In its day, this book, of 612 pages, won the Evangelical Alliance first prize for an essay on Popery.

"With all we have read of Popery, we have yet met with nothing in the English language which we regard to be so complete in itself, and so overwhelmingly destructive to Romanism," noted the Evangelical magazine. (Evangelical magazines of Wylie's day obviously knew who their enemies were then; there are few that recognize this today. Some, in our day, even teach that a return to Rome is advisable, thinking that an alliance with idolaters will help free the land of social evils. In reality this will only serve as a further provocation against "the Holy one of Israel," bringing more curses, wrath and guilt upon our land.).

Wylie's book combines the qualities of clear structure, vigorous logic, and eloquent style and yet is written with an absence of unchristian passion and prejudice -- making its argument all the more useful to those trapped in Rome's web of deceit (or those seeking a fair and comprehensive treatment of this massive topic).

It is also indexed.

When this book first appeared in German, the Papists were careful to give it the "silent treatment," lest an inquiring Papist should hear of it and be inclined to read it. These same Romanists (later) also invoked the civil power against it, so fearful were they of its contents.