●qually plain, that measures merely remedial, might be prosecuted for ever, and forever find its work undone. As some, however, will be come inebriates despite of restraining influences, there should be exortions for their rescue, and hence the necessity for remedial exertions, which would not otherwise exist, To meet the exigencies of the enterprise, therefore, both modes of operation are essential, and should harmoniously cooperate in accomplishing the grand result. The mistake of the past, and the chief danger of the present time, consists in the neglect of means which are primary and fundamental to the prosperity of the cause, for the sake of such as are merely sec• ondary and incidental. Whilst, therefore, the reformed men should be fully encouraged and sustained in their praiseworthy labors for the rescue of inebriates, the early associations should be revived and continue their exertions on the old, and tried, and approved principles with all the zeal and activity of former years. The best interests of temperance and of the community, imperatively demand this course. Whatever else may be done, it will still remain true, that on preventive or conservative influence must ever rest the chief hopes of the enterprise. Without them, reformation will ever be beginning but never complete. Humane and noble as is the work of reforming drunkards, it is incomparably a greater and nobler achievement, to prevent drunkenness altogether.

Such, in the opinion of your committee, is an outline of some of the principles by which your plans of operation should be governed. -We must return to the good old way, engraft upon it from time to time the results of experience, and modify the system of action according to providential developments. And in doing this there is one other principle of universal and perpetual obligation which should never be forgotten; to wit, all your methods, plans, motives and objects should be consonant with, and subordinate to religion. The claims of temperance derive force from the infinite sanctions of Revelation; and in the opinion of your committee, there is no rational ground on which these sanctions can be withheld. The temperance cause is essensially a Christian enterprise. It had its origin in the Bible. Its earliest germ was nurtured and expanded by Christian influences. Its first advocates were Christians who freely devoted their time, talents and treasure to its promotion. They urged its obligations not merely on secular principles which men may contemn--nor yet on narrow sectarian views, whose effect is ever to alienate and repel; but on the broad, acknowledged principles before described; and the results showed the wisdom of their course. Reform, 36

if moved with a sacred impulse, surmounted every obstacle, and spread with unparalleled rapidity over the civilized world.

In the simple, but sublime precepts, "Do thyself no harm," and "Whatsoever things ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them,"are involved the principles of the temperance reformation. This is moral obligation, which when faithfully exhibited, finds its sanction and motive in the best feelings of the heart. This is, indeed, the grand statute law of Heaven for the regulation of human conduct, written not merely with ink, but, as it were, by the finger of God, on man's physical and moral being. For the laws of nature and the laws of revelation speak one language on this subject; the chief difference is, that the latter has been specially revealed, and infinitely transcends the former in power and authority, inasmuch as it allies man to his Maker, and arraigns him as an accountable creature at His bar. Now divorce temperance from religion, and it will be deprived of its highest, holiest, and strongest sanctions; the crimes of drunkenness and drunkard-making will lose their moral turpitude; the claims of the cause will be merely conventional; its influence on the heart and conscience be destroyed---and consequently, the deepseated evil it is designed to eradicate, will remain unreached, and reform ever be outward and superficial. Take from it the sanctions of moral principle, and it becomes a monstrous incongruity, and can no longer claim a place among the departments of human beneficence. If under such circumstances it exists at all, which is a matter of doubt in view of human proclivity, it is as likely to exist for evil as for good: and instead of purifying and elevating character, as in former years, and becoming the guardian angel of morals, the handmaid of religion, and a useful auxiliary in every good work, it probably will subserve no higher purpose than to gratify a passion for excitement and vain display, or advance the schemes of selfish and turbulent agitators.

For the Evangelical Guardian,

THE BIBLE VINDICATED AGAINST THE ROMANIST.

A lecture delivered by the Editor to an assembly of the citizens of Hamilton and Rossville.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. VOL. II:-SIG. 35

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Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. From a child thou hast known

the Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good work."

It is thus that inspired men of God, and the Divine Savior himself, speak of the fulness and sufficiency of the Scriptures, and of the blessedness of an early acquaintance with them. Hence, just in proportion to the interest which christians have felt in the cause of Christ, have they always desired that the Scriptures should be translated into the different languages of men, and circulated among all nations; that men might, every where, read and hear in their own tongue wherein they were born, the wonderful works of God. The Protestant, that is, the Christian who takes his religion from the Bible, is not afraid that the general reading of the Scriptures will do more harm than good. The privilege may indeed be abused through the wick-edness of men; but so may every good gift of our Creator.

Not so the leaders of the Roman Apostacy, They hold that saving. truth and discipline are contained in written books, and in unwritten traditions. And they revere both with equal piety and veneration.. That every word may be established, I shall read an extract from the decree of the Council of Trent which is held as authoritative over the whole Catholic world..

"The sacred holy ecumenical and general Council of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Spirit, the three before mentioned legates of the Apostolic See presiding therein; having constantly in view, the removal of error and the preservation of the purity of the Gospel in the Church, which Gospel, promised before by the prophets in the Sacred Scriptures, was first orally published by our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who afterwards commanded it to be preached by his Apostles to every creature, as the source of all-saving truth and discipline; and perceiving that this truth and discipline are contained both in written books and in unwritten traditions, which have come down to us, either received by the Apostles from the lip of Christ himself, or transmitted by the hands of the same apostles, under the dictation of the Holy Spirit; following the example of the orthodox fath-ers, doth receive and reverence, with equal piety and veneration, all the books as well of the Old as of the New Testament, the same God. being the author of both---and also the aforesaid traditions pertaining

both to faith and manners, whether received from Christ himself, or dictated by the Holy Spirit and preserved in the Catholic Church by continual succession."

er.

The origin of these traditions is as follows:---Christ and his Apostles undoubtedly taught many things, and gave many particular directions which are not contained in the Scriptures. These were delivered by the Apostles to their immediate successors, and so on down to the present day. But how is the Romanist sure that they have been handed down uncorrupt? A story sometimes loses, often gains, and is perverted in all manner of ways in passing from one to anothHere, however the Romanist has no difficulty: for "Holy Church' is infallible. Every doubt must be silenced; we must ask no impertinent questions, but be satisfied that the Church has handed down these traditions faithfully, for she says so. Thus, the Church is at last the Rule of Faith. The Church, not the written word, not even these unwritten traditions, is the high and ultimate authority to which the Romanist appeals. And should you or I look into the Bible, and see, or think we see, much there which contradicts "Holy Church" ---should it appear to our plain common sense, that the Bible really condemns much of the faith and worship of Rome, we must then be told that it is impious for private persons to interpret the Scriptures for themselves, that it pertains to "Holy Church" to tell us what the Bible teaches. So says the Council of Trent. "In order to restrain petulant minds, the Council farther decrees, that in matters of faith. and morals, and whatever relates to the maintainance of christian doctrine, no one confiding in his own judgment, shall dare to wrest the sacred Scriptures to his own sense of them, contrary to that which hath been held, and stilf is held, by holy mother Church, whose right it is to judge of the true meaning and interpretation of Sacred Writ; or contrary to the unanimous consent of the fathers; even though such interpretations should never be published. If any disobey, let him be denounced by the ordinaries, and punished according to law."

A man may be well acquainted with the original languages of the Scriptures, and have all those qualifications which are necessary to render him an able expounder of the Scriptures, but he must not presume that he knows what any text of Scripture means. Should he commit his thoughts to paper and keep it close in his drawer, still, if it is found by an Inquisitor, he must be punished according to law. Now, as the Church is with the Romanist, the only infallible rule. of faith, and tradition is of equal value with the Scriptures, and in-deed of more value, for the church is guided by tradition to the right

interpretation of the Scripture; it is easy to see that he can have no strong desire that the written word should be generally possessed and read by the people. Hence, the Jesuits of the College of Rheims, in the preface to their translation of the New Testament, say:

'Which translation we do not for all this publish, upon erroneous opinion of necessity, that the Holy Scriptures should always be in our mother tongue, or that they ought, or were ordained by God to be read indifferently of all, or could be easily understood of every one that heareth or readeth them in a known language: or that they were not often, through man's malice and infirmity, pernicious, and much hurtful to many: or that we generally and absolutely, deemed it more convenient in itself, and more agreeable to God's word and honor, or edification for faith, to have them turned into vulgar tongues, than to be kept and studied only in the ecclesiastical learned languages. Not for these, or any such like causes, do we translate the Sacred Book, but upon special considerations of the present time, state, and condition of our country, unto which divers things are either necessary, or profitable and medicinable now, that otherwise, in the peace of the Church, were neither much requisite, nor perchance wholly tolerable."

How this "peace of the church" was banished, and this "present state" of things, which rendered a translation of the Scriptures, tho' not a desirable good, at least a necessary evil, introduced, they go on to inform us:--

"Now since Luther's revolt also, divers learned Catholics, for the more speedy abolishment of a number of false and impious translations, put forth by sundry sects, and for the better preservation and reclaim of many good souls endangered thereby, have ри blished the Bible in the several languages of almost all the principal provinces of the Latin Church; no other books in the world being so pernicious as heretical translations of the Scriptures; poisoning the people under color of Divine authority, and not many other remedies being more sovereign against the same, if it be used in order, discretion, and humility, than the true, faithful, and sincere interpretation opposed thereto."

But though "Luther's revolt" made "divers learned Catholics" do what otherwise they would not have done, that is, translate the Scriptures into a language which the people understood, still "holy church" will not allow to all men the free and unrestricted use of the inspired volume, "Which causeth the holy church not to forbid utterly any Catholic translation, though she allow not the publishing or read