nor will I ever take or interpret them otherwise than according to the unanimous consent of the fathers."* 66 use An individual may stand so high in the favour of his confessor as to obtain the privilege of reading the Scriptures. But he must not presume to choose a version for himself. Luther, Cranmer, Beza, Doddridge, Campbell, Macknight, &c., &c., are prohibited authors; he must neither read nor possess their books, on pain of excommunication. None but "authentic" and "approved" versions are permitted him; that is, none but the Vulgate Latin, or Roman-catholic translations of it; if other translations are sometimes allowed, it is only to "learned and pious men," and that they may them merely as elucidations of the Vulgate version." And then as to the interpretation. Let not such a one imagine that he may exercise the powers of his own mind. The work is done already to his hands. He may be a good classical scholar, profoundly versed in Greek and Hebrew, well read in Jewish antiquities, thoroughly acquainted with oriental customs, the best critic of his age; but woe be to him, especially if he happen to live in Italy or Spain, if he presume to employ his stores of knowledge in investigating the sense of Scripture, or dare to bring to the light, even though it should not go beyond the precincts of his own study, any interpretation different from what was promulgated by the Holy Fathers hundreds of years before he was born. He is taught "in all hard, obscure, and indisputable points, to refer all to the arbitration of the church, to the judgment of those whom God has appointed pastors and teachers; never presuming to contend, control, teach or talk of his own sense and fancy in deep questions of divinity, and high mysteries of faith; but expecting the sense of those from the lips of the priest, who shall keep knowledge, and from whose mouth they shall require the law."‡ * Pope Pius's Creed. + Third Rule of the "Congregation of the Index." Gother's Papist Misrepresented, &c. p. 31. Dr. Joseph Francis Allioli, Professor of Scripture and the oriental languages in the Royal University of Munich, has recently published a new Roman-catholic German version of the Scriptures, with notes. He says in his preface, that "he submits the entire to the judgment of the Holy Roman Church, to which it belongs to decide upon the true interpretation of the Scriptures."-Dublin Review, No. 2. p. 381. Such is the slavery of Rome! 4. Whereas the church of Rome accuses Protestants of perverting and corrupting the word of God, it is easy to prove that the charge may be retorted with triumphant success. The insertion of an intermingled Apocrypha is in itself sufficient proof of the correctness of this affirmation. And it is further confirmed by the care that has been manifestly taken to render the translation of the Scriptures a vehicle for the diffusion of Popish tenets. One specimen will suffice: the word "repentance" is almost invariably translated "penance," even in the Old Testament, where, it must be confessed, it sounds oddly enough; for instance, "Therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes," Job xlii. 6. "If the wicked do penance for all the sins which he hath committed," &c. Ezek. xviii, 21. "If they do penance in their heart in the place of their captivity," &c. 1 Kings viii. 47. "Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Mat. iv. 17. "That they should do penance, and turn to God, doing works worthy of penance," Acts xxvi. 20. The design of this rendering is obvious.* The suppression of the second commandment, in which the worship of images is prohibited, is usually considered as one article of accusation against the Roman-catholic church. The fact is this: the first and second precepts of the decalogue are blended into one, and the tenth is divided into two. This division is adopted, they say, in deference to the authority of Augustine; be this as it may, it answers their purpose. In catechisms, spelling-books, and small works for the instruction of the young, the decalogue is often given in an abridged *The following note on Rom. iv. 7, 8, is an affecting instance of perversion of the word of God: : "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. That is, blessed are those who, by doing penance, have obtained pardon and remission of their sins, and also are covered; that is, newly clothed with the habit of grace, and vested with the stole of charity. "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin. That is, blessed the man who hath retained his baptismal innocence, that no grievous sin can be imputed to him. And likewise, blessed is the man who, after falling into sin, hath done penance and leads a virtuous life by frequenting the sacraments necessary for obtaining the grace to prevent a relapse, that sin is no more imputed to him."-Roman-catholic Version. form, by which arrangement the second commandment (that is, our second commandment,) is entirely kept out of sight: thus 1. "I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no strange gods before me. 2. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in. vain. 3. "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. 4. "Honour thy father and thy mother. 5. "Thou shalt not kill. 6. "Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 9. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife. 10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods." This is copied from Butler's Catechism, a work extensively used in Ireland. A similar abridgment of the decalogue is inserted in the spelling-book commonly found in Italian schools, but with this difference, that the fourth commandment is omitted as well as the second, and that instead of the injunction to observe the Sabbath, the young Italian reads, "Remember to keep holy the days of festivals !"* The following fact is perhaps known only to few: it deserves some imperishable record. In the year 1685, Louis XIV. revoked the edict of Nantes, deprived the Protestants of their civil and religious privileges, and forced hundreds of thousands of them to leave their native land, and seek an asylum where they might worship God without molestation and restraint. But it was soon found that Protestantism, though oppressed, was not destroyed. A new line of policy was then adopted. The Papists saw that they could not prevent the Scriptures from being read, and therefore resolved to force the sacred volume itself into their service, by the most audacious cor * Gilly's Travels in Piedmont, p. 167. Grahame's "Three Months' Residence in the Mountains east of Rome," p. 238. It is observable, that though the tenth commandment is thus split into two, the two are again blended into one in the explanations given in Roman-catholic catechisms. Is not this a tacit confession that the division is untenable? ruptions and interpolations. An edition of the New Testament was published, so translated that a Roman Catholic might find in it explicit statements of the peculiar dogmas of his church. The book was printed at Bourdeaux, in 1686. It was entitled, "The New Testament of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Translated from Latin into French, by the divines of Louvain;" and the attestation of the Archbishop of Bourdeaux was prefixed to it, assuring the reader that it was "carefully revised and corrected." Two doctors in divinity of the University of the same place also recommended it as useful to all those who, with permission of their superiors, might read it. A few A few quotations will shew the manner in which the work was executed, and the object which the translators had in view. In the summary of the "contents" of Matthew xxvi., Mark xiv., and Luke xxii., it is said that those chapters contain the account of the "institution of the mass!" Acts xiii. 2, (“ as they ministered to the Lord and fasted,") is thus rendered"as they offered to the Lord the sacrifice of the mass, and fasted," &c. In Acts xi. 30, and other places, where our English version has the word "elders," this edition has "priests." A practice that has proved very productive of gain to the priesthood is made scriptural in the following manner:-" And his father and mother went every year in pilgrimage to Jerusalem," Luke ii. 41. "And not only so, but also he was appointed by the churches the companion of our pilgrimage,” 2 Cor. viii. 19. "Beloved, thou actest as a true believer in all that thou doest towards the brethren, and towards the pilgrims," 3 John 5. Tradition is thus introduced:-"Ye keep my commandments, as I left them with you by tradition," 1 Cor. xi. 2. "The faith, which has been once given to the saints by tradition," Jude 5. That the Roman Catholic might be able to prove that marriage is a sacrament, he was furnished with these renderings: To those who are joined together in the sacrament of marriage, I command," &c. 1 Cor. vii. 10. "Do not join yourselves in the sacrament of marriage with unbelievers,” 2 Cor. vi. 14. 1 Cor. ix. 5, is so directly opposed to the constrained celi bacy of the clergy that we can scarcely wonder at finding an addition to the text: it stands thus-" Have we not power to lead about a sister, a woman to serve us in the gospel, and to remember us with her goods, as the other apostles," &c. In support of human merit, the translation of Heb. xiii. 16, may be quoted,-"We obtain merit towards God by such sacrifices." Purgatory could not be introduced but by a direct interpolation "He himself shall be saved, yet in all cases as by the fire of purgatory," 1 Cor. iii. 15. Many other passages might be noticed. "Him only shalt thou serve with latria,” i. e., with the worship specially and solely due to God: this addition was evidently made to prevent the text being urged against the invocation of the saints; Luke iv. 8. "Many of those who believed, came to confess and declare their sins," Acts xix. 18. "After a procession of seven days round it," Heb. xi. 30. "Beware, lest being led away with others, by the error of the wicked heretics," &c. 2 Pet. iii. 17. "There is some sin which is not mortal, but venial,” 1 John v. 17. "And round about the throne there were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones twenty-four priests, seated, all clothed with albs," Rev. iv. 4. The alb, it will be recollected, is part of the official attire of a Roman-catholic priest. But the most flagrant interpolation occurs in 1 Tim. iv. 1-3:-"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some will separate themselves from the Roman faith, giving themselves up to spirits of error, and to doctrines taught by devils. Speaking false things through hypocrisy, having also the conscience cauterised. Condemning the sacrament of marriage, the abstinence from meats, which God hath created for the faithful, and for those who have known the truth, to receive them with thanksgiving." Whether it Such was the Bourdeaux New Testament. was actually translated by the divines of Louvain is doubtful. This is certain, however, that it was printed by the royal and university printer, and sanctioned by dignitaries of the church. It is proper to add, that the Roman Catholics were soon convinced of the folly of their conduct, in thus tampering with the inspired volume. To avoid the just odium brought on their cause by this wicked measure, they have endeavoured to de |