nonage; as a son under tutors and governors, until the time appointed Before I leave Father Pacificus Baker, I must point out the gross imposition which he practises upon his readers, when he represents the apostle James as having used linen vestments when he celebrated mass. Whether St. Jerome said so, or not, is of no importance; for he lived so many ages after, that he could know nothing, with certainty, of the apostle's practice, but what he found in the New Testament, that is, nothing more than we know; and we know for certain, that there is nothing of either the mass, or the white vestments, in the apostolic record. In another section, the author speaks of the liturgy of St. James, which contains the order of the mass, and many other things which favour popery; but it is a barefaced forgery, the work of a later age, and known to be such by popish writers themselves, though they do not scruple to take advantage of it, and things like it, when it serves the purpose of giving to the ignorant people the semblance of apostolical authority for their errors and superstitions. This, and other such pieces of imposition, may occupy a number or two of my work, at a future period. I proceed now to give my Protestant readers some farther information about things which they know not, though they are quite familiar to Papists. Let it be remembered, that a small piece of bread in the form of a wafer, is the real Christ of the church of Rome; this is their God and Saviour, and the object of their worship; but they have never yet found out a way to preserve their Christ from seeing corruption. In summer their host will corrupt, and breed worms in a few days; and in order to prevent this, they consecrate every week, in the hot season; but only once a fortnight in winter. After the host has begun to corrupt, even after it has begun to breed worms, the priest must eat it, if his stomach will let him; but if he find it impossible to swallow the real body of his Christ, in this state, it is disposed of in the following solemn manner, of which Mr. Gavin was an eyewitness:-"I say," says he, "that a priest did not eat the host and worms, as I saw myself, on pretence of the loathing of his stomach, and after the mass was ended, he carried the host, two priests accompanying him with two candles, and threw it into a place called piscina, a place where they لاز throw the dirty water after they wash their hands, and which runs out of the church into the street. What can we say now? If the worms and corrupted host is the real body of Christ, see what a value they have for him, when they throw it away, like dirty water; and if that host comes out of the running piscina into the street, the first dog or pig passing by, which is very common in Spain, may eat it." Master Key, vol. 1, p. 145. In general, however, they are very careful to keep the host out of the reach of dogs; and if it should, by accident, happen that a dog should eat a holy wafer, it is considered such a piece of sacrilege, that his owner must pay dearly for his trespass, of which take the following example from the work just quoted, page 147: "In the Dominican's convent, it happened that a lady, who had a lap-dog, which she always carried along with her, went to receive the sacrament, with the dog under her arm, and the dog looking up and beginning to bark, when the friar went to put the wafer into the lady's mouth, he let the wafer fall, which happened to drop into the dog's mouth. Both the friar and the lady were in deep amazement and confusion, and knew not what to do; so they went for the reverend Father Prior, who did resolve this nice point upon the spot, and ordered to call two friars and the clerk, and to bring the cross and two candlesticks, with candles lighted, and to carry the dog in form of procession into the vestry, and to keep the poor creature there, with illuminations, as if he was the host itself, till the digestion of the wafer was over, and then to kill the dog, and throw it into the piscina. Another friar said it was better to open the dog immediately, and take out the fragments of the host; and a third was of opinion that the dog should be burnt upon the spot. The lady, who loved dearly her Cupid, (this was the dog's name,) entreated the Father Prior to save the dog's life, if possible, and she would give any thing to make amends for it. Then the prior and friars retired to consult what to do in this case, and it was resolved that the dog should be called for the future, El Perillo del Sacramento, that is, the sacrament's dog. 2. That if the dog should happen to die, the lady was to give him a burying in consecrated ground. 3. That the lady should take care not to let the dog play with other dogs. 4. That she was to give a silver dog, which was to be placed upon the tabernacle where the hosts are kept. And, 5. That she should give twenty pistoles to the convent. Every article was performed accordingly, and the dog was kept with a great deal of care and veneration. The case was printed, and so came to the ears of the inquisitors, and Don Pedro Guerrero, first inquisitor, thinking the thing very scandalous, sent for the poor dog, and kept him in the Inquisition, to the great grief of the lady. What became of the dog, nobody can tell." I conclude this number, and, I hope, this subject, with the following literal translation of a few passages of the Roman Missal," as given by Lord Kames, in his "Sketches of the History of Man," vol. iv. book iii.: "Mass may be deficient in the matter, in the form, and in the minister. First, in the matter. If the bread be not of wheat, or if there be so great a mixture of other grain that it cannot be called wheat bread, or if any way corrupted, it does not make a sacrament. If it be made with rose-water, or any other distilled water, it is doubtful whether it makes a sacrament or not. Though corruption have begun, or though it be leavened, it makes a sacrament, but the celebrator sins grievously. "If the celebrator, before consecration, observes that the host is corrupted, or is not of wheat, he must take another host; if after consecration, he must still take another and swallow it, after which, he must also swallow the first, or give it to another, or preserve it with reverence." If any remains of meat, sticking in the mouth, be swallowed with the host, they do not prevent communicating, provided they be swallowed, not as meat, but as spittle. The same is to be said, if, in washing the mouth, a drop of water be swallowed, provided it be against our will." "If any requisite be wanting, it is no sacrament; for example, if it be celebrated out of holy ground, or upon an altar not consecrated, or not covered with three napkins; if there be no wax candles; if it be not celebrated between daybreak and noon; if the celebrator have not said matins with lauds; or if he omit any of the sacerdotal robes; if these robes and the napkins be not blessed by a bishop; if there be no clerk present to serve, or one who ought not to serve, a woman, for example; if there be no chalice, the cup of which is gold, or silver, or pewter; if the vestment be not of clean linen, adorned with silk in the middle, and blessed by a bishop; if the priest celebrate with his head covered; if there be no missal present, though he have it by heart. "If a gnat or spider fall into the cup, after consecration, the priest must swallow it with the blood, if he can; otherwise, let him take it out, wash it with wine, burn it, and throw it with the washings on holy ground. If poison fall into the cup, the blood must be poured on tow or on a linen cloth, remain till it be dry, then be burned, and the ashes be thrown upon holy ground. If the host be poisoned, it must be kept in a tabernacle till it be corrupted. "If the blood freeze in winter, put warm cloths about the cup: if that be not sufficient, put the cup in boiling water. If any of Christ's blood fall upon the ground by negligence, it must be licked up with the tongue, and the place scraped; the scrapings must be burnt, and the ashes buried in holy ground. "If the priest vomit the eucharist, and the species appear entire, it must be licked up most reverently. If a nausea prevent that to be done, it must be kept till it be corrupted. If the species do not appear entire, let the vomit be burnt, and the ashes thrown upon holy ground." It will be expected, perhaps, that I should give a more elegant finishing to a subject that has served me so long; but, as transubstantiation and the mass are abomination all over, I shall leave the above disgusting directions, without comment, to have their own effect upon the reader's mind; and it will be well for him if nothing but his mind be affected by the nausea. CHAPTER LXVIII. EXTRACTS FROM DR. MIDDLETON'S LETTERS FROM ROME, SHOWING THE CONFORMITY OF POPISH WORSHIP WITH THE RITES OF ANCIENT HEATHENISM. USE OF INCENSE. HOLY WATER. SPRINKLING OF HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS. CANDLES AND LAMPS. SATURDAY, October 30th, 1819. I HAVE discussed, at great length, the idolatry of the church of Rome, as it consists in worshipping saints, images, and relics, and particularly the consecrated wafer, which, she says, is really her Christ and Saviour, and which she worships under this character. I come now to show the conformity of Romish idolatry with that of the heathens of ancient Rome, and other heathens, whose rites were adopted by what has falsely been called Christian Rome, and which, at this day, constitute the leading parts of popish worship, and are that by which the church of Rome is chiefly distinguished from other churches, at least so far as relates to external rites and ceremonies. Three centuries had not elapsed, when the church in Rome, whose faith, in the apostles' days, was spoken of throughout the whole world, had become so deplorably degenerate, that she readily received into her bosom persons who had no faith at all; mere worldly men, who were heathens, both in principle and practice, and who were quite incapable of making a common cause with the disciples of Christ, or maintaining the purity of Christian worship. Such persons, instead of seeking to promote the glory of Christ, and the salvation of men, would follow the natural bias of their own minds. Christianity was, by this time, rising into some degree of respectability in the world. There were many great men who professed to be Christians; and there were many, no doubt, ready to join them, if they could but satisfy themselves that, by doing so, they would promote their interest. When Constantine, called the Great, took Christianity under his protection, and gave it a legal establishment, it became very evident that the way to rise in the world, was to be of the emperor's religion. Thus, many made a profession of Christianity who were really heathens, and whose influence, after being admitted into the church, was exerted to reduce Christian worship to a conformity with that of the heathen temple. The spirit of proselytism still continued; but it was no longer a desire to win souls to the Saviour; but merely to gain men to the church; and if they were great men, and noble princes, the leading men in the church were ready to concede almost any thing, for the sake of securing them. It was no longer necessary that men should deny themselves, and take up the cross, and become followers of Christ, in lowliness of mind, deadness to the world, and liveliness towards God and spiritual things. It was enough that they submitted to baptism, that they took the name of Christian, and that they paid due respect to the image of the cross. They retained all their heathenish notions and affections; and to keep them quiet in their Christian profession, it became necessary to indulge them in their heathen practices and modes of worship. The church, by degrees, became full of such members; and her worship became that which is practised in the church of Rome to this day,-no better than the profane mummery of heathen superstition. I shall proceed to prove this by a number of instances, furnished by one who was an eyewitness of the different parts of Romish worship, as practised in Rome itself; and whose extensive and intimate acquaintance with the writings and practices of ancient heathens, qualified him, in an eminent degree, for tracing the Romish rites to their heathen original. I refer to Dr. Middleton, whose "Letter from Rome" supplies abundant materials for this part of my subject. The remaining part of this number shall be occupied by extracts from this letter. I do not believe the work is much known among the readers of my papers, and therefore I make no apology for treating them with so much matter that is not original. I am following the example of a writer in THE TIMES newspaper, under the signature of IGNOTUS, who, about two years ago, published a number of letters in that paper, and afterwards in the form of a three shilling pamphlet, of which Middleton's letter is confessedly the basis. "Many of our divines have, I know, with much learning and solid reasoning, charged, and effectually proved, the crime of idolatry, on the church of Rome; but these controversies, (in which there is still something plausible to be said on the other side, and where the charge is constantly denied, and with much subtlety evaded,) are not capable of giving that conviction, which I immediately received from my senses the surest witnesses of fact, in all cases; and which no man can fail to be furnished with, who sees popery, as it is exercised in Italy, in the full pomp and display of its pageantry; and practising all its arts and powers without caution or reserve. The similitude of the popish and pagan religion seemed so evident and clear, and struck my imagination so forcibly, that I soon resolved to give myself the trouble of searching to the bottom; and to explain and demonstrate the certainty of it, by comparing together the principal and most obvious parts of each worship; which, as it was my first employment after I came to Rome, shall be the subject of my first letter." "The very first thing that a stranger must necessarily take notice of, as soon as he enters their churches, is the use of incense or perfumes in their religious offices: the first step which he takes within the door, will be sure to make him sensible of it, by the offence that he will immediately receive from the smell, as well as smoke of this incense, with which the whole church continues filled for some time after every solemn service. A custom received directly from paganism; and which presently called to my mind the old descriptions of the heathen temples and altars, which are seldom or ever mentioned by the ancients, without the epithet of perfumed or incensed." Pages 132-134, 4th ed. I forbear giving the authorities, and the Greek and Latin quotations, which the author gives in the margin. Readers who wish to see these, will have recourse to the work itself. "In some of their principal churches, where you have before you, in one view, a great number of altars, and all of them smoking at once with steams of incense, how natural is it to suppose one's self transported into the temple of some heathen deity, or that of the Paphian Venus, described by Virgil? "Her hundred altars there with garlands crown'd, And richest incense smoking, breathe around VOL. I.-62 |