"Though gay companions o'er the bowl Dispel awhile the sense of ill, Though pleasure fill the maddening soul, The heart-the heart is lonely still. "Ay, but to die, and go, alas! Where all have gone, and all must go, To be the nothing that I was, Ere born to life and living woe! "Count o'er the joys thine hours have seen, Count o'er thy days from anguish free, And know, whatever thou hast been, 'Tis something better not to be. "Nay, for myself, so dark my fate Through every turn of life hath been, Man and the world so much I hate, I care not when I quit the scene." The bitter sarcasm of the poet contrasts indeed with the glorious pæan of the Apostle, "I have fought a good fight, I am ready to be offered up. There is reserved for me a crown of righteousness." Voltaire, the French atheist, pronounced the world to be full of wretches, and himself the most wretched of them all. Mirabeau, one of the same school, died, calling, in his last moments, for opium to deaden the terrible forebodings of coming woe. Paine died intoxicated and blaspheming. Hobbes, prepared to take a leap in the dark; and Hume died joking and jesting about the boat of Charon, very much, I suspect, in the way which school-boys whistle when they walk through a dark and lonely place, just to keep their spirits up, and their terrors down; but Paul, of far different character, breaks forth as he departs, in the euthanasia indicated in the text, "I have fought a good fight." He Why should there be this contrast? Was Paul a fanatic? He was the soberest of men. Was he a mere mystic dreamer? He was the most logical of reasoners. Was he a novice? had been in perils by land, in perils by sea, in perils amongst false brethren, arrested, tried, beaten, scourged, imprisoned; and yet, at the close of all, conscious that he had a rock beneath him, and a bright light above him, and a glorious home before him-he breaks forth in those thrilling, almost inspiring, certainly inspiriting, accents, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which God the righteous Judge shall give me at that day." I do indeed believe, that a sober and extensive comparison of the death-beds of those who have repudiated the Gospel, with the dying moments of those who have accepted and rejoiced in it, would alone convince mankind that Christianity is true-that Infidelity, practical or theoretical, is a deception-a delusion, mischievous in life, and miserable at death. Biography. THOMAS DOOLITTLE. Most of our readers have heard of the excellent Thomas Doolittle, and perhaps have met with some of his spiritstirring and powerful writings. They who have once tasted the salt of them will wish he had written more. This admirable man, who was one of the most laborious and effective ministers of his day, was born at Kidderminster, modious place of worship, in Monkin the year 1630. The ministry of the well-street. Here he preached to a renowned Richard Baxter, of Kidder- numerous auditory, and had many minster, was the means of his conver- seals to his ministry. A great and sion, and he was sent by his spiritual effectual door being opened to him, and father to Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. others of his brethren in the ministry, Upon his leaving the University, it excited the rage of many adverhaving previously taken the degree of saries. A king's messenger, with a Master of Arts, he came to London; company of the trained bands, came and the parish of St. Alphage, London at midnight to seize Mr. Doolittle in Wall, being vacant, he was, about his house; but while they were break1653, chosen to be their pastor. He ing open the door, he got over the continued here nine years, viz., till wall, and made his escape. He purBlack Bartholomew Day, 1662, when, posed to have preached the next mornhaving carefully studied the terms re- ing, but was prevailed on to forbear; quired to enable him to remain in the and the minister who supplied his Establishment, and prayed for Divine place had a very narrow escape. For direction, he saw it to be his duty to while in his sermon, a company of solbe a Nonconformist. Worldly advan-diers came into the meeting-house, and tages presented to him no temptation, the officer who led them called aloud when in competition with conscience; to him, "I command you in the king's so that he determined to cast himself and family upon the care of Providence. On the day after he preached his farewell sermon, one of his parishioners, after expressing his sorrow for the loss of his ministry, and approving his faithfulness to Christ and conscience, presented him with twenty pounds, saying, "There was something to buy bread for his children, as an encouragement to his future trust." He then set up a school in Moorfields, but his boarders increasing, he hired a larger house near Bunhill-fields. When human laws clash with the Divine, it is strange that any godly persons should hesitate about which ought to be obeyed. Mr. Doolittle being persuaded of his duty, and having counted the cost, his zeal for God, and compassion to souls, led him to open a meeting-house, first near his dwelling; and when that proved too strait, he took a piece of ground, and erected a large and com name to come down." The minister answered, "I command you, in the name of the King of kings, not to disturb his worship, but let me go on." Upon which the officer bade his men to fire. The minister, undaunted, clapt his hand upon his breast, and said, "Shoot, if you please, you can only kill the body." The people upon this being all in an uproar, he got away in the crowd unobserved. For some weeks after, guards were set before the meeting-house, on Lord's days, to prevent the worship of God being carried on there. At length the justices came, and had the pulpit pulled down, and the doors fastened, with the king's broad arrow set upon them. Upon the liberty granted in 1672, Mr. Doolittle resumed his place; but such was the iniquity of the times, that he was soon obliged to remove to Wimbleton; and while he resided here, he met with a remarkable Providence. As he was one day riding out with a friend, seventy-seventh year of his age, and he was met by a military officer, who took hold of his horse. Mr. Doolittle asking him what he meant by stopping him on the king's highway, he looked earnestly at him, but not being certain who he was, let him go, and went away threatening, "that he would know who that black devil was before he was three days older." Some of Mr. Doolittle's friends were much concerned for his safety; but, on the third day, a person brought him word, that the captain was choked at his table, with a bit of bread. After this he removed to Battersea, where his goods were seized and sold; and he was sued in the crown-office for several hundred pounds, for the heinous offences of teaching youth, and of preaching the Gospel. At length, the Toleration Act being passed, in the reign of King William, he returned to his place and people in Monkwell-street, where he continued as long as he lived, preaching the Gospel twice every Lord's day Mr. Doolittle was a man who made religion his daily concern; he held on without fainting in his work, to the the fifty-third of his ministry. A life prolonged beyond his usefulness was the greatest trial he feared, but the Lord graciously prevented it; for, on the Lord's day before his death, he preached with great vigour, and was confined but two days to his bed. In the valley of the shadow of death he had such a sense of the Divine presence, as proved a powerful cordial for his support. Being desired by his son, when he lay speechless, to signify, by uplifting his hand, if he had inward peace and satisfaction, as to his eternal state, he readily lifted up his hand, and soon after fell asleep, May 24, 1707; being the last of the London ministers ejected by the Act of Uniformity. His body was interred in Bunhill-fields, and followed by a numerous train of true mourners. The precise spot of his interment is not now known. But it matters not. That which has escaped the eye of mortals, is known to the Master, and in the morning of the resurrection he will awake from his long sleep to enter into the joy of his Lord. Popery. POPERY IN LONDON. THAT invaluable Institution, the London City Mission, has, since its formation, done more than all other instrumentalities united, to reveal the evils which are wrapped up in darkness throughout the more benighted districts of this mighty Metropolis. In the crowded streets and lanes, and in all the chief places of public concourse, men meet and mingle without distinction, and it is difficult to form an estimate of the groups they severally con stitute, and the characters the individuals sustain. Their dress, countenance, air, and manner, may be marked and scrutinized; but very little can be ascertained as to their real character, spirit, temper, or views of religion. To get at these matters, they must be followed to their haunts and homes, and there dealt with individually. Now, this is just what is done by the London City Mission. We are at present concerned with the Popish branch of that Mission, which, on many accounts, is at present one of peculiar interest. People hear of Popery in Ireland, in Belgium, in Spain, in Portugal, in France, and elsewhere, and of its degrading and brutalizing effects on human society; and in hearing of this, they are but too apt to bless themselves that the awful pestilence is far away, little reflecting that it is nigh, even at their own doors. A careful perusal of the Report of the Missionaries to the Romanists in London is much fitted to correct the error, and to inspire a healthful feeling on the subject of Popery, and its relation to Protestantism in England. In furtherance of this good work, we shall now present a brief digest of the Reports of the Missionaries aforesaid. PRIESTLY HATRED TO PROTESTANT CHURCHES. A NARROW ESCAPE. There is an Englishman in the neighbourhood, who became a pervert a short time ago, and being acquainted with a woman named - at No.-, street, he told her that he was now a convert, -that Protestants very much misrepresented the Catholic religion, and that the priest did not profess to forgive any one; because when he went to confession, the priest only said, "Now do you pray for me, and I will pray for you." He also gave her some books, which she said completely changed her mind. This woman is connected with the Wesleyans, and as far as I can see she is a sincere, well-disposed person, though illiterate. When I went to see the woman afterwards, she made use of some Popish expressions in reference after that manner; she said she was to the dead. I asked her why she spoke beginning to believe that the Catholic religion was right, and then gave her reasons for thinking so, as narrated above. I told her, that in reference to confession, what she was told was a direct falsehood. "Well," said she, at length, after much conversation, "I am very glad you called just now, for I was about to forsake my own religion,-my mind was painfully exer I met one boy afterwards, who ab sented himself. I spoke to him about his non-attendance. Ah," said he, "Father insists I must not go. The priest has spoke to me, and said your school was a dangerous bad school." "Well," said I, "and what do you think of it, now that you can judge?" "Ah," said he, "I know the difference very well; I should willingly go if Father left." This boy afterwards came, and is a very promising youth. I have found in my experience that when a Roman Catholic once attains to any knowledge of the Scriptures, he is ever afterwards a different person from what he was, even though he may not leave Rome. The chains of prejudice and bigotry fall to the ground. You can talk to him as a reasonable man. He thinks more favourably of the Protestant religion Christ was the way, the truth, and the than he did before. He has no oblife, &c. jection to send his children to a Pro cised. I have not attended Protestant worship this month past, but now I am satisfied, I see what it is; I am truly thankful you called." Another woman, from Scotland, was induced to send for the priest after her confinement. nial sprinkling, before he gave her the He first put her through some ceremoholy ointment. When I called in course of visitation to see her, she was quite well, and though I did not know then what had previously happened, yet I saw that she was seriously tainted. But I explained the whole system to her in such a way, that she owned it was false and unscriptural, and that testant school; and he does not think THE PRIEST'S OPINIONS OF A CONVERT. it a sin to be confessed to receive a tract, hear the Bible read, or go into a church and hear a minister preach a a sermon. They said I was a turncoat, who had sold myself to the devil, and that I came to see if I could induce them to do the same. Labouring under this impression, I was not surprised at their opposition against me, knowing that the Romish priests in Ireland make it the principal and most important part of their unholy functions, to denounce and excommunicate those who attempt to read the Bible either to themselves or their neighbours, but that especially if they became turncoats to the Protestant religion, they denounce them as devils and Antichrist, to be abhorred of all men. This being the fact, how can we be astonished at the reception which Irish Protestants receive from their poor benighted country people? For my part, I was not surprised at their threats and intolerance towards me, knowing, long before I came to London, something of the persecution which we are called upon to endure for the cause of the Gospel. ZEAL TO MAKE PROSELYTES. redeemed by the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus. These gentlemen, having a knowledge of where I labour, endeavoured to prejudice the Irish against me, but, like David of old, I will look unto the hills from whence cometh my help, to Him that said, "I will work, and who shall let it ?" ENCOUNTER WITH A CARMELITE. court, The In visiting the houses in on September the 11th, on calling on an aged man named, a Roman Catholic, living at No.-, I found a Romish Carmelite with him. In entering the room, the poor man welcomed me in his own homely way, as usual, and said he was glad to see me. Carmelite wears a long cloak and a cross suspended, with the following inscription-" Mary, pray for me." The Carmelite looked at me with some surprise, and asked me if I was a Catholic; to which I replied that I was a Protestant Catholic. "Yes," says the poor man; "he is a Protestant. He calls to see me whenever he comes to the court." The Carmelite then referred to the Mass, and said, "Who can prove that Christ is not offered up in the sacrifice of the Mass for the sins of the living and the dead?" I re When my wife came from Ireland, she brought a first cousin of mine with her from thence, thinking she would be able to obtain servitude in London. At this time we lived with a Roman Catholic landlady, an Irishwoman, who prevailed on her infatuated husband, an Englishman, to become a Papist. As is generally the case with bigoted Romanists, they busy them-ferred to Heb. x., where it is written, selves with their neighbour's affairs at the confessional. When our landlady informed the priest that this young woman was reading the Protestant Bible, and that I was endeavouring to infuse into her mind the poison of Protestantism, the consequence was, that two priests sent for her, took her from me, and paid for her board and lodging for some weeks, until she made proper restitution for reading the Bible, or having anything to do with me. Then they sent her to America. I might also remark, that they sent her several times to me, to see if I would recant my Protestantism, and become a Papist, offering that they would employ me as a catechist to the Irish, and that they would make my salary double as much as I had from the London City Mission, or that they would send me to America; but I spurned with disdain the wages of unrighteousness, stating that I could not sell for money that which was only that "Christ offered himself once for the sins of the world." He remarked, "The Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice." I answered, "The Mass is not a propitiatory sacrifice, for there is no propitiation where there is no blood," Heb. ix. 22. He brought forth a passage in Gen. xiv. to prove the Mass. After showing him that the offering of Christ upon the cross was once for all, I drew his attention to some facts that came under my own notice in Ireland, concerning the priest's offering up the Saviour for the potatoes, for the cattle, and for the fishes. I then put the question to him, "Could the Saviour be offered for the potatoes, for the beasts of the fields, or the fishes of the sea ?" To this he made no reply. I then entreated him with all earnestness to open his eyes to the truth of the Gospel, and not to believe such a monstrous lie as that a mortal creature can make his Creator and then eat him. He argued very coolly and |