will of their superiors!!!" "Ill-designing people" in the church of Rome, as well as the poor and ignorant, are prohibited the free use of the Scriptures; and for this reason, because they "might do themselves or others injury, by perverting the true sense of the Bible." By "ill-designing people" are meant such persons as, on reading the Volume of Inspiration, and using the unalienable right of private judgment, would dare to call in question the truth of any of the doctrines, (however novel or absurd,) which, by the authority of their church, they are commanded to believe implicitly. We wish to think as charitably as possible of the Roman Catholics; but what can charity itself think of a description of men, who, in opposition to Scripture, reason, and the practice of the primitive Church, withhold from the poor and ignorant that sacred Book, which, through the divine blessing, is able to make men wise unto salvation? Did our blessed Saviour, who had the Spirit without measure, and who spoke as no mere man was ever capable of speaking, withhold his instructions from the poor and ignorant? Ah! no; they constituted the bulk of his hearers, on most occasions; they were the common people who heard him gladly. He and his Apostles preached the Gospel, in all its depths of meaning, to the poor and ignorant, as well as to the rich and learned; but especially to the former, as they composed, with few exceptions, the great body of the first Christians. Nor were any of the Christians in the Apostolic age, nor for many ages after, interdicted the free use of the Scriptures.

It is notorious to all who are acquainted with the nature and design of Christianity, that millions, in the pale of the visible Church, are walking in gross darkness, and living without God in the world. Protestants say, Give the Scriptures to those millions who are perishing for lack of knowledge, they will prove a lamp unto their feet, and a light unto their path. But what say the popish prelates? Thus the poor and ignorant shall not have even our own authorised version, without notes, nor even with notes, "but only under the direction, and at the will of their superiors!" To make men's ignorance an argument for with. holding from them the word of life, which was given for the purpose of enlightening the world, must appear to all, who use their reason, an impious and shocking absurdity.

The Romish clergy justly apprehend, that the indiscriminate use of the Scriptures, even with their own comments, would cause millions to doubt the truth of several new and unscriptural articles of their creed; the belief of which, they maintain, is necessary to salvation. They fear that many of their adherents, from reading the Scriptures, would be ready to conclude, that Christianity, as taught by our Lord and his Apostles, is, in many important points, essentially different from what it is, as taught in their church. They might expect that many, who now blindly

follow their directions, would, if permitted to read the Scriptures, propose such questions as the most learned Jesuits could not satisfactorily answer. With the New Testament in their hands, and possessed of a competent knowledge of its contents, it is natural to suppose that many would urge the following queries. Where is it written in this book, that subjection to the pope, as our church teaches, is necessary to salvation? That the pope is infallible? That St. Peter was constituted the prince of the Apostles? That every pope, however wicked, is Christ's vicar upon earth? Or, that even general Councils, (if there ever were any,) are infallible in their decisions? Do we read in this book, that oral tradition in the Church, is to be received and reverenced with like pious regard as the Scriptures? Had any Council authority from Christ or his Apostles, to make the belief of oral tradition necessary to salvation? Had not the primitive Christians the Scriptures in languages which they understood? Why then are we, who belong to the holy apostolical Church, forbidden the use of the Scriptures? Did not St. Paul condemn the practice of praying or preaching in an unknown tongue? Why, then, should our service be performed in Latin, of which we know nothing? Had not the Apostles the miraculous gift of tongues, that they might pray, as well as preach, in the various languages of those among whom they laboured in the gospel? Is there any peculiar sanctity in the Latin tongue? We are told, that it is venerable for its antiquity; but is it not a modern language when compared to the Hebrew? And was not the Latin once a vulgar tongue? And was not the public service of the Church performed in it then? Where, in the Scriptures, are we commanded to believe the doctrine of transubstantiation? Was not Christ alive, when he said, "this is my body," and "this is my blood?" Does it not follow that these words are to be understood in a figurative sense? Does it not appear a gross absurdity, to believe that our Lord literally and really gave his body and blood to his disciples; and that at a time when he was, as usual, discernible by their senses? Mysteries, i, e. things above our reason, clearly revealed, such as the doctrines of the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, and the resurrection, we are bound to believe; but does it follow that we are bound to believe, and that on pain of perishing eternally, what we can demonstrate to be contrary to reason? Did not our Saviour, to satisfy his disciples of the truth of his resurrection, appeal to the evidence of two of their senses? Did he not say, "Behold my hands and my feet: handle me, and see?" Are we obliged to believe, in order to salvation, any thing in opposition to our senses? If so, of what can we be certain? And is it not to believe, în direct opposition to our senses, that a wafer is the identical body of our Saviour? We are told this is a mystery; but how can we avoid believing it to be an * 5 Y 2*

absurdity? Upon what principle of reason, faith, or common sense, can we bring ourselves to believe, that our Saviour's glorified body is wholly in heaven, and at the same time wholly in every part of the globe, where a wafer is consecrated? Can a body, to which, in the nature of things, locality is essential, exist wholly in ten thousand places at once? Did our church do right in making, several centuries after the Christian era, the belief of this doctrine necessary to salvation? Beside, we would inquire, what authority Christ or his Apostles gave the Church to take the cup, in the sacrament, from the laity? We are told that our church cannot err; but if this be the case, why does she differ so much from the primitive apostolic Church? Do we read any command in the New or Old Testament, to worship the Virgin Mary, saints, angels, the crucifix, the host, images, and relics? Do we find in the New Testament, the least hint about offering masses for the dead? May we not doubt the existence of purgatory, the belief of which our church makes necessary to salvation? If, as St. Paul says, every man shall be judged according to the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad; how can any receive the least benefit in purgatory, (if there be any such place,) by masses offered up for them, or prayers made in their behalf?-Again: we begin to have doubts about our good works meriting everlasting life; for if they do, how can everlasting life be the gift of God? If we merit heaven by our works, how can it be a gift?

Such questions as these, with many others, which thousands of the Romish church in the United Kingdom, if allowed without restraint to read the Scriptures, would be disposed sincerely to urge, could not fail to be injurious to popery, while, at the same time, they would be highly favourable to genuine Christianity. Were our Roman Catholic countrymen allowed the free use of the Scriptures, in the Rhemish version, though a very faulty one, and even accompanied with the alloy of popish notes, the light of the sacred text would enable them to discover the darkness of the comment; and eventually lead them to renounce a church, which has shockingly disfigured and corrupted the Christian religion. Popery cannot exist among a people who read the Scriptures seriously and attentively in any tolerable version. This the Romish clergy knew; and, therefore, will never put the sacred volume into the hands of the poor and ignorant, without notes, nor give it gratuitously, even WITH NOTES, to all who may apply for it, "but ONLY under the DIRECTION, and AT THE WILL of their superiors!!!" Happy protestants, did ye but duly estimate the privilege of being free from the domination of such superiors!

That the church of Rome is decidedly hostile to the general use of the Scriptures, is too notorious to be called in question, This is demonstrated in the pamphlet before us, by quotations

from both ancient and modern authentic documents. The clergy of that church are allowed a discretionary power of tolerating, under certain restrictions, the use of the Scriptures; and they profess to prohibit the use of them to none except "ignorant and ill-designing people." In what a state of mental and moral degradation, then, must the generality of Roman catholics be, since so very few of them have the Scriptures in their possession! Mr. Gandolphy triumphantly says, (as quoted p. 90,) "the Bible was not intended by God to be the common instructer of mankind: this is a Catholic principle; and it is on this account that we do not indiscriminately toss our Bible to the multitude."" Passing over the low attempt to burlesque the giving of the Sacred Volume to all who are willing to receive it; we would ask Mr. Gandolphy, is not the use of it allowed in his church to all who are not ignorant and ill-designing people? Are, then, all the Roman catholics, who are forbidden the use of the Scriptures, of that description? How very few copies of either the Old or New Testament, are possessed by the papists in Ireland: How extremely few are possessed by the many millions professing the Romish religion on the Continent of Europe, and in South America. The consequences of the Sacred Volume being withheld from the papists in general, are, with comparatively few excep tions, extreme ignorance of true religion, and profligacy of manners. They know, (to use the words of a late eminent divine,) the names of God, and Christ, and the Virgin Mary. They know a little of the pope and the priest: how to tell their beads, to say Ave Maria and Pater Noster; to do what penance they are bid, to hear mass, confess, and pay so much for the pardon of their sins. But as to the nature of religion, the life of God in the soul, they know no more, (I will not say than the priest, but) than the beasts that perish." These are the multitudes, to whom the Bible is neither rudely tossed, nor decently given, and what have they gained by all the instructions of their pretended infal lible teachers?

The pamphlet, which our limits now oblige us to dismiss, in addition to several letters, all bearing more or less upon some the points at issue betwixt protestants and papists; contains, in strict conformity with its title page, "Notes and Observations exhibiting the genuine principles of Roman Catholics."

THE WORD OF GOD ILLUSTRATED,

Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled, Luke xxi. 24. THE accomplishment of this part of the prophecy concerning the Jews, and Jerusalem, as indeed of every article of it, is won

derful. For, after the Jews were utterly destroyed by death and captivity, Vespasian commanded the whole land of Judea to be sold. Bell. vii. 26. "At that time Cæsar wrote to Bassus, and to Liberius Maximus, the procurator, to sell the whole land of the Jews; for he did not build any city there, but appropriated their country to himself, leaving there only eight hundred soldiers, and giving them a place to dwell in, called Emmaus, thirty stadiums from Jerusalem; and he imposed a tribute upon all the Jews wheresoever they lived, commanding every one of them to bring two drachms into the Capitol, according as in former times they were wont to pay unto the temple of Jerusalem. And this was the state of the Jews at that time." Thus was Jerusalem in particular, with its territory, possessed by the Gentiles, becoming Vespasian's property, who sold it to such Gentiles as chose to settle there. That Jerusalem continued in this desolate state we learn from Dio: for he tells us, that the emperor Adrian rebuilt it, sent a colony thither to inhabit it, and called it Aelia. But he altered its situation, leaving out Zion and Bezetha, and enlarging it so as to comprehend Calvary, where our Lord was crucified. Moreover, Eusebius informs us, that Adrian made a law, that no Jew should come into the region around Jerusalem. Hist. xxi. 6. So that the Jews being banished, such a number of aliens came into Jerusalem, that it became a city and colony of the Romans. Hist. iv. 6. In later times, when Julian apostatized to heathenism, being sensible that the evident accomplishment of our Lord's prophecy concerning the Jewish nation, made a strong impression upon the Gentiles, and was a principal means of their conversion, he resolved to deprive Christianity of this support, by bringing the Jews to occupy their own land, and by allowing them the exercise of their religion, and a form of civil government. For this purpose he resolved to rebuild Jerusalem, and to rear up the temple upon its ancient foundations, because there only he knew they would offer prayers and sacrifices. In the prosecution of this design he wrote a letter to the community of the Jews, which is still extant among his other works, inviting them to return to their native country; for their encouragement, he says to them, among other things, "The holy city, Jerusalem, which of many years ye have desired to see inhabited, I will rebuild by mine own labour, and will inhabit it," Epist. xxv. And now the em peror having made great preparations, began the execution of his scheme with rebuilding the temple; but his workmen were soon obliged to desist, by an immediate and evident interposition of God. Take an account of this in the words of Ammianus Marcellinus, an heathen historian, and therefore an author of unsuspected credit. Lib. xxiii. Ab initio. "He resolved to build, at an immense expense, a certain lofty temple at Jerusalem; and gave it in charge to Alypius, of Antioch, to hasten the work.