becom? the study of the common people, they speak of it as the most ?omrnicious book in the world. The avowed doctrine of tim Church of e, as laid down by the last of her general councils, recent bulls of the popes, the writings of modern papists, the general practice of her priesthood, establish the fact, titat she is agailmt the word of God. Many proofs of her pr? in mg the word of Qmd by bu?ing Bibles, speaking disrespectfully o� t and teach- their and m contents, ing from ogAer ?ourees, might be adduced, but our limits allow not of enlarging.* Ithus been remarked, however, that the Church of Rome does no more, in this respect, than the Bible Society does, that will not distri- bute any but the authorized version of the Scriptures. But the Bible Society never pwfessed to disallow the circulation of other versions than tho?e it circulates. There is, therefore, no analogy between its pro- cedure and that of the Church of Rome, which authoritatively puts the Bible in the list of prohibited books, and declares that if any man shall premtme to Posses8 one without a license in writing from his bishop or inqtfisitor, he shall not receive absolution from his sins till he delivers n? his Bible to Iris priest, who, on such occasions, usually commits it to the flames. One thing, however, we learn from their making this ?ea in reference to tile Bible Society, that many of them are ashamed of the conduct of their church in restricting and prohibiting the circu* !ation of the Scriptures. They say they do nothing more than what Protestants do, and this they allege as a su?cient justification OF her conduct. This is an admission that there is something in Protestant- ism which they would wish to ascribe to themselves. They would be thought friendly to tile distribution of the Bible; but it is easy to see ?mm their w?*itings tlmt they set little value on its authority. (4.) Another serious objection must be brought against the Roman Catholic doctrine on reading the Scriptures. It in the following: titat the people are not allowed to exercise their judgment in ascertai? the meaning of Scripture. If a person obtain a w?itten license to die word of God, he is, notwithstanding, prevented to think for himself on Scripture doctrines. In the creed of Pope Pins, to which every Catholic must a?asnt, we have the following as an article of faitIx: "! also admit the sacred Scriptures, according to the sense which the holy mother church has held and does hold, to whom it belongs to judge OF the true sense and interpretation of the Holy Scripture; nor will ! ever take or interpret them otherwise titan aceordin? to the unanimous cotm?nt of the fathers.** To the same pu?e is the following: "It is as clear as the noonday light, that by solving the following question, ?q/7t? Lg t/re grue c?ci ? you wit] at once solve every question of reli* gioun controversy titat ever has or that ever can be agitated. You not need to spend your life in studying the sacred Scriptures-?yon will only have to hear what the church teaches upon the several articles of her faith, in order to know with certainty what ?! revealed concern- ? them.**t The Roman Catholic is taught "in all hard, obscure, and �See Obgow Protestant, vei. i, pp. ?80=n87, where ninny instanc? _are_ ? in which, at the present day, the word of God is withheld f3?m the people, and it m roads a e. ginm to !rove it in posse#ion, to read it, o? even to acquire the axt of reinting ms *? t0 hswm agem? to it. ,Goocle
�
