I translate the words of these saints from the preface to a translation of the New Testament into French, by the faculty of theology of Louvain, printed at Mons, in 1667. The translators themselves seem to have been of a different spirit from Papists of the present day, as they not only gave their countrymen a version of the New Testament in their own language, but strongly recommended it to the perusal of all classes of the people.* The following are the words of the translators rendered into English, and those of the fathers will appear as quoted by them:

"Now if God heretofore commanded his people to read unceasingly in the law, and has given it for their meditation day and night; and if the orders of religious believe themselves bound to read every day the rule which they have received from their founder, how can we nelect to read the law of Jesus Christ, whose words are spirit and life; and being entered by baptism, into the Catholic and universal religion, of which Jesus Christ is the Founder, we ought to look on the gospel as our rule, which makes known to us his will, confirms his promises, which is our light in this world, and which will one day be our judge in that which is to come. The word that I speak unto you shall judge you at the last day. This is that which made St. Cesaire, bishop of Arles, say, that those who cannot read are not excusable, on that account, to be ignorant of what may be learned by the reading of the gospel; for, if the plainest and most homely persons, not only in the cities, but also in the villages, find means (saith this saint) to read and learn profane and worldly songs, how can they, after this, excuse themselves for their ignorance, in having learned nothing of the gospel? You have plenty of invention, adds he, to learn to read what the devil teaches you for your destruction, but not enough to learn what you are taught from the mouth of Jesus Christ, the truth which should save you."

that

The translators proceed :-"It would be an endless task to relate all that the holy fathers have said of the excellence of the gospel. All their works are full of the marks of respect which they have, not only for the sacred history of the life of Jesus Christ, but also for the other books which compose the New Testament."-Again, "Not to say it is not a very useful labour to gather from the writings of the fathers, who are the true interpreters of this holy book, explanations and notes which will aid us very much in the understanding its divine truths and holy instructions: but we conceive this a work altogether different, and of another kind from that, and though useful in itself, does not prevent a simple translation, like the present, from being useful to believers for we hope, that not only the more enlightened minds, but the more simple, may find that which is necessary for their instruction, whilst they read, in an entire simplicity of heart, approaching

*It is a fact, that more liberty of reading the scriptures has been allowed to all classes of the people in France, for a hundred years past, than is allowed by the popish priests in England and Ireland to their people, at the present day. Charles Butler, Esq., who is said to be one of the most liberal and enlightened of the Romish communion in Britain, declares as follows, in his examination before the committee of the house of commons, June 13th, 1816:-"In point of fact," says he, "there has not, for the last century, been in France (as I have informed myself from good authority) any objection to reading the Old or New Testament in the French tongue, or without notes, by any age, or any description of people."

humbly to the Son of God, and saying, with St. Peter, Lord to whom shall we go, &c.; and it is thou alone who can teach us. We must come to him like those of whom it is said in the gospel, that they come to hear him and be healed of their diseases: for "curiosity," according to St. Augustine, "is one of the diseases of the soul, insomuch the more dangerous that it is the more hid; and if we think of nothing but to satisfy it, in reading the word of the Lord, this would be to nourish our disorders by the very remedy which ought to cure them. He who seeks nothing in the scriptures but his own salvation, will find it there, and that knowledge which he did not seek."

"Holy scripture," says St. Gregory, "is like a great flood which has run, and will always run, to the end of the world. The great and the little, the strong and the weak, find there that living water which springs up to heaven; it offers itself to all, it proportions itself to all; it has a simplicity which stoops even to the souls of the most simple, and a height which gives exercise and elevation to those who are highest. All may draw indifferently, and so far from being able to empty it, in filling ourselves, we will always leave depths of knowledge and wisdom, where we may adore without being able to comprehend."

"But what ought to comfort us, under this obscurity, is that," according to St. Augustine, "holy scripture proposes to us, in an easy and intelligible manner, all that is necessary for our conduct in life, that it explains and clears up itself, in revealing clearly to us in some places what has been said obscurely in others, and that this obscurity has its use, if we view it with the eye of faith and piety."

Speaking of charity or love, St. Augustine says, "This is the root, and all the other truths are the branches and the fruits. If you cannot," saith he, "comprehend all those branches which are of so vast extent, satisfy yourselves with the root, which includes the whole. He who loves, knows all, because he possesses the end to which all tends. Say not then you cannot understand the scripture; love God, and there is nothing which you shall not be able to understand. When the scripture is clear, it clearly marks the divine love; and when obscure, it marks its obscurity. He, then, knows the clear and obscure in the scripture who knows the love of God, and who regulates his life by that love."

The translators conclude their preface as follows:-"The New Testament is the treasure of the church, hence a translation is a common good. There is, therefore, ground to hope, that all will take part in what is useful to all, and that humble souls will seek nothing but their own edification in this work; praying God for those who have engaged in it, that he would not impute rashness to this service which they have attempted to render to the church, without sufficiently considering that it was above their strength; that he would cover and repair the faults in the execution, in their not having laboured with all the respect, and all the attention, and all the piety, that they ought; that he would accompany it with the blessing of his Spirit; and that he would not permit any thing strange or human to be mixed, that might turn or change in any manner this impression which the words of grace, truth, and life, ought to have on men's souls."

Thus, it appears, that not only the reverend translators, but the

principal saints and fathers of the church of Rome were Protestants in sentiment, with regard to the reading of the Bible. St. Augustine, St. Chrysostom, St. Cyprian, St. Dennis, and St. Gregory, all of whom are cited as authorities on this subject, speak very much like the fathers of the church of England, who composed the Homily, on reading the scriptures. Had the ancient fathers lived in the time of Luther, and found the church so incorrigibly corrupt as she was in his time, they would most probably have joined the reformation; and had they lived in the present day, they would have joined the Bible society; for, to use the language of Dr. Milner, they were all infected with the Bible madness, and they spake like downright enthusiasts of the advantage. of reading and knowing the holy scriptures.

Papists are continually boasting of the antiquity of their religion; but real antiquity is all against them. I wish them to go farther back than any of the saints whose names I have mentioned; I wish them to go as far back as Peter and Paul, and the other apostles; but if they should even stop short of this, and take up with St. Augustine, or St. Gregory, I venture to assure them, they will then find it their duty to abandon the council of Trent, and the pope, and the church which makes it a crime to obey God by reading his word.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

HOW MAY PAPISTS BE LED TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, SEEING THE SCRIPTURES ARE WITHHELD FROM THEM? RECOMMENDATION OF TRACTS. NOTICE OF THE CATHOLIC VINDICATOR. HIS REMARKS ON THE SUBJECT OF BREAKING FAITH WITH HERETICS.

POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF POPERY.

SATURDAY, April 3d, 1819 THE celebrated Dean Swift having preached a sermon against sleeping in church, began his application in this manner,-"These arguments may have weight with men awake; but what shall we say of the sleeper? By what means shall we arouse him to a sense of his sin and danger?" A reflection like this has occurred to THE PROTESTANT, on looking over what he has written on the subject of the Bible, and the duty of reading it: these arguments, he hopes, will have weight with persons who are awake to the subject; but what shall he say to the Papist, who is asleep, and worse than asleep; and who will not allow his mind to open to the consideration of what is infinitely interesting to himself, but which he spurns away from him as being the business, not of him, but of his priest? If ever the minds of such shall be opened, it will be the work of God and not of man.

Yet this work may be accomplished by human instrumentality. We know the means by which the priests shut the hearts of the people, and keep them shut, against the light of God's word. Along with the terror of their persons and office, which they hang over the heads of the people, it is by means of such arguments as I have detailed in some of my late numbers, taken from the writings of Bishop Milner and others, against the Bible society, and the circulation of the scriptures. I believe the best answer to such arguments is to give the Bible

itself to those who can read; but perhaps much good might be done among our popish population by the distribution of cheap tracts, recommending the Bible, giving copious extracts from it, and, in a lively summary way, exposing the absurdity of the reasons which the priests give for withholding it from the people. It will be objected, that this would appear like an attempt to make proselytes, and thereby excite alarm among both the people and their priests. What then? Is it not the desire of every Protestant Christian to win his brother from error and superstition? We have too much delicacy with regard to our fellow-creatures who are living in fatal error, and who, while they continue to reject the gospel of Christ, are in the broad way of destruction. Would we win them secretly, and by stealth? This would not be honourable in itself, and certainly not like the example set by the apostles. They told unbelievers plainly, that they were unbelievers; and idolaters, that they were idolaters; and they told them this for the avowed purpose of turning them from vain idols to serve the living God. In this manner should we deal with our popish neighbours; and if we do so with kindness and affection; if, while we point out the cruelty and wickedness of the priests, who rob the people of the bread of life, we make it manifest that it is not hatred but love to their souls that prompts us, our endeavours will, through the divine blessing, tell upon the conscience and heart of some, perhaps of many individuals, and lead them to renounce the pope, and the priest, and all their idols, and embrace the Saviour of sinners.

The distribution of cheap tracts has been very useful in instructing and awakening ignorant Protestants: and why should not Papists have a similar benefit extended to them, in the form of tracts, calculated to engage their attention, and to remove their prejudices against the Bible and the gospel which it reveals? They have access, indeed, to all the tracts that are in circulation, if they please to read them; but then there are few, if any of them, calculated for their meridian, or suited to their modes of thinking. The plainest evangelical tracts take much for granted which Papists require to be taught; and none of them that I have seen contain the necessary exposure of the folly of what is taught by their priests. I am aware no Bible society can properly adopt this mode of promoting Christianity, because their business is to distribute the Bible alone; but there are tract societies, and education societies of various names, by whom this hint may be improved; and if, by any means, we can persuade the adherents of Rome seriously to read the Bible, the reign of superstition and priestcraft will not long maintain its ground before the light of the divine word, which shines in every page of the Bible.

Having finished what I had to say on this subject, I shall now indulge the reader and myself with a few pages of lighter matter.

I am often asked how is THE CATHOLIC VINDICATOR Coming on? and it may be proper to give a short answer to this question, especially as many who read his earlier numbers have given him up from mere disgust. That the Protestants in this country were very willing to hear a defence of the church of Rome, if conducted upon the principles of fair reasoning, is abundantly evident, from the ready sale of the first and second numbers of THE VINDICATOR; but when they found that there was neither truth nor reason in him, most of them

thought proper to leave him to those to whom the opposite might be acceptable.

As a general answer to the question, how is he coming on? let it suffice, that the poor man is extremely angry: that he is even swearing with passion; for which, see his seventh number, column 108, in which he begins a sentence with an oath: that great part of his work has little relation to the facts and arguments of the Protestant, but exhibits a ludicrous combat with phantoms of his own raising: that, with all his folly, he has sense enough to see that I am aiming at the vitals of his system; and, therefore, he uses every species of provoking and insulting language, and accuses me of many bad things, in order to divert me from my purpose, and set me upon my own defence, or engage me in a contest about miserably distorted scraps of history. Though I avowedly take my stand upon the Bible alone, and am the advocate of no sect or party, he will have it, that I am responsible for all the errors and crimes which he chooses to say have been committed in Protestant countries, by parliaments, armies, thiefcatchers, and others, though they were persons who had no religion at all; and when he has dilated at sufficient length upon these subjects he thinks he has repelled every charge against his own church, by whatever evidence it has been established. His work, with all its faults, seems to be in great favour with persons of his own sect here, from the industry with which they puff it off by means of handbills, which, every week, deface the corner of our streets, and the gates of our churches, headed by great capitals, announcing THE CATHOLIC VINDICATOR, with its contents for the week; which contents, by the by, usually contain more than the work itself; for they announce the refutation of this, and the refutation of that, whereas, in the book, there is nothing refuted. The deplorable state of intellect and of taste which must exist among the admirers of such a work, excites, I hope, in the breast of every Protestant, a feeling of gratitude for the blessings of the reformation; yet Mr. Andrews will be as much astonished at my want of intellect and of taste in disparaging his style of writing, as any Hottentot beauty would be, on finding her charms disparaged by some barbarous European.

*

A blundering officer in a camp will sometimes very effectually, though unconsciously, serve the cause of his enemy. In this way I still hail Mr. Andrews as an auxiliary; for, with all his boasting and bluster, he lays open, from time to time, the vulnerable parts of the cause which he undertakes to defend, in such a way as will make my work easy when I come to reply to his declamations.

He has laboured hard to vindicate his church against the accusation of holding it lawful to break faith with heretics. Yet the matter stands just as I left it, as any one may see who will take the pains to read carefully and compare what has been written on both sides.

* Mr. Andrews tells us, in his Orthodox Journal for October last, page 374, "that civil liberty is not the offspring of Protestantism, nor has she even been permitted to abide wherever the light of the reformation has dawned." He uses the words, "light of the reformation," in derision. Now I would ask him, what would be the consequence, if THE PROTESTANT were to publish his work in Spain, and have the contents of it stuck up on the church gates every Sunday morning, to insult the devout worshippers of the Virgin Mary? Let him answer this question, and say where the balance in favour of liberty would lie.

VOL. I.-37