The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-01-26 00:00:00

rnE BIBLE. • •
This Book, which was intended by its Divine
Author to he the pacificator of mankind, hits, by
the ingenious perversion of the human mind, been
too often made an instrument of the most distract-
ing derision.. Ireland has unfortunately been one
of those countries where the passions of man have
been suffered to he in eternal variance with the
principles of Christianity. Here, the insatiable ars-
rice of an ambitious monopoly has been constantly
permitted to wield the Gospel of God against the
benevolence of the principles it inculcates, and make
that which should be the herald of peace the loud
and discordsist trumpet of division. From the in-
vasion of England to the Reformation—from the
Reformation to the Revolution—.and from the Re-
volution to the Unioa, our country has been doom-
ed to be the theatre of the most malignant reli-
gious intolerance. The Preacher of the Gospel
in the morning, was seen armed and accoutred in
the evening in all the trappings of war, encourar.
ing, by his example, that violence and that fury
in which the Ministers of Christian charity should
never be engaged ; and, under the mask of pre.
serving the Constitution in Church and Siete,
went forth with his thunder of this "mid to pre.
pare the way to the other. The military arr..
gyman was, therefore, doubly armed, and the
people who looked at the disgusting transfor-
mation could easily discover the motive that
prompted his loyal as well as his CI ant zeal.
Those days are gone by, and the actors in them are
consigned to a contemptible oblivion. At present,
we have no Clergymen mounting the pulpit of
Christ its boots and spurs, calling on their cceigregoi-
(ions to defend with the arm of the flesh those prin-
ciples which should have been supported by rea-
son ; but we have another order of persons equally'
Jealous, in the cause they have embarked, mud
equally desirous to obtain the ascendancy to which
they aspire. The order of men to whom we Abide
are the itinerant Methodists of.the British empire;
these men, who fancy that they are the most able
to point out the road to eternal salvation—that they
are the elect of Heaven—and that those who will
presume to dis,ent from them are doomed to ever.
lasting ruin. All sects and all deinnitinations of
the Christian religion breathe almost the same de.
gree of intolerance of each other's ui 'on.. The
Catholic thinks that his Church is the oldest and
the truest guide to eternal life—the Protestant or
Dimenter think. that lie has removed the obstacles
which 'lst corruptions of the Romish Church threw
in hit way—recd all the various denominations of re-
ligion which bronek from these two parent stems,
conscientiously 'Glee:Jan opinions hostile to both.
and leading. a. the?, suppoile. to the greet point of
all human desires. float human ss.ld mingle with
the zeal of Christian motives—that there should be
many among the various sects who wander through
the empire, speculating on personal eggranclizement
by their advocacy of favourite doctrines—that they
should think their zeal in the good cause the *hart
road to the favour of a Secretary of State, Of • great
Borough Lord, or a wealthy Commoner, is to be
anticipated by every man who Imams the vulgar
stratagem. some minds will stoop to adopt in the
prosecution of its favourite purposes : but. unless
some interested, and corrupt, and ambitious mo.
tires form an ingredient in the general stiinolue.
nothing will be dour, it may be said, in the pro-
inotiou of the best of causes—therefore we must
take man as we find him. and leave him to the ope-
ration of every human motive, if we may flatter our-
selves with his enthusiasm or his perseverance. The
trading Preaches of the Gospel is not an uncom-
mon spectacle in our country ; they come front
our Colleges with long and sanctimonious faces,
terrifying with their martyred physiognomy the
poor credulous people who flock round to hear
them. We have been lately told by the venal
Newspapers of the metropolis, that the Vatican has
once more sounded the trumpet of religious war—
that it has denounced from the throne of St. Peter
the Bible Societies of Ireland as the sowers of the
tares among the wheat, sod those kind and bene-
volent disseminators of the pure unadulterated word
of God are interrupted in their progress through
the poor, ignorant hind of Ireland, by the awful
anathema of the Pope, through his Prefect, the
Cardinal Fontana. We have looked Min this do-
cement in the original language, and Said nothing
inconsistent with those principles of liSeendoney to
which every denomination of Christianity invariably
aspires. The Pope contends. through his Prefect,
for the ascendancy of his opinionthe Bible 5..-
ciety for the ascendancy of theirs. The Pope will
put the Dousy Bible into the hands of the Ca.
tholic, containing explanation. and illustrations of
passages which he thinks the vulgar, untutored
minds of tke people might not so easily compre•
bend—the Bible Societies are of opinion, that the
humblest and most uneducated mind can read the
Bible not only with impunity, but advantage, and
therefore freely circulate the word of God, without
note, comment, or explanation. The Established
Church would not give ail the Bible to the poor
and lonely, they go to a certain point end molar.
'her, and out Irish senator. Mr. Plunkett, assured
the House of Commons (if his speech he reported
correctly) that if the Bible be pet into the hands of
the pessant, he becomes an infidel. So thought
Mr. Coda,. but from a different reason.

in this conflict of opinions among the. good and
the wise and the wicked, what ought a liberal en-
lightened Legislature do? What should be the
advice of Mr. Grant to the Imperial Parliament or
the British Cabinet under such circumstances?
We thus address ourselves to Mr. Grain. because,
though a religious mind, his zeal does not get the
better of his philosophy. and lie. we have no doubt,
will admit the force of the counsel winch we sisal!
presume to anticipate he would offer to his rompers
in the Government. Mr. Gant would say—Email-
ciliate the Catholic if you mean to give full swing
to hi* mind—emancipate the Catholic if you mean
to wake him a free agent, willing and able to
think for himself—emancipate the Catholic if you
ever flatter yourself with true religious liberality.
He would go further ; lie would say—The varie-
ties of religious opinious which we witness, enforce
the necessity of the toleration of all.
This is the grand antidote against religious bi-
gotry. It blunts the point and counteracts the poi_
sou of that furious seal, which assumes to itself the
peculiar pat ge of a benevolent and impartial
God. The tolerowee of all denominations of rrli.