners; and when she came up to her son, whom she found quite frozen, not able to stir, and scarce breathing, he looked on her with languishing eyes, and made a little sign with his weak hand to comfort her. She exhorted him to persevere to the end, and fortified by the Holy Ghost, took him up, and put him with her own hands into the waggon with the rest of the martyrs, not only without shedding a tear, but with a countenance full of joy, saying courageously,"Go, go, son, proceed to the end of this happy journey with thy companions, that thou mayest not be the last of them that shall present themselves before God." Nothing can be more inflamed or more pathetic than the discourse which St. Ephrem puts into her mouth, by which he expresses her contempt of life and all earthly things, and her ardent love and desire of eternal life. This holy father earnestly entreats her to conjure this whole troop of martyrs to join in imploring the divine mercy in favour of his sinful soul. (To be continued in our next.) TRUTH. ST. POLYCARP; BISHOP OF SMYRNA, M. A.D. 166. (Continued from our last.) The spectators, seeing the courage of Germanicus and his companions, and being fond of their impious bloody diversións, cried out, "Away with the impious; let Polycarp be sought for." The holy man, though fearless, had been prevailed upon by his friends to withdraw and conceal himself in a neighbouring village, during the storm, spending most of his time in prayer. Three days before his martyrdom, he, in a vision, saw his pillow on fire; from which he understood by revelation, and foretold his companions, that he should be burnt alive. When the persecutors were in quest of him, he changed 'his retreat, but was betrayed by a boy, who was threatened with the rack unless he discovered him. Herod, the Irenarch, or keeper of the peace, whose office it was to prevent misdemeanours and apprehend malefactors, sent horsemen by night to beset his lodgings. The saint was above stairs in bed, but refused to make his escape, saying, " God's will be done.” He went down, met them at the door, ordered them a hand- |