the resolutions of the Irish Prelates in our fourth number, p. 205; and more particularly to the correspondence subjoined to the Declaration and Protestion inserted in the number before that, p. 132. et seq. Indeed this is not denied by Dr. Milner; he is ready to assert it on all occasions, and he agrees (that is, he once did agree) with the worthy Baronet,-for in the quotation adduced from him by Sir John, and inserted above, he asks "if it can be unlawful for our Monarchs to interfere in this business," (i. e. the nomination of the Prelates) "just so far as it is necessary in order to ascertain the loyalty of men who are to possess such great influence. over his subjects"?

We shall now close this article, and should have done with Sir J. C. Hippisley altogether, if he would have been content to restrain himself within any sort of bounds. But the worthy Baronet (in return, no doubt, for the many handsome compliments which he received from Dr. Troy and his brethren) has chosen to adopt all their assertions and all their reasonings, and we might say, all their feelings, but that it were a mockery so to apply the word upon the subject of their canons and institu tions, and doctrines; upon the tenets of our Church as well as theirs. We cannot, therefore, quit him without some reckoning with him upon that score; for which we shall take another opportunity; lest we should fall into the same fault as the worthy Baronet himself; who had so overlaid and burthened his argument, and so tired his hearers with the voluminous→ ness of his compilations, that, according to his own account, on the last of the two debates, he found it most prudent, for the purpose of obtaining a hearing, to leave the greater part of them in the Vote-office.* To those of his readers or hearers who may have been terrified or wearied by the portentous appearance of his collections, we trust that we may have proved of some relief: assuring them, as we can safely do, that in these sheets they will find the very essence and marrow of Sir John Coxe Hippisley's political lucubrations. And we promise them, that, within no greater compass, we will give them a fair estimate of the gentleman's theological acquirements and skill in Ecclesiastical history.

Since writing the above, a report has come to our ears that Sir John Coxe Hippisley has really done that which we have so strenuously advised him to do: that he has actually written to Lord Fingal, that he We shall be glad to find that this is true; and we shall the rather hail it, as holding out a prospect that his illustrious friends,

gives up the cause.

* Vide Ild. Speesh, p. 11.

with whose names he has made so free, are also coming to a better mind. -But as this is only report, and may be false; as, even it were true, we do not see that it at all destroys the force of our observations, we shall not withhold them. Still less do we conceive that it would at all supersede or render useless that part of our labours which remains behind, but shall go on, as we have promised, to expose the fallacies and misrepresen tations for which Sir John has chosen to make himself responsible.

An Answer to Ward's Errata of the Protestant Bible; to which is added an Appendix, containing a Review of the Preface to the fourth edition of the Errata, by the Rev. Richard Grier, A. M. Master of Middleton School. Cadell and Davies, 1812. 4to. pp. 168.

Just as we were beginning to read this excellent work, (dedicated to the Bishop of Cloyne), a printed paper was sent us by a most respectable friend, apparently cut out of some literary work. We here reprint it, and shall first generally answer the calumny contained in it, by giving a place to the ingenuous remonstrance made to his brethren, on the subject by the Rev. Ch. O'Conor, D.D. himself a Roman Catholic Priest.

"Catholic Edition of the Bible in Ireland.-An Advertisement has lately been circulated in Ireland, of "A new and cheap edition of the Holy Bible, in five volumes duodecimo, price to subscribers, in bds. 14. 12s. 6d. ; in plain calf 17. 17s. 6d.

"This Bible may be had in weekly numbers, of eighteen peace each, ⚫ in order to give the working people and well disposed, an opportunity of purchasing the Bible at an easy rale.'

"This publication is intended, it seems, substantially to refute the calumny industriously circulated' (by the Protestants, no doubt) that the Catholic Clergy prohibit the faithful from reading the word of God, or having it in their possession.'

"But this same advertisement is most of all remarkable for the abuse it contains of our venerable reformers, and the faithful learned translators of the Bible. We transcribe the following shameful passage:

"It was the boast of the first pretended reformers, and continues to be the boast of their disciples in the present day, that they had emancipated their followers from the shackles of Catholic despotism, and had restored to them the freedom of the children of God. This freedom, it appears, consisted in reading an erroneous version of the inspired writings, and in venerating as the dictates of eternal wisdom, the blunders of ignorant and interested translators. What crime more foul in its nature, more prejudicial in its consequences, more allied to diabolical malignity, than that

of designedly corrupting the sacred Scriptures? and, by such corruption, leading the sincere enquirer into error, and converting the food of life into the poison of death? And do we not every day hear those deformers of the Holy Writ calling on Catholics to read their spurious and corrupted translations?-but Catholics answer, We will not read your Protestant Bible, we will not drink at the muddy part of the stream, while we can drink with equal ease at the fountain head.'

"This is indeed a serious charge! Protestant Princes, Parliaments, Bishops, and Churches, are involved in the guilt of authorising, circulating, and recommending to millions of British subjects an erroneous translation of the Bible, made by ignorant and blundering men, who designedly poisoned the sacred stream of Divine Revelation!-Whatever we may think of the zeal of the advertisers of the Catholic Bible, we cannot commend their candour or their prudence. Such an intolerant attack upon the Protestant Church, at the moment they are seeking an enlargement of their Catholic liberties, does not seem to be consonant with a peaceable disposition or good policy."

Our contemporary Editor seems to content himself with reprobating this intolerant attack upon the Protestant Church ;-we go somewhat further, and prove the falsehood of the imputation. Dr. O'Conor, in his "Historical Address on the Calamities occasioned by foreign influence, in the nomination of [Roman Catholic] Bishops to Irish Sees"-justly says, speaking to the Irish ;-"Are the crimes of the preceding centuries to be imputed to this? are we, by whining over the faults of our ancestors, to multiply our own? are we to attribute to the present race of Englishmen the * wickedness of that English Pope, who issued a crusade against

* With all their attachment to the Pope, the people of Ireland will hardly subscribe, to the infallible authority of Adrian IV. (an Englishman, by name Nicholas Breaksper, who became Pope A.D. 1154), when he pretended to authorise Henry II. to make a conquest of Ireland in 1171. His Bull, in which this English Pope claims Ireland as his right, is printed by Rapin, and well deserves to be studied; for it affords a genuine specimen of Papal ambition and rapacity; and, most certainly, the observations of the Historian upon this curious document, (unquestionably authentic), are worthy the at tention of Protestants.-But our appeal is to the Roman Catholics of Ireland, who cannot surely be so lost to every patriot feeling, as not to spurn at Popish infallibility in this particular instance. Now what they cannot but do in this instance, the Protestants do in many. To have been fallible in one point, subverts all claim to infallibility in other cases. Dr. O'Conor boldly speaks of the wickedness of Adrian IV: When will Dr. O'Conor and his countrymen emancipate themselves from the chains of both spiritual and temporal slavery, in which they are held by the successors of Adrian (some of them wicked indeed!) to this day? Adrian's chief crime was a love of power. He gave Ire land to Henry II. The Emperor Frederic 1. held his stirrup. He excommunicated, and at last reduced William, King of Sicily, to submission.

us to gratify the ambition of Henry II. and to establish the temporal usurpations of the Roman see? as well might we attribute to the present Church of England the corruptions of the English Bible, which are noticed by Ward and corrected in the genuine edition of that Bible,as read in English Churches by Act of Parliament !" Dr. O'Conor says, in a note on this passage,"how wise it was to revive ancient heats, long consigned to oblivion, by reprinting Ward, I will leave to the secret hierarchy of invisible conscience* to determine. Was it that the Church of England should correct its Bible Certainly not. Was it to upbraid the independents, who beheaded Charles I. with having corrupted the sacred text? Most undoubtedly not. Was it to fire the Irish [Roman] Catholic against the English heretic? That would be too uncharitable; I will not suppose it."-Dr. O'Conor has now experienced the charity," the tender mercies" of the Romish Hierarchy. What he did not allow himself to say in 1810, perhaps he might now feel small reluctance to affirm. There can be no doubt but that Ward's book was published for the very purpose of inflaming the hearts of the Romanists against the Protestants. (See O'Conor's “Historical Address;" subjoined to the second letter of Columbanos ad Hibernos') The Vain confidence of the Papists is for ever placing them in situations of hazard. This republication of Ward's book, (by the way, they have also reprinted Ward's Ribaldry, his doggrel verses, called England's Reformation,) naturally leads us to remind them of Dr. Fulke's "defence of the sincere and true translations of the Holy Scriptures in the English tongue;" and of the multitude of errors pointed out by Fulke in the Rhemish Testament, which, in 1589, he printed in parallel columns with our English version. How impoliticly have the Papists acted, to revive this controversy, which was long ago settled to their utter discomfiture. For a just castigation of the Editor of Ward's errata — and of the subscribers to that work-many of them grateful" members, both students and teachers of Maynooth College," supported, though a Popish Seminary, by annual grants from a Protestant King and Parliament !!! we refer to the Dean of Peterborough's pamphlet, intituled-" Certain Accusations brought recently by Irish Papists, against British and Irish Protestants of every Denomination, examined." But if any one wishes to see a refutation of Ward's Errata, systematically drawn up, and distributed under twenty-two heads, in the way of a synopsis, embracing every point in the smallest degree worthy of attention; he must peruse Mr. Grier's work,

"

The Doctor alludes, in the words which he prints in Italics, to a rant of the Bishop of Castaballa, conceived in the following terms:-" Our independent spiritual Hierarchy, seated in the highest Heavens, and in the secret of our consciences, cannot be touched by your parchments or offensive weapons."

which he will find to be replete with sound criticism, and most luminous discrimination. The texts examined amount to 140; "the entire number set down by Ward as erroneous." They are printed, properly classed, in columns. The 1st column gives the references of the texts; the 2d, the Greek, as settled by the best authorities; the 3d, the Vulgate translation; the 4th, the Rhemish version of the New, and the Douay of the Old Testament; the 5th, Beza's Latin; the 6th, the English version from the Bishop's Bible, or old translation; and the 7th gives the English text, as it stands in our present Bible, revised by order of King James I. in 1611. In most instances the charge of an erratum vanishes on a single inspection of the passage adduced. In many, the Popish version may be called rather a translation of the Vulgate, than of the original tongues. We shall here give a short specimen of Mr. Grier's arrangement;-but, for his critical remarks, our readers must consult his book, which well de serves a place in the library of every Clergyman.

Luke iii. 3. κηρύσσων prædicans preaching prædicans of repent

βαπτισμα penitentiae. of
baptismum the baptism baptismumlance, &c.

μετανοίας

repent- resipiscen

ance.

tiæ.

Mr. Grier, of course, settles the point of doctrine here, in contradistinc tion to the Romish Sacrament of Penance, by explaining the true me ning of the word Metavola. We need not remind scholars, that Ward's Book is only an abridgement of Gregory Martin's "Discoverie of the Corruptions of Scripture ;" printed at Rheims in 1582; long ago refuted by Dr. Fulke. There is a vast assemblage of most interesting matter in Mr. Grier's "Answer;" as well as in his preface and appendix, We shall often have recourse to his work, and often enrich the pages of the PROTESTANT ADVOCATE, with selections from it.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

Not long ago we received the following Questions from an Irish Correspondent under the signature of Posthumus. We shall here insert them in their order, and subjoin to each the best answers we can give.