Jerusalem and Constantinople, and the war with Russia, her mighty European antagonist.

These claims are among the essential ones of the Papacy, never abandoned, never even abated. Religious toleration is with her a thing unknown. She endures where she must, and crushes where she can. To establish these claims, to compel the nations to acknowledge her authority as supreme over all things on earth, she has slain fifty millions of people in war, at the stake, in the dungeons of the Inquisition, and by every variety of outrage and torture. Between such a church, claiming the right of universal dominion, and a mere national establishment like the Church of England, local only in its character and claims, its jurisdiction confined within its territorial limits, there is a distinction broad and essential. The one demands the obedience of the world, of all nations-threatening eternal damnation to all who refuse, and interposing everywhere, and by all means, to enforce its claims, and disturbing thereby the peace of earth. The authority of the other extends over a single people only, and asserts no right to interfere with the conscience or worship of sister States, and no commission from God to subdue to its own faith the surrounding nations.

The English Church does not pretend that it may rightfully interfere with religious worship in the United States in order to establish here its own rights, even if it had the power. But the Papal Church not only asserts the right, but endeavors to obtain the power, and declares that it only waits until the power is gained, and that then religious liberty shall be put down in this country, and the people be compelled to adopt her forms and creed, or be punished at her pleasure as heretics. The Russian Church is simply a national establishment like the English Church; like that, it is local only, claiming no jurisdiction beyond its own territories-no commission from God to exercise universal dominion, and to go forth to bring all nations into subjection to itself, and in the name of God. It claims no right to be the troubler of the world, no author

ity over governments; it pretends not to be the ruler of princes, the governor of kingdoms.

The claim of the Russian Church is national only; that of Rome is universal, and the comparative danger to the world from each is therefore easily estimated. The Rus sian Church will simply be co-extensive with the Empire. It will not rule the world, unless Russia should conquer all nations-a result which no one apprehends. Again, the Romish Church claims absolute infallibility, claims to speak and decide with the unerring wisdom of God himself, in the language of the Scriptures, "showing" herself "to be God." Such a Church, from the necessity of its nature and demands, must be a persecuting Church.

Persecution-the putting down of error-with such a hierarchy, assumes the form of duty, and heretics are destroyed for the glory of God and the safety of the world. The Russian Church makes no such claim, and asserts no such power; it is simply the national religion of Russia, holding its due position in connection with the civil powers.

The Russian Church wields no such instrument of power and corruption as the Romish Confessional. No more subtle or efficient engine of despotism was ever contrived by wicked ingenuity, than this has proved to be in the hands of the Roman Catholic Priesthood.

Possessing themselves by this means, not only of the history of human actions, but even of the unuttered thought or desire, and pronouncing judgment upon all in the name of God, it lays the immortal soul bound, helpless, and exposed, even to the heart's most secret chambers, at the feet of a fellow-creature who has usurped the prerogatives of God. The Church of Rome has, in this manner, subverted the virtue of thousands, who, but for her priests, might have remained innocent, has destroyed the purity and peace of households, trampling in secret upon the holiest domestic ties, and has managed to guide the policy of Courts by its knowledge of State secrets obtained at the confessional. It has furnished a power almost sufficient of itself for the control of every nation where it has been

established, and is essential to a perfect spiritual despotism. The Church of Russia teaches the duty of confession, but then this confession may be either specific or general, at the option of the one who confesses; and, consequently, a practice which, as conducted by Rome, is almost omnipotent for evil, is, in Russia, incapable of being thus perverted, and can neither be used for purposes of corruption or oppression.

The Church of Rome has, in all places and time, opposed with her utmost strength the circulation of the Scriptures among the people, knowing well that despotism is secure only in proportion to the ignorance of those whom it oppresses. Hence its persevering attacks upon the Bible and the free-schools of America. Russia permits the circulation of the Word of God among her people, and such was the affinity of the Russian Church for Protestant principles and effort, that in the reign of Alexander a Russian Bible Society co-operated with the British Association for the printing and distribution of the Scriptures.

Nicholas, whose policy was more exclusively national, and who seemed to foresee from afar the gathering of that storm of hostility in England and France which burst with such fury before his death on Russia, evidently feared an influence which he well knew might be used for political purposes, and therefore discouraged and broke off the connection with the British Bible Society, and suspended altogether the work which had been begun. To ascribe this to the intolerant spirit of the Russian Church seems altogether a mistake, nor is there any evidence that it originated in any hostility to the circulation of the Scriptures, which has always been allowed. Nicholas was a keen and most sagacious observer of the tendency of the affairs of Europe.

He felt the necessity of protecting his country at all points, and he was not willing to expose himself to any peril which might arise from a foreign influence of any sort established within his dominions, and by which the power of the national Church might be diminished. Doubtless he intended to use this national Church for State pur

poses; and viewed merely in the light of worldy policy, his sagacity has been clearly shown by the result. He was enabled to concentrate the whole religious sentiment of the empire upon the defense of the nation the moment he was attacked. Russia's breastwork of united hearts burning with religious enthusiasm are more impregnable than her granite walls, her frowning artillery, or her sparkling lines of bayonets.

A Church that favors the circulation of the Bible, however it may be entangled in superstitious observances, holds, nevertheless, within it a living germ, and there is reasonable hope of its recovery. Again, the Russian Church does not believe in purgatory, nor in the sale of indulgences, and consequently does not possess one of the chief means of robbery and delusion so freely and profitably employed by the Church of Rome. Nor does it prescribe celibacy for the clergy, and this of itself presents a feature, which, in comparison with the Roman Catholic Church, should commend it to the world's favorable regard. Language is incapable of describing the wretchedness and sin and delusion which have been caused in the Papal Church by "forbidding to marry." It is a mournful characteristic of her apostasy.

The Russian Church is not entirely free from the error, but, compared with Rome, it is of small importance. The lower orders of the clergy are all married, while the bishops and the highest officers of the Church remain in a state of celibacy. These superior ecclesiastics are derived from the one only order of monks existing in Russia, which might rather be called the cloistered clergy.

The system of monasteries and convents has little or no influence in the Russian State, for they have no rich endowments, and are merely establishments supported by a revenue from the government; consequently there can be no such pious robbery, no such accumulation of land, or hoarding of millions of treasure, as has been accomplished by the similar establishments in countries governed by Rome. The industry and wealth of the country are

not devoured in Russia by swarms of monks, friars, and priests.

There are in the Russian Church two orders of the clergy-one constituting the only order of monks in the empire, from whose ranks the higher dignitaries of the Church are taken; but these and their establishments, being without independent ecclesiastical revenues, have no means of oppressing the people or of making their power formidable.

Women are not allowed to enter nunneries until they are forty years of age; the men may become monks at the age of thirty; and thus the Russian Church has wisely guarded against the corruptions which have stained all the history of Romanism.

The intolerance of the Papacy is not found in the Church of Russia. The Russian clergy will officiate in Protestant houses for worship, and will also permit their own churches to be used by Protestant ministers. They are tolerant toward all other denominations, and do not pretend to confine salvation to their own Church. They do not refuse to administer the consolations of religion to dying Protestants, and they permit Protestants to be buried in their cemeteries.

Attempts have been made to represent the Emperor of Russia as only an Eastern Pope, to be as truly feared and shunned as the Pope himself at Rome. It would be equally reasonable to excite similar prejudices against the sovereign of England, who is the head of the English Church, as the Czar is the head of the Church of Russia. Such are the main features which distinguish the Russian from the Roman Catholic Church.

The difference is radical and essential. In principle, they are utterly unlike. One aims at a despotism universal and exclusive. For the attainment of such an end, the whole system has been most cunningly devised, and adhered to with a constancy which has almost insured its success. Its steadfast aim is to rule the world-to subject all nations to its control. Therefore, its interference is