POPERY DEIINRATED;

vH

IN}'ORMATION FOR PROTF~STANTS,

REV, WILLIAM CATTTJli~,

DUNDEE.

DUNDEE:
Wlf,J,J AM .MHlDI,li:TON, 64 HIGH STREB T.
H. WALKER. BRIGGATE, I.EEDS IUMILTOS- AD.HIS, & CO.,
LONDON,

MDCCCXLVI.
ll'COSB, P.lBK, .)lV In:W.&:ae, PIUNTlaS, DtrNlIEE.
 PRE:FACE.

THE substance of the following chapters was delivered ill

the form of Lectures, in the Wesleyan Chapel, Dundee. It
was from a strong conviction of the duty of Ministers in re-
ference to Popery, especially as it presents itself to us in the
present day, that they were undertaken. There is no fact
more notorious, than that, as a nation, we know nothing about
the abominations of Popery. We have a kind of hereditary
hatre~ to it, as a bad thing; but in what its badness consists,
we know not: and thus, we are made an easy prey. The
enlightenment of the people depends upon the ministry of
the Church. The aspects of the times clearly point us to
them, as the conservators of Protestantism. And it is high
time that they should a~ake out of sleep. It was not the
original intention of the writer to present them to the public
in their present form; and it is with considerable hesitancy that
he does so. There are several defects in them, arising chiefly
from the haste with which they were passed through the press.
The whole has been written in the midst of the full duties of
my office, nor had I time to read over a single sheet before
it was printed. The facts and arguments have been taken
principally from that best of all works on Popery-namely,
" Elliott's Delineation of Romanism," as " edited by the Rev.
VI PREFACE.

J. S. Stamp"-a work I would earnestly advise all, who wish

to understand the system thoroughly, to secure. In the mean-
time, I have some hope that this stripling may be useful to
the young, and such as cannot purchase the larger work.
May the blessing of God attend its perusal.

w. c.
 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORy-POPERY AND PROTESTANT8-

THE POSITION OF THE FORMER, AND THE Du-

TIES OF THE LATTER, Page 3
II. SCRIPTURE, 20

III. TRADITION, 50

IV. INFALLIBILITY, 73
V. TRANSUBSTANTIATION, 103

VI. CONFESSION, 133

VII. CELIBACY, 157
VIII. PuRGATORY, 183
IX. THE POPE'S SUPREH"CY. 208
 ERRATA.
Page 35. Em'" rose of wax" read" nose of wax"
., 49. For '" Oh England!" read U 0 England:"
" 73.. For Iiit necessary follows" reaa v it necessarily fcllcws"
 POPERY DELINEATED.

CIL\P. !.-!:>;TIWDl:CTORY.

THE PRESENT POSITION OF POPERY ANn TilE Ill:TY OF PRUTEl-lTA:"T8

1>1 CO~~ECTIO:>l TlmREWITH.

SCARCELY any question of a public character has been more

frequent within the last few years than the following-" Is
Popery on the increase?"' and hardly any jmpression more
common than that it is so. This has been participated in by
all parties, both political and religious; but in the extent there
may be some difference of opinion. The liberal will give an
affirmative answer, but invariably maintain that the increase is
not unnatural-that it only corresponds with the multiplied
population; "while the adherent of old English principles as
firmly maintains that its advances are fearfully rapid and
equally dangerous." That it is increasing, all agree, whether
the causes are natural or unnatui"al; and we think that it is
difficult to look upon its present position in our Protestant isle
but as a MONSTROUS ANOMALY.
A reference to statistics will be 'our best guide in this matter.
The number of Popish chapels in England and 'Vales, in
the year 1792, was 35; and, in 1839, there were 453-being
an increase, during 54 yellors,of 418.
In Scotland, in the year 1829, there were 51 Popish chapels ;
and, in the year 1839, there were 79-being sn increase, during
10 years, of 28.
Number of Roman Catholics in Great Britain, obtained by
order of the House of Lords, in
1769, . 67,916
1839, about 2,000.000
and, if we may judge from tbe reports of newspapers, in the
3
 POPERY DELI:>EATED.

building of cathedrals, chapels, convents, and nunneries, their

increase and multiplication is more rapid now than it has ever
been.
The following is extracted from the Roman Catholic Direc-
tory for 1846;-

Number of Chapels in EnglaDu, .. 514

Ditto in Wales, 8
Ditto in Scotland.,; 80
Total in Great Britain, -- 602
Colleges in Great Britain,...... 11
Convents in ditto, 34
Monasteries in ditto, 6
Priests in England and Wales, 683
Ditto in Scotland, ., _......... 93
Total in Great Britian -- 776

From what takes place in Dundee, as I am informed, as well

as in several other large towns, the number of chapels but very
imperfectly indicate the number of members belonging to the
Romish Church-inasmuch as the same chapel will be attended
by several congregations in the course of the same day, amount-
ing to several thousands.
And not only are monastic institutions being established in
this country, for the purpose of harbouring monks and nuns, but
also in our dependencies. "The confraternities of monkery, of
different orders, once desolated the nations of the world like a
flight of locusts in the East. ITnder the guise of religious
vows, seclusion from the world, holy contemplations, the purga-
tion of the soul from the filth of sin, the performance of divine
offices, and the promotion of works of charity, the idle vagabonds
of all nations betook themselves to the monastic life. Mendicity
was the profession of nearly all the orders of friars, monks, and
nuns, when they were commenced by their founders; hut they
invariably ended in the acquisition of great wealth, the purchase
of land, the erection of large and commodious houses, and, as a
consequence, a life of sin and profligacy by the inmates. The
wealth, resources, and much of the population of nations, have
been gradually swallowed up by this system. It was always
fostered by the Papacy, no doubt for two reasons-it deducted
something from the strength of the State, and gave it to the
dominion of the Church. These corporations of beggars, by
the long accumulation of their gains, became, to a great extent,
4
 rOPERY DELl~EATED.

the lords of the soil. Every nation has been obliged to reform
this system or break it up. This was the case in this nation
at the period of the Reformation."
But, notwithstanding the experience of past ages-from
which we may learn a useful lesson-these societies are allowed
to re-establish themselves in this country. In the present ses-
sion of Parliament (February 184fi), a "bill has been laid on
the table of the House of Lords by the Lord Chancellor, with
the full concurrence of' the Government;" for the purpose of a
further repeal of' the penal statutes against IlisHl'lItcrH awl
Roman Catholics; which, Sir It, Inglis suid, .. WIIS a hill to
repeal the Act of Supremacy-a bill to enable tho Roman Ca-
tholic bishops to assume the sees of the prelates of the Esta-
blished Church-it was a bill to le<;alise processions of a sed
at a time when they prohibited processions of other persons,
lest public hostility and disturbance should be provoked-it was a
bill to repeal the act for expelling the Jesuits," and this at a time
when it ought to be put in force for preventing the increase of the
order. A person who can introduce a bill of this kind must him-
self be a Jesuit; or profoundly il'llorant of the sect; or some-
thing worse: if indeed a thing can be found on earth, worse than
a Jesuit. Such a state of things suggests an interesting quos-
tion:-
How is it that, in a country 80 universally Protestant, 8ttch
things should. be?
To this we shall endeavour to give a threefold answer.
First, This state of things arises from the amazing amount
of energy infused into the system itself, and which is seen in all
its ramifications, by unwearied exertion and perseverance.
" We have the 80ciety of Jesuite re-organised. and spread-
ing themselves everywhere. The principles and rules of Loyola,
and hiB famous sect, are, for anything which appears, adopted
again as the basis of a Dew crusade against the peace of the
world, and the religion of the Son of God. It is impossible to
define the nature of this society, when its one great rule, carried
out in universal pmctice, seems to have been that of DECEPTION.
The object it proposes is to support the Papacy, in all its claims,
against every fnterest; and adopting the principle that the end
113nctities the means, it has never scrupled to employ every mode
of deceit to aeeomplish its purpose. Jesuits have informer times
perambulated the world, in every possible guise and character,
5
 POPER Y DELI-SEATED

The orders of religion, the learned professions, the avocations

of trade and commerce, and even the meanest mendicity, have
furnished them with a mantle, beneath which they have accom-
plished their deceptions. By an inimitable plausibility, they
have wormed themselves into all kinds of society, to infuse the
poison of their principles. They have succeeded, to an amazing
extent, in obtaining the instruction of the rising generation:
they have politely, and courteously, whispered mischief in the
ears of the fair sex; they have become the fathers' confessors
to most of the Popish monarchs and statesmen of the countries
of Europe; they have, in their own persons, assumed the most
influential posts, in both Church and State; they have inter-
fered with the regular functions of even the clergy themselves;
and by a profound, ghostly, and hidden system of lying, they
obtained, for many years, the mastery of the Popish world.
Their course was so pestiferous, their principles and practice so
subversive of the very foundations of morality, and the con-
fusion they introduced into all things, became 50 complete, that
even all the Popish sovereigns in Europe banished them
from their territories, and the Pope was obliged to abolish the
order.
"Strange to say, this society has been restored. Who are
Jesuits none can tell. They are angels of night. The dark-
ness covers them. Their movements are unseen. It is their
business, like their great prototype, to 'lie in 10ait to de-
ceive.' Many things amongst us begin to present so un-English
an appearance; to be so completely at variance with a straight-
forward and honest course; to be so involved in perplexity and
mystery; and, moreover, to shadow forth so much which is dark
and threateniQg, that, it really requires no great skill to select
PLACES, OFFICES, and even CHURCHES, and pointing the finger
o the spot, and to the event say,-A JESUIT lIlUST liE THERE.
" • The Propaqandi Fide,' or the society for the Propaga-
tion of the Faith, on the profession of the best Popish authorities,
is employing its utmost resources to proselyte this country. To
us Protestants, many of the documents of the Popish Church
are not very intelligible. In the Directory for the present year,
for instance, we find an address from the Vicar-Apostolic for
the London district, prohibiting. the priesthood from allowing
certain Frenchmen the privilege of performing divine service
in their places of 'worship; and also icforming the 'faithful:
6
 POPERYDELINEATEIl.

that they were not allowed to hear mass in their own dwellings,
from the same class of persons, unless regularly licensed. A
list is then given of those licensed French priests who are per-
mitted to perform the service of the Church. The number, re-
collect, is limited to the London district only? How many of
these men are found at work in this locality alone? One hundred
and ten. Now, these hundred and ten French priests, must,
of course, either belong to the soicety for the propagation of the
faith, or to the Jesuits, or both. If other parts of England are
favoured to an extent equal to that of tho London district, then
our conversion may be much nearer than any of us imagine.
"In addition to this, we find another most powerful and
active association recently formed, and ealled • THE CATHOLIC
INSTITUTEOF GREATBRITAIN.' It is stated that the objects of
the Institute shall be limited to the exposure of the falsehood
of the calumnious charges made against the Catholic religion,
to the defence of the real tenets of Catholicity, to the circulation
of nseful knowledge, upon the above mentioned subjects; and
to the protection of the poorer classes of Catholics in the enjoy-
mentof their religions principles and practices! The defence, ex-
position, and extension, of the tenets ofthe Popish faith, are stated
to be the avowed objects of the Institute. It could not, possibly,
propose much more. The press, it seems, is to be employed for
these purposes; and that which is so powerful an instrument for
good' and evil, in other departments may be made, no doubt,
subservient to the interests of Popery by these several means.
This Institute is now filling the nation with its tracts, which in
many of its large towns are left at the door of the householders
each Sabbath morning"* •
We see here the workings of a mighty system-a vast and
powerful body of people exerting themselves with the utmost
vigilance, down to the lowest members; we see men of learn-
ing and talent trained to the most subtle and insidious prac-
tices, worming themselves into every possible office; some of
them, perhaps, wearing the mask of Protestantism, and under
the name of zeal for "poor Ireland," may mean zeal for the
Church of Rome.
Secondly, We will now speak of the doings of GoTernment
&I another reason for the recruited strength of the "Man of Sin."

'" Dr Dixon'. Lecture, pp. ~, 41. 42.

1
 POPERY DELINEATED.

\Ve know something of what they have done, and we know

something of what they intend to do; but we shall pass
over "The Roman Catholic Relief Bible," "The Irish Edu-
cational Measure," &c., and come to other matters.
For some years past, our semi-popish governments have
been acting most nefariously in the countenance which they
have given to Popery in our colonial possessions. " The
North American colonies, the West India Islands, the Cape
of Good Hope, the Continent of India, and Australia, are
being regularly organized as Popish sees, and are filling with
bishops and priests. These estsbllshments are, in part, ilUp-
plied at the nation's expense. The public money is now em-
ployed to equip and send out bishops and priests, and par-
tially to maintain them, in the distant colonies of the empire.
How this can be consistently done, it is difficult to divine. By
what right any government can apply the public money with-
out act of parliament, to set up a hierarchy which is avowedly
alien to the religion and eonstitution of the country, must be
determined by a more learned authority! The fact, however,
is so; and those Protestant missionary societies which have,
for a long series of years, been toiling in these distant regions,
to sow the seed of evangelical truth, to plant in these infant
nations the principles of British Christianity, and to attach
them to the parent state by the ties of a common religion-
now suddenly find themselves confronted and opposed by re-
gulaz establishments of Popish priests, PAID, PATRONIZED, AND
PUBLICLY RECOMllElllDED BY THE GOVJ;:RNMENT. Without debate,
or even any kind of notice being taken of the matter in the
British Parliament, or the least knowledge of what was going
on by the people of this country, we are suddenly startled by
the fact tllat, whilst Protestants were asleep or W1'lIllgling,the
Popish Church, with silent and stealthy industry, has esta-
blisbed her infl:ReIWeand authority in all the colonies of the
empire."
There can be no question but that our colonies are as open
and free for Popish, emissaries as for Wesleyan and other mil-
sionaries ; and they offer a fair opportunity for the exerci ••
of the zeal of both parties. But if Protestant misaionarieaare
to be left to the liberality of their own people, let Rome'.
members support Rome's emissaries. But they are not thus
left. We have abundant proof of the attachment of her M..
8
 POPERY DELI~EATED.

jesty's advisers to the religion of Rome-to say the least, of

their culpable disregard to Protestantism. The following is
an extract from the "Catholic Directory" for 1839:-
" 'Under the protection of her Majesty's Government, the
British eolonies, East, \Vest, and North, have received new
bishops and vicars - general; Bishop Olancy, for British
Guiana; Bishop Smith, as coadjutor to the Bishop of Trini-
dad; Bishop Carew, as coadjutor to the Bishop of Calcutta;
Bishop Griffiths, at the Cape of Good Hope; and Bishop
Hynes, as coadjutor to the Ionian Isles; all of whom, as well
as in Austulia, are sUPIlliedwith a well-selected accession of
assistant missionaries.' "
"The protection of her MaJesty', Government is no barren
and useless friendship, as may be seen by the following ex-
tract from a most valuable paper on the' Statistics of Popery
in Great Britain and the Colonies,' in Frazer's l[agazine for
April, 1839;-
"In Upper Canada there are, as declared in parliamentary
papers of 1836, which are our authorities in the following
statements on the Colonies, thirty Roman Catholic priests re-
ceiving from Government £50 each, and ODebishop receiv-
ing £100.
" In Lower Canada, according to the same documents, the
Roman Catholic Church has all their tithe, liable only to
a few exceptions, in favour of Protestants. A numerous
priesthood produces a colonial epitome of Ireland. The
Popish bishop receives from our Government £1000 per
annum.
" In Newfoundland, the Romish bishop has £75 per annum
by parliamentary grant.
" A grant of eight acres of land," says!& Gladstone, in his
work on Church aad State, "has lately been made for the erec-
tion of a Roman Catholic cathedral. It is stated by parties
connected with the Colonies that the contributions of the Ro-
man Catholics of Newfoundland to the support of their bishop
and clergy amount in value to not less than £6000 or £7000
lmIlually.
" In Jamaica, OIl1l Romish bishop and two priests. It seems
that the Jamaiea House af Assembly aiforda no usistanee to
Popery. Query-Is thi. the reuon. for ita proposed anaihi-
lation by the Queen's minwwrs?
9
 POPERY DELINEATl':D.

"Trinidad-Two Romish bishops, Drs ~l'Donnell and

Smith, and twenty-two priests; to whom it appears, by the
parliamentary papers referred to, £2-187 was granted by Go-
nrnment in 1835, whereas £860 only was given to the clergy
of the Protestant church. This reminds one of the Irishman's
idea of reciprocity, which was all on one side.
" G"allada-Six priests, to whom are given certain lands ,
as their support.
" St ViII celIt- Two priests.
" St l-ttci".-Six priests, to whom are granted 11,000 francs
per annum. The Catholic Diredory for Ib:HI adds, ' Perma-
nent salaries have been granted by the Colonial Government
to these four, and a similar provision made for an additional
one.'
" Dr Smith, the coadjutor bishop, is now in England, beg-
ging from 'Vest India merchants, under the plea that the
priests alone are able to quiet the emancipated negroes. Bet-
ter that the children of Africa had remained in such slavery
&s they were born in, than come under the iron crosier and
foul despotism of Rome.
"Dominica-Five priests, paid by the Colonial Govern-
ment.
"Mountserrat and Bm'badoes-Two priests, do.
" Gibraltar- Church of Rome receives from Govern-
ment £196 per annum, of which the vicar-apostolic takes
£100.
" Malta-A Romish chaplain is supported by our Govern-
ment, and military salutes paid to Popish festivals.
" Ionian [.,lands-Thirteen popish chapels, with salaries
amounting to £1010 per annum.
" Australia-One Romish bishop, and twenty-two priests :
and these are endowed by our Government on the same terms
as the clergy of the English and Scottish churches. To the
deep disgrace of the Presbytery of New South 'Vales, a un-
animous vote was passed approving of these 'judicious and
impartial regulations;' and ~Dr Laing has lauded this sa-
crifice of principle in no measured terms. Dr Polding,
the Popish bishop, was sent out by our Government. On
the 27th of August 1838, the following estimateswer9
moved by the secretary, and agreed to by the Legislative
Council:-
10
 POPERY DELlSEATED.

ROlES C.~THOLlC CLERGY.

The Right Rev. the Roman Catholic Bishop, £500 0 0
The Viear General, . . . . . • 200 0 0
Fourteen Roman Catholic Chaplains at £150 each, per
"nnuUl, . • • . . . • . 2100 0 0
To provide salaries for six additional Chaplains, ex.
pee ted to arrtve in the year 1839, 900 0 0
£3l;(JO 0 0

1'1.1''''.I'E(''11 \' .': I~:\:('ot H:\IlI:Ml~NT.

Allnwnnrr, to ('hlll,l:dni16 (.,r trJl\'t·lliul{ ,xftt.:nl(·', . .t::"~IO II ..

''j'ownrd'' flrf,dinll (:hnpf'J!(, RfIIl d\4 dlir"l~ for f 'hAp"
I.,\tl'll, (lU ('oh' ''',nn (I) "n ("/uol #,,,'Ii ''''In:1 '-'f'.f,1 "!I
,)rit!ot~ (;(l11fril,ultml, 1';00 (I U

nOMA1'l ("ATJl0I.1C fo"{·1I00J .s,

Towards the support of Roman CAtholic Schools at

p rt 'sent astab ll-hcd in the Cnlon\". . . . £ll(l() fI 0
In aid of additional Schools. on condition of PUOl~ to
a~ equal amount being raised by private aubscrip-
uon, • . . . • . . . • 300 0 (I
Towards the support of destitute Roman Catholic
children. .••• 1000 0 0
£2100 0 0

" J/adras JHssion j<,r Inc/ia- Two bishops and ten priests;
to whom are given, by the State, 16,697 sieca rupees, or
£1669,14s.
C< If to these endowments of the Romish Church be added
the annual grant of Maynooth, it will be found that our Go-
vernment- Tory or Whig, for both arc equally guilty-grants,
for the dishonour of God, the ruin of souls, and the extinc-
tion of truth, not less than £(;0,000 per annum. If, to all
these, thl! grants to the National Schools of Ireland be added,
the countenance shown to the Papal Church, by our country,
is most painful. Disastrous policy! Surely individual Pro-
testants will neutralize this pernicious conduct by doing much
more than they have done for the downfall of Babylon."·
The next step in the descending scale brings us ~ • atill
more fearful point, viz., the direct countenance, support, pa-
tronage, and ;mdO'Wme71t of the Church of Rome by the pre-
sent Government. Popery is now endowed by the State; fed

11
 POPERY DELINEATED.

and upheld by the fostering hand of a Protestant Legislature.

Nay, no longer Protestant! we have lost that dignity ! Yon
deceivers of the people, and betrayers of the truth, have pluck-
ed from V~toria's crown its brightest gem! Now that the I
pearl of Protestantism has gone, its fine gold has become dim
-its glory has departed. And, unless Protestants take care,
we shall have the transactions of the days ofthe dastardly John
acted over again. What can we expect, when the united
voices of 1,000,000 of her Majesty's subjects were treated with
contempt and insolence? The protest of the nation weighs
nothing when Popery is in the opposite scale. Not only are
we to give £20,000 or £30,000 to Maynooth, with whose
priests our country is to be deluged, but the payment of the
priests is also talked of with the utmost audacity.
I was strongly tempted to think, during the late struggle,
that the events which occurred at Jerusalem about 1800 years
ago, are not to be looked upon merely as historical facts, but
also as wearing a prophetic character. One might think that
the chief priests typified her Majesty's privy counsellors head-
ed by Sir Robert Peel; that the thirty pieces of silver, given
to Judas for the death of his Lord, pointed to the £30,000
given to the papacy, of which Judas was the prototype-for
the death and downfall of Protestantism. It is difficult to
find language sufficiently expressive of their conduct in con-
nection with the Maynooth Bill. Save Protestantism from
such friends !
The third reason we assign, is, the remissness of Protestants
themselves.
It is too true, that, while we and our forefathers have been
asleep and wrangling, Popery has been gathering strength,
secretly and silently putting forth her energies, until at last
all were astonished by the appellZ'anceof a powerful and well
organized system, threatening to carry all before it. We have
been like a garrison spending their time in sleep or play-
dreaming of security-fondly thinking that the besiegers could
make no impression on their ramparts-e-until at last they are
suprised in an almost defenceless state. They look up, and,
to their utter confusion, they eee the soldiers on the waIl_
the enemy within the gates; and now, in the midst of noise
and uproar, they are seizing their arms, flying to order, and
amid, perhaps, inlU1'11lOuntabledifticulties, are attempting to
12
 POPERY DELINEA.TED.

undo that which they might have prevented. Thus it has been
with ourselves. Now we find, when it is well nigh too late,
that an impression has been made on the ramparts of our con-
stitution, which we fondly dreamed were impregnable-an
impression deep and wide-one stone after another has given
way-bill after bill has been carried-our Government has
been gained, and the enemy is within the gate; but, thank
God, the battle is not decided-the citadel is not yet won-
nor will it be. Only let Protestants up as the heart of one
man-join vigorously in the struggle-and the victo'''y u'ill
yet be ourB.
We will now allude to what we coneider senne of the dutitB
of Protestants in regard to this all-important matter.
Recent events have brought us to an era in our Country's
history which calls for exertion on a more systematic and ex-
pansive scale than has been witnessed since the glorious Re-
formation, There has been a revulsion in the feeling of the
na.tion-the forebodings of sagacious men have been but too
fully realized; the consequence is, that the canting notions
about Rome's peacefulness and Rome's purity are passing away.
And it is important that the crisis should be embraced in or-
der to diffuse more enlarged and correct views of a system and
hierarchy which again threatens our Country's peace, and our
Country's privileges.
"\Ve remark, then, that there ean be no question but the fint
thing is, in the present juncture, " the creation of a morat
feeling suited to the emergency."
But how is this to be done?
One of the most efficient means 1vill be found in the MINIS-
TRY of the Church.
We have referred to a supposed citadel, and the careless-
nese of the soldiery; but this would be owing to the remiss-
ness of the officers. And, whoever it may condemn, we must
say, that the matter has been lost sight of too much by the
}Iinisters of the Church; and, if they have to complain of the
tardiness and thoughtlessness of their people, the fault is their
own. And, unlese the" watchers" whom God hath plaeed on
"the walls of Zion" see to it, with the moat untiring assi-
duitj', latitudinarianism in politics-and it may be right for
any thing I know-1I'i.lllead 10 what I am aure is not right-
latitudmarianiBm in morals afld religioo. And we shall see,
13
 POPERY
DELINEATED.

as we have seen, men holding the most apposite views on great

Gospel truths, " very dear brethren in Christ Jesus."
The matter, then, ought to be taken up by the ministry -;
and let the line of demarcation between the two religions be
distinctly drawn, and the principles thereof clearly under-
stood.
And " let it not be imagined that we have nothing to do
with it; that we are crazy volunteers in a Don Quixotic ex-
pedition against windmills. Everything we hold dear is in-
volved in this question. Are we CHRISTIANS?The religion
we hold more valuable than life is in danger of being corrupt-
ed and despoiled. Are we BRITONS? Our national indepen-
dence, our constitutional rights, our equal laws, and our glory
as a nation, are in jeopardy. Are we FREEMEN? Our rights
of conscience, our freedom of judgment, our indefeasible claim
to possess the Bible, and worship God under our own vine and
fig-tree, are all in hazard of forfeiture. Are we in possession
of the blessings of DOMESTIC LIFE~ Let this system prevail,
and, through the confessional, the secrets of our families will
be revealed; the freedom of confidence and love between hus-
bands and wives, parents and children, masters and domestics,
be broken in upon, and every movement be directed by an in-
visible spy. Are we leaving a POSTERITY TO INHERITOUR
NAMES? Our children are in jeopardy of being caught in the
arms of this monstrous Moloch, and offered in sacrifice at his
shrine.*"
" It is a qttestion worth considering, whether it would not
be usefttl to form an ANTI-POPISH TRACTSOCIETY, in which a
series of papers should be prepared on the principle of at-
tempting to convince the lower classes of Papists of the inju-
ries and oppression« of their system.
The questions at issue betwixt the Popish and Protestant
parties, including, as they do, the entire range of national and
social rights and duties, it seems clear that the time is come
for the free and full discussion of these pointe. No means of
bringing such enquiries home to the understandings and feel-
ings of the Irish people, appear to be so easy us the creation
of a plain and telling literature, embracing the points of diffe-
renee between the two systems. As the rights of conscience,

• Dl.lol1'o Letters, pp. 67. os.

14
 POPERY DELINEATED.

respect for private opinion, religious and civil liberty, as well

as all the elements and means of socialorder and elevation, are
on the side of Protestants, it is of great consequenceto employ
these advantages skilfully. Surely somerays of light on these
great subjects may be introduced into the chaos of Popish ig-
norance. The despotism of Romanism being as clear an in-
vasion of all human rights, as it is an audacious perversion of
Divine truth, ought to be assailed on this ground. The suc-
cess of such lin attempt would be gradual and slow. Moral
victories are not like cutting down an opposing army-visible
and obvious-but grow from conviction, lind develope them-
selves in individual wisdom, piety, and putriotism.t "
AnothCl' duty devoll'iny upon Protestants is ulldoubtedly
in connection 'with the El.ECTIVE FRANCHISE,
Politically speaking, 'Whigs and Tories are two of the great-
est curses of a nation; as the past history of our own suffi-
ciently proves: especially when MEN, lind not measures, are
the objects of support or opposition. And how many of these
worse than useless creatures have we in the House of Com-
mons, who are prepared to AYE it, or NO it, whatever the mea-
sure, providing it be introduced by this or that Premier? And
what are the consequencesupon the electors? Why, the uni-
versal anxiety is, to have a 'Vhig or to have a Tory, as the case
may be. There is hardly one in a thousand who ever thinks
of enquiring into the private character of the man who solicits
their suffrages-whether he be a deist or an athiest, a papist
or a pagan. It matters but little whether he thinks more
highly of the church or the gambling-house, or whether he
esteemsthem both alike. Is he 'Whig or Tory?-that's the ques-
tion! Not whether he will vote for the better observance of
the Lord's-day, or the maintenance of our Protestant privi-
leges! Not whether he would pay the priests of Rome, by a
state allowance, or revoke the edict in favour of Maynooth !
is he Whig or Tory ?-is the anxious inquiry of all. But why
should not religion be the question? 'What reason can be as-
signed why we should not carry into politics, what it is our
duty to carry into the common concerns of every day life.
" SEEKFIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD 1" This would teach us
that our anxiety should be to seek for men truly religious, at

• Dr Dixon's Lectures, P. GO.

15
 POPERY DELINEATED.

least thoroughly Protestant, whose watchword would be "No

Popery." Yes, this infidel-hated, infidel-scouted motto must
be Ot£l"s-aye, and theirs' who represent us. The national cry
must be, " No compromise with Rome." " Corn-laws" even,
must not take the precedency of this. This must be fint,
foremost, the order of the day. Lose sight of party for
the sake of your religion. Rather than vote for an infidel
Whig, vote for a religious Tory; and rather than vote for a
gambling Tory, vote for a Protestant Whig, "Seek FIRST the
1cingdom of God."
And if you cannot find a man of these principles, vote for
none. Let others send gamblers, atheists, papists, but be not
you partakers of their sin. It is God that has given us the
privilege of electors-let us use it RELIGIOUSLY. "Seek FIRST
the lcingdom of God."
We shall find another duty in connection with the cultiva~
tion of a spirit of unity among the different sections of tM
Ohristian Ohurch.
It is hardly possible to expect too much, when the spirit of
the" Liverpool Conference," where the" EvangelicaIAlliance,"
was so auspiciously commenced, shall have pervaded all the
ministers and members of all the evangelical Protestant
churches, both at home and abroad-all standing on the plat-
form of great Gospel principles. When we can look upon
each other ss brethren, and love as such; and especially de-
monstrate our oneness by a lasting and united effort against
the insidious encroachments of the " Man of Sin." Common
danger often unites contending parties ; and Popery is our
common foe-the enemy of all, and the friend of none. It will
show our wisdom to choose the same field of conflict, and our
prudence to fight with none but tried weapons. Parliamentary
effort may prove a valuable auxiliary; but Popery will never
be conquered by tnere political tactics. We must stand where
great Luther stood, and fight where Luther fought. Popery
must be opposed as a 8Oul-damning system-a system of the
grossest heresy-alike the foe of God and man. "The wea-
pons of our warfare" must be the Word of God and prayer-
the spirit's swoN, and the spirit's gTOans. These we shan
find" are not clO'llal,but mighty through God, to the pulling
down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and evel'1
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God."
IS
 POPERY DELINEATED.

2 Corinthians x. 4-5. Here there is no denominational dis-

tinction to separate us. These can be used by all, for they
are possessed by all. These unite us, and make us one-
the Word of God and prayer. The victory of the blessed
Reformation was secured by them, and by them the world
shall be brought to the obedience of Christ. "\Ve should
thus take out of the hands of Rome one of the chief sources of
her power and success-ow' d i"i"i"n.~. She hoasts of being
one, and we too might boast. 'Ve can, indeed, already;
and we arc one in a far higher sense than the Ilom ish
Church is, or "an be. She prides herse-lf on her "unity:'
'tiR true, while her contentions arc almost innuruerablo
and altogpther without end. She is united as a menugo
of wild beasts are united: owned by one master; confined in
their respective dens; cclls ; and would tear each other to pieces
if they could. And devils, too, "firm concord hold," Traitors
can conspire against their country's weal: and robbers act in
unison: but unity, in an abstract sense, is no proof of truth and
!!()odness in principle and practice. You must know the prin-
ciples of the parties who thus fraternize. And it needs no ar-
gument to show, that the uorst of men may confederate for some
common purpose. Therefore, we mtl st not_ and cannot separate
the principles of the Church of Rome from her unity. Yet her
unity we acknowledge-we admit that she is one! And we
also are united-we also are one, But there is this difference
between us, and it is a glorious difterence:-The Pope is their
head and Jesus Christ is OURS: they may be one in Pope
Gregory the XVI., but lI'e aI'e O:SE in JEHOVAH JESUS.
The last we shall name as devolving upon Protestants, is the
duty of prayer.
None will question the propriety of such a step. Our enemies
employ it for our conversion to Popery; and surely we shall
not be less urgent with Almighty God for the enlightenment
and salvation of these who" bear the mark of the beast in their
forehead," and "who are perishiug for lack of knowledge."
At the request of Bishop Wiseman, several continental
bishops have ordered their respective clergy to pray and to
sav masses, I believe, for our salvation; and a letter from
R~me states that, on the 17th ultimo, the congregation of J e-
suite were employed a whole day with the same gracious views,
on whinh occasiou their church was filled from morning till
B Ii
 POPERY DELINEATED.

night. And let us remember that, "above all things, it is

our duty to unite in ardent supplication to God for the inter-
position of his blessed providence. He has often so interposed.
Let us remember the Annada, scattered by the winds of hea-
ven, when freighted with implements of torture, now hanging
in the chambers of the Tower, as the ensigns alike of Popish
cruelty, English courage, but especially of the mercy of God.
Let us think of the Gunpowder Plot. The plan complete,
the combustibles ready, the train laid, the day approaching,
the whole power of Protestant England ready to assemble;
and yet the whole scheme thwarted as by miracle. Let us not
forget tbe remarkable manner in which the craft of James was
suppressed. Though he appeared to be strong in his own pur-
pose, much countenanced by the lethargy of the people and
the zeal of his own partizans, had laid his plans with great
skill and confidence, under the guidance of his J asuitieal lead-
ers; yet, when the time came, the whole was blighted, as if
by an invisible power. Let us recur to the now proved in-
tention of Anne to restore the throne after her own decease to
the descendants of James. This whole matter was so well
arranged by perfidious statesmen, that it appeared certain of
success; and yet one of themselves, a fickleman, and one who
had, as it was believed, favoured the design, came forward, as
if by some supernatural impulse, and frustrated the whole de-
sign. And now, although the aspect of public affairs and the
movements of parties may appear to favour the overthrow of
the religion and liberties of the country, 'yet he who Ilitteth
in the heavens shall laugh, and hold the attempt in derision.'
'Ve know that Popery is doomed of God. " And then shall
that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the bright-
ness of his coming."
"0 yes, in this country thousands of precions saints exist
who have power with God in prayer. The boldness of the
pontiff, and the audacity of his agents, may affright timid
Christians; the cunning of the Jesuit may outwit simple in-
tegrity; the machinations of an ever-wakeful priesthood may
sow the seeds of error widely; the worldly politician may
judge it to be expedient not only to wink at the near approach
of the danger, but also to ally the state to this apostacy; and
the whole case may appear hopeless. Yet only awaken the
18
 PJPER Y DELIXEATED.

slumbering faith of the true Christians of the nation, get them

to feel the urgency of the danger, let them unitedly bear the
matter before God; and then, though a thousand appearances
puzzle human sagacity, and alarm our fears, He will blight
the hopes of the wicked, and establish the cause of the just."
"Avenge, 0 Lord, thy slaug'htercd Saints, whose bones
Lie scattered on the .Alpine mountain cold;
E'en them, who kept thy trut.h, so pure of old,
\Vhen all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones,
Forget not: in tlty book record their gronns.
Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold,
Slain 11y the bloody Piedmontcse. that rnlt'd
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redouhl'd to the hf lls, and they
To heav'n, Their rnartyr'd blood and ashes sow
O'er all the Italian fields, where still doth ijWUY
The triple tyrant ; that from these may grow
A hundred {old, who, having' lear-n'd th y way,
Early may fly the Bubylunian woe."9 MJLTON.

In concluding this introductory chapter, we wish to observe

that in the following brief delineation of some of the princi-
pal doctrines of the Church of Rome, we shall take for our
guide their own acknowledged standards and recognised au-
thorities, and shall endeavour to illustrate the whole with a
variety of facts from the most authentic sources.

,... Dr Dixon's Lectures, p. 51.

19
 fOfERY DELINK\n:n.

CRAP. II.-ECRIPTURE.

IN accordance with the statement' made at the conclusion of

the preceding chapter, we shall first state the doctrine of the
Church of Rome respecting the Scriptures, as contained in their
own standards and acknowledged authorities.
" When the Roman Catholic speaks of the Scripture, he does
not mean thereby the Hebrew and Greek of the Old and New
Testaments, but the Vulgate Latin Edition, or the Douayand
Romish translations, embracing also the Apocrypha. This is
his Bible, and this, together with tradition, constitutes his rule
of faith, or what he calls the revealed or inspired word of God.
Thus the writers of the Trent Catechism say-' All the doc-
trines of Christianity are derived from the word of God, which
includes Scripture and tradition.' Again-' If we would have
the whole rule of Christian faith and practice, we must not be
content with those Scriptures which Timothy knew from his
infancy, that is, the Old Testament alone, nor yet with the
Xew Testament, without taking along with it the tradition
ot the apostles and the interpretation of the Church, to which
the apostles delivered both the book and the true meaning of
it.'* 'The Catholic rule of faith is not merely the written word
of God, but the whole word of God, both written and unwritten;
in other words, Scripture and tradition, and these propounded
and explained by the Catholic Church. This implies that we
have a twofold rule or law, and that we have an interpreter or
judge to explain it, and to decide upon it in all doubtful points.'t
"Thus we find that the Scriptures, Apocrypha, tradition,
written and unwritten, and all as interpreted by the church or
clergy, form the word of God or rule of faith, according to the
Church of Rome.
" The doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, on the canon,
authority, publication, and use of the Scriptures, is embraced in
the decrees of the Council of Trent, in its fourth session, held

• 'll'lte of the Homan Cethottc V~'r~f(ln on 2 Tim. nt. 18.

t Ent1 "r ('o'l~l'nV,'rf-)'. t.euer x. i\, .:-.',
(;2
 POPERY DELINEATED.

April 8. 1546. The decree concerning the Oanonical Scrip-

tures is as follows :-' This sacred, holy, ecumenical,and general
councilof Trent, lawfully assembledin the Holy Spirit, the three
legates of the apostolical see presiding therein, having constantly
in viewthe 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 com-
manded 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 comedown to us,
either received by the apostles from the lips of Christ himself,
or transmitted by the hands of the same apostles under the dic-
tation of the Holy Spirit, following the example of the ortho-
dox fathers, doth receive and reverence, with equal piety and
veneration, all the books as well of the Old as of the New Tes-
tament, the same God beirrg the author of both-and also the
aforesaid traditions, pertaining both to faith and manners, whe-
ther received from Christ himself, or dictated by the Holy Spi-
rit, and preserved in the Catholic Church by continual succes-
sion. Moreover, lest any doubt should arise respecting the
sacred books which are received by the council,it has been judged
proper to insert a list of thorn in the present decree.'* Here
follows a list of the books, which we omit for brevity sake.
The decree concludesas follows :-
" Whosoever shall not receive, as sacred and canonical, all
these books, and every part of them, as they are commonly
read in the Catholic Church, and are contained in the old
vulgate Latin edition, or shall knowingly and deliberately
despise the aforesaid trad itions, let him be accursed. The
foundation being thus laid in the confession of faith, all may
understand the manner in which the council intends to pro-
ceed, and what proofs and authorities will be principally used
in establishing doctrine, and restoring order to the Church.
"The decree concerning the edition and use of the sacred
books is as follows :-' Moreover, the same holy council, cou-
sidering that no small advantage will accrue to the Church of
God, if, of all the Latin editions of the sacred books which are

.. Coo, Trtd. ..... Iv, I,

21
 POPER Y DELINEATED.

in circulation, some one shall be distinguished as that which

ought to be regarded as authentic,-doth ordain and declare,
that the same old and vulgate edition, which has been approved
of by its use in the Church for many ages, shall be held as
authentic in all public lectures, disputations, sermons, and ex-
positions ; and that no one shall dare or presume to reject it,
under any pretence whatever.'
" In order to restrain petulent minds, the council further
decrees, that in matters of faith and morals, and whatever re-
lates to tbe maintenance of Christian doctrince, no one, con-
fiding 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 still 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 interpretation should never be pub-
lished. If any disobey, let them be denounced by the ordi-
naries, and punished according to law.'*
"The following is the fourth rule of the Index, showing the
restrictions which the Church of Rome lays on the indiscrimi-
nate reading of the Scriptures, and the injury they attribute
to such reading 'Inasmuch as it is manifest, from experience,
that if the Holy Bible, translated into the vulgar tongue, be
indiscriminately allowed to everyone, the temerity of men
will cause more evil than good to arise from it: it is, on this
point, referred to the judgment of the bishops or inquisitors,
who may, by the advice of the priest or confessor, permit the
reading of the Bible, translated into the vulgar tongue by Ca-
tholic authors. to those persons whose faith and piety they
apprehend will be augmented, and not injured. by it; and
this permission they must have in writing. But if any shall
have the presumption to read or possess it without any such
written permission, he shall not receive absolution until he
have first delivered up such Bible to the ordinary. Booksel-
lers, however, who shall sell or otherwise dispose of Bibles in
the vulgar tongue to any person not having such permission,
shall forfeit the value of the books, to be applied by the bishop
to some pious use; and be subjected by the bishop to such
other penalties as the bishop shall judge proper, aecording to

• Con. Trid. eeee, iv.

22
 T'OI'ERY DELINEATED

the quality of the offence. But regulars shall neither read

nor purchase such Bibles without a special license from their
superiors.' *
" The following particulars are derived from the above ex-
tracts :-
1. "The original Scriptures, Hebrew and Greek, are of no
authority in the Church of Rome.
("It is notorious, that from the era of the origin of print-
ing to the present hour, has issued from the Roman, or even
Italian press, not one edition of the original New Testament
-that is, the Greek.")t
2. "All Protestant translations are pohibitcd,
3. "The Latin Vulgate is put in the place of the original<,
and is to be considered as authentic in all public lectures, &c.
4. "They make the Apocrypha a part of Holy Scripture.
5. "Tradition, both written and unwritten, is added to
Scripture, and made of equal authority therewith.
6. "The Church-that is, the clergy-are the only inter-
preters of Scripture.
7. "Every person who is permitted to read the Scriptnre
is bound not to exercise his own judgment in matters of faith
and morals, but to understand them as the clergy understand
them, &c.
8. "The promiscuous reading of Scripture is prohibited to
most, permitted to few, and restrained in its exercise to all."t

The doctrine of Protestants is, that the Scriptures of the

Old and Nen: Testament contain a fall, plain, and .~af' rule
of faith and practice. In favour of this, the following argu-
ments are offered, which we think establish the position :_
First, 'Ve have the direct testimony of Scripture itself, "And
that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which
are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which
is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy, iii. }5. -We have just seen
that the writers of the Trent Catechism say, "'Ve must not
be content with those Scriptures which Timothy knew from
his infancy-that is, with the Old Testament alone." This is,
to a certain extent, true; nor does the Almighty require us to

• De Librls prohlb., reg. 4. t Metb. Mag. Oct. 18«.

* EUlot'. Romani .... , pp. 8, 9,
23
 POPEI1Y DELIXE.ATED.

be content, since he has put the New Testament within our

reach. But they also say, "Nor yet with the New Testament,
without taking along with it the traditions of the apostles and
the interpretations of the church." Now, we must contend,
and from this text, that tradition is altogether unnecessary,
since it is here plainly stated that the- Old Testament alone,
through faith in the promised Messiah, is able to make ~vise
unto salvation. And he further adds, in reference to the Old
Testament-" All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in r ighteousness : that the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Ti-
mothy, iii. 16, 17.
If this were true of the Jewish Scriptures, can there be any
question about their sufficiencynow, when we have the New
Testament annexed to the Old?
And, we may add to this what is said by Luke i. 3, 4-
" It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understand-
ing of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in
order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the
certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed."
This may be compared with John xx. 30, 31-" And
many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his dis-
ciples, which are not written in this book: but these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through
his name."
" From the passage in Luke, it appears that what was
written by Luke alone was sufficient to afford certainty in
those things in which Christians had been instructed. From
the passage in John, it is clear that what was then written
was sufficient to enable people to believe, and to lead them to
life eternal; and if to this we unite the sufficiencyof the Old
Testament Scriptures, as in Timothy's case, we must conclude
that the light they shed on the pathway to the skies is abun-
dant, 'and a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err
therein.' "
Now, that the evangelists intended to write every thing
necessary to salvation, I think there can be no question; that
they should not do what they intended to do is passing strange,
and more especially so since Christ had promised them that
Jl4
 Porl:RY DELISEATED.

the Spirit would "bring all things to their remembrance,

whatsoever he had said unto them." John xiv. 26.
" "That the doctrines of Christ were, we find in the four
Evangelists; to what belief his disciples converted men, we
find in the Acts; and what they taught them afterwards, we
read in the Epistles."
Secondly, "It is in every respect possible that the Scrip-
tures contain all things necessary to salvation. No person
will douht but that God could cause such a book to he writ-
ten-that is, a book containing every thing necessary to
salvation. That he did so to the Jews, we have the testi-
mony of the Apostle Paul, to which allusion has been already
made. Now, since this was true of the Jews, there can be no
doubt of its truth as to Christians. We think it is therefore
certain that we need nothing at all beyond what is recorded
in the Sacred Scriptures to guide us to heaven."
The following reasons will serve to confirm this second pro-
position :-
(1.) There are many things written in both the Old and
New Testament which are not absolutely necessary for salva-
tion; therefore, to suppose that they omitted anything abso-
lutely necessary thereunto, is absohttely absurd.
(2.) "The ancient fathers make no mention of any defects
in the records of Scripture in regard to anything necessary to
salvation, but they unanimously taught the contrary.
(3.) "The enemies of Christianity always opposed the doc-
trines contained in Scripture, and supposed by this means that
they opposed Christianity, and they knew no other repository
of it."
(4.) The fathers, in defending the doctrines of Christianity,
went to no other source but the Scripture. Therefore we find
that St Augustine, in opposing the Donatists, says :-" Let
human writings be removed-let God's voice sound-bring
me one voice of Scripture for the part of Donatus." That is,
let the Donatists support their heresy by one single Scripture,
and I am silent. Observe, the Donatists, an ancient sect of
heretics, supported their absurdities by tradition, and rejected.
the Scriptures. Does this prove that the Romanists are Do-
natists 1 Nay, but it is a strong proof that they are heretics.
Thirdly.-It is worthy of remark, "that there is no saying,
miracle, or story of Christ, in anything that is material, pre-
25
 POPERY DELIXEATED.

served in any indubitable record but in Scripture alone."

" Some things," says Dr Elliott, "were reported to have been
said by Christ and his Apostles, some of which are not be-
lieved, and the others are unknown. The Scripture, there-
fore, contains all things, or else we have no Gospel at all ; for,
except what is in Scripture, we have not a sufficient record of
any miracle or saying of Christ. St Jerome records
one, said to have been uttered by Christ, viz., 'Be never very
glad but when you see your brother live in charity.'" This is
a good saying, but whether it fell from the lips of the Lord
Jesus is very uncertain. And if it did, does it contain any
thing necessary to salvation which is not taught us again and
again in the written word of God?
We think, then, that we must inevitably come to one of the
following conclusions-either that we have no rule at all, or
that the Scriptures are a full, plain, and safe one.
We know that the Roman Catholics tell us otherwise. In
their opinion they are "exceedingly obscure" and "mysteri.
ous," of "doubtful and double meaning," and therefore of no
certain rule for our guidance, unless explained by their
clergy.
Now, in opposition to this, we would observe, that we think
the Evangelists and Apostles were not WOl'se writers, when
divinely inspired, than other men are without such assistance.
And further, were they not plain and perspicuous in preaching
the truths 'V ere they not well to be understood whenthey taught
orally? If they were not, it was of no use their speaking at all.
But if plain in speaking, is it likely they would be otherwise
in 1uriting ? It is the end of speaking and writing to make
things to be understood. And so easy of comprehension were
the sacred writings. that those of Moses were read in the
synagogue, in the hearing of both men, women, and children.
And the Apostles charged those to whom they wrote, that their
epistles should be read to all the churches.
And this only agrees with the representations they give of
themselves. They are spoken of as a light-as opposed to
darkness and doubtfulness-as calculated to instruct and guide,
and be profitable for doctrine, reproof, and instruction in
righteousness.
"Certain passages," says Dr Elliott, "indeed, might be
difficnlt to some persons at first, and others doubtless become
26
 rOrERY DELINEATE'll.

so by length of time. But that the principal part of the New

Testament is plain enough, cannot be with any modesty de-
nied. And as it regards the rest, what at first is difficult may,
with due consideration of our own, and the help of others, he
made easy; what is obscurely expressed in one place, may be
clearly defined in another-and what is altogether ambiguous,
we may safely, for that very reason, conclude is not now ne-
cessary for us to understand. 'Secret things belong to God.' ..
\Ye thus take the Scriptures as our rule and only rule of faith
and practice.
It may not be uninteresting to enumerate the 'nile and only
rule of a Papist.
" To the (sacred) Scriptures, the Roman Catholic adds, (1.)
the Apocrypha; (2.) 'I'raditions ; (3.) Acts and Decisions of
the Church, embracing eight folio volumes of the Pope's
Bulls; ten folio volumes of Decretals ; thirty-one folio volumes
of Acts of Councils; fifty-one folio volumes Acta Sanctorum,
or tbe Doings and Sayings of the Saints; (4.) add to these, at
least, thirty-five volumes of the Greek and Latin Fathers, in
whicb he says is to be found tbe wnanimous C01lsentof the
Fathers; (5.) to all these one hundred and thirty-five volumes
folio, add the chaos of unwritten. traditions which have floated
down to us from the apostolical times. But we must not stop
here, for the expositions of every priest and bishop must be
added. The truth is, such a rule is no rule, unless an endless
and contradictory mass of uncertainties could be a rule.'·*
I should be surprised at any man who could believe that his
priest, or any priest, from his holiness the Pope downward
through the scarlet ranks of cardinals, the mitred hosts of
bishops, the whole fraternity of vicars-apostolic, general and
particular, to the most imbecile parish priest, hooded. monk,
or cloistered nun,-that any of them have ever tumbled over,
or blundered through this huge wagon-load of fusty folios--
which they call their rule of faith. Not one of them can
know their own rule.
But, indeed, the member of the Romish Church gives him-
self very little trouble on the subject. He has committed
the keeping of his soul to his priest ; and what his priest says
he believes, and he knows nothing more. Most people have

• ElIlott'. Romanfsm, 1" 13.

2i
heardof the collier's faith-" Fides carbonal'ia," as it is caned
in Italy ; from the noted story which gi"es an account of a
collier's answers to one who had made some inquiries res pec-
ing his faith;-
Ques. "'Vhat do you believe ?"
Ans. "I bdieve what the Church believes."
</. "'V hat does the Church believe?"
A. "The Chureh believes what I believe."
</. "'Veil, then, what is it that both you and the Church
believe ?"
A. "'Ve both believe the very same thing."
This is what the Rornanists call "<Ill acl of faith." The
following is from the Douay Catechism, ,. A N ACT OF :FAITfI-
o great God! I firmly believe all those sacred truths which
thy holy Catholic Church believes and teaches; because thou,
who art truth itself, hast revealed them. Amen." So that
the answers the poor collier gave were not in the least by the
mark, but perfectly in accordance with his instructions. What
monstrous nonsense! they convert their people into mere
machines; and use them for the purpose of making " ....CTS OF
FAITH."
It seem» but jU8t that we should, before we proceedfurther,
II/Me olle OJ' tll'O objection», which the Papists U)'geagainst the
Bible alone I"'illg the nIle of faith.
Pirst.-It is said, "If the Scriptures had been the rule of
faith, the Church would always have had them in writing, but
before "Mosesthere was no writing." To this paltry objec-
tion the following brief reply is sufficient. True, there was
no writing before Moses, but they had the revelations of the
ancient Patriarchs, which were transmitted to them by a tra-
dition infinitely superior to that which Rome boasts to poosess ;
for it wa.~handed down by inspired men ; therefore it was 8S
God speaking to them from generation to generation. To this
WA shall refer more particularly in the chapter on tradition.
Then, again, the absurdity of the objection will also appear
from this, for the written Scriptures to have been in the
hands of all men from the beginning, the transactions of four
thousand years, must have been recorded before they took
place, and written by men before they existed. There would
be as much propriety in saying, if the New Testament forms a
part of the rule of our faith and practice, the Church would
28
 POPERY DEU;>;EATl;D.

always have had the New Testament; but before the days of
Christ there was no New Testament. 'Ye may as well com-
plete this syllogestiC; argument-thatfore, the Xew Testament
forms no part of the rule of faith and practice. And such is
the legitimate conclusion of their objection, .. Because the rule
of tilt' ancient Patriarchs, as to [aitl« and 1'I'/lc/icc, was im-
lu)ditd in u.n u.ritt cn. tradition, tlurrforc 'UUtL'I~'itfcH, trad aion.
is to 1)/, the rul« {if oil ayoJ and nativlI~.JI
Sccosul., "It is also said, • that the hooks of the X"W T.·,lu-
mont were not written till lon~ atur th« .,slubli,lillH'nt of
Hcripture, uIHI therefore the eur ly (,hri,tians hud nut till'
Bible for their directory and rille!' But tl", lJintlill1( obligB'
tion of the Old Tostamont rernnined till the crucifixion . And
in the interval, the Church was favoured with tho personal
presence of the Apostles. whose living voice supplied a rule
of' faith of equal authority with that of Christ ; for according
to his own declaration, they that heard them heard him.
The Apostles left their writings as their only successors; end
until these writings were completed, some of them remained
alive to give instruction, under the Inspirat ion of the Holy
Spirit, with regard to eoery doctrine and every practice I'€-
peeling which a question might be agitated in IIDJ of the
churches. And when they had not personal Intercourse, th€]
were consulted by writing.
• '" The Hebrews,' it is stated, ' were without the written
word of God for fourteen generations. Hence the Scriptures
cliuld not have been their rule of faith.' But we learn, to a
IHtainty. that the Jews did pos,ess the book of the law; for
Ezra read it to the people, uud, as a preacher, gave the sense,
and made the people to understand it .
•, It is also said, by way of objection to the Bible as the only
rule, • that twenty books of the Old Testament are lost.' If
this be so, how did it come to pass. that the Church of Rome
perrnittcd them to he lost when she boasts of being the preserver
of the Holy Scripture? Beside". a~ she makes the Church and
not the Scriptures the infallible rule, the Church n.ust have
eorumitted a mortal sin in allowing these portions of Scripture
to btllo,\'''*
To say that the Jews were" fourteen generations without th

29
 POPERYDEI.INEATED.

written word of God is false. Ani as to the lost books, we

have no proof that they were inspired. And most of them
were undoubtedly historical records, according to references
made in the books of the Kings and Chronicles; and therefore
t}jere need be no fear as to any thing being lost-the knowledge
of which was essential to salvation.
'Ve now proceed to another fact, viz.-" that the Holy
Scriptures we,'ept,t into the hands of thefltithrul with an ob-
ligation to read them." This is the doctrine of Protestants;
and the proofs that it is according to the will of God arc at hand.
But we shall first give the doctrine of the Church of Rome on
this subject.
Reference has already been made to the fourth rule of the
Index, which prohibits the reading of the Scriptures in the ver-
nacular tongue, except to those who obtain a written license for
that purpose from their bishop or inquisitor. .And if any wit-
less wretch be found reading the word of God without such per-
mission, his sins are not to be forgiven until he gives up his book.
" And the reason for prohibiting the general reading of Scrip-
ture is, that the faith and piety of most would be injured."
Such is the doctrine of the Council of Trent.
That the views of the said Church are unchanged, the fol-
lowing bun will abundantly testify. The date of it is June
29, 1316; issued. by Pupe Pius VII. to the Archbishop of
Gnesen, primate of Poland. The passages which we think
worthy of special attention we have given in italics.

" PIUS P. VII.

"VENERABLEBROTHER,-Health and apostolic bene-
diction! In our last letter to you we promised, very soon, to
return an answer to your's, in which you have appealed to this
holy see, in the name of the other bishops of Poland, respecting
what are called Bible Societies, and have earnestly inquired of
us what you ought to do in this affair. We long since, indeed,
wished to comply with your request; but an incredible variety
of weighty concerns has so pressed upon us on every side, that,
till this day, we could not yield to your solicitation. We hao«
been truly shocked at this most crafty device by which the very
foundations of religion are undermined; and having, because
of the great importlnce of the subject, conferred in council with
our venerable brethren, the cardinals of the Holy Roman
30
 POPERY DELINEATED.

Church, we have with the utmost care and attention deliberated

upon the measures proper to be adopted by our pontifical au-
thority, in order to remedy and abolish the pestilence as far as
possible. In the meantime, we heartily congratulate you, ve-
nerable brother, and we commend you again and again in the
Lord, as it is 'fit we should, upon the singular zeal you have
displayed under circumstances so dange'ro1!s to CI"'istianity, in
having denounced to the apostolic see this drfilcnu-nt. '1' tl.e
faith 80 eminently danguo1! .• to souls. And although we !'l'P-
ccive that it is not all necessary to excite him tu activity wllo is
making haste, since, of your own accord, you have aln-ady showII
an ardent desire to detect and overthrow 11/1.' iJJ/piollx 1Ullchina,
tion .• "I these innovators; yet, in conformity with our office,
we again and again exhort )'ou, that whatever you can achieve
/'/1 power, provide for by council, or effect by authority, you will
daily execute with the utmost earnestness, placing yourself as a
wall for the house of Israel.
" With this view, we issue the present brief; namely, that
we may convey to you a signal testimony of our approbation uf
your conduct, and also may endeavour therein still more and
more to excite your pastoral solicitude and diligence; for the
general good imperiously requires yomto combine all your means
and energies to frustrate the plans which are prepared by its
enemies for the destruction of our most holy religion; wllence
it becomes an episcopal duty, tha& you, first of all. expose the
wickedness 01 this nefarious scheme, as you have already done
so admirably, to the view of the faithful, and openly publish the
same, aecording to the rules prescribed by the Church, with all
the erudition and wisdom which you possess; namely,' that the
Dible printed ['/1 heretics is to be numbered among other prohi-
bited books, conformably to the rules of the Index, (sect. 2, 3) ;
for it is evident from experience, that the Holy Scriptures, when
circulated in the vulgar tongue, have, throuqh. the temerity 01
men, produced more harm. than benefit.' (Rule IV.) And this
is the more to be dreaded in times so depraved, when our holy
religion is assailed from every quarter with great cunning and
effort, and the most grievous wounds are inflicted on the Church.
It is therefore necessary to adhere to the salutary decree of the
congregation of the Index, (June 13th, 1757,) that no versions
of the Bible in the vulgar tongue be permitted, except such as
31
 POPERY DELlXI:AT2D.

are approved by the apostolic see, or published with annotations

extracted from the writings of holy fathers of the Church.
•, \Ve confidently hope that, in these turbulent circumstances,
the Poles will give the clearest proofs of their attachment to the
religion of their ancestors; and, by your care, as well as that of
the other prelates of this kingdom, whom, on. account of the
stand they have made wonderfully for the depository of the
faith, we congratulate in the Lord, trusting that they all may
very abundantly justify the opinion we have entertained of them.
" It is, moreover, necessary that you should transmit to us
as soon as possible the Bihle which Jacob Wulek published in
the Polish language, with a commentary, as well as a copy of
the edition of it lately put forth without those annotations
taken from the writings of the holy fathers of our Church, or
other learned Catholics, with your opinion upon it ; that thus,
from collating them together, it may be ascertained, after
mature investigation, that certain errors lie insidiously con-
cealed therein, and that we may pronounce our judgment on
this affair for the preservation of the true faith.
"Continue, therefore, venerable brother, to pursue this
truly pious course upon which you have entered, namely, dili-
gently to fight the battles of the Lord for the sound doctrine.
and warn the people intrnsted to your care that they fall not
into the snarcs which a,.e prepared fOI' their euerlo.etiru; ,.uin.
The Church demands this from you, as well as from the other
bishops, whom our rescript equally concerns; and we most
anxiously expect it, that the deep sorrow we feel on account
of this new species of fares, lOTtieh ott,. adversary has so abun-
dantly sown, may. by this cheering hope, be somewhat alle-
viated; and we always very heartily invoke the choicest bless-
ings upon yourself and your fellow-bishops for the good of
the Lord's flock, which we impart to you and them by our
apostolic benediction.
"Given at Rome, at St Mary the Greater, June 29th, 181 G,
in the seventeenth year of our pontificate.
"PH'S P. VI!."'"
For the sake of brevity, we give but two or three extracts
from a second bull, beuring date -- "ROME, Court of the

1II ~~lli(lt·:. Humanism, pp. Hi, 20.

 POPEltY DELINJ!ATED.

Sacred Oongregation for the Propagation of thB Faith, Sept.

18th, 1819." The bull itself may be seen, in Elliot's
Romanism, P- 20, or in J'lI'Gavin's Protestant, vol. ii. p. 243.
The following will shew it to be in the same strain as that to
the Clergy of Poland. It was fulminated against the Irish
Schools, and the circulation of the Scriptures therein, which it
calls "sowing tares;" the children are, by this means, " in-
fested with the fatal poison of depraved doctrines." "It is
farther stated"-'which is an enormous aggravation of the
crime-" that the directors of these schools are, generally
speaking, Methodists, who introduce Bibles, translated into
English by 'the Bible Society,' and abounding in errors, with
the sole view of seducing the youth, and entirely eradicating
from their minds the truths of the orthodox faith." "Every
possible exertion must, therefore, be made to keep the youth
away from these destructive schools; parents must be warned
against suffering their children, on any account whatever, to
be led into error." And, finally, their Lordships-Bishops-
are, "with unbounded zeal, to endeavour to prevent the wheat
from being choked by the tares." The Romish Church seems
to have a wonderful liking for the cautionary-parable of the
" \-Vheat and the Tares, " when Bibles are in question; if she
had thought of it, understood it, and applied it, in past
ages, there would have been less blood in her skirts, crying to
God for vengeance against the murderers of his saints. "And
,hall not God avenge his own elect ?"
" The following extract of a letter from the Rev. J. Spauld-
ing, a Protestant Missionary, under date of Sept. 23d, 1837,
Rio Janeiro, in South America, will furnish a true specimen
of what exists, and always has existed, when the circulation
of the Scriptures depended on the Church 'of Rome. From
generation to generation, it may be truly said, such has been
the practice.
" The Bible, to an astonishing and almost incredible extent,
is a new book, and a real curiosity in this country. An
elderly lady, who in other respects appeared quite intelligent,
said-she had lived so many years in the world, and never
heard of it till lately! . How many are thus totally ignorant
of the Holy Scriptures is unknown. A gentleman, a Catholic,
and with no great faith in missionary operations, remarked to
me, that he did not SUpp0Be there were 400 Bibles in tbi
c 53
 POPF.RT DELINEATED.

Brazils-among a population of at least five millions. What

is this but an awful famine of the Word of God! And what
an awful fact, that this famine, which carries moral death and
ruin wherever it goes, has continued from generation to
generation t"
" The Rev. J. A. Clark, of the Protestant Episcopal Church
of St Andrew, Philadelphia, in a letter to his congregation,
dated Rome, March 24th, 1838, says :-' The Bible in
. Rome is a strange and rare book. The only edition of it
authorized to be sold here, is in fifteen large volumes, which
are filled with Popish commentaries. Of course none but
the rich can purchase a copy of the sacred Scriptures. In-
deed, very few of the common people know what we mean
by the Bible. The question was proposed the other day by
one of my fellow lodgers, to the lady from whom our lodgings
are obtained, and who may be considered as a fair repre-
sentati ve in point of intelligence and religious information of
the middle class of society in Rome-if the people generally
had a copy of the Bible within their houses? The reply
was-' 0 yes, all the religious people have.' She al§o added,
that she had a.very fine copy of the Bible, and immediately
went to fetch it. When produced, it proved to be a mass-
book, with here and there a passage of Scripture, accom-
panied with Romish glosses. "Then it was more fully ex-
plained to her what we meant by the Bible, she replied,-
'0 yes, I know what you mean; that book is in several of the
libraries in Rome, and some persons who are very religious
have also a copy of it.' This plainly shows in what estima-
tion the Bible is held in the very centre of Roman Catho-
licism."*
The following are some of the very gracious and respectful
expressions used by Romish priests towards a book inspired
by a God of infinite wisdom, for the purpose of guiding the
sinful sons of men to the skies. "According to them an un-
prejudiced person, who was a stranger to Scripture, would
take the Bible to be the worst book in the world. The Ro-
man Catholic clergy, at the diocese of Cloyne and Ross, Ire-
land, in a set of resolutions drawn up in 1820, recognise all
the doctrines of Trent on this SQ bject, and carry them out to the

• ElUol'. RolllllDlam, p. 23.

 POPERY DELINEATED,

ntmost. As specimens, we give the following', quoted by Mr

Breckenridge, in his answer to Huges, p. 283, when referring
to tho general reading of the Bible :-' With Pighius, you
might have called it,-a rose of wax which easily su,ffers itself
to be drawn backward and forward, and moulded this way
and that way, and however you, like. Or with Turrian,-a
shoe that will fit any foot, a Sphinx riddle, a matter for
strife. Or with Lessius,-imperfect, doubtful, ohscure, am-
biguous, and paplc.Ted. Or with the author, De Tribus
Veritatibus,-a forest for thieves, a shop of herdics." The fol-
lowing blasphemous sentiment is uttered by Mr Muguire, in
his discussion with Mr Pope, page 51 :-" The royal Pro-
phet laughed at the gods of the Gentiles, because they could
not speak: those who make the Scr-iptures sole judge of con-
troversies, expose them to similar contempt, because, at the
best, they are but a dumb judge, and, consequently, unable to
pronounce."
"At a discussion at Carrick-upon-Shannon, Ireland, in
1824, Roman Catholic priests expressed themselves as fol-
lows :-.Mr M'Keon said, "The Scriptures of themselves, un- .
less accompanied by such notes and explanations, lead directly
to every species of fanaticism and infidelity. The Catholic
Church oppose their indiscriminate circulation." (Page. 9.)
Mr Brown says,-" Infidelity most assuredly would follow the
Indiscriminete reading of the Scriptures, were the people de-
prived of the fostering care of their pastors, We maintain
that the people are to receive their instruction from the priests,
and that it is the duty of the priest to promulgate the Word
of God committed to him. Individually, I will admit that
the pastors are not inspired; but collectively, they most as-
suredly are, There never was an instance where the people
were allowed the indiscriminate use of the Scriptures, that
revolution and disorder did not ensue," {Page 18, &c.)*
The above specimens of anti-biblical eloquence are per-
fectly in accordance with the canons of the Council of Trent,
above quoted; and, therefore, agree with the doctrine of the
Church. It is true, they frequently speak with great reverence
of that book-sealed up as it is from the people in the Latin
tongue; but when it appears in the vulgar language of any

• EIliol'. RoDlllllillm, p. 1Il.

311
 POPERY DELINEATED.

country, and becomes the study of the common people, they

apeak of it as the most pernicious book in the world, &c. &0.
To answer a certain purpose, however, in a Protestant
country like ours, some of them may be found putting forth
statements like the following, from a letter written by the Rev.
Andrew Scott, a Popish priest of Glasgow, bearing date, Fe b.
11th l8l! :-" If it really were a principle of the Roman
Catholic Church to deprive her members of the use of the Di-
vine word, by forbidding them to read and search the Scrip-
tures, she would indeed be cruel and unjust. But I can
confidently declare (without danger of being contradicted by
my brethren, or censured Ly my superiors), that it is not at
present-that it never was-a principle of the Catholic Church,
that the Scriptures should be withheld from the laity; and
there never was any law enacted by the supreme legislative
authority in the Catholic Church, by which the reading of the
Scriptures was prohibited." To prove that l\Ir Scott was
either profoundly ignorant of the laws of his own Church, or
capable of uttering a base fulsehood, we have only to refer the
reader to the decrees and bulls quoted in this chapter. And
if the" supreme legislative authority" has made no law on the
subject, we can only say, that the" supreme legislative autho-
rity" ought to have done so, if the statements of the Irish
priests and others, as given above, be correct. "\Vhen the
British Bible Society proposed to publish the Douay Bible,
without note or comment, for the use of the English Papists,
the Roman Catholic clergy would not allow it." The Rev.
Mr Gandolphy, however, a Popish priest of London, not being
aequainted with the distinguished generosity of the managers
of the Bible Society, and, acting on the principles ofMr Scott,
the Glasgow priest, thinking to remove some degree of Pro-
testant prejudice by a bold stroke, said,-" If any of the Bible
Societies feel disposed to try our esteem for the Bible by pro-
senting us some copies of a Catholic version, with or without
notes, we will gratefully accept, and faithfully distribute
them." Yet,lo and behold, "when the Society was abont to
fulfil its engagement, the Roman Catholic clergy objected, and
poor Mr Gandolphy was under the necessity of eating his
wOrds,-" The English Catholic Board," said he, .. did not
now intend to disperse gratuitously even their own stereotype
edition with notes; for they could not go about to desire
36
 POPERY DELTNEATED.

people to receive Testaments (what zeal!) becaulle the

Catholics did not in any wise C/}llsiderthe Scriptures neces-
aary ,." and added, " they learned and taught their religion by
means of catechisms and elementary tracts."* Such, then, is
the doctrine of the Church of Rome on the promiscuous read-
ing of the HoI)' Scriptures. Tho following are among the
strongest reasons given in support of it :-
First, " It is objl'..tcd, that the Scr iptures arc wrested by
some to tlwir d" ..t.ru ct uni, That tlu-y lII"y b" IlCrvcrt"d, needs
not to he <It'll ;e'l. Our ,'om III on ;;",,1 hus In-un abu ..,,,1 to pur-
poses of gluttouy ; intellect has been 1'1II1'1"y"d in the servieo
of irreligion; civil liberty lu,s been cor-rupted, and made tho
instrument of anarchy. But still these gifts lIIay be used to
good advantage." And because a few make gluttons of them-
selves, are all to be denied food 1 Because intellect has been
sometimes employed in the service of irreligion, is all intel-
lect to be bound down and stultified by priestly superstition
and tyranny? Because civil liberty has been sometimes per-
verted, would it be better for us if we were all slaves 1 The
preaching of the cross has been to many, the savour of death.
unto death, but is that a reason why it should not be
preaehed at all? It is possible that some may do themselves
harm by possessing the Scriptures, but it is certain that they
would suffer more harm by their being withhelcl ; for there it
such a thing as " perishing for lack of knowledge." The ques-
tion is, which is the greater evil, running the risk of a few
doing themselves harm by possessing the Scriptures-which,
after all, is very problematical-or allow unnumbered myriads
to perisll, by refusing them that knowledge by which alone
they can be saved ?
But it has been asked, "Why do not the Catholics show
the same caution in other cases as they do in this? Why do
they not forbid image. worship, lest the people fall into idola-
try? Why do they not forbid the use of indulgences, lest
they should be used as a license to commit sin 1" It seerM to
us rernm'kably ominous, that the Papists should be st£8piciolu
of Bothing so much aM the Bible.
And, further, although men in all ages have been liable to
fall into error, "yet neither file Prophets, nor our Saviour

• Elliol'. Romanl8D, Po 26.

 POPERY DELINEATED.

lind his Apostles, ever thought of preventing these evils by

forbidding the reading of Scripture. St Peter himself, who
mentions the danger of destruction from wresting the Scrip-
tures, so far from blaming, commends every man for reading
them. St Paul, whose Epistles were the very Scriptures they
wrested, never required them to be kept from any Christian of
the several Churches to which he wrote. On the other hand,
he required the contrary, concerning an Epistle as liable to be
misunderstood, as any of them, and which actually was mis-
understood immediately. " I charge you, by the Lord, that
this Epistle be read unto all the holy brethren." (1 Thess. v,
27.) The ancient Christians, in whose days heresies abounded,
did not restrain the people from reading the Scripture in order
to preserve them from those evils. With them, a man who
surrendered his Bible was deemed an apostate from the faith.
Nothing was so much insisted on by fathers and councils, as
the necessity of all persons becoming acquainted with the
Holy Scriptures. The primitive church was apprehensive of
no danger from this practice. The Church of Rome, we
acknowledge, has cause to be apprehensive; for, had the peo-
ple but liberty to read and judge from Scripture, they would
speedily be brought to see what they who now see dare not
own, how widely the Scripture differs from the doctrines which
they are commonly taught. They are wise in their generation.
The Scripture is against them, and they will be against the
Scripture; they will lower its credit as far as they dare;
keep it out of men's hands where they can; and where they
cannot they will pervert it by erroneous translations, obscure
it by false glosses, and make it of none effect by setting up a
pretended authority of interpretation, which affixes to it a
sense quite different from what it evidently means."*
Secondly. "It is objected, that fanaticism results from the
exercise of private judgment in the interpretation of Scrip-
ture.
" But it is not from reading the Bible that these excesses
arise; for this book is entirely overlooked by fanatics, or they
are so much wiser than what is written, that they place their
own notions in a far more elevated scale than the Word of
God. Fanaticism should be rather considered &8 the "if-

• Elliot'. ltomaDlom. p. Ill.

38
 POPEl!. Y DELINEATED.

sprlng of' heated passion, a. weak understanding, or extremely

superstitious, mistaken, and absurd views of a few truths,
than as the result of private judgment in reading the Scrip-
tures. But are members of the Church of Rome, who are
either forbidden to read the \V ord of God, or to exercise their
jndgment in order to understand it, exempt from fanaticism 1
Instances of this evil, and of the perversions of Scripture
which have disgraced Protestant countries from the days of
Munster down to those of Joanna Southcote, are far out-done
in countries where the Bible stood foremost in the list of here-
tical books, and where the authority of the Church of Rome
• was predominant.
" Witness the horrible crucifixion of females so minutely
detailed by Baron De Grimm, who was an eye-witness of them
duri'1g his residence at Paris, and which were suppressed, not
by the interference of the clergy, but by order of the Lieu-
tenant of Police."*
In the Edinburgh Review for September 1814, p. 302, 303,
we have an account of the most horrible fanaticism. De Grimm
has preserved an exact detail of what took place among some
unhappy women called Convul8ionaire8, who pretended to re-
ceive particular visitations of the Holy Spirit, during which they
either fell into convulsions, or were irresistibly impelled to
court certain severe bodily afflictions at the hands of their spi-
ritually-minded confessors. "The first scene was that of the
crucifixion of the Sceur Rachel and the ScourFelicite, two women
from thirty to forty years of age, who were inwardly moved, as
they pretended, to exhibit this lively image of the passion of our
Saviour, in a mean lodging in Paris, in August 1759. These
two wretched creatures were actually nailed to two wooden crosses
through their hands and their feet, and continued fastened to
them for upwards of three hours, during which they sometisnes
pretended to slumber in a beatific trance, and at other times
uttered a quantity of infantine nonsense and gibberish, asking
for sweetmeats, and threatening and fondling the spectators in
lisping accents, and all the babyish diminutives of the nursery.
The nails were at length drawn out, and a considerable quan··
tity of blood flowed from all the wounds; after washing and
bandaging which, the patients sat down quietly to a little repast
 POPERY DELINEATED.

in the midst of t1e apartment. Various womerr

were stretched on the floor, and beat with bludgeons on the head
and breast, a.nd trodden violently under the feet of their spiritual
assistants, to their infinite relief and gratification, as the mana-
gers of the spectacle most solemnly asserted. They
had also the points of ~words pressed forcibly against their sides
and bosoms: and were not only miraculously protected from
wounds, but received the greatest consolation from the most
serious and continued thrusting." The Baron relates a second
exhibition of the same kind, and the following may be considered
a third :-" The Scour Frangoise had announced that Go(l had
commanded her on that day to burn the gown off her back, and
assured her of much comfo ..t from the operation. After a great
deal of grimacing, accordingly, fire was actually set to her skirts,
but instead of appearing to experience any delight, the failing
saint very speedily screamed out in terror, and they were obliged
to pour water upon her petticoats and carry her off halfroasted,
half drowned, and utterly ashamed of her exhibition." I'm
afraid she was mistaken about the promise of comfort-poor
thing. But of course there was no fanaticism in all this. Such
a thing never occurred in the Romish Church. Nor yet the
Flaqellantes, in whose processions such fanatics as the King of
France and the Cardinal Lorraine have frequently joined.
" There is nothing that will contribute more to convince us of
the miserable state of religion in this century, and cf the frenzy
that almost generally prevailed in the devotion of these unhappy
times, than the rioe of the sect called Flagellantes or Whippers,
which spl'Ung up in Italy in the year 1260, and WW! propagated
from thence through almost all the countries of Europe. The
societies that embraced this new discipline, presented the most
hideous and shocking spectacle that can well be conceived; they
ran in multitudes, composed of persons of both sexes, and of all
ranks and ages, through the public places of the most populoult
cities, and also through the fields and deserts, with whips in their
hands, lashing their naked bodies with the most astonishing se-
verity, filling the air with their wild shrieks, and beholding the
firmament with an air of distraction, ferocity, and horror; and
all this with a view to obtain the Divine mercy for themselves
and othe1'll,by their voluntary mortification and penance.""
 POPERY DELINEATED.

After these wild fanatics had been suppressed for some time,
they again sprnng up, in the fourteenth century, of whom Mo-
sheim says, vol, iii. p. 381, that "they held, among other
things, that flagellation was of equal virtue with baptism, and
the other sacraments-that the forgiveness of all sins was to be
obtained by it from God, without the merits of Jesus Chris~
that the old law of Cbrist was soon to be abolished, and that a
new law, enjoining' the baptism of blood, to be administered by
whipping, was to be substituted in its place, with other tenets
more or less enormous than these."
" Directly the reverse of this melancholy sed was the merry
one of the Dunccre, wi.idl, in the year 1:17:1, ar"K" at Aia-la-
Chapdlc, from whence it spread through the district "I' Liege,
lIainault, and other parts of Flanders, It was customary
among the fanatics fur persons of both sexes, publicly, as well
as in private, to fall a dancing all of a sudden, and, holding
each other's hands, to continue their motions with extraordinary
violence, till, being almost suffocated, they fell down breathless
together; and they affirmed, that, during these intervals of ve-
hement agitations, they were favoured with wonderful visions.
The ignorant clergy of this age looked npon this as the work of
evil demons, who possessed, as they thought, this dancing tribe.
Accordingly, the priests of Liege endeavoured to cast out the
devils, which rendered these fanatics SO merry, by ,inging
hymns and applying fumigations of incense: and they gravely
tell us, that the evil spirit was entirely vanquished by the"
poweiful charms. "*
One of the most powerful sects of fanatics which arose in the
thirteenth century was that of the Brethren and Sisters of the
Free Spirit. .. This new sect took their denomination from the
words of St Paul, Hom. viii. 2, 14, and maintained that the
true children of God were invested with the privilege of a full
and perfect freedom from the jurisdiction of the law." There
were some of them who carried their views to the most extrava-
gant height, and maintained, "that, by continual contempla-
tions, it was possible to eradicate all the instincts of nature on
the heaven-b<;rn mind, and to introduce into the soul a certain
divine stupor, and holy apathy, which they looked upon 88 the
great characteristics of Christian perfection. The perscma who

t IlIll111eim'. EeOI. BIa. flII. ilL p.lIllI.

 POPERY DELINEATED.

adopted these sentiments took strange liberties in consequenceof

their pretended sanctity, and showed, indeed, by their conduct,
that they had little regard to external appearances; for they
held their secret assemblies stark naked, and lay in the same
beds with their spiritual sisters, or, indiscriminately, with other
women, without the smallest scruple or hesitation."* But these
wretches having found that the "instincts of nature" were not
80 easily" eradicated," annexed another article to their creed,
namely, that the soul and the body acted independently of each
other. "Some held," says Mosheim, "that the motions and
actions of the body had no relation at all to the soul, which,by
its union with God, was blended with the divine nature."
And what are all their monkish orders but sects of fanatics,
founded by fanatics in their maniacal ravings? Many of their
leading ceremonies and rites may be traced to the same source.
We have no doubt but the preceding extracts will interest the
reader; but we have introduced them to prove that fanatics may
be found elsewhere than where the Bible is read; and that the
Church of Rome may, beyond all dispute, claim 'the honour af
taking the lead in such disorders. "Fanaticism is occasion-
a.lly to be found in every Church." Out of the pale of the
Romish Church, the most notorious of the present day, are the
Mormonites ; within her pale, the worshippers of the host.
"It is proper, however, to make one important distinction
between Protestants and Romanists respecting the instances
which have occurred. Protestants provide against them by
sound Instmotlon, and discourage and disavow fanaticism and
enthusiasm when they arise. But the Church of Rome does not
llCl'ipturally make such provision; she does not discourage or
disown, but she rather fosters, the examples of delusion which
have arisen among them."
.. Thirdly, It is objected that the miscellaneousreading of
Scripture produces heresies.
" Mr Hughes says: • The Protestant rule of faith has given
rise to all the heresies that exist' (Controwrsy with Brecken-
ridge, p. 22). But are the poor and illiterate those who origi-
nate heresies? Not at all. Du Pin, a celebrated Doctor of
the Sorbonne, and a Roman Catholic, informs us, • If there be
ebseure and difficult passagesin the Bible, it is not generally the

• JIoII*m'. BcoL BJa. po ..

 POPERY DELINEATED.

simple who abuse them, but the proud and learned wbo make a
bad use of them. For, in truth, it is not generally the ignorant
and simple who have formed heresies in perrerting the word of
God. They who do so are generally bishops and priests,
learned and enlightened persons; so that, so far from knowing
by experience that the reading of the Scripture is dangerous to
the simple and the ignorant, one may say that we learn there-
from that it seldom causes any but the learned to fall into
error, and that the simple have generally found there nothing
but what is edifying and instructive: Cardinal Bellarmine
writes as follows :-' Heresies originate with men of rank
rather than with the common people. Without doubt, heresi-
archs were almost all either bishops or presbyters. So that
heresies are certain factions of leading men, without whom there
would be no revolts of the people in the Church: From these
two testimonies of Roman Catholics, who in this respect speak
the words of soberness, the reading of Scripture by the common
people does not produce heresies."*
We now return to the doctrine of Protestants, as contained
in the last proposition,-namely, that the Holy Scriptures were
put into the hands of the faithful, with an obligation to read
them.
First, As to the Jews. "'hen God gave his law to the Is-
raelites, he said to Moses,-" Gather me the people together,
and I will make them hear my words, that they mllY learn to
fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and
that they may teach their children." Deut. iv, 10.
The following are the words of Moses, when he assembled all
Israel together, just before his death :-" Now therefore hearken,
o Israel, unto the statutes, and unto the judgments, which I
teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and pos-
Bessthe land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither
shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the command-
ments of the Lord your God which I command you." Dent, iv.
1,2.
And he again said to the same people :-" And these words
which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And
thou 'hali teach them diligently unto thy children, and shali
.
• EIIl.\'. Itomanltm, pp. Ill, 'It.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou
risest up." Deut. vi. 6, 7.
" Thus the fathers were bound to teach diligently these things
to their children; and this shows that every father had access
to Scripture, ina language which he and they understood."
Secondly, " Nor shall we find this order of things changed
under the Gospel; for we need only peruse the first verses of
the Epistles written by St Paul, Peter, James, and Jude, and
we shall find them addressed to the faithful of all the Churches
as well as to the pastors." We only give one-" To all the
saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops
and deacons." Phil. i. 1. "Thus the private members of the
Church were addressed, from which we learn that they could
understand them, as they were placed in their hands for the ex-
press purpose of making them wise unto salvation.
"Moreover, the use which Jesus Christ would have us to
make of Scripture is, that we might know him to be the Mes-
siah: 'Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have
eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.' John v.
39. Indeed, we find our Saviour attributing the erroneous
opinions of the Sadducees to their ignorance of the Bible:
'Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures.' Matt. xxii. 29. It
was out of the same book that St Peter and St Paul proved
our Saviour to be the l\fessiah, and converted the Jews to
Christianity. The Bereans are praised for having searched
the Scriptures, and judged of its contents. 'These were ,-
says St Lulre-' more noble than those in Thessalouica, in that
they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched
the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so: Acts
xvii. 11. After this, how can anyone affirm that the faith-
ful ought blindly to believe their pastors, and not to exercise
their own judgment ~ Is not this to condemn what the Scrip-
tures praise 1"'*
Nor did the primitive Christians, in whose days there were
heresies in abundance, ever think of restraining any person
from reading the Scriptures. There is no subject so much
insisted on by the Fathers and Councils of early times, as
the 1W:esnty for all, without exception, becoming aequainted
 POPERY DELINEATED.

with the Word of God. "Hear, I beseech, you, all yon

secular men;" says Chrysostom, in the fifth century, "provide
you Bibles, which are the medicines for the soul: at least get
the New Testament.""
One of the most abSU1Y{statements put forth by Popish
priests is,-That we cannot ascertain what books constitute
the canon of Scripture, without reference to the authority of
the Romish. Church. Such twattle hardly deserves an an-
swer. They should be told that the Protestant Churches
would disdain to trust to the authority of tlceir church for
anything. Surely Protestantism has been able to boast of
men as learned and as qualified to investigate these matters
as any in the ranks of Popery r And after all their boasting
as to our inability to know the truth in reference to what is,
and wbat is not, canonical, witbout having recourse to the
dictum of their church, we are independent enough to reject
the Apocrypha, contrary to their authority, and despite of
their anathemas.
It seems necessary that we should here say a little about
the Apocryphal Books, and our reasons for rejecting them.
The great antiquity of the Books of the Apocrypha is indis-
putable. They are supposed to have been written between the
days of the Prophet Malachi and the coming of Christ. That
they were never admitted into the canon of the Jewish Scrip-
tures, by the Jews, is certain. The following is a quotation
from the works of Jerome, by the learned and candid Du Pin,
himself a Papist :-" Thus all the books of the Old Testament
among the Jews are two-and-twenty; of which five belong to
Moses, eight to the Prophets, and nine to the other holy peri-
men. Some reckon four-and-twenty, by separating Ruth
from Judges, and the Lamentations from the Prophecy of
Jeremiah, and placing them in the number of holy writings.
This preface, adds he, may serve as II head or preface to all
the books which we have translated from the Hebrews; 3Dd
we are to take notice, that whatever is not contained in the
number of these books is Apocryphal. From hence it followa
that the book of Wisdom, commonlyascribed to Solomon, Eo-
clesiasticus, said to be composed by Jesus the Son of Sirach,
Judith, Tobit, and the Pastor, do not belong to the eanoa, no

• Cbr)'-. 0,..... Bomil.ix. tOI>l. xl. 1" Sf I.

 P6PEKY DELINEATED.

more than the two books of the Maccabees, of which one was
in Hebrew, and the other (as appears from the style) was
written in Greek."* Another important fact, in connection
with these books, is, that they were not admitted into the
eanon of Scripture during the first four centuries of the
Christian Church.
" The first and most ancient catalogue that we have of the
canonical books drawn up by a Christian author, is that of
Melito, Bishop of Sardis, who flourished under the empire of
Marcus Anton inus. It is taken from a preface which he had
put at the head of several extracts he had made of the books
of the Law and the prophets, and mentioned by Eusebius in
the fourth book of his history, chap. xxvi. He reckons only
two-and-twenty books of the Old Testament, among which he
does not include Esther, dividing Ruth from that of Judges.
Origen, in a passage extracted from his commentary on the
first Psalm, and mentioned by Eusebius, book vi., chap. xxv.,
reckons also two-and-twenty; but he takes in Esther, joining
Ruth with Judges, and observes, that the booksof the Macca-
bees are excluded out of the canon. The Council of Laodicea
(held between the year 360 and 370, and representing the
Catholic or universal Church) which is the first Synod where-
in the number of canonical books was determined, assigns
only two-and-twenty books of the Old Testament, including
Esther, and joining Baruch, the Lamentations, and the Let-
ters, with the Prophecy of Jeremiah."t The same historian
says, that this catalogue is followed by St Cyril and St Athana-
sius, The catalogue of Melito is followed by Leontius, Anas-
tatius, and St John Damascene, &c., &c. So that it seems
that the introduction of the Books of the Apocrypha.into the
canon of Scripture, is rather a modern than a primitive act.
" The first catalogue wherein the Books of Wisdom, Ecclesi-
asticus, Tobit, Judith, and the two Maccabees, were admitted
as canonical, and as having the same authority, is that of the
Third Council of Carthage, held in the year 397; which con-
firms the Decree of the Council of Hippo of the year 393,
wherein these books were received into the canon, &c."t

• Do Pin', Hist. of the canon, eke., toL, vel. I, p. 7, London, law.

I Ibid, p. 8. 11bid, pp. 8, P.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

Of the Apocryphal Books it may be observed,-

(1.) " They possess no authority whatever, either exter-
nal or internal, to procure their admission into the sacred
canon.
(2.) "The Apocryphal Books contain many things which are
fabulous, contradictory, and directly at variance with the
canonical Scriptures.
(3.) " They contain passages which are in themselves false,
absurd, and incredible.
(4.) "Many parts contained therein nrc at variuuee with
the authentic records of profane historians.
(5.) "The Apocryphal Hooks nrc not quoted in the Now
Testament; but those which were received into the canon of
the Jews are frequently quoted."'!!
In concluding this chapter, we may observe, that" when
other methods of disparagement fail, Papists attempt to un-
dervalue the English version of the Scripture, \Ve have the
testimony of the best and ablest scholars-such as Selden,
Louth, Horsley, Whitaker, Taylor, Scott, Adam Clarke, t
and others-in favour of the correctness and fidelity of our
authorized translation. The singular pains which were
taken with it, give strong assurance of its accuracy. It has
been stated by a gentleman, who has collated the original
Douay Bible, Dr Challoner's and Haydock's editions, and the

• ElIiot·s Romanism, p. ::SI.

t The following is the testimony of the Rev. Dr Clarke :-" The oldest recorda
among both Jews and Christians mention the books, both by number and name,
which constitute the Old Testament Scr-iptur-es, and these are the identical
books, both in number and name, that remain in the Hebrew canon to the
present day. Not one has been added; not one has been taken away. Nor have
we the slightest evidence. that e ven one chapter or parugrapb , in any ODe of
the books come down to us, has been either added or omitted. And it it! the
same with the New Testament. We have not IOfSt or received a single book or
chapter which the genuine Church of God has ever accounted divmciy msptred
4Dd canonical. I have dtlgent.ly examined this quest.ion in all the accounts we
have from antiquity, and in all the collections of Hebrew and Greek MSS., both
of. t.he Old and New Testament, and their various readings, which the ablest
ertttcs have produced to public view, and some of the dud of those 1\188., I
have collated myself', and most. if not all, of the nncient versfons, and I can
conscientiously say, that we have the Sacred Ornt-Ies , at least in c!'lbCntIul sum
and eubstanoo, as they were delivered by God to 1\105C5 and the Prophets s and
to tbe Church of Christ by Jesus. his Evangultets and Apostlcs ; and thd
nothing in the various readings of the }leLrew and ('rcck M~8. can be found to
etrengthen any error in doctrine, or obliquity in mora l practrce, All is safe and
liOund,-all pure and holy. It is the perfect law of the Lord, that converts the
BOuI; the tetitimuny of the Lord, that abideth for ever : and the unadulterated
I08pel of .Jesus Christ. which is able to make men witit' unto salvation, throulJa
fallll ill Bim."-ClarA<', Tlwologv, bV 8am"dDtl" .., PI' 61, /ill.
 POPDY DELI. EATBD.

authorized English version, that he is cemviftced that 0001-

lonw', and Haydock's editions are corrected and amended by
King Jamu's Bible.
A few years ago, in England, in consequence of the JD.ia..
repre ntations of the Papacy, and of others, reapecting the
'ngliah Prote t nt ver ion, su picions were awakened l'8-
specting its integrity. harges of numerous and ide depar-
ture from the ilr t dition of the tran lator had be n fr Iy
eireulat d. • I ny lett r8 and pnmphl 11w r publi h d to
sub t ntiate th e chare . In tb cir um tan " the au-
thorized printers of th Bible, at th University of Oxford,
publi hed a fae- imil of the fir t dition of King' James's
Bible, issu d in 1611, in order that it might be compared
with modern edition. This copy i prepared with great
minuteness, not only as it respect the text, but the ortho-
graphy, punctuation, and even the embellishments. The
Board of hnager of the merican Dible ociety procured
ODe of these copies, and in tituted a rigid comparison between
it and the standard copy of the Society. A committee of
upervision was appointed by the Board, consisting of one
member from eseh denomination of Christians connected with
the ociety. A skilful reader first compared the early and
modern copies, word for word, noting all the discrepaneiea.
Professor Bu h, the Editor of the ociety's publications, hav-
ing in the library a. great variety of Bibles, issued during the
last three hundred years, examined these diffe"rences, ascer-
taining where and when these ebanges were introduced. The
Committee, each having a copy of the Bible to be lel'lltini.aed
before him, then carefully followed the editor, and tried his
• T tigations. Th ult was, that the variations existing
bet eon the pre ent and early eopie of the Engli h Bible con-
siRed in unimportant particulars, ueh as capit4lletter., _.
__ , il<alic word" ., not in an !I degree affecting the sense:"
'rhe two preceding extl'fUlts 11'0 con ider-and we think
just1y-of great importance. The former puts a weapon into
the hands of Protestants before which, even a Papist will
l]uil :-Dr Challoner', and Haydock', editWtuJoj t~ n-.,
Bible, OORBECTED FBOM OUR ENGLlllB VEBSI0!l I Forget it tICIIl
The latter is calculated to inspire WI with the 1ItJJINt eoat-
 I'OPElt Y DJ:LI.a:.l. Tl:D.

D 49
 POPERY DELIKEATED.

CHAP. IlL-TRADITION.

IN the last chapter we had occasion to refer once or twice to

the traditions of the Church of Rome. And as they constitute
a very important, if not the most important part, of the rule
of faith and manners, as held by the said Church, we will en-
deavour to present the subject to the reader as briefly and
explicitly as possible.
And, according to the plan laid down (p. 19.),we shall allow
Romanists themselves to define the doctrine. And for this
purpose we must again refer to the Council of Trent. We do
this the more readily, as the decrees of that Council are ac-
knowledged to contain the doctrines of the Church of Rome in
all subsequent ages; at least until another injamble Council
alters some of them. The said Council, speaking of the Gospel
as preached by Christ and his Apostles, says, that it was
contained in written books, and in unwritten traditions. It
then states, in regard to traditions, that "they have come
down to us, either received by the Apostles from the lips of
Christ himself, or transmitted, by the hands of the same
Apostles, under the dictation of the Holy Spirit; that these
traditions relate both to faith and morals, have been preserved
in the Catholic Church by continual succession, are to be re-
ceived with equal piety and veneration with Scripture, and
whosoever shall knowingly and deliberately despise these trs-
ditions, is accursed."
It will perhaps place the doctrine more clearly before us, if
we !live an extract or two from some of her authorized writers.
Bishop Hay thus speaks :-
"Ques. What is meant by tradition?
"Ans. The handing down, from one generation to another,
whether by word of mouth or by writings, those truths reveal-
ed by Jesus Christ to his Apostles, which either are not at all
contained in the holy Scriptures, or at least are not clearly
contained in them.
"Q. What is the principle upon which tradition proceeds?
60
 POPERY DELI:'OEATED.

"A. It is the laying down, as an invariable rule to be ob-

served in every generation, firmly to adhere to the doctrine
received from the preceding generation, and carefully to
commit the sameto the succeedinggeneration, without addition
or diminntion."*
Dr Milner asserts, that the Roman Catholic rule of faith is
"Scripture and. tradition, and these propoutuled anti ,.l"~
plained by the Roman Church. This implies that we have a
uoofold. rule or 1,,10; and that we have an interpreter or judy"
to explain it, and to decide upon it in all doubtful points."t
Speaking of the preaching of the Apostles, he says that Christ
"inspired some of them and their disciples to write CERTAIN
PARTS of these doctrines and precepts-namely the CoLlIonical
Gospels and Epistles."t Again," The Catholic rule is tlu.
whole word of God, together with her living authority, in ex-
plaining it."§ Dr Milner also says, "The first part of this
rule conducts us to the second part; that is to say. tradition
conducts us to Scripture." "That is to say," putting Dr
Milner into plain language, the Scriptures derive tlieir a/t-
thority from tradition; that they cannot have a meaning con-
trary to tradition, or the interpretation of the Romish clergy.
According to these extracts, tradition may be taken in
three or four senses. That we may be saved from mistaking
the points controverted, we will name them.
(1.) It means the written Scriptures. To this we have no
objection, so long as we understand the application of the
term.
(2.) Written opinions, interpretations, or comments-
" either not at all contained in them (Scriptures), or at least
not clearly contained in them."
(3.) Unwritten opinions, interpretations, or comments-
" either not all contained in them (Scriptures), or at least not
clearly contained in them,"
(4.) The explanations given by the Romish priesthood. To
this we shall not object: for they are at liberty to call the
preachings of their priests Bywhat name they think proper-s-
traditions, :or traductions, it matters not. Only, they must

• The 8incere Christian Instrncted, .ltc., voL I. P. loo. "

t End of Controveny, LeU.. s .. r- 1).9.
~ Ibid, Letter x., p. 511. I IbId, Letter 11. p, 62.
si
 r-or rn Y IH.::L!XEA TED.

not impose them upon us, as of equal authority with the word
uf C;odo
The point of controversy is contained in the second and
tlii;'d view, especially the latter, as givcn above, and may Le
oxprcssed thus :-·That the traditions (/1/11 n. torittcn. 01' 111/-
u-rittcn, are to be rcceirc/I U'~'thall " pil't.'! a m! 'l'f''nt/'lltion H (fS

f.' rt icl c« of 'j·el;v~·on. (l1Hl of O)Hol (lutluu'it/,with the rcr-l a-.

til 11101 t~l(ind, (f.~ cont alno]. 'iii the Ilo/H ~'·I·I'iJdlfi·(::'. 'I'hr-se
things we have rrasou to gain::';:I)": nnrl it l){'('OIli('~ a 11111y to
rrsist : for" in vain do they worship (;od, tt'nl'!]ill~ ftlT dot-
trine the oornmandments of l1Iell." .\Iatt. X\·. !J.
Having seen, then, what is meant hy tradition, as sanction-
I'd by the Church of Rome; we will examine the grounds of
their belief therein.
But we will first remind the reader, that it consists of eer-
tuin doet/'incs and precepts which Christ and his Apostles are
said to have spoken, but which were not committed (0 writing;
Ladng been handed down from age to age by word of mouth,
::;,.1 which have come down to us as pHre, as the word con.
t.' ined in the gospels and epistles. Indeed, some of their doc-
tors assert, that the knowledge of Christianity might have been
J"'. hiTI'd and pr"l'o(j«td[ in the world, if the Ncu: Testament.
1,,;<1never been written. L'ndoubtcdly ! if it had pleaeed
.t\..lmi,;·htr Ga(l to rai;>:e "P :l succession of hu:rii'td nun. But
the history of Ihe Rcmish Church shows, that she was not qua-
lified to l,rescrve it.
" One would think that the simple statement of what the
Roman ists mean hy tradition, would be sufficient to convince
any man of the folly of depending upon them." It seems im-
poss ihle, that any person should believe that those" certain
doctrines and precepts" could be transmitted by word of
mouth, and in as pure a state as when first delivered, for 1800
years. .. Common sense dictates, that tradition, after any
lapse of time, having gone through many hands naturally un-
settled and variable, must be altered, extended, or diminished,
since these changes happen in process of time to all things:
and thus it would become too vague to regulate the conduct of
men." In support of tradition, the following passages are
quoted with great confidence:
•. Xo'w I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in 1\11
 I'OPEP..T DELI:-'"'"EATED.

th inrs , awl keep the ordinances,as I delivered them to you."

1 Cor. xi. 2.
" Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hol.l the trud it irr s
which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
2 Thess. ii. 15.
h Xow we communi!you, brethren, in the name of our Lori!
Jesus Christ, that yc with.lruw yourselves from en'ry brother
that wulkuth ,li801',I"r1y,and not after the t rud ition II'h'..\, I",
rec'{~in~llof us." ~ T\1{~~~.iii. (j.
In order to show that the above texts nflor.l 110 slIpI'"rt to
Popish tradit ions, we observe,
J"i,·.<I, That the worrl rendered Irrulili.m in 0111' trnnslut inll
of the ~cril'tllres signifios nny thin({ddi"~I·,'d to nnotl",r, wb,··
ther 11'l'il1ln or .s1",,,""II. This is cluur from tlH1second of tl",
above p<lss:tges-" whether by /l'ol'd or our ''J,iRtle.''
Secondbt; No one ever imagined, who thought at all upon
the subject, that /'I'el'g t!lillg the apostles s'lid in their prw,h.
in!! and ]'riv!!te convers!!tions are contained in their epistles,
'I'he subetauce, itowever, of all they said and !:lught is un-
doubtedly to be found in one epistle or another, At least,
nothing essential to the healthy constitution of the Church will
be omitted: and they are sufficiently intelligible to save men
from serious error,
TILi,'dly, Whether the traditions delivered by " word " are
found in tbe Epistles or not, we are certain that they were not
such as the Romish Church boasts to posiless; because the
Apostles, being inspired men, they could not say one thing in
conversation and the opposite in writing, But the traditions
of the Romish Church are utterly opposed to apostolic writ-
ings, which is one reason why they fear the Scriptures, and,
therefore, cannot be apostolic traditions.
Fourthly, Allowing that St Paul did deliver to the churches
at Corinth and Thessalonica. truths, of which we have no trace
in the Scriptures, "we may ask, luno and at ,,,ltat time dill
they come into the possession of the church at Rome 1 and by
what means did the latter assure herself that thev were the
same instructions which the Apostle delivered by divine inspi-
ration ?" Admitting that the church at Rome received them
in a state of purity, what proof have we that they are in that
&tate now 1 It is certain that they are not; for" the Church
of Rome esnnot adduce a single article of religion, or ordi-
.53
 POPERY DELINE.'>.TED.

not impose them upon us, as of equal authority with the 'word
of Goel.
The point of controversy is conta.ined in the second and
third view, especially the latter, as given above, and may be
expressed thus :-. That the traditions of mrn, written or u n-
tl'ritten, are to be received with 'all " piety and veneration" as
articles of religion, and of equal authority with the revela-
tions of God, as contained in the Holy Scriptures. These
things we have reason to gainsay: and it becomes a duty to
resist: for" in vain do they worship God, teac~ing for doc-
trine the commandments of men." Matt. xv. 9.
Raving seen, then, what is meant hy tradition, as sanction-
ed by the Church of Rome; we will examine the grounds of
their belief therein.
Bat we will fi rst remind the reader, that it consists of cer-
tain doctrines and 'PTecept8 which Cln-istand his Apostles are
said to have spoken, but which were not committed to writing;
having been handed down from age to age by word of mouth,
and which have come down to us as pure, al\ the word con-
ta ined in the gospels and epistles, In deed, some of their doc-
tors assert, that the knowledge of Christianity might have been
pi'csm'ued and propagated in the world, if the New Testament
had never been written. Undoubtedly I if it had pleased
Almighty God to raise up a succession of inspired men. But
the history of the Romish Church shows, that she was not qua-
lified to preserve it.
s c One would think that the simple statement of what the
Romsnists mean by tradition, would be suffioient to convince
any man of the foUy of depending upon them." . It seems im-
possible, that any person should belie ...e that those" certain
doetrines and precepts" could be transmitted by word of
mouth, and in as pure a state as when firstdelivered, for 1800
years. "Common sense dictates, that tradition, after any
lapse of time; having gone through many hands naturally un-
settled and variable, must be altered, extended, o:r diminished,
since these changes happen in proeess of time to all things;
and thus it would become too 'fague to regulate the eonduet of
men." In support of tradition, the following pallagee are
quoted with great confidence:
.. Now I praise you, bretuen, th~ ye remember me in an
 ·l'OP"€RY DELINlMTED .

.things, and keep the or'dinances, as I delivered them to you."

1 Cor. xi. 2. .
"Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the trad it ions
which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
2 Thess. ii. 15. .
" Now we command you, brethren, in the na.me of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother
that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he
received of us." 2 Thess. iii. 6.
In order to show that the above texts afford no support to
Popish traditions, we observe,
First, That the word rendered tradition in our translation
of the Scriptures signi£es any thing delivered to another, whe-
ther written or spoken. This is clear from the second of the
above passages-" whether by word or our epistle."
Secondly, No one ever imagined, who thought at a.ll upon
the SUbject, that everg thing the apostles said in their preach-
ing and private conversationa 'are contained in their epistles.
The substance, however, of all they said and taught is un-
doubtedly to be found in one epistle Or another. At least,
.nothing essential to the healthy constitution of the Church will
.be omitted: and they are sufficiently intelligible to save men
from serious error. '
Thirdly, Whether tbs tr aditions delivered by "word" are
found in the Episflea or hot, we a:.re certain that they ware not
such as the Romish Church boasts to possess; because the
Apostles, being inspired men, they could not say one thing in
conversation and the opposite in writing. But the traditions
of the Romish Church are utterly opposed to "apostolic writ-
ings, which is ODe reason why they fear the Scriptures, and,
therefore, cannot be apostolic traditions.
FOii/rlhly, Allowing that St Paul did deliver to th& churches
at Corillth and The8sa.loniea truths, of which we have no traee
in the Scriptures,. "we may ask, hOtJJ and at what tim6 did
they come into the possession of the church at Rome 1 and by
what mean8 did the latter usura herself tha.t they were tho
lIame inlltructionll whiQlk the Apo.~le delivered by divineinlipi-
:ratWIl~" A..dmittmgthat the church at Rom. received them
in .. ata.te of purity, what proof haY9 we that they are in that
.... ItO'" t It ia cmsift.~ illeyare not; fat "the Church
or ... OUtlot add.- .. tiDgle article ••of nllgion, or ordi-
'158
 POPERY DELINEATED.

nance of worship, which she has derived from oral tradition,

that is not contrary to, or inconsistent with, some part of the
written Word;" and that those churches were not infallible
from whom she must have received the traditions delivered to
them, if she did receive them, we have abundant proof; for
the church at CoriDth erred respecting the Eucharist, and the
church at Thessalonica concerning the Day of Judgment.
Fifthly, Romanists, as well as Protestants, admit the sacred
Scriptures to be inspired. Is it unreasonable, then, on the
part of the latter, to refuse to receive anything as the Word of
God which is plainly opposed to the inspired volume ~ and is
it unreasonable to ask them to point out or name a single oral
tradition which is not in substance found in the Word of God
nor contrary to it ? They cannot.
The following argument is adduced in support of tradition:
-"Hethathearethyou,hearethme." (Lukex.16.) We rea-
dily grant, and maintain, that it is the duty of all men to hear
what the Apostles say; but what on earth has this to do with
hearing what other people have to say? for the traditions of
the Church of Rome consist in the sayings of other men; and
we deny that either Christ or his disciples uttered one of them.
Again-" If he refuse to hear the church," &c. (Matt. xviii,
17.) If the reader will be at the trouble to refer to the two
preceding verses, he will see that this quotation has no refer-
ence at all to traditions, nor to doctrines in any form. The
whole passage alludes to private quarrels between members of
the same church or congregation. The subject is one of of-
fence between brethren. The following is the plan recom-
mended :-1. " Go and reprove him alone." If this does not
succeed, then, 2. "Take one or two more "-men of piety and
intelligence, and it would be better if they were the particular
friends of both parties; but if he neglect to hear them, then,
3. "Tell it ~othe church "-that is, to the particular eongre-
goation or community to which they both belonged, or to per-
80m who may have the oversight of such congregations.
In favour of tradition, the following text is also adduced-
" I have many things to say to you, but you cannot hear them
now." (John :xvi. 12.) But they should have added the
13th verse, which is as follows-" Howbeit when he, the spirit
of truth, is come, be will guide you into all truth; for he shall
not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall
.M
 POPERY DELINEATED,

he speak; and he will show you things to come," " Accord-

ingly, the Holy Spirit was afterwards given to them; and the
different parts of the New Testament were written, which con-
tained 'all truth' necessary for the edification of the Chris-
tian Church." There is one fact stated in the 13th verse
which proves beyond dispute that the 12th verse referred to
none but the disciples-" And he will show you things to
come," Here is a promise of the spirit of prophecy-a gift
which the Romish Church has had sense enough not to lay
claim to.
" Dr Milner argues in favour of tradition from the Lex non
Scripta of England, 'All written laws,' says he, 'necessarily
suppose the existence of unwritten laws, and, indeed, depend
on them for their force and authority.' ' You know,' he con-
tinues, 'that in this kingdom we have common or unwritten
law, and statute or written law, both of them binding; but
that the former necessarily precedes the latter.'''* I am sure
I cannot pretend to say that I understand much about the
laws of "this kingdom," written or unwritten; but we may
be allowed to observe, that this case of his seemshardly parallel.
We humbly opine that there is a vast of difference between
religion and the imperfect laws of this or any other nation;
and we should not have thought that anyone would have
argued the ineompleteness of the law of God, from the incom-
pleteness of the laws of nations.
And as to the written laws of England deriving their force
and authority from England's unwritten laws, it may be so,
for any thing I know; but, in my ignorance, I have always
thought that the laws of Britain derived their authority from
the crown, and that they were not dependant for their force
upon any previous law, written or unwritten; at any rate,
when previous laws contradicted subsequent enactments. And
such are the traditions of the Church of Rome. They" are
either contrary to the Scripture, or embraced in the Scripture,
or not found in it at all."
But how does Dr Milner wish us to understand this? Why,
that the written word of God depends upon the unwritten
word of God, or tradition, for its force and authority. Thus
"tradition leads to Scripture," and the Scriptures can hsve

• End of Controveroy, Letter x., po 54.

 POPERY DELI~EATEIi.

no meaning contrary to the interpretation ofthe Church. "\Vo

might, however, ask, whether the law of the Ten Command-
ments, written on tables of stone 011 Mount Sinai, ncccssarils]
supposed the existence of anotherlaw prior to it, but not written,
and upon which this written law depended for its force and
authority?" Dr Milner himself would hardly assert it. Tint
there had been unwritten law from the beginning, to the duy
when the decalogue was produced, no person wishes to deny;
but, if there had not, would the Ten Commandments have had
less force and authority?
It would be interesting; to know Dr :tIiiner's views on the
recent Maynooth Bill; as from what, for instance, it derives
its" force and authority;" and as to whether he considers the
former enactment, which secured to Maynooth College £7000
or £3000, or the latter, which secures about £30,000, the most
binding on her Majesty's Government.
It is not to be expected, however, that the Romanists will
lose sight of the years before the flood. "Accordingly, we
are told that the faithful had nothing but trad ition to guide
them for above two thousand years-that is, from Adam to
Moses. Dr Milner's words are, 'It is then certain that the
whole doctrine and practice of religion, including the rites of
sacrifice, and, indeed, the whole sacred history, were preserved
by the patriarchs in succession from Adam to Moses, during
the space of two thousand four hundred years, by means of
tradition ; and, when the law was written, many most import-
ant truths regarding a future life, the emblems and prophe-
cies concerning the Messiah, and the inspiration and authen-
ticity of the sacred books themselves, were preserved in the
same way.''' To this we reply:-
"(1.) The principles of religion during the antideluvian agea
were very few, and, therefore, were easily transmitted and
remembered.
" (2.) It is not true that the patriarchs depended on tradition.
in the Romish sense of that word; for they had direct COln-
mnnication with God. Consequently, what he revealed to
them, and what they imparted to their families, was not luimat»
tradition, but divine revelation.
"(3.) Supposing the truths of religion, in the patriarchal

...End of Coutrovcrsy, Letter It., p. 70,

 POPSILY DELI~a:.\.TED.

ages, had been matters of mere tradition, they passed through

so few hands that they might have been preserved to the time
of '1I10seswithout any great admixture of error, Adam WaS
alive in the days of Methuselah ; Methuselah was contempo-
rary with Shem; and Shem lived at the same time with
Isaac; so that the whole narrative of the creation, and the
promises of redemption, came down to the family of Jacob
through jiJH)' hands onb], But what is the truth as to the
apostolicat traditions of the Romish Church? Why, that tlu-y
cannot have como down to us without having passed through
upwards offift!! gCllcmti,JIls.
"( 4.) But we do not admit that the family of .J a"oh rel'civctl
the knowledge of God by tradition, even through hands SI) few
and clean. For not only did God reveal his will to Enoch,
Noah, and Abraham, but Jacob himself was an inspired murr,
and a prophet of the Lord. (Psalm cv. 15.)
" (5.) Moreover, thoexumplc of both patriarchal and Jewish
times is utterly destructive of Popish traditions; for, notwith-
standing the doctrines of religion in the first ages of the
world were few and simple, all flesh had corrupted his way;
and, even posterior to the flood, for want of written documents,
the doctrines of religion were either corrupted or lost, or su-
perseded by the degenerating influence of tradition. The
Jews, by their traditions, transgressed the commandments of
God, and rendered them of none effect. And can it be other-
wise with Popish tradition, which has come down to us through
ages of gross darkness, and through hands polluted u·ith eve,?}
crime ?',

We will now present to the reader two or three arguments

again3t oral tradition.
First,from the Scriptures. St Peter says, "Moreover, I
will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have
these things always in remembrance." (2 Peter i. 15.) It
seems that "St Peter was not of opinion that oral t"adition
was better than writing to preserve the memory of these
things, or that, without writing, they might be preserved."
Rather unfortunate this, that Peter, their first pope, should
have no confidence in unwritten tradition. It must have been
a slip of the pen. :Moses also was commanded to write the
Pentateuch; but why, if it were better unwritten 1 The pro-
57
 POPERY DELINEATED.

phets likewise committed to writing their revelations. The

evangelists and the writers of the New Testament did the
same. " And he said unto me, write; for these words are
true and faithful." (Rev. xxi. 5.)
Secondly, "Oral tradition in its very nature is so uncertain
and changeable as not to be capable of becoming a rule of
faith. The following quotations from one of our
English divines will place this in a strong light :-' Suppose
but the easiest common story were to be told from one person
to another, without being written down for one hundred or
two hundred years, and let each person as he receives it have
never so strict a charge to tell it in the same manner, yet,
long before the end of that time, what security could we pos-
sibly have that it was true at first, and unaltered still? And
you cannot but see there is much less security that a consider-
able number of doctrines, especially such as compose the
Popish creed, should be brought down safe for seventeen
hundred (eighteen hundred) years together, through so many
millions of hands, that were all liable, through ignorance, for-
getfulness, and superstition, to mistake them, or, through
knavery or design, to alter them. But it will be said, in a
case of such importance as religion, men would be more careful
in delivering truth than in others. Undoubtedly they ought,
but who can be secure that they would? It is of equal im-
portance to be careful in practising it too, yet we all know
how this hath been neglected in the world; and, therefore,
have reason to think the other hath been no less so.
" , But whoever made the first change, say they, must have
been immediately discovered. Now, so far from this, that
persons make changes in what they relate without discovering-
it themselves; alterations come in by insensible degrees; one
man leaves out, or varies, or adds one little circumstance; the
next another; till it grow imperceptibly into a different thing.
In one age, a doctrine is delivered as a probable opinion; the
following age speaks of it as a certain truth; and the third
advances it into an article of faith. Perhaps an opposition
rises upon this, as many have done. Some have said such a
doctrine u-a« delivered to them, and others that it was '/lot;
and who can tell whether at last the right side or the wrong
have preva iled 1 Only this is certain, that whichsoever pre-
vails, though by a small majority at first, will use all means
68
 POrERY DELII'E~TED.

of art and power to make it appear an universal consent at

last, and then plead uninterrupted tradition.'''*
It cannot be doubted but that the priesthood, for five or
six ages before the lteformation, were exceedingly corrupt.
According to their own historians, they were monstrously
ignorant and vicious, that nothing was too bad for them to do,
or too absurd for them to belie've. Then, if it were admitted
that tradition contained nothing but sound doctrine for an age
or two after the Apostles, it must almost necessarily have be-
come corrupt when transmitted by such men. Vfhatever came
in contact with them must have been defiled. And further,
it has always seemed rather inexplicable that these traditions
have never been collected and published. ., So far as we are
aware;' says Dr Elliot, "there is no publication which con-
tains a summary of what this Church believes under the head
of tradition." She is very backward in communicating in-
formation with regard to those particular doctrines which she
designates tradition. And the fact that she refuses to collect
and publish them, shows there are none which she dare pub-
lish. It would go far towards re-establishing the authority of
the Popedom, if a publication of well-authenticated tradition.
were given to the world. This she knows, and would give
them if she could. I do not believe that she knows herself in
what her traditions consist; further than general terms ex-
press them-namely, all that is written, and all that is un-
written; all that the priests say, and all that they don't sa!J.
Thirdly. " It is maintained by the advocates of oral tradi-
tion, that it is preserved incorrupt by the Church, and that
the Church is aided by the Holy Ghost for this purpose."
Now, it will be readily admitted that what the blessed Spirit
utters as truth, will be the same everywhere; that he cannot
contradict himself, and therefore if traditions contradict one
another, they cannot all be true. That this is the case we are
prepared to prove. ., Papius himself, as Eusebius testifies,
had made a collection of fables and new doctrines, under the
title of unwritten traditions, which he had learned from the
mouths of those wbo had seen the Apostles, and bad conversed
familiarly with them,"]

• 8ecker'.llermoD8, vol. "I., pp. 801, 302-

t Ewoebius, Eccl. Hla. lib. ilL c. 311.
 POPEIlY DELI~EATEn.

Dr \Vh,tby, speaking of Pup ius and Irenseus, those of the

Christian writers who were the nearest to the lbys of the
Apostles, says, " It is very remarkable that these two earliest
writers of the second century, who, o~ the credit of idle re-
ports and uncertain fame, have delivered to us, things said to
be done by the Apostles and their scholars, have shamefully
imposed upon us by the forgery of fables and false storie s, ·
" iIany were evidently fals«, Irenrcus speaks of a certain
tradition which had passed current in his time in Asia, as
coming immediately from the Apostle Jolin; namely, that Cln-i-.t
tanght after his fortieth year, which is now held by all chro-
nologers to be false."
" Some traditions are contradictory to each other, and to
Scripture. 'The churches of Asia, who have the feast of Eas-
ter celebrated precisely on the fourteenth day of the moon's
age, after the vernal equinox, boast, for that purpose, of the
tradition of St John and St Philip; and the rest of the church
hold, on the contrary, by apostolical tradition. also, that it
ought to be celebrated on the Sunday of our Lord's resurrec-
tion. The Greeks, Ncstcrians, Abyssines, Latins, Armenians,
have their contrary traditions; for tradition changes its face
and form, according as the nation changes: one sort hold for
tradition, the necessity of three immersions in baptism, and
that of the use of leavened bread in the sacrament of the
eucharist; and the other mock at it, and reject it: the one
sort believe a purgatory by tradition; others believe it not:
the one by tradition circumcise their children; the others hold
that practice in horror, as being a relic of Judaism: one sort
fast by tradition on the Saturday; the rest have that fasting
in execration; one sort by tradition sacrifice lambs at this
day, after the manner of the Jews; the rest detest that cus-
tom. Who can say justly, in so great a confusion, ' This is
apostolical, and this is not ¥' ':Moreover, there are a grcat
many ancient traditions, which public use heretofore autho-
rized, and which time has so abolished, that there remains not
the least shadow of them among the Latins; as that of not
buptiaing, without a case of necessity, but only at the solemn
feasts of Easter and Whitsuntide ; of giving of milk and ho-
ney to the baptized; of administering the eucharist to little
children after baptism; of praying standing upon the Lord's-
day, and from Easter till Whitsundtide; of celebrating the
60
 rorETI y Dr.LI~EATl-:D.

corumunion on the evening of fast days; of everyone's carry-

ing home with him a piece of the bread of the communion;
of distributing the cup to all the faithful communicants; of
receiving the communion not on one's knees, but standing; of
mutually kissing one another before the communion; and di-
vers others, which the Latins have abrogated.
" , On the other side, how many Latin traditions are there
which the use of the Church of Home author izcs at this day,
"I' which 1/'(; can-not jiil/I tl//; lrart trace in 11/1'
primitir« d'II'Y!t,
lIlid which from thence 'I'i...:,;[)(,/ tli.~(,OV(T tj,t'ui~(:ll'n; tu be 1~"JlOU''11,
'ITlr!hy consequencc fals», and 110t opostolicul l as the wor-
~hipping of images; invocacion of saints; trunsubstuntion ;
ar]oration of the host : use of altars; that of lights or tapers ;
masses without any corumunion; the di vine service in a tongue
not understood by the people; the sovereign authority of the
Church of Rome over all other churches; auricular confession;
the number of the seven sacraments; and as many more, that
the primitive church, which came 1warest to the apostles, never
knew.' "j<

" Xor can the Church of Rome boast that her traditions
have preserved her from controversy; since even tbese have
been the subject of sharp and protracted dispute. The supre-
macy of the Pope, the sacrifice of the mass, &c. have long agi-
tated her community. Thus confusion and uncer-
tainty surround them: we will give one important instance of
this. Those who support the doctrine of the immaculate con-
ception, allege that they have the consent of nearly the uni-
versal Church, and of all universities, especially that of Paris,
where no man was admitted to be master in theology, unless
he bound himself by oath to maintain that doctrine. On the
other hand, Cajetan brings the irrefragable testimony of fifteen
fathers against it; others bring no less than two hundred;
and Bandellus adduces nearly three hundred. To this array
of witnesses the friends of the immaculate conception reply,
that some of these authors have been brought in falsely, and
that the multitude of witnesses is of little avail, seeing their
opinions may all be traced to some individual doctor, Thus
they contend, and decide nothlng."]

--Claude'. Defence of lhe Refonnalion, vol.!. pp. 316.318.

45* Taylor's Di.. uaalv. from Popery, put u, book L, sec. iii.,; .,01. x, PT>. 461.

6~
 POPERY DELINEATED.

Fourthly, "The discordant opinions held by the Roman-

ists themselves, respecting tradition, form an overwhelm-
ing- argument against them. Some believe tradition to be
equal to the wrttten Word; others consider it to be supe-
,-ior; whilst some hold it inferior to Scripture. The Coun-
cil of Trent taught, that ecclesiastical and apostolical tradi-
tions are of equal authority with the Word of God." On the
other hand, .. the famous Gerson says, 'In the trial of doc-
~rines, that which is first and principally to be considered is,
whether a doctrine be conformable to the holy Scriptures, &c.
The reason of this is, because the Scripture is delivered to: us
as a sufficient and infallible rule for the government of the
whole ecclesiastical body, and its members, to the end of the
world.' ".. Lyra says, "As in philosophy truth is discovered
hy reducing things to their first principles, so in the writings
delivered by the holy doctors truth is discovered, as to matters
of faith, by reducing them to the canonical Scriptures."t Ad-
ditional instances might be given, where Romish doctors speak:
of Scripture as superior to traditional authority.
Other doctors of the Church of Rome declare tradition to be
BU perior to the written 'Vord. Thus, Cardinal Baronius
teaches, traditio» is the foundation of Scripture, and excels
them in this, that the Scriptures cannot subsist unless they be
strengthened by traditions,. but traditions have strength
mough without Scriptures. Lindanus says, "Traditions are
the most certain foundation of faith, the most sure ground of
the sacred Scriptures, the impenetrable buckler of Ajax, the
suppressor of all heresies. On the other side, the Scripture is
a nose of u'ax, a dead and killing letter without life, a mere
.l,ell without a kernel, a leaden rule, a woodof thieves, a shop
of heretics·"t
Again, at the Council of Trent, Vincent Lionel, a Francis-
can. maintained that the Church was above both Scripture
and tradition, inasmuch as they both derived their authoritv
from the Church. "When the decree of the Council crt
Trent was proposed for consideration, and that part was
read which enacted that the Scripture and tradition should be
regarded with equal piety and veneration," Bertani objected

• Gersonii Opera., tom L. pars Il., conoid. I.. foL 1llll6-

t Lyra. Posttlln, tom I•• Prolog. de Lib. Bib •• foL. Rom.,. 1471.
i: Llndanl Panoplla Evansellca. Paris. 1564.
6J
 POPERY DELINEATED.

that the fact of so many traditions having fallen into distlu,

seemed to indicate that even God himself did not intend that
they should be venerated equally with the Scripture. Tte
Bishop Chazza ventured to assert that it was impious to equa-
lise the authority of Scripture and tradition. It is very pleas-
ing to find that several in the Council of Trent spoke in this
common sense way. Notwithstanding, the" impious" decree
was carried.
" W,;shall now collect the vicll's of the ancient fathers I·C
specting traditions."
The following wero contemporary with the Apostles: Bar-
nabas, Clement, Hermas, Ignatius, and Polycarp. Thcse are
called apostolical fathers. "Traditions, on the first publica-
cation of Scripture, were clear, evident, recent, easily remern-
bered, and talked of by Christians in their meetings both
public and private; so that, to misunderstand or to pervert
them, was equally difficult; to remember them was an easy
task; and, had there been a mistake, one of the Apostles, or
an immediate disciple, was present to rectify it." 'Ve shall,
therefore, pass over the two first centuries, and give the opi,
nions of men who knew not the Apostles.
" Fathers of the third centur1j."
Iren<eus,a Greek, born about the year 140, ordained Bishop
of Lyons A.D. 178, and suffered martyrdom in the year 202
or 203.
In writing against the ancient Gnostics, he says :-" For
when they are accused by Scripture, they turn upon the accu-
sation of Scripture itself, as though it were not entirely cor-
rect or of authority, and because it furnishes different modes
of expression, and because truth cannot be obtained from it by
those who are ignorant of tradition; for the truth was not
delivered by writing, but by the living voice; on account of
which Paul said, • We Ilpeakwisdom among them that are per-
fect, but not the wisdom of this world,' And each of them calls
that wisdom which he derives from himself, although it be
only a fiction. But when we again recall those who are averse
to tradition, to that tradition which is from the Apostles, and
which is preserved by succession of presbyters in the churches,
they will say that they are not only wiser than the presbyters,
but also than the apostles, and have found out the unsdulte,
63
 t-oi-cnv DEU"EA TED.

1'.1t(;(]truth. ";f Hardly anything" could be more applicable to

the Homan ists than the above, who may, without much impro-
pr iety be called the Gnostics of the present day. "In another
place, Irenreus declares, '\Ye have known the method of our
salvation by no others than those by whom the Gospel came
to lIS, which Gospel they then truly preached; but afterwards,
l,y the will of God, they delivered to us in the Scriptures, to
l,e for the future the foundation and pillar of our t,tith."t
COlIl,l anything be spoken more Iully to our IUll'j,()se than this."
., He says also-' Read more diligently that (;o,pd which is
given to \IS hy the apostles, and rcud more diligCll11y the }>ro-
phets, and yOIl will find every action and the whole doctr-ine
of our Lord preached in them.' "t
Tertullian; a Carthaginian. flourished under the Emperors
Severns and Caraculla. from the year 194 till the year :!1;3 or
216. and died about 220. In refuting heretics, he says.
" Whether all things were mude of >lny subject matter I hn ve
as yet read nowhere. Let the school of Hermogencs show that
it is Wl'itten; if it is not written. let them fear the curse al-
lotted to such as add or dimini"h."§ If there is any danger
of those who place what is not written above what is urritt en;
experiencing the curse of Rev, xxii. 18-19, the Papists will
have secured to themselves a !luge share. Again," They con-
fessed, indeed, that the Apostles were ignorant of nothing,
and differed not among themselves in their preaching; but
they are unwilling to allow that they revealed all things to
all; for some things they delivered openly, and to all, some
things secretly and to a few; and that because Paul uses this
saying to Timothy, 0 Timothy, keep that which is committed
to thy trust. And again-That good thing 'which ,/laS com-
mitted 1Into thee keep."~ Observe, these very texts which the
ancient heretics adduced in favour of tradition, are the same
that the doctors of the Church of Rome adduce! the very ar-
gument is theirs. Would any IlUt heretics adnpt it?
" Clemens of Alexandria. who flourished from A.D. 196: to
.'.D. 220, when he died. He employs the following language

• Irenmns Arlver!'>u:iHoc-res, lib. llt., cap i' p. 169.

I

t Jdern, lib. 3., cap. L, p. )t;'9.

:t Idem, lib. iv., cap. 66, p- 296.
i Ter-tuf l, Opera. Contr. Hermog., p. 272
,. Idem, De Priescrtp, p. 79.
 POPERY DELINEATIDo

in his Stromata :-' He hath lost the character of a man of

God, and of being faithful to the Lord, whohath kicked against
ecclesiastical tradition, and hath turned to the opinions of hu-
man heresies.''' The reader will remember that tradition re-
fers to things written as well as unwritten; and what Clemens
means by " ecclesiastical tradition" he explains as follows:-
" But he who returning out of error obeys the Scriptures, and
hath intrusted his life to truth, he is, of a man, in a manner
made a God. For the Lord is the principle of our doctrine,
who by the prophets and the Gospel and the blessed Apostles,
at sundry times, and in divers manners, leads us from
the beginning to the end. He that is faithful of himself,
ic worthy of faith in the voice and Scripture of the Lord,
which is usually eXe<rcisedthrough the Lord to the be-
nefit of men; for this Scripture we use for the finding (nit of
things; this we use as the rule of jwlging. But if it be not
enough to speak ouropinions absolutely, but tha.t we must prove
what we say, we expect no testimony that is given by men, but
by the i.oiee of the Lord we prove the question; and this is
more worthy of belief than any demonstration; by which
knowledge, they who have tasted of the Scripture alone are
faithful." Again, he says: "They who are ready to spend
their time in the best things, will not give over seeking for
truth until they have found the demonstration from the Scrip-
tures themselves."*
Oriqen. was born about the year 185, and died in the year
252. In his fifth sermon on Leviticus, Origen hath these
words: H In which (the two Testaments) every word that ap-
pertaineth to God may be required and discussed; and all
knowledge of things may be understood out of them. But if
:my thing yet remain which the holy Scripture doth not de-
termine, no other third Scripture ought to be received for au-
thorizing any knowledge or doctrine; but that which remaia-
eth we must commit to the fire, that is, we will reserve it for
God. FOI' in this present world, God would not have us know
all things." Again:" Consider how imminent their danger
is, who neglect to study the Scriptures, in which alone a know-
ledge of their condition can be ascertained."] It cannot be

• Clem. Alex. Opera. Strom. lib. vii., sec. 11'1., P. 893.

t Lib. x., cap. xvI., in Rom. Baoll edit
65
E
 OOPERY DELINEATED.

said of the Romanists, however, that they" neglect to stndy

the Scriptures," for they are not allowed.
Cyprian was Bishop of Carthage from A. D. 248 to A. D.
258, when he died. Cyprian wrote to Pompeius against Ste-
phen, Bishop of Rome, in the following strain :-" Whence
comes this tradition? Doth it descend from the Lord's autho-
rity, or from the commands and epistles of the Apostles? for
those things are to he done which are there written," &c. "If
it be commanded in the gospels or the epistles and acts of the
Apostles, then let this holy tradition be observed.?"
Father.' (i th c fourth. ccnt ur-],
JIil'pulytus, who fum'red murtyrdorn A. D. 330, writes as
follows against the heresy of Noetus :-" There is one God,
whom we do not otherwise acknowledge, brethren, but out of
the holy Scriptures. For as he that would possess the wisdom
of this world cannot otherwise obtain it than by reading the
doctrines of the philosophers, so whosoevr r of us will exer-
cise piety towards God, ca'nnot learn. tMs lnit otit of the ltoly
Scriptures. Whatsoever, therefore, the holy Scriptures do
preach, that let us know; and whatsoever they teach, that let
us understand. "t
Enstl>i"., Pamphilu s was born about the year 264, was
ordained Bishop of Ccsarea A.D. 313. and died A.D. 338. The
follow in« remarkable sentence was dcl ivered in the name of
three hundred and eighteen bishops, assembled at the first ge-
neral council of Nice :-" Belicce the things that are written:
the things that are not written, neither think upon nor enquire
after."t I

Athanasius was born about the year 300, ordained Bishop

of Alexandria A.D. 3.'16, and died about the year 375. In his
oration against the Gentiles, he says :-" The holy Scriptures,
g: ven hy inspiration of God, are of thernsel Yes sufficient to-
ward the discovery of truth." § And, speaking of the true or-
thodox Christians of his age, he says :-" The Catholic Chris.
tians will neither «peale 'nor o,dure to hear any thing in reli-
gion that is foreign to Scripturo ; it being an evil heart of
immodesty to speak those tl.inrr» which are not written."]
Bt Amb"ose, who died A.D. 396, says :-" How can we use

• Cypriani Opera, epis. T.~,}\_211. t Hippu1. Opera, tom Ii. Po 459 .

.+: Concifla, General. et Provine, tom i.: Gl'la~ii, eec., lib. ii , (·ap.w.
S Atbanaeii Opera, tom. t., P, 1. (Ibid, tom. u, p.709.
66
 POPERY DELINEATED.

those things which we do not find in the holy Scriptures ?"'*

Again :-" 1 read that he is the first, I read. that he is not
the second : they who say he is the second, let them show it
by reading."t
Hilary, who died A. D. 367, says in his second book, ad-
dressed to Constantius Augustus: -" You seek the faith, 0
emperor. Hear it then, not from new wl'itings, but from the
books (1God. Remember that it is not a question of philo-
sophy, but a doctrine of the Gospel."t
G~"fJol'!1 A'y"."n, who was born about the year 3:W, and died
A. n, ~W5, says :-" Let a man be persuaded of the truth of that
alone which has the sea! of the written testimony."
Cyril of Jerusalem; who died x.n, :11'6, speaks thus :-
" Not even the least of the divine and holy mysteries of the
faith ought to be handed down without the Divine Scripture«.
Do not simply give faith to me while I am speaking these
things to you, except YOlt have the proof of ",hat I say from
the holy word. For the security and preservation of our faith
are not supported by ingenuity of speech, but by the proof» '1
the sacred writinqs" §
Father» rf the fifth cent urst:
Chrysostom was born A.n. 347, and died A.D. 407. He
says that the Scripture, "Like a safe door, doth prevent an
entrance to heretics, guarding us in safety in all things we
desire, andn ot permitting us to be deceived."11 He, therefore,
concludes:-" Whoso useth not the Scriptures, but cometh in
otherwise, that is, cuts out for himself a different and unlaw-
ful way, the same is a thier:'~
Chrysostom writes also :-" Formerly it might have been
ascertained by various means which was the true chnrch, but
at present there is no other method left for those who are wil-
ling to discover the true church of Christ, but hy the Scrip-
tures alone. And why? because heresy has all outward ob-
servances in common with her. If a man, therefore, be de-
sirous of knowing the true church, how will he be able to do
it, amidst so great a resemblance, hut solely by the Scriptures?
Wherefore, our Lord, foreseeing that such great confusion of

• Ambr03ii Opera, tom tt. ; De Offl., &c., lib. L, cap. 2.1.

t Idem. in Verglnis Insttt., c. II. t Ad Constant. Agust.. lib. H.
I 8t C)'rilli·Opera, Cut. iv., Dogm , 'Vii.
I Cbryaost. Opera, lorn vll.lIom.liv., p. 346. ,. ChlJllOOt., &6-.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

things would take place in the latter day, ordered the Chris-
tians to have recourse to nothing but the sacred writings."*
Whole pages might be given from Cbrysostom to show, that \
not tradition, but Scripture, was the rule of conduct to tbe
Christians." •
Theophilus Alexandrinus, who died A.D. 412, says plainly:-
" It is the part of a devilish spirit to think any thing to be di-
vine that is not in the authority of the holy Sc/·/JJfw·es."t
Jerome, who died A.D. 420, writes thus; -" The kingdom
of Christ which flourishes here possesses churches in all the
world, is joined by the unity of the Spirit, and has the cities
of the law, the prophets, the gospels, and the apostles. She
has not gone forth from her boundaries, that is,frorn the holy
8cripfures.'t Again :-" Those things which they make and
find, as it were, by apostolical tradition, without the authority
and testimony of Scripture, the sword of God smites."§ Again,
on the question whether the Zachariah slain between the porch
and the altar was one of the minor prophets, or the father of
the Baptist, Jerome would admit of no decision on the case,
because Scripture did not decide. "This," says he, " because
it hath no authority from Scripture is, with equalfacility, de-
spised as it is proved." II
St L!lrgnstine, Bishop of Hippo, who flourished from A.D.
387, the time of his conversion,till his death in 430. 'Ve
select the following pertinent remarks of this prelate :-" In
those things which are clearly laid down in Scripture, all may
befound which per:ain to faith and morals." And again,
"'Vhatsoever ye hear from thence (the Scriptures), let that be
well received by you; whatsoever is without them refuse, lest
ye wander in a cloud" *'* And in another place, "All those
things which in times past our ancestors have mentioned as
having been done towards mankind, they have delivered unto
us; all those things also which we see and deliver to our pos-
terity, so far as they pertain to the seeking and maintaining
true religion, the holy Scripture hath not passed in silence." tt

.. Chrysost., &-c., Homil. ix. in 2 Tim. c.Itt., tom tx., p, 714.

t Thwph. Episc. Alex. Opera, tom vii.
; Beiron, Opera, t0I.!l iii. j <:~mment in Mich. lib. iO cap. I,
t

t Idem in AJtgB.l,~.1., tom lb. I Idem in Matt. 23, tom Iv,

" Augustin! f!pera, .tom, iii., lib. ii , c. s, ..ldem, tom, Ix., c. il,
tt Idem, tom n-, Ep",t. 42-
68
 POPERY DELINEATED.

" Whatever our Saviour would have us read of his actions or

sayings, he recommendedhis apostles and disciples as his hands
to write." * Again, Augustine declares, "\Vho knows not
that the sacred canonicalScriptures of the Old and New Testa-
ment are containedwithin certain bounds; and ought EO far to
be preferred to the latter writings of bishops,that we are not to
doubt or call in question any thing written therein, whether it
be true and right or not." t "I am unwilling that the Church
be demonstrated by human documents, but by the divino ora-
cles." t Referring to the Donatists, he says, "Let them if they
can demonstrate their Church, not by the talk or rumour of
the Africans-not by the councils of their own bishops-not by
the books of their disputers-not by deceitful miracles, against
which we are cautioned by the Word of God, but in the pre-
script...of the law-in the predictiinu of the prophets-in the
verses of the Psalms -in the voice of the Shepherd himself-
in the preaching and iuork«of the evangcliMs-tlwt is, IN ALL
CANONICAL AUTHORITIES OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES."§
It may be proper here to remark, that, although Augustine
teaches many things which are in direct opposition to the tra-
ditions of the Church of Rome, yet he does not always speak
with sufficientclearness to prevent his sentiments appearing to
favour some of the doctrines of the said Church. But this only
shows that he is to be looked upon as a fallible man, and liable
to error. The following extract is a proof of what we have
said: "I would not believe the gospel, unless the authority of
the Catholic Church moved me thereto." 1\ This on the face of
it seems to favour the high pretensions of the Romanists-the
attthority of the Church-and is quoted with great confidence
for this purpose. There is no difficulty, however, in showing
that the above quotation is perfectly reasonable, and cannot
therefore countenance the pretensions of the Romish Church,
which are altogether unreasonable.
(1.) St Augustine acted in reference to the gospel as all
reasonable men would act in a matter of such vast importance.
For instance, suppose that the gospel of St Matthew had not
been received by the primitive church, or the greater portion of
it, nor by the Church universal in any subsequent age, this

* AUllUatinl Opem, tom

* Idem. tom vU.. cap. Iii.
Iv., lib. I., cap. 35.

I Idem, tom ri.. lib. 1.• cap. v.

t Idem. tom vii., lib. 2. c· 3·
§ Idem, tom vIL cap. xvi.
69
 rOrERY DELINEATED.

would be a sufficient reason why it should not be admitted as a

part of the canonical Scriptures. So that Augustine's position
is, that he would not receive anything as the veritable word of
God, which had not been so recognised by the whole Church of
Christ. A very laudable resolution. Had the Church of Rome
followed it, she would have been saved from a multitude of
errors.
That this was the view of St Augustine is evident from the
following extract from his treatise on the city of Goel, which is
as follows :-" Therefore, let us leave out the fables contained
in those writings which are called apocruplca], because their
obscure and private origin was not evident to the fathers, from
whom the authority of the true Scriptures has reached us, in a
succession which is at once well certified and generally known.
Many things are brought forward by the heretics under the
name of other prophets, and other more recent writings under
that of the apostles; all which, designated apocrypha, have,
after diligent examination, bee I) removed by canonical autho-
rity."{'
(2.) When Augustine speaks of the Catholic Church, he
does not mean the Roman Church, but the Church universal.
That he did not mean the Church of Rome singly, may be con-
sidered as substantiated by the fact, that he was himself at the
head of a number of African bishops, and did not acknowledge
the authority of the Romish Church, for he opposed appeals
to that See.
Several Roman Catholic divines of eminence refer the
saying of St Augustine, not to the present church, but to the
church in the time of the Apostles. Thus Durandus de St
Sourcain, after having quoted the words of that father, ob-
8erves-" That which is said concerning the approbation of the
Scriptures by the church is to be understood only of the church
which was in the time of the Apostles, who were filled with
the Holy Spirit, and, withal, to the miracles of Christ, and
heard his doctrine; and on that account were fit witnesses of
all things which Christ both did and said, that by their testi-
mony the Scriptures, containing the actions and sayings of
Christ, might be proved."t And Gerson also, commenting
on this passage of Augustine, says-" By the church, Augus-
• AURllstinl Upera , tom v., lib. x v., cnp., 32.
t Durandue, Jib. Iit., dist. xxb, q. 1.. lK'C.O.
70
 POPERY DELINEATED.

tine means the primitive assemblies of those who had seen and
heard Christ, and had been his witnesses.':" "Indeed, Augus-
tine was no friend to such tradition as that authorized hy the
Church of Rome. In his fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth letters,
which arc addressed to J anuarius, he declares that 'the
Christian religion was so burdened with human traditions,
rites, and ceremonies, in the times in which he lived, that the
condition of the Jews under the law was more tolerable than
the state of Christians under the gospel; for that the Jews
were subject only to the burden of the law, and not also to
that of human traditions.' "
(Jyril (:( Alc.cu ndri«, who died A. n, 444, says, "The holy
Scripture is sufficiently able to make those who are instructed
in it wise, well approved, and to furnish them with excellent
understandings."] "That which the holy Scripture hath not
said, how should we receive and account it among such as ar ..
true ?"t
In the writings of Theodoret, we meet with the following:
-" By the holy Scriptures alone am I pcrs¥aded.'·§ "I am
not so bold as to affirm anything which the sacred Scriptures
passeth by in silence. "II
Fathers of the si.cth. century.
We have now arrived at the period when the mystery of
iniquity began to work, when human tradition and new cere-
monies were in considerable request; so that, from this period
till the Reformation by Luther, the church was burdened with
a load of traditions and unmeaning institutions.
AnastltSins Sinaita, who died about the year 599, in giv-
ing instructions respecting a pious life, observes :-" 'Ve must
f:lepersuaded that the church has traditions about these things
which are not in the holy Scriptures, as, for instance, that one
ought to be fasting wben be receives the eucharist, that he
should turn toward the east in the time of prayer, that the mo-
ther of Christ continued a virgin after she had brought forth a
child, and that she brought forth Christ in a cave."~ In the
above extract we see the change. Henceforth, the Scripture
was to be a suppressed book. Darkness was gathering over
the Church of God. Weare now to see human writings tab
o Gersonll, Opera, tom. tti., teet. Il., corot vtl., part 4.
t Cyril contra Jill. lib. vii. t Idem. tom. I.; Glapby. in Gen., lib. ii.
Then. Opera, dial I, , Idem. dial. il.
I D" Pin', lkcle. Bilt. vol. I., cent Iv., p. 66.
71
 POPERY
DELINEATED.

the place of the divine, and man take the place of God. The
darkness was not unbroken, however. John Damascene, who
flourished in the eighth century, says-" We receive, and i
acknowledge, and reverence all things which are delivered in I..
the law, the prophets, the apostles, and evangelists; and we ~
seek after nothing beyond these."'" But the day had arrived
when it was not safe for a man to speak thus, and Damascene
was condemned by the Iconoclaust Council A.D.754.
We cannot do better than conclude this chapter in the lan-
guage of the immortal Chillingworth, who says, "THE BIBLE,
THEBIBLEALONE, IS OUR RELIGION.""I profess plainly," ex-
claims that acute and learned writer, "that I cannot find any
rest for the sole of my foot but upon this rock only. I see
plainly that there are popes against pores, councils against
councils, some fathers against others, the same fathers against
themselves, a consent of fathers of one age against a consent of
fathers of another age, the church of one age against the
church of another age. Traditive interpretations of Scriptures
are pretended; but there are few or none to be found. No
tradition but only of Scripture can deride itself from the foun-
tain, but may.be plainly proved either to have been brought
in, in such an age after Christ, or that in such an age it was
not in. In a word, there is no sufficient certainty but of
Scripture only for any considering man to build upon. This,
therefore, and this only, I have reason to believe-this will
I profess, and according to this I will live. Propose me any-
thing out of this book, and inquire whether I believe it or no,
and, seem it never so incomprehensible to human reason, I
will subscribe it with hand and heart, as knowing no demon-
stration can be stronger than this-God hath said so, therefore
it is trne. In other things, I will take no man's liberty of
judgment from him, neither shall any man take mine from me.
I will think no man the worse man, nor the worse Christian;
I will love no man the ·1essfor differing in opinion from me ;
and what measure I mete to others, I expect from them again.
I am fully assured that God does not, and therefore that men
ought not, to require any more of any man than this-to believe
the Scripture to be the Word of God, to endeavour to find the
trne sense of it, and to live according to it."t

.. Johanllis Demaseenl Opera, Ik Jo"ldeOrthodo.s.a..

t Cbillingworth', wurke, chap. ~\.
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

CHAP. IV.-INFALLlJULITY.

THE Latin Church, and those in communion with her,

claim for themselves the high prerogative of infallibility in
doctrine, and rules of morality. They say that this preroga-
tive was given by Christ to their Church. They also pro-
nounce all other churches to be sunk in the most pernicious
errors.
The Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches, "But as
this one Church, because governed by the' Holy Ghost, cannot
err in faith and morals, it necessary follows that all other
societies arrogating' to themselves the name of Church, because
guided by the spirit of darkness, are sunk in the most pernici-
ous errors, both doctrinal and moral." Infallibility is thus
defined by Bishop Milner :-" The infallibility of our Church
is not a power of telling all things past, present, and to come,
such as the Pagans ascribe to their oracles, but merely the aid
of God's Holy Spirit, to enable her t"uly to decide what her
faith is, and eve" has been, in such articles as have been made
known to her by Scripture and tradition."*
The infallibility of the Papal Church has been one of the
perpetual controversies between the Protestants and Romanists.
By this assumed privilege she declares that she cannot at any
time cease to be pure in her doctrine, nor fall into any de-
structive error. She asserts herself to be the supreme arbi-
trator in all religious disputes ;' and from whose decision there
is no appeal. Under this delusive notion she claims,-l. To
determine what books are, and what are not canonical, and to
compel all Christians to receive or reject them, as she may de-
termine. 2. To impart authority to the word of God. 3.
To determine and publish the sense of divine truth, which all
must with submission receive. 4. To declare what is neces-
sary to salvation-it being of no consequencewhether such de-
claration be consonant with the sacred Scriptures or not; and

• End of Conlro ...... :r, Letlei' .'Ill.. Po 84.

73
 POPERY DELINEATED.

5. To decide all controversies respecting subjects of faith and

practice.
These are important claims. But it is no more than what
they uniformly arrogate. Dr Milner says, in reply to his
Protestant correspondents, "Before I enter on the discussion
of any part of Scripture with you or your friends, I am bound,
dear Sir, in conformity with my rule of faith. as explained by
the Fathers, and particularly by Tertullian, to protest against
YOll'rand their right to W'guc from Scripture ; and, of course,
must deny that there is any necessity of replying to any ob-
jections which you may draw from it. For I have reminded
you, that no prophecy of Script«.» is of any private interpj'e-
tation ; and I have proved to you that the whole business of
the Suiptw'e belongs to the Church (the clergy)-she has pre-
served them-she vouches for them-and she, alone, by con-
fronting the several passages with each other, and by the help
of tradition, authoritatively explains them. Hence it is im-
possible that the real sense of Scripture should ever be against
her and her doctrine; and hence, of course, I might quash
every objection which you can draw from any passage in it,
by this short reply, The Church understands the passage dif-
ferentli] [rom. you; therefore Yolt mistake its meaning. Ne-
vert heless, as c!writy bearctli all tld nqs, and never [ailcth, I
will, for the better satisfaction of you and your friends, quit
my vantage ~round for the present, and answer distinctly to
every text not yet answered by me."'" How very complacent
and obliging of the Reverend Doctor! "This, however, is
telling us plainly what the claims of the Church of Rome are,
and what she is ready to enforce when powe'r or policy will
furnish a proper opportunity. 'Ve have no right to dispute
with her; she needs not descend to argue with us; she is the
sole judge of every text in the Bible, not one of which can
have 'a meaning different from her own! By this summary
process, any Romanist, as well as Dr Milner, lUay quash every
argument. Truly, according to this, there is no use in rea-
soning with her. But the urrogan t sentiment contained in the
above quotation, affords its own re iutut ion to every Protestant,
and indeed, to many serious Roman Catholics." 'Vhen her
Bishops maintain such subversive tenets, we wonder not that

• End of Controversy, J.elle. "iI., p. 77·78.

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

a. motto like the following should pass as current among them

as fine gold, " Iionu: hath spoken, the cause is ended."
IVe will now ('.,'amine the grounds on which they rest these
prepostti"6!/.~claims.
\'1e shall first refer to those texts of Scripture which are .
commonly quoted to establish the vaunted infallibility of the
Papal hierarchy.
"'Ie may premise. that if such an important doctrine as the
infallibility of the Romish Church be taught in Scripture, we
should expect to find it clearly revealed, because on it rests the
most weighty conclusions, both to the Church and the world.
'oNe assert, however, that it is not taught in the Scriptures at
all. And the texts they adduce, if they refer to it, only do so,
as far as they are applicable to the Apostles. "In proof of
the Church's infallibility, the following words of our Saviour
to Peter are urged :-' I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and
upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.''' (Matt. xvi. 18.) The greatest
advocates and writers of the Church of Rome acknowledge
that this is a principal text for the doctrine in question. It
will save much of both the reader's time and mine, as well as
place the matter more distinctly before us, if weobserve, " that
there is no controversy between Romanists and Protestants, as
to who is the great foundation of the church;" for they, as
\ well aswe, apply it to Christ. The pointcontroverted here is the
supremacy of Peter-to justify, in the first place, the high hon-
our they have conferred upon him, in calling him the" Prince of
Apostles," and, in the secondplace, to exalt their church above
all others, on the ground that Peter, as they assert, was the
first Bishop of Rome-an assertion, by the way, which they
Cannot prove. The point debated then, is, does the teI'7n ROCK
refer to Peter or to Christ? To see this, we must refer to the
text and the context. For the sake of perspicuity, we beg
permission to substitute the original words for Peter and Rock.
"Thou art Petros (Peter), and upon this Petre (rock), will I
huild," &c. The substance of the following arguments is the re-
sult of deep research by different learned men, and nearly nIl
that we can claim in connection with them is the arrangement.
In order to shew, then, that the two words, Petrol and Petra,
have a different application, we observe :-
(1.) That they are of different gender,. Petros is a ma,-
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 POPEllY DELlNEATED.

culinenoun, and Petra «feminine noun. Therefore, according

to the grammatical construction of the text, if Petra referred
to Petros, they would both have been in the same gender.
(2.) They are of different signification.
Granville Sharp says Petros signifies" a piece of rock, or a
stone dug out of a rock." Parkhurst says, "Homer uses it
constantly, I believe, for a large stone, i. e., a piece or frag-
ment of a rock, but such as a strong man might throw." That
Peter, or Petros, signifies a "stone," we have our Saviour's
testimony-" Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by inter-
pretation a stone"-(John i. 42.)-that is, Petros, the same
word being used to express the meaning of Cephas, as our Lord
employed when he said, " Thou. art Peter." But, on the con-
trary, Petra, rendered" rock" in our version, signifies a rock,
a real rock, not a stone or a piece of a rock, but a rock, in the
most extensive and legitimate sense of the term. And, says
Granville Sharp, ii cannot signify anything else than a rock,
or a strong mountain of defence.
(3.) Then, to what does the word Petra or rock refer, if not
to Peter? We answer, to Peter's confession. "Thou art the
Christ, the SOilof the liviItg God." (Verse 16.) This was a
foundation truth. And what Peter himself says, 1 Peter ii.
6. agrees with it, " Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner stone,"
called "rock" in the 8th verse, "elect, precious, and he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded."
(4.) It cannot be denied, however, but that there is a sense
in which it is applicable to Peter. But, not to Peter's person,
only to his office and ministry. We consider this a very neces-
sary and a very important distinction. It is upon this point
that the right or wrong of the thing turns. The Romanists
apply it to his person. But we mnst distinguish between the
man and the Apostle. Taking the latter view, it is equally
applicable to all the apostles, and agrees exactly with what
St Paul say"" Rph. ii. 20, "And are built upon the foimda-
tion of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner stone;" that is, upon the doctrines of the
g08pd which they all preached, and which are all involved in
the truth nttered by St Peter, "Thou art the Christ, the Son
oftbe living God." And this agrees again with Rev. xxi, 14,
" And the wall of tbe city had twelve foundation" and in them
the names of the twelve apostlea of the Lamb." Its meaning
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

is, that the Church of Christ typified in its most happy and
flourishing state, by the" holy Jerusalem," depended for its
very existence on the preaching of the gospel. Thus it was
"built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets," If
this be true, then the "rock" could only have reference to
Peter as an Apostle, not as a man.
(5.) But if it does not refer to the person of Peter, why did
Christ gi ve him the title Petros?
A remark or two will be sufficient to show the propriety of
our Saviour's conduct on this occasion. Peter had made a
most important confession. Christ knew it to be a foundation
truth, and his mind might at once revert to Isaiah's prophecy,
" Behold, I lay in Z ion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone.
a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation." And as it was no
uncommon thing for masters to give names to their disciples,
suited to some particular feature of their character, persons,
or circumstances, so Christ honoured Simon Barjona with a
name corresponding with the great truth he had given utter-
ance to: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
But, observe, the name was not of equal dignity with the con-
fession-the name was a stone; the confessiona rock.
And it must be acknowledged, that a name signifying a
stone, was more appropriate to some points in Peter's subse-
quent conduct, than one implying stability and firmness. "But
he turned and said unto Peter, get thee behind me, Satan;
thou art an offence unto me, for thou savourest not the things
that be of God, but those that be of men." (Math, xvi. 23,)
His denial of his Lord also, on the night of his betrayal, was
an additional proof of his moveability." His" dissimul-
ation,"t too, when Paul" withstood him to the face," hardly
agrees with our notions of a rock. The last fact especially
shows that Paul did not look upon Peter as his prince.
(6.) But why were these remarks addressed to Peter alone
and not to the rest of the disciples1 Because Peter was the
spokesman, and he was ever forward to speak. True, it is
said that it was revealed to him from haaven ; but this is
no proof that it was not revealed to the rest :-but whether
or no, we can only consider Peter as speaking in the name of
them all. No anliwer contrary to this can be given with truth.

-Mattbew xxvI. 69-75. t Glliallon.11. 11-14

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

It would have altered the case in some measure, had the ques-
tion been proposed to Peter only; but it was not so: "But
whom say ye that I am?" (Verse 15.)
This interpretation is also supported by the most eminent
of the Itt/hers.
Chrysostom says, "Upon the rock-that is, upon the faith
of his profession," Again," Christ said that he would build
his Church upon Peter's confession:" And again, "Upon the
rock, he said, not"pon [><-11'1'; for he did not build his Church
upon the man, but UPOIl his faith." "Our Lord," sai.l Theo-
dorat, ",lid permit the first of the apostles, whose confession
he did i1X as a prop or foundation of the church, to be shaken."
That Origen was of the same opinion is evident from the fol-
lowing: "That every disciple of Christ is the rock, in virtue
of his agreement with Peter in that holy confession." This
sense even Popes have embraced, as we could instanco.
Then the supremacy of St Peter, as far as this text is con-
cerned, amounts to nothing. But if Peter had been created
Prince of the Apostles, how would his supremacy have made
the Romish Church infallible? It is difficult to say. But the
following is something like their argument, if argument it may
be called :-8t Peter was created Prince Bishop ofthe Church;
hut St Peter. in his official character, was infallible; therefore,
the Romi-h Church is infallible. As a syllogism, this is quite
as CONed and conclusive as some advanced by their own
doctors. It is right, however, to say, that they conclude that
their church is infallible, because, as they tell "s, Peter was
Bishop of Rome; and, on account of the promise onr Saviour
made, when he addressed Peter, "And the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it,"-that is, in the form ofa Popish gloss,
the church of which Peter was the bishop should successfully
resist all the muchinations of wicked men and wicked spirits.
If this interpretation and consequence be just, it would at least
imply that purity of faith and morals would he maintained.
nut what are the facts as to this infallible church? Why,
just the reverse. They themselves admit "that, should
the church believe or inculcate any doctrine contrary to those
which were taught by Christ, the gates of hell would prevail
against it. ",Ve ask, did Christ or his Apostles teach the doe-
trines of extreme unction, purgatory, transubstuntiation, sa-
crifice of the mass, &c. &c.? Now, the testimony of Popish
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

writers can be easily adduced to show that they are new doc
t/'ines, and are consequently heresies:" As to morals, her case
is equally desperate. "She tells us of twenty seven mortal
sins which corrupt and destroy the soul; that whoever, whether
clergyman or layman, allows himself in desire or act to prac-
tise any of them, he is not of Christ or his church, hut of the
syna,gogue of Satan." Such has he en the langu::ge of several
of their doctors, yet how awiully have t hes« sins prevailed
ag-ainst the members of that clnu ch ' ckrg)', '''' well as laity!
All history proves it-all nations know it. '1'1",)' sa)' that
the Reformation was of the ,levil, brought ul.out I,)' th" I,,,wers
of darkness. Be it so: then have 1I0t the gates of hell pre-
vailed against their church? If not, how is it that she does
not now number Olio-half of the uat.ions of the earth which
formerly submitted to her yoke? Is she, then, infullible i
Douotlee«,
"0111' Lord's expression means," nrul it means nothing else,
than" that neither the plots, strataqcni», nor slr!'J1!!th of Satan
and his angels should ever so far provail as to destroy the
sacred truths in the above confession." X at that the wicked
one should never exercise a baneful influence upon the church,
either as to its faith or morals, but that the truth should never
be wholly lost-the church should never be oanquished and
subdued, " Such has been the glorious fact, the church still
survives the conflicts of centuries; it still lives and flourishes,
in spite of persecutions and corruptions; from its lowest de-
pressions, it has risen with renovated vigour, and it is again
seen carrying on a successful warfare against the kingdom of
darkness throughout the world." It is not a promise, there-
fore, of infallibility, but of indistructibiliuj. He did not say
that his church should never err, but that it should never
perish,
There can be no doubt, however, but the Lord Jesus in-
tended to confer some special honour upon Peter. This i.
evident from verse 19-" And I will give unto thee the keys
of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." "Some who apply
these words to Peter exclusively, understand by the gift of
the keys the honour assigned to Peter to open the gates of the
kingdom of heaven-that is, the perfected evangelical dispen-
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

satlon to the Jews at the day of Pentecost, and then after-

wards to the Gentiles, when he went down to Cornelius at
Cesarea. Others, as the Papists, understand by the phrase
the committal of a special authority to Peter over the Church
of Christ, of which it is certain that we have no evidence or
illustration in the New Testament. The emblem of the keys
was a familiar one to the Apostles, if the later Jewish writers
have correctly described the ancient ceremony of constituting
a rabbi or doctor of the law; for, according to them, the per-
son admitted to this officehad a key given to him as an em-
blem both of his ability and duty to OPEN THE MEANING of the
law, which key he wore as a badge of his office. Still, with-
out any reference to this custom, supposing it as old as our
Lord's-day, the :figurenaturally expresses the opening of the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven by PUBLIC TEAClllNG, and
80 setting open the doors of evangelical knowledge, and, by con-
sequence,ofthe Christian Church. This is a much more natural
exposition of the emblem in this connection than that which
regards it as signi:ficantof the committal of power and autho-
rity to govern the church, and is, indeed, pointed out with
great clearness to be its meaning, by what follows as to the
power of binding and loosing, which must be taken as exege-
tical of the power of the keys. These expressions are mani-
festly Jewish, and may therefore be satisfactorily explained by
reference to this mode of speaking. With the Jews, to bind
and loose was a usual phrase for declaring what was lawful or
unlawful-what was BINDING upon men's consciences,and that
from the obligation of which tbey were LOOSED or free. Light-
foot, Schoetgenius, and others, have produced a great number
of examples from the Rabinnical writings. One or two
instanees will suffice. "He asked one wise man, and he
bound; do not ask another, lest/perhaps, he loose!" "The
school of Schammai binds it, the school of Hillel loosetls
it." Under these terms, therefore, our Lord
gave his disciples authority to declare the laws of the Gospel
dispeusation under the guidance of his own teaching and the
inspiration of the Holy Gbost; which authoritative declara-
tion of tbe terms of man's forgiveness, and how Christians
ought to walk 60 as to secure the approbation of God, and that
infliction of the Divine displeasure which should follow diso-
bedience, he promises should be con:firmedin heaven; as con-
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

stituting his own law and rule of moral government to be laid

down by them, first in their preaching, and then in their writ-
ings. It is this which distinguishes those writings from all
others. They not only contain a certain revelation of truth
from God, but they have an authority as LAW derived from
this, that God himself acts upon them. Whatever the Apostles
have in those writings BOUND is a matter of conscience,it must
be obeyed, not of choice merely, but necessity, since our sal-
vation depends upon it; but whatever they have not bound is
LOOSE to us, we are free from it, and no lower authority can
make it binding upon the conscience,or connect with our dis-
regard of it the penalty of the divine displeasure. But that
this promise looked to that future time when they should bo
fully qualified for this great office, is evident from what took
place after Christ's resurrection, when the same power, under
a somewhat different form, but of precisely the same import,
was ratified. After breathing upon them, he said, "Receive
ye the Holy Ghost; whosoever sins ye remit, they are re-
mitted to them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are re-
tained." To qualify them for this authoritative declaration of
what was obligatory upon men or otherwise, and of the terms
upon which sins are remitted, and the circumstances under
which they are retained, they previously received the Holy
Ghost-a sufficient proof that this power was connected with
the plenary inspiration oftheApostles, and beyond them it can-
not extend. The manner, also, in which the Apostles exercised
this power elucidates the subject, which has been greatly abused
in the Romish and some other churches. "\Vehave no instance
of their forgiving the sins of any individual by virtue of any
authority deposited with them, much less did they affect to
transmit this power to their successors. They merely pro-
claimed and laid down the terms of pardon under the autho-
rity of Christ; and we have no instance of their retaining the
sins of anyone, except by declaring the offender condemned
by the la.ws of the Gospel, of which they were the teachers.
They authoritatively explained in their writings the terms of
forgiveness; and, as to duty, they state what is obligatory, or
not obligatory, upon Christians. They pronounce sinners of
various kinds to be under God's wrath, and they declare cer-
tain apostates to be put beyond forgiveness, but by their un-
belief and blasphemies, and not by apostolic excommunication;
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 rorznv DELINEATED.

and thus they bound or loosed, remitted sins or retained them.

It is also to be remarked, as on the preceding verses, that
whatever this power was, it was not given exclusiveI)' to Peter.
Still he stands before the Lord as the representati ve of the
rest of the Apostles, and receives nothing but what they all
received; and hence, in chapter xviii, 18, our Lord says to
them collectively, and in the plural form of address, " \Vhatso-
ever no shall bind Oil earth shall be bound in heuven ; and what-
soever YE shall loose on earth shall he loosed in heaven. (;oll
will act '!!}lun youl' illspi,·,'d deci,'i"Il,'." It is clear, thercfor«,
that there is not the least ground for Peter's supremacy in this
passage, and stilt lees proof that the Popish Church is infal-
lible.
\Ve have been the more particular in referring to this text
of Scripture, because it is the main support of their arrogant
claims and anti-christian assumptions. The other passages are
of less importance. But we think the above interpretation is
easy and natural, nothing strained to fit the place, and in per-
fect accordance with every other part of sacred writ; while,
on the contrary, the meaning that Romanists would put upon
it, and the inferences they deduce, are forced, unnatural, ah-
surd, and without the least support from any other portion of
the holy Bible.
The follo\ving words, cut out of the middle of a paragraph,
are brought forward to prop up this airy castle :-" If a man
neglect to hear the church," &c.* (;)latt. Hili. 17.) But what
may not the Scriptures be made to support, if we are allowed
to cut and quarter passages and paragraphs as we think pro-
per, and take and leave what we like?
This is a privilege which we shall not allow, even to the
Church of Rome.
Now, the "church" which the" man" refuses to hear, must
first be told; " tell it to the church," said Christ. But what or
where is the church to which the offenceis to be toln? It can-
not mean the universal church; such a course would be impos-
sible. "Nor can it be the church met in council,much less the
Church of Rome tbus assembled, that is here intended; for, l.
No such council existed for the first three centurie8. 2. The
church must always be assembled in such a council, becausethere
are, and doubtless will be always,persons thus offending against

• For the meaning of the passage,""" p. 54

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

their brethren. And, 3. Every private member would be ob-

liged, at what distance soever he be from it, to travel to this
council, and lay his grievance before it." It cannot mean any-
thing more than the" slighting the admonition of a particular
church concerning some known sin; and these churches are fal-
lible." This-the fallibility of particular churches-even Ro,
rnunists admit. This passage, therefore, is no proof that their
church is infallible.
"Again, it is stated that Christ has promised infallibility to
his church in the following words-' Lo, 1 am with you alwuy,
even to the end of the world.' (Matt. xxviii, 20.) It is true,
that Christ will not only be with tho governors of his ChUTCh.
but also with its members, by the influence of his spirit. even to
the end of time; but this does not imply that every member or
bishop is infallible." It is, in fact, a promise of Christ's spiri-
tual presence with all his faithful ministers and people, and
agrees with 2 Cor. vi. 16, where our Lord promises his followers
to be with them, and to dwell in them. And this promise to
be with his Apostles and faithful servants, was very gracious-c-
gracious to the world, because his object was to render them in-
strumental in turning men from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan to God. Bnt then the promise of his spiritual
presence is no promise of infallibility, save to the Apostles. It
would be as easy to prove that the church is impeccable, from
this passage, as that she is infallible. Besides, this promise is
only fulfilled where the commandments of Christ are taught and
observed. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you; and 10," &c. But do the Romanists either
teach or observe them?
Again, "From the promise made by Christ to his Apostles,
that he would bestow upon them the Spirit of truth, &c., the
Roman Catholic writers also claim infallibility for their church.
'Ve will qnote the passage entire, because they usually take de-
tached words and expressions from which to prove their favourite
doctrines, and thus wrest Scripture." "If ye love me, keep my
commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter, that he may abide with yon for ever."
(John xiv, 15-1G.) " But the Comforter, which)s the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach
yon all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, what-
soever I have said unto you." (Verse 26.) "Howbeit when he,
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth;
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come."
(John xvi, 13.) We cannot do better than give Dr Whitby's
note on this passage, which furnishes a correct interpretation:-
" The Spirit of truth will lead you into all truth necessary to
your apostolic office, and to direct the Christian church to the
end of the world in all saving truth. For, as Irene-us notes,
'the doctrines which they taught, they after delivered in the
Scriptures to be the pillar and foundation of our faith.' And
as St Austin adds, ' Christ having committed to them the writ-
ing of those things which he would have us read, they chooseout
of those things to write what they judged sufficientto be written
for the salvation of the faithful.' It is, therefore, certain that
the Apostles, in compiling the canon of Scripture, were so as-
sisted by the Holy Spirit as to write all truths necessary for the
salvation of believers, and consequently, that all things neces-
sary to be believed or done by Christians are fully and perspi-
cuously contained in the holy Scriptures." In addition to the
above comment, we add two or three remarks, which prove be-
yond dispute, that the promise of the Spirit to guide into all
truth, as given in the above texts, cannot apply to any but the
Apostles.
(J.) The promise was, to bring to their 1'emembranee, tie. Now
this implies previOlt8 knowledge of the facts to be brought; but
IV hieh, if not aided by the Spirit, the apostles might misstate or

omit.
(2.) It is a promise of the gift of prophecy: "show you
tlti11[J8 to come." A gift which neither Popes or Councilshave
challenged.
(3.) ., Besides, the promise is made to those who love God and
keep his commandments; which gives no very good ground
for many Popes and others of the Roman Catholic clergy to put
in a claim to the privilege which the promise thus implies."
,,: e give but one more text, 1 Tim. iii. 15-" But if I
tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave
thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living
God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
;rhe Romanists have long assumed to themselves the name
of " the Catholic Church" to the exclusion of all other churches ;
and have lIoffirmed that, as the only true "Church of the living
a.&
 POPERY DELINEATED.

God," they are" the pillar and ground of the truth," so that her
decisions are infallible, and her constitutions and discipline are
binding on the whole Christian world. In opposition to such
conclusion, we observe ;-
"(1.) That the Church of Rome has no authority to call her-
self • the Church of the living God,' to the exclusion of all
others. Every society of believers who, with their pastors, meet
to worship God in spirit and in truth according to the gospel
form, is as really a true Church as that of Rome, and is so call-
ed in Scripture, whether the members thereof be more or II'S.
numerous. Thus,' the Church of God which is at Corinth,' (1
Cor. i. ~); 'The Churches of Galat:!a,' (Gal. i. 1); •The
Church of the Thessalonians,' (1 Thess. i. 1); and in the con-
elusion of some of Paul's epistles, ' The Cliurch. in such: or BllcI,
a houee is saluted: All associated are represented as making
one groat community, which is sometimes called 'the Church
of God'-sometimes, • the body of Christ'-and sometimes,
• the honse' and' temple of God.' This will prove that no par-
ticular society of Christians, however numerous or pure, is in
Scripture called' the Church of the living God,' to the exclusion
of all other Christian societies ; and that the whole of these
taken together form "the pillar and support of the truth."
Besides, if the Apostle, in this passage, had spoken of any par-
ticul.rr church at all, not the Church of Rome, but that at
Ephesus must have been alluded to; because Timothy, when
this epistle was written, resided at Ephesus, and not at Rome.
Wherefore, the claim of Rome to be exclusively the only
Catholic Church, ought to be rejected with contempt, because it
is a usurpation which is contrary to Scripture .
.. (2.) But what is the truth of which the Church is said to be
the pillar and support? The truth referred to cannot be any
particular system of doctrine expressed in the words of human
invention, such as the Rymbols of faith composed by councils or
synods, whether general or particular, in ancient or modern
times. The truth • is the revelation of God to man.' ' Thy
word is truth: (John xvii, 17.) 'The truth' belonging to the
Christian Church is composed of the writings of the Old and
New Testaments. It was expressed in • the form of sound
words,' which St Paul exhorted Timothy • to hold fast.' (2.
Tim. i. 13.) The gospel revelation is called 'the truth' in
several passages of Scripture. (Gal. ill. 1; v. 7, &c. &c.)
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

"(3.) And towards preserving Scripture truth, the Church of

Rome has done no more than her share. And had she never
existed, or were we to judge of the preservation of truth by
those documents which we have, without having recourse to any
belonging to her, the truth of Scripture and of revealed re-
ligion would stand on the same immoveable basis as it does at
present.
"(4.) The CltlIrchcannot here be styled "tl.e pillar and ~round
of truth'-the fou.tidati.m on which the truth is built. and
which gives to it its authority: • Tru tli being,' saith ('hrpos-
tom, ' the pillar and !f"Oltllrl of ~he CII/II'''''.' St Paul ,ays that
the Church is • built all the foundation of the apostles;' and
our Lord declares, 'on this rock will I build my Church'-that
is, on the trutli, The Church, therefore, is emphatically the
Church of Christ, because she holds the truth, and because it is
essential to her existence, that she maintain and teach 1111 neces-
sary truths."
The following argument is also urged by the Romunists in
favour of infallibility :-The neces,<ity there is Jill' a judge in
matter. of controversy; and if such a judge has not been ap-
pointed, they charge the Almighty with indiscretion. "Other-
wise ollr Lord had not seemed to be discreet:' (Canon Laoi.]
Two or three simple statements will show the folly of this hy-
pothesis :-
(1.) \Ve have a " judge in matters of controversy;" and an
infallible one -the holy Scriptures. These we are command-
ed to search. And St Paul asks, " "'hy of your ownselves
judge ye not what is right 1"
(2.) Although the Church of Rome boasts herself to be this
judge, yet her infallibility has not saved her from confusion,
c(tn~l"ary opiui,ms, and contending factions, to this day.
Let her adjust her own differences, and then we will talk to
her.
(3.) 'We could easily suggest a better plan than theirs-
make CVC}'!! man infallible. But God has not done so. \Vas
he therefore indiscreet 1
. (4.) An infallible judge would have been of equal advantage
in civil matters as ecclesiastical. It would have saved the
world from a vast of confusion and bloody strife, according to
their way of arguing. But does it become man to charge God
wjth folly, because he has not done what we think would have
86
 POPERY DELI~-':ATED.

been better done? "0 man, who art thou that repliest
against God ?"
(.3.) \\'e doubt their conclusions, even if such a judge ex-
isted. Paul was an infallible judge, and all the rest of the
apostles; yet there were heresies and divisions not a few in
the churches they had established, and while they were yet
alive to instruct them.
(IL) And then, lastly, this infallible church herself has not
yet ,Iel'ido,} '1(./", t his inf:tllihle jud:.:;c is, or Wllt'l'd II<' i, to be
tound ; no r can they detr-rm ine as to the r-xtcut "I' hi, uut hu-
r ity.
There is yet nnothor llrgunll'ut, which is-" Tholll" Ill/lIIi,h
('h",.,.h ('tlltHot ('j'" in hrr doctrine», 11(("(I1f~I~ tlu'J! ',,11'1' 1'·""U~
lorl!! d'''~ft:Htlt'(l to !IIT, link hy !illl.', in (111 u.n';j·okf·1t t'/H~;n,
fn)/n the «poetlc» thcms ..Lrc •. "
Now the truth of this we at once deny. 'Ve have alrpllrly
seen-in the preceding chapter, and shall still further before
we have done-that several traditions, held by the primit ivo
church, have been abrogated by the Church of Home, and that
others have been substituted; such as transubstantiation, sa-
crifice of the mass, worship of the host, purgatory, indulgences,
confessions, absolution, extreme unction, and. others. "And
although we cannot point out tlte precise period when they be-
gan to exist, we can determine the time when they did not
e.,'ist, which answers every purpose sufficiently to overthrow
the argument under consideration."
Ilavinfj e"'amined those paswfjeg of Scripture, 01' the jJi';n-
cip(tl of litem, jN,m u-hictc they dcduce injallibility, and find-
ill!! nothing to the 1"0'[l0SI:, !I'e ",ill now examine the variou.
opinions entertained by Romanists themselves, respecting the
seat and extent of infnllt/lility .
.. If infallibility belonged to the Church of Rome, we should
certainly infer, that it would not be difficult to ascertain nhere
it was, and who were the depositories of it. For if the seat of
it were II. subject of doubt and uncertainty, the fuct Itself'must
be viewed as suspicious. That this is the case can easily be
proved. At the same time, we cannot but observe, that Pro-
testants are far more favourably circumstanced than Romanists.
We know where to find infallible directions in all things ne-
cessary to salvation: T1J&WOBD OF GODJS 4LW4TS TRUE. But
f5l
 POPERY DELINEATED.

in the Romish Church, some place it here, others there, and

the greater part know not where to place it,
In order to have this subject as clearly before us as possi-
ble, it will be necessary to observe, that they have what are
called mattrr« offaith. and matters of opinion, The former,
all must believe on pain of damnation; the latter, they Illay
believe or reject at pleasure, Xow, it is a lIo,tt,,. of);I'lh that
the Homish Church is infallible; hut t he /' <It all'! ".'1, ""
thereof nre 11/(111,'/', "f "I,i"i"",' of whi ..h four ge!lt'ral views
Dlay be g'inm.
The .ti 1'.< t , re,pl,,'ts tJ,., illf:dJibility of th(' Pol''''
The '''''011.1, embrures the 1'''1''' and connr-il nn itcd.
The thirel, a council (·ollll".,,-,1 of all the bishops,
The fourth, comprehends tho whole church. or hod," of
clergy: for the laity have neither hand nor part in this high
prerogative. These gfll(l'ol views contain a considerable
number of subdivisions, which we need not specify.
Were I a Rornanist, I should stand up fur the Pope. For
I cannot see what the old man is good fur, if it is not to gi ve
infallible counsel. Certainly, he is not worthy of his titles,
such as, " Our Lord God the Pope;" ,. Christ's vicar ;"
.. Holv Fatber," and such like: nor of the honour done him
in kis;in!I his ',ig toe, if he is nothing more than a fallible old
man. The Jesuits seem to be of t:,is opinion. They consider
the Pope the SO:1tof infallibility, '" th:tt he is the source of
that unlimited and universal power which Christ has granted
to his church; that bishops and subordinate rulers derive their
authority from him; that he is not bound by any Iaws of the
Church. nor by any decrees of the councils; and that he is su-
preme Lawgiver. whose decisions it is in the highest degree
criminal to OppOSlJor disobey." The followinf{ is a thesi» put
forward by a Jesuit in 161H, and which the Order has since
supported with great zeal :-namely, that" '.Jesus Christ has
granted to St Peter and bis successors, as often as they speak in
the chair (ex cathedra), the same infallibility which hIJ himself
possessed ;' from whence the Jesuit concluded, ' that tbere is in
the Homan Church an infallible judge of controversies, even ex-
cluding a general council, as well in questions of right as in
those of fact.' A short time after, the author of the thesis pub-
lished an explanation of these propositions, wherein he de ..
88
 POPERY DELINE.iTED.

elared :-' Fi"M, that he did not acknowledge in the Pope tbe
same personal infallibility which is in Jesus Christ, but only an
infallibility of assistance, whereby the vicars of Jesus Christ are
rendered infallible in their detiuit ions. Scc..iull« - L pon his hav-
in~ extended this infallibility ttl questions of tact, that he spoke
only of facts joined to questions of failh.'''*
Pope Leo muintainc.l t.l.e s.uue in tl.e Lateran Council, in tl.e
fulliJwill;,!; wur.ls, nn.l \'dJil"h tlHit ('ulllll'il ("olitirllll'd. w lu-u lu- d.··
dared u hi~ ability tq t\1~1'1'1)' tIll' d.·j"\·ch tt(,th of rigll1 alief
f.1t·t, frolJl Iii. (,(·rtuitl kuo"!('I)gP, aud frow t}lf' l,Jf"'JllJdl~ .,1
Iii" apostolie )1l)wl'r."1 Tiw ":III1I~ batt'hd tlc,cfriHt' ii't ill~ihtt··1
IIpon ill l Iungur y in t ho I'rt',,'nt rvnt ury. TIll' following i.
1111 extruct from t lu- (·lInli·",ioll "I' fllith ill'l",,,·<1 111"'11 nil 1""-
"']yI1'8 10 !'(lI'"ry;-" \\'" ('(Iliff· .•.• ull,1 1>"1>"",, t},at thll I'ul'''
of ltome is the head of ti,e Chllrd" 111111 that In; ('A:'<l'iOT
rnn.' t
Others deny the Pope's infallibility. without his d ...ci~iollF
arc reeeivcd by the whole Church. .-\.:';:1in, some assert that
he is uot infallible unless he be assisted -in couneil by at least
a few bishops. And then, again, this is denied. unless their
opinions are received by the whole church. Pighius says,
s , The ju.lgrnent of the apostolic see, with a council of domes-
tic pr-iests is far more certain than that uf an universal COUll-
cil of the priests of the whole earth, set apart from the ponti-
neal authority."§ The Rev. T. Maguire, an Irilh priest,
says, "The Pope at the bead of a council regularly convened,
in their decrees regarding faith, are admitted to be infallible.
That is one instance. Al;;o, if the Pope, with a few bibhops
&8sembled, shoul<! issue decret:s touching the deposit of faith,
and which are su!Jse(jllentiy received by the "hurch dispersed,
we aeeount them infallible." ii The Rev. :\Ir Xolan, another
Irish priest, says, .. Some Catholic divines, ind(led. maintain
that the Pope, in his minist('riaJ capacity. speaking O' wl/wh'a
on matters of faith, is infallible; and there are othNs who do
not hold this opinion. But all Catholics know and believe
that the Church is infallible, whether assembled in a general
council of her bishops, with the chief Pontifi' at their head, or

,. Du Pin', Ecc1. Hi,!, ""nt. xvii., Po 147. t Lab!>"xix._

.:t London Pro(.e:iitant" lS:J1" p. 2OR.
I Pigh. Albert. He Hierarch. Eccl.,.lib. via, c. 1., p. 212
, Discu.. ion with Pope, p. ~6.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

when dispersed throughont th" world, her bishops receive and

assent to the definitions of faith promulgated by the Chief
Pastor. Every Catholic knows and believes this."'* Now,
all must see, that if the decisions of a Pope, or a Pope and
a few bishops, or a Pope and council, depend for their infalli-
bility upon their being received by the whole Ohurch, that
this is to transfer its seat to the whole Church. For whatever
those opinions may be, they cannot decide upon their mfalli-
bility, until they know whether they have been universally
approved. And into what does this resolve itself, but the pri-
vate and Individual opinion of each priest 1
We have already seen, in the chapter on the Scriptures, that
Mr Brown, an Irish priest, says on the infallibility of the
church :-" Individually I will admit that the pastors are not
inspired; but collectively, they most assuredly are." Now, Mr
Brown either means that an aggregate amount of common sense
--a1lowing to each priest his share--oonstitutes infallibility; or
else, being assemblea, they are hononred with the gift of inspi-
ration; and are thns placed beyond the possibility of error. That
is, when assembled, they are individually inspired, although,
when separated; they are not so. It cannot amount to other
than this-for how can there be collective inspiration, if there
is not individual inspiration f Is an aggregate of common
sense anything else than common sense? But there would
be more of it ? True, but would the quantity alter the qua.
lily? Then, how can an aggregate of fallible judgment be
anything else than fallible judgment? Then collective
inspiration neeeaearily involves individual inspiration. If not,
how many are necessary to constitute infallibility of judgment 1
I suppose the number is immaterial, so long as they are "regu-
larly convened" and met" regarding faith." Then the Pope,
_isted by a few "domestic priests," will be as infallible as a
eonneil of bishops, or as the" whole church." Why cannot they
call things by their proper names 1 There can be no doubt but
that in a multitude of faithful counsellors there is, in ~neral,
.afety. (Prov. xi. 14.) It is this common sense truth that the
Romanists have corrupted, and which they have dignified with
tbe groundless title of infallibility.
" That system which places infallibility in the chmch virtual,

• Dbcusslon at Carlo1r. po IH.

 POPERY DELIKEATED.

or the Roman Pontiff, is called the Italian system. The Italian

clergy, placed under the influence of the Pope, concurwith abject
submissionin this opinion." This view, in all its absurdity, has
been maintained by Popes, Councils, and Doctors.
Popes-Pascal, Pius, Leo, Pelagius, Gregory, &c. Ooun-
cils-Florence, Lateran, Trent. Doctoi's-Bellarmine, Duval,
Pole, Aquinas, &c. The same view has also been opposed bl
-Popes-Damasus, Celestine, Innocent, Adrian, &c. CUlm-
fils-Pisa, Constance, Basil. Doctol's-Almain, Du Pin,
Victoria, Lyra, Bossuet, &c. Thue w have Pop. guin t
Popes; Councils aginst Councils j Do tl)rS ngainst D ,'tor .
For tho infallibility of ind ividual doctors, we uppos wo 11111 t
not contend; but the above may be consider II II. pro f that
neither popes nor councils are infallible, for infallibility can-
not pronounce a thing both tl'lte and/alse.
Bishop Hay, in his" Sincere Christian," gives ua two sys-
tems of infallibility as the doctrine of the church .
.. Quest. In whom, then, does the infallibility properly re-
side?
"Ails. In the body of the pastors, joined with their head.
"Q. How so?
"A. In either of these two ways. 1. When the pastors of
the church are called together by the chief pastor, in a general
council, to decide anything about religion, whether regarding
faith or manners, they are then infallible in their decisions,
and their decrees are considered as dictated by the Holy Ghost.
2. When the head of the church, without calling together the
other pastors, publishes any decree concerning faith or morals,
and this decree is accepted and received by the body of the
pastors, either expressly or tacitly, it then becomes a decree
of the whole church, and of the same infallible authority as if
it had been made in a general council."* The Doctor him-
self, however, seems to be of the opinion of the Jesuits. He
proposes the following question :-" When the head of the
church publishes any decree concerning faith or morals, to
which he requires submission from all the faithful, is he him-
self infallible in what he teaches?" And after supporting it
by several reasons, professedly those of others, but evidently
as much his as theirs, he adds, ""'hence it fol101"Sthat t

• Sincere Christian, vol, I., p. I •

91
 POPERY DELINEATED.

Peter, as head of the church, and consequently his successors

in office, shall nevei' fail iil faith and teach false doctrine."
"~Iany Roman Catholics, and especially the French, place
infallibility in a.general council lawfully a sembled, and affirm
that the Pope, as distinct from the council, is liable to error.
According to this cla s, n ecumenical synod is the soverei n
tribunal, which all ranks of men, even to the Roman Pontiff
him elf, are bound to ob y. An as embly ofthi kind. uided
by tho lIoly Spirit, is superior to tho Pope, and upreme judge
of controver y. Tho Pontiff, in C' .0 of disob dienco, is ub-
j t to d po ition by tho me authority.'" Th foJlowin' i'
ad claration of th Faculty of Divinity of Paris, 10 ,1 to th
King, Iay ,1631, which e. pre 8 th true opinion of th
French church at that period on this subject :-' That it is not
the doctrine of the Faculty that the Pope i above a " neral
council '-' That it is not tho doctrine or opinion of the Fa-
culty that the Pope is infallible when he has not the concur-
ring COllseiltof the church.' "t Then the Pope i dependent
upon the church for his infallibility.
" The Oallican Church ha distinguished itself in every age
by its oppo ition to pontifica.l usurpation and tyranny. The
Pontiff's authority, in consequence, never obtained the same
prevalence in France as in several other nations of Christen-
dom. II is infallibility is one of those claims which the French
school never acknowledged. The general councils of Pisa,
Constance, and Basil, enacted a similar decision. These pro-
ceeded, without any ceremony, to the demolition of pontifical
supr macy and inerrability. All this is contained in the su-
perlorlty of a council to the Pope, as establi hcd by these
.ynod , as wcll as by their depo ition of B nedict, Gregory,
Joho, Eu nius, Th pontiff, the fathers of Pi a, Con-
t oc , aod B sil, foun I guilty of contumacy, incorrigibility,
simony, perjury, schism. and heresy, and founded ynodal
authority on the ruins of pap 1 presumption and despoti m.
The Basilians, in expre s terms, declared the Pope's fallibi-
lity, and in many instances his actual heresy. Some of the
supreme pontiffs, said these legislators, • have fallen into
heresy and error. The Pope may, and ofteo does, err. His-
tory and experience show that the Pope, though the head and

• Du Pin. lii., 233. t Du Pin', Eccl. nisi. cent xvil., p. 150.

92
 POPERY DELL-;:ATED.

chief, has often been guilty of error.' ,,* .According to some,

however, these deadly errors and sins don't affect their infal-
libility when deciding on matters of faith. Bellarmine and
Dens admit that prioateb] the Pope may err. Costerus says,
they may be guilty of ',u<$y an'} infidelity; and yet, in his
official character, he cannot t"act allythillg cont,'a,'!! to pure
do tr 'ne and moral . Thu Pope who h v b en 1II0,Iltt ," of
'JtiIJtlit!! wer at the ~:111l time ;"falliiJle til Emilia It" l,
Th n, agnln, it i stron ,Iy di 1.1It d 1l1l101lg dum to what
rr th Jll'Op r "11j,, of papal illl; Ilihili y, wh tlu r m It r.
of faith or lIIatt '18 of f ,'t. .'01l1 I tl. fj,rm I, IUlIl h
1 tt r, nod Othl'rB both; in conn tion WIth ern! thor
gari 0 (" arily ari in from a do trin 80 Ii natl 1.
It will not be unint re ling to X min thi i hjc li II Q,

further, and in a mor formal manner. And, ir the fir8 1'1

we have:-
Popes against Pop '-a proof that infallibility was not
in them, At the close of the sixth century, Or gory, sur-
named the Great, sat upon the papal throne. He 8a)'8-" J
confidently say, that whosoever calls him-elf the universal
priest, or desires to be so called in his arrogance. is a forerun-
lIer of antichrist."t Yet this title and office have been
strenuously claimed and used by succeeding Popes, who declare
that the Roman Pontiff may be called Universal Bishop, Thus
Gregory YII. declares, .. that the Roman Pontiff alone can
be properly called universal. "t Innocent 1., and his fol-
lowers, until Pope Gelasius, asserted the communion of infants
as necessary, which was condemned by stlbse'1UC71t Popes,
Popes Leo and Gelasius condemned commttllion in one kind-
while all modern Popes enjoin it. Gregory the Great condemned
the "'o"sMp of ima!fe., the title of Unioer al Bi,hop, and the
canonicity of the books of .laccabee8. toph n '1., in a pro-
vincial council held at Rome, annulled all Ihe act. of For-
7/lOSU8, one of hi predecas ors, John L"., his succe or, in a
council held at Ravenna, annullt d St'l"'tll'S acts tgil" re8pect
to POrm08!!8. 'ergius allnulled the acts of FormoBtI' II.
second time. Some Pope acknowledged their own f"llibility,
Innocent IV, taught that a Popei not to be obt'yed when his
commands are heretical. Urban Y., Gregory XL, and Cle-
• Du PiD, 361, 404, t Greg. Max, F.p., lib" vL, ep. 30.
t Idem. lib. ii., ep ~
93
 POPERY DELINEATED.

ment VI., disavowed everything which they had advanced

contrary to the faith, either in consistory or council.
And not only have we Popes contradicting one another, dis-
avowing their own, and undoing each other's acts, but several
of them have been heretics. Pope Vigilius erred, as Pope, in
first condemning and then approving the decision of the fifth
general council, held A.D. 553.*' Pope Liberius, in the fourth
century, erred, as Pope, in condemning Athanasius, and in
consenting to the heretical faith of the Arians, and holding
communion with them. On this acccount, he was anathema-
tized by Hilary. t
Honorius, who Wl\S made Pope A.D. 626, and died A.D. 638,
became a. Monothelite; that is, he believed there was in Christ
but one will and one operation. Forty-two years after his
death, he was condemned in the council of Constantinople, held
A.D. 680; therefore he must be a heretic, if a general council
cannot err. The most celebrated Roman doctors acknow-
ledge the heresy of Honorius. Du Pin says,." Honorius
was a favourer of heresy, because he forbade speaking both of
one and two operations in Jesus Christ. He was a heretic,
because he owned but one will in Jesus Christ: and the Ro-
man Church hath so plainly acknowledged that Pope Honorius
did ad vance the error of the Monothelites, that, in her ancient
breviary, she declared that he was condemned, with the other
Monothelites, for maintaining the doctrine of the one will."
Again, he says, concluding his proofs of the alleged heresy by
saying: "This will stand for certain, then, that Honorius was
condemned, and justly too, as a heretic, by the sixth general
council. "t The sentence was approved by the legates of the
reigning Pope, Agatho, who afterwards confirmed the decree.
It is said, however, that Honorius was deceived in that mat-
ter. Be it so: therefore he could not be infallible. "The
council of Basil pronounced Eugenius a pertinacious heretic,
deviating from the faith."~
" What became of this assumed infallibility, when there
were two or three Popes at the same time excommunicating one
another, and all claiming to be infallible ?"
Further, we should have thought-had not this infallible

• Du Pin's Eccl. Htst., vol. i.. p. 709. t Il1em, vot L, p. 100.

t Idem, 01. tt., p. 16. § Cuneil. D iJ., ..... 2~
9~
 POPERY DELINEATED.

church decided to the contrary-that immorality, especially

such as some of the Pontiffs were guilty of, would have dis.
qualified them for being incapable of error. In proof that
many of them were extremely wicked men, we have the testi-
mony of Romanists themselves. 'if
" Many of these hierarchs carried miscreancy to an unen-
vied perfection, and excelled, in this respect, all men recorded
in the annals of time. A John, a Benedict, and an Alexan-
der, seemed to have been born to show how far human nature
could proceed in degeneracy; and, in this department, out-
shine a Nero, a Domitian, and a Caligula, Several Popes in
the tenth century owed their dignity to :Marozia and 'I'heo-
dora, two celebrated courtezans, who raised their gallants to
the pontifical throne, and vested them with pontifical infalli-
bility. t Fifty of these viceroys of heaven, according to Ge-
nebrard, degenerated, for one hundred and fifty years, from
the integrity of their ancestors, and were apostatical rather
than apostolical. Genebrard, Platina, Stella, and even Ba.
ronius, call them monsters, portends, thieves, robbers, assassins,
magicians, murderers, barbarians, and perjurers. No less
than seventeen of God's vicars-general were guilty of perjury.
Papal ambition, usurpation, persecution, domination, excom-
munication, interdicts, and deposition of kings, have filled the
earth with war and desolation." We shall leave the reader
to his own judgment as to the infallibility of Popes. If be
can receive it, let him receive it.
Oouncils against Councils,
" Some Roman Catholics, especially the French, who reject
the infallibility of the Pope, contend for the infallibility of
the Catholic Church, and maintain that it is deposited with
each general cmtncil regularly called, as the representative
and organ of the Church."
But they cannot agree as to what makes a council general.
Some contend that there have been eighteen general councils,
and others that there have not been more than seven or eight.
Nor can they decide as to what constitutes a regular call, or
whose right it is to convene II council. The Popes, for many
centuries, exercised the authority, and claim it as II right.

• Du Pin, t Baron, 012, ,-iii.; I'\)on. 900, 1.:.Genebrard tv. 9"

 POPERY DELINEATED.

But five of them were summoned by Emperors, * and contrary

to the will of the Popes; therefore, considered by someillegal.
If general councils were infallible, their decisions would
agree one with the other: that they have not done so, we have
the most indisputable testimony.
" The council of Nice, A.D. 325, and of Ephesus, A.D. 431,
decree with an anathema, ' That no new article for ever shall
be added to the creed or faith of Nice.' But the council of
Trent, more than twelve hundred ysars after, added twelvenew
articles to this creed, pronouncing an anathema on all who
will not embrace them.
" The council of Laodicea, A.D. 360, or A.D. 370, and the
council of Trent, A.D. 1545, decided in direct opposition to
each other respecting the canon of Scripture. The former de-
creed on the canon which Protestants acknowledge, rejecting
the Apocrypha; and the latter pronounced the Apocrypha
canonical.
"The council of Constantinople, A.D. 754. unanimously de-
creed the removal of images, and the abolition of image wor-
ship; but the second council of Nice, A.D. 787, decreed that
image worship should be established."]
The councils of Constance and Basil declare supremacy and
infallibility to be in a genm'al council, that they are above
popes; and that they are heretics who deny this. On the
other hand, Pope Leo and the Lateran council assert that it is
necessary to salvation that all Christ's faithful people should
• be subject to the Bishop of Rome, and that the Pope has aI~-
thority over councils.
" The thirteenth session of the council of Trent declares,
that the bread is constituted only the body, and the wine is
changed only into the blood of Christ. 'There becomes a.
conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the sub-
stance of the body of Christ our Lord, andof the whole sub-
stance of the wine into the substance of his blood.'t But
the twenty-first session of the same council declares, that
under one kind only the uhole and perfect Christ and true sa-
crament is taken. 'If anyone should deny that tbe whole
and entire Christ, the fountain and author of all grace, is
-I at Nice; 2 at ConsiBntinoplc; 1 nt Ephesus; 1 at Chalcedon.
* 96
t Faber's Diffie.of Rom., p, 13.
Cap. tv., De Trans Cau, et Decreet.
 POPERY DELINEA.TED.

received under the speciesof bread alone, let him be accursed.'*

Thus the Council of Trent contradicts itself, and therefore
cannot be infallible."
The above are a few specimens of the infallibility of coun-
cils presided over by the Holy Ghost, who cannot err or con-
tradict himself. They remind one of tho waggishness of one
of their own clergy, who said that all the Holy Ghost they
had in their councils went from Rome every day in the
Pore's post-bag; and I verily believe he was right. "Could
the fourth council of Lateran be infallible, in which tho Pope
was acknowledgedto possess the power of disposing of tho
temporalities of sovereigns, depriving them of their crowns,
and of delivering their subjects from the oath of all glunce I
Could the fifth council of Lateran be infallible, which, in it
first session, ga-veto the Pope the appellation of Prince of the
Universe, commended Boniface VII. for having taken the
kingdom of France from Philip the Fair,-which, in its second
session, called the Roman Pontiff' a Priest and King, who is
to be adored by all people, and who is very like unto Godl'
which, in its fifth session, spoke of Leo X. in these terms-
• Weep not, daughter of Zion, for behold the Lion of the Tribe
of Judah, the Root of David-behold, God hath raised thee
up a Saviour l' Thus they applied to a sinner tho prophetio
words which desig-natethe Saviour of the world. Could the
Holy Spirit inspire such blasphemies as these P"t
For the edification of the reader, we will present to him a
picture of one or two councils, drawn by tho pencils of Ro-
manists.
" Many of these conventions, in point of respectability, were
inferior to a modern cock-fight or bull-baiting. Gregory N a-
zianzen, who is a Roman saint, has described these sceneswith
the pencil of truth, and with the hand of a master. • I never,'
says the Grecian Bishop, • saw a Synod which had a happy
termination. These conventions, instead of diminishing, uni-
formly augment the evil which they were intended to remedy.
Passion, jealousy, envy, prepossession, and the ambition of
Victory, prevail, and surpass all description. Zeal is actuated
• Cap. tv., De Commu, &c., Idem.
t The Council of Lateran ~\id of the Pope, All power in heaven and earth it
It

riven to thee." .And Punurrnitan Ub, "The Pope can do all thing. that God
can do." Tbe ambassadors of Sicily cried to one Pope,.1ThOllthat takest away
the Bini of the worW, luwo'l1lelcy on UI."
G 97
 POPERY DELINEATED.

rather by malignancy to the criminal than aversion to the

crime.' He compares the dissension and wrangling exhibited
in the councils to the quarrels of geese and cranes, gabbling
and contending in confusion; and represents such disputation
and vain jangling as calculated to demoralise the spectator
rather than to correct or reform. This portrait, which is ta-
ken from life, exhibits in graphic delineation and ill. true
colours, the genuine features of all the general, infallible, apos-
tolic holy Roman councils. The general Synods of Cl\Ilstan-
tinople, Nieeea, Lyons, Constance, and Basil, are, in a parti-
cular manner, worthy of observation. These conventions were
composedofthe lowest rabble, and patronised the vilest abomi-
nations. The Byzantine Assembly, which was the second
general council, has been described by Nazianzen. This con-
vention the saint characterises as a cabal of wretches fit for
the house of correction,-fellows newly taken from the plough,
the spade, the oar, and the army.' Such is a Roman saint's
sketch of a holy, apostolic, unerring council.* The Con-
stantine Council was characterised by Baptiza, one of its
own members. His portrait is frightful. The clergy, he
declared, were nearly all under the power of the devil, and
mocked all religion by external devotion and pharisean hypo-
crisy. The prelacy, actuated only by malice, iniquity, pride,
vanity, ignorance, lasciviousness, avarice, pomp, simony, and
dissimulation, had exterminated Catholicism, and extinguished
piety."t
" The Councils of Niceea,Vienna, and the Lateran, patro-
nised the hateful and degrading doctrine of materialism. An-
gelsand soulsthe Nicreansrepresented as corporeal. The angels
of heaven and the souls of men, if the Nieman doctors are to
be credited, possess bodies, though of a refined, thin, subtile,
and attenuated description. These angelical and mental forms,
the learned metaphysicians admitted, were composedof a sub-
stance less gross indeed than the human flesh or nerve, and
less firm than the human bone or sinew, but nevertheless ma-
terial, tangible, and visible. The Councilof Vienna improved
on that of Nicma. The holy infallible fathers of Vienna de-
clared the soul not only of the same substance, but also essen-
tially, and in itself of the true and perfect form, of the body.

• Du Pin, I, 259. t Daptlza, III Leurall, 11. Ol\.

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

The rational and intellectual mind, therefore, in this system,

possesses a material and corporeal shape, and has circumfe-
rence, diameter, length, breadth, and thickness. This defi-
nition the sacred Synod issued to teach all men the true faith.
This doctrine, according to the same authority, is Catholicism,
and the contrary is heresy. The Lateran Councilin its eighth
session, followed the Viennese definition, and decreed that the
human spirit truly, essentially, and in itself, exists in the form
of the human frame. t Three holy universal councils, in this
manner, patronised the materlalism which was afterward ob-
truded upon the world by a Priestley, a Voltaire, and a Hume."
Yet they ignorantly ascribe all the infidelity that is in the
world to Protestantism! when it has actually been taught and
promulgated by their own infallible councils, and all under
the guidance of the Holy Ghost I " FOOLSAND UNWISE."
Facts and proofs of the above character could be adduced
to almost any extent, but the above are sufficient to show that
infallibility is an arrogant and ambitious claim, to which they
have not a shadow of right. ",Ve shall, therefore, conclude
this chapter by noticing some of those difficulties and conle-
quences which arise from this groundless assumption.
"The title to this infallibility, and spiritual supremacy
which is connected with it, is extremely dubious. The reality
of it, in order to be the guide and ru!e of faith, ought to be a
subject not of authority but of proof. He who claims obe-
dience in virtue of delegated power, is bound to prove his ap-
pointment. The Church of Rome maintains that
Christ made Peter the head of his Church, and gave the same
power to the Popes of Rome; and that to the Church thus
united under Peter and his successors, Christ insured infalli-
bility in doctrine and morals. It might reasonably
have been expected that Peter, in his discourses or epistles,
would have removed the doubt resting on the passage from
which they derive his authority-" Thou art Peter, &c."-
and that since the grant of infallibility to him, to his peculiar
Church, and to his successors in the See of Rome, was made
the only security against the attacks of hell, he would have
taken eare to explain the true meaning of Christ's address to
him. Peter, however, does Dot make the slightest allusion to

* Caraoza, .7 • L"bb. TIlL HjG.

 POPERY DELINEATED.

such privileges, either for himself or his successors; nor doe.

he ever mention Rome, but dates his epistles from Bsby-
Ion." This was an oversight on the part of Peter which his
successors have greatly lamented. However, rather than lose
their claim, they say that he meant Rome by "Babylon."
They should be careful how they apply Babylon to Rome,
lest the Babylon of the Apocalypse should mean Rome too.
"We cannot believe that Christ has any infallible Church
on earth, because none of the primitive Churches made any
pretensions to it, not even that of Rome herself. \Ve do not
find that the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church, much
less the Roman Church, is asserted by any ancient councilor
father. Moreover, other Churches never thought of
ascribing infallibility to the Church of Rome, which appears
from their behaviour in opposing her decisions as vigorously
as they did those of any others that differed from them."
" The Pope and his council, by the claim of infallibility,
have deprived the faithful of the privilege of the use of rea-
son, which Christ has granted to them in the gospel. Placing
themselves between mankind and the Redeemer, they only
allow those to approach him who have first surrendered their
judgment to Popes and to councils. The broad foun-
dation of Christian evidence is removed, to make way for the
exercise of that authority which proscribes reason and requires
blind submission. The Roman Catholic ACTOF F AITH-' I
believe whatsoever the Church believes and teachcs'-prepares
the Romanist to receive anything taught by his spiritual leader,
however ridiculous and absurd."
The ground of infallibility is opinion, not Scripture. They
UllUIDethat which is in question-the necellsity of her infal-
lible judge. And then, upon the strength of this assumption,
they interpret certain passages of Scripture to favour thi.
opinion. If it had been left to the dictation of the Word of
God, the doctrine would never have been heard of. .And 80
contradictory are their opinions on this subject, that, while it
prevents unanimity among themselves, it fully justifies the
«:ontempt with which all Protestants must treat it. "Now,
mark the consequence. to which the whole of thil system leada.
The only .ens,jble mark of a legitimate eouneil is the approba-
tion of the Pope; and the only ,en.. 'bl, mark of a legitimate
Pope is hil po_sion of the lee of Rome. They haTe there-
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

fore, (1.) Entailed the gift of infallibility on the strongest of

the rival candidates for that see. (2.) And as moral worth is
denied to be a necessary characteristic of the vicar of Christ,
they have added one chance more for their living "ule offaith,
the candidate who shall contend for the popedom under the
least restraint of moral obligation. Hence, no episcopal see
has ever been so polluted by wicked and profligate bishops as
that of Rome; for, what prospect of success could a true fol-
lower of Christ have of filling the chair of St Peter, when a
Borgia was bent upon occupying it ? Gold, steel, and poison
were the instruments of acquiring it, while the belief that the
faith was still safe, prevented opposition from the force of
public opinion. Thus Alexander VI. was considered the true
representative of Christ upon earth."
We have already seen, that profligacy of manners does not
in the least disqualify a person for the chair of 8t Peter, or
affect the infallibility of the church. "He may be a mon-
ster in vice, and yet not cease to be the vicar of HIM who did
no sin." This doctrine was easily transferred from the Pope
to the inferior clergy. Therefore, it matters not how jle-
based a priest may be ; he teaches righteousness as authorita-
tively as the most holy man on earth. So teaches the infalli-
ble Trent Catechism: "'V ere even the Iives of her ministers
debased by crime, they are still within her pale, and, there-
fore, lose no part of the powel' with which her ministry invests
them."'/< The same principle also affects the laity, who will
claim to themselves the privileges of Christianity without par-
taking of its spirit or practising its duties; and all this by
virtue of membership with the infallible church. In this false
doctrine, they are instructed by the last-mentioned authority:
" However 1vicked and flagitious, it is certain that they still
belong to the church." t
Having examined the subject of Popish infallibility, as far
as our limits will allow us, we leave the facts and arguments
adduced to the reader's reflections.
In conclusion, " Have I not a right to say to any man, or
to any set of men, who would impose upon me their decisions,
• Who made you a ruler or a judge over me?' I am bound,
indeed, to receive truth from whatever quarter it be addressed

• The atoch.of Coua.of Trent, p.9G. DnbUn. t Ibid .

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

to me; and if I do not, I sin unquestionably: but I myself

must judge of what is truth; and no man may presume to say
authoritatively, ' This is, or is not true.' T am God's creature,
and therefore I am subject to him; but I am subject to no
man. God had bestowed upon me intellectual and moral
powers, and therefore I am res ponsible to him for the purposes
to which they are applied; but, whilst he is my Master, lac.
knowledge no master besides. 1\1ymind and my conscience
are the gifts of God, not the gifts of man; and no DIan may
usurp authority over them, or comm nd or control their move-
ments in one direction or another. The que tion is obvious
at 0. glance, 'Vhy am I endowed with an intelligent moral na-
ture? Why have I conscience to sit in judgment OIl xi ht or
wrong, truth and error? 'Vhy am I capable of thinking and
willing? Why has God bestowed such faculties on me if I
must not exercise them, and if I must believe and act just as
I am told to believe and act? "'hy have I eyes, if I must
keep them shut, or only open them as far as I am permitted?
As surely as God has distinguished me with the attributes of
mind and conscience, so surely am I responsible to him, but to
him alone, for the manner in which they are employed. And
if I myself must answer to God and not another; and if the
consequences of error and of sin must come down upon my
head and not another, how can I suffer my rational, and
moral, and responsible nature, to be in any keeping but my
own? Carry with you this conviction, that although none
but God is, yet God is the Lord of the mind and the consci-
ence. If you be answerable to no human tribunal for your
religious belief, you an amenable to the tribunal of heaven;
and if no man, and no set of men, may interfere with his or
their authority, to impo I' upon you articles of faith, yet you
are r sponsible to God for every sentiment you liold, and he
will one day call you to account. You are free in so far as
man is concerned; but you are not free to err or to sin-not
so free as that y:lU may sin or err with impunity. •We must
all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ,' to render ac-
count, amongst other things, of the UBI' which we have made of
that high but awful right, TIlE RIGIIT 01' JUDGING FOB OUBS:BLVIlS
UfMATTERS 01' BELIGION.~*

t Young'. Leclur • pp.lH-1I8.

10:
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CHAP. V.-TRANSUBSTANTIATION.

(JUdI. "What i the holy eu harist ?

An •. "It is th sacrament, which eont ina Til !lOUT nd
Loon, TIn. 01 I. and IlIVI IT\" of J u Chr! t, unci r th for
lind pp aranc of hr ad and Willi •
Q... Is it not bread and wino which i firet put upon th 11 r
for the celebration of the ma ~
A ... Yes ; it i alwaj' br ad and win till th 1ri t p
nounces the word. of con ration during th m
Q What happens by the 0 word ?
A The bread is changed into tho body of Je u Christ, and
the wine into his blood.
Q. "What is this change called 1
A. "It is called ' transubstantiation'-that is to say, a change
of one substance into another."4-
The following canons which were passed at the thirteenth
session of the Council of Trent, whose decisions are supremely
authoritative, will give us a fuller view of this doctrine :-
.. Canon (1.) 'Whosoever shall deny that in the most holy
sacrament of the eucharist there are truly, really, and substanti-
ally contained the body and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ,
together with his soul and divinity, and consequently Christ en-
tire, but shall affirm that he is present therein only in a sign
and figure, or by his p'HVcl'; let him be accursed.
"(2.) Whosoever shall affirm, that in the most boly sacra-
ment of the eoeharist there remain a the ubstanee of the bread
and wine, together with the body aIltl blood of our Lord Jeau
Christ; and .hall deny that wonderful and peculiar conversion
of the whole substance of the bread into his body, and of tbe
whole substance of the wine into his blood, the species only of
bread and wine remaining, which conversion the Catholic
Church most fitly terms 'transubstantiation;' let hlm be ae-
coned.

• C&thechlsm oJ tile BomIJb Churell ill America.

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"(3.) Whosoever shall deny that Christ entire is contained

in the venerable sacrament of the eucharist, under each species,
and under every part of each species when separated; let him
be accursed.
"(4.) Whosoever shall affirm that the body and blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ are not present in the admirable eucharist, as
soon as the consecration is performed, but only as it is used and
received, and neither before nor after; and that the true body of
our Lord does not remain in the hosts or consecrated morsels
which are reserved or left after the communion; let him be ac-
cursed.
" (5.) Whosoever shall affirm that remission of sins is the
chief fruit of the most holy eucharist, or that other effects are
not produced thereby; let him be aeeursed,
"(6.) Whosoever shall affirm that Christ, the only begotten
Son of God, is not to be adored in the holy eucharist with the
extemalsigns of that worship which is due to God; and, there-
fore, that the eucharist is not to be honoured with extraordi-
nary festive celebration, nor solemnly carried about in proces-
sions, according to the laudable and universal rites and customs
of holy Church, nor publicly presented to the people for their
adoration; and that those who worship the same are idolaters ;
let him be accursed,
" (7.) Whosoever shall affirm that it is not lawfulto preserve
the holy eucharist in the sacristy, but that immediately after
consecration it must of necessity be distributed to those who
are present; or that it is not lawful to carry it in procession to
the sick; let him be accursed•
.. (8.) ·Whosoever shall affirm that Christ, as exhibited in the
eucharist, is eaten in a spiritual manner only, and not also sacra-
mentally and really; let him be accursed.
.. (9.) Whosoever shall deny that all and every one of the
faithful in Christ, of both 8exes, are bound to communicate every
year, at least at Easter, according to the injunction of holy Mo-
ther Church; let him be accursed.
"(10.) Whosoever shall affirm that it is not lawful for the
officiating priest to administer the communion himself; let him
be accursed.
c' (11.) "'l10s0ever shall affirm that faith only is a strlIIcieJIt
preparation for the reception of the 1II08t holy _ment of the
eucharist; let him be accursed. ADd !eat 10 great a sacramea'
ICN
 POPERY DELINEATED.

should be taken unworthily, and therefore to death and condem-

nation, the said holy council doth decree and declare, that pre-
vious sacramental confession is absolutely necessary, if a confes-
sor is at hand, for those who are consciousof the guilt of mor-
tal sin, however contrite they may thinkthemselves to be. Who-
ever shall presume to teach, preach, or obstinately assert the
contrary, or to maintain opposite opinions in public disputations;
let him be ipsofacto excommunicated." *
This most holy andblessed council seems to have had greater
skill in cursing than in blessing. But as saith Solomon, .. As
the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse
causeless shall not come." And therefore, "Let them curse,
but bless thou." " For in defiance of thoir brutish execrations,
I both detest and deny their monstrous and blasphemous doc-
trine.' ,J
In the first of the chapters preparatory to the foregoing
canons, we read, "The holy council teacheth, and openly and
plainly professeth, that our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and
man, is truly, really, and substantially contained in the pure
sacrament of the holy eucharist, after the consecration of the
bread and wine, and under the species of those sensible objects.
Neither is it to be regarded as contradictory that our Saviour
should always sit at the right hand ofthe Father in heaven, ac-
cording to his natural mode of existence; and yet be sacramen-
tally present with us in his substance in many other places." In
the third chapter of the same session, the council declares,
"Wherefore it is most certain that all" (Christ's body, soul,
and divinity) "is contained under either species and under both; •
for Christ, whole and entire, exists under the species of bread,
and in every particle thereof, and under the species of wine, and
in all its parts."
As this is one of the most ridiculous doctrines, as well as one
of the most important of their catalogue of ridiculous doctrines,
we shall be excused giving another extract or two, as it is of
importance that it should be clearly laid down and well-under-
stood. The following quotations are from the catechism of the
Council of Trent :-" The eucharist also contains Christ our
Lord, the true grace, and source of all heavenly gifts." .. 'Vhen
preserved in a pyxis (box). or deposited in a tabernacle, under

• Cone. Trid., Cell. ztiL

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

either species,ceases not to be a sacrament." "In the eucharist,

that which before consecration was bread and wine, becomes,
after consecration, really and substantially the body and blood
of OUT Lord." "Care must be taken not only to mingle water
with the wine, but also to mingle it in small quantity; for, in
the opinion of ecclesiasticalwriters, the water is changed into
wine." .. \Vhen, therefore, it is said, 'this is the chalice of my
blood,' these words are understood to mean, < this is my blood
which is contained in this chalice.''' "As, however, to the
bod)' are united his blood, his soul, his divinity, they too mast
be found to co-exist in the sacrament; not, however, by virtue
of the consecration, but by virtue of the union which subsists
between them and his body; and this theologiansexpress by the
word concomitance. Hence it is clear that Christ, whole and
entire, is contained in the sacraments; for when two things are
actually united, where one is, the other must also be. Hence it
also follows that Christ, whole and entire, is contained under
either species; so that, as under the species of bread are con-
tained not only the body, but also the blood and Christ en-
tire, so, in like manner, under the species of wine are contained
not only the blood but also the body and Christ entire. These
are matters on which the faithful cannot entertain a doubt."
"The pastor will also inform the faithful, that Christ, whole
and entire, is contained not only under either species, but also
in each particle of either species."*
The following is an extract from the catechism fer the use of
all the churches in the French empire :-
"Ques. 'Vhat is the sacrament of the encharist 1
"Ans. The eucharist is a sacrament which contains really
and substantially the body, blood, sonl, and divinity of our Lord
Jesus Christ, under the forms and appearances of bread and
wine 1
" Q. What is at first on the altar, and in the chalice1 11it
not bread and wine 1
.. A. Yes; and it continues to be bread and wine till the
priest pronounces the words of consecration.
" Q. What influence have these words 1
"A. The bread is changed into the body, and the wine i.
changed into the blood, of our Lord.

• Catechism of tbe Conncil of Trent, pp. 207, 210, 214, 218.

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

" Q. Does nothing of the bread and wine remain 1

" A. Nothing of them remains except the forms.
" Q. 'What do you call the forms of the bread and wine?
"A. That which appears to our senses-as colour,:figure, and
taste.
"Q. Is there nothing under the form of bread except the
body of our Lord?
" A. Besides his body there is his blood, his soul, and his di-
vinity, because all these are inseparable.
" Q. And under tho form of wino?
"A. Jesus Christ is thero as entire as under tho form of
bread.
"Q. When the forms of bread and wine are divid d, is
Jesus Christ divided 1
"A. No; Jesus Christ remains entire under each part of
the form divided.
"Q. Say, in a word, what Jesus Christ gives us under each
form.
"A. All that he is-that is, perfect God and perfect man.
"Q. Does Jesus Christ leave heaven to come into the eucha-
rist?
"A. No; he always continues at the right hand of God,
his Father, till he shall come, at the end of the world, in great
glory, to judge the living and the dead.
c s Q. Then how can he be present at the altar?
••A. By the almighty power of God.
"Q. Then it is not man that works this miracle?
"A. No, it is Jesus Christ, whose word is employed in the
sacrament.
"Q. Then it is Jesus Christ who consecrates?
"A. It is Jesus Christ who consecrates; the priest is only
his minister.
"Q. Must we worship the body and blood of Jesus Christ
in the eucharist 1
"A. Yes, undoubtedly; for this body and this blood are
inseparably united to b is divinity."
"The priest, in giving the consecrated wafer to the com-
municant, says, • Behold the Lamb of God I Behold him who
taketh away the sin of the world I'
" The following points, with several others, are clearly
contained in their doctrine concerning the eucharist·-
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

"(1.) That, after the words of consecration are spoken,

there is neither bread nor wine left on the table.
" (2) That, though there be neither bread nor wine,
yet the accidents or species, that is, the colour, size, weight,
taste, and other qualities of the bread and wine remain.
"(3.) That, by virtue of the five words of consecration,
Hoc est autem corpus meum, there is, in the place of the sub-
stance of the bread and wine, the substance of the body of
Christ, truly, really, and substantially, together with his soul
and divinity. And though they confess that Christ had but
one body, and tho» body Is in heaven, yet they maintain that
the body of Ilhrist il. the eucharist is the same that was born
of the Vil'gin, which was crucified, ascended to heaven, und is
now in heaven.
" (4.) That the body, blood, bones, sinetl'S, &c., of Christ,
his soul and godhead, are contained in either the bread or the
wine, or in the smallest particle of the bread, or the smallest
drop of the wine.
"(5.) That the body of Christ is eaten by every communi-
cant, whether good or bad.
"(6.) That this body remains in those wafers that are not
eaten; so that, should any animal happen to devour any of
them, it would as really eat the body of Christ as any Chris-
tian. And should anyone of these wafers be burned in the
fire, the body of Christ would be as really burned as in the
former case it was really eaten.
"(7.) This very bread, as Protestants are apt to call it,
which they receive and eat, and the wine which the priest
drinks, they worship and adore as very God Almighty, and
require this worship under pain of damnation."
" A mere statement of what this doctrine is, and a refer-
ence to the several propositions which express it, will be suf-
ficient to prevent every unbiased individual from assenting
to it. Can any person believe this doctrine, unless education,
fear, interest, or blind submission has already made it familiar
to him? There never was a mystery in any religion in the
world so unintelligible, so inconceivable, so loaded with con-
tradiction, and so averse from reason and common sense, &s
this."
We will now attempt a confutation of this horrible non-
sense, if it needs confuting.
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

The following are the words of the institution as given by

8t Matthew :-
"And, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed
it, and brake it, and g~ve it to the disciples, and said, Take,
eat; this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks,
and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it, for this is my
blood of the ew Te tament, which is shed for many for the
T

remission of sins." (:Matt. :xxvii. 26·2 .)

.. TJII~ l~ MY EOllY." These ro tho words from whieh thl'y
derive ann upon which they rost tho doctrine of tran ub tan
tiation. The following is their argument :-
" Does not our S viour most oxpr 1y d elnr • 7'/. " i my
body?' and if ever it were n edful that h shoul p k pl inly
and without Il figure, it certainly must hav b 11 wh n h II-
stituted tho Christian sacrament, "'hat can b I or ell' r
than that which Christ has spoken concerning it? l.very
Christian ought to submit his reason to the revelation of
Christ, inasmuch as his reason is fallible; but Christ can
neither deceive, nor be deceived. To the word and to the
testimony which is your own Protestant rule. Christ hath
said of the bread, , This is my body;' and, therefore, such it
certainly is, whatever our senses or reason may suggest to the
contrary."
That we are bound to believe everything that Christ has
said, we admit; that he spake plainly to his disciples, and
that he can neither deceive nor be deceived, we readily main-
tain; but that he taught transubstantiation when he said,
" This is my body," we deny.
The difference between Romanists and Protestants on this
expression of our Saviour is this-" They contend for a di-
rect literal meaning. 'This is my body '-that is, the bread
Christ held in his hand, was nothing else than the body wAich
held it." Protestants say, that our Saviour speaks by a figure;
the figure is this-that the bread and wine are symbols, or em-
blems, of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. 'Ye have
to examine which of these views comesnearer to our Saviour's
meaning, the literal or the figurative-theirs or ours.
First, In 'Prosecuting this argument, we shall show that the
Romish interpretation is impossible and absurd.
"If we take our Saviour's words in the literal sense, we
must make him say in effect that the bread which be brake
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

and commanded them to eat was not bread, but truly and
really his dead body-his body sacrificed for them ;" and that
the disciples had actually eaten and swallowed Christ, although
he still sat before them, and they heard him speak.
" To evade the foregoing contradiction, they say what was
bread before the words of consecration were uttered, became his
body and blood afterwards." But how long afterwards they say
not. Whether it was while the disciples were eating it, or
after the crucifixion, or resurrection, or ascension, is not deter-
mined. Besides, Christ did not say, this will be my body, but
this is my body. And they must see, that in altering the
tense, they have forsaken the literal meaning, and have taken
themselves to a figurative one. And if we were to allow that
the bread our Saviour held in his hand, "became, by some
inexplicable process, his very body," then we must ask, "how
it came to be his dead body, his body given, broken, or sacri-
ficed for us? If, therefore, we understand the words literally,
as Roman Catholics would have us, we must admit one of the
grossest contradictions in the world. We must believe that
the body of Christ was both alive and dead at the sametime.
If we cannot believe this, then it is impossible that our Sa-
viour's words should be taken in a literal eense-s-uamely, that
the bread he gave them was truly and really, and without
figure, his dead body." But, if possible, there are stiU
greater difficulties implied. The Romanists maintain that
there was not only the body and blood of Christ in the conse-
crated bread, but his .oul and divinity a.l8o, and all under the
form of bread and wine. Then, did the disoiples swallow the
seul and godhead of Chriet, with the bread that they received
from our Lord 1 or did that ma.ticated bread becomethe soul
and divinity of Christ after they had eaten it? If the bread
our Saviour held in his hand were really transubstantiated,
it must have been into another body and soul; for Christ,
body, soul, and divinity, stood before them.
And, further, if we mark our Saviour's words, we shall
find other absurditiel. We must not forget that the papists
contend for the literal meaning. Then, if the bread were the
body of Christ, the" eup" must have been the blood of Christ.
Mark his words, "And he took the cup, &c., laying, driDk
ye aU of it ; for tlW, i.m, blood," &c. So that, aooording to
their mode of interpretation, we are to •• llentaad &Jl tile
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 OPEBY DELINEATED.

disciples actually gulped down the cup-a very sensible

mouthful. But not only must we hold that the cup was the
body and blood of Christ, but also and actually the" New
Testament," or "New Covenant." "This cup is the New
Testament in my blood." (1 Cor. xi. 25.) But how absurd
such an interpretation would be! And even Romanists, whose
capacious throats are not at all inconvenienced by the bones
of a whole human body, have no taste for the cup; they con-
tend for the figurative form of speech here.
In contradistinction, then, to a view involving such shocking
absurdities, we observe, that the interpretation Protestants give
of this passage, is at once easy and natural, and that the
apostles could have understood it in no other sense. We
have shown the absurdity of the literal sense; they must
therefore be considered figuratively, and thus all Protestunts
understand them; namely, that the bread which our Saviour had
broken, and the wine whichhe had poured out, were signs, em-
blems, or representations, of his broken body and shed blood.
" No sense can be more easy than this; and, to prove it, we
advance the following reasons ;-
" (1.) \Vhen Christ said, , This is my body,' he had nothing
in his hands at that time, but a part of the unleavened bread
which he and his disciples had been eating at supper; and
therefore he could mean no more than this, namely, that the
bread which he was now breaking represented his body, which
in the course of a few hours was to be crucified. To suppose
that the bread and wine, and every particle of each, contained
the body, blood, bones, sinews, &c., and the soul and divinity of
Christ, and that Christ had his own body in his hands, and tbat
he and his disciples did eat it, baffles all human and divine
faith.
"(2.) There is no figure more common in every language
than that whereby we give tbe sign the name of tbe tbing sig-
nified." \Vbat more natural than to say of a picture of the
Duke of Wellington, ' That's the Duke r Or, when examining
a map of Europe, than to say, pointing to a few lines, that is
• Great Britain r But who ever would suppose tbat you intended
to say that that painted canvass was really and substantially
tbe body, blood bones, sinews, and soul of the n ble Duke? Or
that those black lines on the map were really and truly the
:roeke and rivers, the meads and mountains of our sea-girt
III
 POPERY DELINEATED.

isle? But this is the mode of interpretation they contend

for-" This is my body;" when it is most evident that his
only meaning could be, this represents my body which is to
be shortly crucifiedfor you.
" (3.) This is not only an ordinary figure in commonspeech,
but it is peculiarly eoin the sacred Scriptures; and it is worthy
of remark that, "in the Hebrew, Chaldee, and Chaldeo-
SJriac languages, there are either no words which express to
mean, signify, or rep"esent, or else such words are of very
rare occurrence. Thus,' the seven kine are seven years '''-
that is, 'I'epresent seven years; • the ten horns are ten
kings't-that is, signify ten kings; 'that rock was Christ't
-that is, j'epresented Christ. We shall only refer to one
more-' I am the vine, ye are the branches.'§ And let it be
remembered, too, that our Saviour 'did not speak in the
Latin tongue,' but 'in the Chaldee, or Chaldeo-Syriac, and
must, therefore, have spoken according to the idiom of that
tongue.' And any man speaking in that language would say,
• This is my body,' 'this is my blood,' when he intended to
convey the meaning that the bread and wine represented/ the
body and blood of Christ."
'Ve may here observe, that the Romanists admit that Christ
spake figuratively when he said, "I am the vine, ye are the
branchel." But this, as well as the other, arose from the
idiom of the language in which he spake; and they have not
the slightest ground for saying that there was more figure in
the latter case than in the former. And it is certainly as
monstrous to say that a piece of bread is changed into
the body, soul, and divinity of Christ, as to say that the
Apostles were changed into vine branches. But it is ob-
vious that they were not eo changed. Not more so in one
case than in the other. The matter stands thus :-1 see
the Apostles walking; I hear them talking; I feel that
they are flesh, not wood; and that they smell more like
men than vine branches. Well, then, we have four sensesout
of five in favour of a figurative interpretation; and we admit
that this makes it obvious. Then, how does it stand in the
other case? Thus :-1 see that the consecrated bread is still
bread; I feel that it is more like bread than flesh; it smell'

• Gen. IL 26. t Dan. TU. 21. * 1 Cor.X. .. I lou n. Ii.

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

like nothing but bread; and it tastes of nothing but bread.

Thus we have four senses out of five against transubstan ia-
tion. Therefore, it is certain, that what was bread before
consecration is bread after it.
(4.) "It is impossible that the Apostles could believe that
they ate the body of Christ when they saw that body before
them; or that they drank his blood, when they knew that
blood was still in his veins. Or how could they have been
persuaded to drink blood against the express letter of the law,
or to eat human flesh, or even swallow their blessed Lord and
Master ?"
Several other arguments might be adduced to show that tho
• interpretation Protestants give is easy and natural, while the
contrary is ridiculous and absurd.
Then further, not only is there no support for transub,tall-
tiation in the Word of God, but it is utterly opposed to it.
"In our Lord's celebrated discourse at Capernaum, on the
subject of feeding the Church with hIS flesh and his blood, the
language he used was so strong that his hearers exclaimed,
< How can this man give us his flesh to eat l' To correct their
misapprehension, he declared that his language was figurative,
in the following manner, ' It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the
fleeh. profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit and they are life.' John vi. 63. Here, there-
fore, and on a subject which had a close affinity to the eucharist,
our Lord teaches us that his style is flgurativs when such ex-
pressions are employed as, , Christ is the rock;' 'his flesh is
bread, his blood is drink;' and, therefore, the exposition of
Roman Catholics is opposed to that of our Saviour.
"It was foretold by David that God 'would not suffer his
Holy One to see corruption.' Psa, xvi. 10. St Peter applies
this to the fleshof Christ (Acts ii. 23-32), which' saw no cor-
ruption ;' but if the doctrine of transubstantiation be true, his
body continually undergoes corruption by the necessary pro-
cess of digestion.
" But the most accurate rea oners in the Olmrch of Rome
are aware that tbe Scripture does not inculcate the do rna
of trunsubstantiution. 1\ ccordlngly, III HoY have dwelt prin-
cipally on the authority of tr dition, nnd upon the support to
be derived from eccl in tical decisions. ~ hen they have t-
d avour d to maintain it by cripture, tb ir arguments have
11 II
 POPERY DELINEATED.

invariably failed; while others have candidly acknowledged

that it is not among those doctrines which are to be proved by
holy writ, Scotus himself, the great oracle and schoolman, is
represented by Bellarmine and others as having said, that the
doctrine of transubstantiation cannot evidently be proved from
Scripture; and Bellarmine himself grants that this is not im-
probable. And Octiam and other famous schoolmen, say
expressly that' the doctrine which holds the substance of the
bread and wine to remain after consecration. is neither repug-
nant to reason nor to Scripture.' The Cardinal of Cambray
says plainly, that' the doctrine of the substance of the bread
and wine remaining after consecration is more easy and free
from absurdity, more rational, and noways 1'epugnant to the
at£thority of Scripture: Nay, he says expressly, that' there
is no evidence in Scripture' for it. Cardinal Cajetan con-
fesses, that' the Gospel doth nowhere express that the bread is
changed into the body of Christ; that we have this from the
authority of the Church;' nay, he goes farther, ' that there is
nothing in the gospel which enforceth any man to understand
these words of Christ, 'This is my body,' in a proper and not
in a metaphorical sense; but the Church, having understood
them in a proper sense, they are to be explained.' Fisher,
Bishop of Rochester, who is ranked by the Church of Rome
among her martyrs, candidly admits that there is not one
word in Scripture' from whence the true presence of the flesh
and blood of Christ in our mass can be proved.''' On the
6th chapter of John, Pope Pius II. thus writes, in his 130th
epistle to Cardinal de Cardival, '" That is not the sense of the
Gospel of John which you ascribe to it, for there is no injunc-
tion given there to drink of the sacrament; but a spiritual
manner of drinking is there taught: And shortly after, 'The
Lord there maketh known, by these words, the secret myste-
ries of spiritual drinking, and not of carnal, when he says,
It is the '-'Pirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth. nothing;
and again, The wOl'ds that I speak unto you al'e spirit and
life, Do you wish to know certainly whether the Evangelist
appaks of the spiritual manducation which is performed by
faith? Con ider what the Lord says in these words, He that
eats and drinks : these words are of the pres nt, and not of
the future tense. Therefore, ever since th Lord spake them,
tbere are persons who have eaten and l!runk; aad, nev nile·
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

less, the Lord had not yet suffered, nor was the sacrament yet
instituted.''' The following extracts are from a letter, sent by
the Rev. Roderic Rider, a converted Irish priest, to Dr French,
one of the Romish Bishops of Ireland. In assigning his rea-
sons for leaving that heretical community, he says, "I love
my Roman Catholic countrymen, but I renounce for ever their
religion. I have weighed their Church in the balance of eter-
nal truth, the 'Vord of God, and have found her wanting. I
could not find one tittle in the holy Scriptures to confirm her
assumption of infallibility-the supremacy of her Popes-her
Rule of Faith-her restriction of the Scriptures-her Image
worship-her invocation of saints-her transubstantiation-
her sacrifice of the mass-her purgatory-h r prayer in an
unknown tongue-her auricular confession-her communion
in one kind-her indulgences, or her justification by works.
On the other hand, the Scriptures directly and distinctly con-
tradict her doctrines on each and everyone of these heads.
Now, to make the matter clear to you, I shall merely refer to
two of the foregoing, viz., transubstantiation and auricular
confession, and show you and your priests that I had strong
and convincing reasons for renouncing your Church.
" Your Church teaches that in the eucharist there is really
and substantially present, the body and blood, soul and di-
vinity, of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine;
and, in proof of this doctrine, she advances those passages of
Scripture, John vi. 51-57, 'I am the living bread which came
down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall
live for ever. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you: And now your
Church understands the foregoing words in a literal sense, and
consequently teaches the five following absurdities :-First
absurdity-When our Saviour says, 'I am the living bread
which came down from heaven.' If these words have any
reference to the eucharist, it would follow that the humanity
of Christ came down from heaven-c-s doctrine contrary to the
Athanasian creed. Your Church and all Christians deny it ;
therefore it has no reference to the eucharist. Second absur-
dity-It would fo ow from these words, if taken liter lly,
that the divinity of Christ was changed into bread, and flot
that bread was changed into his bod1J. Third absurdity-It
would follow from the words,' If any JD n eat of this br d,
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 POPERY DEMNEATED.

he shall live for ever,' if taken in a literal sense, that whoever

goes to communionin your Church shall not suffer death in
this world, and in that to come shall go to heaven; but you
deny this, and facts disprove it; therefore, the words are
figurative. Fourth absurdity-If the words, 'Except ye eat
the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no
life in you,' be taken in a literal sense, it would follow that
the laity in your Church, from whom the cup is withheld, can
have no hope of salvation; it would follow that children, who
die before their first communion,shall perish for ever; it would
follow that the penitent thief and John the Baptist are ex-
cluded from heaven. And fifth absurdity-It would follow,
if the rite be not commemorative, that there is no necessity
for repeating it; for if the words be taken literally, salvation
is secured by doing it once. I should never end were I to
enumerate the inconsistencies and contradictions into which
your Church falls by adhering to the literal sense. I defy any
man with two ideas to consider them for one moment without
coming to the conclusion that your Church teaches error, and
that her doctrine of transubstantiation is false.
" I will make it as clear to you as any proposition in Euclid.
You will admit that any two sums, or two lines, each of which
is equal to a third given one, must be equal one to another.
You cannot deny this-it is a self-evident axiom. Now, Christ
has said (verse 54), that' Whoso eateth his flesh, and drinketh
his blood, hath life everlasting.' He also says that life ever-
lasting cannot be obtained by any other means-' Except ye
eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, ye have
no life in you;' verse 53. Again he says, ' He that believeth
in me hath life everlasting,' verse 47. Therefore, to believe
in Christ produceth the same effect-that is to say, is the'sams
as to eat his flesh and drink his blood. I am as eonvin~edof
this truth as I am of my own existence."
We shall now pass to another argument, namely, " Tlie
doctrine of transubstantiation contradicts our ~en8e8."
" To obviate this difficulty, it is said that the species of
bread and wine remain in appearance as they were before,
ever after they have been changed into the body and blood,
soul and divinity of Christ. In their manual they also teach
tb t we should in this my t ry I' I unce utterly the jlldg-
t of our B 7IB B and all human 'lind r talld·ny. 'ow, if
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

Our senses cannot be tru,sted, how do we know that these words,

, This is my body,' are to be found in Scripture or on this
paper 1" The following quotations will show that the senses
present an insuperable difficulty, and that it is not possible to
receive this dogma but by renouncing them :-" In its belief
human reason experiences the greatest difficulties."* "To
explain this mystery in a proper manner is extremely difficult.
On the manner of this admirable conversion, the pastor, how-
ever, will endeavour to instruct those who are more advanced
in the knowledge and contemplation of divine things; those
who are yet weak, may, it were to be apprehended, be over-
whelmed by its greatness."] "The faithful are to be admo-
nished against the danger of gratifying a prurient curiosity,
by searching into the manner in which this change is effected.
It mocks the power of conception, nor can we find any examples
of it in natural transmutations, nor even in the wide range
of creation. The change itself is the object, not of our com-
prehension, but of our humble faith; and the manner of that
change forbids the temerity of a too curious inquiry. The
same salutary caution should also be observed by the pastor
with regard to the mysterious manner in which the body of
our Lord is contained, whole and entire, nnder the least
particle of the bread."t " The pastor will, first of all, impress
on the minds of the faithful the necessity of detaching, as much
as possible, their minds and t<nclerstandings from the dominion
of the senses; for were they, with regard to this sublime
mystery. to constitute the senses the only tribunal to which they
are to appeal, the awful consequences must be, their preci-
pitation into the extreme of impiety. Consulting the sight,
the touch, the smell, the taste, and :finding nothing but the
appearances of bread and wine, the senses must naturally lead
them to think that this sacrament contains nothing more than
bread and wine. Their minds, therefore, are as much as pos-
sible to be withdrawn from subjugation to the senses, and ex-
cited to the contemplation of the stupendous power of God." §
It is clear, then, according to their own admission, this non-
sense has no parallel in the whole range of the world's history;
and, without any :figure of speech, transubstantiation is only

• Reman CILteehlsm. p, 219. t Idem. p.ll3O.

1: Idem, p. 23 . f Id m, p, 220.
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

admissable on the principles of nOfl,-sense; therefore, no foolery

in the world was ever, with greater propriety, called nonsense.
We see, then, that the Church of Rome denies the evidence
of the senses in the grossest manner. We are called upon to
renounce them utterly, And shall we, when "the testimony
of the senses is infallible? We allow that one or more of the
senses, through disease or some other cause, may prove falla-
cious ; but we maintain that the uniform evidence of the senses
is infallible. Such evidence, then, testifying that the bread
and wine remain unchanged, must be admitted as demonstra-
tive of the falseness of the doctrine of transubstantiation. The
thing in question is not subject to the evidence of one sense
only, but to the evidence of four of the senses," as we have
seen. "The Almighty deals with us as rational creatures.
He never called us to believe anything that is unreasonable,
impossible, or contrary to the evidence of our senses; and
whenever he condescendeth to work a miracle, the senses of
men were appealed to as the judges of the reality of the
miracle.
" If the evidence of sense be denied, we cannot be certain
of anything. If the notices of sense may not be received as
true, then we are liable to be deceived by ten thousand im-
positions. A man may pass for a bat, or a whale for a winged-
horse, if bread and wine may be the real body and blood of
Christ. Only allow the evidence of sense to be de-
nied, and we cannot be positively certain of anything." While
I may think that I am contemplating the fair proportions of
a ponderous elephant, I may be gazing all the time upon a
child's rocking-horse. Dean Swift, in his Tale of a Tub, when
ridiculing the doctrine of transubstantiation, "represents Pe-
ter, by whom he means the Pope, inviting his two brothers,
Jack and Martin, by whem he means Calvin and Luther, to
dine with him on a shoulder of mutton. Having sat down to
table, Peter says, 'Come, brothers, fall to and spare not; here
is excellent good mutton; or hold, now my hand is in, I'll
help you.' At which word, in much ceremony, with fork
and knife, he carves out two good slices of a 101lf,and presents
eh on a plate to his brothers. The elder of the two, not
suddenly entering into lord Peter's conceit, began with very
civil language to examine the mystery. • .Iy lord,' said he,
'I doubt, with great submission, there may be some mistake.'
18
 POPERY DELINEATED.

, What,' said Peter, ' you are pleasant; come, then, let us hear
this jest your head is so big with.' 'None in the world, my
lord; but unless I am very much deceived, your lordship
was pleased a while ago to let fall a word about mutton, and
I would be glad to see it with all my heart.' , How!' said
Peter, appearing in great surprise, 'I do not comprehend this
at all.' Upon which, the younger, interposing to set the busi-
ness aright-' My lord,' said he, 'my brother, I suppose, is
hungry, and longs for the mutton your lordship hath promised
us to dinner.' • Pray,' said Peter, 'take me along with you;
either you are both mad, or disposed to be merrier than 1 ap-
prove of. If you, then, do not like your piece, I will carve
you another, though I should take that to be the choice bit of
the whole shoulder.' '\Vhat, then, my lord,' replied the first,
, it seems this is a shoulder of mutton all this while.' ' Pray,
sir,' says Peter, 'eat your victuals, and leave off your imper-
tinence, if you please, for I am not disposed to relish it at pre-
sent.' But the other could not forbear, being over-provoked
at the affected seriousness of Peter's countenance. 'My lord,'
said he, 'I can only say that, to my eyes, and fingers, and
teeth, and nose, it seems to be nothing but a crust of bread.'
Upon which the second put in his word-' I never saw a piece
of mutton in my life so nearly resembling a slice from a twelve-
penny loaf.' • Look ye, gentlemen,' cries Peter in a rage, , to
convince you what a couple of blind, positive, ignorant, wilful
puppies you are, I will use but this plain argument - I swear
it is true, good, natural mutton, as any in Leadenhall market;
and confound you both eternally if you offer to believe other-
wise.''''*
Such an absurd doctrine as transubstantiation, deserves to
be ridiculed; for, according to their non-sense mode of interpre-
tation, the most important evidences of Christianity would be
overthrown, inasmuch as the Scripture receives the leading evi-
dences of its truth from the testimony of sense. "St Luke, in
the commencement of his gospel, professes unlimited confidence
in this kind of proof, for the facts which he relates, he informs
us tbat he received them from those who were 'eye-witnes es,
and ministers of the word.' (Luke i. 2.) In like manner St
John declares that the evidence of the saliSI" was not fallacious,

119
 POPERY DELINEATED.

but true: ' That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have be-
held, and our hands have handled, of the word of life.' (1 John
i. 1, 2.) So that the Apostles fully depended on the infallibi-
lity of their own senses, and of those who gave tbem informa-
tion. With their own ears they hearel Christ preach, and be-
held the miracles which he taught. The resurrection of Christ,
that cardinal doctrine, and without which our faith is vain, was
proved by the evidence of sense." And it was proved no other-
wise. "Come see the place where the Lord lay." said the
angel to Mary. Our Saviour gently reproved Thomas for his
unbelief, but the papists are much worse. He would believe
his eyes and hands, but they will neither believe sight, feeling,
taste or smell. Indeed, if this logic of nonsense were uni-
versally adopted, we should be certain of nothing. Not only
might our faith be vain, as to some, if not all the most impor-
tant facts of our religion, but every man m:l.Ybe a shadow, and
this solid earth a fleeting cloud.
" The doctrine is not only contl'aI"Y to 1'eaaon, but it also
involves absolute impossibilities.
" \Vhen Roman Catholics attempt to make proselytes, they
inform them that Protestants deny the omnipotence of God;
for so they term our rejection of their absurdities." This is
the common subterfuge of all heretics. It was the custom of
"the Manichees, the Eutyehians, the Appolinarists, the Arians,
&c., to fly, when assailed, to this attribute of the deity. The
Fathers, referring to this abuse, call it the' sanctuary of here-
tics' " \Ve need not wonder, therefore, at its being the refuge
of Romanists. They call transubstantiation, a sacred and holy
mystery. We call it an infamous absurdity. 'I'hat is a mys-
tery which is above the comprehension of the human mind, but
which no system of ratiocination can prove to be contral'y to
reason. or opposed to our senses. That is an absw'dity which
is plainly at variance with our reaSIm, our senses, or botl.. And,
therefore, out of their own mouths we condemn this doctrine of
nonsense. They tell us, as we have seen, that before a per-
Ion can receive it, he must utterly renounce his understanding
nd his senses. This purgative regimen is only necessary in
es of absurdity. And then, we do not hesitate to say, that
God himself cannot create himself, nor one equal to himself.
But if traDsubstantiation be true, this bas been done in hundreds
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

of thousands of instances. The Popish priests profess to do

every day what it is impossible for the Almighty to do. For,
every consecrated wafer contains-nay, is-not only the body and
soul, but the Eternal Son of God. And if you break this
wafer into a thousanll pieces, and divide the wine into ten
thousand drops, each and all contain the Lord Jesus Christ,
body, soul, and divinity really, truly, and substantially. The
body of Christ was born of the Virgin Mary; but was the bread,
which constitutes the sacramental Christ, thus born? Then
Christ was both born and not born. The Christ that was born
of the Virgin, ascended to heaven, and he sitteth at the right
hand of God, till he shall come to judg-e the quick and the dead;
but, according to the Romanists, he is always on the earth, in
numberless places at the same time. They convert the Lord
Jesus into a dumb idol; he has eyes but cannot see, ears but
cannot hear, feet but cannot walk, nor can he speak through his
throat. They can convert matter into spirit; and create divi-
nities by wholesale. He who has all power, is incapable of
saving "himself from robbers and vermin, corruption and
rottenness. "
They say, that only the accidents of bread and wine remain,
that is, colour, taste, smell, &c. Now, can mere colour, make
a man drunk? "For Thomas Aquinas supposes that the sa-
cramental wine intoxicated the Corinthians, of whom St Paul
observes, 'One is hungry, and another is drunken.''' If that
which is in the cup can make a man drunk, I suspect there is
more in the chalice than the blood of Christ. "Again, can the
species, or in other words, the colour, shape, &c. kill a man?
But the young Emperor of the house of Luxemburg is said to
have been poisoned by a consecrated wafer; Pope Victor III.,
was in danger of suffering in like manner; and the Archbishop
of York, according to the testimony of Matthew Paris and
Malmsbury, was poisoned by the chalice. If Christ be really
said to be touched and eaten because the accidents are so, then
he may be literally made hot, or cold, or mouldy, or venomous,
by the change of the accidents. We are weary of pursuing these
absurdities, to the end of which we could never arrive."
Again, This doctnile is horribly bla8phemous and impious.
"Roman Catholics hesitate not to declare, that, did their
, nseB perceive wbat their faith obliges tl em to believe, the
horror of it would be so great as to lead tb m to det t the sa-
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

crament. And who can say that this was not the reason why
the Christian faith was, and is still, execrable both to the Gen-
tile and to the Jew, to the Pagan and to the Mahometan?"
They can only be considered as the worst of all cannibals! for
they not only eat the flesh of man, and drink human blood. but
they eat their God! and, worse still, they eat him because he is
their God! And this is done by gluttons, drunkards, adulterers,
and the most unclean of mankind! Why, the lodging of Jonah
in the belly of the fish was clean and wholesome, compared with
the filthy stomachs in which they imprison the Lord Jesus.
" As the highest infamy which the Mahornetans can cast
upon us, we are by them reproached as the devourers of our
God. 'And they affirm that, by thus eating of Christ's flesh,
the Christians use him worse than did the Jews, because, say
they, it is more savage to eat his flesh and drink his blood, than
only to procure his death.'''
One of the greatest accusations which the heathens made
against Christians was, that they ate human flesh. " This
Trypho owns to be a commonimputation upon Christians, thongh
he judged it incredible. Justin Martyr, Irenreus, Tertullian,
Minucius, and others, take notice of it, and refute it, and
constantly reject it as the vilest calumny, and an abomin-
able thing, saying, "Ve Christians do not own the eating
human flesh;' 'it is an infamous thing, and falsely is re-
ported of us.' 'This is,' saith Theophilus, 'the most wicked
and inhuman of all crimes objected to us, that we partake of hu-
man flesh; it is not possible that we should be guilty of so
vile a thing.' 'Amongst us there is no eating human flesh,'
saith Tatian. 'You are false witnesses who thus accuse us.'
, No man,' saith Athenagoras, 'who is not mad, can charge us
with this thing; for we may not eat human flesh: 'It is the
calumny of the devil,' saith Minucius, ' You may be ashamed
to object it to us,' saith Tertullian.''' And yet this is what the
Papists glory in doing; and seem to considerit quite a feast to eat
the flesh, grind the bones, and suck the blood of Jesus. They
call Thomas Aquinas their angelical doctor, and they tell the
following tale of him :-namely, that when he had been vindi-
cating the doctrine of transubstantiation, he was saluted by a
wooden cmcifi.r, with these words, " ThO'Uhast writt n well of
me, Thomas," And what had he written 1 Why, that it does
no more detract from the dignity of our Saviour to be aten by
122
 POPERY DELINEATED.

dogs and mice, than his being willing to be crucified for our
sins! A goodly argument truly! As if, because our Lord, in
his humiliation, was willing to die for the redemption of a world
of immortal spirits, that, therefore, he should be willing that his
glorified body should be eaten by dogs an d mice 1'"
THEY EAT THE GOD THEY WORSHIP ~! !
" The very heathens owned this to be the most absurd and
abominable thing, to be abhorred more than death. ' When
we call wine Bacchus,' saith Cicero, 'and our fruit Ceres, we
use the common mode of speaking, but can you think any per-
son so mad as to imagine that which he eats, to be a God?'
Averroes was a learned heathen, and flourished in the eleventh
century, when this p irtentous doctrino first obtained; and it
forced him thus to blaspheme the Christian faith: 'I have in-
quired into all religions. and have found none more foolish than
the Christians, because that very God they worship, they with
their teeth devour; and thus,' he concludes, 'because the
Christians eat what they do worship, let my soul go to the
philosophers.' And Bellarmine himself confesseth, 'tbat this,
among the heathens, was always judged the most foolish para-
dox,' as, saith be, 'from the words of Averroes doth appear.'
" And ye shall know them to be no gods, by the bright purple
which rotteth upon them; and they themselves afterwards shall
be eaten, and shall be a reproach in the c01mtry." (Baruch
vi. 72.)
If we were to admit transubstantiation to be a true and holy
mystery, there are so many chances against a legitimate con-
secration, that it is utterly impossible for the communicant to
be certain, that he is not worshipping a piece of bread, instead
of the Lord Christ.
The following extracts from the Roman Missal will abun-
dantly substantiate this :-
" Of defects in the bread.
" If the bread be not of 1vheat, or, if of wheat, it be mixed
with such quantity of other grain that it doth not remain
wheaten bread, or if it be in any way corrupted, it doth not
makea. sacrament.
" Of defects in. thl 1vine.
" If the wine be quite sour or putrid, or be made of bitter or

• Mornlng £Xu. Crlpper, 01. yL p. 461.

123
 1'0PERY DELISEATED.

unripe grapes, or if so much water be mixed with it as spoils

the wine, no sacrament is made.
" The defects of the minister.
" The defects on the parts of the minister may oclfurin those
things required in him: these are, first and especially, intention
after that disposition of the soul, adjustment of the body, dis-
position of garments, and disposition in the service itself, as
to those matters which can occurin it.
" The defect of Intention.
" If anyone intend not to consecrate, but to counterfeit;
also if any wafers remain forgotten on the altar, or if any part
of the wine or any wafer lie hid, when he did not intend to
consecrate but what he saw; also if he shall have before him
eleven wafers and intend to consecrate but ten only, not deter-
mining what ten he meant; in all these cases there is no con-
secration, because intention is required."* These quotations
might be considerably enlarged, but the above are sufficient to
show, that, in their insane ravings, they have added ridiculous-
ness to absurdity. How is it possible for the recipient to know
whether the wafer is made of wheat or barley? or whether the
wine was made of bitter or unripe grapes? or that the priest
intends to consecrate? for if he does not, the bread remains
bread, and he worships it as his God. The Rev. Roderic
Rider gives one or two instances, when they actually worship-
ped bouled porter and ginger ale! It seems that it is neces-
sary also, that the garments should be properly adjusted,
otherwise, the power of God is withheld. What arrant non-
sense to make the creation of the Lord Jesus to depend upon
a girdle, a maniple, or a stole! Or if the body of the priest
should not be in a right position, this foot too far back, or that
too far forward. Or if, in the performance of the drama, he
should step to the front, instead of the side of the altar; or
omit any of the lessons or collects, or misplace them, &C., there
is no sacrament! Surely the Almighty has permitted these
follies, that the whole may be laughed to scorn.
" Throughout the Latin Church, nnleavened bread is used at
mass. It is made thin and circular, and bears upon it either
the figure of Christ, or the initials I.H.S., and is commonly
called' the wafer.' This is the real Christ of the Church of

t JIll 1. Rom_""m.
11M
 pOPlmy DELINEATED.

Rome, their God and Saviour, and object cf worship. 10 re-

ference to the manufacture of this contemptible monument of
superstition and idolatry, the following statement of the Rev.
Edward Nangle, in one of his letters to the notorious John
M'Hale, Archbishop of Tuam, is worthy of special notice. He
says: 'The writer is personally acquainted with a pOQr wo-
man in this country (Ireland), who was delivered from the in-
fluence of Popery in the following manner. A friar one day
came into her cabin, and, after the usual salutations had passed
between them, he called for :1 saucepan. Placing the vessel
on the fire, with :1 Iittle water in it, he took out of bis pocket
a p:1per containing some flour, which he poured into the' suuce-
pan, stirring it as if, to use my informant's words, • he was
making stir-about.' When the paste was thickened to the
consistence of wax, he ordered his hostess to provide him two
smoothing-irons; and, having pressed the paste between these
instruments to the thickness of a wafer, he cut it into round
pieces with a pair of scissors, and then, holding up one ot the
pieces, he said, , 'Vhen I have consecrated, whoever will not
believe it to be the very body, blood, sOttl, and dit'inity of
Jesus Christ, will be damned to all eternity.' It hu been ob-
served, that there is but a step between the sublime and the
ridiculous: the transition from superstition to scepticism n:3Y
be equally rapid: it was in the mind of the friar'> hostess. he had
passed the bound, the spell was broken, • I thought it,' said
the woman, ' such folly and wickedness, to say that the things
which the friar carried in his pocket in a bit of paper, which
I saw boiled in :1 saucepan on the fire, pressed out between
two smoothing-irons, and clipped with scissors, was God, and
that I should trust in it and worship it, that I determined never
to enter the chapel again.' The poor woman, notwithstanding
much persecution, has adhered to her resolution; and I would
advise my Roman Catholic countrymen to follow her example;
for however Dr ~l'Hale, and hie more talented colleagues in the
priesthood, may exhibit superior tact in the manufacture of the
wafer idol, and cast a cloud of mystery round tho wh aten
deity, by a more dexterous management of this h C1l'-1 ~t8,
yet their God is no better than the friars. Tho' rd of tho
prophet are 8S appllcabl to tho one us to the otl cr : 'The
workman made it, therefore it i not God.'" Hos VIii. G.
"" n tad u 0 th t timony of th ncl nt Fath rs r
1...
 POPERY DELINEATED.

specting the doctrine of transubstantiation, and assert, that it

was not a doctrine of the primitive church."
It m:.y be necessary to remind the reader, that the Fathers
were uninspil'ed men: and, although the earliest of them are
clearly on the side of Protestants, we would not, on that ac-
count, lift them out of their proper place: for, as they were-
not infallible, their opinions should be taken for no more than
they are worth-the opinions of erring mortals. Many ex-
pressions could be selected from their writings, of an isolated
character, which seem to support the views of the Romanists;
but, when taken in their connection, they are evidently to be
understood in a limited and :figurative sense. Indeed, some
of the expressions are so disgusting, that it is impossible for
any but Romanists to read them with a relish. We give one
or two.
" 8t Cyprian says, , We stick closeto the cross, we suck his
blood, and fasten our tongues between the very wounds of the
Redeemer: 8t Chrysostom also :-' Thou seest him, thou
touchest him, and thy tongue is made bloody by this admirable
blood; thy teeth are fastened in his flesh, thy teeth are made
red with his blood.''' It is not unlikely, but that horrible
story told by Romanists, was conjured out of such sentences
as these. Weare told, that, as soon as the wafer was put
into the mouth of the communicant, that it was converted into
a mouthful of flesh and blood! How LUSCIOUS! especially
in Lent! But that the abore quotations are to be understood
:figuratively, the following extracts from the same Fathers will
abundantly testify :-
"In the third century, Cyprian says-'Because his blood,by
which we are redeemed and quickened, cannot SEEM to be in
the cup, if the wine that represents the blood of Christ be not
in the cup.'* Again-' Therefore, our Lord, in his table in
which he did partake his last banquet with his disciples, with
his own hands gave bread and wine; but on the cross he gave
to the soldiers his body to be wounded, that, in the Apostles,
the sincere truth and the true sincerity being more secretly
imprinted, he might expound to the Gentiles how wine and
bread hould be his fleshand blood, and by what reasons causes
might agrce with effect, and divers names and kinds mig1it
, p.l00.
126
 POPERY DELINEATED.

be reduced to the essence, and the signifying and the signified

might be reckoned by the same words.' "
"Chrysostom says-' For as in the eucharist, before the
bread is eonsecrated, we call it bread, but when the grace of
God, by the priest, has consecrated it, it is no longer called
bread, but esteemed worthy to be called the Lord's body, al-
though the nature of bread still remains in it.''' *
" Ignatius says-' 'Vherefore, putting on meekness, renew
yourselves in faith, that is, the flesh of the Lord; and in cha-
rity, that is, the blood of Jesus Christ: t
" Ireneeus, in the second century, says-' The bread which is
from the earth, receiving the divine invocation, is now no
longer common bread, but the eucharist, consisting of two
things-the one earthly, the other heavenly.'t
" Tertullian says-' Tho bread which he had taken and
distributed to his disciples he made his body, by saying, , This
is my body;' that is, 'the figure of my body.'§
"Justin Martyr says-' The bread of the eucharist was a
figure, which Christ the Lord commanded to be celebrated in
remembrance of his passion.'
" The words of Eusebius are very decisive in favour of the
doctrine of Protestants-' He gave to his disciples the SYMBOL~
of divine economy, commanding the image of his own body to
be made.']
" From Cyril of Jerusalem we select the following :-' With
all assurance let us partake as of the body and blood of Christ.
For under the type of bread, his body is given unto thee; and
under the TYPE of wine, his blood is given unto thee; that so
thou mayest partake of the body and blood of Christ, being one
body and one blood with him."
"Jerome informs us that Christ 'did not offer water, but
wine as a TYPE of his blood.'*"'
" Ambrose declares, 'Make this ascribed oblation reasonable
and acceptable, which is the figure of the body and blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ.' t t
" Having adduced the preceding quotations from the Fathers,
the number of whieh might be extended con iderably, ufficient
• Chrysost. Oper., tom. Id., p. ~44. t Ignat. ad Trail. Eplst., sect, viiI.
*- Ieeneus ad. lJrere&, lib. Iv., cap. xxx'v.
I Tutul. Opera., lib. tv .• p. 297. I E110 b. Oper. lib. db., cop. L, p, SSO.
., Cyril 01) r . Cat. x:xU., Sect. Jit •• Itteren. Opera. ad. dovtn.
tt Ambro .. Opera., tom. Il., II a l'll. hb lv" p.6.
127
 POPERY DELINEATED.

has been given to show that transubstantiation was not a doc-

trine of the early Church."
In concluding this chapter, we will refer very briefly to the
rise, progress, and establishment of this sense-less doctrine.
That the ancient Fathers did not believe this transubstanti-
ated nonsense, we have in a few short extracts proved. But
then it is certain that they often used expressions which were
easily accommodated to favour the dogma in after times. Al-
though they were as far from receiving the doctrine as ever
a Protestant was; yet, by their surcharged rhetoric, they
doubtless paved the way for the over-indulged imaginings of
subsequent writers. The Fathers of the first five or six cen-
turies, frequently wrote, and in strong terms, on the change
that took place in the consecrated bread, but it was a moral
change to which they referred, the bread and wine being sepa-
rated from a common to a sacred use.
" 'So far as I can understand Gregory, whose language
perfectly accords with that of Cyril and Irenreus, and the an-
cient author of the Homily in Jerome, he seems to have ac-
knowledged no change in the bread and wine by virtue of con-
secration, save such a change as that whichis wrought in a lay-
man when, by viritue of consecration, he becomes a priest.
Now, the only change in the layman, as indeed Gregory most
carefully informs us, is a MORAL change. Therefore, the only
change in the bread and wine, to which this change in the
layman is expressly compared, must clearly be a MORAL change
also. No person, who held the doctrine of a PHYSICAL change
in the elements, could possibly compare that PHYSICAL change
to a variety of other changes everyone of which is purely
MORAL. Hence it is evident that the primitive Church ac-
knowledged only a MORAL change in the elements; and, hence,
nothing can be more nugatory than the conduct of the Roman
controversialists, who perpetually quote the Fathers as speak-
ing of a PHYSICAL change, when they most indubitably speak
only of a moral change.' " '*
"The doctrine of tran ubstantiation seems to have origi-
nated in the here y of Eutychos, who believed that in Chri t
there was but one nature-namely, that of the incarnate
word; and that the humllll nature was changed into the 8ub-

k I., h Po Iv., PI'- 70 72.

 POPERY DELINEATED.

stance of the divine nature. This heresy was refuted by

Theodoret and Pope Galasius in the fifth century, and by
Ephrem of Antioch in the sixth." It was easy to step from
this heresy to that of transubstantiation. That the doctrine
was not received in the beginning of the eight century is clear
from the decree of "The seventh general council, held in
Constantinople in the year 754, which maintained that Christ
• chose no other type or shape under heaven by which to reo
present his incarnation but the sacrament, which he delivered
to his ministers for a type and effectual commemoration, com-
manding the substance of bread to be offered, which did not in
any way resemble the form of maA,that no occasionmight be
given for bringing in idola't'ry.''' But that it was rapidly
spreading in this century is fully established by the following
extract from the decrees of "the second council of Nice, held
in 787, which ordered that the sacrament is not the image of
Christ's body and blood, but properly his body and blood."
This was an important step towards its ultimate and universal
establishment, and was" introduced to support imageworship."
Nothing decisive, however, had taken place, as to the" man-
ner in which the body and blood of Christ were present in the
sacrament;" so that, in the ninth century, a warm contest was
carried on. But they don't seem as yet to have had an idea
of the soul and divinity of Christ being present, it was only
his body and blood. It was in the ninth century, that a
treatise was put forth by Pasehasius, a benedictine monk, in
favour of the latter view, and which was refuted by Bertram
and Scotus, at the request of Charles the Bald. Several others
also entered the lists against the monk. "Scotus maintained
uniformly that the bread and wine were the signs and syil'"
bols of the absent body and blood of the Saviour." The
Archbishop of Mentz, in the year 847, speaks as follows:-
" • Some persons, of late, not entertaining a sound opinion re-
specting the sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord,
have actually ventured to declare that this is the identical body
and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; the identical body, to
wit, which was born of the Virgin Mary, in which Chri t suf-
fered on the cross, lind in which he rose from the dead. This
error we have opposed with all our might. ,.* A very natural

• italian. Maur. Eplet. ad. Berlbald., XX h.

129
 POPERYDELINEATED.

question rose out of this doctrine in this century-namely, What

became of the body and blood of Christ which was eaten in the
sacrament? Were they subject to the same natural laws as
common food? Some asserted that they were not under the
same laws, as they pass into our flesh and substance without any
evacuation. Others affirmed to the contrary :-that part of
the body and blood of Christ, at least, would share the fate of
other food. The soul and divinity of their God will doubtless
escape! This is the doctrine of STERCORIANISM.
During the tenth century, according to Mosheim, the contests
concerning the eucharist were" happily reduced to silence." In
the midst of this silence, however, the heresy gathered ground,
and continued to "advance until the doctrine became an article
of faith."
In the eleventh century it may be said to have been the
opinion of the Church, although in a crude and undecided form
as to the nature and manner of Christ's presence. This may be
considered as clear from the fact, that Berenger, Archbishop of
Anp;iers, was condemned for heresy by several councils, because
he openly opposed transubstantiation. But as an opinion, it
was not universal, nor did those who received it understand it.
It was advanced to something like maturity in the thirteenth
century, by Pope Innocent III. But it seems to be considered,
even by Romanists themselves, as the decree of the Pope, rather
than the council.* " It is certain," says Du PiD, "that these
canons were not made by the council, but by Innocent IlL, who
presented them to the council ready drawn up, and ordered them
to be read; and that the prelates did not enter into any debate
upon them, but that their silence was taken for an approbation."
'Ve may therefore conclude, that it was a disputed doctrine
even in the thirteenth century, and among the prelates them-
selves. The authorities of Rome seem to have considered the
silen:t.assent of the Latern council insufficient; inasmuch as it
was again brought forward and determined by a conclave of
bishops in Rome, thirty-six years afterwards. As a matter of
faith, therefore, it was not finally and authoritatively esta-
blished till the year 1551, by the council of Trent. " Breerly,
whose opinion was of great credit with the Romanists in Eng-

• Connell of Lateran, held 12H>, at which there were present. 412 bLtbop ,
about lOabbots and prior. b Id. a large number of deput! .
130
 POPERY DELINEATED.

land, says, 'complete transubstantiation' (that is, both for form

lindmatter) , 'was not determined until the last council of
Trent, in the year 1560: " Thus we have seen, that it took
at least five hundred years to persuade the world to renounce
their reason lind their senses. This doctrine has been the cause
of more martyrdoms than all the rest of the foolery they teach.
The great point in question was, transubstantiation. Because
men would not disbelieve their senses, their joints were dislo-
cated by the rack, and their bodiesburnt to ashes.
"Finally, 'The direct tendency of the doctrine of transub-
stantiation is to forward a design which is too obvious to be
mistaken, and which seems to be inherent in all the main prin-
ciples of the Popish Church-the exaltation of the priesthood.
It is easy to anticipate with what veneration those must be re-
garded, * whom it is believed God employs as the instruments
of accomplishing,whenever they choose,one of the most awful
and stupendons miracles. We do not say that we have in this
the real origin of the dogma; but no one can deny that such a
dogma is calculated to become an engine of tremendous power
in the hands of an ambitious order of men. And can the fact
be concealedthat such it has actually been? Nay, it admits of
no question, as a matter of history, that the dogma has been
prostituted to worse than the purposes of ambition, and of
worldly power; that it has been a tool in the hands of the
grasping and avaricious; and that the very mystery of the In-
carnation, and the very Passion of the Redeemer, have been
bought and sold for money.
" It has been said that Christianity needs some snch dogma
as this to form a cope-stone of glory to the system, and to con-
nect and to unify us with God. It is this dogma which won-
derously renews that intercourse between the Creator and his
creatures, which had been broken up by sin, and which incor-
porates us with God. And it may be granted, that, upon the
supposition, Roman Catholics do indeed incO'Iporate themselves
with God, and that they do accomplish a union with God, but

• One of tbe new priests ordain d by f.t Francis de 8.uc ,often

U aw hi
uardian angel. On commg to the d or of the churc ! P ed t when asked
wby he did t be replt ~ Ingenuously, that he l\i ccu tomed to see hi guar-
dianaD 1 walk befor hun, but at that moment thlsI)rin of heaven had It( d
add. IJV,t qf res ,.t to hi' hor ct. d had IIi.... 1. .1Ii< .' "-Prj t •
W_.ana fam/l.s, Part II•• p•• 6.
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

it is of a grOSil and material kind. It is not a harmony between

the views and affections of their minds, and the will and the
heart of Christ. Such a union we do not desire; and the very
idea we hold to be not only absurd, but awfully blasphemous.
But there is a glorious spiritual union between Christ in heaven
and his people on earth, compared with which the mere animal
incOTporation of Roman Catholics is ineffably disgusting.
There is a union of affectionand will-an ardent love to Christ
on the one hand, and a delightful sense of his love to us on the
other-an intimate and endearing fellowship with him in the
exercise of religious affectionsby us, and in the communications
of the tokens and expressions of love by him! There is such
a union and fellowship which is not only permitted, but which
it is the very desire of Christ to establish. • Behold, I stand
at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I WILL COME INTO HIM, Al'D SUP WITH HIM, AND HE WITH
.ME.' "

12
 POP.ERY
D.ELINEATED.

CHAP. VI.-CONFESSION.

aURICULAR CONF.EsSION.-The word auricular, refers to

the ear-inhaling or receiving sound. And the confession of
sin, in the Romish Church, is called auricular confession, be-
cause it is whispered in the Priest's ear.
" By confession they mean, not a confession to God nor to an
injured person, nor confession to the Church in cases of public
offence or scandal; but private confession to a priest.
The penitent is bound to confess all his sins, especially mortal
sins, as they are called, as far as ho can remember them, to-
gether with all the circumstances connected therewith." This
confession is then a necessary part of repentance, and indispen-
sable to pardon and salvation. But on this subject as well as
others, we shall allow their own authorities to speak. The fol-
lowing is an extract from the decrees of the Council of Lateran :
-" That every man and woman, after they come to years of
discretion, should privately confess their sins to their own
priest, at least once a year, and endeavour faithfully to perform
the penance enjoined on them; and after this they should come
to the sacrament at least at Easter, unless the Priest, for some
reasonable cause, judges it fit for them to abstain at that time.
And whoever does not perform this is to be excommunicated
from the Church; and if he die, he is not to be allowed Chris-
tian burial."*
The following canons are from the decrees of the Council of
Trent:-
" Canon 6. Whosoever shall deny that sacramental confes-
sion was instituted by divine command, or that it is necessary to
salvation; or shall affirm that the practice of secretly confessing
to the Priest alone, as it has been ever observed from the be-
ginning by the Catholic Church, and is still observed, is foreign
to the institution and command of Christ, and is a human in-
Tention; ot him be accursed.

• Cone. Labb, tom. xt., PIU'8I., Con Lat.lv., .1,,,,",1, nJ. pp. lr' 17:1.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

" Oanon 7. Whoever shall affirm that, in order to obtain for-

giveness of sins in the sacrament of penance, it is not by divine
commandnecessary to confessall and every mortal sin which occurs
to the memory after due and diligent premeditation-including
secret o.tfences, and those which have been committed against
the two last precepts of the decalogue, and those circumstances
which change the species of sin; but that such confessionis only
useful for the instruction and consolation of the penitent, and
was formerly observed merely as a canonical satisfaction im-
posed upon him; or shall affirm that those who labour to con-
fess all their sins wish to leave nothing to be pardoned by the
divine mercy; or, finally, that it is not lawful to confess venial
sins; let him be accursed.
"Canon 8. Whoever shall affirmthat the confession of every
sin, according to the custom of the Church, is impossible, and
merely a human tradition, which the pious should reject; or that
all Christians of both sexes are not bound to observe the same
once a year, according to the constitution of the great Council
of Lateran; and, therefore, that the faithful in Christ are to be
persuaded not to confess in Lent; let him be accursed."*
" From the Catechism of the Council of Trent, we take the
following :-' Mortal sins, as we have already said, although
buried in the darkest secrecy, and also sins of desire only, such
as are forbidden by the ninth and tenth commandments, are all
and each of them to be made matter of confession.'... ' With
the bare enumeration of our mortal sins we should not be satis-
fied; that enumeration we should accompany with the relation
of such circumstancesas considerably aggravate or extenuate their
malice: ' Some circumstancesare such as of themselves to con-
stitute mortal guilt; on no accountor occasionwhatever, therefore,
are such circumstances to be omitted. Has anyone imbrued his
hands in the blood of his fellow-man? he must state whether his
victim was a layman or an ecclesiastic. Has he had criminal
intercourse with anyone 1 he must state whether the female
was married or unmarried, a relative, or a person consecrated to
God by vow. The e are circumstances which alter the species of
the sins; the first is called' adultery;' the second' simple forni-
eation ;' tlie third 'incest,' and the fourth 'sacrilege.' Again,
Theft is numbered in the catalogue of sins, but if a person has

134
 POPERY DELINEATED.

stolen a p;uinea,his sin is less grievous than if he had stolen one

or two hundred guineas, or a considerable sum; and if the
stolen money were sacred, the sin would be still aggravated.
To time and place the same observation equally applies; but
the instances in which these circumstancesalter the complexion
of an act are so familiar, and are enumerated by so many
writers. as to supersede the necessity of a lengthened detail.
Circumstancessuch as these are, therefore, to be mentioned; but
those which do not considerably aggravate may be lawfully
omitted.' After censuring those who justify or extenuate their
sins, the Catechism declares: 'Still more pernicious is the con-
duct of those who, yielding to a foolish bashfulness, cannot in-
duce themselves to confesstheir sins. Such persons are to be
encouraged by exhortation, and to be reminded that there is no
reason whatever why they should yield to suchfalse delicacy;
that to no one can it appear surprising if persons fall into
.qin, the common malady of the human race, and the natwral
appendage of human infirmity.'* If this quotation be not an
apology for the commissionof sin, and also for the repetition
thereof, it will be difficult to say what an apology for sin is."
" But you tremble! you dare not tell this terrible God your
weaknesses and your backslidings. Well, well! tell them. to
your father ; a father has surely a right to know the secrets of
his child, for he is an indulgent parent who wishes to know
them only that he may absolve them. He is a sinner like
yourself, and has therefore no right to be severe. Come, my
child, fear not to speak out. What you have not dared to
1vhisper in your mother's ears, INTRUST TO ME; who will ever
know it?
" Then it is, in the midst of sighs, from the heaving, palpi-
tating breast, the fatal word rises to the lips; it has escaped
her, and she hides her face. Oh! he who heard it has gained
a great advantage, and will maintain it. God grant he may
not abuse it ! Yet it is said, mind you, not to the 1/'oQd,the
black oak of the old confessional, but to a man of flesh and
blood.
" And this man now knows of this woman more than even
her husband. in their long intercour e by day and by night;
more than her mother, who imagines that she can read her

• Catech. of the UD of Trent, pp. 'l17, 'll .283,2 t. 135

 POPERY DELINEATED.

whole heart, because she has nursed her so often naked on her
lap in the days of her infaney.?"
But few among Protestants have any thing like a correct
idea of the extreme filthiness of the Popish confessional. I
am persuaded that it is totally unknown to most of those who
go over to Romanism, especially females. They are attracted
by the embellishments of Popery, but to its deep iniquity they
are strangers.
" And this young priest, who infers from what you have
taught him, that the world is in the same frightful state of
demoralization-="who comes to the confessional with all this
disgusting information, his imagination crowded with mon-
strous cases-you intrust him, 0 imprudent man, (or what
shall I call you 1) with the care of your child, who has never
left her mother, who knows nothing-has nothing to say,
whose greatest crime is, that she has badly learned her cate-
chism, or wounded a butterfly.
" I shudder at the cross-questioning she will have to un-
dergo-at all that she will learn from the fellow's conscienti-
ous brutality. But in vain he questions her-she knows no-
thing, she says nothing. He scolds her, and she weeps. Her
tears will soon dry up, but she will con overevery word he has
said for a long while to come."t But we must not anticipate.
To understand the system, we must make other quotations.
The following extracts are taken from the" Garden of the
Soul."
" INSTRUCTIONS AND DEVOTlONS FOR CONFESSION.
" In order to prepare yourself to make a good confession,
endeavour, in the first place, to recommend the matter ear-
nestly to God; and, for some days beforehand, frequently and
fervently beg his Divine grace and assistance, and this more
especially, if you have for a long time lived in a habit of sin.
in which case it is most proper to prepare yourself by a spi-
ritual retreat of some days, during which time you may seri-
ously enter into yourself, and perform the ten meditations
which we have transcribed above from St Francis de Sales, or
such like devotions, by which you may be suffioiently disposed
for so great a work, which otherwise, it is to be feared, must
be ill done, by being done too hastily .

• Prfests, Women, &0. I'ut ll., p. 47. ; Ibid, p. 64.

136
 POPERY DELINEATED.

"Examine your conscience with care and diligence, yet

without too much anxiety and scrupulosity. Consult the table
of sins to help your memory; and reflect in particular on the
evil inclinations you are most subject to, on the places and
companies you have been in, on your usual employments, on
the duties of your calling, and how you havs discharged them,
&c., and in every sin, whether of commission or omission,
strive to call to your remembrance the number of times you
have been guilty.
" When you have duly examined your conscience,do not
think this is all you have to do in order to be rightly prepar-
ed for confession. The greatest part of the work remains still
to be done; and that is, to take proper time and care to pro-
cure a hearty sorrow and detestation of all your sins, by which
you have offended so good a Goa, with a full determination,
with the grace of God, to avoid the like sins for the future,
and to lly the occasionsthat usually bring you to sin, and to
take proper measures to begin a new life.
" In order to obtain this hearty sorrow for your sins, and
this firm purpose of amendment, you must carefully beg it of
God, whose gift it is; and you must make use of such prayers,
considerations, and meditations as may be most proper to
move you to it. Particularly reflect on the four last things,
on the enormity of sin, on the goodness of God and his bene-
fits to you, on the death and passion of Christ, &c., and when
you have obtained this hearty sorrow and resolution, then you
may hope that you are sufficiently prepared for confession,and
not till then.
" If you have any thing upon your conscience,which you
have a particular difficultyof confessing,ceasenot with prayers
and tears to importune your heavenly father to assist you in
this regard, till he gives you the grace to overcome that diffi-
culty; and be sure never to go to confessionwith a design of
telling a lie to the Holy Ghost. Ah! what a comfort it will
be to you to ease your conscience of its load, and what a rack
and torture sacrilegiously to conceal it !
" Let your confession be humble, without seeking excuses
for your sins, or flinging the fault on others; let it be entire
as to the kind and number of your sins, and such circumstan-
ces as quite change the nature of your sins, or notoriously ag-
137
 l'Ol'ERY DELINEATED,

gravate it. Be modest in your expressions, and take care not

to name any third person.?"
With these instructions, used for a right purpose, we should
not have much fault to find. It is their design we deprecate;
and which renders some parts of them absurd. "Telling a
lie to the Holy Ghost!" And who is the Holy Ghost, to
whom they would tell the lie, but the ghostly priest before
whom they kneel '€ If these instructions were given for the
purpose of humbling ourselves before Almighty God, they
might be used with some benefit. But what is the purpose
for which they are recommended 1 Why, that every female
should, " with prayers and tears, importune her heavenly Fa-
ther," that he would enable her to overcome and trample upon
her natural modesty-called by Romanists, false delicacy-
which HE has planted in her, as the guardian of her virtue,
and the glory of her sex. To enable her, without a blush, to
tell to her priest those thoughts and feelings which she would
have kept for ever from her own mother. For this they are
to pray, and importune God!
And lest the penitent should not have confessed with suffi-
cient accuracy and minuteness all their sins and circumstances,
their ghostly father is furnished with a string of questions for
the purpose of wringing from jhem all that is in their hearts.
The following are from the list on the Ten Commandments :-
" HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER."
" Have you been wanting in your duty to your parents, by
not loving them, or not showing them due respect, or by dis-
obeying them; and was it in any matter of moment? Or
have you been disobedient to any other lawful superiors?
How often?
" Have you desired your parents' death, or cursed them, or
given them injurious language, or lifted up your hand against
them, or threatened them, or provoked them to swear, or other-
wise to offend God, or caused them any considerable trouble
or uneasiness? How often?
" Have you stolen from your parents, or otherwise wronged
them; or squandered away tbelr substance? How often?
" Have you neglected to succour your parents, in their ne-
cessities, either corporal or spiritual?

• Garden or Ihe Soul, pp, 200, 201,

138
 POPERY DELINEATED.

" If God has blessed you with children, have you been neg-
ligent in procuring that they should be speedily baptized, or
that they should be timely instructed in their prayers, and the
Christian doctrines? Or have you been wanting in giving
them early impressions of the fear and love of God; or in
taking care of their discharging their duty with regard to the
sacraments?
" Have you neglected to correct them; or been excessive
in your correction ?
" Have you neglected to remove from them the occasions of
sin, such as wicked companions, bad books, romances, &c., or
suffered them to lie in the same bed with one another, with
danger of their chastity?
" Have you flattered them in their passions, or indulged
them in their evil inclinations?
" Have you given them bad example? How often, and in
what kind 1"
" THOU SHALT NOT KILL."
" Have you desired anyone's death through hatred or ma-
lice, or for your temporal interest? How often? Have you
revenged yourself of anyone by word or action; or desired
revenge, or taken pleasure in the thoughts of it ? How often?
" Have you provoked, challenged, or struck others; or been
guilty of quarrelling or fighting with them? How often?
And what mischief have you done them?
" Have you borne malice to others, or refused to be recon-
ciled to them? For how long a time? And what sort of evil
had you in your heart against them?
" Have you procured, or thought to procure, a miscarriage;
or given any counsel, aid, or assistance thereunto? How
often 1
"Have you done any thing to shorten your own or any
other's life, or to hasten death; or rashly exposed yourself or
others to danger ? How often?
" Have you desired your own death, through passion or im-
patience, or entertained any thoughts of making away with
yourself, or attempted or designed any such thing? How
often?
" Have you neglected to give alms according to your con-
dition or ability, or to reclaim sinners when it lay in your
power? How often?
139
 POPERY DELINEATED.

" Have you been guilty of any spiritual murder, by draw-

ing others into mortal sin? Or have you been accessary to
the sins of others, by counselor command, or any other way ~
How often, and what sins?
" Have you given scandal, or occasionof sin to others, by
lewd or irreligious discourse; by drunkenness or swearing;
by immodesty of dress or behaviour, &c.1 Where note, that
the circumstance of scandal is generally found in all sins that
are known to others, by reason of the force of ill example,
which encourages others to sin.
" Have you committed any thing that you judged or doubt-
ed to be a mortal sin, though perhaps it was not so 1 How
often? Or have you exposed yourself to the evident danger
of mortal sin 1 How often, and of what sin 1""
However innocent in themselves some of the foregoing
questions may be considered, what business has any man to
take upon himself to ask them? If he be justified on pru-
dential grounds, and it be admitted that the result will be be-
neficial, is he justified in enforcing obedience,on pain of dam-
nation? That the above system of scrutiny is abundantly
fitted to fish out all the secrets of a family, cannot be denied.
Into the Seventh Commandment-their ,sixth-I dare not
follow them; beginning with, "Have you been guilty of for-
nication or adultery," &c. "Their publication, by Bishop
Chaloner, gives fearful indication what a cage of unclean
thoughts his heart must have been, when such sentiments were
indited and circulated among a people professing to be the
followers of Christ, and the members of a pure and holy
Church. Nevertheless, the obscure pages of Dr Chaloner are
purity unsullied when compared to those of Peter Dens.t We

• Garden of the Soul, pp. 208, 209.

t The Romish priests of Dundee are anxious to have it known that they can
3ay their prayers in Latin. O! who can calculate the benefit derived by their
people, from a course so wise and prudent! Paul! Paul! badst thou known
the advantage of praying in Latin when before a Jewish or Grecian audience,
who would not have tlllckrltood a tc01'd of it. we should never have heard anything
about interpreterl, that the Church may r,ee'ive edifying; nor yei about pipe" and
harps, and tnmapetl, giving an 'Uncertain loulIa-Ipeakin(l into the air-wing a
barbarian--rather lpeak flee 10ord. with mv 'Ulldtrltandill!lJ that by my eoice I
might UJlch olh'71 auo, than ten tho'"and wordl in an un1cnOtOIl tongue-II Cor.
xlv. 5,7,8,11, 19-and such nonsense. Ah! hadst thou known-but thou
<lldst not, and therefore It Is of no use speaking of it. Intellect hall made ames-
ing advances atnce the days of Paul. we have now learntthBt we shall be both
'W'reraod b(tler, the more we hear, and the It II tee und rttaml. Jlut I must
_ my fond regret. of Paul'. Ignorance. W11St I want Is, tbat the prJ .. t. of
140
 POPERY DELINEATED.

cannot enter the confessional with him as our guide. The

instructions with which he furnishes the priests, treat of sub-
jects which we dare not name. How agonizing must be the
feelings of the husband, or father, when hearing those prin-
ciples of polluting obscenity with which the mind of the priest
is replete, for the examination of his wife and daughters in
the dark and secret confessional, when the poor, unprotected
female, bound under terror, and constrained of necessity to
eternal silence, can have no refuge or escape, no husband or
father at hand to hear and drag from his den the monster
who, under the cloak of religion, can put every feeling of the
heart upon the rack, and, in proportion to her delicacy, her
sensibility, her reverence for what she unhappily believes to
be an ordinance of God, instead of an invention of Satanic
guilt and tyranny, can bow her spirit into his power, humble
her into the very dust beneath his feet, if she is virtuous; or
drag her, if it be possible, and he be so inclined, into the paths
of profligate seduction ! No Popish priest can translate cer
tain portions of the instructions for the confessional, then look
a Roman Catbolic husband or fatber in tbe face, and tell him
of the purity and divinity of the auricular service, wben he
sees tbe questions wbicb the priest dares to put to bis wife or
daughter, but whicb she is compelled to bury within that
bosom wbicb has been so cruelly wrung and tortured during
tbe diabolical investigation. Let any parent become ac-
quainted with the unpronouncable abominations of Dens'
Theology on this topic, and he would with pleasure exchange
the horrors of the confessional for the persecutions of heresy,
and prefer tbe stake for his wife or daughter to the racks of
that moral inquisition to which she is tbere compelled to sub-
mit. No mother who regards her offspring with a parent's

Dundee-efor that they can say their prayers in Latin, all ~'"DOW who have heard
them-would give a plain English translation of the following, from lJens'
Theology, tom. vii, pp. 149,150, and allow it to be read by the husbands and
brothers of their congregation :_U An aliquando interrognndi Bunt conjugati in
confessione circa negationem debiti ?
U R. Affirmative: presertim mulieres, que ex ignorantia vel prz pudore
peceatum iJ;tud quandoque reticent: verum nOD ex ab ubrnptc, Std p~denter
est Interrogntio Instttuenda v, g. An eum marito mate stnt, que hUJUSD)()di
ri.urum eausa : nwn propter talem occaslonem maritJs debitum ne-garint! quod
tJi deliqueese futenutur, caste Interrogar! dcbeDt, an nibil secutuui fuent COl:,·
tinentim conjugall contrnrtum, v, g. poUutio," &c.
when tlley have tro.nslated the ubove, 1 can gtve them some more from the
sable impure fountain, but fifty tiro .. more ob ""J!Oand diJlguting. 141
 POPERY DELINEATED.

love could undertake to prepare her child to answer the in-

fernal catechism which is thrown open to the tyranny, the
licentiousness, or the curiosity of the priest in the confessional
of Dens'Theology. No husband that was not the betrayer
instead of the guardian of his wife, could whisper in her ear
what she is compelled to listen to in the dark demonical con-
fessional of Dens' Theology. If that bond of Satanic secrecy
which they call the seal, and which is their principle engine
for extorting the thoughts of the heart, were to be broken, no
female could ever dare to utter to sister, mother, husband, or
any human ear, what she has been forced to hear and speak
when stretched on the rack of the confessional of Dens' Theo-
logy. No man of commonintellect could dive into the secrets
of this prison house, could read the iniquity of that confes-
sional, and doubt for a moment the awful state of bondage and
horrible subjection into which it must subdue the female mind;
and in proportion to the virtue, the delicacy, religious feelings
of that mind, so must be the aggravated awe with which it
contemplates a power that has burst all the barriers with
which heaven has encompassed it, broken into all its inmost
thoughts, and which it has blindly learnt to consider as the
power of God.
"Printed books have been quoted, but," says the Professor
of History in the College de France, "no one has brought to
light the manuscripts whieh complete the education of the
young seminarist during the last two years of his studies;
these manuscript books contain things which the boldest have
never dared to publish."*
The followingquotation will fully provethe immoral tendency
of auricular confession:-
" , The unmeasured immorality of the Spanish clergy appears
in the history of sacerdotal and monkish solicitation in that
kingdom. These solicitants were Spanish monks and priests,
who, abusing the privacy ot sacramental confession, tempted
women, married and unmarried, to a violation of chastity, and,
in the language of Pope Gregory, administered poison instead
of medicine. This kind of solicitation became so prevalent as
to demand pontifical interposition. In Spain, the bull of Pope
Paul IV. against solicitants was promulgated, in which the

142
 POPERY DELINEATED.

following language is used to describe the evil which rendered

such interference necessary; 'Whereas certain ecclesiastics,in
the kingdom of Spain, and in the cities and dioceses thereof,
having the cure of souls, or exercising such cure for others,
or otherwise deputed to hear the confessions of penitents, have
broken out into such heinous acts of iniquity, as to abuse the
sacrament of penance in the very act of hearing the confes-
sions, not fearing to injure the same sacrament, and him who
instituted it, our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, by en-
ticing and provoking, or trying to entice and provoke females
to lewd actions, at the very time when they were making their
confessions.' When this bull was first introduced into Spain,
the inquisitors published It solemn edict in all the churches
belonging to the Archbishoprick of Seville, that any person
knowing, or having heard of any friar or clergyman having
committed the crime of abusing the sacrament of confession,
or in any manner having improperly conducted himself dur-
ing the confession of a female penitent, should make It dis-
covery of what he knew within thirty days to the holy tribu-
nal; and very heavy censures were attached to those who
should neglect or despise this injunction. When this edict
was first published, such a considerable number of females
went to the palace of the inquisitor only in the city of Seville
to reveal the conduct of their infamous confessors, that twenty
notaries and as many inquisitors were appointed to minute
down their several informations against them; but these being
found insufficient to receive the depositions of so many wit-
nesses, and the inquisitors being thus overwhelmed, as it were,
with the .pressure of such affairs, thirty days more were al-
lowed for taking the accusations; and this lapse of time also
proving inadequate to the intended purpose, a similar period
was granted, not only for a third, but a fourth time. The
ladies of rank, character, and noble families, had It difficult
part to act on this occasion, as theirdiecoveries could not be
made of any particular time and place. On one side, religi-
ous fear of incurring the threatened censures goaded their con-
sciences so much as to compel them to make the required ac-
cusations; on the other side, It regard to their husbands, to
whom they justly feared to give offence, by affording them
any motives for suspecting their private conduct, induced them
to keep at home. To obviate these difficulties, they had re-
143
 POPERY DELINEATED.

course to the measure of covering their faces with a veil, ac-

cording to the fashion of Spain, and thus went to the inquiai-
torsin the most secret manner they could adopt. Yery few, how-
ever, escaped the vigilance of their husbands, who, on being
informed of the discoveries and accusations made by their
wives, were filled with suspicions. Notwithstanding this ac-
cumulation of proof against the confessors, produced to the
inquisitors, this holy tribunal, contrary to the expectations of
everyone, put an end to the business, by ordering that all
crimes of this nature, proved by lawful evidence, should from
henceforth be consigned to perpetual silence and oblivion.' ..
The above disgusting account of the impiety of the holy
Fathers in the Spanish dominions, may be taken for a fair
specimen of the piety of other countries. It was equally true
of Portugal, and very little, if any better, in England, France,
and Germany. That things have not much changed in Popish
countries, the following extract from the first letter sent by
the Rev. Roderic Rider to Bishop French, dated Dublin 27th
Dec., 1845, will afford ample proof, "Xow, regarding your
practice of aunculmr confession, I shall merely state facts,
which I know by eleven years' experience. All your theologians
admit that it is not of Divine institution, or in other words,
that it was invented by man. That is one fact. The second
is, that I know it to be conducive to the most debasing system
of debauchery and licentiousness. I know that questions are
asked and answered in the confessional of a character revolt-
ing to a pure and virtuous female. * * * *
* * This is putting the case in the most favourable light.
Were it lawful for me, or edifying to the public, to publish
what I know, I could give time, and place, and date, for facts
that would rouse the Roman Catholics of this country from
their present degradation, and make them join heart and soul
with the Roman Catholics of Germany, and the United States
of America, to shake off for ever the ignominious yoke of
papal tyranny , but, as I have to do with the doctrine of your
church, and not with the morals of her ministers, I shall leave
them in oblivion. I do not blame either the priests or the
penitents, but I blame the system; it is unscriptural in theory,
and immoral in its tendency.
,. Hence tho general outcry against tho immorality of priests.
I could not sit for one-half hour in the house of an intelligent
1'4
 POPERY DELINEATED.

intelligent Roman Catholic, that the conduct of Father Tim,

Father Tom, Father Mick, would not be brought on the tapis.
Some late exposure, some new tour du lit gauchement arran-
gee would be the subject. While, on the other hand, if you
enter into conversationwith these holy Fathers, their conversa-
tion will be about their bishop and his private concerns; but
every good Catholic knows that to be calumny. He knowsthat
St Paul tells every bishop to be the husband of one wife, and
that wife is the Church, a very respectable old lady, of W1l-
blemished character, whom the bishop calls his holy mother.
So that she is his wife and mother at the same time; but the
Pope gives a dispensation. Now these maligners would wishto
insinuate that this pious old lady is somehow,too, immaterial;
but that is calumny.
"Be that as it may, one thing is certain, that the outcry
against the clergy is universal-and I believe that three-fourths
of the complamts have their origin in the confessional. The
priest has a species of access to females which no other man
can have; he is held in a certain degree of respect in which no
other man is held; he is believed to have the power of forgiv-
ing whatever sins he may commit,'" which no other man has.
All these privileges are dangerous in the hands of a man who
may be inclined to avail himself of them. The scandal that
follow, the disgrace of a whole family, the respect entertained
for the priest, and sometimes the attachment of the victim to
the culprit, are powerful preventatives against exposure. If the
victim move in humble life, she is generally shipped off to
America, or married to som~se'rvant or needy relat·ive, who is
always ready at hand. I knew three poor girls who were ship-
ped off last-season by one man under such circumstances. The
people are beginning to open their eyes, yet they do not know
the one-tenth of what passes, but they see enough: They see
the description of servants that some of their priests keep; the
intimacies they form with pious old maids of equivocalcharac-
ter-the dissipated manners which they betray, and the rakish
tours they take occasionally,and they would be blind as bats not
to see these. I admit there are a few of them who have es-
caped the general contagion, but they are few indeed; they form
the exception and not the rule." "I defy you

*It 18VOXlconvenIent Ie have the power of forglvl.Dg lou ""''' '/11'.

K f~
 POPERY DELINEATED.

or any other man to deny or disprove one iota of what I have

advanced."
" The ministers of the Virgin were seen in public playing at
games of chance, which they seasoned with mockery and blas-
phemy. They fought in the churches; disguised as soldiers,
they descendedby night the Cathedral hill, and roaming through
the streets, sword in hand, and in liquor, surprised, wounded.
and sometimes even killed the worthy citizens; they debauched
married women, seduced young girls, changed their residences
into houses of ill-fame, and heartlessly turned out their young
children to beg their bread.":"
We will 11ow consider the argument on which they rest this
monstt'ous abomination, and by which they justify this frag-
rant and .filthy evil.
And, as usual, they find it clearly laid down in the sacred
Scri ptures,
" The principal passage, and that on which they chiefly rely,
is the following :-' Confessyour faults one to another, and pray
one for another.' (James v. 16.) The plain import of this
passage undoubtedly is, that all Christians should mutually con-
fess their faults to one another." But that this supports Popish
confession, we deny-for "(1.) It does not say, 'Confess your
faults to the elders,' but' to one anothG.' (2.) Therefore,' It
requires the priest to confess to the people, as much as the peo-
ple to the priest.' (3.) In it there is no mention made of ab-
solution by a priest, or by any other individual. For these
reasons auricular confessionto a priest derives no support from
it." Then, again, James requires them to "pray one for an-
other," that they may be healed or forgiven-a practice which,
I fear, has long been out of date in the Popish ,Church.
" This is a. good general direction to Christians who endeav-
our to maintain among themselves the communion of saints.
This social confession tends much to humble the soul, and to
make it watchful. ltVe naturally wish that onr friends in gene-
ral, and our religious friends in particular, should think well of
us; and when we confess to them offenceswhich, without this
confession, they could never have known, we feel humbled, are
kept from self-applause, and induced to watch unto prayer, that
we may not increase our offencesbefore God, or be obliged an)'

.. D'Aubi,ne' Reform.tion, Tol.iv., I'. ali2.

146
 POPERY DELINEATED.

more to undergo the painful humiliation of acknowledgingour

weakness, fickleness, or infidelity to onr religious brethren. "*
.. The confession of the Jews, on the occasionof John the Bap-
tist's preaching, though occasionallyquotedfor the purpose, does
not establish the practice. Their confessionwas widely diffe-
rent from that practised by the Church of Rome. It was an ac-
knowledgment of sins, not to John, but to God; it was not a
partioulas: but a general confession, which was frequent in the
Old Testament, and similar to that which the High Priest made
on the day of 'atonement of all the iniquities of the children of
Israel;' it was not required by the Baptist, but one voluntarily
made by themselves; in all these circumstances, therefore, it
differs widely from the auricular confessiou inculcated by the
Popish hierarchy. In a word, the Romanists can-
not produce one text of Scripture wherein auricular sacramental
confession of sins to a priest is recommended,either by our Lord
or his Apostles; or wherein it does appear that it was prac-
tised by any Christian, either of the clergy or laity, in any in-
stance, or one text in which it is so much as mentioned. There-
fore, to impose private confession, as a necessary condition of
repentance, on the Christian world, under pain of damnation, is
a most unwarrantable assumption of priestly influence and spi-
ritual authority."
While the Scriptures $ay nothing in favour of auricular
confession; they say much against it.
" According to the sacred writings, we find that the confes-
sion which the penitent sinner makes to God alone has the pro-
mise of forgiveness annexed to it, which no priest on earth has
power to render void. 'I acknowledged my sins unto THEE, and
mine iniquity have I not hid; I said I will confess my trans-
gressions unto THE LORD; and THOU forgavest the iniquity
of my sin.' (Psalm xxxii, 5.) Solomon, in his supplica-
tion for the people, at the dedication of the temple, follows the
example of his father David :-:-' Yet if they bethink them-
selves in the land whither they are carried captive, and tnrn
and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We
have sinned, we bave done amiss, and have dealt wickedly;
if they return to thee with all their heart and with all their
oul in the land of their captivity, whither they have car-

• Dr Clarke on Jaml!ll~. 160

147
 POPERY DELINEATED.

ried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou
gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast
chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:
then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place,
their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause,
and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee." (2
Chron, vi. 37-39.) The publican cried, • God be merciful to me
a sinner,' and went down to his house justified. St John assures
us, • If we confessour sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins.''' (1 John i. 9.) &c.&c. The strength, however, of the
Rornanistson this point, as well as several others, does not rest on
the Scriptures so much as on the antiquity of the thing. That a
species of confessionwas practised in the primitive Church, we
have no wish to deny; but it was in the earliest days, a public
confessionimposed on persons who had been guilty of a public
scandal. .Private confessionalso to a discreet minister, in order
to obtain direction and comfort, was recommended; and especi-
ally when the former practice fell into disuetude, But then,
it was only recommended-not enjoined; And it was to ob-
tain counsel and encouragement-not absolution. These are
refinements of modern times. And it is with these refinements
that we have to do-not with the existence or lawfulness of the
thing itself. Everything is lawful that is helpful to piety .•
What we object to is, that auricular confession should be im-
perative--it .must be done at least once a year, for no person
can get to heaven without it-and that the penitents are obliged
to answer every question the priest has a mind to put to them,
however obscene and improper.
Then, in reference to the antiquity of it :-
"First, Private confession in all cases as a command of
/ God, was never thought of until nine hundred yeQ;TSafter
Christ: nor was it decided as such till the Council of Lateran
in 1215, which was the same Synod that mooted transubstan-
tiation, and justified the deposition of princes, in case they
were heretical, or did not extirpate heretics." It was>not
until the Council of Trent met in 1545, that private confes-
sion to a priest was decreed to be an ordinance of Christ, and
absolutely necessary to salvation. So that it was never esta-
blished as a thing essential to the eternal welfare of the peni-
tent, until modern times.
ftI Second, It cannot be proved by any testimony of antiquity
If 148
 POPERY DELINEATED.

that private confession to a priest was viewed any further

than as a prudential and useful regulation."
"Thirdly, The Fathers taught a doctrine quite contrary to
that held by the papists. 'What have I to do with men,' says
Augustine, 'that they should hear my confession, as though
they could heal my disease?' Chrysostom says, 'It is not
necessary that thou shouldst confess in the presence of wit-
nesses; let the iniquity of thy offences be made in thy
thoughts; let this judgment be made without a witness; let
God only see thee confessing. Therefore I entreat and beseech
you, that you would continually make your confession to God;
for I do not bring thee to the theatre of thy fellow-servants,
neither do I constrain thee to discover thy sins to men. Un-
clasp thy conscience before God, and show thy wounds to
him, and from him ask a medicine.''' Again the same Fa-
ther says, "Confess thy sins to God the Lord, thy real Judge;
tell thy sin, not with thy tongue, but in thy conscience and in
thy heart." Let the reader compare these quotations with
the canons of the curse-loving Council of Trent, as given at
the commencement of this chapter, and he will see that
Augustine and Chrysostom come under the anathemas of the
said council, as well as ourselves.
Then, again, the doctrine of at~ricula". confession is loaded
with so many dijjiculties, that it can only Jill with perple:x:ity
the pious and sinpere; so many things are considered neces-
Jlary to render it valid.
We name a few of them :-
" There are no certain distinctions declared between mor-
tal and venial sins; and no catalogue of the one and of the
other has been authoritatively published, except that they
usually reckon seven as being deadly sins; but even then,
there are many devices by which they may be removed from
the list of mortal to that of venial sin."
" There is also no definite rule given concerning the exa-
mination of conscience. It is difficult to tell when it is done
sufficiently; and yet, if it be not sufficient, then the sins which
are forgotten through carelessness and infirmity, and are not
lIluitably called to mind, are not pardoned." So that all the
previous confessions, of whatever nature, are null and void.
And as it is impossible for a person to know whether he has
remembered every thing he ought to have told,it is impossible
149
 POPERY DELINEATED.

that he should ever know whether all his sins are for-
given. "There are some confessions which are imperfect,
but ualid ; some invalid on account of their imperfection ;
some perfect and yet invalid. Hence arise scruples beyond
the power of remedy.
" There are also what are called reserved cases, which an
ordinary priest cannot pardon. Some are reserved for the
bishop, some for the archbishop, and some for the Pope. Yet
any priest can absolvefrom these, provided. the penitent be a'
the point of death. Reserved cases are such as the following-
namely, heresy, simony, assault on an ecclesiastic, robbery of
a church, attempts to tax the clergy, and generally all offences
against that privileged order." But how is it, that an ordi-
nary priest can pardon these crimes at one time and not at an-
other? He evidently has the power, because he can exercise
it in an emergency. Is it because his superiors will not allow
him to use it? This suggests another question. Does the
priest receive authority to pardon sin from God, or his bi-
shop? And this suggests another, and another, and an-
other.
"There are difficulties in the confessionof things in which
the offender had associates. If he confess so as to accuse an-
other, he commits sin; ifhe do not, in many cases he cannot
reveal those peculiar circumstances which may alter the nature
of the offence. Some may tell him that he-may conceal such
till a more fit opportunity; others advise him to omit them
altogether; and others recommend him to obtain another COIl-
fessor, Then a scruple arises, whether he may do this with-
out leave; and if leave be denied him, whether he may do it
on his own responsibility. Other questions arise respecting
the iteration of his first confession; for if the first be con-
sidered invalid, it must be repeated. In this case, however,
the penitent must be certain that his former confession was
invalid; for, if it were, he cannot be absolved unless he renew
it; an-dif valid, then he must beware not to eonfess the same
thing twice, and be twice forgiven, for that would be unlaw-
ful." Is it likely that a God of wisdom would have ordained
such endless fooleries for tbe perplexity of his peoples' minds?
But "these are but the beginning of scruples! For, suppose
the penitent hath done his duty, examined himself strictly, re-
pented thoroughly, confessed fully, nnd is formally absolved .
160
 POPERY DELINEATED.

yet this may avail nothing, because of some invalidity in the

ordination of the priest, either on account of crime, or irregu-
larity, or palpable deficiency in the ordination, or succession
of the priest; or he may have no jurisdiction, which should
be carefully inquired into, &c., &c. Bnt we might as well at-
tempt to number the sands of the sea, as to specify the variety
of questionable cases which would inevitably occur in the
practical operation of the theology of Rome."
In conclusion, we shall refer to the SECRECY of the CONPES,
SIONAL.
" On this point, the Catechism of the Council of Trent de-
clares, , Secrecy should be strictly observed, as well by penitent
as priest; and, hence, because in such circumstances secrecy
must be insecure, no one can, on any account, confess by mes-
senger or letter.' Again,' but as all are anxious that their
sins should be buried in eternal secrecy, the faithful are to be
admonished, that there is no reason 'whatever to apprehend
that what is made known in confession, will ever be revealed by
any priest, or that by it the penitent can, at any time, be
brought into danger or difficulty of any sort. AU laws, hu-
man and divine, guard the inviolability of the seal of confes-
sion, and against its sacrilegious infraction the Church de-
nounces her heaviest chastisements. 'Let the priest: says the
great Council of Lateran, 'take especial care, neither by word,
nor sign, nor by any other means whatever, to betray, in the
least degree, the sacred trust confided to him by the sin-
ner.'''* The secrecy of the confessional, all will at once
feel to be a matter of vast importance; for there are few
who would confess their sins, if they thought they would be
revealed.
On this subject, we intend to prove-
F'irst.~ That the Romish Church trains her priesthood to
LYING and PERJTJ.RY. And, second, that there is no secrecy in
the confessional at all, when it will suit the priest's purposes
to devulge, or will be of service to the Church.
On the former of these, hear what Peter Dens teaches in his
theology, published with the approbation of the Most Reve-
rend Lord and Father in God, Lord Daniel 'Murray, arch-
bishop of Dublin, and primate of Ireland. This book is gene-

• Catechism of the Council.t Trent, 1'1'.ll8O,282.

161
 POPERY DELINEATED.

rally used in Roman Catholic theological schools, and, among

others, Maynooth.
" WEat is the seal of sacramental confession?
"An8. It is the obligation or duty of concealing those
things which are Iearned from sacramental confession.
" Can a case be given in which it is lawful to break the
sacramental seal?
"An8. It cannot; although the life or safety of a man de-
pended thereon, or even the destruction* ofthe commonwealth;
nor can the supreme Pontiff give dispensation in this; so that,
on that aecount, this secret of the seal is more binding than
the obligation of an oath, a vow, a natural secret, &c., and
that by the positive will of God.
"What answer, then, ought a confessor give, when ques-
tioned concerning truth, which he knows from sacramental
confession only?
"A. HE OUGHT TO ANSWER THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW IT;
AND, IF IT BE NECESSARY, TO CONFIRM THE SAME WITH AN OATH. t
"Objec. It is in no case lawful to tell a lie; but that con-
fessor would be guilty of a lie, because he knows the truth;
therefore, &c.
"An8. I deny the minor.f because such a confessor is in-
terrogated as a man, and answers as a man; but now he does
not know that truth. as a man, though he .knows it as God,
says St Thomas; and that is the spontaneous or natural
meaning of the answer; for when he is interrogated, or
when he answers ontside confession, he is considered as a
man.
" What if a confessor were directly asked whether he knows
it throngh sacramental confession?
"A. In that case he ought to give no answer, so Steyart
and Sylvius, but reject the question as impious; OJ:: he eould
even say absolutely, not relatively to the question, 'I know
nothing,' because the word I restricts to his human know-
Iedge."]
And in reference to the second, we are prepared to prove
* We beg the reader to mark the strength of this Ianguage, and bear it in
mlnd.

*
t Here, then, both lying and perjury arc taught.
That Is, that the priest would be gnU,. of a lie, in saying that he <lou
~""'" what he hal heard in confession.
no'
I This Is a specimen 01 Jesuitical Juggle, and will be found in Dens' ThecIOlIia
tom. -et., pp. 211'-219.
152
 POPERY DELINEATED.

that there is no secrecy in the confessional at all when the

purposes of the priest or the good of the Church stand in the
way. Mark well the following extracts :-
" But if anyone should disclose his sins to a confessor with
the intention of mocking him, or of drawing him'into an al-
liance with him in the execution of a bad intention?
" A. The seal does not result therefrom, because the con-
fession is not sacramental. Thus, as Dominick Soto relates,
it has been decided at Rome, in a case in which some one went
to a confessor with the intention of drawing him into a cri-
minal conspiracy against the Pope.*
" In fine, all things are reduced indirectly to the seal, by
the revealing of which the sacrament would be rendered odious
according to the manners of the country and the changes of
the times; and thus Steyart observes from Wiggers, that
some things are at one time opposed to the seal, whicl. at an-
other time are NOT considered as such. t
" Does a confessor, relating the sins which he has heard in
confession, act contrary to the seal?
" A. If a sinner or person can by no means 'be discovered,
not even in general, nor any prejudice to himself (priest) hap-
pen therefrom, he does not act contrary to the seal, because
the seal has reference to the penitent or sinner.
" Wherefore, the doctors providently advise that we should
abstain from those narrations, when not moved by reasons of
utility, on account of the scandal, were people to suppose that
the confessor recollected the sins of each individual; and on
account of the remote danger and the suspicions of others. Me-
dina tells us that a confessor had thus discovered on an adul-
trees, by first saying that his first penitent had confessed an adul-
tery, and afterwards imprudently naming the person who had
been his first penitent. Wherefore, even in asking advice, it
is better to state the ease simply, without declaring that it has
occurred to him in confession.
" What persons contract the obligations of the sacramental
seal ?

III But we have been told that it could not be broken to save a mau', lift. not

even the commonweal/h. Surely, If it can be broken for tho sake of the Pope, it
rna,. for tbe sake of • whole c"""/rv.
t We have bad one proof tbo,t the seal may be broken, namely, in favour of
the Pope, and here we baveproof that It maybe broken any time, when it blnot
likely to render od'o,", tb. eaor.unent of confeesion. /Jut reU<l 0,.. 153
 POPERY DELINEATED.

"A. All those who have got their knowledge from confes-
sion, mediately or immediately, lawfully or unlawfully.
" In this manner interpreters in the confession are bound
by the seal, and those who. sitting about the confessional, ac-
cidently hear anything. But they commit sin who voluntary
listen to hear. In like manner, they are bound by the seal,
to sohom.the confessor has revealed. WITHOUT the license of the
penitent.
"Can a confessor, with license of the penitent, disclose
what he has heard in that penitent's confession?
"A. This license can be given in a two-fold way-1st, So
as, by that license, he may give the confessor, at the same
time, another human extra-sacramental mode of knowing it,
in order that the confessor may then know it even as a man.
Suppose if the penitent were to say, What I have confessedto
you I tell you without confession; and in this case nothing
prevents the confessor from disclosing (provided there be no
scandal), because he does not use the knowledge of the seal,
but another sort of knowledge, namely, human; and thus the
seal is not touched.
"Obj. Bad priests could thus abuse the seal by saying
they had liberty.
" St Thomas answers, it is incumbent on them to prove they
have received the license, but a confessor is believed when he
swears he has obtained license from the penitent. 'If
" 2d, That license can be so given as that the thing 1vhich
is revealed by the confessor to another, may pass with and
under the sacramentai seal, sothat even he to whomthe know-
ledge passes may be bound by the seal, &c.
•, Is it lawful for a confessor to avail himself of that know-
ledge which he has acquired solely from the eacramentel con-
fession of another?
"A. Although it is always unlawful to break the seal, how-
ever it is acquired, whether it is contrary to the reverence of
the seal, to do anything, or to omit anything. on account of
that knowledge, which the confessor could otherwise not have
done? To which it is answered, It is sometimes contrary to
the seal and sometimes NOT •

• And what is there that a U bad priest" won't swear? What nonsense then
to talk about proving I AmrtiM;" proorbere, II_rn8 'I
151
 I'OPERY DEUNEATED.

" When is it contrary to the seal to make use of the know-

ledge of confession?
"A, When it is attended with danqer, lest anything be re-
vealed, directly or indirectly, respecting the confession of a
known person. Nay, although no such danger appears, and
although it be not known that the eonfessor avails bimself of
the knowledge of confession, yet, if it might turn out to be a
real or apprehended grievance to the penitent or his accomplice,
it would be acting contrary to the seal, inasmuch as confession
would thus be rendered. odious: for instance, if a confessor
should, from the sole knowledge of confession, deny a penitent
or his accomplice a testimonium of morals.
" When is it lawful for the confessor to make use of the
knowledge acquired in confession ?
"A. ""Vhen the sinner is by no means discovered; also,
when no grievance is occasioned to him or to another; in
fine, WHEN NOTHING INTERVENj;;S TO RENDER THE CONPESSION
ODlOUS."t
And now I think we have fulfilled the task we undertook;
namely, first, to prove that Popish priests were trained to lying
and perjury; and second, that in the confessional there is no
secrecy at all; or only what may be termed a prudential
secrecy. It is true, Peter Dens tells us, that the seal cannot be
broken, even if it were to save the life of a man, or the com-
monwealth from destruction; but we have also seen that it
mig~t be broken to save the Pope from a conspiracy-perhaps
a pretended one. Nay, we have proved it clearly and abun-
dantly, that the only barrier is, the danger of scandal-lest
confession be rendered odious. And what danger is there of
it becoming odious among the priests themselves? Indeed,
the holy Father, whosewritings we have quoted, has obliging-
ly provided for this mutual tale-telling, by binding all to whom
it may be told with the seal, And so he, to whom it passes,
may of course pass it on, by the same license, to a fourth,
with and under this sacramental figment. Dens has suc-
ceeded in entirely demolishing the seal-he has broken it to
pieces. There is absolutely nothing but the fancy of the
priest, and his fancy has to do with it sometimes, there is no
doubt, to prevent them telling to each other every thing they
hear.
t Den.' Theologia, tom. vi. pp.220, 222, 221, 232, 2:l5, 2:i8. 155
 POPERY DELINEATED.

"Sufficient has been advanced to prove that the practice of

confession, as it obtains in the Church of Rome, has, in innu-
merable cases, been the source of immense evil to the indivi-
duals making such confession,by the re-action of the details of
sinful indulgence on their imagination and passions; to the
confessor himself, by the facts and circumstances disclosed,and
to the general habit of thinking on the subject, by which the
official exercise of priestly functions in this way, 'has had the
effect of tranquillizing the conscience on most unscriptural
principles; and the minds of men have been set at rest, not
because of the right application of Christian truth, but by the
external administration of the rites and observances which the
pretended sacrament of penance imposes. We might observe,
farther, that the political influence obtained by the knowledge
of confession in high and exalted stations, has often been em-
ployed for the most iniquitous purposes, and has rendered the
possession of this power a prerogative of dangerous operation
to the civil interests of society. The history of Jesuitism has
furnished abundant illustrations of the truth of this remark.??

• Fletcher's Lectures, &0., p, 176.

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 POPERY DELINEATED.

CHAP. VII.-CELIBACY.

The following is the statement of the doct1'ine of Oelibacy,

as inculcated by the Oouncil of Trent ;-
" Whoever shall affirm that persons in holy orders, or re-
gulars, who have made a solemn profession of chastity, may
contract marriage, and that the contract is valid, notwithstand-
ing any ecclesiastical law or vow; and that, to maintain the
contrary, is nothing less than to condemn marriage; and that
all persons may marry who feel, that, though they should
make a vow of chastity, they have not the gift thereof; let
him be accursed. For God does not deny his gifts to those
who ask aright, neither does he suffer us to be tempted above
what we are able."
" Whoever shall affirm that the conjugal state is to be pre-
ferred to a life of virginity or celibacy, and that it is not bet-
ter and more conducive to happiness to remain in virginity,
or celibacy, than to be married; let him be accursed.":"
The Roman Catechism expresses itself all follows:-
" The words, , increase and multiply: which were uttered by
.Almighty God, do not impose on every individual an obliga-
tion to marry; they declare the object of the institution of
marriage; and now that the human race is widely diffused,
not only is there no law rendering marriage obligatory, but,
on the contrary, virginity is highly exalted, and strongly re-
commended, in Scripture, as superior to marriage, as a state
of greater perfection and holiness.t't
We will now refer to a few of tIM arguments by which the
Romamists support this doctrine.
First, They deduce it from Scripture.
"And Jesus answering, said unto them, the children of
this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they which
shall be accountedworthy to obtain that world, and the resur-
rection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in mar-

,. CODcH. Trid.,..ess. xxtv. Cateehism of the Connci: of Treni57 328.

 POPERY DELINEATED.

riage: neither can they die any more; for they are equal
nnto the angels; and are the children of God, being the chil-
dren of the resurrection." (Luke xx. 34-36.)
" The plain meaning is, that marriage is the condition of
our present mode of existence; but not of a future life. Ac-
cording to the Roman Catholic interpretation, we might argue,
-' Animal life is sustained by aliment: not so the angelic
life; therefore to abstain from food, as far as possible, is the
best way to make us like angels.' Our Lord's intention was
to confute the Sadducees, whose doctrine struck at the root of
all religion; and to reprobate the gross conceptions of the fu-
t ure life then current amongthe Jews." So far from this text
affording any support to the doctrine of celibacy, we should
consider it of just the opposite tendency. Our Saviour not
only stated a fact, but a fact in accordance with the appoint-
ment of God. And they lie, and know not the truth, who say,
that" virginity is highly exalted, and strongly recommended
in Scripture, as superior to marriage." It will show the un-
substantial nature of their doctrine, when we say, that this
pas age is made more use of than any other in vindicating the
practice of celibacy. They employ the same illogical mode of
interpretation, to justify their sanguinary and bloody mea-
sures against Protestants. The following Scriptural expres-
sions-the connection of which the reader will easily call to
mind-are made great use of by Romanists :-
" Oompel them to come in.;" -that is, into the Church: not
by powerful arguments, but by powerful blows. "I OIln not
come to send;peace upon earth, but a sword ;"-for the pur-
pose of extirpating heretics. "It is better that one member
perish," -that one heretic, 01' 0. thousand, be burned-" than
that the whole body,"-the Church-" be lost." "Here are
two swords ;"-the spiritual and temporal. Tt is a pity that
Peter did Dotwear them both. However, they contrive to use
them both when they dare. "And God made two great
lights ;"-the greater light the Pope, the lesser light the Em-
peror I!
" The following is quoted in favour of celibacy :-' But he
said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying. save they
to whom it is given. For there are someeunuchs, which were
so born from their mothers' womb: and there are some eunuchs,
which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs,
158
 POPERY DELINEATED.

which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of hea-

vens' sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."
(Matt. xix. 11, 12.) These words are connected with Phari-
saical subtilty, as recorded in the 3d verse :-" The Pharisees
also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" To
which our Saviour replied in the following verses, the sub-
stance of which is given in the 9th :-" And I say unto you,
Whosoever shall put away his wife, xcept it be for fornica-
tion, and shall marry another, committ th adultery; ond
whoso marrieth her which i put aWIIYdoth commit adult 'ry."
Then his disciples said unto him, " If the cus oJ th m n be
so with his wife, it is not good to marry"-that is, unless h(>olin
put her away whenever she displeases him: to which our Lord
answered in versesllth and 12th, as given above. "All m n
cannot receive this saying ;" (v. Tl th.) What saying 1 That
just uttered by his disciples-" it is not good to marry." But
why cannot all receive it 1 Because the gift of continency is
not theirs: and this is impliedlin the close of verse 11th, " save
they to whom it is given." To whom it is given we are told
in the 12th verse :-" For there are some eunuchs," &C.
" EU'YIIUchs for the "kingdom of heaven's sake are not those who
practice celibacy under the idea of attaining higher purity and
merit, but those who, for the advancement of the Gospel, vo-
luntarily live single in order to ~ve up themselves uninter-
ruptedly to establish and extend it; and may also comprehend
those who, in times of great persecution and danger, choose
rather to remain unmarried than expose families to the suffer-
ings which they expected to be called to endure, or to leave
them friendless by their own martyrdom. Our Lord, how-
ever, adds, " He that is able to receive ir, let him-receive it,"
that is, let no one receive it except he who is able or qualified to
live in this state without sin. So far, therefore, was our Lord,
as the Papists pretend. from discouraging marriage, or repre-
senting celibacy as a state of greater honour than marriage,
that he commands it only in such a case of necessity as should
arise out of the promotion of' the kingdom of heaven' in the
world. In only a. few persons, and at particular times, could
such a. case arise, in which public usefulness would be more
promoted by celibacy. Ordinarily, men are more useful, both
as ministers and other officers in the church, when married;
159
 POPERY DELINEATED.

but when the Gospel was to be preached by itinerating apos-

tles and their coadjutors, when they had no certain dwelling-
place, and when they were persecuted from one city to another,
'as to some public characters in the Church, family duties and
those they owed to their officemight be iJ;lcoIl)patible;and it
was then their praise voluntarily to give up the honourable
relations of husband and parent, in the way of sacrifice, for
the glory of Christ and the interests of religion. Yet even
these are admonished that they are not to receive the saying
unless they are able to receive it, not without a sufficient call
of duty, confirmed'to them by the communication of special
and sufficient grace."*
Now, in reference to our Saviour's words, there are three
things worthy of being noted :-" First, the well-defined re-
striction, , All are not able to receive it;' if any man is able
to receive it, if to any this ability has been given, let such re-
ceive it-plainly pointing to a peculiarity of original tempera-
ment, which whosoever possessed, might act upon it without
peril or presumption." It is evident that this should be left
to a man's own judgment and discretion-he should know his
own temperament and act accordingly. So thought Leo 1.
He required the age of forty in monks, before they were con-
secrated. Pius V. recommendedtwenty-five; which was con-
firmed by the third Council of Carthage. Synods of a more
recent date have allowed vowsof virginity to be taken as early
as fourteen in males; and twelve,In females. The Council of
Trent recognises sixteen years as the age before which the
vow should not be taken. Every body must know, however,
that this is much too soon. The following is a monastic rule,
and has obtained generally in the Romish Church :-" Who
vows deliberately? Girls and bOYS,before they can judge,
may be persuaded to vow; sometimes also they may be com-
pelled." The result of such a rule is, that " thousands from
infancy, or before the age of puberty, are, by the fanaticism
of their parents, devoted to celibacy, and exposed to the pur-
suits of a criminal life in after days."
The second thing to be noted is the motive: "For the
sake of the kingdom of heaven." " But the ascetics, instead
of seeking to promote the kingdom of heaven, or pure rel i-

8 Watson's Exposition, p, 271,

160
 POPERY DELINEATED.

gion, by remaining in the midst of the mass as its salt and

light, to preserve and guide, enclosed themselves in religious
houses, and were secluded from society at large,
Christ went about doin~ good, consorting with publicans and
sinners; but the ascetics, minding their own things, left the
Church and the world to wander in error and crime. Thii-dly.
The Redeemer gives no countenance whatever to the princi-
ple that marriage is a pollution, and celibacy a holy state of .
proximity to God. If such a notion were embraced in our
Lord's declaration, here was the place to make it known."
They also cite the seventh chapter of St Paul's first epistle
to the Corinthians, as authorizing celibacy. We consider the
key to this chapter, or to those parts of it which the Roman-
ists claim in support of this doctrine, to be the beginning of
verse 32, .. But I would have you without carefulness." The
facts are these :-The times were perilous to Christians;
they were in constant danger of banishment or martyrdom;
they expected almost daily a spoiling of their goods: in such
circumstances, the Apostle wisely advised them to abstain
from marriage, such a course being calculated to save them
from much anxiety and distress. But they were to follow
this advice only on the condition of keeping from sin. " But,
if they cannot contain, let them marry; for it is better to
marry' than burn."
The Apostle's advice is on the same principle as that which
our Saviour gave, when he told his disciples to pray that their
flight might not be in the winter, inasmuch as it would greatly
expedite their escape .from the threatened calamity, if it took
place in the summer. And even then, those were accounted
comparatively happy who were not" with child," or who did
not .. give suck." The Apostle, in like manner, refers to the
temporary and special reason which might recommend celi-
bacy: "I suppose this is good for the present distress," for a
man, if unmarried, "not to seek a wife:" for he would have
them" without carefulness." Besides, Paul was not advising
ministers not to marry, but the people; he would have all
who were single to remain so; being "good for the present
distress." So that this chapter might be quoted in favour
of universal celibacy, as well as partial; and would afford
greater support to the former than the latter •
.. The following has been quoted in favour of celibacy.
.. 161
 POPERY DELINEATED.

',These are they which were not defiled with women; for they
are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whither-
soever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men,
being the first fruits unto God and the Lamb. And in
their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault.
before the throne of God'-(Rev. xiv, 4, 5.) Christians,
without any regard to their being single or married, are
called by 8t James, (i. 18); 'a first fruit' unto God; and
in the Apocalypse, they are designated the 'faithful' as
distinguished from the 'false.' The
scarlet clad woman, shameless, cruel, and arrogant, and the
in veterate enemy of the saints, is an adulteress in the ecclesi-
astical and symbolical sense of the word; and it is not the
profligacy so much as the idolatry that is intended by the
prophetic style. The co-relative term, 'virgins,' the 'true
and faithful,' 'the followers of the Lamb,' are those who
possessed purity of faith and innocency of manners. Or, if
by the term 'virgins' is meant, the virgins of the Church, or
the celebates, then this interpretation excludes from the pri-
vileged chair several of the Apostles, and many of the holiest -
men and women of every age. Besides, the morals of the
professed, whether priests, nuns, or monks, do not correspond-
~ith the virgins named, among whom reigned, in all ages of
their existence, shameless vices, or a pitiful and loathsome pra-.
vity of heart, or entire uselessness."
The following quotation from one of their own theologians,
Bailly, will serve to confirm what we have advanced. " You
inquire whether clergymen in sacred orders are bound to observe-
perpetual continency, by the divine or apostolical law? It is
answered, with many theologians, against certain others, that
the celibacy annexed to sacred orders was neither instituted nor
commanded by Ghrist, or by the Apostles at his command.
Nothing is found in Scriptu1'e or tradition, by which it can be
proved that perpetual continency was imposed on ministers by
Christ, or by the Apostles at his command. On the other hand,
the Church permitted, for many ages, to the Greek priests the
society of wives whom they had taken before ordination, and still
permits, as is evident from what we have before said; but the
Church is unab,le to dispense with a law imposed by Christ, or
bythe Apostles at the command of Christ." But notwithstand-
ing BaiI.~yhaa .tJips spoken, he contrives, in what follows the
162 ....•
 POPERY DELINEATED.

foregoing extract, to invest the doctrine with apostolicauthority I

because it was instituted by the hierarchy of the Church, as an
ecclesiastical law, and which in the view of the Romanist is no-
thing less than divine.
Second. It is said, in addition to Scripture proofs, that the
cares of a married life interfere with the duties of the clergy,
To this we may answer, in the words of a Romish priest,
deeply sensible of the iniquity of the system, " Do not the cares
of a viciouslife, the anxieties of stolen love, the contrivances of
adulterous intercourse, the pains, the jealousies, tho remorso at-
tached to a conduct in perfect contradiction with a public and
solemn profession of superior virtue; do not these cares, these
bitter feelings, interfere with the duties of the priesthood 1 I
have seen the most promising men of my university obtain
country vicarages, with characters unimpeached, and hearts
overflowing with usefulness. A virtuous wife would have con-
firmed and strengthened their purposes; but they were to live a
life of angels in celibacy. They were, however, men, and their
duties connected them with beings of no higher description.
Young women knelt before them in all the intimacy and open-
ness of confession. A solitary home made them go abroad in-
search of social converse. Love, long resisted, seized them at
length like madness. Two I knew who died insane; hundreds
might be found who avoided that fate by a life of settled syste-
matic vice."*
Deeds of this kind early crept into the Church. We find
" Cyprian, in the third century, inveighed against the nuns on
account of their shameless licentiousness; and this was not an
incidental or local abuse, for it had spread itself on all sides, and
had become, notwithstanding all remonstrances, the common
usage of the ceenobite ascetics, and even of some of the an-
chorites. Not only did the aged monks avail themselves of tho-
offices,and enjoy the society of youthful women in their clois-
ters, but the young did the same in defiance of the unavoidable
scandal of such conduct. Juvenile nuns also entertained their
paramours under various pretexts." "What a sight is it, says
Chrysostom, 'to enter the cell of a solitary monk, and to see the
apartment hung about with female gear, shoes, girdles, reticules,

• Practical and Internal Evidences against Catbolicism, &0., by tbe Rev. 1.

B. wuue, p. 137. 163 .
 POPERY DELINEATED.

eaps, bonnets. spindles, combs, and the like, too many to men-
tion! But wbat a jest is it to visit tbe abode of a rich monk,
and to look about you! For you find the solitary one sur-
rounded with a bevy of lasses, one might say, just like the
leader of a company ef singing and dancing girls; what can be
more disgraceful! And, iu fact, tbe monk is all the day long
vexed and busied with petty affairs proper to a woman.
Not merely is be occupied with worldly matters con-
trary to the apostolic precept, but even with feminine cares;
and these ladies being very luxurious in their babits, as well as
imperious in tbeir tempers, tbe good man was liable to be sent
on fifty errands-to the silversmith's to inquire if my lady's
mirror was finished-if her vase were ready-if her scent-cruet
had been returned; and from the silversmith's to the perfumer's,
and thence to the linen-draper's, and thence to the upholsterer's
-and at each place he bas twenty particulars to remember.
Then, add to all these cares the jars and scoldings that are apt
to resound in a house full of pampered women! Paul says,
, Be ye not the servants of men ;' shall we not then cease to be
the slaves of vromen, and this to tbe common injury of all?
Christ, who would have us behave ourselves as his valiant sol-
diers, assuredly has not, for this purpose, clad us in the spiritual
armour, that we should take upon ourselves the officeof waiting,
like menials or worthless girls, or that we should busy oursslvel
with their spinnings and sewings, or spend tbe live-long day by
their side, wbile at work, imbuing our minds with effeminate
trifles.' " What Cbrysostom here advances, is no proof of the
absence of cares, but it is a proof that enforcedcelibacy is worse
tban folly.
We present two or three arguments against the celibacy of
the Romish. cle~·gy.
"(1.) Tbis state is not supported by the Divine law. Many
Romanists allow this. Therefore, as such a requisition is un-
authorized by the word of God, it is presumptuous to enforce it
on the clergy. It answers no purpose to say, that the intention
is to promote greater sanctity, for he who made man knows
what is best for him; he bas vouchsafed his Holy Spirit to
eanctify, and the fruit of the Spirit, as love, joy, peace, long-
suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, will produce
that which will benefit mankind and bonour God. An artificial
and compulsive sanctity will do more harm than good, and
164
 POPERY DELIKEATED.

instead of purifying, will only tend to corrupt and debase

man.
" (2.) Clerical celibacy is contral'y to the Divine law. It is
at variance with the very existence of the human race. It is
opposed to the original institution of marriage, which is founded
on the principle that it was not good for man to be alone. It
is adverse to the example of the most pious men from Adam to
Christ. Our Redeemer chose married men for his ministers.
He sanctified marriage by his presence and approbation. The
apostles describe a bishop 01' pastor ofa flockas married, and not
only point out his personal duties arising therefrom, but the
character which his wife and children should sustain, as well as
the model of his ecclesiastical government, and the order which
the head of a family exercises in his house among his wife and
children. In short, the prohibition of marriage to the clergy is
considered part of heathenism, a heresy in the Church, as well
as a mark of anti-christian pruvity, It is at variance with the
institution of'God, which evidently designed that every male and
female should be united in this holy estate; and is contrary to
nature, which has produced everywhere men and women in about
an equal proportion. The married state is the best, and the
exceptions to it are so few, that they cannot be supposed to in-
terfere with the general rule."
(3.) It is contrary to many plain passages of Scripture. We
will content ourselves with two or three.
" Mm'riage is honourable in ALL, and the bed undefiled: but
whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." Heb, x iii. 4.
" Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every ?nan have his
own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. For
I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man
hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and ano-
ther after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows,
it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they can-
not contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to
burn." 1 Cor. vii. 2, 7, 8, 9.
And St Paul thus writes of the officers of the Church:-
" A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to
teach: one that ruleth well his own house, having his children
in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to
rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of
165
 POPERY DELINEATED.

God?) Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers,

sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands
of one. wife, ruling their children and their own houses well."
1 Tim. iii. 2, 4,5, 11, 12.
" If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having-faith-
ful children, not accused of riot, or unruly. For a bishop
must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not
soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy
lucre." Titus i. 6, 7.
From the above Scriptures we infer, that celibacy should not
be imposed on any clergyman. Marriage is left to the volun-
tary choice of all. Those who have not the special gift, should
be left to act as they see fit. Each is to judge for himself.
(4.) The forced" celibacy of the clergy is heretical, and is
a mark of an apostate church. This is proved from the fol-
lowing passage of holy Scripture :-' Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared
with a hot iron; FORBIDDING TO MARRY, and commanding to
abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them who believe and know the truth.''' 1
Tim. iv. 1-3.
On" forbidding to marry," in the above passage, Bishop
Newton, in his Dissertations on the Prophecies, says-" This
is a farther character of the promoters of this apostasy. The
same hypocritical liars who should promote the worship of
demons, should also prohibit lawful marriage. The monks
were the first who brought a single life into repute; they were
the :firstalso who revived and promoted the worship of demons.
One of the primary and most essential laws and constitutions
of all monks was the profession of a single life; and it is
equally clear that the monks had the principal share in pro-
.moting the worship of the dead. The monks then were the
principal promoters of the worship of the dead in former times.
And who are the great patrons and advocates of the same
worship now? Are not their legitimate snccessors and de-
scendants, the monks, and priests, and bishops of the Church
of Rome? And do not they also profess and recommend a
single life, as well as the worship of saints and angels? Thus
have the worship of demons, and the prohibition of marriage,
166
 POPERY DELINEA~ED.

constantly gone hand in hand together; and as they who

maintain one maintain the other, so it is no less remarkable;
that they who disclaim the one disclaim the other."
" Clement of Alexandria, alluding to the heretics of his day,
says, 'There are some who publicly call matrimony fornica-
tion, and maintain that it is a tradition of the devil.'" Theo-
doret enumerates several classes of heretics, who concurred in
condemning matrimony :-" They observe celibacy," says be,
" calling marr-iage whoredom, and pronouncing legitimate
union diabolical." It is true, those heretics condemned it in
all cases, which the Romanists do not; only in monks, nuns,
and the clergy: but then, in these three cases, the hurch de-
clared it unlawful, which is a manifest proof of heresy and
apostacy,
Lastly, " The celibacy of the clergy has produced great licen-
tiousness of mannej's from its commencement to thepresen' day."
The celibacy of the Romish Church is the offspring of hea-
thenism, and, as might be expected, the priests of both people
are about equally degraded and unclean. It began to show
itself in the church at a very early period: and the fruits also.
Cyprian flourished in the third century. In his reply to
Pomponius, he describes the wickedness of their conduct.
Among females who had taken the vow, great disorders en-
sued. He" inveighs severely against them in his epistles,
and even recommends, in opposition to the Popish doctrine,
that it is better to marry than continuesuch scandalous deeds."
The persons recommended by Cyprian to enter into the mar-
riage state, were such as had taken upon themselves the vow
of perpetual chastity. "With these many of the single clergy
lived, dwelling and even sleeping together, mutually agreeing
to have no conjugal intercourse. Such a marriage they con-
sidered as that ofthe soul, and not of the body. Many of the
bishops strongly opposed this conduct; bnt a long time elapsed
before it was wholly abolished." From Chrysostom, we learn,
" that, while a few were virtuous and sincere, although fana-
tical and extravagant, there prevailed among others the worst
kind of immorality. They were either shamefully vicious, or
possessed depraved hearts. He says, ' Alas, my soul! well
may I exclaim, and repeat the lamentable cry with the prophet!
A.las,my soull our virginity has fallen into contempt: theveilia
rent by impudent hands, that parted it off from matrimony, the
J.61
 POPERY DELINEATED.

holy of holies is trodden under foot, and its grave and tremen-
dous sanctities have become profane and thrown open to all ;
and that which was once had in reverence, as far more excel-
lent than matrimony, is now sunk so low, as that one should
rather call the married blessed, than those who profess it.
Nor is it the enemy that has effected all this, but the virgin.
them lVl8.'* uch is tho confession of one of the warmest
adrnir rs of the ascetic life." cv ral canons have b en en-
act d by councils ngainst these profanities. The ouncilof
Angers. . D. 453; Orleans, A. D. 54]; leville, . D. 590;
halons, A.D. 650; and \1y tbo ynod of Menta, .D. 812. to
tbo following effect :-" Priest were prohibited retaining in
their houses any woman of whom tbe least suspicion might be
entertained-as the icene fathers had decreed-s-namely, a
mother, an aunt, or a sisler, because it was found that, at the
instigation of the devil. sin was committed even uiit]» them, or
with their waiting maids. By a council beld in tbe same city,
A.D. 8, priests were prohibited lodging in tbe same house
with any woman whatsoever; it having been discovered, as
the prelates acknowledged, tbat, in consequence of such asso-
cia ion, " cesr had been committed. By an epistle frOIDBoni-
face, the apostle of Germany, as he bas been styled, to Pope
Zachary, it appears that the lives of the French clergy were
prof igate to the last degree. Incest, forn ication, adultery,
and concubinage were.common among them; some kept four,
five, or more concubines."
The following is an extract of a letter from U dalric, Bishop
of Augusta, to Nicholas 1., concerning Gregory the Great-
"'That be, by his decree, deprived priests of their wives; when,
shortly after, he commanded tbat some fish should be caught
from the fish-ponds, tho f bel'S, inslea of fish, found the heads
of six thou and infants that had been drowned in the ponds.
When Gregory ascertained that the children thus killed were
born from the concealed fornications and udulterieaof the priests,
he forthwith recalled his decree, and purged the sin with
worthy fruits of repentance, extolling the apostolic command,
• It is better to marry than to burn,' adding from himself, • It
is better to marry than to be the occasion of death.' "
.. Bernard, wbo died A.D. 1153, utters the following com-
plaiut in his sermon to the clergy on conversion :-' If, accord-
• Chry60S. Oper a,, tom. i. p. 209.
168
 POPERY DELINEATED,

ing to the prophecy of Ezekiel, we could look behind the par-

tition that we might see the horrible thing in the house of tho
Lord, perhaps the foulest abominations would appear on tho
inside of the partitlon. Nay, besides fornications, adulteries,
and incests, there are not wanting among some the most shame-
ful, ignominious conduct. Would that those thing. 11.ldchare
not convenient had never been committed to such an extent as
to induce the Apostle to write thus concerning them (Rom. i.
2 ); neither that it was n dful for u. to d elnre, nor that tho
least rod n 0 wer t b given to our d lnrnti n, thut nny lu t
.0 abomin bl llS this had at any tim 0 upi ,(I th lulucl r
man I Ala I th n my of mnn h. d 'fJl'd th !Jody of tb
hurch with the oxecrubl usb 8 of tbe Sodomites ; and inc!' d
the most filthy and ubomin ble crimes h ve d Ill d SOlD I of it
very ministers also, :Many of these offenders, not ind ied all,
but many, it is certain, cannot be concealed on account of their
multitude; nor, by reason of their impudence, do they court
concealment; and many are seen to have employed this licen-
tiousness for an occasion to the flesh, abstaining from the
nuptial remedy, and bence using this liberty of theirs for per-
petrating every crime."?"
"The University of Oxford, at the command of the King.
drew up an account of the abuses that needed reformation, in
forty-six articles, to be laid before the Council of Constance,
A,D. 1414. The thirty-eighth states, 'that the carnal and
debauched lives of the clergy in our days, and their public
fornications, which are never punished except by a small fine
in private, set an evil example before others: it would, there-
fore, be a holy thing, and contribute to tbe reformation of the
Church, if priests of every rank and order, who were public
fornicators, were obliged to abstain from celebrating mass for
a. lim ited time: "t
" The following picture of the Romish clergy in Scotland ill
eq ally startling :-' Inferior benefices were put up to sale, or
bestowed on the illiterate and unworthy minions oithe courtiers,
on dice-players, strolling bards, and the bastards of bishops.'t
'The lives of the clergy, exempted from secular jurisdiction,
and corrupted by wealth and idleness, were become a scandal

~ Bernard, Opera, tom. Iv., cap. xx., p- no.

t Henry's Hil'itoryof Great. Brttaiu, voL x., p. 20.
lM'Crie'. Life of Knox, p 110.
169
 I'OI'EIlT DI:LI _ nrD.

ooua, religwo.s of you h than

hebe yean
Eight of us, all nea.rly of

• IdmJ, polL
170
J'O DELlMUTED.

U r
in.
er of life. I had
111
 POPERY DELINEATED.

loved him when both our minds were pure-I loved him wheh
Catholicism had driven us both from the path of virtue-I still
love, and will love, his memory. and hope that God's mercy
has pardoned his life of sin, without imputing it to the abettors
of the barbarous laws which occasioned his spiritual ruin.
" 'Such, more or less, has been the fate of my early friends,
whose minds and hearts were much above the common stan-
dard of the Spanish clergy. What, then, need I say of the
vulgar crowd of priests, who, coming as the Spanish phrase
has it, from coarse swaddling clothes, and raised by ordina-
tion to a rank of life for which tbey had not been prepared,
mingle vice and superstition, grossness of feeling and pride of
office,in their character? I have known the best among them
-I have heard their confessions-I have heard the confessions
of persons of both sexes who fell under the influence of their
suggestions and example-s-and I do declare that nothing can
be more dangerous to youthful virtue than their company. How
many souls would be saved from crime, but for the vain dis-
play of pretended superior virtue which Rome demands of her
clergy!' ,,*
The following extracts are from "Confessions of a French
Catholic Priest." After giving an interesting account of the
virtuous character of the students generally, he says-" The
account of the corruption of the clergy begins when they are
out of the seminary. Young men are sent into a parish in the
quality of curates or vicars. At the commencementthey fulfil
their duties with care, and, for a time, remain faithful to their
vows. Many have told me this after their fall. By and bye
they open astonished eyes. Restored to freedom, after ten or
twelve years thraldom in a college, they becomedifferent men,
and gradually forget their vows, • O!' said a young priest,
with tears in his eyes, after having four or five years discharged
the duties of his station, • God only knows what I have suf-
fered during this time. If I have fallen, it was not without
fighting. Had I been allowed to choose a wife, as such is the
law of God, who destines man to marriage, whatever our rules
teach to the contrary, I should have remained virtuous-I
should have been the happiest man in the world-I should
have been a good and holy priest; while now I am-O ! I am

• White's Practical and Internal Evidence against Catholicism, PI' 132·137.

l72
 POPERY DELINEATED.

ashamed of myself: This is the sad history of their fall ;

for, let us be just, what can becomeof a young priest of twenty-
fi ve years of age, confined in the lonely wilderness of a country
parish-in a village where he has only the society of his sa-
cristan and his servant, because all his parishioners, being
coarse peasants, especially in the south and in the west,
scarcely knowing how to read, are unable to afford him any
comfort in his solitude. . . . . Ilis ministry also places him
in many circumstances with ignorant Joung women,into whoso
most secret thoughts he is obliged to enter, and his virtu is
shaken. And Can it be otherwise, wh n tho cl ric has thoso
intimate associations with females which the Papucy r quir
It would be unreasonable to expect more from human nuturo
8'
than it is able to do. Such, however, is the situation of tho
Catholic priest.
"I do not say this to veil or excuse the crime, the natural
result of the institution; but I think I am bound to state tho
fact as it is. Sometimes the resistance is firm, and the strug-
gle long; but at length this martyr of fanaticism, this victim
of his system, and of his superiors, abandons his vow through
despair, shuts his eyes, and throws himself into the slough of
passion. This is the end of almost all the priests. In the
beginning their conscience bitterly reproaches them. Again,
they try to be faithful; they flutter, and fall; reform again,
go on, and fall again; and at length, to finish this horrid
struggle, they remain in vice. Let us add to this catastrophe,
the temptations against their faith and doctrines, which end
with many in complete atheism, into which they fall by the
excess of degradation, temptations to atheism in those who
reason, from the impossibility of reconciling their faith with
reason.
"The resolution being taken of enjoying life, as they say,
after having been so long deprived of it, the only question is
to enjoy it saJely and secretly-namely, without dishonour.
Dishonour, in a French priest, is more intolerable than death;
and a priest whose excesses are known, loses his reputation;
therefore he neglects nothing to hide carefully both them and
his victims from observation. Inconceivable mystery of the
human species! This obligation of keeping a profound se.
cret, is the best reason which he puts for" ard to seduce them;
other Frenchmen, by their vanity, boast of their bcm'nesfor-
173
 1'OPERY DELINEATED.

tunes.: but the priest cannot make that boast, because he

would he laughed at. His hypocrisy and care of his fame
prevail over his national vanity. In this manner, through
their dark ministry, they have immense power upon the minds
of women; for they attack only those whose disposition they
have long studied in confession. The reader can have some
just idea of this power from the following fact, knowing, as I
did, the individual when it became. public :-A priest, in a
parish not far from mine, laid his snare for a young married
woman, who had the reputation of piety, because she attended
mass every morning. He, through his diabolical arguments,
triumphed over her scruples. She went to him in the vestry
almost every morning before the bell rang to call the people to
mass. He confessed and absolved her, and she received the
communionat the altar. The good people said, admiring her
daily practice, 'How pious is this young wife, she partakes of
the sacrament every day; she is doubtless a saint !'
"There are no means which their cunning does not invent
to meet with victims. If the husband is jealous and sus-
picious, his wife, upon the advice of the curate, will feign to
be sick; and as it is the duty of the priest to visit often
-every day if possible-his sick parishioners, he will re-
main alone with her to speak upon spiritual subjects in appear-
ance, or to confess her.
"Our laws forbid us keeping a maid servant who is not
of a certain age. This age varies according to the whim of the
bishop, who is the supremo director of every thing. On this
plan the rule would be useful if properly executed; but ow-
ing to priestly artifice, there is no real law, and it does not
prevent priests from keeping young and beautiful servants
with whom they li'ueas with a wife. If, however, her youth
violate too strongly the Episcopal rule, the priest applies
directly to the bishop, to whom he will say, that his servant is,
'perhaps, a little young; but on account of her faithfulness and
other good qualities, it would be difficult for him to find an-
other who suits so well. 'How old is she?' says his lordship,
flattered by this mark of submission. 'My lord, between
thirty and forty,' answers the priest, making her older by ten
or fifteen years than she really is; and the bishop, who has
not the proof to the contrary, and who requires not the record
of her birth, replies, ' It is a little young; but, however, on
174
 :\'OPERY DE1.INEAT~1J1

account of her good qualities, I give you a dispensation on ac-

count of age: take care of scandal, and remember that a woman
drove Adam out of Paradise.' The priest boasts of such a
dispensaticn, and avoids being accused to the bishop by his
spies.
" Consequently this half ecclesiastical couple will be careful
of scandal. To avoid the suspicion of living too friendly, the
better to keep up appearances, they will feign ill-will toward
each other. Sometimes the vicar, when he has some of his
parishioners at his house, will pretend to be angry with his
servant, and threaten to dismiss her: his good, hort-sighted
peasants try to calm his countetfeited anger, to soften him, and
to pray him to keep her. Good people I
" The age law does not apply to curates who have at homo
their mothers, sisters, cousins, or nieces; consequently they are
at liberty to hire young servants. Moreover, a priest is always
stationed as far as possible from the place of his birth. He is
quite unknown as well as his family, in the parish; many times
he wiII take with him a young girl who is his relation only by
Adam, and whom he presents under the title of cousin or niece;
None inquire the relationship of the curate and his pretended
cousin. If, however, there happen proof of too intimate un-
derstanding, he will send bel' under some jesuitical pretext to a
distant city for a time, or he will try the use of medicine. A
physician said to a priest, 'Sir, I have already twice prescribed
for your servant maid, but beware, I wiII not do it a third
time.' 'Other priests commit greater and more horrible crimes,
and renew the monstrosities of the cities of theplain, as they
are spoken of in the Bible. On one occasion, I confessed some
young lads of my catechism,from eleven to fifteen years old.
Each of them acknowledged abominable crimes. I inquired,
trembling. I observed that no crime could deter a
priest from its commission, if necessary to obliterate the trace of
others. A Paris journal gave lately a striking proof of this. A
priest of the diocese of Dijon, department of the Cotedor, De la
Collonge by name, after a long life of debauchery with a young
sempstress whom he had seduced, smothered her one night, cut
her body into pieces, and hid them in holes in his house. This
is not a history of old times, but of the year 1836. Some
twenty years ago, the whole of France resounded with the be-
fore unheard of crime of Contresotto, a monstel' priest with a
176
 POPERY DELU'EATED.

human visage; and that of Mingrot, wbo, being unable to seduce

a female, first killed her, and baving violated her dead body, cut
it into pieces and di persed tbe fragments." After alluding in
g neral terms to the licentiousne s of Cardinals, Archbishops,
and Bi hop, be Hays, .. I could give account of other prelate,
but I have made it rul to speak only of wh t I know and bavo
n, Th r for I dv rt only to th Arehbi hop of Pari, who
cut so d plorabl Ii re in tho t c un i], alled th ma-
rilla, wbi h d troy d th thrun f harl 8 ., by dint f it.
folli • H h all th dupli -ity lid hypocrisy of 0. C t
councillor. nder tho v i1 of pi ty nd virtu ho con 'ula d p
corruption. 0 f r d he 0 in hi J uitie, 1 art, tbat mallY
a Parisian who may ad thi boplr, will probably judg m
slanderer : it is, however, tru , that I have by accident b en
personally acquainted with one of his mi tres e. It i al 0 truo
tbat his highne ha many other in the convent of the Car-
melite , in the Street t Jaques, his erag1io. When several
years ago the mob in Paris, in one of those awful in urrections
ISO fr quent, passed over hi palace and pillaged it, many gown.
which were not tbe least like a prie t's cassock, were found in
his cabinet. His confidants publi hed tbat tbey were those of
his sisters, who, by the way, never went to his palace."*
.. I remember a saying of a regular abbot of a monastry in
Italy, who talking with me about women, said, 'that it was
tter to have noue than any;' and having demanded of him
what ho meant by th se words, 'Because,' said he, 'wlien a
perlon il I ot tied to one, lie -may make use of many.' This
you will say wa a fine piece of morality; and to give this pre-
late his due, his practice w Tery conformable to hi· doctrine.
lIe nt rtained above a re of women with the revenues of bis
abbey ; bo bud many country hou ,whi h he turned into as
JDllJlYbrothel-bou e for him If and his friends, where he splen-
didly entertained them; nnd tho exce sive xpen e be was at in
t)] 0 rlae of pleasure, procured him tbe surname of L ·beral.
But he was not of the same humour towards bis poor farmers,
wbo laboured bard to make tbe best of his incomes, und to till
his ground, for he was to them an insatiable exactor and op-
pressor, insomuch that they could scarcely get out of him some
part of the money which was of right due to them. These poor

176 • Confessions of a French Catholic Priest, pp. 1.."6-142.

POI'X&Y DELI.!rEA.TED.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

told him, that since it was not lawful for him to take any cog-
nizance of the affairs of monks, he was willing so far to honour
~hem, as to make themselves the judges of their brethren; and
so ordered him, with his wenches, at that very instant, to be
carried in the same posture to St Michael in the Wood, a mo-
nastery of the same order, about a canon-shot distance from the
city. It was about one of the clock in the morning when all
this goodly train arrived there. The serjeants knocked with
that violence at the gates of the monastery, and made such a hal-
lowing and shouting, that the abbot himself was fain to rise and
to go, accompanied by all his monks, to the great gate, where he
met with a sight he had little dreamed of. He at first would
not acknowledge the old abbot for his brother, upon pretext, for-
sooth, he was in his night-gown, without the habit of his order,
and refused to receive him into the monastery; but the serjeants
told him, that if he was so resolved, they had no more to do
but to carry him back again to the archbishop, who would not
fail to send for his habit, and send him back the next day at high
noon in his prelate's habit, and accompanied with is doxies, as
now he was. The abbot perceiving that nothing could be gained
this way but a double reproach and confusion, commanded his
friars to go and unloose him, and so admitted him into the mo-
nastery, and let the women go. The penance imposed upon this
abbot for the affront ana scandal he had given, was this-to
abide fifteen days in the monastery without stirring abroad, which
was the more easy for him to submit to, because the noise of his
gallant story being spread through the whole city, he could not
well any sooner, without great shame and confusion, have ap-
peared in the streets. The general, who might easily have de-
posed him from his charge of abbot, was of opinion, that for so
light a fault as this, it was not worth the pains to>proceed to so
rigid a censure; and thus by a spirit of charity, which would not
permit us to do that to another which we would not have others
do to us, especially when we find ourselves in the same circum-
stances, contented himself to make him exchange his abbey for
some time, and entertained him at his own monastery of Mount
Olivet •
.. I have given you a true and faithful relation of this history,
as having been an eye-witness of part of it myself, because it
happened during the time that I was in the monastery of St
178
 POPERY DELINEATED.

Michael in the Wood. This accident gave me occasion of mak-

ing a very pleasantdisco very; for, upon the serjeants entering
into the monastery, a young religious being, extremely affrighted,
and apprehending lest they might make a narrow search into
his chambers, where for three weeks' time he had kept a young
lass, came directly to me, and without much considering to whom
he addressed himself, desired me, for the love of God, to hide his
mistress in one of the most private chambers of my apartment until
the storm was over; but, notwithstanding the extreme earnostn ss
wherewith he solicited my consent, I did not think it :fit to expose
my own credit, to save hi. ; and knowing withal how dangerous
it is to give a down-right refusal to an Italian, and more espe-
cially to a monk, I, in the mildest way I could, wished him to
address himself to the apothecary of the abbey, who was a
young man of his own country, and was not so scrupulous on
that point as I was, The religious following my counsel, found
the apothecary very ready to comply with his desire, and, with-
out making any difficulty, took her from him, and shut her up
in one of the large presses of his shop, where she continued the
rest of that night and the day following in deadly fears. The
young monk came to me the next morning to excuse himself,
and, as it is likely, being troubled that he had given me the
occasion, by the diseovery he had made to me, to believe that
the rest of his brethren were better than he, he took the free-
dom to discover to me several things, which till then I was
ignorant of, though I 'had now already continued six: months
amongst them: he told me, that most of his brethren had their
wenches, whom they kept in their chambers, and that they Eot
them in from abroad from tisne to time, where they kept them,
some a week, others a fortnight, or month, according to the bar-
gain they had made with them, and the ability of their purse:
the abbot himself was not ignorant of it; but prevalent custom
had reduced things to that pass amongst them, that he was fain
to wink at all, and content himself with the presents they made
him from time to time for so doing. The most convenient time
they had to get their wenches into the abbey, was about the be-
ginning of the night; who, being come to a place, according to
the appointment, and precisely at such an hour, the monks, who
had sent for them, brought the cowl and frocks, and so dressed
them in their own habit ; which done, these good friars entered
179
 POPERY DELINEATED.

all without de. tinction into the monastery in greater nu-mber

than they were gone out." 'if
" A contemporary, Llorente, relates, (vol.iii. chap. 28, art. 2,
ed. 1817), that when he was secretary of the Inquisition, a
capuchin friar was cited before the tribunal, accused of having
seduced nearly an entire community of Beguines, whom he di-
rected. To each of them he said, when they came to confession,
that he had received a singular favour from God: 'Our Lord has
designed a show himself to me in the holy wafer, and said to
me, almost all the souls whom you direct have found favour in
my sight, particularly such a one-naming the person to whom
he was speaking-she is already so perfect that she has con-
quered all her passions, except sensuality, which torments her
very much. That is wby, in order to recompense so much vir-
tue, and that she may serve me tranquilly, I charge you with a
dispensation for her, provided she make use of your minist,ry ;
she must not mention this circumstance even to her confessor;
it would be quite useless, since with such a dispensation she can-
not sin.' Out of seventeen Beguines who composedthe com-
munity, thirteen received the dispensation, and for some time
nothing transpired; but one of them having fallen sick, and be-
ing in fear of death, confessedevery thing, alleging that she had
never believed in the dispensation, but had nevertheless pro-
fited by it. Had the scoundrel simply pleaded guilty, he would
have got off with some slight punishment, as the Inquisition,
says Llorente, always showed grea.t indulgence for crimes of
this description; but, although he confessed the fact, he con-
tended that he had done right, having the authority of Jesus
Christ. 'What,' said they, 'is it likely that our Lord bas ap-
peared to you to dispense you from observing a coinmandment
of the decalogueI' 'Did he not,' said the friar, • dispense
Abraham from the fifth commandment, by ordering him to
slay his son; and the Hebrews from the seventh, by command-
ing them to rob the Egyptians~' 'But these,' replied the in-
quisitors, 'were mysteries favourable to religion,' , And what
can be more favourable to religion,' added the impudent
scoundrel, 'than to tranquillize thirteen souls, by conducting
them with the divine essence to perfect union I' I remember

* Frauds of Monks, pp. 318·322.

180
 POPERYDELINEATED.

having remarked to him, says Llorente, • But how happens it

father, that this singular virtue was found in the thirteen young
and pretty women, and not in the four others who were old or
ugly?, He answered coolly, • The Holy Ghost breathes on
whomsoever he pleases?" '"
These unclean details might be multiplied to almost any
length; but the above are sufficient to show the tendency of
celibacy. It is such frult as every reasonable man would ex-
pect from such a plant, and it is not only natural but plentiful.
Protestants, indeed, in Protestant countries, are apt to think
that the priests residing among them, are chaste and holy men;
and it must be admitted that their sins are not so open llS in
Popish countries; but, if we are to believe their own pri ts,
their misdeeds are not less frequent. .. Secrecy is their fort.
Their own people, who are privy to their sins, hesitate to expose
them in the eye of Protestants. If they would, they dare not,
as it would ensure to them the hatred and revenge of the clergy."
.. They have peculiar means of privacy, by the:confcssional, the
convenience of their own houses, which are adapted to such circum-
stances, the secrecy which their people are bound to observe, and
by their opportunities of concealing, removing, or confining their
accomplices, &c.;" all conspire to the hiding of crime, and by
which Protestants are kept in ignorance of'the amount of iniquity
committed in those secret dens. Then the increase ofnunneries-
those hot beds of licentiousness-in our country, will increase
their opportunities of crime. NUNNERY!! ~ HATEFUL NAME! ! !
The homes of virginity are they-the safeguards of maidenly
purity? Nay! but the eeats of ignorance, cruelty, and crime.
And these foul spots are again polluting my native land I They
are a curse to any country; and, Britain, THEy'LL PROVEA
CURSETO THEE.
And how can these crimes be prevented? They cannot be
prevented but by abrogating the unnatural and unscripturallaw
of celibacy. But the priests themselves oppose'ft, with very few
exceptions. And how can the contrary be expected, when
almost universally they are unconverted men; they prefer, and
will prefer, a law which allows them to roam at large in the
wood. and cut 11 twig at pleasure. But what was the end pro-
posed in enforcing clerical celibacy?

• Prlesl's, Women. and Families, p. 59,

181
 !'Ell Y Dl:LI TED.

toh
Th
ill one

182
eaea-' I oon.tantly
183
.J'OPUY DELe nil.

t Dens' " 10m. Yii.

fIdem. ....
Idem. _ con. 30. , 3,
xJlii.
 i'OPERY DELINEATED.

xxi. 27. Now every sin, be it ever so small, certainly de-"

fileth the soul. Hence our Saviour assures us, ' that we are
to give an account for every idle word.' Matt. xii, 36.
" In the Douay Catechism, the following exposition of pur-
gatory is taught ;-
, Q. Whither go such as die in mortal sin 1
, A. To hell to all eternity.
, Q. Whither go such as die in venial sin, or not having
fully satisfied for the punishment due to their mortal sins 1
, A. To purgatory, till they have made full satisfaction for
them, and then to heaven.'
" Alexander Natalia, one of the most distinguished casuists
of Rome, writing on purgatory, says, , That it does not at all
belong to faith. (1.) Concerning the place; whether it be in
this world, or upon earth, or in the dark air, where the devils
are; or in the hell of the damned, or in some place under-:
neath, nearer the earth; that the souls are purged. (2.)
Concerning the quality of those sensible pains which the souls
held in purgatory undergo; whether it be true or corporeal fire,
or whether darkness and sorrow, or any other torment and sor-
row inflicted by the justice of God, punishing them after a
wonderful and yet true manner. (3.) Concerning the dura-
tion of these purgatory pains; how long the souls are detained
there. For though Soto thought that no soul continued in
purgatory above ten years, yet it is a matter altogether uncer-
tain how mltny years these pains shalllast.'*
" Cardinal Bellarmine says, ' The situation of purgatory, in
which souls are cleansed, is adjacent to that in which the
damned are punished: And again: ' We hold that purga-
tory, hell, and the abodes of fathers and of children, are sub-
terraneous places.' Dens oracularly declares, that' purgatory
is situated under the earth, contiguous to hell.' And Faber,
the Romanist polemic, declares, that it ' is situated under the
earth, near the centre, on the brink of hell.' ..
According to Cardinal Bellarmine, all who do not believe in
purgatory will be damned. Hear his language :-" We again
positively assert, that purgatory is an article of faith; so much
so, that he who does not believe that there is a purgatory, will

* Uibson's Preservative against Popery, vol. U. po 116.

186
 POPERl" DELINEATlm.

never arrive at it, but will be tortured with everlasting fire In

hell."
Now these extracts, which might have been considerably
multiplied, clearly maintain.e-c-
. (1.) That purgatory is a place, not merely a state.
(2r) That it is not merely a state of inU1'nal Borrow, but of
external ajftiction.
(3.) That it contains real fire. Some, however, vary the
mode of punishment considerably, as we shall see before we
have done.
(4.) That none but the pious go there.
There are two ways of getting out of purgatory.
(1.) By suffering till they pay the very last mite, which is
due to the justice of God.
(2.) By the interference of the Church. Which is done
either by saying masses, selling indulgences, or by the prayers,
gifts, &c. of the faithful.
We now proceed to prove, that the doctrine of purgat01-Y de-
rives no support from the WQ1'd of God.
" The Council of Trent affirms, that it is taught by Scrip-
ture and tradition, as well as by councils, and that through
the teaching of the Holy Ghost." Taught by tradition it may
be, and also inculcated by councils; but that it is taught in
the Scriptures, or by the Spirit of God, we deny. And we
may well deny it, when the most judicious of their own doc-
tors do so. "Otho Frisingensis, in the year 1146, an old
historian and a Roman Catholic bishop, informs us in his
Chronicon: 'The doctrine of purgatory was first built upon
the credit of those fabulous dialogues attributed to Gregory
I., about the year 600: Bishop Fisher also saith : ' Many
are tempted now-a-days not to rely much upon indulgences,
for this consideration, that the use of them appears to be new,
and very lately known among Christians, To which I answer, it
was not very certain who was the first author of them ; the doc-
trine of purgatm-y was a long time unknown; was rarely if at
all heard of among the ancients; and to this day the Greeks
believe it not. Nor was the belief of either purgatory or in-
dulgences so necessary in the primitive church as it is now;
80 long as men were unconcerned about purgatory, nobody in-
quired after indulgences.' And other divines of the Church
187
 P.OPERY DELINEATElY.

of Rome were so convinced of this, that they did not hesitate

to assert the fact in their writings.
" The main prop upon which the advocates of purgatorial
punishment rely, is derived from the conduct of Judas Macca-
beus, after his victory over Gorgias, the governor of Idumea.
Having put the enemy to flight, he is reported to have visited
the field of battle, in order to superintend the burial of those
who had fallen in the fight." . The following is the account,
beginning at the 39th verse :-" And upon the day following',
as the use had been, Judas and his company came to take up
the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with
their kinsmen in their fathers' graves. Now under the coats
of everyone that was slain they found things consecrated to
the idols of the Jamnites, which is forhidden the Jews by the
law. Then every man saw that this was the cause wherefore
they were slain. All men therefore, praising the Lord, the
righteous Judge, who had opened the things that were hid,
betook themselves unto prayer, and besought him that the sin
committed might wholly be put out of remembrance. Besides,
that noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from
sin, forsomueh as they saw before their eyes the things that
came to pass for the sins of those that were Blain. And when
he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum
of two thousand drachms of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to
offer :l sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in
that he was mindful of the resurrection: for if he had not
hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had
been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead. And also in
that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those
that died godly, it wall an holy and good thought. Where-
upon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they might be
delivered from sin." (2 Mac. xii. 39-45.)
Now, in reference to this extract, supposing we were to ad-
mit that the doctrine of purgatory were clearly and fully em-
bodied therein, it would amount to just nothing at all ; because
we deny the authority of the book from which it is taken. We
have already proved* that neither the Jews nor the early
Christians admitted them to be of Divine authority.
The very book in which the above passage is found com-

188
* See page 45, 46, 47.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

mends self-murde"-speaks with strong approbation of suicide.

This fact has only to be named to convince all right-thinking
men that the Holy Spirit of God had nothing to do with its
dictation. The following is the text :-
"Now when the multitude would have taken the tower, and
violently broken into the outer door, and bade that TIreshould
be brought to burn it, he being ready to be taken on every
side, fell upon his swo"d, choosing rather to die manfully
than to come into the hands of the wicked, to be abused other-
wise than beseemed his noble birth: but missing his stroke
through haste, the multitude also rushing within the doors, he
ran boldly up to the wall, and cast ltimBelf down manfully
among the thickest of them," (2 Mac. xiv. 41-43.)
I would fearlessly ask any man, Protestant or Romanist, if
such a passage were written under the inspiration of the Spirit
of God? We may well, therefore, reject the whole book; and,
in doing so, we are not alone; for popes, cardinals, doctors,
and councils, have denied their divine authority. Then, as to
the foregoing narration itself, we deny that the doctrine of
purgatory is involved in it, which the following considerations
prove :-
(1.) They died in mortal sin; for, according to the doc-
trines of the Romish Church, idolatry is mortal sin, and all
who die in mortal sin go direct to hell; then nothing can avail
them-prayers, alms, and even masses, will be in vain; so
that the holy and good thought of Judas Maccabeus was use-
less. But it is likely he was not so well versed in these mat-
ters as the Popish clergy.
(2.) The law of Moses commanded idolatry to be punished
with death, without any sacrificial expiation. And if sacri-
fice were denied them when living, how could it avail them
when dead?
(3.) That part of the quotation which speaks of the act of
J udas-being a. "holy and good thought," is merely the gloss of
the historian, and not the words of Judas; and who the his-
torian W!LS nobody knows. It is II great proof of the weak-
ness of their cause to rest it upon such questionable authority.
(4.) The Romanists, to make it appear more favourable to
themselves, have added, in the Donny version of the Bible, the
words, "for the sins of the dead." These words are not in
the original. This is an important fact. Those declaimers
189
 POPERY DELINEA TED.

of corruption, themselves corrupt! But what was the object

of Judas, then, in this collection ? . We answer-a very proper
one. (1.) It was to turn away the wrath of God from the
li'ving, not the dead: that no future punishment might fall
upon them, because of the sins of their companions in arms.
Instances of this kind will readily recur to the reader's mind.
The case of Achan is in point: the account is given us in the
seventh chapter of Joshua. Achan had sinned in the case of
the" Babylonish garment," the" two hundred shekels of sil-
ber," and the" wedge of gold." The consequence was, that
because of his sin, thirty-six men fell before the men of Ai.
And it was to prevent a similar calamity that Judas made the
above collection, &c. Then (2.) the course which Judas
took was in exact accordance with the law of God* in the
case of murder, when the shedder of blood could not be dis-
covered. Sacrifices were to be offered to turn away the wrath
of God from the nation. It was on this account, also, that
Judas and his men prayed that the sin of their companions
might not be remembered. And, in accordance with all this,
he exhorted his followers not to repeat the offence. Alas, for
purgatory! If the conduct of Judas and his little army be its·
main support, it may be said of it, as it is of the earth-it
hangeth upon nothing.
The following passage from our Lord's sermon on the
Mount is also quoted in support of purgatory-" Agree with
thine adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him,
lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and
the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into
prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come
out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." Matt.
v.25-26.
"According to papal interpretation, the farthings are
, venial sins; the payment is ' human satisfaction; and the p1'i-
son is 'purgatory.' To suchlamentable straits are the suppor-
ters of this doctrine reduced, that almost every text of Scripture
which contains the word 'fire,' or that speaks of, or even al-
ludes to any kind of 'prison; is seized upon with the utmost
avidity, for the sake of upholding their visionary views. "The
plain meaning of the precept is readily determined by the con-
text to apply solely to this life. It simply enjoins that if there be
• Deut. xxi. 1·10; Lev. iv. 13-14.
190
 POPERY DELINEATED.

any differencebetween a man and his neighbour, it is the duty and

interest of each to do all in his power to promote immediate re-
conciliation and peace, and not needlessly suffer an appeal to be
made to the judge, where the loser may meet with paiuful,
though just severity. Now, what can this have to do with pur-
gatory 1
" But take another view, and consider the spiritual applica-
tion of the injunction. It may be paraphrased to the effect that
man is a sinner; that God has a controversy with him; that the
present life only is the accepted, the proper time for reconcilia-
tion ; that he is in vited to return to God through Christ; that if
he neglect the invitation and die in his sins, he has only to ex-
pect the righteous sentence of his judge, and that doom from
which he will not escape •until he has paid the uttermost far-
thing.' This is a method of expressing continuity or eternity. *
. "Suppose, for a moment, that a man could pay the utter-
most farthing, in such case he would liquidate the debt, and his
venial sins would stand in no need of that remission or forgive-
ness for which the papist contends. Where payment is made
pardon is not required. Besides, if no one who enters purga-
tory is to come out 'until he has paid the uttermost farthing,'
of what avail are prayers and masses for the sufferer while
there? Yet we are told that by these means the dead are
daily supposed to come forth discharged from all payments to

• U If the word 'until· is always to oe understood as terminating at a certain

period, how will the Romantst, who constantly insists on the perpetual virginity
of the mother of our Lord, get over the saying of 8t Ma.tthew 0. 25, 'And he
knew her not till she had brought forth her first born Son ?' According to the
Papistical interpretation of the word in the above passage, the Virgin Mary had
children after the birth of our Saviour, which is known to be universally denied
by the Romish Church. The note, however, upon Matt. L 25, in the Douay
Bible, shall supply a comment on the text under review, and also exhibit a spect-
men of Romtsn consistency of interpretation.
"' Till she had brought/orih her first born Sim, From these words Helvidius,
and other heretics, most impiously inferred that the blessed Virgin Mary _had
other chf ldren besides Christ. But St Jerome shows, by divers examples, that
this expression of the Evangelist was a manner of speaking usual among the
Hebrews, to denote by the word 'U1Iii' only what is done, without any regard to
the future. Thus it is said, l.'JUJt Noah sen; f<rrlh a raven, whith went forth and
did not return TILL tne tcater, were drUG 'Up on the earth-fGen viii. 6, 7)-tbat is,
did not return anymore. Also God says, I am1'ILL you grow old. (Isaiah xtvt. 4.)
'who dares Infer that God should then cease to be ? Also in 1 lIae. v. 54, Theg
went 'Up W Afount Zion wilhjoyalld gladnel8, and qfferctl noloeausts, because Wit
01leo/them tOtu ,lain TILLthey had returned iT. peace-that is, not one was slain
before or ofter they had returned. God saith to his divine SOn, Sit tlwu on mg
right haud TeLLI make thy enemies thy footstool. ball he sit no longer after
his enemies are subdued? Yea, and for all eternity.' OJ

Let them employ the same mode of Interpretation 10 Mati. v, 26, and what be-
comes or Iheir purgutory I
 POPERY DELINEATED.

be made by themselves. To be sure, it is not said by the

Romish Church, when the debt is to be paid; but it is said in
the text, by whom it is to be paid: 'till thou,' that is, the
sinner himself, not his frlends and relatives: 'till THOU hast
paid the uttermost farthing :' so that all the masses and prayers
in Christendom, are superfluous and nugatory.
"In the interpretation which has been given above, it will
be found that we are borne out by the authority of the Fathers,
and even by the Romanists themselves.
" Thus 8t Ambrose remarks, that the reconciliation must
take place' while we are in this body: *
" , He is never released from prison,' says Jerome, < who
does not pay the last farthing before the end of life.' t
" The comment of Chrysostom runs thus :-' Agree with
thine adversary whiles thou art in the way with him-that is,
in this life; for, when the way is finished, there is no longer time
for repentance. Beware lest the adversary deliver thee to the
judge, and the judge to the avenging powers, and thou be cast
into prison-that is, into outer darkness, being condemned,
not only for thy deeds, but even for thy thoughts. Let us im-
plore the all-merciful God, that we be not delivered up to the
devils.' t
"Agustine has the following exhortation:-' Induced,
therefore, by these salutary reflections, beloved brethren, let
us agree with our adversary while we are in the way with
him-that is, let us conform to the Word of God while yet we
are in this life; for afterwards, when we shall have departed
hence, there will be neither room. for cont1-ition nor satisfac-
tion. Nothing will then remain, but the judge, the officer,
and the prison."
" Thus also Bede :-' Until thou payest is put for infinity,
just as in another place, 'Until I place thine enemies,' &c. 11
"Maldonatus :-' The way is the time of this life, the pri-
son is hell. He will never come out, because those who are
in hell never pay.' **
" Alexander also :-' It does not mean that we shall come
out afterwards, but that we shall never come out. Because
when the condemned suffer infinite punishments for any mor-

• Ambro8.lib, ix. t Hteron. Comment. in Mare. iii., tom. 5. p- 805,

* CbrY808.D'om. lxxxii., tom. JOJ p.824. ,. Augustin,.Hom. v., tom. x.
I Bed a Jlb•• v., p. 12. •• Maldonat, Comment., p. 121.
1 9
 POPERY DELINEATED,

tal sin, they never thoroughly discharge them. Those of whom

this is said will never come out of the prison of hell. * Some,
however, understand the adversary differently.
At a conference which took place in the city of Berne dur-
ing the reformation in Switzerland, the foliowing argument was
advanced by a Parisian doctor in support of the Papacy:-
" Christians," said he, "are enjoined to obey the devil; for it
is said, submit to thine adversary-(Matt. v, 25)-now, our
adversary is the devil. How much more, then, should we sub-
mit to the Church !" Loud bursts of laughter greeted this re-
markable syllogism.t
"No foundation for the doctrine of purgatory can therofore
be discovered in this passage; for (1.) To the person who
is in danger of being thrust into prison, it is said, ' Tnou
shalt by NO MEANS come out till THOU hast paid the ut-
termost farthing.' This is an expression which admits of no
commutation of punishment. The sinner must pay the whole
debt in his own person. (2.) As the crime here
spoken of is uncharitableness, and therefore a mortal sin, it
cannot be said with any consistency that purgatory is the prison;
because, according to their teaching, mortal sins send persons to
hell. Maldonat, the jesuit, also acknowledges that
'purgatory cannot be proved from Matthew v. 25, as the prison
there spoken of is hell. and not purgatory.' "
Matthew xii. 32, is also quoted in support of this doctrine;
where our Lord declares that " blasphemy against the Holy
Ghost shall not be forgiveu, neither in this world, neither in the
world to come." Hence the papist infers that some sins are
forgiven in the world to come; and, consequently, that there
must be a purgatory. Two or three very brief arguments will
show the futility of their conclusion. (1.)" The text simply
means that the sin in question shall never be forgiven. St Mark
himself says that it ' hath never forgivenes$' -(Mark iii. 29)-
and St Luke, that' it shall not beforgiven:" (Luke xii, 10.)
(2.) Their conclusion from this passage is contrary to the doc-
trine they teach-namely, that purgatory is not a place where
sins are forgiven, but where sinners are punished for sins already
forgiven; for they exp ssly teach that none go there but those
whose sins are already remitted. By what process of reasoning,

~ Alex. nist., lib" Ix., p. 385, t D' Aubiinc'. Refonnatioll, Tol. Iv. p. 387.
193
POPDY DELnnUTED.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

death, however sudden. But then, there is the priest's absolu-

tion wanting in the case of a sudden death. A fig for the priest's
absolution I-the wild laughter of a maniac would be equally
effectual.:
Then, again, how does purgatory agree with the following
glorious truth :-" There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit." (Rom. viii. 1.) This gives the lie to
this doctrine of the Popish faith. Take another :-" Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that jus-
tifieth,"-nay, it's the popish priest; "Who is he that con-
demneth 1" The popish priest. " It is Christ that died, yea
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Rom. viii.
33, 34.) True: but all this is of no avail, unless it be sup-
plemented by purgatory. Take another :-" For by one
offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."
(Heb. x. 14.) Another :-" But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chas-
tisement of our peace was laid upon him; AND WITH IDS
STRIl'ES WE ARE HEALED." (Isa.liii.5.) Yet another :-" For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not oj your-
seloes: it is the gijt oj God: Not oj works, lest any man
should boast." (Eph. ii, 8, 9.) One more :-" And I heard
a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, 'Blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith
the Spirit, that they may rest jrom their labours; and their
works do follow them." (Rev. xiv. 13.) And all these.
agree with 2d Cor. v. 8:- We are confident, I say, and will-
ing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with
the Lord."
Unless they can prove that the Lord is in purgatory, they
are fairly nonpluss'd, And is it possible that they can be-
lieve that Paul had "rather" be in purgatory than on earth,
working for his Lord 1 The doctrine is shamefully dishonour-
able to God the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as the fire of purga-
tory is declared to be cleansing, sanctifying, and purifyin~.
To the above, we may add the following from Fisher,
Bishop of Rochester :-" He that pleases, let him read the
commentaries of the old Greeks, and, as I suppose, he shall
find none, or very rare mention of purgatory, But neither
196
 POPERY DELINEATED.

did the Latins at one time, but by little and little, conceive
the truth of this thing." And again :-" For some while it
was unknown; it was but lately known to the Catholic
Church. Then it was believed by some by little and little,
partly from Scripture, partly from revelations." Indeed, in
the twelfth century many doubted its existence. " How
many masses would serve to fetch a soul out of purgatory S"
said a cardinal to his chaplain: to which he hi~self replied,
" just as many as it wouldtake of mow-balls to heat an oven."
"After this life there is no purgation," said Gregory
Nazianzen. 0

Before concluding, we will refer to a few of the absurdities

and evil consequences of this doctrine. "The doctrine itself
received its chief support from apparitions and false miracles.
8t Bernard writes that a certain saint, praying for a de-
ceased sister, saw her thrice in a vision. The first time she
was clothed in black, standing without the church; on the
second appearance she was attired in a brown garment, just
within the threshold; when he saw her the third time she
was dressed in white, and standing before the altar with other
saints; whence the good man inferred that purgatorial
cleansing is gradual. The priests and friars have made great
use of the apparition of St Jerome after death to Eusebius,
commanding him to lay his sack on the corpses of three dead
men, that they, rialng from the dead, might confesspurgatory,
which formerly they denied. This story is found in an epistle
attributed to St Cyril; but what is fatal to this asseortionis,
that Jerome outlived Cyril, and wrote his life. In the Specu-
lum Exemplorum it is said that a certain priest, in an exstacy,
saw the soul of Constantinus Turritanus in the eaves of his
house, tormented with frosts wnd cold rains, and that after-
ward he saw him climbing up to heaven on a shining pillar.
A certain monk saw some souls roasted upon spits like pigs,
and devils basting them with boiling lard; and shortly after
they were carried to a cool place. Bishop Theobald, while
standing on a piece of ice, heard the cries of a miserable soul,
which informed him, that under the ice he was tormented;
and that, if the Bishop causedthirty masses to be said for him
in thirty days, s e shouldobtain deliverance. St Odilioheard
the devil complain that tho souls of' dead men were daily
snatched out of his bands by the alms and pra.yers of the liv-
197
 POPEJlY DELINEATED •

.. Romanism of ltalJ'. bJ' ir Co E. Smith. Bart.

198
 POPERY D.ELDiEAT.ED.

souls, which a. tempe t seemed to toss in all directions. The

unhappy spirits, unable in one part to bear the violent heat,
leaped into the shivering cold, which again drove them into
the scorching flame , which cannot be extinguished. A num-
berless multitude of deformed souls were in this manner
whirled bout nd torm nted, without intenni sion, in the ex-
tremes of alternate heat and cold. This, according to th
ngelir onductor wh pilot d Dritholm, i th pla of h •
ti om nt fur .u h d f l' onf ion n,l ndm nt till th
hour of deuth, All th • , how ,r, 11 t th 1 t.t Y
• tlmitt to h VI n ; "hil m flY, throu h lUI, i it .11" 1
nil p' I lIy tb '011, ill lib·r t tI V /I fQT th
g n t l jud mont .
.. Enu w a warrior und r t ph n, in of sn I fill.
Rc olvcd to UI kc r paration in St P tr1 k's pur atory for b
enormity of hi life Enus visit d Ireland. Th n of od,
if old chronicle ma.y be credited, appeared to the saint when
he preached the go pel to the b" ti l Iri h, and instructed th
missionary to construct a. purgatory at Lough Derg; and pro-
mised the plenary remis ion of sin to all who should remain
a day and a night in this laboratory of atonement. Forti-
fied by the holy communion, and sprinkled with holy water,
the fearless soldier entered the gloomy cave.
e< Protected by invoking the Son of God, Enus beheld the

punishment of the wretched purgatorians. The groans of

the sufferers soon began to stun his ears. Numberless men
and women, lying naked on the earth, and transfixed with
red-hot nails, bit the dust with pain. Devils lashed some
with dreadful whips. Fiery dragons gnawed some with ig-
nited teeth; while flaming serpent pierced others with burn-
ing stings. Toad of amazing Ize and terror endeavoured,
with ugly beaks, to extract the heart. of many. .10nstro
deform worm, breathing fire from their mouths, devoured
some with in atiable voracity. ome bung in sulpbureous
flames, with chains through their feet, leg , hands, arm., and
heads, or with iron hooks, in a. atate of ignition, tbrough
their eyes, nose, ja.w , and breasts. Some were roasted on
spits, fryed in pans, or boiled in furnaces. any were hurled
headlong int-o a fetid, tumbling, roaring river; and if any
raised their heads a.bove the surface, devils, running along
the stream, sunk them again into the cold element. A sul-
199
 POPERY DELINEATED.

phureous well, emitting flame and stench, threw ,men, like

sparkling scintillations, into the air, and again received them
falling into its burning mouth.
"Thurcal's adventure is also related by Paris. Julian,
who officiatedas guide on the occasion, left the body of Thur-
cal sleeping in bed, and took only the soul as the companion
of his journey to the nether world. He wisely, however,
'breathed life into the soulless body, lest, in the spirit's ab-
sence, it should appear dead. Having settled these necessary
preliminary arrangements, the two spiritual travellers departed,
at night, from England to purgatory. The two disembodied
companions soon winged their aerial way to the middle of the
world, towards the east, and entered a spacious fabric of won-
derful structure. This edifice was the general rendezvous of
departed souls, and was built by Jesus the Son of God, at the
intercessions of Lady Mary, his mother. The palace, of course,
had a respectable architect.
" Many souls in this depot of spirits, and many beyond the
north wall, were marked with spots indicating their venial
sins. The Apostle Paul sat in the palace at the end of
the north wall, the devil and his guards sat without the
wall, opposite the Apostle. A balance was affixed to the wall,
between the Apostle and the devil, in which Paul and Satan,
with precision and care, weighed the souls-the former at two
weights which were bright and golden; and the latter two,
which, as might be expected, were dark and smoky. When
the beam inclined to Beelzebub, the guards threw the souls,
wailing and cursing, into a :flaming gulf, which, of course, was
. hell. This unceremonious treatment of sinners afforded fine
fun to the devils, whose duty on the occasion was attended
with loud peals of infernal laughter. When the beam in-
clined to Paul, the Apostle introduced the soul through the
eastern gate to purgatory, to make compensation for his venial
crimes.
"Purgatory, according to our subterranean traveller, con-
sists of a vast valley between two walls, the northern and
southern. The entrance into this ancient domain is occupied
with purgatorian fire, cauldrons filled with gleaming pitch,
blazing sulphur, and other fiery materials, to boil or roast the
souls for the expiation of their sins. These furnaces also ex-
haled a stench which was not very pleasing to the olfactory
200
 POPERY DELINEATED.

nerves, and which caused even the disembodied souls, that on

earth had wallowed in filthy grati:fications, to cough, hiccup,
and sneeze. Having enjoyed the warm bath, the souls, for the
sake of variety, were introduced into the cold one. The un-
happy exempli:fied the variations of Popery, and passed into
a frosty pool, which skirted the eastern extremity of the valley.
The water of this pool was icy, salt, and shivering. The
spirits, according to their crimes, were immersed in this lake
to the knees, the middle, or the neck. Removed from this
shivering situation, the sufferer had to undergo another trial.
A bridge, studded with sharp nails, and thorns, with their
points turned upwards, had to be crossed. The souls walked
barefooted on this rough road; and, endeavouring to ease their
feet, leaned on their hands, and afterwards rolled, with the
whole body, on the perforating pikes, till, pierced and bloody,
they worked their painful, tedious way over the thorny path.
Passing this de:filewas often the labour of many years. But
this last difficulty being surmounted, the spirits, forgetful of
their pain, escaped to heaven, called the Mount of Joy.
" Perpetua's vision may, for the sake of variety, be added
to the Tartarian travels of Drithelm, Enus, and Thurcal.
This holy martyr had a brother called Dinocrates, who died of
an ulcer in the face, in the seventh year of his age. His sister,
in a vision of the night, saw the boy, after his death, going out
of a dark thirsty place, with a dirty face, a pale colour, and
the ulcer of which he died remaining in his visage. The
smoky, thirsty enclosure in which he was con:fined contained
a pond full of water, which, however, being inaccessible, only
tantalized the thirsty child.
"Perpetult knew this prison to be purgatory, and her prayers
and tears day and night for his deliverance were attended with
their usual success. She soon had the pleasure of seeing her
brother clean, dressed, and joyful. The malady which had
dis:figured his face was healed-he had obtained access to the
Tartarian pool, and, from a golden cup, swallowed copious
potations, and then played like a child throngh the plain.
Perpetua awakening, understood that the youth was released
from punishment. All this is very clear and satisfactory.
The vision presents a graphic description of purgatory as a
place of dirt, paleness, disease, heat, thirst, smoke, and tan-
talising water; and, at the same time, opens a pleasing pros-
201
 POPERY DELINEATED.

pect of heaven as a country of cleanness, dress, health, water-

cups, joy, and, at least with respect to boys, of fun and
frolic.
" Some fishermen, it seems, during the time of a violent
heat, found in the water a mass of coldest ice. This the fish-
ermen having presented to Bishop Theobald, a naked, shiver-
ing, frozen ghost, which suffered the Hames of purgatory in
this congelation, revealed, in loud outcry from its icy tene-
ment, and begged the aid of Theobald's prayers. The bishop's
intercessions soon thawed the congealment, and liberated the
ice-imprisoned spirit.
" Platina, in his life of Benedict, presents a view of purga·
tory in the eleventh century. His posthumous infallibility,
Pope Benedict, appeared to a traveller, decorated with the
beautiful ears and tail of an ass, and dignified with the grace-
ful countenance and limbs of a bear. The traveller, whoever
he was, took the liberty of asking the cause 'of the unholy
transformation. 'My deformity after death; replied his ho-
liness, ' is the reward of my pollution in life: . The pontiff,
according to the historian, is doomed to be dragged till the
day of judgment through thorns and filth in regions exhaling
stench, and sulphur, and fire."
" , Since many persons; says Bellarmine, ' will not believe
what they have never seen, it has pleased Almighty God some-
times to raise his servants from the dead, and to send them to
announce to the living what they have really beheld. A pious
father of a family, in Northumberland, died, after a long ill-
ness, in the early part of one night, but, to the great terror of
those who watched by the body, came to life again at the dawn
of the following day. All but his faithful and affectionate
wife fled at the sight of him, and to her he communicated, in
the most soothing terms, the peculiar circumstancesof his case;
that he had indeed been dead, but was permitted to live again
upon earth, though by no means in the same manner as before.
In short, he sold all his property, divided the produce equally
between his wife, his children, and the poor, and then retired
to the Abbey of Melrose. He there lived in such a state of
unexampled mortification, as made it quite evident, eveu if he
had not said a word on the subject, that he had seen things,
whatever was the nature of them, which no one else had been
permitted to behold. ' One,' said the old man, 'whose aspect
202
 POPERY DELINEATED.

was as of light, and his garment glistening, conducted me to a

valley of great depth and width, but of immeasurable length;
one side of which was dreadful beyond expression for its burn-
ing heat, and the other as horrible for its no less intolerable
cold. Both were filled with souls of men, which seemed to be
tossed, as by the fury of a tempest, from one side to the other;
for, being quite unable to endure the heat on the right hand,
the miserable wretches kept throwing themselves to the oppo-
site side into the equal torment of cold, and thence back again
into the raging flames. This, thought I to myself, must be
hell: but my guide answered to my thought, that it wa. not
so. This valley, says he, is the place of torment for the souls
of those who, after delaying to confess and expiate their sin.,
have at length, in articulo mortis, had recourse to penance,
and so have died; these, at the day of judgment, will be ad-
mitted into the kingdom of heaven, by reason of their confes-
sion and penance, late as it was; but, meanwhile, many of
them may be assisted and liberated before that day, by the
prayers, alms, and fastings of the living, particularly by the
sacrifice of the mass.'
" One more instance is given by the Cardinal, as a proof of
the possible duration of the pains of purgatory, even to the
day of judgment. He quotes from the Life of 8t Ludgardis,
written by the same author as that of St Christina. 'About
this time, Pope Innocent IlL, after having held the Lateran
council, departed out of this life, and shortly-afterwards ap-
peared to Ludgardis. She, as soon as she beheld him, encir-
cled with a vast flame, demanded who he was; and, on his
answering that he was Pope Innocent, exclaimed with a groan,
, What can this be? how is it that the common father of us
all is thus tormented l' 'The reasons of my suffering thus;
he answered, ' are three in number; and they would have
consigned me to eternal punishments had I not, through the
intercession of the most pious mother of God, to whom I
founded a. monastery, repented, when in extremis. As it is,
though I am spared eternal suffering, yet I shall be tortured
in the most horrible manner to the day of judgment; and that
I am now permitted to come and pray for your suffrages is a
boon which the mother of mercy has obtained for me from her
Son.' With these words he disappeared. Ludgardis not only
communicated to her holy sisters the sad necessity to which the
203
T 'DJ:I.DnI~ n:Do
 POPERY
DELINEATED.

turn it to money. Now the poor country people being extre-

mely simple and ignorant, and the persons employed to receive
their charity being very subtile and crafty, make them believe
what they please themselves, and abuse them extremely. I
overheard once a poor country woman, who gave some hemp to
some of these crafty collectors, saying, ' she was very sorry she
could not give them enough to make a great shift of ;' but one
of the quest men told her that they would take care to make a
little shift of it, for some small soul in purgatory. They
turned their heads and laughed at the simplicity of this poor
woman; but not one of them had the charity to inform her
better." *
Purgatory was called by Bishop Latimer, "pick-purse"--
and he adds, " I dare boldly say, there hath been no emperor
that hath gotten more by taxes and tallages, of them that were
alive, than these the very and right begotten sons of the world,
got by dead men's tributes and gifts." t
The evil consequences of this purgatorial chimera, are neither
few nor small. It is a blasphemous disparagement of the free
grace of ~d; it denies the fnIness of Christ's satisfaction; it
Iessens the horrid nature of sin; it advances human works; it
makes people less careful about preparing for death, and makes
good men afraid to die. 0 POPERY! Thou combination of
superstition and fraud! thou foster parent. of ignorance and
fanatiCism! thou personification of cunning and cruelty !
Thou master-piece of Satan's workmanship! MY SOULABHORS
THEE!! I tUNt from thee with UNUTTERABLE LOATHING!!
and, with a thankful heart, contemplate the undying fruits of
the GLORIOUS REFORMATION!! I The blessings it has
conferred upon Great Britain, and through Great Britain upon
the world, are numberless. And its best-its richest gift, is
the BIBLE. It has taught us how guilty sinners may be recon-
ciled to God; it has made the way to heaven plain; and guided
millions to the skies. And, this book is mine-MINE, responds
my heart! and thanks God for the" unspeakable gift." And
in it I read, that, " to be absent from the body, is to bepresent
with the Lord ;" therefore, truly, "Ble,scd OIT'ethe dead that
die in the Lord, from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow

.. Prauds of Monks, pp.214-216. t Latimer'. Sennous, vol, i.

206
 POPERY DELINEATED.

them." But, if their be a purgatory, why then farewell the

hope that maketh not ashamed! Farewell calm assurance
of God's love! Farewell joyful anticipation of our last mo-
ments ! Farewell all foretaste of heavenlyblessedness! Fare-
well that influence which has lighted up the chamber of death
with the glow of paradise I Earewellall the raptures and
triumphs of piety !" But, if purgatory be a lie-a pick-purse-
Why, then,
.. Tho ohambor whero tho good man m ta his fat.,
18 prlvUeg'd boyond III common walk
\,I'
or vlrtuouillfc, quite tulhtv.l01 U".VfN."

201
 POPERYDELINEATED.

CHAP. lX.-SUPREMACY OF THE POPE.

IN entering upon the subject of the POPE'SSUPREMACY, it is

necessary to state, that this is a point on which it is difficult
to ascertain the real sentiments of the Romish Church. "Mem-
bers of the Church of Rome are remarkably confused in their
creed respecting it, though a subject on which unanimity is
of the utmost importance. The nature and extent of the pre-
rogative is yet controverted, and no question has caused so
many disputes as this, even among Romanists." And it must
be admitted that "this disagreement of doctors, councils,
synods, bishops, and pontiffs, respecting the supremacy, is pre-
sumptive evidence against it. If a man sue for a piece ofland
when neither himself nor his advocates can tell where it lies,
how it is bounded, and from whom it was conveyed to him, his
title must rest on a very slender foundation." Yet this is the
position of the Romanists. " They cannot decide with any
accuracy on either the nature or extent of the Pope's supre-
macy. It has baffled all their infallible modes of deciding
controversies. Scripture is silent on this doctrine-tradition
leaves it uncertain-z-councils contradict each other--divines
are continually wrangling-and the most serious members of
their communion are in a state of painful hesitation and
anxiety."
And, strange to say, this is true of that Church, which is
continually boasting of her unity, the certainty of her doc-
trines, and which maintains that controversies should be de-
cided, and that these advantages are peculiar to herself; never-
theless, even the Romish Ohurch allows controversies of con-
siderable importance to remain unsettled. It is difficult to
be accounted for, that this Church should be infallible on a
multitude of minor matters, and yet, on a subject of such vast
importance, their infallibility should have forsaken them. Yet
so it is.
" In consequence of this uncertainty and di versity of opinion,
the Pope and his partisans, in modern times, have studiously
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avoided any decisive course which might involve controversy.

Hence the anathematizing Council of Trent, which was not
backward to decide upon disputed topics, waived this. The
Legates of the Pontiff were enjoined to advertise the Council,
that" they should not, on any cause whatsoever, dispute re-
specting the Pope's authority. The influence of the Pontiff
and Council was not sufficient to decide on another subject.
The Council having incidentally enacted, that a prince should
be excommunicated, and deprived of the dominion of that city
or place where he might permit a duel to be fought, the pre-
lates of France, in the Convention of Orders, A.D.j1695, de-
clared such decree, as well as others, as an infringement on
the king's authority. 'If The opinions, therefore, concerning the
authority of the Pope are very contradictory, and are likely so
to continue."
All that we can do, then, is to refer you to some of the
opinions held, and, as far as necessary, attempt a refutation.
" Some RO'1nanistsasc-ribeto the Pope an absolute, univer-
sal, and boundless authority over all persons, and in all
matters, both spiritual and temporal, conferred upon him by
Divine right; so that all are obliged, in conscience. to believe
whatsoever he doth authoritatively dictate, and to obey what-
soever he commands,"
And this is-if any can be said to be-the opinion of the
Church. According to this :-" If princes or magistrates
refuse obedience to the will of the Pope, he may excommuni-
cate, depose, and extirpate them. If he require subjects to
hold no communion with their sovereign, to renounce all alle-
giance, abandon, oppose, and persecute him, even to death,
he must be obeyed, under pain of anathema or damnation.
If he forbid whole nations worshipping God, they must sub-
mit" And thus the Pope is above God himself, as he can sus-
pend what is due to him at pleasure. 0 monstrous audacity!
" Bellarmine, in enumerating the several notions which"
have been" entertained on the supremacy, says, • The first
opinion is, that the Pope, by divine right, hath supremepower
over the whole world, both in ecclesiastical and civil affairs.
This is the opinion of Augustinus Triumphus, Alvarus Pela-

* Du PIn, Ecc!. Blst.

209
o
 POPERY DELINEATED.

gius, Panormitanus, Rostiensis, Silvester, and many others.".

Augnstinus Triumphus, referred to by Bellarmine in the pre-
face of a work on ecclesiastical power, which he dedicated to
Pope John XXII. observes, "that it is an error not to
believe that the Roman Pontiff is pastor of the universal
church, the successor of Peter, the lawful vicar of Christ, and
that he hath not universal supremacy over temporal and
spiritual affairs. Into this error many fall, through igno-
rance of this power, which is infinite, because 'great is the
Lord, and great is his power, and of his greatness there is no
end;' for every created intellect is found deficient in his
sight:t
"The leading theologian of the Papacy, the angelical
Doctor, Thomas Aquinas, says, 'In the Pope is the summit
of each power: ' When any prince is denounced 'excommuni-
cate on account of apostacy, by his decision his subjects are
immediately freed from their subjection, and oath of allegiance
to him:t The same divine, on the rule of princes, affirms
that the Pope, by divine right, hath spiritual and temporal
power, as SUPREME KING OFTHEWORLD; so that he can impose
taxes on all Christians, and destroy towns and castles for
the preservation of Christianity.§
'.' Ferraris says, 'The Pope is of such dignity and highness,
that he is not simply man, but, as it were, God, and the vicar
of God. Hence, the Pope is of such supreme and sovereign
dignity that, properly speaking, he is not merely constitnted
in dignity, but is rather placed on the very summit of digni-
tics. Hence also, the Pope is Father of Fathers; and he
alone can use this name, because he alone can be called
'Father of Fathers,' since he possesses the primacy over all,
is truly ureater than all, and the greatest of all. He is
called 'MosT HOLY,'(!) Bishop of Bishops, Ordinary of
Ordinaries, universal Bishop of the Church, Bishop or
Diocesan of the whole world, divine Monarch, Supreme
Emperor, and' KING OFKINGS.' Hence the Pope is crowned
with a triple crown, as King of Heaven, of Earth, and of Hell.
Nay, 'the Pope's excellency and power is not only about

• Bel1arm. Opera, 10m. f.; lib. v, enp. 1., col. 887.

t Aug. Tri. de Potest., &c. ; Thom. !JUDI. 'I'beol., PillS ii., qll.I2. arl. 2.
f n"rrow'. Trealise, &c., vol, vii. pp. 5-6.
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 PotERYDELINEATED.

heavenly, terrestial, and infernal things, but he is also above

angels, and is their superior; so that, if it were possible that
angels could err from the faith, or entertain sentiments con-
trary thereto, they could be judged and excommunicated by
the Pope. The Pope is, as it were,
God on earth, the only prince of the faithful of Christ, the
greatest KiJng of all kings, possessing the PLENITUDE of power,
to whom the government of the earthly and heavenly kingdom
is entrusted. * Hence, it is not
wonderful, if to the Roman Pontiff, as the vicar of him who e
is the earth, and its fulness, the world, and all thoy who dwell
therein, be attributed supreme authority lind power, not
only the spiritual, but also the unsheathed material sword,
just cause being assigned for transferring empires, breaking
eceptres, and taking away crowns."t Baronius says, that
" 'there can be no doubt but that the civil principality is
subject to the sacerdotal.' And again: • God hath made the
political government subject to the dominion of the spiritual
church.' "t "Peter Dens says, 'The Roman Pontiff is
called by this name, not only because he has the supreme
honour and dignity in the Church, but especially, because he
hath the supreme and universal authority, power, and juris-
diction over all bishops and the universal Church.' Again:
• The Pope hath the plenitude of power, so that his power
extends itself to all who are in the Church, and to all things
which pertain to the government of the Church. Hence it
follows, that all the faithful, also bishops and patriarchs, are
bound to obey the Roman Pontiff; he is, moreover, to be
obeyed in all those things which concern the Christian religion,
as well in faith and morals, in rites, .ecclesiastical discipline,
&c. The Pope hath also, not .only a directive, but also a
coactive, power over all the faithful.' "§
" Some Romanists ascribe to the Pope," in opposition to
the foregoing authorities, "very limited pOUlel's,especially in
temporal or civil affairs.
" Bishop Milner says, • It is not, then, the faith of this
Church, that the Pope has any civil or temporal supremacy,

• Let the reader compare this abominable blasphemy with the marks of
Antichrist, as stated in 2 Thess. Ii, 4.
t Ferrurts, Btbltceb. Prompt., TOrb. Papa, art. Ii. sect. 1-29.
~ Baronil Annal Eccles. tom. t, § J) ..... Theel. tom. ii. No. 00-114.
:.11
 POPERY DELINEATED •
•
by virtue of which he can depose princes, or give or take
away the property of other persons out of his own domain;
for even the incarnate Son of God, from whom he derives the
supremacy which he possesses, did not claim, here upon earth,
any right of the above-mentioned kind; on the contrary, he
positively declared that his kingdom is not of this world.
Hence, the (Roman) Catholics of both our islands have,
without impeachment even from Rome, denied upon oath that
the Pope hus any civil jurisdiction, power, sup riority, or pre-
ininence, directly Qr indirectly, within this realm. (Great
.Britain.) But it is 'Undeniable that different Popes, in former
"titS, have pronounced &entencdof dellosition against certain
co'lltcffilJO)'UI7/
princes, and great numbers of theologians have
held (though not as a matter of faith) that they had a right to
do so.' .,* And has the Pope of Rome ever denie(l his right to do
so? NEYER. And what is the authority of Bi hop Milner, or all
the bishops in Great Britain and Ireland, compared with those
we have given on the other side? But further :-" Bishop
nay observes that, • The Pope is the supreme head and
pastor of the Church under Christ, the spiritual father and
teacher of all Christians, with full power to feed and govern
the whole flock; therefore, he is the supreme judge and law-
ziver in all things relating to religion, whether as to faith,
manners, or discipline. And all the members of the Church
are obliged to pay the greatest respect, veneration, and obe-
dience to his decrees and orders in all things belonging to
religion.' "t This extract from Bishop Hay, virtually nul-
lifies the foregoing from Bishop Milner. The reader will
observe, that Bishop Hay gives the Pope supreme authority
over the whole Chureh ; but says not a word about the civil
authority claimed by former Popes. And if, as Bishop Hay
observes, " All the members of the Church are obliged to obey
the de Teesof the Pope in all things," that he may consider
for the advantage of religion, what becomes of the oaths
referred to by Bishop Milner? They would be but as the
new hemp in the hands of Sampson.
" From the ' declaration of the Catholic bishops, the Vicars
Apostolic, and their coadjutors in Great Britain,' we give the

* End of Conb'oYersy, Letter Ixt., pp. 397.398.

t Sincere Chriotian Instructed, voL L, p. 183.
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 �OrERY DELISE~TED.

following on allegiance to the king and obedience to the Pope ;

-' They acknowledge in the Sovereign, and in the constitnted
government of these realms, a supreme civil and temporal au-
thority, which is entirely distinct from, and totally independent
of, the spiritual and ecclesiastical authority of the Pope and of
the Catholic Church. They declare that neither the Pope nor
any other prelate. or ecclesiastical person of the Roman Catholic
Church ha , in virtue of his spiritual and le iastical haraeter,
any right, dir tly or indir ctly, to ny ivil or t mporal juri·
di -tion, power, superiority, or 1'f min n ,or authority within
this roalm ; nor has liny rigbt til int rfi r • di tly r in li -tlr,
in the civil government of th Unit d Kingdom, Of ny l'
thereof; nor to oppose in any mann r tho p rforman of th
civil duties which are due to his :Maje ty, his h ir, nd UCl' - -
sors, from all or any of his Maje ty' subjects; nor to enfor
the performance of any spiritual or ecclesiastical duty, by any
civil or temporal means. They hold themselves bound in con-
science to obey the civil government of this realm, in all things
of 0. temporal and civil nature, notwithstanding any dispensation
or order to the contrary had or to be had from the Pope, or
any authority of the Church of Rome. H Hence, we declare,
that by rendering obedience in spiritual matters to the Pope,
Catholics do not withhold any portion of their allegiance to their
king, and that their allegiance is entire and undivided; the
civil powe~ of the State, and the spiritual authority of the Ca-
tholic Church being absolutely tdistinct, and being never in-
tended by their divine Author to interfere or clash with each
other .
.. The following are the opinions of the universities of the
Sorbonne, of Louvain, Douay, Alcala, and alamanca, on the
temporal power of the Pope, which were furnished to the Eng-
lish Roman Catholics at their request;-
" • (l.):That the Pope or cardinals, or any body of men, or
any individual of the Church of Rome, has not nor have any
civil authority, power, or jurisdiction, or pre-eminence whatso-
ever within the realm of England.
,,' (2.) That the Pope or cardiaals, or any body of men, or
any individual of the Church of Rome, cannot absolve or dis-
pense with his 1Iajesty's subjects from their oath of allegiance,
upon an y pretext whatever .
.. '(3.) That there is no principle in the tenet of the Ca-
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

tholic faith by which the Catholics are justified in not keeping

faith with heretics, or other persons differing from them in re-
ligious opinions, in any transactions, either of a public or a pri-
vate nature.'
" It is gratifying to find such liberal and Christian sentiments
expre ed and avowed; nevertheless, they a.re at variance with
the 'tandard doctrine' of the Ohurch of Rome, a, defined 1>1)
her highe't eoolesiaetioal. auth070ily ; and they have not received
tll.6 'anetion of the suprem« power, nor have the opposing doc-
trines been DI AVOWED, They are only the sentiment of mo-
dern Roman Catholic', adapted for circulation in a Protestant
country; and are so modified as to leave out of sight the most
forbidding parts of the supremacy, yet are so expressed as to
retain its fundamental principle, which may be asserted at a
future time, when circumstances may render it necessary or
safe," -
That the above "sentiments" are at variance with the stan-
dard doctrine of the Church of Rome," any person may con-
vince himself of, by reading the famous, or rather infamous,
"BULLA ClENlE DOMINI, given at Rome, at St Peter's, in the
year of our Lord's incarnation, one thousand 8ix hundred and
ten:" and which has been sanctioned as recently as 1832.
'Whatever may be the professions of the bishops of the Ro-
mish Church, as to the present rights of the Papacy, it is easy
to prove, that am absolute and universal power, in things tem-
poral and spiritual, has been flaimed by sueceuive Popes for
manyagu.
This will appear from their most solemn declarations. and
most notorious practices. "Gregory II., A.D., 730, excommuni-
cated the Emperor Leo lsauru • because he was opposed to the
worship of images. The Italians were ab olved nom their oath
of allegiance to him. Baronius saith, that' he effectually caused
both Romens and Italians to recede from obedience to the Em-
peror, and left to posterity a worthy example, that heretical
princes should not be suffered to reign in the Church of Christ,
if, being warned, they were found pertinacious in error.'" This
is tbe highest source to wbillh this extravagant doctrine can be
traced.

'" Barenfi Annal. Eccl es., tom. vi., pp. 107. 108.
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 POPERY DELINEATED.

"Hildebrand, or Gregory YII., deposed Henry IV., in the

year 1075, and repeated the excommunication in 1080.
"The following is his language : ' For the dignity and defence
of God's holy Church, in the name of Almighty God, the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, I depose from imperial and royal admin-
istration, King Henry, son of Henry, some time Emperor, .,
and I absolve all Christians, subject to tho empire, from that
o th,' &0.
"In 108 , Urban II. inculcat d the d po iti n of mp r r .
Pope Pa al n., A.D., 1 9 , d priv d II Ilry 1 " nd ,it t.I
hi nimi to per cut him, informing til m, tbat tb y uld not
offer a more acceptable sacrifice to God.
"Innocent IlL, A.D. 1212, ufflnned, 'that th pontif al
authority so much exceeded tho roy III power al th sun doth th
moon. He applied to the former the words of the Proph t
Jeremiah ;-' See, I have set thee over the nations, and over
the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy,
and to throw down,' &c. This pope deposed the Emperor
Otho IV."
I have a list before me of forty-two Popes, who have not
only claimed the right of deposing sovereigns, and absolving
their subjects from their oaths of allegiance, but have acted
upon it. They exercised this infamous power not less than
si:x:ty-three times, upon, not fewer than fifty potentates. Se-
veral Popes have had the power of excommunicating two so-
vereigns. Boniface IX. exercised his authority over fou»:
--one emperor and three kings. Innocent III. fulminated
his anathemas against seven-two emperors and five kings.
Among the sovereigns excommunicated by some of the above
Popes, are six that have sat on the British throne; namely,
Henry II., John, Richard, Edward, Henry VIII., and Eliza-
beth.
" Paul II!., in 1535, and again in 153 , excommunicated,
cursed, deposed, and damned Henry VIII. of England, and
all who adhere to, favour, or obey him; absolved his subjects
from all oaths of allegiance; commanded them all, under pain
of similar excommunication, not to obey him, or any magis-
trate or officer under him; nor to acknowledge the King, or
any of his judge. or officers, as their superior, &c.
"Pius V., in the year 1570, in his bull against Elizabeth,
entitled, 'The damnation and excommunication of Elisabeth,
2lfj
 FOPERY DELINEATED.

Queen of England, and her adherents, with an addition of

other punishments, declares: 'He who reigneth on High, to
whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, committed
one holy, catholic, and apostolic church (out of which there is
no salvation) to one alone upon earth, namely, to Peter, the
prince of the apostles, and to Peter's successor, the Bishop of
Rome, to be governed in fulness of power. Him alone he
made prince over all people and ali kingdoms, to pluck up,
destroy, scatter, consume, plant, and build.' 'We do, out of
the fulness of our apostolic power, declare the aforesaid Eliza-
beth, being a heretic and a favourer of heretics, and her adhe-
rents in the matters aforesaid, to have incurred the sentence
of anathema, and to be cut off from the unity of the body of
Christ.' 'And, moreover, we do declare her to be deprived
of her pretended title to the kingdom aforesaid, and of all
dominion, dignity, and privilege whatsoever.' 'And, also,
the nobility, subjects, and people of the said kingdom, and all
others which have in any sort sworn to her, to be forever ab-
solved.from any such oath, and all manner of duty, dominion,
allegiance, and obedience; as we also do, by the authority of
these presents absolve them, and deprive the same Elizabeth
of her pretended title to' the kingdom, and all other things
above said. And we do command and interdict all and
every the noblemen, subjects, people, and others aforesaid,
that they presume not to obey her, or her monitions, man-
dates, and laws. And those who shall act contrary, we
involve in the same sentence of anathema.' " Thus the in-
Hated puppy raved; but the brave Elizabeth laughed him to
scorn. ,-.....
But what becomes of the asseverations of Bishops Milner
and Hay; and of the universities of the Sorbonne, Louvain,
Douay, and Alcala, as given above, when placed beside the
solemn assertions of between forty and fifty Popes, who be-
lieved their right to be divine? Those doctors say" That the
Pope, &c., cannot absolve or dispense with his Majesty's sub-
jects from their oath of allegiance upon any pretext whatever;"
no, thank God, they cannot! The Protestants of Great Bri-
tain will take care of that. But this cautious form of expre _
lion is far from denying their right to do it. And is it pOI-
sible that any Protestant believes, that if the mitred monk of
Rome had the power in Britain which the clrcumstance of
216
 POPERY DELINEA.TED.

by-gone days gave to his predecessors, that he would not

claim the same right again? Such persons may rest assured
that they are of those who "believe a lie." Is not their
church infallible? Is .it not one of her glories, that sbe can
neither err nor change? Is it likely, then, that the power
claimed by the forty or fifty Popes would be denied? Sus-
pended, it may be, as in England, where they cannot exer-
cise it, but DENIED NEVER. In fact, the doctrine of the supreme
and universal power of the Pope in all. a.tJairs, and over alt
persons, has been the sentiment of al! Ponti.f!s for 800 years.
It has never been denied by any Pope, at least, sinco the
year 1080. All Pontiffs since that time have either declared
openly in favour of it, or have tacitly consented to it; so that
the doctrine may be safely charged upon all." For if any of
them disapproved of such a tenet, they were bound to renounce
communion with those who held it, or, at least, to check and
discountenance it. But, on the contrary, they have suffered
it to be maintained in their presenoe t they have patronized
those who upheld it; and have frowned on such as have
shown opposition to it."
And don't be surprised that this doctrine can boast no
higher antiquity than 800 or 1000 years. It is doubtless apos-
tolical for all. that, although the early bishops of Rome were
strangely ignorant of it. We couldgive you ampleproofofthis;
but the following extract from the illustrious Bishop Otho, of
Frisinghen, who flourished in 1184, may suffice. Concerning
the early Bishops of Rome, he writes as follows:-"1 read
and read again the records of the Roman Kings and Emperors,
and I nowhere find that any of them before this was excom-
municated or deprived of his kingdom by the Roman Pontiff."
The fact is, that in early times, the Bishops of Rome had too
much piety to entertain such arrogant sentiments. And
while the Emperors retained any considerable authority in
Italy, the Popes did not pretend to exercise such supreme
power as they afterwards assumed. vVe have seen what
Bishop Milner, and other vicars apostolic, have said on this
subject, as it bears on Great Britain.. We will now show that
ali Romanists are bound, in consistency ttrith their principles,
to hold this opinion concem' ng the univt:rsal power of the
Pont\ff; for the most celebrated councils have asserted it.
viz., the IV. Lateran, under Innocent IlL, that of Lyons
217
 POPERY DELL>IEATED.

under Innocent IV., and the V. Lateran under Leo X.

If, then, this doctrine has been asserted by three general
councils, how can that man be a true son of the mother and
mistress of all churches, who disavows it? And, however
much English Papists may protest against it, " for the greater
glory of the Lord," it is, and must be, a doctrine of their
church, unless they will give up their infallibility. For
they maintain that they cannot err in doctrine; and we have
just seen that it has been established by three councils as well
as Popes, and not denied by the Council of Trent. Then it
must be a doctrine of the church. Hear what Mr Charles
Butler says :-" The Roman Catholics believe the doctrines of
their church to be unchangeable, and that it is a tenet of
their creed, that what their faith ever has been, such it was
from the beginning, such it now is, and such it ever will be."'if
And after all that can be said, there is hardly a doctrine
of the Romish Church that rests on a firmer basis-as to eoun-
cils and Popes-than the one in question. "If, then, the
Church of Rome has taught by her most accredited authorities
the dogma in question, and if it be equally true that her doc-
trines are immutable. then is the inference plain, that the ob-
jectionable principle is retained, although, for prudential rea-
sons, or want of power, she does not practise it."
It is on this point that Protestants are universally at fault.
It is from this that we are in the greatest danger. Weare
continually hearing that Popery has changed; that we have
nothing to fear now from such extreme views; they are much
better than they were in the dark ages, &c. &c. 'When we
speak thus, we forget that she claims the honour of infalli-
bility, so that she cannot err, consequently, ;;:annot change.
She is, and must be, therefore, according to their boast, un-
changed and wnchangeable. Remember, in this we have not
to do with facts, but principles. A thousand facts declare her
mutability; and yet, aa to principles, she maintains "that
what they have ever been, such they were from the beginning,
such they now are, and such they ever will be." Then is it
true that Paul III. excommunicated, cursed, deposed, and
damned Henry VIII. of England 1 Is it true that Pius V.
damned and excommunicated Queen Elizabeth of England?

Book of Rom. Vath. Church, p. 9.

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 POPERY DEL1NE~TED.

Is it true, then, that Popery is unchanged and anchangeable ?

Romanists boast that it is true. Then, it is also true, that if
they had the power they once had, they would to-morrow ex-
communicate, curse, depose, and damn Victoria herself.
" If the Church of Rome do not now claim the right of de-
posing princes, and absolving subjects from their allegiance to
them, how could Pope Gregory XVI., in the year 1832, in his
Encyclical Letter, declare-' Ever bearing in mind that' the
universal Church SUFFERS FROll: EVERY NOV t.T¥,' a8 well
the admonition of Pope t Agatho, that, ' from what hat b n
regularly defined, notlting can be taken away, no innovation
introduced there, no addition mud ; but th t it InUIt b pr-
served untouched as to words and meaning;' it is no Ie•• ab-
surd than injuriou8 to her that anything, by way of re tora-
tion or regeneration, should be forced upon her 0.8 n cessary for
her soundness or increase, as if she could be thought obno,viOtt'
to decay, or to obscurities, or any other such inconvenience."
It cannot bedenied,however,but that there is, among Papists,
a diversity of opinion on this subject. We have seen what
the bishops, &c., of England have said. And it is well known
that the French Church has never honoured its holy mother,
as the old lady thought she deserved. " The Faculty of Di-
vinity at Paris, in their declaration in 1631, maintain that
the Pope has no power over the temporalities of the King, and
cannot depose bishops against the rules of the canons-that
he is not above a general council, and that he is not infallible
unless he have the concurrent consent of the whole Church.""
The French divin~s hold, " that, in spirituals, the Pope is sub-
ject, in doctrine and discipline, to the Church and a general
council representing her. • They affirm, that a
general council may, without, and even against, the Pope's
consent, reform the Church-that the Pope may be deposed by
the Church, or a general council, for heresy or schism."f The
Faculty of Divinity in Paris said, " that it is not the doctrine
of the Faculty that the Pope is above a general council." But
Bellarmine says, "The Pope is, simply and absolutely, above
the universal Church. This proposition is almost an article
of faith." And, on the contrary, Cardinal Lorraine, himself

lO\ Du Pin's Eceleg. Htst., cent, xvil., p.149.

t Dook of the Rom. Catb. Churcb, pp. 123·124.

219
 POPERY DELINEATED.

a Frenchman, says, that all who hold the opinion of Bellar-

mine on this particular, are in France" branded as heretics."
And again, Bellarmine says, "This opinion," namely, the
opinion of Cardinal Lorraine and the French Church, "closely
borders upon heresy." Thus this united, infallible Church
contend: "In the first Synod of Pisa, in 1409, it was de-
clared, • that councils may reform the Church sufficiently,both
in head and members.' Accordingly, the Councilsat in judg-
ment upon two Popes, Gregory XII. and Benedict XIII., who
were contending for the Papacy, deposed them both, and
elected Alexander V." The Councils of Constance and Basil
uttered the same sentiments, and acted on the same principles.
But we must not take the views of either the English or
French divines, or both, as the standard doctrine of the Romish
Church. " The doctrine contested is that which is taught in
their creeds and catechisms-which their ecclesiasticalbodies,
as general councils, have authoritatively defined-which their
Popes have published as a standing law or rule of jurisdic-
tion-which their subordinate synodsor councils have received
-which the general tenor of their discipline and practice hold
forth for general observance-which their principal theological
schoolsembrace, applaud, and teach-which their chief theolo-
gians maintain-which their clergy, by solemn professions
and engagements, are bound to recognise, retain, and incul-
cate-which all the true followersof Rome profess-and which
no man can disclaim withont being a heretic, or an enemy to
the Apostolic See. Such is the doctrine, and the only one,
on the supremacy, which we ascribe to the Qhu-rchof Rome,
and systematically oppose. '
" The views of the Papacy are defined by the Council of
Florence, and Eugenins IV., to be as follows:-' The apos-
tolical chair and the Roman Pontiff hold a primacy over the
whole world; and that the Roman Pontiff is the successorof
St Peter, the prince of the apostles, the true vicar of Christ,
and the head of the Chnrch; and that he is the father and
teacher of all Christians; and to him in Peter full power is
committed, by our Lord Jesus Christ, to feed, direct, and to
govern the universal Church, according as it is contained in
the acts of general councils,and in the holy canons.'* Charles

220 • Cone. Labb., tom. Xii., Cone. Plorent., ..,8S. x., col. 164.
 POPERY DELINEATED.

Butler, Esq., speaking on the decree of this council, says-

, This is the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, on the
authority of the Pope, and beyond it no Roman Catholic is
required to believe.' "* The same was also maintained by
Benedict XIV. and Leo X., at the head of the Council of La-
teran. "The Council of Trent, also, without hesitation,
affirms that the supreme power in the Church was delivered
to the Popes."
On this subject we only add further, the oath of fealty,
which every archbishop, bishop, and all, who receive any
dignity from the Pope, are under the necessity of taking. It
is as follows:-
'" I, N., elect of the church of N., from henceforward will
be faithful and obedient to St Peter, the Apostle, and to tho
Holy Roman Church, and to our Lord, the Lord N., Pope N.,
and to his successors canonically entering. I will neither
advise, consent, nor do any thing that they may lose life or
member, or that their persons may be seized, or hands any
wise laid upon them, or any injuries offered to them under
any pretence whatsoever. The council with which they shall
intrust me by themselves, their messengers, or letters, I will
not knowingly reveal to any to their prejudice. I will help
them to keep and defend the Roman Papacy, and the ,.egali-
ties of St Peter, saving my order, against all men. The
legate of the apostolic see, going and coming, I will honour-
ably treat and help in his necessities. The rights, honours,
privileges, and authority of the Holy Roman Church, of our
Lord the Pope, and his aforesaid successors,I will endeavour
to preserve, defend, increase, and advance. I will not be in
any council, action, or treaty, in whichshall be plotted against
our said Lord, and the said Roman Church, any thing to the
hurt or prejudice of their persons, right, honour, state or
power; and if I shall know any such thing to be treated or
agitated by any whatsoever, I will hinder it to my power, and,
as soon as I can, will signify it to our said Lord, or to some
other by whom it may come to his knowledge. The rules of
the holy fathers, the apostolic decrees, ordinances or disposals,
reservations, provisions, and mandates, I will observe with
all my might, and cause to be observed by others. Heret~c',

• Book of Rom. Oath. Ohurch, p, ng

 POPERY DELINEATED.

uhismatics, and rebels to our said Lord, 0'/' his aforesaid

successors, I will, to my power, persecute and oppose. I will
come to a council when I am called, unless I am hindered by
a canonical impediment. 1 will by myself in person visit the
threshold of the apostles every three years, and give an
account to our Lord and his foresaid successors of all my
pastoral office, and of all things anywise belonging to the
state of my church, to the discipline of my clergy and people;
and lastly, to the salvation of souls committed to my trust;
and I will in like manner humbly receive and diligently
execute the apostolic commands, And if I be detained by &
lawful impediment, I will perform all the things aforesaid by
a certain messenger hereto especially empowered, a member
of my chapter, or some other in ecclesiastical dignity, or else
having a parsonage, or, in default of these, by a priest of the
diocess, or, in default of one of the clergy (of the diocess),
by some other secular or regular priest of approved integrity
and religion, fully instructed in all things above mentioned.
And such impediments I will make out by lawful proofs,
to be transmitted by the aforesaid messengers to the car-
dinal proponent of the holy Roman Church in the congrega-
tion of the sacred council. The possessions belonging to my
table, I will neither sell, nor give away, nor mortgage, nor grant
anew in fee, nor anywise alienate, no, not even with the consent
of the ·chapte!"of my church, without consulting the Roman
Pontiff; and if I should make any alienation, I will thereby in-
cur the penalties contained in a certain constitution put forth
about this matter. So help me God, and these holy gospelsof
God." ~
" This instrument we produce as one of the criteria by which
we may form a fair and impartial judgment of the princi-
ples of Roman Catholics, being a document of their own, and
expressed in their own words. The regalities of Bt Peter may
be made to contract or dilate to any dimensiO'/ls whichcircum-
stances and policy may command. There is an addition made
to the end of this oath, in reference to the subjects ofthe Bri-
tish government, which is as follows: ' I will observe the fore-
going oath in proportion to my conviction that it contains no-
thing adverse to my fidelity to the King of Great Britain and

• Barrow'. Work •• vol. vii., p, 46,

 POPERY DELINEATED.

his successors.' This oath of temporal and spiritual vassalage i.

binding upon the whole ruling order in the ecclesiasticalmon-
archy of Rome."
"To the Pontiff, as sovereign monarch of the universal
Church, appertain regalia Petri, 'royalties of Peter,' or ' royal
prerogatives: as they are called in the Episcopal oath; such as
the following :-to be superior to the whole Church and to its
representatives, a general council; to call general councilsat his
pleasure, all bishops being obliged to attend his summons; to
preside in general synods, so as to propose matter for discus-
sion; to promote, obstruct, or overrule the debates; to con-
firm or invalidate their decisions; to define points of doctrin ;
to decide controversies authoritatively, so that none may eon-
test or dissent from his judgment; to enact, establish, abrogate,
suspend, or dispense with ecclesiastical Inws or canons; to
summon and commission soldiers by crusade to fight against
infidels, or persecute heretics, &c., &c. That the Pope has
claimed and exercised such prerogatives, is manifest from ex-
perieuce, and declared in the canon law."
We have thus examined the doctrine of the Pope's supre-
macy, as far as our limits will allow. The point we have en-
deavoured to establish, is that which may be considered the
holding of the Romish Church on the subject. Those who
wish to see it thoroughly investigated, may read with profit
Barrow's Treatise on the Pope's Supremacy, and especially
Elliott's Delineation of Romanism.
The doom of Popery is sealed. Her ruin is certain. "That
gorgeous and magnificent temple, in which the mother of har-
lots, the great whore of Babylon, has erected her altar, and
where she receives the fulsome adorations of her thousands of
besotted worshippers; which is cemented by the blood of mar-
tyrs, and which resounds with the groans, and is watered with
the tesrsof an oppressed and enslaved people; shall be shaken
with the hand of a mightier than Samson, the edifice shall fall
and bury in its ruin, every thing that offends, every thing
that is opposed to the gospel of Christ, amid the grateful ac-
clamations of an enraptured and emancipated throng." "So
he carried me away in the Spirit into the wildernesss; and I
saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names
of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the
woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked
223
 POPERY.DELINEATED.

with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden

cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her for-
nication; and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY,
JlABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIO~S
OF THE EARTH. And the woman which thou sawest is that great
city, whichreigneth over the kings of the earth. And after these
things I saw another angel come downfrom heaven,having great
power: and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he
cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great
is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the
hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful
bird. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great mill-
stone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall
that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no
more at all." (Rev. xvii, 3, 4, 5, 18; xviii. 1, 2, 21.)
.. ROME SHALL PERHm ! ! write that word
In thp blood that she hath spilt !
PBRJSH ! haled and abhorred;
Deep in RUiN as in aOJLT !"

FINIS.