II. PRIESTS' RELIGION. HUMAN AUTHORITY AND INVENTION versus CONSCIENCE AND THE BIBLE. The Scriptures are the only standard of Christian faith and practice: every one is at liberty to examine them; but no one is at liberty to decline this examination: and though we may receive the help of others, we may not rest on their authority, (which is Man-worship ;) nor receive as religion, what is not in the Scriptures, (which is Willworship.) THE WRONGS OF IRELAND, AND THE RIGHTS OF FRANCE. OUR readers who may have heard of the wrongs of Ireland, cannot have been prepared for so extraordinary and atrocious cruelty as, according to the organs of the priests, has lately been and still is perpetrated upon that ill-used country: we cannot trust ourselves to characterise this new system of Protestant torture, by the awful methods of books and and bread, the bane of body and mind; and, therefore, shall leave it to The Catholic Guardian to describe, in glowing eloquence, a method of persecution never adopted even by the Roman Church. "TRAVELLING PROSELYTISERS. "Just at this moment, one of the greatest annoyances to which the humbler classes of the Catholics of Ireland have to submit, is the absurd and mischievous endeavours making to unfix their faith and their principles, on the part of a set of wretched itinerants, who make a lucrative trade of religion when all others fail them, and literally hawk about the word of God-not as a means of enlightenment, but as a source of profit for themselves and their still more culpable employers. In England, the open conversions to the true, holy, and infallible Church have become so numerous among the upper and educated classes of Protestants, that the change seems little less than miraculous. "In order to form something like what is called 'a set-off' against this wholesale desertion of so many exemplary and distinguished professors, Protestant bigotry has, in Ireland, resorted to the most heartless and unfeeling schemes, in order to win over perverts to its fading cause. Enormous sums have been subscribed for the purposes of temptation, and the most unblushing and unscrupulous agents have been selected to go through the country, almost desolated by famine and wretchedness as it is, with a bribe in one hand and the Bible in the other, prostituting the holy word to the basest purposes, and offering the poor man provision for his family and support for himself, if he will only listen to their temptations, and promise to fall down and worship the evil spirit that speaks through their polluted lips. In order to leave no stone unturned, no artifice unused, these wretched hyprocrites procure the sanction of landlords often as fanatical and unscrupulous as themselves-of the Protestant clergymen, who, of course, in their hatred to the Catholic Church, always lend their countenance to those who seek to injure her-and, if possible, of the local magistrates, in order to protect them in the violent intrusions to which it is part of their business to resort-and thus authorised, as they think, they roam through the land, defiling all things holy by their blasphemous allusions. "Thank God, however, these miscreants have as yet taken little by their pains but ridicule and contempt. "Here and there some few misguided creatures, noted for their eril lives, or possibly on the very verge of starvation, may have listened to their ignorant ravings, consented to receive their blasphemous tracts, or even promised to become their followers and adopt their creed, whatever it might be; but again and again have these nominal converts abjured the tempter when the bribe was spent, and hastened back, agonised and broken in spirit, to prostrate themselves at the foot of their ancient altars, and to mourn over, in bitterness of heart, the hour when they suffered themselves to be seduced by those who cared not for their principles in order to enrich themselves. "Now, although we repose the utmost confidence in even the humblest of our fellow-countrymen, and although their whole history proves to us that steadfastness of religious principle which has always enabled them to avoid or defy the utmost snares of the tempter, still we think it becomes our duty, when such almost superhuman efforts are making to entrap them, to point out to them the exact course which duty demands them to pursue. In the first place then, as Catholics they have no right to let even curiosity tempt them for a moment to listen to strange doctrines, or to pick up any of the tracts or papers which are to be found scattered by thousands on every highway. If any of the fanatic dealers in such things intrude themselves into their dwelling, it should be their business to expel them not roughly, but decidedly-and to warn them not to come there again at their peril. If papers or tracts are forced upon the people, they should be at once torn up or burned, for such a fate is the only fit one for the impious ravings they contain, and the abominable doctrines they are sure to inculcate; and, if a bribe, in the shape of food, of clothes, or money, is offered, then let it be rejected once, since a curse and not a blessing must attend it; and the cause and instruments must be indeed impure ones, when they require such vile and unfeeling means to win even a hearing from those whom they seek to seduce. "There is yet another agency by which these proselytisers seek to unfix the faith and principles of the humble Irish Catholic. There are 'District Societies' formed, under the superintendance of the Protestant clergy, and the members of these 'District Societies' consist of 'pious and benevolent ladies,' as they call each other, who meet on certain days in the week, in the vestry or school-room of their church, first to gossip over the news of the day or the scandal of the parish, and then to go forth, laden with many tracts and a little money, in order to intrude themselves uncalled and unwished for into the humble dwellings of the poor, and to take up the time of the industrious with their absurd and ignorant inculcations. These 'pious ladies' are generally persons notorious for their hatred of Catholicity, and who would not admit a Catholic servant inside their doors, although they force themselves into places where they have no business, and where their intrusion is a positive loss as well as a positive nuisance, under the pretence of being useful, but, in reality, merely to act the part of spies on the actions of the people, and to leave discomfort and uncharitableness where they found peace and good will. Now as these pious ladies' are for the most part persons of neither modesty nor good sense-remarkable for their propensity to talk and to pry -mere busy-bodies, in fact, who in the decline of life take up the trade of conversion as an agreeable occupation to pass away their idle timethey should be treated without ceremony wherever they make their appearance. The time of a poor man or a poor woman is their means of livelihood, and it is intolerable that an hour or two should be taken up listening to or answering 'the twaddle' of some fanatic old woman, who is only amusing herself at the expense of those who can ill afford to be idle even for a moment, if they wish to live or support their families. It requires only a moderate amount of resolution on the part of any Catholic to inform intruders that they are not required. "We have dwelt on these things at some length, because the prevalence and extent of the nuisance to which we object renders it necessary; and because it is our duty and our business to put our humble Catholic brethren completely on their guard against the violent attempts that are now making, in such various means and shapes, to mislead them. Protestant Bible readers and missionaries, or Protestant 'pious ladies,' have no right to intrude themselves into a Catholic community, or to offend the ears of Catholics by their blasphemous railings against all that, if they were really Christians themselves, they would be the first to reverence and respect. If such restless incendiaries require a fair field for their efforts or if these efforts are really intended to be beneficial-let them go to Protestant England itself, where the masses of the people, although nominally Christians, are wallowing in such utter ignorance that thousands of them know not whether there is a God at all, except when they swear by his holy name; there they may meet with sympathisers and followers, but Catholic Ireland rejects them, and the sooner they quit their infamous trade and retreat from it the better," (for Irish Priest-craft.) Whoever heard of such wickedness before? We hope, however, the priestly advice will be followed, that the ladies will be treated as they deserve, for venturing to obtrude their instruction and relief upon an insulted, but enlightened and prosperous community of Catholics, in the face of the priests, their spiritual advisers, whose interest and honour are best secured by the darkness and destitution of their flocks. VOL. II. A 3 How little need they have of instruction is obvious from the following direction; which will clearly show further how much liberty the rulers of the Church allow to their followers : "PASTORAL ADDRESS FROM THE RIGHT REV. DR. BLAKE, TO THE ROMAN CATHOLICS OF NEWRY AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. "Dearly Beloved in Christ-It appears from a printed circular signed by several Clergymen of the Protestant Established Church officiating in Newry, Killevy, and Drumbanagher, that they are about to commence in one of their churches a regular series of controversial lectures, not to vindicate or strengthen their own religious tenets, whatever these are, but to attack the principal doctrines of the Church of Rome; not to correct the abuses which exist among themselves, but to throw out upon us all those vile calumnies and misrepresentations which the sinister policy of wicked statesmen, the craving avidity of heartless flatterers, and the cruelty of inhuman monsters have invented for the destruction of our holy religion, and the debasement of our people. They hope you will receive them 'in a spirit of kindness and good will,' although, unfortunately, it has generally happened, that missionaries of that kind have made themselves less remarkable for sincerity and kindness than for deceit and hypocrisy. Like the Devil when he tempted Luther on the subject of the Blessed Eucharist with these words, "what if the mass were an act of idolatry !' They ask, 'What if the Roman Catholic doctrines should be wrong? Let them also ask, 'What, if the gates of hell, that is, the powers of darkness, have prevailed or can prevail against the Church of Christ?' (Rome?) Dearly beloved, you will take care to leave these doers of mischief to themselves; you will not go near them; you will take no notice of them. The more they endeavour to excite controversial warfare, which, at the present time is so peculiarly to be deprecated, the more diligently will you attend to promote social peace and good neighbourly feeling among your fellow-creatures without exception-convinced and fully persuaded as you are, that the Church of Christ (Rome?) is but one, and is to last for ever-that the spirit of truth shall aways abide with her that Christ is her head, and that whoever is separated from the Church, His mystical body, is undoubtedly separated from Him; you cannot be too cautious in governing yourselves by that conviction. You cannot deny your religion on any account, or in any manner, neither in your heart nor outwardly. You cannot be a Catholic in heart and Protestant in appearance; you cannot, therefore, go into the churches of Protestants in time of their religious service, because by doing so, you, in the first place, outwardly deny your religion, and your example may confirm others in error: and secondly, because the Catholic Church, invested with the authority of Christ, and identified with Him, most strictly forbids it. In all worldly concerns, dearly-beloved, let no one, of whatever creed, country, or class he may be, have reason to accuse you of being unkind, or unfaithful, or uncourteous, or in any manner dishonourable or uncharitable to him. In short, give to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's. The more strictly you are attached to your religious principles, be the more exact in doing honour to them by cheerfully giving to every one what is due to him, and by the constant exercise of beneficence. But if any man will attempt to draw you from the faith once delivered to the Saints, be mindful of the great apostle's words and act upon them-"Though we ourselves, or an angel from heaven, should deliver to you a doctrine different from that which we have preached, let him be an anathema.' "The grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. "Newry, 2nd July, 1852." + M. BLAKE. Whilst Ireland is thus exposed to Protestant persecutions, France is held up in the "Poet's Corner" of the Catholic Lamp, as blessed with a religious leader, a true Catholic prince, who does not persecute with loaves and books, but in the more manly method of expatriation, and by the aid of bayonets and cannon balls. A prince who favours his people with shows at their expense, and in his boast of justice and religion, does not forget to buy a mansion and estate for his English lady, at the small charge of forty-four thousand pounds. Will not every Englishman read with envy the Catholic privileges of France, thus celebrated in The Lamp poetry? "THE TENTH OF MAY IN PARIS. "FRANCE! BEAUTEOUS FRANCE! once more thou'rt glorified Thy sons, within whose manly bosoms barns The inextinguishable fire of love, Have shown the world a mighty spectacle, |