and enlightened intelligence, to a state of spiritual thraldom and blind superstition. Of the nature of that thraldom and superstition, history abundantly testifies.

In commenting upon "the progress of sentiment," no apology is needed if a marked reference be made to the great questions which are now agitating the public mind.

The most ordinary observer, without any sectarian or denominational bias, cannot but look upon passing events, in relation to Protestantism and Popery, without feelings of the deepest interest. There has never been a period since the revolution of 1688, wherein these two great governing religious principles have appeared to be so antagonistic.

Protestantism was never dearer to those WHO TRULY UNDERSTAND ITS FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES, AND LIVE UNDER ITS INFLUENCE, than at the present time; yet when has there been a period, since the one referred to, when more daring and insidious assaults have been made to sap it at its very foundation?

What is now going forward within THE PROTESTANT pale? Has it not appeared, and does it not appear, that among the professed friends of Protestantism are to be found ITS DEADLIEST FOES?

There are within that pale men who are receiving the emoluments of a system professedly opposed to Rome, whilst they themselves are holding commerce with that hierarchy; nor is it too much to say, that from the existence of such discordant combinations there are within that pale THE ELEMENTS of its own dissolution.

There is too much reason to believe that our national seats of learning, both Oxford and Cambridge, MORE PARTICULARLY THE FORMER, are to an unknown extent seminaries for the Church of Rome.

Let but the intelligent inquirer upon this question give even a cursory perusal of "The Tract of the Times," and he will therein perceive the PAPISTICAL INOCULATION which has been insidiously going forward for years; and that the present prevalence of what is termed Puseyism, or Tractarianism, is but an INEVITABLE CONSE QUENCE of the same,

These noble institutions, over whose portals are inscribed, "No ADMITTANCE HERE EXCEPT UPON CONFORMITY," are unhappily proving, in an important degree, BUT the vestibulES TO THE GREAT

TEMPLE OF IDOLATRY AND SUPERSTITION.

Miss Martineau gives a concurrent view of the nature and operations of Tractarianism. After commenting upon the different influences at work in the two Universities, Cambridge and Oxford, that writer observes upon the latter :

"It was scarcely conceivable that Laud and his ways should have risen up again amongst us in the nineteenth century; yet those who had seen and heard what went on WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, told of priestly claims, and obedience of novices-of homage to the memory of Charles the Martyr-of devout reception and study of ancient tradition, and the Christian Fathers, and a PASSIONATE DISPARAGEMENT OF THE REFORMATION ;-of extreme reliance in the sacraments of the church-of the most frequent possible celebration of its services;-of the setting up oratories, and of crosses;of scrupularity about garments, and postures, and fasts;—and even auricular confession. Where so much was said something must be true; and it was not long before Oxford men published to the world ample evidence, that some strange things indeed were true."

The "Oxford Sect," thus denominated by Miss Martineau, put multiplied agencies at work for the dissemination of these views in all directions-through the press, as well as by means of the pulpit and private exhortation,

THE YOUNG."

AND VIGOROUS PROSELYTING AMONGST

¿The first business of the "Oxford Sect" was to enforce their tenets, THROUGH A SET OF TRACTS, which for some years gave to the sect the name of TRACTARIANS. Without extracting from the authoress as to the peculiar tenets advocated by them, it is further observed upon the effects of their tenets in the nineteenth century,-"The zealous Protestant of the empire saw spectacles which filled him WITH ANGER AND DISMAY; on the one hand, a striking increase of the Catholic body, from the earnestness with which noble and wealthy Catholics applied themselves TO USE THE PRESENT CRISIS FOR THE GOOD OF THEIR CHURCH; and on the other hand, THE RISE AND SPREAD OF A BODY WITHIN, AND FROM OUR OWN UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, who were always DISPARAGING PROTESTANTISM, AND THEMSELVES GROWING SO LIKE CATHOLICS, THAT IT WAS HARD FOR THE COMMON RUN, WHO USED PROTESTANTISM FOR A POLITICAL CRY, TO MAKE OUT THE DIFFERENCE. From month to month there were rumours of one or another Tractarian having gone over to Romanism-rumours which were highly resented, and proved in the Tracts' to be necessarily false; and for a while they were not true; but in no long time a conversion to Romanism BEGAN WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY, and spread so undeniably that THE KINDRED CHARACTER OF THE PRINCIPLES OF ROMANISM AND TRACTARIANISM HAS FOR SOME TIME CEASED TO BE DOUBTED."

* Miss Martineau's Thirty Years Peace, vol. 2., 'book IV., p. 129.

From the particulars given by Miss Martineau of the rise and progress of Tractarianism, and the zealous efforts of the "Oxford Sect" to disseminate their semi-papistical views, it does not appear to be a very great stretch of conjecture, that Jesuitism is at the root of the evil of what has been insidiously working at the great seat of learning referred to.

Are there any University tests for the detection of the members of the Society of Jesus? If tests were attempted, they would be

TOTALLY USELESS UNDER THEIR SYSTEM.

Dr. Arnold's views of Tractarianism, as given in his letters, will be read with interest :

"They are Roman Catholics at Oxford instead of at OscottRoman Catholics signing the Articles of a Protestant Church, and holding offices in its ministry. Now as I know you are a fair man, and I think that Oxford has as yet not deprived you of your wideness of mind, it is a real matter of interest to me to know how the fact of these men, being Roman Catholics in heart, which I quite allow, can be other than the grave charge against them, till they leave Oxford and our Protestant Church. I cannot at all conceive you can see this otherwise, any more than I can conceive how you can acquit Tract 90 of very serious moral delinquency. For surely the Feathers Tavern petitioners would have been quite as MUCH JUSTIFIED in retaining their preferments as and are justified in

remaining in our ministry.

"It seems to me that here is the stumbling-block of the Newmanites. THEY HATE THE REFORMATION-THEY HATE THE REFORMERS. It were scarce possible that they could subscribe honestly to the opinions of men whom they hate, even if we had never seen the process of their subscription in detail.

"Undoubtedly I think worse of Roman Catholicism in itself than I did some years ago. But my feelings towards a Roman Catholic are quite different from my feelings towards a Newmanite; because I think the one a fair enemy, THE OTHER A TREACHEROUS ONE. The one is the Frenchman in his own uniform, and within his own PRÆSIDIA; the other IS THE FRENCHMAN DISGUISED in a red coat, AND HOLDING A POST WITHIN OUR PRÆSIDIA FOR THE PURPOSE

OF BETRAYING IT. I should honour the first, and hang the second."*

It could not be supposed that the seeds of Tractarianism,SO CAREFULLY and PLENTIFULLY sown, and cast upon a soil so

*Dr. Arnold's Life and Letters of London, vol. 2, p. 284.

FERTILE FOR ITS RECEPTION, would fail to produce its fruits. The "Christian Times" has, in two of its numbers,* furnished two articles, drawn up with considerable ability, and which cannot be read with other than painful interest. A truly deplorable list is given of the Oxford and Cambridge seceders. It is observed by the writer :— "The Oxford List, for the correctness of which we venture to vouch, is subjoined. It is a most serious and lamentable document ;-in producing it, we would earnestly deprecate the idea of holding up the names of any to reprobation,-SORROW AND MOST PAINFUL REGRET

WOULD BE THE FEELINGS EXCITED IN THE BREASTS OF RIGHT-MINDED PROTESTANTS; but THE FACTS, IN THEIR MAGNITUDE, should be presented, and ought to sink deeply into the mind of the nation.

"To those who see THE IRRECONCILABLE ANTAGONISM between the system of Rome and the teaching of the New Testament, it would be a strange and conflicting thing that even five or ten members of the University—the teacher of teachers, sent for the defence of the Gospel and the propagation of the truth-these few would indicate the set of a mental current, and the operation of powerful, though unseen, influences. But what can be said; not fives or tens, but such numbers as are presented thus secede to Rome, from the Universities and the Church.

"As we glance down the list, and look at College after College, we see THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE INFECTION. Going from ancient University, from Balliol, from Merton-going from these ancient houses down to the last created and endowed College-upon each and all the plague spot is perceived. The leprosy of a common infection is upon every College." The subjoined list will exhibit, in some degree, the extent of the "common infection" thus adverted to, and the reader is now presented with a statement from the source to which reference has been made, in the first place of the OXFORD SECEDERS :— UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 13 Perverts. CORPUS CHRISTI COLL. 3 Perverts.

The twenty Colleges of Oxford now enumerated, have produced, it will be observed, according to the document quoted, NINETY-TWO PERVERTS TO THE PAPAL CHURCH. Notice will now be taken of the number of Perverts to Popery contributed by the CAMBRIDGE UNI

VERSITY.

TRINITY COLLEGE 22 Perverts.

ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE 10 Perverts. CORPUS CHRISTI COLL. 2 Perverts. ST. CATHERINE'S HALL 3

ST. PETER'S

CLARE HALL

3 1

EMMANUEL COLLEGE

In all 55. Or the two Universities giving together a total, according to the analytical view quoted, 147 Perverts from professedly Protestant Oxford and Cambridge, to the Church of Rome.*

It is said these are but the first fruits, or the earnest of extensive Puseyite inoculation. The shades of difference between Puseyism and Popery being comparatively so imperceptible as to enable the professors of the former to conform, or glide in with ease, to the formula of the latter.

Mr. Seymours, in his "Mornings among the Jesuits in Rome," states that in a conversation with one of them, it was declared that the Jesuits had secret sources of information regarding the religious condition of this country :-"That there was a large section of the Church of England—and that too an increasing section—steadily and surely inclined to the Church of Rome; and added that, although I might not be aware of the fact, YET HE KNEW IT FROM SOURCES OF INFORMATION THAT WERE NOT ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, that multitudes in England were privately coming over to the Church of Rome."

The Papists rejoice over the adhesions to popery of a Spencer, a Fielding, a Newman, a Wilberforce, a Manning, or a Simeon, and some others of lesser distinction. There is, doubtless, a deep, wide-spread, and insidious under-current at work against the Protestantism of this country. Nor need there be any hesitation in declaring that there is too much reason to fear that JESUITISM, by its inconceivable agencies, BOTH WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE CHURCH, AS WELL AS AT THE UNIVERSITIES, IS EXERCISING A POWER WHICH NO LAW

CAN REACH.

The British Quarterly Review, in noticing several works upon Jesuitism, thus comments upon its nature, principles, and practice :

"Jesuitism is the army of Papal Rome. Every army must have weapons of offence and defence. Of special necessity are arms to

*For names of THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE PERVERTS, see Appendix B.