in a mean condition; he is rich in the midst of poverty, and poor in the midst of great riches; though tossed and shaken, he is as mount Zion, that cannot be moved: he is a lion, and a lamb; a serpent, and a dove; a reed, and a cedar; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as having nothing, and yet possess ing all things."

While M. Pascal was this concerned that his whole life should be consecrated to the gloryof God, he was likewise remarkable for a steady unvarying spirit of byalty to his king, and always manifested a determined disapprobation of those, who, by revolting against lawful authority, dishonour the Divine government, and violate the express precepts of the Gospel. During the commotions which occurred in Paris about this period he was a zealous loyalist, opposing the enemies of the king with vigour and firmness, and treating the reasons that were addued by the opposite party to justif their conduct, as mere pretencs to excuse rebellion. "It is ourduty," said he, "to pay obedienceto that form of government unde which we live. If we were the ubjects of a republic like Venice, it would be criminal for an indiidual to attempt to introduce monarchy; but where the regalpower is already established, itis a species of sacrilege to violatdhe reverence that is due to it. The king ought to be regarded as fe vicegerent of the Most High as possessing an authority which delegated to him by the King ofsings; so that rising up against te sovereign is resisting the ordirnce of God. Rebellion," contined he, " is not only sinful in itse, but dreadful in its effects, by ivolving a kingdom in all the incaveniences that can result from dorder, and in all the horrid coréquences of a civil war." He oen said, “that he abhorred this crime as much as he did that of assassination, and felt no more tempation to it than

to go out as a robber upon the highway."

Nothing, certainly, is more opposite to the genius of Christianity, than a discontented, turbulent, and factious spirit: its foundation is laid in pride and selfishness, and by infusing distrust, exciting discord, and fostering insubordination, it leads to a contempt and dissolation of all lawful authority, and may be justly charged with all the horrors and miseries consequent on a state of tumultuous anarchy. That lofty unbending spirit of proud independency, which disdained the government of Heaven, and expelled the rebel angels from their mansions of bliss into the shades of darkness and misery, when transferred to earth, like a pestilential vapour, blights the whole harvest of human hope and comfort, and, carrying the principle of destrue. tion into every source of prospe rity and enjoyment, reduces society to the condition of a tree withered to the root.

* Hooker's Eccles. Pol. Book I.

satile genius, and unsubdued passions, are in great danger of mis taking an impatience of lawful restraint, or the love of consequence, for zeal in the cause of civil liberty, and a disinterested concern for the welfare of the people. Hence they may be betrayed by a fondness for novelties, a restless avidity of change, an eager passion for innovation, into proposals and measures which, had they the sagacity to foresee the issues of things in their causes, would startle and appal the most intrepid champion of revolutions, who had not divested himself of all fear of God and charity towards his fellow. citizens. Amendment and reform are good things, both in the body natural and body politic; but a man ought to be pretty certain, that in attempting to prune exuberances, and rectify disorders, he shall not assassinate where he proposes to heal.

But while the zeal of M. Pascal induced him to be firm in his opposition against those who were hostile to the king, he exercised an admirable mildness towards all who injured or affronted himself. He was not only free from all resentment, but endeavoured to forget every injury he received, and was never observed to withhold his kindness, nor restrain his civilities, but maintained a great equality of behaviour towards every one, About this period he is supposed to have written the following picture of the state of his mind, upon a loose piece of paper found after his death :-"I love poverty, because Jesus Christ loved it. If I have any esteem for money, it is only because it enables me to relieve the distressed. I return no evil to those that injure me, but rather wish their condition to be like mine; a situation in which they would receive little good and little harm from the greatest part of mankind. It is my constant aim to be undisguised, sincere, and faithful towards all men. I con

sider myself at all times as in the immediate presence of that God, who will one day judge my actions, and to whom I have consecrated all my powers. I bless my Redeemer every day of my life for giving me such gracious affections. By nature I am a man full of pride and concupiscence, perfectly helpless, and wholly miserable; but by the power of his grace he has procured me deliverance from every evil, and to that grace be all the. praise."

(To be concluded in the Appendix.)

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. HAVING obtained, through a friend, a French New Testament, printed in Paris, A. D. 1731, with the royal approbation and licence, chiefly for the purpose of gratuitous distribution, I send you a translation of the greatest part of its valuable preface and advertisement, which, I hope, will obtain a place in your useful publication. This edition is published in a small volume, and contains, besides the New Testament, a preface, an advertisement respecting the numerous marginal references which accompany the text, a list of the chief duties recommended in the New Testament to the different ranks and conditions of Christians, and a table of the Epistles and Gospels annually read in the Gallican Church during mass. The royal licence is dated 5th July, 1726, and is granted to Gabriel-François Quillau Fils, Imprimeur-Libraire juré de l'Université de Paris. By him it was transferred, on the 4th February, 1727, to Monsieur de Barneville. The printer of the edition before me, which appears to be the fourth, is Joseph Bullot, Rue de la Parcheminerie, pres S. Severin a S. Joseph.

On many accounts, this preface and advertisement are well deserving of an attentive perusal. We learn from them, that an attempt has been made more than

for the propagation of Christianity, was far less active than at present, by some French Catholics, personnes de piete, et zelées pour le salut des amnes," to distribute the New Testament in the vulgar tongue, to their benighted comtrymen; and that in a short time, that is to say in less than five years, they had the satisfaction of distributing three of the largest editions that had bitherto been printed... Your readers will observe with pleasure the weighty arguments which pious Catholics have adduced for the free distribution of the word of God, and the powerful authorities of antiquity by which these arguments are enforced; and theywill thus be enabled to prove to Catholics of the present day, by a reference to those Councils and those Fathers they profess to - venerate, that it is the paramount duty of Catholics as well as Pro testants to give the Bible to their brethren.

They will rejoice, that in a church, which is unhappily defaced by so many errors, such exalted notions should have been enter tained of the supreme authority of the holy Scriptures. What true Christian can read without emotion the energetic exhortations of the Catholic Editors to the perusal and study of these Divine Writings, "far surpassing all that all the saints have taught, which constitute the essential and indispensable rule of life for all Christians, and the law by which they will be judged at the last." than them, They will compare the spirit of faith and love, which actuated these zealous Catholics, with the infides lity and indifference which now unhappily prevail in France; and they will supplicate the Throne of Grace, that the same spirit which animated their labours may revive in their descendants of the present day, and issue in the same blessed diffusion of the light of Heaven to many who now sit in darkness,

Holwell, Sherborne.

J. N. C.

Extracts from the Preface "The Son of God, having de scended upon the earth to save men, to shew to them the way to heaven, and to give them the means of ascending thither, hath left to the human race three benefits, infinitely precious, and such as the world could never receive but from God. He hath left us his body in the Eucharist, his priest hood in the Church, and his doc trine in the Gospel"."

But it Jesus Christ employed only a short period in giving to the faithful two of those three benefits, he employed the entire period of his public ministry, as Messiah, in preaching, his word and in pubs lishing his Gospel In a word, he ceased not, until his death, to teach the Apostles and the people who followed him, instructing them, sometimes in publie but more fre quently in private, either in the cities or the fields, where he sen dered subservient to their, instrac tion whatever was passing before him or naturally presented itself Even upon hish cross be instructs them Hescontinues so to doséven after his resurrection. Lastly, after

I omit as unnecessary what is said on the two first particulars,

having in his own person promulgated his word, and caused that word during his mortal life to be promulgated in Judea by his Apostles and Disciples, he quits not the earth, nor ascends into heaven, until he has commanded his Apostles to go through all the world to preach the Gospel to men; or, according to the striking expression of one of the Evangelists, to preach the Gospel to every creature?'

"Thus we may affirm, that if our Lord ceased not, during the whole period of his public ministry, to promulgate his word, his disciples are under a strict obligation after his example assiduously to promulgate it; nor are the faithful less bound to instruct themselves therein, and to meditate upon it day and night. We are not always in a state to receive his body, which he hath left to us for our spiritual nutriment; nor do we want every moment the functions of the priesthood, which he hath left to us in the different ministrations of his church; but we ought unceasingly to profit by his word, and to purify ourselves by those instructions to which he referred when he said to his Apostles: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.'

"With this view, some persons, eminent for piety, and zealous for the salvation of souls, have undertaken to make the New Testament more common, and to use their endeavours that the poor should be furnished with it more especially in the country, where they are neither so conveniently nor so frequently instructed as in cities.

"For this purpose, they some years ago procured a new version of this Divine Book, which has been printed with the approbation and privilege of the king. And we are bound to bear this testimony to the zeal of some individuals of a very moderate fortune, that they contributed most willingly according to their power, yea, and beyond their power, to this method of spreading CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 168.

the Gospel. There were also rich and charitable persons who took a share in this work. These were not content merely to provide this work for themselves and their families, but they voluntarily incurred the expense of purchasing a large number of copies, which they gratuitously distributed to the poor in Paris and in the provinces. No pains were spared to reduce its price as low as possible; and we have had the consolation of witnessing, that, in a very short space of time, three of the largest editions hitherto strack off have been distributed.

"The blessing, which God hath vouchsafed to this work, has bound those who undertook it to collate it anew with all the versions of this Divine Book in our language, made not only in France, but in the other countries of Europe, where the French appears to have become an universal language, or at least a language which is spoken in their different courts and understood by the most considerable of their citizens."

"It is hoped, that Providence will bless this as he has done the preceding editions; and those who give it to the public will do all in their power, that the poor may be furnished with it as well as the rich, They exhort them all not only to read, but still more to meditate continually upon, the Divine doctrine which it contains, and which doubtless infinitely excels the doctrine of all the saints. It is the essential, the peculiar, and indispensable rule of conduct to every Christian. It is by this law that they shall be judged at the last day.

"St. Paul conceived in the third heaven those magnificent ideas which he conveys to us when he calls the Gospel the power of God, or the powerful instrument which He employs for the salvation of every one who believes. He calls it, moreover, the Gospel of grace, of peace, and of glory. It is on ac51

count of these titles that the Councils have pronounced the words of the Gospel to be holy and adorable. In truth, the law of our Saviour, which only contains eternal truths, is worthy of every kind of respect, and constitutes the most solid object of the love and enjoyment of Christians. This is the sentiment, which the faithful of every age have entertained, as may be seen by ecclesiastical history and the lives of the saints. It will suffice to produce here some edifying examples to this effect. The first is taken from the Acts of the Martyrs of Scillita, A. D. 200, records most certain and original, which, Cardinal Baronius protests, were more precious to him than the greatest treasures of the world *.

"Saint Speratus and his companions, who were taken during the persecution, and three holy women were brought before Saturninus, proconsul of Africa, who demanded of them what books they read and venerated. This holy martyr replied in behalf of all, the others, ihat the four Gospels of Jesus Christ, the Epistles of Saint Paul, and all the Holy Scriptures in spired by God, were the books they read and venerated.

"It appears, also, by St.Paulinus, that in his time they preserved the book of the Gospel in the church with the same care and respect as they kept the body of our Lord; This ancient practice might easily be imitated by keeping this holy book in the most honourable and most appropriate part of the house.

The holy fathers afford us proofs of the love which Christians entertained for the Gospel, when they point out to us the care which the faithful always took to carry it about them, to commit to memory its text, and to communicate it to others, "We learn from Saint Chrysostom, that many Christians of his age carried the Gospel near their heart, and ordered it to be placed

*See Milner's Church Hist. vol. i. p.329,

upon their breasts in their tombs. During the persecution by Diocletian, holy women, who were afterwards honoured with martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel, replied to the judge, that they would choose rather to be burnt alive than to deliver up to him their sacred books.

"St. Jerome, whom the Church regards as one of its greatest lumis naries, more especially on account of his knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, charged those who were intrusted with the education of youth, to make them learn by heart, from the age of seven years, the Psalter, the Book of Solomon, the Gospels, the Writings of the Apo stles, the Prophets, &c. He advised women also as well as men to com mit to memory every day a certain number of verses of the holy books, He informs us, that this was the custom in the monastery of Bethle hem, and that there was no one in that holy edifice who was exempted from this exercise.....

"The Council of Aix-la-Chapelle, held A. D. 816, under the Emperor Louis le Debonnaire, which assem bled in his palace, ought to be regarded as the key, the epitome, and the treasure of ecclesiastical, and monastic discipline; because it comprehends in two books, which deserve to be read in their original, whatever is most beautiful, most energetic, and most excellent in the writings of the Fathers on the sub ject. This Council, in the second book, recommends nothing so much to monastic females, as the com mitting to memory the sacred Scriptures; and for this purpose it em ploys the very words, the advice, and the rules, which Saint Jerome had prescribed to persons of their sex.

"In truth, nothing is more pro per to produce, to preserve, and to augment the warmth of Christian piety. This, is a sure and easy method to consecrate and sanctify the memory, to furnish perpetually to the mind the means of meditat