church forbids the reading of the scriptures, he is to be understood as saying, that the church does not absolutely and unconditionally forbid it, but she does forbid some, and she gives the priests power to grant permission to read to others. And who could ask a greater restric

tion to the privilege of reading the Bible than this? Is it not left to the option of every priest whether the Scriptures shall be read in his parish or not? Is it not taking away the right of reading them altogether from the people? Most assuredly it is, and this is our complaint. The people's right, religious as well as civil, should ever be respected. This much we would say as patriots, but as christians we would say more; we would say, let manacles be put on their hands and feet; but give them the liberty of conscience; strip them of their clothing and deprive them of their shelter and extort from them their last, hard earned pittance; but give them the last will and testament of their Lord and Master, in which is bequeathed to all who will accept of it, a rich inheritance in the skies. Oh! keep not from them the written reprieve from that righteous Governor, by whose law they stand condemned. It is their legacy, and it is the charter of their dearest and most sacred rights.

That what we have stated to be a principle of the Romish Church, we shall now endeavor to make appear from their own words. The decrees of the Council, especially of that of Trent, every priest on his admission to Holy orders, binds himself to believe and defend. Now what says the infallible church on the subject before us? The fourth rule of the index libr. prohibit. made in pursuance of the order of the Council of Trent and published by Pius IV., runs thus: "Since it is manifest by experience, that if the Holy Bible be promiscuously permitted in the vulgar tongue, by reason of the rashness of men, more loss than profit will thence arise. In this

E

matter let the judgment of the Bishop or Inquisition be stood to, that with the advice of the Parish priest. or confessor, they may grant the reading of the Bible in the vulgar tongue, translated by Catholic authors, to such as they shall understand, can receive no hurt by such reading, but increase of faith and piety; which faculty let them have in writing. But he that without such faculty shall presume to read, or to have the Bible, he may not receive absolution of his sins, except he first deliver up his Bible to the ordinary." Here we have the church's own words; we care not what a Romish priest may say on this subject. We have the words of the church, and we can judge of their meaning as well as he can, though he denies it, yet these very words of the church contradict him.

For

Monsieur de Maire, Counsellor Almoner and Preacher to the King of France, in a book published by authority, says: "this rule is founded in ecclesiastical right, and no man can transgress it, without contradicting that obedience which he owes to the church and the Holy See, from which it hath received its confirmation. as much as this rule was not made but in prosecution of the decree of the council of Trent, &c. No man can deny but that it has been approved by the Holy See, and authorized by the bulls of Pius IV, and Clement VIII, who, after they had viewed and diligently examined it, published it to the world, with order that it should be obeyed." "If there be any thing," continues de Maire, "that can hinder this rule from having the force of a law, it must be either, because it has not been published, or being published, has not been received; but neither the one nor the other can be said, since it is evident that this is the old quarrel we have with our heretics; this is that which our church has always been upbraided with by the enemies of the faith; this is that which is the subject.

of their most outrageous calumnies; this is that which has been acknowledged by all wise men; that which has been earnestly maintained by all the defenders of Catholic truth; that which no person is ignorant of; that which the whole world publishes; there being no point of belief more common, nor more general among the faithful, than this of the prohibition to read the Bible without permission: and this belief (says he) so common, is a certain proof, not only of the publication but of the reception of this rule."* This prohibition, then, to read the Bible without permission is in force now. It is an infallible decree and must forever be in force: who has repealed it? what council of equal authority has set it aside? The Spanish Expurgatory Index goes still farther. It prohibits the Bible in the vulgar tongue, not only printed, but in MSS. without any provision for permission.

Alfonsus de Castrof says, that Ferdinand King of Spain, forbade any man under the heaviest penalties, to translate the Bible into the vulgar tongue, to keep any Bible in his hands already translated; and the index of Pope Alexander VII, not only these Bibles that are translated and printed by heretics; but all Bibles in any vulgar tongue are prohibited. It would therefore be ridiculous to talk of a license in Spain, because the Bible itself is not there permitted in the vulgar tongue, and all that is permitted in other countries is, that a man may read the Holy Scriptures in case he can get a license for it. The council of Trent, as we see above, declare that a vulgar translation of the Scriptures would occasion more harm than good. But what harm have the Scriptures ever caused? Let Romanists answer this question and substantiate their an

*Vide, Le Sanctuaire firme aux Profanes, part 2. c. 1, p. 335-6. tAdvers. Hæres. Liber. 1. c. 13.

swer with facts. They say it breeds heresies: the scriptures do indeed breed heresy; but it is just as the Law of God breeds sin; by ferreting it out; dragging it from its secret dens; exposing it to the world; and charging it home with powerful conviction on the consciences of men. When the Law came, says Paul, sin revived and I died. When the scriptures come, say the Romanists, popish superstitions and abominations come to light, and the beast must die. Iræneus says, "ignorance of the word of God is the cause of all these heresies."

Romanists boldly deny that their church withholds the scriptures: but they say she expressly permits them to be read. But to whom is this permission granted? is it to all men indifferently? Is it granted to all who ask it? No; but to those only who, they know can receive no hurt from them; that is, those who are not in danger of prefering their own sense before that which they receive from the priests and the church. And is it probable that such would ever ask permission? For why should they desire to read the scriptures, who have already determined right or wrong, to believe just as the priests bid them? And if others ask it, they will be immediately suspected to be of the number of those who are in the greatest danger of receiving hurt from the scriptures: so that the great noise that is made about permission, to read them is all a sham; since those who would be most likely to obtain permission, are the least likely to ask it: and those who most desire it, least likely to obtain it.

At the reformation, it was found impossible to keep the Bible out of the hands of the common people: and their refusing absolution of sins to those who refused to deliver up their Bibles to the ordinary, was a device of the clergy to get the Bible again into their hands. This is plain from the addition to the fourth rule of the Trent

Expurgatory index, made by Clement VIII, when a new edition was published, viz. "That by this impression or edition, no new faculty is given to Bishops, or Inquisitors, or any superiors of Regulars to grant a licence of buying, reading or retaining the Bible in the vulgar tongue; since hitherto by the command and usage of the Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition, that faculty of granting such licences of reading or retaining the vulgar Bibles or any parts of the Holy Scriptures, as well of the New as the Old Testament, in any vulgar tongue has been taken from them: which, says Clement, is to be inviolably observed." If then this power, formerly given, of granting licences, be taken away, and no new power of granting them be given; it necessarily follows, that there is now no such thing as the power of granting permission to read the Bible; or had there been such power before this new edition of the rule, yet it was then taken away by the Pope in decreeing that the command and usage of the Holy Inquisition was to be inviolably observed. And lest some should have presumption to read the Bible notwithstanding the penalty, the booksellers who shall dispose of them to such, besides the loss of the price of the books, are liable to be punished at the Bishop's pleasure.

Having now seen the rule of the Council of Trent on this subject, and the Pope's addition to it. Let us look at the language of a Romish work of high authority, and see if it does not coincide (as indeed it should) with the infallible dictum of the council.

The Rhemish Translators of the New Testament say in their preface, that their church has "neither of old, nor of late, wholly condemned all vulgar versions of scripture, nor have at any time generally forbidden the faithful to read the same; yet they have not by public authority, prescribed, commanded, or authentically ever