8. Instead of charging the priest to act as an inquisitor into matters which the penitent has no intention. to reveal, she only allows him to hear a perfectly free and voluntary confession. 9. Instead of positively directing the priest to make special inquiries into the subjects mentioned in the Tenth Commandment, she authorizes no irreverent culling and choosing of particular topics in the laws of God, and would avoid, rather than order, the discussion between the clergy and the female members of their flock, of thoughts connected with immodesty and licentiousness. 10. Instead of bringing young children to the private confessional of the priest at an age when they can not be expected to be fully aware of their responsibility, although they may be "able to discern good from evil, and be capable of malice," the Church of England only authorizes it in the case of communicants, and even then she limits it to those who feel their consciences troubled and desire the counsel of their pastors under the burden of special sins. 11. Instead of teaching that sins are pardoned by the priestly act of absolution, without the perfect contrition of the penitent, the Church of England holds the very contrary, on the express warrant of the Word of God. 12. Instead of commanding the penitent to cast himself down at the feet of the priest as the very representative of the Saviour, she remembers the conduct of St. Peter, who, inspired apostle as he was, forbade Cornelius to render him such homage, saying, "Stand up, for I also am a man.” 13. Instead of directing the penitent to hear the voice of the confessor, as "if it were the voice of Christ himself," thus investing every priest with vir tual infallibility, she teaches that even the Church may not arrogate this attribute of her Divine Head, and ascribes no infallibility to the voice of man, unless it be guided by celestial inspiration. 14. Instead of commanding the priest to enjoin, and the penitent to perform "painful and laborious" works of penance, and expressly reckoning "prayer and alms deeds" among those works of penance, she condemns the idea as unscriptural and absurd, and teaches that prayer and alms deeds should be performed, not as a painful and laborious penance, but as duties and privileges, in which the holiest men experience the purest spiritual enjoyment. 15. Instead of teaching that works of satisfaction to the justice of God can be performed by one Christian for another, she repudiates the doctrine as an impiety, dishonorable to the sole office of Christ, and only upheld by the Roman Church on account of its connection with their perilous system of Purgatory. Thus much may suffice for the present, to show how utterly variant is the allowance of voluntary auricular confession, as retained by the Church of England, with the enforced and compulsory exactions of the Church of Rome, notwithstanding the efforts of some of their writers to persuade the world that they are substantially the same. I am obliged, nevertheless, in candor, to acknowledge my regret that our Mother Church, whose authority I love and venerate, should have appeared to sanction the doctrine of Rome by even the semblance of conformity. Her offspring, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, has wisely omitted every trace of this abuse, and I rejoice that she has done so. But the further elucidation of this discrepancy must be postponed until I have gone over the evidence of the Scriptures, the fathers, and the Councils, when I hope to make it abundantly manifest that we are completely justified by every proof which deserves the name of divine and apostolical. CHAPTER IV. THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. EVERY theologian is familiar with the name and labors of the celebrated Pagnini, born A.D. 1466, a Dominican friar of great attainments in classic and Oriental literature, who spent twenty-five years, under the patronage of Pope Leo X., in translating the Scriptures. His work was adopted and revised by the famous Arias Montanus, a Spanish Benedictine monk, one of the Council of Trent, ranked among the most learned divines of the sixteenth century, and employed, after his return from the Council, in editing the magnificent Polyglot Bible, in eight volumes, called sometimes the Royal Polyglot, because it was executed at the cost of Philip II., king of Spain, and sometimes the Antwerp Polyglot, from the place where it was printed. From this version of Arias Montanus I shall exhibit, in a tabular form, some of the errors of the Latin Vulgate and the far greater errors of the English Doway Bible, referring also to the original Hebrew and Greek, so that the reader may have the whole truth plainly spread before him. After the meaning of the words of Scripture is ascertained, it will be easier to see the doctrine which they inculcate; and, in order to do justice to the subject, I shall begin with Genesis and end with the Apocalypse. C Version of Arias Montanus. Latin Vulgate. Doway Version. Version of the Church of England. lest the people repent. poeniteat te super ma-esto placabilis super ne- be appeased upon the repent of this evil. Deut., xxxii., 36, id. 1 Kings, xv., 11, id. (called 1 Sam. pœnitet me quod consti- And the Lord was ap- And the LORD repented. that he should be chang- that he should repent. will repent himself. pœnitet me quod con- It repenteth me that I It repenteth me that I have stituerim Saul re- have made Saul king. set up Saul to be king. neque homo est ut agat he is not a man that he he is not a man that he pœnitentiam. should repent. should repent. quoniam Dominum pœ- because the Lord re- And the Lord repented. nitebat. Et ago poenitentiam in I do penance in dust I repent in dust and ashes. favilla et cinere. and ashes. non vir pœnituit super nullus est qui agat po- there is none that doeth malo suo. no man repented him of his wickedness. If the wicked will turn from all his sins. eth away from his right If the just man turn When the righteous turnhimself away from his justice. eousness. When the wicked man Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions. Matt., xi. 20, ου μετενόησαν. Matt., xii., 41, μετανόησαν. Matt., xxi, 32, μετεμελήθητε. Mark, vi., 12, ἵνα μετανοήσωσε. Luke, xiii., 3, eaν un μeтavoñoε. Luke, xvi., 30, μετανοήσουσιν. Acts, xxvi., 20, μετανοειν. 2 Cor., xii., 21, un μeтavoηoávтwv. 2 Tim., ii., 25, μετάνοιαν. The word is not trans- The word is not trans-to repentance. non egissent pæniten- they had not done pen- they repented not. ut pœnitentiam agerent. that they should do pen- that men should repent. peccatore pœnitentiam one sinner that doth one sinner that repenteth. who have not done pen-who have not repented. repentance. |