pointed, a mob was fully prepared to meet them. Numbers were dressed in the most fantastical manner, and those who were known or suspected. to be Methodists were ushered into the village with the beating of drums, and the playing of various musical instruments. A quantity of eggs had been provided, which were soon disposed of; and when these were exhausted, stones supplied their place. The scene now became serious. The moment the Preacher had read his text, and was on the point of commencing his discourse, a stone struck him on the side of the head with such violence that the blood flowed profusely. And so outrageous did the mob now become, that the attacked were obliged to sound a retreat, retire from the field, and seek shelter in a house, But neither here were they secure. The doors of the house were burst open, and the windows broken to pieces. While these shameful proceedings were going forward, two of the company went out for the purpose of endeavouring to appease their fury. But, as might naturally have been expected, all attempts to reason with a rabble were vain. Their interference only exposed them to worse usage. They were taken and thrown into the pond of a dunghill, and trampled upon; after which, as if satisfied at least for the present, these baptized heathens dispersed. The next day, application was made to a Magistrate, residing at Kirklinton, by some of the friends. But they were soon given to understand, that in those days there was no law for Methodists. Instead of affording redress, the worthy Magistrate, or some of his family, set the dogs upon them, and drove them from the house.

Carlisle was taken into the Whitehaven Circuit in the year 1769, during the whole of which, persecution continued to rage. At almost every meeting, multitudes of mischievous people assembled about the house, the windows were sometimes broken, stones and bricks frequently thrown, and the members were hissed at, and otherwise abused, as they passed along the streets.

The venerable Founder of Methodisin, first preached in the city on

Good Friday, April 13th, 1770, in a barn in Abbey-Street. This circumstance is thus noticed in his Journal:"It was here the day of small things, the Society consisting but of fifteen members, I preached at six, and as many as could hear behaved with the utmost seriousness. Afterwards I walked to Houghton, a village two miles from Carlisle, and on a hard clean bed slept in peace. Saturday. 14th, I preached at five to most of the village, though on so short a warning; and at eight in Carlisle. Leaving Mr. Rankin to preach in the evening, I rode on to Longtown, where, finding no better place to screen us from the wind, I stood in a large broad entry, with a room on either hand." Vol. iv. p. 437.

In 1785, a small chapel was built in Fisher-street; which, ten years afterwards, was considerably enlarged. The lower part of this building is now converted into dwelling houses, and the upper part let for a place of worship to the Baptists. Towards the erection of this house, a Mr. Bushby gave forty pounds; but going to America, and taking with him twenty-three of the small Society, while he helped them on the one hand by his liberal subscription, he weakened them on the other by reducing their number to about nine, On visiting Carlisle after the completion of this chapel, Mr. Wesley remarks, "I never found this Society so well united before. The preaching-house, begun three or four years ago, is now completely finished. It is neat, lightsome, and cheerful: but it was very ill able to contain the congregation. Several Ministers were there, and so was the power of God in an uncommon degree. All that were under the roof seemed to be moved more or less, and so they were in the morning, when I besought them to present themselves a living sacrifice to God." Vol. vi. p. 152.

Five years subsequently to the enlargement of the chapel, Messrs. Braithwaite, E. Miller, and Earnshaw, who were stationed at Whitehaven, were the means of a considerable revival in Carlisle. One consequence of this revival was, that in the year

The Abbé Bergier, in his "Die tionnaire de Theologie," a work in high repute among the Roman Catholics, and which contains the most laboured defences of every part of Popery, observes, that Bellarmine, Baronius, and others, maintain with their utmost ability, that the Pope is infallible in every doctrinal decision; and he acknowledges, that this is the general sentiment of the ultramontane theologians; but adds, that the more general opinion, sanctioned by the Council of Constance, and defended by the Clergy of France, is, that it is only the decisions of General Councils, or the decisions of the Pope, supported by the body of the Clergy, that are to be accounted infallible. "The Church, represented by the body of its Pastors," he remarks," is infallible; not only in its decisions respecting doctrine, but in all those also which relate to morals and worship:""nor does any Catholic Divine, of any nation, doubt the infallibility of a General Council, representing the whole Church, nor differ in the opinion, that the judg ment of the Sovereign Pontiff, when confirmed by the body of Pastors, although dispersed, possesses the same authority and infallibity as a General Council." (Bergier, Dict. Theol. T. iv. Art. Infaillible, Infaillibilistes.)

On the power of the keys," and of" binding and loosing," the celebrated translators and annotators of the Rhemish New Testament thus express the views of their Church

The Keys, That is, the authority or chair of doctrine, knowledge, judgment, and discretion, between true and false doctrine: the height of government, the power of making laws, of calling councils, of the principal voice in them, of confirming them, of continuing them, of making canons and wholesome decrees, of abrogating the contrary, of ordaining Bishops and Pastors, or deposing and suspending them; finally, the power to dispense the goods of the Church, both spiritual and temporal. Which signification of pre-eminent power and authority by the word 'keys' the Scripture expresseth in many places: namely,

speaking of Christ, I have the keys of death and hell; that is, the rule. And again, I will give the key of the house of David upon his shoul der.' Moreover, it signifieth, that men cannot come into heaven but by him; the keys signifying also autho rity to open and shut; as it is said, Apoc. iii., of Christ, Who hath the keys of David; he shutteth and no man openeth. By which words we gather, that Peter's authority is mar vellous, to whom the keys, that is, the power to open and shut heaven is given. And, therefore, by the name of the keys is given that supereminent power, which is called, in comparison of the power granted to other Apostles, Bishops, and Pas tors, plenitudo potestatis, fulness of power.

"Whatsoever thou shalt bine. All kind of discipline, and punishment of offences, either spiritual, (which directly is here meant,) or corporal, so far as it tendeth to the execution of the spiritual charge, is comprised under the word bind. Of which sort be excommunications, anathe mas, suspensions, degradations, and other censures and penalties, enjoine ed either in the sacrament of confes sion, or in the exterior courts of the church, for punishment both of other crimes, and specially of heresy and rebellion against the church, and the chief Pastors thereof.

"Loose. To loose, is, as the causé and the offender's case requireth, to loose them of any the former bands, and to restore them to the church's sacraments, and communion of the faithful, and execution of their function; to pardon also, either all or part of the penance enjoined; or what debts soever man oweth to God or the church, for the satisfaction of his sins forgiven; which kind of releasing or loosing is called Indulgence:' finally, this whatsoever,' excepteth nothing that is punishable, or pardonable, by Christ on earth; for he hath committed his power to Peter; and so the validity of Peter's sentence in binding or loosing whatsoever, shall, by Christ's promise, be ratified in heaven." (Rhemish N. T. printed at Antwerp, 1600.)

The Council of Cirta, or Zerta,

in Numidia, addressed a Synodal epistle to the Donatists, in which the, exclusive principles of Catholicism are clearly expressed in the following terms: "Whoever is separated from the Catholic Church, notwithstanding his conduct may be excellent in other respects, yet because he is criminally disunited from Christ, he shall not have life, but the ' wrath of God abideth on him.""(Labbei S. S. Concilia.)

2. Tyrannical in its authority. Every secret must be exposed in confession; the severest penances must be endured, when enjoined by the Confessor; the right of private judgment must be sacrificed to the decisions of the church; no books must be read but what are sanctioned by authority; the Holy Scriptures must not be in the possession of the Laity, nor be perused by them, without the permission of the Clergy; all Protestant versions are utterly forbidden; and the direst anathemas are denounced against heretics, and their persons and property injuriously treated.

Confession, usually called auricular, from being secret, is the "declaration which a sinner makes of his faults to a Priest, in order to receive absolution." By the Fourth Council of Lateran, held in 1215, under Innocent III., it was ordained, "That every member of the Catholic Church, who had attained the age of discretion, whether male or female, should confess all their sins to the Priest once a year at least: and by the same Council it was declared, that the secrets of confession should, in all cases, without exception be inviolable." (Bergier, Dict. de Theol. T. ii.)

The term penance is applied to those "acts and punishments which the Confessor enjoins on the penitent, as a satisfaction for the sins of which he has received absolution." Of the manner in which this power is sometimes exercised, we may judge from the following extract from an old work, written about the eighth century, and referring to such as had refused, at first, to submit to the imposition of penance. "Some are to be chastised, with imprisonment,

others with fetters, or scourges; and let others incur the loss of their money, estate, or country; let others be laid under perpetual servitude, either divine or human :" i. e. most probably, either to some Bishop or monastery, or else to their temporal lords. (Bergier, Dict. Theol. T. vi. Johnson's Canons, A. D. 740.)

"Laymen," say the Rhemish translators, must not judge of their Pastors, of the sense of Scripture, (or) of questions in religion:" they also declare, that" the confession of the truth is not grateful to God, proceeding from every person. The devil acknowledging our Saviour to be the Son of God, was bidden hold his peace; Peter's confession of the same was highly allowed and rewarded. Therefore neither Heretics' sermons must be heard; no, not though they preach the truth. So is it of their prayer and service, which being never so good in itself, is not acceptable to God out of their mouths: yea, it is no better than the howling of wolves." (Rhemish N. T. Index and Notes on Mark iii. 12. Printed at Antwerp. 1600. 4to.)

Bishop Bossuet, in a celebrated work sanctioned by Innocent XI., states it to be an established maxim of the Roman Catholic Church, "That every particular church, and much more every particular person amongst the faithful, ought to believe themselves obliged to submit their private judgment to the authority of the Church." (Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholic Church. Sect. xx. Lond, 1686. 12mo.)

"A Christian man," according to the Rhemish Annotators, "is bound to burn or deface all wicked books, of what sort soever, specially here. tical books; which, though they infect not him always that keepeth them, yet being forthcoming, they may be noisome and pernicious to others that shall have them and read them after his death, or otherwise. Therefore hath the Church taken orders for condemning all such books, and against the reading of them, where danger may ensue; and the Christian Einperors, Constantinus Magnus, Valentinian, Theodo