“St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, to whom our Lord himself gave the name of Peter, which signifies a rock, and told him at the same time that on that rock He would build His Church, and that the gates of hell should not prevail against it,—this same Peter went to Rome and became its Bishop; and from that time the Church of Rome, as being the See of St. Peter, has ever been looked upon by the faithful as the mother and mistress of all churches, and each of his successors in turn as the visible head of the Church on earth.”—P. 5.
“It is generally believed that Caractacus settled in Rome with his family; that his daughter was called Claudia, and that she married a noble Roman called Pudens, who, together with herself, afterwards became Christian; that they had a daughter who was afterwards celebrated as a saint under the name of St. Pudentiana; and that this Pudens and Claudia, whom St. Paul mentions in his Epistle to Timothy (2 Tim. iv. 21), were no other than these. It is said also that this noble British household gave shelter and hospitality to St. Peter, while he lived as Bishop in Rome; a retired room in the house being set apart as his chapel. A church was afterwards built on the site of this house, which having been since twice rebuilt, is still known by the name of St. Pudentiana; and it is this church which, from its connexion with the history of our country, has been assigned to Cardinal Wiseman as the church from which he takes his title.”—P. 7.
“Several miracles attended the death of this our first martyr (Alban). When on his way to death, he came to a river which divided the town from the hill where he was to suffer; the people thronged the bridge over it in such multitudes that he feared he should not be able to pass all that day, and longing for his crown, raised his eyes to heaven and prayed. And God straightway divided the waters as for His people of old, so that he walked through dryshod.”—P. 9.
“The next thing that we hear of the Church in Britain is, that two bishops from Gaul, Germanus and Lupus, were sent over here to preach to the people, many of whom had been perverted by false teachers; but all gladly listened to the preaching of these holy bishops, and returned to the way of truth. They were the more easily persuaded, because the preaching of these men was also accompanied by the working of miracles. After a public conference, in which the heretics had been completely put to silence by the eloquence of the bishops, an officer in the Roman army stepped forward with his little daughter who was blind, and begged that they would bestow such relief upon her as they were able. The bishops desired him to try first the powers of those false teachers who had been just now disputing against them. But these declined the trial, and united with the officer in begging her cure at the hands of Germanus and Lupus. Upon this Germanus offered up a short prayer, and invoking the Holy Trinity, pulled from his bosom a little box of relics which he always carried about him. This he applied to the girl’s eyes, and her sight was immediately restored.”—Pp. 9, 10.
Extracts from a tract, entitled, “How Antichrist keeps Christmas; or, A Peep at Christmas in a Catholic country.”
“It is true, indeed, that Christmas is a festival of such universal gladness, as to thaw for a moment even the icy heart of Protestantism; sending a ray of joyousness down into the cold depths of the population of this country, where all is so smooth and smiling on the surface, all so chill and joyless underneath. At Christmas I really believe a thrill of gladness darts through the heart of the great majority of the people. Churches and chapels are made gay with shining leaves and scarlet berries; carols are sung in the streets; the words, ‘A merry Christmas to you!’ pass from mouth to mouth; and beef and pudding, the outward form which joy is wont to put on in this cold, hungry climate, smoke on many a board to which, alas! for every other day in the year they are utter strangers. Nay, it is to be hoped that even in union workhouses there is an intermission of gruel for Christmas day.”—Pp. 4, 5.
“Abundant food is a necessity of our climate, and a condition of our physical well-being to a degree that the people of the South cannot understand. We are told of our Saxon forefathers, whom I have before mentioned, that their frames, though so tall and well-formed, were neither so patient of labour nor of hunger as might be expected from their apparent strength. Alas! for the necessity which grinds down our poor to the endurance of both to such a hurtful degree. But to return to Christmas. The difference between Catholic and Protestant Christmas is this, that both love Christmas, but Catholics love it far more distinctly and consciously for Christ’s sake. The very name of the festival is theirs, Christ’s Mass; to Protestants one part of the word has confessedly lost its meaning, and the other is a dim vision. Look at the professedly religious part of the observance of this feast, and see what it amounts to. In the churches of the English establishment, except the holly boughs, what is there to tell of the Lord’s birth? Of course the lesson from Scripture recounting that event is read; so also are certain Psalms which prophetically relate to it; and a sermon on the Nativity is (sometimes) preached. But otherwise the ordinary routine of the service goes on the same as usual. ‘Dearly beloved brethren,’ holds on the even tenour of its way, with dulness scarcely mitigated; and there is really nothing either peculiarly to draw out the devotion of those assisting at it towards their infant Lord, nor, which is more to our present purpose, any special outpouring of such devotion on the part of the Church herself.”—P. 6.
Note B. (P. 17.)
It is hoped that the following brief summary of the leading doctrines held by the two Churches of England and Rome, with the authorities on which they respectively rest, may prove useful to some of the readers of these pages, whether as promoting their inquiry, or confirming their faith.
Doctrines maintained by the Members of the Church of England and of the Church of Rome, with the authorities claimed by each in their support.
Note C. (P. 17.)
It is confidently believed by those persons who are most familiarly acquainted with the state of the property adjacent to the new Romish Church, that within a very few years nearly the whole of it will be covered with new buildings. And it is so far removed from the churches and National schools at Fulham and Walham Green, where the population has also increased of late very considerably, that it is easy to foresee the necessity which will arise for some new provision for the spiritual instruction of such a district, growing up nearly in the centre of the parish of Fulham. In such cases, all experience teaches that it is far wiser to anticipate the measures that may be required for meeting the exigency, than to adopt them after it has occurred. And the Vicar, therefore, deems the present a suitable opportunity for making it known, that the promise has been secured of a most eligible piece of land, near the locality here described, and containing rather more than the third of an acre, which would be well calculated, either now or hereafter, for the erection of school-rooms, or a church adapted to the wants of this growing population. The owner of the land, knowing the important object for which it has been wished to obtain it, has liberally consented to accept a price considerably below that which its marketable value would command, and the Bishop of London has kindly given his sanction to the measure. To those persons whose interest in the spiritual edification of their poorer neighbours may induce them to promote it, the Vicar will be thankful to afford any information that may be wished, in reference to this object, and to receive from them any amount of pecuniary assistance that will be needed to meet the expense, which of course must be considerable.