passions upon the stage, unfortu- [ epistle from one personally unknown nately made upon his soul. "I did to him; but that this surprize would not yet feel the passion of love," be entirely done away, when he insays he, "but I wished to feel it."- formed him of the union that had The amusements of the stage con- taken place between him and his sistinued to add fresh fuel to the flame ter. I am, &c. C. S. P. that had began to rage within him, and he, at length, plunged into the depth of misery. His example ought to convince us how much the theatre concurs to strengthen the most dangerous dispositions of the heart, and to render difficult and nearly impossible the subduing of those domestic enemies, with whom it is the business of our lives to fight, and whom we must conquer, in order to secure our salvation. To the Editor of the Orthodox Journal. DEAR BROTHER, Your unexpected letter, I must admit, did very inuch surprise me; and, I must confess at the same time, that I am a good deal puzzled and perplexed to know how to draw up a proper answer to it. Not that any thing you have advanced or can advance, will ever make me doubt a single point of the catholic faith. No, it is too well established for you, or any man else, or all men put together, that dissent from it, ever to shake, much less to overthrow it; but because your letter contains no one solid principle in it: this it is that creates my difficulty. Give me leave to tell you, that a man who professes (as you do) a total indifference to the being a member of this or that sect of christians, or no sect at all, but stands upon his own bottom; or, in fine, that chooses to be any thing but a catholic, has neither principle, religion, nor faith at all; without which "it is impossible to please | God." Mr. EDITOR, -The following letter was sent by a young man in Lisbon (who some years before had embraced the catholic faith) to a young hot-headed bigot, who had, without the knowledge of the former married his sister; by which, amongst other information acquired from her, he learnt, that her brother had renounced protestantism. Upon this, fired with methodistical zeal, and bloated with all the lying prejudices and misconceptions so common amongst his contemporaries, in this unhappy land of bibles, he wrote a flaming letter, pretty well larded with scriptural texts, but, without order, without method, (though a methodist) without connexion or argument; in fine, replete with every thing but common sense, to his brother in Lisbon, which produced the answer Icles, as calculated to overthrow the herewith send you a copy. This heterogeneous flaming epistle was accompanied by one of king James's bibles, lest (as he informed him) he should be destitute of that comfort; telling him in the beginning of his famous composition, that he would be amazed on the receipt of such an You talk much about believing; do you seriously think, that any mode of believing will conduct a man to heaven? The scribes and pharisees, as you see in the gospel, believed in the written law of Moses, &c. and were, above measure, zealous to maintain it in their way, and did all that lay in their power to discredit our Lord's doctrine and mira Mosaic dispensation; but do you think that mode of believing has carried them to heaven? If you have the hardihood to affirm it, then boldly burn the gospels, nay, the whole new testament at once, and turn jew, turk, or gentile, or, at least, let those alone that are; for they all have their system of believing as have no faith in him. Alas! unwell as you, and think it the best. happy man! No one is so well You recommend me, with bluster-taught to put his whole trust and ing zeal, to search the scripture, confidence in Jesus Christ, as a good and, fearing I was not furnished catholic. He believes him alone to with a bible you sent me one; but, be the Great Mediator of God and long before your's came to hand I man; through whom we have access had learnt from the uew testa- to the Father: that it is through his ment that Jesus Christ himself had infinite merits alone, we are to obestablished and built his church, with tain all good things, both in this life his own sacred hands, upon Peter, a and the next. Yes, we firmly besacred immovable rock, that should lieve in his own sacred words,stand its ground firm till the world's "Without me you can do nothing.' end. I there also find living guides, And again,- "As the branch cannotchosen by him, viz. his twelve apos- bring forth fruit unless it abide in tles, to whom he makes this solemn the vine, so neither can you, unless promise. "And lo, I am with you you abide in me.” But at the same all days, even to the consummation time, in opposition to your impious of the world." And again," He doctrine, that the best of a good that heareth you heareth me, and christian's actions are sins, and only he that despiseth you despiseth me, deserve God's wrath and punish&c." And, If he will not hearment, and that he must force his the church, let him be to thee as a way into heaven by an obstinate heathen and a publican." headstrong believing his own way, I answer, in the words of Jesus Christ," That a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit; neither can a good tree bring forth bad fruit : and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire." St. Paul cries out,-"I can do all things in him that strengthen me.". Jesus Christ also assures us,--" He that giveth a cup of cold water to a disciple in the name of a disciple, Amen, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." What! Does Jesus Christ, then, reward sins? Proh!pudor! These are the credentials of the holy catholic church, this her patent royal, given her by the King of Kings, by whom she is entitled to sit in judgment, from whose tribunal there is no appeal! I labour in this saving faith to remain ingrafted in the true vine, from which, whoever is lopped off shall perish in the flames. Look back through past generations to the beginning; contemplate the rebellious sous of men, who have presumed to set at defiance the authority of this spouse of Christ, terrible as an army in battle array; see them cut off from the vine by the two-edged sword coming out of the mouth of the Son of God, who goes forth conquering and to conquer. She alone is the pillar and groundwork of truth, that shall stand firm for ever: that we be not like children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, like the swarming sects in England, erring and driving into error, as the apostles foretold. You direct me to the Great Mediator, as judging the catholic to You see, in short, into what a maze of error you are driven, by being out of the one fold, under the one shepherd. Look at the immense difference between any of your contemptible sects, and the illustrious catholic church, of which I have the honour to be a member. The oldest cannot yet claim three hundred years duration; nor has the most numerous sect, as yet, ever filled any one nation. But let us look at home: see the nation rent into an hundred less that scripture alone should be à different sects; prolific as a dung- rule of faith: and all those who cry hill with maggots, she sends forthout the loudest, the bible, the bible new swarms almost yearly; all disa- alone is the rule of faith of protestgreeing and anathematizing one ants! insult mankind, in the next another. If this is not being toss- breath, by audaciously preaching, ed to and fro with every wind of teaching, explaining, persuading doctrine, if this is not erring and aye, to what―to believe them! `to driving into error, then I confess I understand it as they do! This has have to learn the first rudiments of been the method pu sued by every common sense. Not so the venera- arch-heretic, from Arius down to ble, one holy, catholic, apostolic Joanna Southcot. church!!! SHE ALONE bids defiance to the ravages of time; the rise and fall of empires; the combined powers of earth and hell can never bend her in her steady course, through the flux of ages, till time shall be no more! No; the gates of hell shall never prevail against her. She, illustrious bride of the Lamb, always uniform in her faith and morals, always protected and guided by Him, who has solemnly pledged his sacred word, "Go: teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And lo, I am with you all days, even to the consumma tionof the world, &c." And again, "He that heareth you heareth me." Take notice, this is all addressed to the sacred twelve apostles, not to the multitude: and in them to all their lawful successors, to the end of time." Lo, I am with you, &c. and he that despiseth you despiseth me." Here we behold an unqualified command to all, to hearken to the pastors, and obey them in all things, as Jesus Christ himself. "As the living father hath sent me, so I sending and interpretation, or never enyou; he that heareth you heareth me. No part of the new testament was written till about ten years after the ascension of our Lord. Consequently, tradition first spread and propagated the faith over all the then known world. We no where find a command given by Christ to his apostles to write the gospel, much | ORTHOD. JOUR. VOL, V. But again I call your attention to the catholic church; view her with steady eye, during twelve ages before Luther, the apostate friar, which by her enemies are called the dark ages; during this awful period she never contained less than a hundred million catholics in her bosom, and had, by her own sons converted every nation and island under heaven to the christian faith, that ever had been or were converted. She never has been confined in any age, since the apostles, to ten kingdoms, much less to a petty province, or one kingdom. Her boundary is the whole universe!!! You yourselves, unhappy mortals, enjoy whatever you have of christianity, even your bible (except the corruptions you have introduced into it) from the Roman catholic church. All the holy scriptures were delivered to her by the apostles, and were always kept by her alone free from corruptions, down to the present day; and ALL must rely on HER ALONE, and on her venerable authority, both for the text itself and also for its true mean joy christian faith, which essentially excludes all doubt. No power on earth cau ever change our faith; they can neither add nor diminish. Jesus Christ, the ruler of all, into whose hands all power in heaven and earth is given by his Father, has declared, in most clear and solemn terms,-"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my 2 S church, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. He that will not hear the church let him be to thee as the heathen and the publi can." Could he, who is truth itself, give us this positive command, to hear and obey his church, under pain of damnation, had he foreseen she would ever teach either errors in faith or corruption in morals? T. B. To the Editor of the Orthodox that they deliver the word of God with such impressive energy, and at the same time such persuasive sim. plicity, that it is impossible not to acknowledge the truth of that doctrine which they preach with equal clearness and perspicuity. Oh! how wonderful is God in his saints! Messieurs de Janson, Lafaillette Druon, Monteau Milisdans, and St. Ive, were particularly remarkable. Those who could resist the forcible and moving intreaties with which they assail the human heart, must be more hardened than rocks. With what zeal, and at the same SIR,-In forwarding to you the in-time with what charity, have they closed account of the success of the gained the confidence of those permission at Tours, contained in a let-sons who were the farthest removed ter from a lady in that city to her from truth, and the most obstinate friend, 1 am confident, by insert-in error; who for ten, twenty, and ing it in you excellent miscellany, you will both amuse and edify the generality of your readers, who will not fail, in common with others, to feel the highest pleasure at the progress which the catholic religion is again making in a country late the seat of atheism and infidelity. I am, &c. A. Z. thirty years, and even longer, would Tours, 5th March, 1817. MY WORTHY FRIEND,-With sentiments of heartfelt gratitude, I hasten to transmit to you an account of the great mercy our good Master has bestowed on us during the happy period of our holy mission, which lasted forty days. It began on Sunday evening the 19th of January, and ended last Monday the 3d instant. The apostolic missionaries, truly mighty in words and works, have wrought the greatest amend-occasions I have always set you an ment in this city; they have alarm example, but this time I am vaned and converted sinners, the most quished by this missionary, and I averse to salvation, in several of inform you that without further dewhom our kind and worthy pas- lay I am determined to go to contor assured me, there seemed to him fession. I conjure you with all my no hopes of a change. We may heart to do the same. His two truly say of these holy men, that aides-de-camp, and several others they have extraordinary talents, and followed his advice. The valiant captain of the holy war overcame and conquered many as brave men in the military line as M. d'Antichant. This nobleman and his two aides-de-camp received the most blessed sacrament on the general communion day for the men, on Sunday the 2nd of this mouth; it is computed there were above 3000 communicants, and on the preceding Thursday above 7000 women. Ladies the most passionately fond of worldly vanities, public places, &c. all eagerly pressed to assist at the instructions and improve by the grace of the mission. A rich protestant lady pronounced her abjuration in presence of the grand vicar and M. Janson. The assemblies and ball-rooms were deserted. The two churches, the cathedral and Our Lady the rich, were filled with a concourse of people; as early as three o'clock in the morning crowds were waiting at the doors singing canticles, &c. and at two or three in the afternoon the seats were all taken, and very often at one o'clock. One thing very remarkable ought to be noticed. Be fore the mission, nothing was heard but complaints of the dearness of bread, and at present there is no talk of want; every one was taken up with going to church a great part of the day. It seems as if these good missionaries had brought plenty in their train; there was no difficulty in finding money to purchase crosses, medals, and holy pictures; the change was wonderful, and all seemed as if only desirous of the word of God and the important affair of salvation; the rest was of no consequence. This is the true character of the conduct of the faithful, during the whole mission. It is necessary in order to give you a detail of the regulations of our exercises, to follow our mission step by step. Our nine apostles delivered every day, except Saturday, which was set apart to hear confessions, two instructions of an hour and three quarters, and sometimes an hour and a quarter fong; these were always preceeded byan explanation, for about quarter of an hour, of some part of the creed or the commandments of God and the church. The priest who delivered this pre lude was never the same who gave the instruction or preached the sermon, We reckon eighty which we have had the happiness to assist at, and of which we have taken notes. The first exercise at five, or a qaurter before, begins with morning prayers, hearing mass, &c.; canticles being sung before and during the holy sacrifice, until the sanctus. It was in our gallery the choristers were placed. The exercise lasted till about seven, then followed a second missionary mass for those who could not be present at the first. The second exercise commences at five o'clock in the evening and is preceded by canticles, which begin at four; after this follow two tens of the rosary: the benediction of the blessed sacrament is always given at both exercises. The concourse of people was at all times great. We had peculiar solemnities at different periods; the first was an act of reparation to the most holy sacrament of the altar and of atonement for all the crimes committed during the revolution: this was performed on Friday in Septuagesima week. M. Janson, head of the mission, assisted at the metropolitan church of St. Gratian, and M. Druon did the same at the church of Our Lady the rich. The former putting off his surplice, in order to give way to the effusions of his heart, said "My beloved brethren, that you may perceive that I have been a sinner hike yourselves, I shall divest myself of this robe, the emblem of innocence." This expression, and the manner in which he performed |