Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

the Bible without the Apocrypha. Accordingly in their Report for the year 1839, after endeavouring to excuse some of the errors of these translations, they distinctly refuse to withdraw or even to revise them. An unfortunate determination, which we earnestly hope they will see the necessity and the christian wisdom and duty of altering without delay.

Now we beg our readers to notice, that against versions such as these Popery makes no strenuous opposition, where she needs. must have some sort of version of the Bible in circulation. And it is evident, that with such a translation in his hands, the Popish priest, even in a reference to the Law and to the Testimony, would be too powerful for any Protestant missionary, however zealous, however "mighty in the scriptures"-that is, in the pure scriptures, in the original and in faithful translations.

The inevitable conclusion then is, that either Popery is not unscriptural or these are adulterated versions, which consistently with the command against "handling the word of God deceitfully,' (2 Cor. iv. 2,) we ought not to circulate. It may be very easy to draw the minds of christians from these to other points, to doubtful points of criticism, to labored defences of the Popish way of rendering particular verses; but for simple minds this unscrupulous mode of reasoning will not suffice; they have the testimony of the most wise and pious men the world has produced since the Reformation, to the purity and faithfulness of the English version; they know that that version is one of which, the Papists on account of that very faithfulness are afraid; they know too that the versions which they are asked to circulate in Roman Catholic countries abroad, are not versions which the Papists at all need fear; that they are versions differing from that faithful English version in most important particulars; and therefore we call upon them as sincere Protestants, plainly to refuse to circulate them any longer.

But are they then to do nothing? No indeed! The Roman Catholic population of the earth is about one hundred and thirty millions, and since the discovery of printing, twelve generations

-an immense, a countless multitude!-have passed away from earth into eternity. For all who have gone, and for all who still are living, not so many as twenty-five millions of Bibles or parts of Bibles, and most of these with notes and comments, with the Apocrypha, or in unfaithful versions, have been printed! And yet of the dead and of the living, though under the fearful bondage of Popery, many were and are true disciples of the Lord, as we well know, by the gracious invitation in Revelations xviii, 4, being addressed to those who are in the mystic Babylon, loved with an everlasting love, and chosen in Christ Jesus to the glory of His great and holy name. For the living then surely something should be done by those, who themselves have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and who themselves know by blessed experience

that the scriptures are indeed able to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Especially something should be done now when we still enjoy, through mercy, a season of peace, and consequently have so many opportunities by our extended commerce of carrying to every quarter of the globe the glad tidings of salvation; and still more especially, we should do all that our means enable us, in order that we who are reviled because we oppose Popery may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and cut off occasion from them that desire occasion, by proving our ardent and anxious zeal for the spiritual welfare of the Roman Catholics individually, and our earnest desire to assist in their true emancipation.

But it will be asked, how are we to act if we cannot assist the British and Foreign Bible Society in circulating their present Popish versions, and if there be no others? We answer plainly, despise not the Trinitarian Bible Society, which is a purely Protestant Society, and which hallows all its public proceedings by prayer and praise, because it is a small society. "There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few." "Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord God." That society is now engaged in the revision of an old Protestant version of the Bible in Portuguese, and expects soon to complete it-a work indeed of wonderful importance when the vast number of persons who speak that language is considered. It also has long desired and prepared to undertake the publication, or if needful first, the careful revision, of a remarkable and very faithful Spanish version of the Bible made by a Protestant Spaniard, who was exiled during the Reformation. To all our friends then, who are interested in this subject, who are more than Protestants in name, who desire the enlargement of the Redeemer's kingdom, we strenuously advise a liberal zealous co-operation in the important work of circulating among Roman Catholics the "glorious gospel of the Blessed God." But in doing so, we bid them take heed that in very deed it is the word of God they circulate, and not some adulterated translation which defends the precise errors they chiefly desire in circulating it among Roman Catholics, to expose and to overthrow. And if they do take heed to this, and act upon the caution, we feel very certain that the versions we have mentioned will not be circulated by them, and that they will not be deterred by evil report (for "the offence of the cross" has not ceased) and by that clamour which Satan always raises against those who are truly faithful to God's truth, from aiding the Trinitarian Bible Society in its steady though humble endeavour to provide for them, who are now perishing through lack of knowledge, the pure and everlasting Word of Life.

We commend this subject to the serious consideration of our friends and readers. We have mentioned it from a deep sense

of duty, having after long deliberation been ourselves convinced by the considerations we have mentioned; and while we shall greatly regret if we have given offence to any, by thus writing on the subject of the British and Foreign Bible Society's proceedings, we shall by the grace of God firmly maintain our position, without, however, being provoked into fruitless controversy on points which do not fairly suggest themselves to us in conducting this periodical. And we pray that the blessing of God may attend what we have stated, and stir up the hearts of many who have freely received to freely give, towards the promotion of His glory and the salvation of men, to the praise of His grace in Christ Jesus our blessed and only Redeemer.

THE ACTION AGAINST THE REV. HUGH STOWELL.

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you."-John, xv. 18, 19, 20.

Ar an important meeting held a few months back in Manchester, to petition Parliament against the continued endowment of the Popish College of Maynooth, it appears that the Rev. Hugh Stowell (a clergyman who needs no praise from us, and whose fame and usefulness cannot we believe be injured by any Popish or infidel malice) read a paper signed by three policemen, testifying that on several occasions they had found a man named John O'Hara crawling on his hands and knees in the streets of Manchester, and that this poor creature on being questioned on the subject, declared that he did so in performance of a penance imposed on him by his Romanist priest, Mr. Hearne.

Immediately, that person proceeded to take legal measures against Mr. Stowell, on the ground of the publication of this attested statement being a libel, and accordingly on the 28th of August, at the last South Lancashire Assizes, the cause was tried before Mr. Baron Rolfe, and a verdict was then given for the plaintiff, with forty shillings damages-a sum which under a recent statute was just sufficient to carry the costs.

At the trial the policemen's statement as read by Mr. Stowell was delivered in by his counsel to the counsel for the prosecution, and by them put in evidence. There was therefore no necessity on Mr. Stowell's part to prove its authenticity-that fact being thus both legally and morally admitted. But the Popish priest could not call O'Hara himself to disprove the statement, nor could Mr. Stowell subpoena him to affirm it, inasmuch as he is now, it is said, in a Lunatic Asylum. Under these circumstances, the

simple points that had to be considered by the jury were, whether Mr. Stowell had read such a paper, and if so, whether the statements in it were not likely to injure Mr. Hearne's character. They found that such a paper had been read (which was not denied), that Mr. Hearne's character had been injured by it, and they valued that damage at forty shillings.

In the present state of the libel law, and having regard to the character of the judge's charge, we are not much surprised at the verdict. Whether, however, that verdict was consistent with justice, and whether that charge was such as Baron Rolfe ought to have delivered under the circumstances, remain questions which are likely to be determined by the courts on an appeal to the judges for a new trial. Into these questions, therefore, at present we do not enter, because in these columns we cannot discuss them at length, and because they will, we believe, ere long, be argued in public with greater legal ability than we pretend to possess.

But viewing the matter in another light, we ask our readers to consider these facts:

1. Here is a priest, and there were other priests put in the witness box, who have had the effrontery (we cannot use a lighter term) to pretend, that it is a libel on them, and in fact altogether ridiculous, to charge one or all of them with imposing heavy penances as satisfactions for sins. Yet their "infallible" church expressly authorises, nay, commands them to do so, and actually hold those to be accursed who deny that penances are such satisfactions, and even goes so far as to make each priest who imposes light penances for heinous offences a partaker of the penitent's

sins!

2. Here are men coming forward to attempt to delude the British people into the belief that such penances as O'Hara performed are not enjoined, and constantly practised in Popish countries; when in fact the whole burden of all the books that have been written about their saints, are little less than details of the cruelties those persons inflicted on themselves; when Romanists have over and over again been avowedly canonized for so acting,* and when

*On this point we quote the following Extracts from the Roman Breviary, a book which derives its authority from a decree of the council of Trent and a bull of Pope Pius V. and which every ecclesiastic and all persons of both sexes who have professed in any of the regular orders, are required to read for at least one hour and a half every day!

66

ST. MARY MAGdalen, de pazzi, virgin, p. 591.-She tortured her body with haircloth, whippings, cold, hunger, watchings, nakedness, and all kinds of punish

ments.

66

[ocr errors]

ST. JULIANA, P. 398.-She was wont to bruise her body with scourges, knotted little ropes, iron girdles, watchings, and sleeping on the naked ground. She partook very sparingly of food, and that a vile sort four days of the week, on the other two she was content with only angels' food, the Sunday was exempted on which she was nourished on bread and water only.'

[ocr errors]

nearly every writer on Ireland, including that liberal and unexceptionable witness, the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, besides nearly every clergyman who has been there, plainly testify that such penances in the light of day are performed in the most shocking manner in Ireland every month, even in this enlightened nineteenth century, not only without resistance on the part of the priests, but positively and undeniably at their command!

Now after these specimens of Popish temerity, what may not be next expected? Was there ever anything more characteristic of the degrading system of Romanism, than this sort of daring and unscrupulous disavowal of doctrines sworn to by every priest, and of facts patent to all who have eyes to see and will take the trouble to look for them?

But this proceeding had a deeper object than the mere sham repudiation of obnoxious principles and practices. The Papists cannot flatter themselves, they cannot so far have taken leave of common sense as to fancy, that any sensible or thinking person really pays any attention to any disavowal which, for temporary purposes, they may make of their deeds of darkness and "doctrines

having

66 ST. JEROME EMILIAN, P. 483.-In a mountain which is close to discovered a cave, he hid himself in it: where beating himself with whips, and passing whole days fasting, prayer being protracted far into the night, and enjoying a short sleep upon the naked rock, he paid the penalties of his own faults, and of those of others."

66

ST. IGNATIUS THE CONFESSOR, P. 508.-He passed a year subduing his flesh by a rough chain and haircloth, lying on the ground and bloodying himself with iron whips,"

ST. JOSEPH, A CUPERTINE.*-He afflicted his body with haircloth, with whips with chains, in short with every kind of hardship and punishment.'

66

ST. FRANCIS BORGIA, CON FESSOR, P. 416.-In that pursuit of a stricter mode of life, Francis reduced his body to a state of extreme thinness, by fastings, by iron chains, by a very rough haircloth, by bloody and long beatings, and by very short sleep."

66

St. Theresa, p. 425.-She burned with so anxious a desire of chastising her body, that although the diseases with which she was afflicted might have dissuaded her from it, she often tortured her body with haircloth, chains, handfuls of nettles, and other very sharp scourges, and sometimes she would roll among the thorns: being accustomed thus to address God, O Lord, be it my lot to suffer, or to die."

ST. FRANCIS XAvier, p. 431.—He was so infuriated against himself with iron scourges, that he was frequently covered with blood."

66

ST. ROSA, OF LIMA.-Having assumed the habit of the tertian order of St. Dominick, she doubled the former austerities of her life; she interwove small needles in an oblong and very rough haircloth; she wore by day and by night under her veil, a crown armed with numerous little sharp points. Treading in the arduous footsteps of St. Cathrine, she bound her loins with an iron chain thrice wound round her; she made for herself a bed of knotty pieces of wood, and she filled the open seams with fragments of earthen vessels; she constructed for herself a very narrow cell in an extreme corner of the garden, where abandoned to heavenly contemplation she fearlessly overthrew and subdued, victorious in manifold contests, the spirits of devils, extenuating her body with frequent discipline, with abstinence, and with watchings, but nourished by the Spirit."

*This is his title in the Missal.

« ElőzőTovább »