[K] We read of the ancient prophets, whom God sent to reform the Jews that they began their prophecies by admonishing the people, that the Lord had spoken to them: "Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken." Isai, c. i. v. 2. Whereas God has permitted that the doctrine of the Reformation, should have been originally announced to the world, by a man of insupportable pride, who disclaimed the authority, and doctrine of all Churches then upon the earth; who made no difficulty of acknowledging, that it was from the devil, he learned one of the principal articles of the Reformation, and who might therefore, have said to his followers, "Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the devil hath spoken."
[L] But some will perhaps ask, why did the first reformers inveigh so much against Purgatory and Prayers for the dead? Why the first reformers liked spiritual commerce, without duty if they could only contrive it. Now, as a remuneration for Prayers for the dead, our charitable ancestors had left certain handsome sums of money; now these reformers liked the money, but not the obligation of the Prayers; and, therefore, they inveighed right lustily against the Prayers, but took care to slyly pocket the money. But when this spiritual commerce could not be carried on unless the duty was performed, they very kindly retained the popish practice, and thus secured the money; witness the tolling of the bell for persons just dead, the churching of females, and of burying the dead. These and other are in reality the remnants of popish ceremonies, and the performance of them inspire on the Catholic mind devotional feelings; but by Protestants are, in general, looked upon very lightly, in a spiritual point of view. But then take away these popish ceremonies, and off flies the fee. Will the fee for baptism be now demanded, as baptism has been lately declared to be an unnecessary act of religion in the Protestant Church? Our Saviour said to His Apostles, "Go, teach all nations, baptizing them," (that is, all nations,) but the Protestant Church says to her ministers, "Go teach all nations," but as to the absolute necessity of baptism, our Saviour must have been wrong, and, therefore, go please yourselves about it.
[M] Appendix to "Reasons why I am not a member of the Bible Society. By the Hon. Arthur Philip Percival, B.C.L. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty."—Fifth Edition.
[N] Would my Lord Harewood, who lately figured so conspicuously on the platform in York, as the advocate for the pure and unadulterated Word of God, without note or comment, point out to the people the sure guide, which they are to follow, amidst this awful Protestant falsification, and mutilation of the Sacred Scriptures? The Spanish chemist (as related above) cut his master into pieces, and put the pieces into his sublimatory glass, with the hope of raising his master, to a more perfect state than he enjoyed, when God made him. Now, my Lord, from what I have said above, has not the Protestant Church, cut the Scriptures into pieces, and put them into the sublimatory glass of falsification and mutilation? but, my Lord, will she be ever able to raise them again, to as perfect a state as they were in, when God made them, or when your Protestant Church received them, from the hands of the Catholic Church? I am sure, my Lord, she will be here at fault. Another remark or two, my Lord, and I have done. The man, who embraces a religious opinion from conviction, has undoubtedly the right to maintain it by argument. But truth will be his first and principal object, and the champion of truth, will disdain the petty artifices of substituting assertion for truth, and misrepresentation for fact. He will never condescend to swell the crowd of idle disputants, whose ingenuity first, frames a creed for the Church of Rome, and then, after combatting a phantom of its own creation, exults in an easy and a decisive victory. My Lord, just adopt this advice in all your future observations on the creed of Catholics, and then, you will escape two ridiculous consequences; of exalting the Scriptures on the one hand, and of transgressing on the other, one of the golden precepts of that sacred volume, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." But far be it from me, my Lord, to assert that you have already done this. I merely wish to guard your Lordship, against the above ridiculous consequences. Now, as your ideas, with regard to the Catholic doctrine on the Scriptures, appear to be rather vague, I will just state, in short, our doctrine on that subject. Our Saviour commanded his apostles to go and preach his gospel, and after they had done this for a certain time, he then inspired some of them to write certain books, for the fuller instruction of those persons on certain points, which they either did not perfectly understand, or of which they were ignorant. For, as the apostles were absent from these persons, (for twelve men could not be in many places at the same time,) they found it necessary to communicate by their pens, certain instructions which these persons required. Now, as what the apostles wrote, as well as what they preached, was equally the inspired Word of God, the Catholic Church, afterwards, carefully collected those sacred books, which were written by some of these inspired men, gave to the whole of these sacred books thus collected, the name of the New Testament, and presented this volume to the people as the inspired Word of God, and has handed it down as such to her faithful in every age, in as perfect a manner as possible. And in the distribution of it to her faithful in every age, she has followed the example of the apostles. For she orders her ministers to go first, to preach and teach the gospel to the people, and afterwards, for their further instruction, she puts the sacred Scriptures into the hands of the faithful. But mind, as your Protestant Reformers have shamefully corrupted and mutilated the sacred Scriptures, she rejects your human and metamorphosed translations, forbids the use of your incorrect, corrupt, and mutilated translations, and puts into their hands, well-authenticated copies of that sacred volume. Hence, on account of her great anxiety, for the distribution of correct, and well-authenticated copies among her faithful, certain Protestants have the audacity to assert, that the Catholic Church, forbids the use of the Scripture to her people, or at least, will not let them read the pure word of God without note or comment. Do I impeach the veracity of these Protestants! Of some indeed I do, but not of all. But this I will say, most of them might know better, if they would only seek information from proper sources. I hope, this short explanation of the Catholic doctrine on the Scripture, will satisfy Lord Harewood, and caution him never to speak on matters, which essentially concern his neighbour's interest, unless he first perfectly understands them.
One word more, and I have done. I once heard, that a Noble Lord, attending a great County Meeting, in the York Castle-yard, had achieved for himself a lasting notoriety, by declaring, that in his opinion, "the Bible ought to be read by all men, and women, and children, and even idiots. And scarcely had the merriment excited by this memorable burst of sound sense subsided, before his Lordship was heard thus resuming his exhilarating eloquence. "Yes, even by idiots. I myself have derived great advantage from that book." The effect upon the meeting was electric. The noble advocate of the unfortunate idiots, had so completely identified himself with his clients, that laughter became irresistible, and to what class of intelligent beings, his Lordship belonged, most evident. I believe this is the only instance on record, of a Noble Earl, establishing his religious opinions, at the expense of his understanding.
[O] Here follows a long extract from Lord Tenterden's Speech, which it is unnecessary to reprint.
[P] By the fundamental rule of Protestantism, every individual, possesses the right of private judgment, and of course, is allowed to interpret the Bible, as his reason, or his feelings, suggest; and yet, mark the contradiction, he is not allowed, to interpret the thirty-nine Articles. For in the declaration prefixed to this singular code, it is said: "His Majesty, prohibits his loving subjects, the least difference from them, or putting their own sense upon them; but requires them, to be taken in their literal, and grammatical sense." Now, Dr. Paley says, that "the Thirty-nine Articles, will be found, on dissection, to contain about two hundred and forty distinct, and independent propositions; many of them, inconsistent with each other." In fact, few of the English Clergy subscribe the articles in the literal, and grammatical sense; "and Burnet says, that in his own times, the greater part of the clergy, subscribed the Articles, without examining them," and that others do it, because they must do it, though they can hardly satisfy their consciences, about some things in them. Dr. Balguy says, that "the Thirty-nine Articles impose upon us doctrines of dark, and ignorant ages." How just, then, must the observation of Gibbon be, "that the great body of the English Clergy, sign the Thirty-nine Articles, with a sigh, or a smile." Really, to require that men, should take these Articles, in their literal, and grammatical sense, whilst many of them, have no literal, or grammatical sense, nay, moreover, to oblige men, to swear that they believe them, is, in my humble opinion, a violation of common sense, and of decency. In all this, there may be some degree of political wisdom, but it is surely, an act of very gross, religious inconsistency.
[Q] The name of Ireland, brings to my mind, the great O'Connell, the pride of his country, the wonder of England, and the admiration of the world. When I read the direful grievances of that ill-treated nation, I wish, for the sake of England, (which I dearly love) that those grievances had never been written, either on the pages of history, or on the records of heaven. Oh, Ireland, how thou remindest me of the sufferings of my Saviour! "a man of sorrow, and the outcast of the people." Had not his divine example been continually before thy eyes, thou never couldst have endured thy load of miseries, of sorrows, and of persecution, and so nobly have proved thy loyal allegiance to thy sovereign, even amidst a deluge of insults, and of wrongs, and of injustices, that would have maddened any other nation, into a whirlwind of fury, and revenge, and rebellion; but thou rememberedst the words of thy Saviour, "love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and persecute you." But thy days of sufferings and of sorrow are, I hope, hastening to a close; but perhaps, the time of retribution for England has yet to come. Oh, may Heaven avert this dreadful day of reckoning for my dear country! But, Oh, Ireland, I must not forget the pride of thy heart—the great O'Connell—the much-abused and calumniated Dan. He is now, indeed, beyond this land of misery; but alas, he died a beggar! Yes, HE whom the newspapers formerly held up, as a most base knave, a deceiver, and a money-hunter, even he at last, died a beggar, for the love of his country. He nobly sacrificed his, from ten to fourteen thousand a year, which he was making by his profession, and in lieu, accepted the comparatively small and precarious offerings of his countrymen, every farthing of which he spent in promoting their welfare; he blasted all the patrimonial prospects of his own family, and at last, died a martyr and a beggar, for his country; and yet, there is not one English Protestant newspaper to do him common justice, by even hinting at these heroic actions. Oh, how justly may I address them in the severe words of the poet:
"You all did hate him once, but without cause,
What cause withholds you, then, to mourn for him?
Oh, judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts!
And men have lost their reason."
But, Oh immortal Dan! their praises or censures to thee are equally worthless, for thy colossal deeds during life, and thy heroic death, have immortalized thy name. But of all thy sorrows, the stab that burst thy generous soul, was the "unkindest cut of all;" for when some of thy countrymen, whom thou hadst raised and honoured, wished to take into their hands the maddening weapons of injustice, revenge, and rebellion, and wished to bury thy dear country in the ruins of bloodshed and revolution, thou,