Popery Not the Old Religion [1845]

7/30/2019 Popery Not the Old Religion [1845]

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DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION, TOTHE REV. HUGH M'NEILE, M.A.,

INCUMBENT OF ST. JUDE's, LIVERPOOL.

POPERYNOT "THE OLD RELIGION."

BY1 MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OE ENGLAND ;

AUTHOR OF" PUSEYISM, OR ANGLO-CATHOLICISM, BRIEFLY CONSIDERED, ETC.

" By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."Matt. xii. 37.

LONDON:


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TO THE KEY. HUGH M'NEILE, M.A.

SIR,

With the highest feeling of regard and admiration forthe earnest and pious zeal with which you have ever defendedour Protestant Reformed Church of England and Ireland, asby law established, and, without in any way pledging you tothe statements therein contained, for which I alone am re-sponsible, the following pages are respectfully dedicated by

Your obligedand very humble Servant,

THE AUTHOR,BltOMFTON, April 11, 1845.


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^operp not " t|>e @lti fceliflioiv*" And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of

names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.". . ." Theseven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth."[Rome is situated on seven hills] "And the woman whichthou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of theearth."Rev. xvii. 4, 9, 18.One of the fallacious claims of the modern Church ofRome, and which she asserts with great boldness, is,that the Romish Church is the whole, and not a partonly, of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church" the mother and mistress of all Churches/' Theancient Church of Rome is described in the holy Scrip-tures as an integral part of the Catholic Church, aswas the Church of Ephesus, the Church of Corinth,and the Church of Jerusalem, which were in existencebefore the Church of Rome ; and the first Council ofNice (canon vi. e. x.), a.d. 315, witnesses against thisassumption, as being inconsistent with the constitutionof the primitive Catholic Church. # It is not unfre-quently stated, that the Church of Rome is of greaterantiquity than the Anglican Church ; but it can beproved, from history, that the Christian religion wasestablished in Britain, under Caractacus, two hundredyears before its triumph under Constantino at Rome ;and was, moreover, established at Rome by Britishvalour under the British Constantine.

* " In the first Council of Nice, all the Christian Churches wereon an equality with that at Rome; and in the fourth General


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At what precise period the Romish Church beganto depart from the simplicity of " the faith once de-livered to the saints," it is, perhaps, difficult to deter-mine. We know that, even in the apostle's day, "themystery of iniquity" had already begun to work ; andthat the corruptions and abominations with which theonce pure and holy Roman Church is now polluted anddefiled, were progressively introduced by " men ofcorrupt minds, perverting the faith." We also knowthat the ancient British Church, after Rome aposta-tized, refused communion with her, and continued tothe last an unrelenting struggle with the Papacy, untilshe finally triumphed over the alien innovators.In tracing the history of the introduction of theseveral corruptions of the Romish Church, we cannotfail to note how entirely they are opposed to thedoctrines of the Bible, and the faith and practice ofthe Primitive or Apostolic Church ; and, further, thatcertain of them are even at variance with ancientcanons of their own Church. That some of the cere-monies of the Roman Church are borrowed frompaganism is evident ; as, for instance, the rite ofsprinkling with holy water, introduced by Alexan-der I., a.d. 118. The learned Montfau^on says" The aquaminarium, or amula, was a vase of holywater, placed by the heathens at the entrance of theirtemples to sprinkle themselves with;" and many oftheir religious feasts and processions bear a strikingresemblance to similar customs of the heathen.Worship of Saints.Perhaps amongst the most

early innovations of the Romish Church may beranked the worship of angels and the blessed Virgin,and the invocation of saints, which was first publiclytaught by the Council of Constantinople, a.d. 754 ;and the use of images and relics in religious worship,which was first affirmed and sanctioned


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will show the practice of the Church of Rome in thisparticular :" The Litany of our Lady ofLoretto*We fly tothy patronage, O holy mother of God ; despise notour petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from alldangers, O ever-glorious and blessed Virgin. Lord,have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Christgraciously hear us. God the Father of heaven, havemercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world,have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have mercyon us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.Holy Mary, pray for us."Garden of the Soul, p. 293.Extract from a " Parody on the Te Deum," by St.Bonaventura ; taken from a collection of prayers andpraises to the Virgin Mary, the eleventh edition of whichwas published at Rome, in 1839, with the license of themaster of the sacred palace and his deputy :" We praise thee, the mother of God ; we acknow-ledge thee to be a virgin. All the earth doth worshipthee, the spouse of the eternal Father. All angels andarchangels, all thrones and powers, do faithfully servethee. To thee all angels cry aloud, with a never-ceasing voice, holy, holy, holy, Mary, mother of God.The whole court of Heaven doth honour theeas queen. The holy Church throughout all the worlddoth invoke and praise thee, the mother of Divine Ma-jesty Thou sittest with thy Son on the righthand of the Father In thee, sweet Mary, is ourhope ; defend us evermore. Praise becometh thee,empire becometh thee ; virtue and glory be unto thee,for ever and ever."

Extract from a ''Parody on the Athanasian Creed,"by St. Bonaventura:

* "Pope Sixtus V., June 11, 1587, granted to all Christians anindulgence of two hundred days each time, for piously reciting theof the blessed which indulgence was confirmed


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6" Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is

necessary that he hold the right faith concerningMary ; which faith, except every one do keep wholeand undefiled, without doubt he shall perish ever-lastingly He (Jesus Christ) sent the Holy Spiritupon his disciples, and upon his mother, and at lasttook her up into heaven, where she sitteth at the righthand of her Son, and never ceaseth to make interces-sion with him for us."

"This is the faith concerning the Virgin Mary,which, except every one do believe faithfully, he cannotbe saved."APrayer to the Virgin, set forth in Rome, a.d. 1822,

by Pope Pius VII., with a plenary indulgence for thosewho use it every day for an entire month :

" I adore thee, most Holy Virgin, Queen of Heaven,Lady and Patroness of the Universe, as Daughter ofthe Eternal FatherMother of his most blessed Son,and most gracious Spouse of the Holy Ghost ; pros-trate at the feet of thy great majesty, with all possiblehumility, I supplicate thee, by that divine love withwhich thou wast filled on thy assumption into heaven,to grant me so much grace and mercy, as to receiveme under thy most secure and faithful protection, andto number me among thy most happy and joyfulservants, whom thou bearest engraven in thy virginbosom. Vouchsafe, O my most merciful mother andlady, to receive this miserable and impure heart; takemy memory, my will, and all my other faculties andsenses, both internal and external; accept my eyes,my ears, my mouth, my hands, my feet; rule them,and make them conform to the good pleasure of thysweet son. Intending by every movement of them togive thee infinite glory," &c.

Extract from Pope Gregory XVI. 's "EncyclicalLetter."Laity s Directory, for 1833 :


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who alone destroys heresies, who is our greatest hope,YEA, THE ONLY GROUND OF OUR HOPE."*The following blasphemous address of the Lord'sPrayer to the blessed Virgin is translated from a cardsold in the shops of the capital of Belgium :" Our Mother, who art in heaven, O Mary, blessedbe thy name for ever ; let your love come to all ourhearts ; let your desires be accomplished on earth asin heaven ; give us this day grace and mercy ; giveus the pardon of all our faults, as we hope it from yourunbounded goodness; and let us no more yield totemptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen"

Prayer to a guardian angel, sanctioned by the Churchof Rome :11 O my good angel, whom God, by his Divinemercy, has appointed to be my guardian, enlightenand protect me, direct and govern me this night."A prayer in which the Church of Rome teaches hermembers to invoke St. Peter :" Peter, blessed shepherd, of thy mercy acceptthe prayers of us who supplicate, and loose, by thy

word, the bands of our sins ; thou to whom is giventhe power of opening heaven to the earth, and of shut-ting it when open."Roman Breviary, Husenbuth,ip.497, for the 18th January.Image and Relic Worship. Extracts from the

second Council of Nice, a.d. 787 :" I utterly reject and anathematize every heresywhich the first six General Councils have anathema-tized, imploring the intercession of our lady, the holymother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, and of the holyand heavenly powers, and, in a word, of all the saints ;

* " In the course of the year 1840, Gregory XVI. granted anindulgence of one hundred years to every one who shall recite thefollowing prayer :i O Immaculate Queen of Heaven and Angels,


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8and, receiving with all respect their holy and preciousrelics, / kiss them, and worship (proskunesis) them withhonour, having faith that I may by them be made par-taker ofholiness. In like manner I kiss, and embrace,and worship (proskunesis) with honour, the venerableimages of the dispensation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ashe was made man for our salvation ; as also the imagesof our lady, ever virgin, and holy mother of God ; andof the holy apostles, prophets, martyrs, and all saints."Action I." The honour rendered to the image is transmittedto the prototype ; and he who worships thefigure, wor-ships the substance of that which is represented by it.It is agreed unanimously, and without contradiction,that it is pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God,to worship and salute the representative images of thedispensation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the un-defined mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, and ofthe honourable angels, and of all the saints ; and ifany one doth not agree in this, but disputes it, or is in-different in respect to the worship of the venerableimages, our holy and General Synod anathematizeshim."Action VII.By the decree of Pope Urban VIII. , dated March 13,1625, it is provided that " the images of departed saintsmay not be exhibited with a glory round them, normay lighted candles be set before them, nor may any-thing else, implying veneration or worship, be shown oraddressed to them, before they have been canonizedor beatified by the apostolic see." Cherubins Bulla-rium. Rom., vol. iv., p. 83.Does not this doctrine of the Church of Rome, ofpraying to, or invoking departed saints (duly cano-nized ! #) amount to blasphemy? Does it not, of neces-sity, imply,

and accord to the creature, the possessionof two of the essential attributes of Deitynamely,* M


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9omniscience and omnipresence ? Well may the Churchof Rome suppress the second commandment in thedecalogue.* And yet Romanists deny that their Churchteaches or enjoins the worship of saints and images !Let us refer to some ancient authorities upon thissubject :" Christians ought not to forsake the Church ofGod, and depart aside and invocate angels, and formassemblies (for this purpose), which are things for-bidden. If any man, therefore, be found to give him-self to this secret idolatry, Let him be Accursed.Because he hath forsaken our Lord Jesus Christ, theSon of God, and hath betaken himself to idolatry."'35th Canon of the Council of Laodicea, a.d. 364." That nothing created is to be worshipped byman, the word of God has ordained by law, as wemay learn from almost every part of Scripture. Moses,the tables, the law, the prophets, afterwards the gos-pels, the determination of all the apostles, do equallyforbid the looking unto the creature."-Nyssen, Cont.JEunom, Orat. iv., torn. 2, p. 114." Neither Elias, nor John, nor Thecla, nor any ofthe saints, are to be worshipped. For that ancienterror shall not prevail over us, to forsake the livingGod, and to worship the things that are made by him ;for they have ' served and worshipped the creaturemore than the Creator,' and become fools. For if hewill not have the angels to be worshipped, how muchmore will he not have her that was born of Anna ?"Epiphanius Hceres, p. 448." The saints are to be honoured for imitation, andnot adored for religion."Augustine de vera relig. c. 55.

* The Ten Commandments, as set forth by the Church ofRome:" 1. I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have none otherGod before me.2. Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain.3. Remember to keep holy the Festivals. 4. Honour thy fatherand thy mother.5. Do not kill.6. Do not commit adultery.


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10" We are plainly forbidden to exercise that deceitful

art (the use of images). For the prophet says, * Thoushalt not make the likeness of anything, either inheaven, or in the earth beneath.' Moses commandedto make no image that should represent God by art.'' Clemens Alexandrinus." It is our mind that pictures ought not to be inthe Church ; lest that which is worshipped or adoredshould be painted on walls."Council ofEliberis (?iowGranada) in Spain, a.d. 305." It is wholly unlawful to erect any such image toGod in a Christian Church." August, de fide fetSymbol, cap. 7." We take no pains to paint the corporeal resem-blances of saints, for we have no occasion for suchthings ; but we try to imitate their behaviour by ourvirtuous living."Amphilocus citatus a Patr. CounciliiConstant. 754.Celibacy of the Clergy.The compulsory celi-

bacy of the clergy was first publicly set forth at thefirst Council of Lateran, a.d. 1 1:23.

Confessions to Priests.The doctrine of auricularconfession was first enjoined by Innocent III., at thefourth Council of Lateran, a.d. 13 5.

Questions for the Confessional." Has not thepenitent revolved some improper thought in his or hermind ? What kind of desire was it ? Has he or shefelt unlawful passions? And if the penitent shallanswer that he or she has had improper thoughts orirregular desires, the confessor shall ask whether anyimproper actions followed." If the penitent be a girl, she should be askedwhether she has adorned herself in order to please themen ? whether, for this purpose, she has used paint,


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11tion? whether she has spoken, or read, or sunganything immodest ? whether she is not attached tosomebody with a more peculiar affection ? whether shehas not permitted him to take some liberty with her ?whether she does not allow herself to be kissed ? andif occasion occurs for ulterior enquiries the confessor,"&c.Baillys Moral Theology, vol. ii., p. 229.*

St. Chrysostom says, " Let every one examine him-self, and then let him come (to the Sacrament). Hedoth not bid one man examine another, but every manhimself, making the judgment private, and the trialwithout witnesses."S. Chrys. Horn. 28. And again," Within thy conscience, none being present but God,who seeth all things, enter thou into judgment in thymind : reform thy excesses, and so with a pure minddraw near to the sacred table, and partake of that holysacrifice."Tom. vi., SavlL, p. 837." After baptism, God hath appointed the remedywithin thyself; he hath put remission in thine ownpower, that thou needest not seek a priest when thynecessity requires ; but thou thyself, as a skilful andplain master, mayest amend thine error within thyself."Laurence, Bishop ofNovara, torn, vi., Biblioth. Patr.1, p. 337. Edith. Colon.Papal Supremacy.The Emperor Phocas, in the

year 606, first acknowledged the Bishop of Rome,Boniface, to be universal bishop ; but it was notuntil the year 1215, at the fourth Council of Lateran,that this title was publicly asserted.

Pope Pius IV., in a Bull, dated Dec. 9, 1564, assertsthat " the Church of Rome is the mother and mistressof all churches," and that it is the duty of all men to" render true obedience to the Pope," for that " this isthe true Catholic faith, out of which no man can besaved."

Extract from a decree of the Romish canon law


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12issued by Boniface VIII., and renewed and approvedby Leo X. in his Bull, read to, and passed by the fifthLateran Council, " with the approbation of the presentholy council :"" Moreover, we declare, define, and pronounce it tobe altogether of necessity to salvation, for every humancreature to be subject to the Pope of Rome."Extra-vagantes Communes, lib. i., tit. 8, cap. 1, p. 192 B.Parisiis, 1612.And M. le Comte de Montalembert, one of theleaders of the Popish movement now going on inFrance, in a letter recently addressed to the Cam-bridge Camden Society, says "If the Church ofRome, when she maintains that out of her palethere is no salvation, and that she alone has thepower of governing the Christian world, is not infal-libly right, then she is infallibly wrong ; and sofar from being a distinguished branch of truth, sheis founded on imposture or error, and in neithercase can be a true Church."

"Now this doctrine of the Pope's supremacy and in-fallibility is one that all the faithful are bound im-plicitly to believe, on pain of excommunication : it willnot, therefore, be uninstructive to hear what " St. Gre-gory the Great," a bishop of the ancient [he died a.d.CJ40], and a canonized saint of the modern, Church ofRome, says upon the subject of this assumption :

" I speak it confidently, that whosoever calleth him-self universal bishop, or desireth to be so called inthe pride of his heart, he doth forerun Antichrist."Gregory, Epistle xxx. And again (speaking of thePatriarch of Constantinople)" He is an Antichristthat shall claim the title of universal bishop Itis too grievous to be borne, that our aforesaid brotherand fellow-bishopco-episcopus mensdespising allothers, should attempt that he alone should be called


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13against the rights of all other bishops, and of allChurches ; a horrible injury and scandal to the wholeuniversal Church The bishops are the stars ofGod, and whosoever does seek to advance his throneabove them, does imitate the pride of Lucifer ; and is,therefore, the forerunner of Antichrist, whose times Isee approaching by this most wicked and tyrannicalusurpation of one bishop, above all the rest of his col-leagues, to style himself patriarch of almost the whole(Ecumenical Church Let that blasphemous name[the Pope is styled, ' our most holy Lord,' ' ourLord God the Pope,' &c] be abhorrent to the heartsof all Christians, by which the honour of all bishopsis taken away, while it is madly arrogated by one tohimself."Lib. iv. Epis, 34.

Transubstantiation.The doctrine of Transub-stantiation was first introduced into the Roman Church,a.d. 818, but was not insisted upon to be received asan Article of faith till the year 1215, at the fourthCouncil of Lateran.

In the first Canon of that Council it is said :" There is one universal Church of the faithful, out ofwhich no one at all is saved ; in which Jesus Christ ishimself at once priest and sacrifice ; whose body andblood, in the sacrament of the altar, are continuedunder the species of bread and wine, which, throughthe divine power, are transubstantiatedthe breadinto the body, and the wine into the bloodthat, forthe fulfilment of the mystery of unity, we may receiveof his that which he received of ours."

In the Council of Trent (in 1551) this doctrine isagain asserted, and the following tremendous curse isadded against those who deny it :" If any man shall say that in the holy sacramentof the Eucharist there remains the substance of breadand wine, together with the body and blood of our


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14while only the appearance of bread and wine remains,which conversion the Catholic Church most aptly callsTransubstantiation, let him be accursed. " #

Again : in Canon III. on the Eucharist :" If any shall deny that the whole Christ is con-tained in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist,under each appearance, and, when they are divided,under every particle of each appearance, let him beaccursed."And again : Sess. xii. ch. 5." On the worship andveneration to be paid to this most holy sacrament :"

11 There remains, then, no room to doubt but that allChrist's faithful people should pay to this most holysacrament the worship of latria, which is due to thetrue God, according to the custom which the ChurchCatholic has always received."

That this doctrine of the Church of Rome is con-trary to holy Scripture, and that the doctrine held bythe Church of England is that which was held fromthe beginning, has been clearly shown by some of themost learned and pious men in all ages of the Church.Transubstantiation destroys the nature of a sacrament.A sacrament (says the Council of Trent, c. iii. on theEucharist) is " a symbol of a sacred thing." And inc. i., that our Lord Jesut Christ is " sacramentally"present in the holy Eucharist : that is" according tothe mode of existence, which, although we can hardlyexpress it in words, we can understand in our thoughts,enlightened by faith, to be possible with God, andought most firmly to believe." But Transubstantia-tion teaches that the bread and wine in the Lord'sSupper are not the symbols, but the actual substance,of the body and blood of Christ." Unless (says Christ) ' ye eat the flesh of the sonof man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.'


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15He seems to command an outrageous and sinful act :wherefore it must be figurative, enjoining only parti-cipation with the Lord's passion, and with sweetnessand profit to treasure up in our memories that his fleshwas crucified and wounded for us."Augustine, Doc.Christ. Lib. iii. cap. xvi."The mystical symbols, after consecration, do notpass out of their own nature, for they remain in theirformer substance, figure, and appearance."Theodoret,Dial. ii." The bread is not like Christ, neither in his invi-sible Diety, nor in his incarnate likeness, for it is round,and without feeling as to its virtue."JEpiphanius." Some of late, not having a right opinion of thesacrament of the body and blood of our Lord, havesaid that this is the very body and blood of our Lord,which was born of the Virgin Mary ; and in which ourLord suffered upon the cross, and was raised from thedead, which error we have opposed with all ourmight."Maurus, Archbishop of Mentz, in 847.

Withholding the Cup from the Laity.Com-munion in one kind only, or the refusal of the cup tothe laity, was first authorized by the Council of Con-stance, a.d. 1414." Let them receive it in both kinds or neither, be-cause the mystery is but one and the same, and cannotwithout sacrilege be divided."

Pope Gelacius apudGracian de Contex. dis. . cap. Coperbnus. Cassanderand Aquinas affirm that, for a thousand years, bothelements were given to the people in the Latin Church. Cass. Consult de Sacra Comm. Sec. . Aquin.Comm. in 6 John, lee. 7.

Purgatory and Indulgences.Purgatory andIndulgences were first set forth by the authority of theGeneral Council of Florence, a.d. 1438.


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16where they are rendered fit for heaven, either by theirown sufferings, or the prayers of the faithful uponearth, or by masses (for which payment must bemade), or by the indulgence of the Pope." When the soul departeth, which cannot be seenwith carnal eyes, it is received by angels, and placedwithin the bosom of Abraham, if it be faithful ; or inthe custody of the prison of hell, if it be sinful ; untilthe day appointed come wherein it is to receive thebody, and render an account of the works thereof, atthe tribunal of Christ the true Judge."Serin. 2. deConsolat. Matour Eligius Novimensis." A purgatory fire, and a punishment by fire, whichis temporal, and shall terminate in the end, we haveneither received from our doctors, nor do we know thatthe Church in the East maintains it."Apology ofGreeks to the Council of Basil, a.d. 1438." Infidels and wicked men, departed out of this life,are no more to be prayed for than the devil and hisangels, which are appointed into everlasting punish-ment."S. Gregory, Moral, in Job. lib. 34, cap. 16,et Dial. lib. iv. c. 44.

"If the prayers of those here can profit those thatbe there, then let no man be godlylet him be prayedfor after death, and his sins will not be required."(JErius apud Epiphanius, p. 386).With respect to Indulgences, they are, it wouldseem, of a very general and comprehensive character;extending from dispensing with the observance of afast to the granting a full pardon of all sins ; as wit-ness the Protest, issued in the month of September,1844, against the Charitable Bequests Bill, signed bytwo vicars-general, one foreign bishop, thirteen Irishbishops, and eight hundred and fifty-four priests :in which Protest occurs the following passage :" In-stead of a concession, it (the Charitable Bequests Act)


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17of a single acre of landed property for any religiousor charitable purpose in our communion."*And, in connection with this subject, it will befound, by reference to the third canon of the fourthCouncil of Lateran, under Pope Innocent III., a.d.1215, and which canon, be it observed, is still in force,and binding upon the conscience of every Romanist(see their common book of devotion, " The Garden ofthe Soul," p. 6)that " a full pardon of all their sins,"and " an augmentation of eternal blessedness (salntis)at the retribution of the just, is promised and granted toall the ' faithful, who shall, in their own persons, orby others, aid in the extermination of heretics/ " Inthe canon above referred toviz., the third canon ofthe fourth Council of Lateran, we read as follows :" We excommunicate and anathematize every heresywhich exalteth itself against this holy, orthodox, andCatholic faith, which we have set forth above ; con-demning all heretics, by whatsoever names they maybe reckoned : who have, indeed, divers faces, but theirtails are bound together, for they make agreement inthe same folly." Let such persons, when condemned, be left to thesecular powers who may be present, or to their officers,to be punished in a fitting manner ; those who are ofthe clergy being first degraded from their orders : sothat the goods of such condemned persons, being lay-men, shall be confiscated ; but, in the case of clerks,be applied to the churches from which they receivedtheir stipends.

* The " Roman Penetentiary Tax Tables" clearly prove thatpenance, or punishment for sin, may be commuted by the pay-ment of a sum of money. The ' reader will find that fact fullydetailed in a little work, entitled " The Spiritual Venality ofRome," by Emancipatus (the Rev. Joseph Mendham). London,1836. See also " A Collection of Prayers and Pious Works, to


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18" But let those who are only marked with suspicion

be smitten with the sword of anathema, and shunnedby all good men, until they make proper satisfaction ;unless, according to the grounds of suspicion, and thequality of the person, they shall have demonstratedtheir innocence by a proportionate purgation. So thatif any shall persevere in excommunication for a twelve-month, thenceforth they shall be condemned as here-tics ; and let the secular powers, whatever offices theymay hold, be induced and admonished, and, if needbe, compelled by ecclesiastical censure ; that, as theydesire to be accounted faithful, they do, for the defenceof the faith, publicly take an oath that, to the utmostof their power, they will strive to exterminate, fromthe lands under their jurisdiction, all heretics whoshall be denounced by the Church ; so that when-soever any person is advanced either in spiritual ortemporal power, he is bound to confirm this decreebv an oath." But if any temporal lord, being required and ad-monished by the Church, shall neglect to cleanse hiscountry of this heretical filth, let him be bound withthe chain of excommunication, by the metropolitan,and the other co-provincial bishops. And if he shallscorn to make satisfaction within a year, let this besignified to the supreme pontiff, that thenceforth hemay declare his vassals to be absolved from their fide-lity to him, and may expose his lands to be occupiedby the Catholics, who, having exterminated theheretics, may, without contradiction, possess it, andpreserve it in purity of faith : saving the right of thechief lord, so long as he himself presents no difficultyand offers no hindrance in this matter : the same law,nevertheless, being observed concerning those whohave not lords in chief. But let the Catholics, who,having taken the sign of the cross, have girded them-


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20books and speeches ; therefore the only remedy is, tosend them at once to their own place All thesereasons persuade us that heretics ought to be putTO DEATH."

Now, both these works, together with " Bailly's"and " Dens' Theology," are standard works in theRomish Church ; and are moreover, class-books at the(Protestant endowed #) Popish College of Maynooth

!

Whether or not the Romish is a persecuting Church,witness the slaughter of the Waldenses and Albigenses;the massacre of St. Bartholomew ; the revocation ofthe edict of Nantes, by Louis XIV., the butcheries ofthe Duke d'Alva in the Low Countries ; the san-guinary burnings of the reign of Mary ; the Gun-powder Plot ; the barn of Scullabogue ; and the blackoath :" I, A. B., do solemnly swear, by our LordJesus Christ, who suffered for us on the cross, and bythe blessed Virgin Mary, that I will burn, destroy,AND MURDER ALL HERETICS UP TO MY KNEES IN BLOOD !"which horrid oath, it was stated upon oath, before themagistrates of the county of Wexford, June 23rd, 1798,was taken by all the rebels, and that printed copies ofit were found on numbers that were slain. That theRomish Church does not practice the same bloodycruelties in our own day, it is not that the spirit ofPopery is changed, for that is (so they themselves tellus) unchanged and unchangeable ; but arises, in our own

* Sir Robert Peel, on the first day of the present Session of Par-liament, distinctly stated that it was the intention of her Majesty'sGovernment to propose to parliament a liberal increase [it is saidto 26,000/. per ann.] of the vote for the College of Maynooth ;without accompanying that vote by any regulations in respect tothe doctrine or discipline of the Church of Rome.

Declaration signed by her most gracious Majesty (whom Godpreserve) in presence of the members of both Houses of Parliament,November 20th, 1837 :" I do solemnly and sincerely, in the pre-sence of and that I do believe that the invoca-


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21country at least, from necessity ; for as we have al-ready seen, from the " Rhemish Testament"" thegood must tolerate the evil, when it is so strong thatit cannot be redressed without danger and disturbanceto the whole Church. "*

Tradition.The doctrine of the equal authorityof Scripture and Tradition was first publicly taughtby the Council of Trent, sess. iv., a.d. 1546; and theRomish canon of the Old Testament was first set forthby the authority of the same council.The Creed of Pope Pius IV., and also the rules of

the Index, restricting the reading and circulation of theScriptures, were first published a.d. 1564.As the Romanists have often the hardihood to denythat their Church refuses or withholds the reading ofthe holy Scriptures from the laity, let us see how thematter really stands ; and a few extracts from theIndex, above referred to, as also from certain bulls andencyclical letters of the Popes of Rome, will, perhaps,throw some light upon the subject.In the fourth rule prefixed to the "Index of Pro-hibited Books," we read :" Inasmuch as it is manifest from experience, thatif the holy Bible, translated into the vulgar tongue, beindiscriminately allowed to every one, the temerity ofmen will cause more evil than good to arise from it, itis, on this point, referred to the judgment of the bishopsor inquisitors, who may, by the advice of the priest orconfessor, permit the reading of the Bible, translatedinto the vulgar tongue by Catholic authors, to thosepersons whose faith and piety they apprehend will beaugmented, and not injured by it ; and this permissionthey must have in writing. But if any one shall have

* And do we not see the vigorous efforts which are at this timemade almost the whole Continent of for


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22the presumption to read or possess it without suchwritten permission, he shall not receive absolutionuntil he have first delivered up such Bible to the ordi-nary" Finally, it is enjoined on all the faithful, that noone presume to keep or read any books contrary tothese rules, or prohibited by this Index. But if anyone read or keep any books composed by heretics, orthe writings of any author suspected of heresy, or falsedoctrine, he shall instantly incur the sentence of excom-munication ; and those who read or keep works inter-dicted on another account, besides the mortal sin com-mitted, shall be severely punished at the will of thebishops."Rule vii.On the 29th of June, 1816, Pope Pius VII. issued arescript to the Archbishop of Guesn, Primate of Poland,in which he denounced the circulation of the unadul-terated Scripture without note or comment, as a11 crafty device by which the foundations of religionare undermined, 5 ' and a " defilement of the faith mostimminently dangerous to souls." He then exhortedthe archbishop to use the utmost of his power to pre-vent the circulation of the Scriptures, and remindedhim"that Bibles printed by heretics are numberedamong prohibited books, agreeably to the rules of theIndex (No. ii. and iii ) ; for it is evident, from experi-ence, that the holy Scriptures, when published in thevulgar tongue, have, through the temerity of men,produced more harm than benefit (Rule iv.) Andthis is the rather to be dreaded in times so depraved,when our holy religion is assailed from every quarterwith great cunning and effort, and the most grievouswounds are inflicted on the Church. It is, therefore,necessary to adhere to the salutary decree of the con-gregation of the Index (June 13th, 1757); that noversion of the Bible in the vulgar tongue be permitted,except such as are approved by the apostolic see, or


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23dressed an objurgatory brief to theArchbishop Mohileff,the Romish metropolitan of Russia, who had beenguilty of the heinous crime of authorizing and exhort-ing the people committed to his care to procure modernversions of the Scriptures, or to accept them whenoffered, and attentively to peruse them. In this brief,Pius VII. tells him that he ought to have kept in viewwhat preceding popes had always prescribed, viz. :"That if the holy Bible in the vulgar tongue waspermitted everywhere without discrimination, moreinjury than benefit would thence arise," and " that heshould sincerely and plainly teach that the Christianfaith and doctrine, as well dogmatical as moral, arecontained, not in the Scriptures only, but also in thetraditions of the Catholic Church; and that it belongsto the Church alone to interpret them."

Pope Leo XII., on his accession to the pontificate, in1824, issued an encyclical letter to all patriarchs,primates, archbishops, and bishops, of the Romishobedience, dated May 3rd, in which he says :" Youare not ignorant, venerable brethren, that a Society,commonly called the Bible Society, is boldly stalkingthroughout the world, which, contrary to the well-known decree of the Council of Trent, is lending allits strength, and by every means, to translate theBible in the vulgar languages of all nations, or ratherto pervert it. Whence it is greatly to be feared lest,as in some versions already known, so also in others,by a perverse interpretation, instead of the Gospel ofChrist, it should become the Gospel of man, or, whatis worse, the Gospel of the devil."The present pontiff, Gregory XVI., in a Bull, datedMay 8th, 1844, denounces, in the most solemn tone,the circulation of the Scriptures by the Bible Societies.Having referred to the decrees of the Council of Trent,as well as to the prohibitions of preceding Popes againstthe reading of the Scriptures, concluding with the en-


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24Pius VIII., of happy memory, confirmed their con-demnation by his circular letter, ofMay*24th, 1829.We, in short, who succeed them, notwithstanding ourgreat unworthiness, have not ceased to be solicitous onthis subject, and have especially studied to bring to therecollection of the faithful the several rules laid downwith regard to the vulgar versions of the holy books." Wherefore, having consulted some of the cardinalsof the holy Romish Church, after having duly exami-ned with them everything, and listened to their advice,we have decided, venerable brothers, on addressing youthis letter, by which we again condemn the BibleSocieties reproved long ago by our predecessors ; and,by virtue of the supreme authority of our apostleship,we reprove by name and condemn the aforesaid Societycalled the Christian League, formed last year at NewYork, together with every other Society associated withit, or which may become so." Let all know, then, the enormity of the sin againstGod and the Church, which they are guilty of, whodare to associate themselves with any of those Societies,or abet them in any way. Moreover, we confirm andrenew the decrees recited above, delivered in formertimes by apostolic authority, against the publication,distribution, reading, and possession of books of the holyScriptures translated into the vulgar tongue" As for yourselves, my venerable brethren, calledas you are to divide our solicitude, we recommend youearnestly in the Lord to announce and proclaim, inconvenient time and place to the people confided toyour care, these apostolic orders, and to labour care-fully to separate the faithful sheep from the contagionof the Christian leaguefrom those who have becomeits auxiliaries, no less than those who have any com-munication with them. You are consequently enjoinedto remove from the hands of the faithful alike theBibles in the vulgar tongue, which may have been


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25demned ; and to see that they learn, through youradmonition and authority, what pasturages are salu-tary, and what pernicious and mortal."After perusing the foregoing extracts, which mostclearly prove the deadly hostility and opposition ofthe papacy to the circulation of the holy Scriptures,we shall not be surprised to learn that in Portugalthe Scriptures are unknown among the peasantry ;that in Spain the Bible is a prohibited book, unlessaccompanied with notes from the fathers and Romishdivines ; that at Rome the Bible is a strange and rarebook, the only edition of it authorized to be sold therebeing in fifteen large volumes, which are filled withPopish commentaries ; that in the Austrian dominionsthe Biblewhether in Hebrew or in the vulgar tongueis prohibited with inflexible rigour ; that in Francethe pulpit and the press have both been used for thepurpose of denying the object, and misrepresenting themotives, of those who are employed in circulating theholy Scriptures ; but there, at least, the efforts of theemissaries of Rome have proved futile : for not merelyare individuals but whole villages are renouncing theerrors of Popery ; or that in Belgium the personsemployed in this benevolent work have been re-proached, insulted, and maltreated ; their books stolen,and in some instances torn to pieces and burnt beforetheir eyes : nor is this to be wondered at, when we findthat a prelate of the Romish Church in that country,the Bishop of Bruges, describes and denounces theBritish and Foreign Bible Society as u a society hostileto God and to the holy Church"a society which wouldrob " his dear brethren of all that is most dear tothem ;"and he proceeds to characterize the circula-tion of the unadulterated Scriptures, as " the impiousproject of this anti-Christian society, by which theworld is inundated with heretic Bibles."

In Ireland, the opposition of the Romish bishops and


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26sanction, the Bible has frequently been publicly de-stroyed or burnt.

The following extract, from a sermon delivered byfriar Jennings, before Dr. M'Hale, the titular RomishArchbishop of Tuam, and several priests, in the monthof August 1844 (and which is stated to have beengreatly commended), will show the rancorous hatred ofthe Popish clergy there against the circulation andreading of the Bible :1 Any person who practices the reading of the Biblewill inevitably fall into everlasting destruction. Iwould, therefore, my dear friends and followers, mostearnestly beseech you, by the love that you bear to theVirgin Mary and to the saintsby the love that youbear to the dear priests, not to allow these Bible rea-ders near your housesnot to speak to them when youmeet them on the roads ; but put up your hands andbless yourselves, and pray to God and to the VirginMary to keep you from being contaminated by thepoison of the Bible. The worst of all pestilencestheinfectious pestilence ofthe Biblewill entail upon your-selves and children the everlasting ruin of your souls.They who send their children to schools where theScriptures are read, give their children bound in chainsto the devil."And in England, although the emissaries of Romehave not dared publicly to deprive the Romanists ofthe

Scriptures, yet, privately, theyleave no effort un-

attempted to prevent them from having free access tothe pure word of God in their mother tongue, for, evenin those versions of their own publishing, they havenot scrupled to falsify the text, in order to support thedoctrines of the Romish Church.* j" We have thus far,

* The reader will find this fact sufficiently proved in a pamphletentitled, "Popery, the Enemy and Falsifier of Scripture."London,Painter. "


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27briefly, traced the progress of the Romish apostacy.We have seen how the holy Scriptures have been pro-gressively corrupted and perverted, until at lengthaltogether shut up from the people" they hated thelight, because their deeds were evil." And it nowonly remains for us to examine the " Roman CatholicCreed" of Pope Pius IV., which the Church of Romerequires her converts to profess, when they wish to beadmitted to her communion.The convert begins with the following preamble :" I, N. N., with a firm faith, believe and profess alland every one of those things which are contained inthat creed, which the holy Roman Church makethuse of."

Then follows the Catholic or Nicene Creed :" I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Makerof heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible ;and one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son ofGod ; and born of the Father before all ages ; God ofGod ; Light of Light ; true God of true God ; begottennot made ; consubstantial to the Father ; by whom allthings were made ; who for us, men, and our salvation,came down from heaven, and was incarnate bv theof the high duty of thoroughly searching the Scriptures, whiledwelling, as he at present is, in that part of the Christian worldwhere it is the most neglected ; and seeing, as he daily does, thegross and dreadful superstition, and the loose and miserable mo-rality, to which the consequent ignorance of the revealed word ofGod has given rise. If once the Bible should become again a sealedor neglected book in our own happy country, or if ProtestantChristians, should be, like their Papal forefathers, content to receivetheir religion solely from the lips of the priest, instead of each search-ing for himself the book of God, and * with joy, drawing water outthe wells of salvation,' it requires no prophetic vision to foresee,that the peculiar glory of our land will fade, that the pure doctrinesof grace will be clouded and concealed, and that ( the wood, naystubble,' of human inventions, will once more overwhelm the glo-rious * foundation' of all our hopes, and leave us, as they have atpresent left * the Eternal City,' with more of ' the outward and


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28Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.Was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate : Hesuffered and was buried : and the third day He roseagain according to Scripture : He ascended into heaven,sits at the right hand of the Father, and is to comeagain with glory to judge the living and the dead ; ofwhose kingdom there shall be no end. And in theHoly Ghost, the Lord and Life-giver, who proceedsfrom the Father and the Son ; who, together with theFather and the Son, is adored and glorified ; who spokeby the prophets. And (I believe) one holy Catholicand Apostolic Church : I confess one baptism for theremission of sins ; and I look for the resurrection of thedead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."From the year 438 till the year 1564, this creed(alone) was invariably used in the Catholic Church,and every one who was willing to confess his belief inthe articles contained in it, was received into com-munion with the Catholic Church. The Council ofEphesus, in the year 438, passed the following decreeconcerning the faith, which was repeated at Chalcedonand Constantinoplei.e., the third, fourth, and sixthGeneral Councils :" The holy synod determined that it should not belawful for any one to set forth, write, or compose anyother creed than that which was determined by theholy fathers who assembled at Nice in the Holy Ghost ;and that if any one shall dare to compose any othercreed, or adduce or present it to those who are willingto be converted to the knowledge of the truth, eitherfrom heathenism or Judaism, or any heresy whatsoever;such persons, if bishops, shall be deprived of theirepiscopal office ; if clergy, of their clerical."The first decree of the second session of the Councilof Trent bears witness to this truth. It is as follows,and bears date February 4th, 1546 :" The Council hath determined that the creed which


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29of Christ are necessarily agreed, and the firm andonly foundation, against which the gates of hell shallnever prevail, shall be expressed in the same words inwhich it is wont to be read in all Churches, that is tosay ' I believe,' " &c. :And here follows the wholeof the Catholic part of Pope Pius IV. 's creed, aboverecited, but not one word of the Roman part (givenbelow), and which was first published and declaredby Pius IV., in a Bull dated December 4th, 1564notquite three centuries ago !This fact is, alone, sufficient to prove that the doc-trines taught by the modern Church of Rome are not"from the beginning;" that it is not the "old reli-gion"not the religion taught by Christ and hisapostles

which Rome teaches her children ; but a" vain and fond thing," a crafty and "cunningly de-vised fable ; " and that she has most greviously erredfrom the faith.And now comes the super-added or Roman part ofPope Pius's creed, which is as follows :M I most steadfastly admit and embrace apostolicaland ecclesiastical traditions, and all other observancesand constitutions of the same Church." I also admit the holy Scriptures according to thatsense which our holy mother the Church has held anddoes hold, to whom it belongs to judge of the truesense and interpretation of the Scriptures : neither willI ever take and interpret them otherwise than accord-ing to the unanimous consent of the fathers." I also confess that there are truly and properlyseven sacraments of the new law instituted by JesusChrist our Lord, and necessary for the salvation ofmankind, though not all for every one ; to wit, baptism,confirmation, eucharist, penance, extreme unction,orders, and matrimony ; and that they confer grace ;and that of these, baptism, confirmation, and order,cannot be reiterated without I also


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30" I embrace and receive all and every one of the

things which have been defined and declared in theholy Council of Trent concerning original sin andjustification." I profess, likewise, that in the mass there is a true,proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and thedead. And that in the most holy sacrament of theeucharist there is truly, really, and substantially, thebody and blood, together with the soul and divinity,of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and that there is made aconversion of the whole substance of the bread into thebody, and of the whole substance of the wine into theblood, which conversion the Catholic Church callsTransubstantiation. I also confess that under everykind alone Christ is received whole and entire, and atrue sacrament." I constantly hold that there is a purgatory, andthat the souls therein detained are helped by the suf-frages of the faithful. Likewise that the saints reign-ing together with Christ are to be honoured and in-vocated, and that they offer up prayers to God for us,and that their relics are to be had in veneration." I most firmly assert that the images of Christ, ofthe mother of God ever Virgin, and also of the othersaints, ought to be had and retained, and that duehonour and veneration is to be given to them." I also affirm that the power of indulgences was leftby Christ in the Church, and that the use of them ismost wholesome to Christian people." I acknowledge the holy Catholic Apostolic RomanChurch for the mother and mistress of all churches ;and I promise true obedience to the Bishop of Rome,successor to St. Peter, prince of the apostles, and vicarof Jesus Christ.

" I likewise undoubtedly receive and profess allother things delivered, defined, and declared by thesacred canons and and


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31all heresies which the Church has condemned, rejected,and anathematized.

" I, N. N., do at this present freely profess, and sin-cerely hold this true Catholic faith, without which noone can be saved : and I promise most constantly toretain and confess the same entire and inviolate tillmy life's end."The confession of faith, published by the membersof the Catholic Christian community, recently formedby the celebrated Ronge,# at Breslau, in Silesia, is anindisputable evidence that Protestants are not alone incondemning the doctrines of the modern Church ofRome.By the first Article of that Confession, they declarethemselves altogether independent of the Pope andhis adherents : and by the second, firm supporters of

perfect freedom of conscience. In the third Article,they maintain that the Scriptures are the foundation ofthe Christian faith ; and in the fourth, that free in-quiry and private interpretation should not be ob-structed by any external authority. The fifth Articleexpresses their belief in God the Father, the Creatorand Ruler of the world ; in Christ the Saviour who,by his doctrine, life, and death, redeemed man fromslavery and sin; in the power of the Holy Ghost onearth ; in a holy universal Christian Church ; in theforgiveness of sin, and in a life everlasting. By Arti-cle the sixth, they recognize only two sacramentsBaptism and the Lord's Supper ; and by Article theseventh, they retain the baptism of children. Articlethe eighth provides that the communion shall be re-ceived under the two species of bread and wine, and

* Ronge was a Romish priest, but, having vigorously protestedagainst the gross imposition of the " Holy Coat" at Treves, he hasbeen excommunicated. It appears that, in consequence of an in-dulgence being granted to all who make the pilgrimage, and thesupposed miraculous powers of the " sacred relic," upwards of a


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32declares auricular confession abolished. By the ninthArticle, marriage is set down as a divine institution,and a religious ceremony retained. The law of theland, and no other, is to decide respecting the condi-tion of marriage, and the obstacles to it. In Articlethe tenth, the members acknowledge Christ only asa mediator between God and man, and reject theinvocation of saints, the veneration of relics and pic-tures, indulgences, and pilgrimages. In Article theeleventh, they assert that good works are meritoriousonly when performed in a Christian spirit. All pre-scribed fasts and abstinences from meat are abolished.By the twelfth Article, they express their convictionthat the first duty of a Christian is to put his creedinto practice by works of Christian love.We have now brought our subject to a conclusion.It is a subject which has, we are well aware, beentreated upon much more fully and comprehensivelyby some of the most talented writers of our day. Theobject we have had in view has been to set forth, in acondensed form, as clearly and concisely as the subjectwould admit, what the Church of Rome is, and whatshe teaches ; and, though with the full conviction thatthis object has been but imperfectly accomplished, wewould fain hope that, by God's blessing, this attemptmay not prove altogether unprofitable and in vain.We have not, as will have been seen, entered intoany discussion, or adduced proofs from Scripture, inopposition to the errors and false doctrines of the Ro-mish Church, as by so doing we must, of necessity,have considerably extended these brief pages. Weprefer, rather, leaving it to each one, into whose handsthey may fall, to search for himself " the revealed wordof God," and see " whether these things be so"to" prove all things," and to "hold fast that which isgood." Our purpose has simply been to exhibit Ro-manism as it as and as we were


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33the inclination, of obtaining it from other, albeit bettersources.We have risen from the performance of our taskwith an increased feeling of thankfulness to Almighty

God, that we are in communion with the Protestant(God grant that she may ever continue so !) Church ofEngland, in which the pure word of God is preached,and the sacraments rightly administereda Church,which we believe to be the purest and truest expositorof God's mind and will to man which exists uponeartha Church, which does not debar us from thecomfort and consolation of reading God's most holyword ; which is truly " a lamp to our feet, and a lightunto our path"a Church, the sum and substance ofwhose teaching is " repentance towards God, and faith(a * faith which worketh by love') towards our LordJesus Christ"a Church, in which we enjoy libertywithout licentiousness, and by whom we are admo-nished that our religion must be the religionnot ofthe lip, or of the life only, but of the heart. Let us,then, rightly value these blessed, these inestimableprivileges ; in the continuance of which is involvedthe preservation of our civil as well as our religiousliberties : let us be very jealous of them, and carefulnot to abuse or despise them : our fathers purchasedthem for us at a most noble sacrificemany of themeven with their lives : we hold them in trust for ourchildren : let us take care that we transmit them tothem, pure and unsullied as we received them : let usremember that we shall have to give account whetherwe have used them for God's glory whilst we possessedthem undisturbed ; and also, whether, when they havebeen assailed, we have defended them to the utmostof our ability. Above all, let it be our constant prayerto Almighty God, that he will still preserve them tous, and to our children after us ; that he will, of hisgreat mercy, keep us from falling away into the fear-


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34tion, privy conspiracy, and rebellion ; from all falsedoctrine, heresy, and schism ; from hardness of heart,and contempt of thy word and commandmentGoodLord deliver us."

NOTE.THE l'OPISH ANATHEMA, OR EXCOMMUNICATION.

The following copy of Excommunication is translated from theLatin original, found in the year 1765, amongst the papers of PhilipDunn, an Irish Romish Bishop:" By the authority of God, the Father Almighty, and the blessedVirgin Mary, and S. Peter and S. Paul, and all the Holy Saints,We Excommunicate [here follow the name and offence of the in-dividual]. Excommunicated let him be, and delivered over to theDevil as a perpetual malefactor and schismatic; accursed let himbe in all cities and towns, in fields, in ways, in yards, in houses, andin all other places, whether lying or rising, walking or running,leaning or standing, waking or sleeping, eating or drinking, or what-soever thing he does ; besides, we separate him from the thresh-hold and all good prayers of the Church, from the participation ofthe Holy Jesus, from all Sacraments, Chapels, and Altars, from theHoly Bread and Holy Water, from all the merit of God's HolyPriests and religious men, and from their cloisters, and all pardons,privileges, grants and immunities, ^vhich all the Holy Popes havegranted them ; and we give him over utterly to the fiend, and lethim quench his soul, when dead, in the pains of hell-fire, as thiscandle is quenched and put out (here a lighted candle or torch isthrown down by the officiating bishop or priest). And let us prayto God, our Lady, S. Peter and S. Paul, that all the senses of hisbody may fail, as now the light of this candle is gone, except hecome, on sight hereof, and openly confess his damnable heresy andblasphemy, and by repentunce, make amends, as much as in himlies, to God, our Lady, S. Peter, and the worshipful company ofthis Church ; and as the staff of this Holy cross now falls down, somay he, except he recants and repents."

Hildobert, Bishop of Mans, in 1090, speaking of Rome, says :" Here are they who purchase litigations and sell intercessions ;and have no regard for any kind of men, orders, or times. In theforum they are Scythians; in the chamber vipers; in the banquetbuffoons ; and in their exactions harpies ?"


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Popery Not the Old Religion [1845]

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