The body of the doctrines, precepts, and institutions, which were delivered by Christ to his apostles, constitutes the new or the Christian law; as the body of the doctrines, precepts, and institutions, which were delivered by the Almighty to Moses, constituted the old law. The true and certain knowledge of what is commanded by any law, is generally communicated and obtained by the authoritative promulgation of that law. By the ordinance of God, the doctrines and precepts of the old law were made known to the Israelites and Jewish people, by Moses, and the priests in succession, till the end of the law. By the ordinance of God, the doctrines and precepts of the new law were to be made known to all nations, in all ages, by the apostles, and their successors, to the consummation of the world. "The certitude of the Catholic is grounded," etc.] Then it is grounded upon a very visionary foundation: for the ample page of history, and especially of ecclesiastical history, incontestably proves I. how deplorably "the spiritual authority" of those who claim succession from St. Peter, has been prostituted to the vilest purposes -to the introduction, the sanctioning, and perpetuating of doctrines and religious rites, which are at variance with the spirit as well as the precepts of Christianity; which were unknown to the primitive Church; and answered no other purposes, but to keep the world in darkness, and conduce to the aggrandizement, and supreme elevation, of the ROMAN See: and, II.—that "the uniform, and universal testimony, belief, and "practice, of all Christian Churches, FROM THE BEGINNING," in favour of the PECULIAR doctrines, precepts, and rites of the Church of ROME, -are no where to be found. ; "Is he not at liberty to follow a rule," etc.] Undoubtedly he is : but, it should never be forgotten, that in embracing the rule, he attaches to himself all its consequences. Unhappily, so long as he remains a "Catholic," he is not " at liberty to follow " any other rule: for, by "the spiritual authority" of his Church, he is bound, as he values his own salvation, to "profess and undoubtedly receive ALL "THINGS delivered, defined, and declared, by the sacred canons and "general councils, and, particularly, by the Holy Council of TRENT." For his submission to the authority of a ministry," etc.] Hinc illæ lachrymæ! But, in this Protestant country, where the most ample toleration of religious opinion and religious worship is freely extended to all, and no man is allowed to be "disturbed" in the exercise of his religion, the Romanist surely has no cause to complain. He, as well as Dissenters of every other class from the religion established by law, is at full liberty to worship GoD in the manner which his own conscience prescribes. If he is ambitious of acquiring political power and distinction, and "his submission to the authority of a "FOREIGN ministry" interferes, and is inconsistent with the allegiance which he owes to his sovereign, as is necessarily the case with him who " promises and swears true obedience to the Bishop of "Rome"-that is a circumstance which he may indeed lament; but it is one natural consequence of his rule: and so long as he conforms to the rule, he must take the consequence so obviously arising. Though no man, perhaps, has a right "to condemn him for this," yet such a broad distinction immediately arises, from this very circumstance, between him and every class of Protestant Dissenters, who owe subjection to no FOREIGN power, ecclesiastical or civil,—as evidently disqualifies him for the same political privileges, and the attainment of the same political power, as they may acquire. No wellconstituted government can thus admit an "imperium in imperio." "Can any human legislator condemn," etc.] This question, as relating to the political disabilities under which the Romanist labours in the British empire, has been sufficiently answered above; and also in page 21. On the spiritual authority of the apostles and their successors, who were divinely commissioned to promulgate and teach the law of Christ to all nations; and on the uniform and universal testimony, belief, and practice of all Christian Churches from the beginning, the certitude of the Catholic is grounded, that all the doctrines which he believes, as articles of Catholic faith, and all the sacred precepts and rites which he observes, as the ordinances of Christ, were really revealed and instituted by Almighty God; and are the same as were originally delivered by Christ to his apostles, and by them promulgated over all nations. The Catholic is fully satisfied, that this method which he follows for ascertaining what are the revealed doctrines of divine faith, is the right rule, and that it leads him to the unity of truth. Is he not at liberty to follow a rule which gives such satisfaction and security to his mind? Is it fair for others, who, by following a different rule, are led into a countless variety of contradictory doctrines on matters of Christian belief, to disturb the tranquillity of the Catholic on this head; or to condemn him for his submission to the authority of a ministry, which he is convinced was established by Christ, for the purpose of bringing all nations to the certain knowledge of his law, and to the unity of faith? Is not this rule perfectly natural and reasonable? Can any human legislator condemn the principle and rule of the Catholic in this regard? 44 REMARKS ON SECTION III. "As an enemy to the reading and circulating," etc.] And is not the ROMAN Church truly held out in this light? Having already cited, upon this subject, the Bull of Pius VII. published in 1816, wherein His Holiness alludes to No. II. and III. of the Rules of the Index, I shall just proceed one step further, and give a translation of No. IV. of the same Index : "Since it is manifest from experience, that, if the use of the Holy Scriptures, in the VULGAR tongue, be permitted everywhere, "without distinction, more INJURY than ADVANTAGE will arise "from thence, on account of the rashness of men,-in this respect "let it be at the discretion of the bishop or inquisitor, with the advice of the parish priest or confessor, to grant the reading of the Scrip"tures, translated by Catholic authors, in the vulgar tongue, to "THOSE who they may understand are capable of receiving, not HARM, but an increase of FAITH and PIETY, from reading of "THIS KIND; which PERMISSION (facultatem) let them have in "WRITING. "But let not him, who shall have presumed to READ, or to HAVE "them, without such a faculty, unless the books are first given up to "the ordinary, be able to receive the ABSOLUTION of his sins. "But let the booksellers, who shall have sold the Scriptures, written "in the VULGAR tongue, to one who has not the aforesaid faculty, or shall have allowed the use of them by any other means, lose the "price of the books, which is to be applied by the bishop to pious "uses; and let them submit to any other punishments, in propor"tion to the quality of their offence, at the direction of the same bishop." 66 I 992 1 Page 13. 2 “REGULA IV. Cum experimento manifestum sit, si Sacra Biblia vulgari lingua passim sine discrimine permittantur, plus inde, ob homi"num temeritatem, detrimenti, quam utilitatis oriri; hac in parte judicio "episcopi aut inquisitoris stetur, ut cum concilio parochi vel confes"sorii, Bibliorum a Catholicis auctoribus versorum lectionem vulgari "lingua eis concedere possint, quos intellexerint, ex hujusmodi lectione, "non damnum, sed fidei atque pietatis augmentum capere posse: quam "facultatem in scriptis habeant. "Qui autem absque tali facultate ea legere seu habere præsumpserit, "nisi prius Bibliis ordinario redditis, peccatorum absolutionem percipere non possit. Biliopolæ verò, qui prædictam facultatem non habenti Biblia idio |