does the Jesuit or ultramontane party. Bien Social has been plentifully abused by the French bishops, who are now trying to put Belvidere, in Great Denmark Street, facing Great George Street North; in the splendid Chapel and Presbytery of St. Xavier, Upper Gardiner Street; in the School and adjoin- it down. Some few months since, a great ing Monastery, Margaret Place, North Circular Road; and at Drumcondra House, purchased for a trifle from the New Corporation of Dublin, where they have a college for missionaries. COLONIAL.-Grenada.—Five new Popish Churches are being erected in this island. stir was made in France, in consequence of a young Protestant female having been stolen from a boarding school by priests, to be educated as a Papist. A similar event has just taken place at Privas. A Protestant named Garay, had placed his daughter, 13 years of age, with a Romish family, for education. A Jesuit priest named Robin, of Louvesc, stole her away, and placed her in a convent. When justice, urged to the discovery by the unhappy parent, traced the child, the Jesuit fied from one place to another with his prey, and it was not until after session of his daughter. The Jesuit fled to many months that the father recovered posand a number of priests and others concerned Belgium, "the classic ground of Jesuitism," in this kidnapping affair, have been tried in a court of justice, and notwithstanding strong evidence, and the clear testimony of the child they had stolen, were acquitted. This case is only one among many others. FOREIGN.- Norway.-The Storthing of this country has imitated our own foolish and suicidal act in granting emancipation to the Romanists of Norway. A Church and School are about to be erected at Christiana. Belgium.-A correspondent of the Record, (English,) June 30th, writes thus:-" I send you an extract from a Brussels paper, which will more than bear out what you have said on the subject of Continental manners. That the passion of our blessed Saviour (it is shocking to write the words) should be made part of a dramatic amusement, and exhibited on a Sunday to a mixed crowd of play-goers, as the sequel of a spectacle, the The Popish Propaganda.-The following first part of which consisted of conjurer's document has appeared in the papers, which tricks, dancing, Indian games, and comic shews the activity of this proselyting college: interludes, might have appeared incredible; "Roman Catholic Missions.-The receipts of it was nevertheless the every-day amusement the Association for the propagation of the in Brussels, in the month of May last. The Catholic faith amounted in 1844 to 4,035,207 Record gives the play-bill in French. The francs, and the expenditure to 3,743,908 following is a translation of the last part:- francs, leaving a balance in the receipts of 'La Spectacle will be closed by the 291,299 francs." The amount of contriPASSION OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS butions in the different nations is specified: CHRIST; in which the various stations that under the head of The British Islands (places) will be represented. In the last and Colonies, is 236,914 frs. (about £9450). view, the theatre will undergo a change; The Dublin Warder remarks "The sum angels and cherubims will be seen to des- above set down for the British islands and cend; at that moment, the Saviour will take colonies is only about £1000 per annum his Ascension to heaven, in the midst of more than that which is subscribed by Roclouds, and the theatre will be entirely illu- mish Ireland alone, to the funds of the Prominated by fires of various colours. This paganda. By this it is plain that Ireland is last view will be finest and most imposing.'" able to do alone the whole proselyting work France. A Journal has lately been estab- of Popery for Britain. How wise, then, and lished in this country by several Roman how generous, is it not, for PEEL to come to Catholics. It is entitled Bien Social; its the help of the Pope, and to do the work by object is to expose certain abuses in the the funds of Parliament, so as to free the Romish Church in France, and may be said Irish subscriptions to the Propaganda, for to represent the moderate party, as L'Univers some extensive and active operation." "If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."-Isaiah viii. 20. THE HOLY COAT-RONGE-AND THE NEW REFORMATION THE subject of the holy coat has before now been brought under the notice of our readers. We need not therefore occupy much of their time in pointing out, and giving a too minute description of it. Most of them will recollect, that in the course of last year, a pilgrimage was made to Treves by hundreds and thousands and hundreds of thousands of the Roman Catholics of Germany and Italy, to see this same Holy Coat, as it is called. And why last year, more than any other time? Because the necessities of the Bishop of Treves and others, seemed to require that some plan should be resorted to, to raise money; and just as Pope Leo X. in the 16th century, resorted to a general sale of indulgences, to obtain money to complete St. Peter's at Rome, so the Bishop of Treves in the 19th century, wishing to obtain funds to complete the cathedral of that city, has once more brought out for the contemplation and adoration of devout Roman Catholics, the pretended seamless garment of Christ Jesus!! Tradition informs us-and ah! what errors have been entailed upon the Church, Jewish and Christian, by the following of traditions, instead of cleaving to the pure VOL. VI. Word, the written Word of God-Tradition informs us, that the Coat of Christ mentioned by St. John in his account of the crucifixion, as "without seam, woven from the top throughout," upon which the Roman soldiers cast lots, in order that it might not be rent, was miraculously preserved till the time of Constantine the Great, in the fourth century, when his mother, the Empress Helena, discovered it in Palestine, and on her return to Europe, presented it to the Church of Treves. There lay, buried in oblivion, for many centuries, in an obscure part of the cathedral, where it was discovered by the Archbishop in 1196; who at once resolved to avail himself of this precious relic, as a means of enriching the coffers of his Cathedral, then undergoing repair. The nineteen possessors of duplicate tunics, or portions of the vestment, each bring forward equally good proofs of the identity of their relics, whether exhibited at Argenteuil, Friburg, Moscow, Constantinople, or elsewhere.* It appears to have been first exhibited in the year of its pretended discovery at Treves, and in 1514, Pope Leo X. issued a Papal Bull, in which he promised complete absolution of sin to all who should go on a pilgrimage to Treves to worship the coat once in every seven years. * Apostolical Christians, note p. 11. Martin Luther most vehemently declaimed against this. "How," said he, "has the devil dressed up dead bones, garments, and vessels, into the holy bones, garments, and vessels! how confidently have men believed all impudent liars. How have they crowded on the pilgrimages. All this, the Pope, the bishops, the priests, and the monks, have confirmed, or at all events, they have been silent, and quietly received the money and offerings, while the people go astray." In the year 1655, and again in the year 1810, this coat was made the object of a general pilgrimage to Germany; and in the year 1844, the public exhibition of this pretended relic took place, to which we now refer. We call it a pretended relic of the holy coat, because we believe it to be nothing more. Such pretended relics, as in our own country, pretended to work miracles, during the dark ages of Popery, ere the light of the Reformation had burst upon our forefathers, and taught them to reject these lying wonders, and to cast their idols to the moles and to the bats. But the exhibition of 1844, took place under circumstances which aggravate yet more the guilt of those who contrived and sanctioned it. Pope Leo X. had pronounced in favour of the coat at Treves, by his Bull of February, 1514; but the present Pope by his brief of 22nd August, 1843, gives the same character to the coat deposited at Argenteuil; and to crown the whole, whilst this Roman Pontiff believes, or professes to do so, that the real holy coat is in the church of Argenteuil, he yet authorises a pilgrimage to the fictitious one at Treves! Doubtless, a pilgrimage to either would be of equal benefit to the deluded pilgrims. Still, they went in crowds; and up to October last year, it was calculated that more than 500,000 had visited Treves. In the late pilgrimage, as soon as the different files of pilgrims entered the cathedral, a signal was given, upon which they all prostrated themselves before the relic, and worshipped it, singing a hymn, beginning with these words, "Holy coat, pray for us!" many crying out, "O holy coat, we pray to thee!" and other similarly impious adjurations.* But the spirit of Ronge seems to have been aroused by this, as the spirit of Luther before had been by the sale of indulgences, and hence has resulted a conflict between truth and error, light and darkness, such as has not been known for centuries. Ronge * Apostolical Christians, p. 20. till that moment was a priest of the Church of Rome, and probably never thought of being otherwise. But seeing the blind superstitions in which the people were involved, and how their spiritual guides were aiding, instead of seeking to dissipate the delusion, he addressed to the Bishop of Treves a bold, powerful, and eloquent letter upon the subject. "Laurahtüte, 1st October, 1844. "Christian friends of the nineteenth century, you have heard,-you know it, ye men of Germany, and you, ye German teachers of religion and learning, that what would once have sounded in our ears as mere fable and delusion, is neither fable nor delusion, but truth and certainty! Bishop Arnoldi, of Treves, has exhibited, as an object of religious contemplation and adoration, a garment, designated the Coat of Christ! According to the last report, no less than 500,000 persons have already made a pilgrimage to this relic." From addressing the people generally, with great power and at great length, he turns to Bishop Arnoldi, and thus apostrophises him : Bishop Arnoldi, of Treves, I turn to you, and in virtue of my vocation and office as a priest, as a teacher of the German people, and in the name of Christianity, in the name of the German nation, and in the name of all public instructors, I call upon you to put a stop to the unchristian exposition of the holy vestment, and withdraw it from public view, that the scandal which it has already occasioned be not further increased! For do you not know-as Bishop you ought to know-that the founder of the Christian religion bequeathed to his disciples and his followers, not His coat, but His Spirit? His coat, Bishop Arnoldi, of Treves, fell to the lot of his executioners! Do you not know-as Bishop you ought to knowthat Christ taught,God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth?' And He may be worshipped everywhere, not only in the Temple at Jerusalem, on Mount Gerizim, or at Treves, before the holy coat; do you not know-as Bishop you ought to knowthat the Gospel expressly forbids the worship of every image and of every relic?" The animating address thus concludes:"Finally; you, my dear brethren in the ministry, whose sole aims and wishes centre in the welfare of your flocks, the honour, liberty, and happiness of your country, keep no longer silence! you sin against religion, against your native land, against your holy calling, if you longer hesitate to give effect JOHANNES RONGE, "Catholic Priest."* The effect of this has been prodigious: "This protest was copied into every newspaper, and read with avidity by both Roman Catholics and Protestants. At Leipsic alone an edition of 50,000 was sold during the first fortnight. All felt that this one extraordinary man had given utterance to the thoughts and feelings of thousands. The echo of his words reverberated through the glens and mountains of his native land, nor did they die away till they were caught up by the distant hills along the banks of the Rhine, and awakened a deep response in the northern capitals of the empire." + For this Ronge has been excommunicated. But if this work now commenced be of God, it cannot so be stopped, but will progress in spite of all the opposition excited against it. We could wish the intrepid man had taken more gospel ground as the basis of his opposition to Popery. To overturn error is one thing; to build up the truth is another; and we look forward to the overthrow of Popery, only that the truth as it is in Jesus, may be established on its ruins. Oh! may Ronge, and those who with him, at the sacrifice of friends, country, family endearments, the risk of life itself, are now entering upon an arduous conflict against the dark apostacy, be aided with light and wisdom and strength from on high equal to their day, as they will if rightly asking it; and may their exertions not only be instrumental in pulling down the strongholds of error, but in the setting up of that kingdom which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. MANUAL OF THE TRUE PROTESTANT; Or, Short Answers of a Disciple of the Bible to the principal questions of the Romish controversy. By Dr. Cæsar Malan, of Geneva. (Translated from the French.) FIRST CONTROVERSY-THE BIBLE. (Continued from p. 60.) Stranger.-Do the Romanists then add to the Bible? * See Apostolical Christians, &c., p. 23, 27. Disciple. They are ancient writings, in which are found certainly some good things, especially as to the history of the people of God; but they were not written in the Hebrew language, the Jewish Church did not receive them, our Saviour and the Apostles never quoted them, and they contain things contrary to the Word of God: for example, the justification of the sinner by his merits, sorcery, commendation of suicide and assassination, lies, &c.; and besides which, the primitive Christian Church never admitted them as inspired. Stranger. And the Romish Church does this? Disciple.-Yes, and anathematises those who do not receive them as divine. She also quotes them in support of certain of her doctrines: for example, prayers for the dead. Stranger. But is it not said, that Protestants receive them also? Disciple.-Some Protestants, according to ancient custom, still place them at the end of the Old Testament, but they always warn the reader that they are not divine. However in the present day but few Protestant Bibles contain them. Stranger. That is the reason, perhaps, why the priests say that the Protestant Bibles are incomplete. Disciple.-I suppose so. But as this reproach attaches also to the Bible of the Saviour and the Apostles, it need not disquiet you. You will agree that if I have the same Old Testament which the Lord Jesus had, I certainly have it complete. Stranger. And what, I pray you, is Tradition? Disciple. It is, says the Romish Church, doctrine, and practice also, transmitted verbally, and not by writing, from the Apostles to their first disciples, and from them to those who succeeded them, and these are what that Church calls the Unwritten Word of God. They are found, Rome says, in the writings of the Fathers of the Church, and in the decisions of the first Councils; and you will understand that it is not a little labour to search for them, collect them together, and above all to verify them. Stranger.-I understand; but if tradition really came from the Apostles, why reject it? Disciple. You do well to say IF; for that is essential. As there could be no contradictions in inspired men, it is evident that tradition, which in many points contradicts the doctrine of the Apostles, is not apos tolical. Besides, if this tradition is divine, why does one part differ from another, whether as to its contents, which have nothing in common; or as to its order of position, which varies? Lastly, if divine, how is it that the most important part of tradition, the decretals, are found to be in a great part only the clever work of a certain bishop of the ninth century? Before this discovery was made, the decretals were everywhere received, affording strong support to the doctrines and rights of Rome. What becomes of them since the falsehood has been discovered? You see then if tradition comes from the Apostles. At the same time you will observe whether the six commandments of the Church, which Rome receives especially by tradition, as the feasts, the Eucharist, fasting, confession, abstinence from meat, &c., are not what the Bible calls commandments of men, (Matt. xv. 9, Col. ii. 16-23,) and lies in hypocrisy of those who depart from the faith. (1 Tim. iv. 1-5.) It is then the Bible, the whole Bible, and the Bible only, that Protestants receive and follow. Stranger.-In what language are you per mitted to read it? Stranger.-Is that the reason why the Pope prohibits his Church from reading the Bible in the vulgar tongue? Disciple.-That Bull only repeats previous prohibitions. The Index of the Council of Trent had before prohibited the reading of the Bible to the people. The Inquisition had burnt in Spain, in France, and in the Low Countries, those who contrary to that order dared to possess or read the Bible; and Pope Leo XII., in 1824, anathematised Bible Societies, in styling them "scourges and poisoned pastures." Thus the present Pope shews that he is that which the Bible declares him to be, the man, or the power, "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God." (2 Thess. ii. 4.) Those at Rome and many other places, who have ventured to read the Bible in Italian, have been put into prison. Stranger.-Nevertheless the Latin was at one time the common language: the people then read the Bible in their own tongue. Disciple.-The priests do not like to be reminded of this; since the Romanists of France, or any other country, would have some reason in wishing to have the Bible in their own language, and consequently the Pope would be made to appear to have committed a great error in interdicting it. The people, if they like, may read in their own language the writings of the most licentious poets and romancers; but not the Holy Bible. They may also, or rather they ought, to study the Epistles of the Popes; but not those of the first of those Popes, as they are pleased to style St. Peter. Here the Head of the Church of Rome is abso"lute: the Bible, in intelligible language, is prohibited; and even the desire is a sin, which every diligent priest ought to cause to be expiated by penances. Disciple. Always in that which we understand; for since the Bible is the revelation of the grace of God to man, and as it is to all men, to the poor and the "simple as much as to the rich and learned, that wisdom speaks, (Prov. viii. 4, 5,) it is necessary that the language should be so plain, that even the most simple can understand it. You see also that God, on the day of Pentecost, by his Holy Spirit, gave the ability to speak the language of every people, to those whom he sent to proclaim his grace to the world; for the angel is described as having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people."-(Rev. xiv.) Stranger. Why then do the priests read the Bible, and but a very small portion of it, in Latin only? Disciple. It is perhaps to keep up an appearance of antiquity, as the Latin was the language of the Romans in the time of the Apostles; it is also, perhaps, that the people may not be able to compare that which the Church of Rome teaches with the Word of God. Stranger.-I think that, at least, their Latin Bible is a faithful version. Disciple.-That Bible, which is called the Vulgate, because Jerome, the first author of this version, made it for the people,* is so far from being correct, that it is found to be contrary to the sacred text in two thousand instances. Stranger. Thus then the Church of Rome never positively knows what God has revealed to man. Disciple.-"The more ignorant the people are," says one of their doctors, "the more meritorious is their faith." "Let them hear the Church, and that will suffice: for it is the Church which compre hends and interprets the Bible; and it is the * The common or rather the VULGAR people, as they were formerly, but not offensively, termed. TR. |