The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

;542 PROSPECTS OF THE PAPACY.there were now in that little state three hundred personsthe judgment of charity savingly converted ; that hundredsmore were reading the Scriptures, which, in instances not a,few, were brought into the country in the knapsacks of Austriansoldiers ; that the tracts of D'Aubigne, and M'Crie''a" Italy," were being circulated in thousands of copies ; andthat, whatever might become of the population, it is, speakinggenerally, lost to Romanism. Lombardy, too, is thescene of a religious movement. There numerous ChristianChurches exist, though in secret, with both an ecclesiasticaland financial organization. These disciples are often trackedby the sleuth-hounds of the Inquisition. The oath of theconfessional, which may not be violated to prevent a murderor a robbery, is readily broken to denounce a Bible-reader.When Pio Nono was a professed liberal, the Austrian policepermitted the circulation of the Scriptures in Lombardyand the Croats stabled their horses in the churches, andanointed their shoes with the holy chrism ; but now thatthe Pope is Austrian in politics, the Croat and the Jesuitgo hand in hand in suppressing the Bible, and maintainingthe cause of a Church which is founded upon the Inquisition,and to which Lucifer has promised that the power of truthshall never prevail against her.Not Lombardy only, but all Italy, is awakening. An immensenumber of Bibles were circulated in that countryduring the Republic, by the presses of Florence, and theBritish and Foreign Bible Society; and theinstringent measuresof the Italian governments have not been able to arrestthe movement then commenced. There exists in Italya large Christian Association, which numbers among its membersnot a few priests.Its affairs are managed by a centralcommittee, which issues its orders to inferior or diocesancommittees. Churches have been formed in most of theprincipal towns, not excepting Rome itself. A large chestreceives the offerings of the laity and the contributions ofthe priests, who, in relation to this association, are termedministers. The money thus collected is devoted to the pur-