to weaken, and at length to abolish entirely, devotion to the holy Virgin."

In closing his preface, the editor strongly recommends that this work should be put into the hands of youth, "to impress seasonably upon their tender hearts, devotion towards our Lady, and to cause them to taste its sweetness."

But we must hasten to present some extracts from the work itself. They might be taken almost at random, and yet could not fail to exhibit throughout, the same application of idolatrous epithets, the same attributing to Mary of the honors, attributes and powers of her Son. Take the 18th and 19th Psalms (corresponding to Psalms 19th and 20th,) as specimens. We give them

entire:

Ostende ei serenissimum Judicem saeculorum; qui ob tui gratiam veniam ei largiatur.

Sentiat in pœnis refrigerium tuum; et concede ei locum inter electos Dei.

Cause the Judge of all worlds to be most favourable to it, that for thy sake he may grant it pardon.

In the pains [of purgatory,] may it feel thy consolation, and grant it a place among the elect of God,

That the pains mentioned in the last verse, are those of purgatory, is evident from the French translation, which has dans les peines du Purgatoire.

But, it will be unnecessary to do more than give brief extracts. Almost every sentence contains ascriptions. to Mary of that which belongs to God alone. Praise, thanksgiving, confession, and the fullest outpouring of trust and confidence are, throughout, offered to one who trusted as truly and as singly to Christ, for the salvation of her own soul, as the lowliest penitent that ever cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner."

The 28th of these remarkable Psalms begins thus: "Auferte Dominæ nostræ, filii Dei;

"Offer unto our Lady, ye sons of auferte Dominæ nostræ laudem et God; offer unto our Lady praise

reverentiam."

The 30th thus:

"In te, Domina, speravi; non confundar in æternum; in gratia tua suscipe me.'

and reverence."

"In thee, O Lady, have I trusted; let me never be confounded; in thy grace undertake for me."

And the following one thus: "Bonum est confiberi Virgini Mariæ; et psallere illi gloriam prosperitas est mentis."

"It is a good thing to give thanks to the Virgin Mary; and to sing her praise is the prosperity of the soul."

The reader will, perhaps, consider these extracts more than enough. One spirit pervades the whole, and that is a spirit of intense devotion to the worship of a creature. The first Psalm in this collection of blasphemous parodies commences, "Blessed is the man who loveth thy name, O Virgin Mary," and the last one ends, "Let every thing that hath breath praise our Lady."

And the prayers and other pieces interspersed between the Psalms are no less intensely idolatrous. An invocation at the beginning has the following expressions: "To thy protection we resort, holy Mother of God; despise not our entreaties in our necessities, but deliver us from all danger, Oh, glorious and blessed ever-Virgin. Oh Lady, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise," &c.

The Te Deum laudamus is parodied, and becomes Te Matrem Dei laudamus, and "Holy, holy, holy," becomes "Sancta, sancta, sancta Maria, Dei genitrix." "All the earth doth worship thee, as the spouse of the Eternal Father! All angels and archangels, thrones and principalities, serve thee with fidelity," etc., In a litany at the close, Mary is styled "Mother of Divine Grace," "Mother of the Creator," "Mirror of Justice," "Seat of Wisdom," Cause of our Joy," "Mystical Rose," "Tower of David," "Ivory Tower," "Golden Palace,' "Ark of the Covenant," "Gate of Heaven," "Morning Star," "Health of the Weak," "Refuge of Sinners," "Help of Christians," and "Queen of Angels."

It is not strange that a system of worship which appeals so strongly to the imagination, and to human sympathy, should have a powerful hold on its votaries, especially if they have been trained under its influence in early life. On the contrary, the wonder is, that any escape from its toils. Its tendency is to greater and still greater excesses. One of the Prayers appended to this Psalter of St. Bonaventura is addressed "To the sacred Heart of the Holy Virgin." It behooves us to remem

ber, however, that earnestness of devotion to a religious system does not prove it true, any more than firm intellectual persuasion; but that it must inevitably render a false system all the more dangerous.

We dismiss this remarkable production, simply entreating the reader, be he Papist or Protestant, seriously to consider how that whole scheme of creature worship, of which it is a distinguished exponent, must appear in the eyes of Him who has said, "My glory will I not give to another," and "I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God."

ARTICLE III.

THE POWER OF MORAL HABIT, AS IT AFFECTS THE POWER OF FAITH.

The general fact that the feelings of the heart do exercise an important influence over the operations of the intellect, none will deny. This influence is produced even by states of feeling which are transient. Much more does it follow from those which are habitual, and which constitute the permanent features of the moral character. To previous habits of association and sympathy, more than to mere differences of intellectual capacity, we must trace the various and conflicting opinions of men on almost every subject. It is this intimate connection between the dispositions of the heart and the decisions of the intellect, which renders man responsible in the belief or the rejection of truth. The belief of error on many subjects, may be morally indifferent, and involve no degree of guilt, either in its origin or results. But this can never be the case, where the essential truths of religion are concerned. From the very nature of those truths, belief or unbelief must be traced to a corresponding state of the moral nature. The distinction between truth and falsehood here is not merely intellectual, but at the same time, and essentially, moral. This will appear more evident, if we consider the nature

of her faith, and remember what is implied in really believing religious truth.

Faith is an emotional, as well as an intellectual act. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." It follows necessarily from the nature of the truths and doctrines of religion,-from their direct adaptation to our desires and wants, our hopes and fears, that whenever they are rightly apprehended, and really believed, the emotions of the heart must consent and coöperate with the conceptions of the mind, in regard to them. There may be degrees of true faith, according to the intensity of conviction in the understanding, and the amount of truth embraced in the belief. But the degree of effect produced on the heart will be in exact conformity to these conditions. The awakened mind of the anxious inquirer may, at first, really apprehend and believe only certain portions of Gospel truth; and the feelings of his heart are affected accordingly. He may believe in the existence of God, the obligations of his law, and in his own guilt and condemnation as a transgressor of that law. But, enveloped in darkness and bewildered by fear, he may not as yet, give heed to that inviting voice of a merciful Saviour which says, "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me." Hence, he remains a stranger to that repentance and trust, that hope, joy, and love, which a real apprehension of this transporting truth awakens in the breast of every sincere believer. A real belief of religious truth. is, invariably, attended by a class of feelings, which correspond to the amount and character of that truth: and the genuine faith of the sincere Christian, which embra ces the whole circle of Gospel truth, implies that radical change of heart, that entire transformation of character, which is termed regeneration. He is a new creature in the practical operations and moral results of that faith, which "works by love and purifies the heart." This is the only kind of belief in Christianity, which is genuine and entire. Any form of faith which falls short of this is either partial or insincere. It is absurd to speak of a belief which is merely intellectual; if we mean that such a belief possesses any consistency with itself, or with the truths of religion, It is true, this term is often em