8. Proofs that the Holy Communion in both kinds was administered to the Laity within the Parish of Norham and Diocese of Durham, before the Reformation. A Letter to the Honourable and Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Durham. By JAMES RAINE, Rector of Meldon. 8vo. Pp. 16. 1s. London. Rivingtons. 1825. 9. The Word of God weighed against the Commandments of Men, in Six Controversial Letters; between the Rev. C. Otway, A.B., Curate of Lucan, and the Rev. M. M., formerly a Protestant Student of Trinity College, but now a Roman Catholic Priest. 8vo. Pp. 59. 2s. 6d. Dublin. Curry. 1825. 10. Catholic Emancipation, calmly considered. 8vo. Pp. 22. 1s. London. Rivingtons. 1825. It is not consistent with the plan of our work, or by any means according to our custom to string together a certain number of titles merely for the purpose of appending to them a dissertation of our own upon the subject to which they generally relate; nor shall we do so in the present instance. The unusual fecundity of the press produced by the intense interest felt throughout the country while the question of Catholic Emancipation was pending in Parliament, compels us to this mode of registering the character and objects of the several minor publications which have fallen in our way, while our pages have been largely devoted to the greater, and, in some instances highly important, works written on various branches of the same question*. The Pamphlets, we have enumerated, have the same end in view-to withstand any further concessions to the Roman Catholics. We will endeavour in as few words as possible to exhibit the leading arguments of each. 1. The first is (as it professes to be) a short Letter in opposition to the proposed provision for the Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland. Let the author speak for himself. "Suffer me now (he says) to finish these remarks, with recapitulating the reasons, which ought to induce your noble House to oppose the grant we are contemplating. First, because, if the Roman Catholic Clergy are, what we have heard some of their own Countrymen report them to be, they are not worthy of it. Secondly if they should be entitled to a better character, still it is inconsistent to concede it from a religious motive, and discreditable to offer it from a political one. And lastly, because it will be inadequate to its declared object; for instead of cementing the interests of both countries by closer bands of *We have numbered the Pamphlets mentioned at the head of this Article in order that our remarks on them may be more readily referred to their respective subject. Friendship, its tendency is to foment more than ever suspicion and illwill." These propositions are supported by the author with no ability, and with every appearance of sincere conviction of their validity. They may nevertheless fail to convince those who do not think that much turns upon the character of the Irish Roman Catholic Clergy. At any rate they are worth reading by those who would understand all the bearings of this complicated question. 2. The title of the second work will furnish a tolerably just idea of its contents. If the Roman Catholic religion can render so able a man as Mr. Butler is in some respects, so completely infatuated in this, need we wonder at the melancholy history of its follies and atrocities, when wicked men use it as an instrument to debase or to inflame the weak? What must he think of his readers (his Protestant readers at least) when he gravely proposes such a question as this? Has England gained by the Reformation in temporal happiness-in spiritual wisdom-and by a general improvement in morals? There is hardly an intelligent child in the kingdom, who has not the misfortune to be bred in Mr. B.'s faith, who could not readily give a satisfactory answer to this singularly silly demand? Is liberty preferable to slavery? Is light more desirable than darkness? Is it agreeable to live under the dominion of tyranny so monstrous, and cruelty so barbarous, as to be utterly incredible; were not the proofs of them too glaring to be doubted, preserved in an unbroken series of history for many ages, and continued down to our own times? These are in other words the question which Mr. Butler (soberly as it should seem) proposes for discussion. But he is more seriously answered in this well written letter " by a true Catholic," in an appeal to the great, visible, and growing improvement which this country has undergone since the reign of Elizabeth. And whether the Reformation is to be considered as the cause of this alteration, or as the effect of that excellent spirit, which has long been the characteristic of this free, intelligent, and industrious community; in either case it proves the incompatibility of the domination of popery, with that degree of prosperity which is attainable by states, which have thrown off its degrading and paralyzing yoke. If this needed any confirmation, it is abundantly supplied by the reference which is here triumphantly made to the past and present condition of France, Spain, and Italy; as contrasted either with this or other Protestant governments. We recommend it as an exercise for Mr. Butler's ingenuity to shew if he can, either that the subjects of the Roman Catholic states are not inferior to those of Protestant kingdoms, in civilization, in morals, in happiness; or if he cannot do this, to prove that the difference is not to be attributed mainly or entirely, to the depressing influence of that religion to which he is so zealously attached. Till he has done this, we must agree with his sensible, and not unfriendly correspondent, who thus addresses him: "You must allow me to say, it has excited no small degree of surprise amongst those who have long known you, that you should have had the boldness virtually to invite us to return into the bosom of the Church of Rome, as the highest benefit that could be conferred upon this great, free, and enlightened nation!!! That is, in plain English, modestly to hope, that fifteen millions of souls should embrace the worship of about five millions of their fellow-subjects, of whom (thanks to their priests) the far greater portion may be classed among the most ignorant population of Europe." 3. The next pamphlet for our review, presents itself under the formidable circumstances of being written " by á Senior Member of the University of Oxford," and of being printed" at the University press," matters to which we are disposed to pay every respect. But may we be excused, notwithstanding, if we remark that its title-page is somewhat imposing in more senses than one? For it styles the Bill, then in progress through Parliament "A Bill in support of the spiritual authority of the Church of Rome," whereas in the very first sentence of the pamphlet, we have its true title, namely, "A Bill to provide for the removal of the disqualifications under which his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects now labour." After this specimen of the temper of the writer, we were not much surprised to find, that although by no means deficient in ability, he discovers rather more zeal than discretion. For instance, he thus examines and comments upon "the oath, now proposed to be substituted for the former declarations." "I do declare that I do not believe that the pope of Rome, or any foreign prince, prelate, state, or potentate, hath or ought to have any ⚫ temporal' or civil' jurisdiction, (observe the epithels inserted) power, superiority, or pre-eminence," (the word 'authority' is ingeniously omitted)" directly or indirectly within this realm.' Here we see the cloven foot. No temporal or civil jurisdiction! Of course not. No child could dream of it. Who could suppose for a moment, that the Pope or Church of Rome either hath or ought to have, any temporal or civil jurisdiction, power, or pre-eminence? Yet by the ingenious omission of one word in the oath prescribed by this bill, the temporal authority seems to be conceded." Surely, were all the alarms about the Catholic question ás groundless as this, they must speedily subside. What temporal authority can that man have, who has neither jurisdiction, power, superiority, or pre-eminence? What is authority that cannot be exercised? And how can it be exercised but by law or by force? But where there is neither jurisdiction nor power, there is neither legal nor forcible energy. This apprehension, therefore, seems to be idle in the extreme. But there are others in the pamphlet equally visionary, which we think will strike the reader upon the most cursory perusal of it. 4. The Letter to Lord Calthorpe is an earnest expostulation with his Lordship upon the support which he has given in Parliament to the claims of the Catholics; which the author is unable to reconcile with his exertions upon other occasions for the promotion of religion, and especially for the circulation of the Scriptures as a zealous patron of the Bible Society. It is the author's opinion, that the question is not so much one of policy and expediency as of a religious character. We cannot, however, enter into his arguments on this point, but will notice one observation of some weight, which we meet with in the appendix, and which is taken from another pamphlet. "The Roman Catholics," it is said, "have no right to make or to administer laws for Protestants, so long as they are themselves in all their actions, and of course would be in their administrative and legislative functions, the implicit instruments of an irresponsible power." 5. The next work under our consideration is thus introduced to our notice : "In the whole compass of literature there scarcely exists any book, or set of books, more curious, and, for several reasons and purposes, more important in themselves; more numerous in editions, and less concealed, for some time after their first appearance, and more rare of occurrence in modern ages; more indispensable and profitable to their real parent, who yet most positively and earnestly disowns his progeny, certainly with good and obvious reason, but in defiance of undeniable proof of filiation; and, finally, of which the accounts, with the means of being much otherwise, are more defective, confused, erroneous, and unsatisfactory, than those extant of the books bearing, for substance, the title of Taxæ Cancellariæ Apostolicæ, and Taxæ Sacræ Pænitentiariæ Apostolica." Then follows a history, which has not been drawn up without considerable labour and research, of these Taxe, which are no other than tables of the prices at which the holy See formerly granted indulgence to commit, or pardon for having committed, every vice or crime, which the most corrupted human imagination can conceive. Whether it was necessary for any practical purpose, to revive the recollection of these almost forgotten and most infamous instruments, unless it can be shewn that they are now in use, we are almost inclined to doubt. It is, however, but justice to the author to say, that he is perfectly convinced of their genuineness; and that he gives these strong reasons for drawing the public attention to them: "How far," he says, " and how long this system of iniquity, and these flagitious records lasted, and whether they are even yet totally extinct may not be easy to ascertain. But the preceding detail and observations upon it are calculated to attain, and were designed to attain the following objects. First, to confirm and illustrate the evidence, by which the fact, scarcely credible or conceivable, is substantiated, that a society professing itself to be, not only a Church of Jesus Christ, the pure and undefiled Saviour of the World, but the only true Church, should principally distinguish herself-not by her sanctity, not by freedom from sin, not even by moderate offences, but, by her enormous exactions, by her profligate venality, by her insatiable rapacity, and above all, by that wisdom from beneath, which has enabled her, with the most unprincipled dexterity and success, so to accommodate and subdue religion to every variety and degree of human vitiosity, that the sins of men have been one of the most productive sources of her unfathomable revenue. "Another object is, to show that the reformation of those Churches, who withdrew from the corruptions, both in doctrine and discipline, of the Church of Kome, and asserted their own independence, was neither unnecessary, nor unjustifiable. "Another is, to offer an additional inducement to those who belong, and still adhere, to Rome, with a simple heart, unconscious of her abominations, many of them, individually, of an excellent spirit, and for whom our heart's desire and prayer is, that they may be savedto reflect upon the character and acts of this Babylon, this deceiver of the nations of the earth and to withdraw from her society, that they may not be overtaken by her plagues; and thus effect for themselves the only real emancipation from a real and most degrading, as well as oppressive, slavery. "The last object is, with unfeigned thankfulness for our emancipation, as Protestants, that we become more firmly established in our liberty, and in a stedfast and vigorous resolution, in dependence, personally, upon divine grace and a favouring Providence, to guard against and resist to the utmost, every attempt, of every kind, to reinstate a corrupt and tyrannical Church in power, of which she knows but one use a Church (and in that we comprehend the court with which she is inseparably united) which, for her heresies, barbarities, blasphemy, and pollutions, shameless and avowed, almost deserves, in allusion to her own arrogant assumption, and with the variation which NO. VI. VOL. III. Li |