antiquity were dragged in triumph. This is perhaps the only example of the entire extirpation of any ancient and popular superstition. One cause of the Greeks embracing Christianity more readily and more generally than other nations among whom it was preached, might, possibly be,that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul had long been inculcated by their philosophers, and imbibed by the people. This, at least, we find among the five causes of the early progress of Christianity, enumerated by the sceptical historian of the Decline and fall of the Roman Empire." But it is very questionable after all, whether Christianity was indebted for its early triumphs in Greece, to the teachings of philosophy.

There was an appearance of harmony and friendship kept up between the Greek Church and the Church of Rome, for seven centuries after the first spread of Christianity. The schism or separation took place in the eighth century. It arose out of a dispute on the propriety of worshipping images. The Latin Church had introduced images of Christ and his mother. The Greeks abjured the use of them, and Leo endeavoured to enforce the adoption of them with the sword. The Latins refused to yield, and hence arose the division between the Greek and Latin Churches. Though the former has departed widely from the "faith once delivered to the saints," and is now sunk in deplorable ignorance, it is yet regarded by Mr. Howe as less corrupt than the latter.

"The Greeks deny the supremacy and infallability of the Pope of Rome; but substitute for him their Patriarch, whose seat is Constantinople; and who, they contend, is the head of the true Catholic Church.

"The Greek Church condemns as idolatrous, the use of images, as practised in the Romish Church. But for images, it substitutes pictures. It does not condemn its priests to celibacy, though no priest can marry a second time; nor can any married priest rise to the rank of Bishop.

"It rejects the Romish doctrine of purgatory; but it directs masses for the souls of the dead. Unlike the Romish Church, it does not condemn the people to an ignorance of the scriptures. But the invocation of the Saints, and the adoration of the Virgin Mary, is carried by the people to a much greater extent, even than is allowed by the canons of the Church. The Panagea, or All holy Virgin, is to the Greeks, the Alpha and the Omega of their religion; more prayers are addressed to her, and more confidence is placed in her intercession with the Father, than in that of the Son. The walls of every house are covered with her pictures, and the meanest hut or the poorest fishing boat, is never found day or night, without a lamp trimmed and burning before the picture of the Virgin.

"The Scriptures are professedly the rule of faith to the Greek Church, but explained and modified by the decrees of the first Ser-. en Councils.

"The Greeks do not differ materially in their creed from the Roman Catholic or the Latin Church. Like the latter, they are bigotedly attached to their religion, which, however, exists so much in outward ceremony, and has so little of spirituality, that it must be an abomination in the sight of Him, who, to be worshipped acceptably, must be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CREED.

To the following creed of Pius IV. says the Christian Observer, every non-Catholic on his admission to the Roman Church, is requested to testify his assent without retraction or qualification:

"I most firmly admit and embrace apostol cal and ecclesiastical traditions, and all constitutions and observances of the same church.

"I also admit the sacred scriptures, according to the sense which the holy mother church has held, and does hold, to whom it belongs to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy Scriptures; nor will I ever take or interpret them otherwise than according to the unanimous consent of the fathers.

"I profess, also, that there are truly and properly seven sacraments of the new law, &c. namely, baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, extreme unction, order and matrimony; and that they confer grace.

"I receive and embrace all and every one of the things which have been defined and declared in the holy Council of Trent, concerning original sin and justification."

"I profess, likewise, that in the mass, is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead." The remaining part of this clause affirms transubstantiation.

"I confess, also, that under either kind alone, whole and entire Christ and a true sacrament is received."

The next articles affirm, "that there is a purgatory; that the saints are to be honoured and invoked, that they offer prayers to God for us, and that their relics are to be venerated; that due honour and veneration are to be paid to the images of Christ, and of the mother of God, ever virgin, and also of the other saints."

"I also affirm, that the power of indulgences was left by Christ in the church, and that the use of them is most wholesome to Christian people.

"I acknowledge the holy Catholic and Apostolical Church, the mother and mistress of all churches: and I promise and swear true obedience to the Roman Bishop, the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the Apostles, and vicar of Jesus Christ.

"I also profess and undoubtingly receive all other things delivered, and defined, and declared by the sacred canons, and general councils, and particularly by the holy Council of Trent: and like

wise I do condemn, reject, and anathematize all things contrary thereto, and all heresies whatsoever, condemned and anathematized by the church.

"This true Catholic faith, out of which none can be saved, which I now freely profess and truly hold, I, N. promise, vow and swear most constantly to hold and profess the same whole and entire, with God's assistance, to the end of my life. Amen."

From Faber's "Difficulties of Romanisn...”

POPERY.

Some modern protestants are wont, very innocently to maintain, that the church of Rome is now very different from her ancient self. But when did we hear a Latin profess that his church had changed? NEVER.

In proof of the immutability of the Roman church, I cite not the wild and furious declamation of some vulgar fanatic. I turn to a scholar and a gentleman: I adduce the present bishop of Aire.

"The principles of the Latin church once defined, are irrevocacable. She herself is immutably chained by bonds, which at no future period can she ever rend asunder.*

Thus speaks a very estimable Roman ecclesiastic; and his meaning is fully explained by the line of argument which he has chosen. He calls upon us to unite or rather to submit to his church; and, as the consistent advocate of that church, he vindicates idolatry, stigmatizes the reformation, patronizes the eve of St. Bartholomew, lays the blame of persecution upon the persecuted, palliates the Inquisition, and censures freedom of religious worship.

The editor of the Christian Mirror remarks, that Popery is the same as formerly, evidence of a kind different from the above, is beginning to exhibit itself, even in our own country. Take the following from the N. Y. Journal of Commerce. How long shall our apathy continue in regard to this "mother of abominations?" "We perceive by the Charleston papers, that on the 4th of July, the "novel and sublime ceremony of blessing a military standard, was performed in the Roman Catholic Cathedral in that city, by the Bishop, in full pontifical dress, wearing his mitre, and carrying his crozier." We hoped that such mummery would be confined to countries less enlightened than this, believing as we do, that our horses, asses, standards, tea-kettles, &c. are well enough without being blessed by the priests.

TEMPERANCE.

A distinguished merchant of Boston, recently informed the Rev. Mr. Cleaveland, of Salem, that the principal trader in a town in New-Hampshire, who had regularly bought all his goods of him, and had been obliged always to obtain them on a long credit, re"Disscus Amic. vol. ii. p. 324.

marked this spring, when he came to purchase his usual supply of spring goods, "I shall ask you, sir, to credit me for only half of what I buy, and that half for only six months-and the next time, I shall pay you for all my goods, in ready cash. "Oh," said this delightful trader, "we are all becoming thrifty, prosperous men at we are growing rich. We expend less than one-eighteenth as much for ardent spirits as we did two years ago. And the conse quence is, our farms and fences, and buildings are all rapidly im proving, and we shall soon be a wealthy town, a peaceful and hap py town."

N. B. The town referred to, expended a few years since, for ardent spirits, annually, Nine Thousand Dollars; more than $8500 of which is now saved. When to this we add the superior health, vigour and prudence of temperate men, it is not surprising that the people are growing rich and prosperous.-There is no village in the land where the people would not grow rich, if they would totally abstain from the use of ardent spirits.

POETRY.

N. Y. Obs.

FROM THE VISITER AND TELEGRAPH.

DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH!

A sound of mirth was heard by night,
Its merry peals rang high,-

And song and dance and sinful rite
Bade the wing'd moments fly.—
Glad Sodom, in her pomp and pride
Gave up her soul to glee,

And proud Gomorrah by her side
Rang with the revelry.

Thy streets. Zeboim, too were glad,
Glad with unholy mirth-

And Admah's drunken sons were mad,
And ruled upon the earth.

The night passed on-The torch's light,
Flash'd far from tower and wall
And gay forms, gliding to the sight,
Glanced bright from bower to hall!
The morning came-and all was still,
Save they, the warn'd from high,
Who fast toward the distant hill,
With hurried steps fled by.
The sun arose, and fiercely swept
Along his redd'ning path,

While Riot's drunken sons still slept,
Nor dreamed of coming wrath.
There is a dark cloud rolling on,
Swift as a rushing flood;

Its heaving bosom dim and dun,
Seems filled with flame and blood
It closes o'er them-fierce and fast
Red streams of sulphur pour!
Lightning and smoke and fiery blast,
Mix with the thunder's roar.

And hark! a wild yell rends the sky,
Ten thousands shriek aloud,

The cry of mortal agony !

Man struggling with his God!

"Tis done! The cloud is rolled away

But where, O where are ye?

Yon dim, black lake alone can say,
Ye cities of the Sea!

C

JOB XI. 2......Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty, instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him answer it.

Joв enjoyed, for many years, great and uninterrupted prosperity. The candle of the Lord shone on his tabernacle, and the blessing of the Lord made him rich. He lived in favour with both God and man, and all things conspired to fill his heart with gratitude and his mouth with praise. Had these blessings been continued and increased, he might have run his race and finished his course without a murmur or complaint. But God saw fit, in the midst of his days and in the midst of his prosperity, to strip him of every thing which he held most dear and valuable in life, and to reduce him to the lowest state of adversity. Though at first he bowed in silent submission to the will of God; yet after brooding over his heavy calamities for several days, his heart rose in opposition to his Maker, and filled his mouth with bitter complaints. This gave rise to a long and sharp controversy between him and his friends, concerning the ways of Providence. And though he took the right side of this question, yet he did not manage it with that deference and submission, which became a creature in scanning the character and conduct of his Creator. God waited till Job and his friends had finished their dispute, and then undertook to reply to Job in particular. And as he knew, that Job had kept his eye on his own case, and had called in question the wisdom as well as equity of his sufferings; so he replied to his feel gs, rather than to what he had said in the course of the controversy with his friends. He first propounds a long series of questions to him, which were directly calculated to convince him of his utter incapacity to comprehend the works of creation and providence. And having fastened this conviction upon his mind, he directly charges him with the palpable absurdity of presuming to contend with his Creator, and to impeach his wisdom and rectitude, while under his chastising hand. 'Moreover, the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him answer it." Now, if Job contended with God under afflictions, then we may well conclude, that all men are apt to do the same, under the same circumstances; anu if it was absurd in him