Unhappily the Church was not content with trying to convince people of the truth of its doctrine by gentle means, but disgraced itself by persecution. We have already noticed the horrible wars against the Albigenses in the south of France;[98] and cruel persecutions were carried on in Spain against Jews, Mahometans, and persons suspected of heresy, or such like offences. The conduct of these persecutions was in the hands of the Inquisition, which did its work without any regard to the rules of Justice, and was made more terrible by the darkness and mystery of its proceedings. It kept spies to pry into all men's concerns and to give secret information against them; even the nearest relatives were not safe from each other under this dreadful system. Multitudes were put to death, and others were glad to escape with such punishments as entire loss of their property, or imprisonment, which was in many cases for life. [98] See p. 223. * * * * * In the course of all these hundreds of years, Christian religion had been much corrupted from its first purity. The power of the clergy over the ignorant people had become far greater than it ought to have been; and too commonly it was kept up by the encouragement of superstitions and abuses. The popes claimed supreme power on earth. They claimed the right of setting up and plucking down emperors and kings. They meddled with appointments to sees, parishes, and all manner of offices in the Church, throughout all Western Europe. They wished to make it appear as if bishops had no authority except what they held through the grant of the pope. There were general complaints against the faults of the clergy, and among the mass of men religion had become in great part little better than an affair of forms. From all quarters cries for reform were raised, and a reform was speedily to come, by which, among other things, our own country was set free from the power of the popes, and the doctrine of our Church was brought back to an agreement with Holy Scripture and with the Christianity of early times. WYMAN AND SONS, PRINTERS, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LONDON, W.C. SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. PUBLICATIONS ON THE CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE. BOOKS. _s. d._ =Christianity Judged by its Fruits.= By the Rev. C. CROSLEGH, D.D. Post 8vo. _Cloth boards_ 1 6 =The Great Passion-Prophecy Vindicated.= By the Rev. BROWNLOW MAITLAND, M.A. Post 8vo. _Limp cloth_ 0 10 =Natural Theology of Natural Beauty (The).= By the Rev. R. ST. JOHN TYRWHITT, M.A. Post 8vo. _Cloth boards_ 1 6 =Steps to Faith.= Addresses on some points in the Controversy with Unbelief. By the Rev. BROWNLOW MAITLAND, M.A. Post 8vo. _Cloth boards_ 1 6