"How can a sinner know, His sins on earth forgiven ? And could say— "We who in Christ believe, That he for us hath died, And both the witnesses are joined, Light chases away darkness. When Mr. D. attained to this faith, the chains of Rome were burst asunder, the scales fell from his eyes; he could say, “This one thing I know, whereas I was blind, now I see.” The interesting conversations I held with this man would fill a little volume. His disease, an internal tumour, assumed a more threatening aspect, and after intense suffering he expired, witnessing to the last " a good confession" in Christ Jesus. Just before he died, he sent for me, and expired almost before the echo of the prayer of the Protestant visitor had died away. To be read to, and prayed with, seemed his great delight. "Mr. Vanderkiste," he would say, "it's sweet to me; he might have added, " Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart," Jer. xv. 16. I had many opportunities of watching Mr. D.'s outward conduct and demeanour during the course of the very long and varying affliction which terminated his life. When able, he was careful in attendance on Protestant public worship, and his walk and conversation were 66 as becometh the Gospel of Christ." I will next allude to two sisters, who both lived and died upon my district. Both were educated in profession of the Roman Catholic superstition, and were two of the most desperate characters with whom I ever met. One of these poor women died of cholera in 1849, and was visited by me up to the period of her decease: the other fell to the earth in a fit in a neighbouring court, and died very shortly afterwards. The use of strong drink (principally large quantities of beer) had so completely bloated her system, that the blood had become too sizy properly to circulate. Both these sisters would be drunk daily for a week uninterruptedly. These women, so far as they cared for religion at all, clung to some of the deadly errors connected with the Romish system. The one who died of cholera assured me she prayed for forgiveness, but I doubt it was merely said to please me. The priest was sent for whilst she was dying, who prayed by her, and gave her the "wafer," and this being done, or, to use their own phraseology, "the clergyman having prepared her for heaven," her relatives appeared perfectly satisfied respecting her condition, whilst the soul of the stranger almost groaned in anguish over her soul. Both these women were very powerful, complete giantesses. On my mildly expostulating with them on one occasion, whilst intoxicated-I was beset by them in so abomi*It may be well to state, for the information of any young reader who may be unacquainted with Romanism, that nable a manner that I could not avoid doing so-one declared resolutely she would drive me out of the neighbourhood, and actually commenced carrying her threat into execution, driving me before her like a child. When sober, she came to me and apologised for her conduct, but in a strange manner. The genius of the Romish teaching tends to harden in criminality, for the fact cannot be evaded, that the ignorant Romanist believes his priest can forgive his sins. It is said, "by repentance;" be it so- but the measure of the repentance, we must remember, is not the amount of sorrow to God, but of obedience to the priest— the execution of any penance he may enjoin. the "wafer" is a lozenge of paste, administered as the sacrament, at the altar, and also privately to Roman Catholics, when in dying circumstances. The Trent Catechism, and all authoritative Romish books which allude to the matter, define the wafer as containing, after consecration by the priest, "the very body of the man Christ Jesus, composed of flesh, blood, and sinews, together with his soul and divinity." A Roman Catholic, to whom I was made useful to some extent, on attending a Protestant place of worship to receive the ordinance, when offered the bread, opened his mouth. This occasioned surprise to some; but so holy is this "wafer God" esteemed by Romanists, that the laity are not permitted to handle it, but receive it from their priest into their mouths. When our blessed Saviour brake the bread and gave to his disciples, saying, "This is my body," etc., "this do in remembrance of me,” (Luke xxii.,) he was still alive on earth. According, therefore, Whether every Romish priest teaches his flock that he can remit their sins without due repentance, is another question; but that the ignorant masses of Romanists confess and execute any penance enjoined, and then rest satisfied that their sins are forgiven, or rather care no more about the matter, I cannot doubt. Even a common prostitute, a Roman Catholic, has said to me, "Why do you reproach me? I confess my sins once a week to my priest, pay my dues, and am forgiven them. I attend strictly to my religion." The following conversation, extracted from my Journal, illustrates the dependence placed upon the guidance of blind guides by the Roman Catholic laity : and "At the corner of I observed Mr. a man named in conversation. I stopped and addressed them, presenting a tract, and introducing a remark of a spiritual character. I said, 'We must repent truly of all our sins, my friends, to the Roman Catholic view, his twelve disciples were actually each eating and drinking up our Lord's body and blood, whilst he sat placidly before them. That our Saviour simply meant, the bread and the wine should remind us of his body and blood shed for us, is plain. After speaking of it as a figure of his blood, our blessed Lord, in the next verse, himself declares it only to be the fruit of the vine, Matt. xxvi. 28, 29. and trust for forgiveness to what the Lord Jesus Christ has done and suffered for us.' 'Yes,' said Mr. —, we must repent and be doing penance, and make amends by good works for what evil we do.' I made a remark in a quiet manner, knowing the character of my companions, to the effect that ‘if our good works could save us, we did not want any other Saviour, but that the Holy Scriptures declared a man to be "justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Mr. wished to know, 'Whether it was reasonable to suppose that a layman could understand the Scriptures as well as an ecclesiastic, who devoted his whole life to their study.' Mr. persisted that a poor, unlearned man could not, if he read it, understand the Bible; adding, that it was said therein that it was hard to be understood, and that the unlearned made a bad use of it.' I said, I would quote the passage to which he alluded: "In which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction,' 2 Peter iii. 16. It was the unconverted, I said, who were spoken of; those who were destitute, not of worldly wisdom, for we were informed that the world by wisdom knew not God.' It was those who were destitute of the wisdom which is from above,' who were spoken of, I said; and explained to Mr. the difference 6 between the wisdom of this world' and spiritual wisdom, enlarging upon the fact that the one might be acquired from earthly tutors and books, but the spiritual wisdom in nowise so; adding, that the only way pointed out to us whereby to obtain it, was by prayer and supplication, by becoming beggars before the throne of God, as St. James speaks, 'If any of you lack wisdom, |