The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-12-11

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vine retains its shape, but what will its shape
avail it when separated from the lhe-giving
rootSo
From that polluted fountain of indifference, p
.ftoios that absurd and erroneous doctrine, or
rather rGri1lg in facOr and in defence Of "tiber
ty Of conscience" for tehicb most pestiIential
error, the course IS opened by that entire and
aottd liberty Of opinion a1hich is egery ieheTe at
! tempting the overthrow Of religious and ciUiI
institutions; and tohieh the ublIstiflg ilnptt-
de'tce Of some has held forth as an GdeG1t-
age Of religion. "But what exclaimed St.
! Augustine, "what worse death to the soul
than freedom in errerp For only destroy
those fences which keep men within the
paths of truth, leave them to the headlong
sway of their natural evil propensities, and
that the "bottoinless pit" at once yawns before
you, from which St John saw the smoke arse
which darkened the sun, and which shed its le-
Gusts over the face Of the earth From hence
arise these revolutions in the minds of men;
hence this aggravated corruption ofyouth, hence,
this contempt among the people of sacred things,
and OF the most holy institutions and laws;
hence, t'l one toOrd, THAT PEST OF ALL OTHERS,
Most TO BE DREADED IN A STATE, USBRlDLED
LIBERTY OF OPINION, GcentiOusness ofspeech, and
a lust OF novelty, which, according to the expe
| Renee OF all ages, portend the downfall of the
NEST powerful and fourishing empires.
Hither tends that tO0rst and NEVER SUI
| FICIENTLY TO BE EXECRATED AND
/ DETESTED LIBERTY OF THE PRESS
for the diffusion of all manner of writings which
some so loudly contend for, and so actively pro
mote. He Shudder, Venerable Brethren, at
the sight Of the monst1'ous doctrines, or rather
portentouS errors, tobieh crOt5d upon Us in the
shape Of nunlberIesS coLunleS, and pamphlets,
small In size, bat big 1ith eUiLs, tohish stalk
I forth IN ereTy direction; Breathing n,DLedic-
ton, achioh zee deploTe, Ocer the face of the
| earth. Yet are there not wanting, alas! those
who carry their effrontsry so far as to persist in
maintaining that this amalgamation of errors
is sufficiently resisted, if in this inundation of
| bad books, volume now and then issue from
the press in favor of religion and truth But is
1T not crime, then, never sufficiently to be re-
probated, to commit the deliberate and greater
evil, merely with the hope of seeing some good
arse out of it? Or is that man in his senses,
who entrusts poison to every hand, exposes it at
every mart suffers it to be carried about on all
occasions, aye, and to become a necessary ingre-
dent of every cup, because an antidote may be
afterwards procured which chance NAV render
effective'
Far other hath been the discipline of the
church, in eXtirpating this pest of bad books,
even as far back as the times of the Apostles,
who we read committed a great number of
books publicly to tha flames 1t is enough to
read the laws passed in the fifth Council of La
teran on this subject, and the constitution af-
forwards promulgated by our predecessor of
happy memory, Leo "; ''that what was whole
somely invented for the increase of faith. and
for the extension Of useful arts, may not be d.
verted to contrary purpose, and become al
obstacle to the salvation Of Christ's faithful .
! The subject engaged the closest attention of the
Fathers of the Council Of Trent, and as rene
a to aafa
SALUTARY DECREE FOR FORMING AN INDEX of
the sooTts i5a tctich depraeed doctrine tcas con-
tanned, "No means must be here omitted saws
element Kill, Our predecessor of happy me-
mory, IN the Encyclical Letter on the proscrin
ton of bad books-F'n0 means must be here
omitted, as the extremity Of the case calls for
all our erertioaS, to eEteTnlinate the fstaE nest
lohtch spreads through so many tcorks; nor can, |
the materials Of error be otherwise DESTROYED |
than by the flames, tCIich consume the deprnp.
ed elements ofeUil.o From the anxious vigil
ance then of the Holy Apostolical See, through
every age, in condemning and removing from
mems hands suspected and prefane books, be-
comes more than evident the falsity, the rash
ness and the injury offered to the Aro,tolical
See by that doctrine, pregnant with the most
deplorable evils to the Christian world. advo-
Gated by some, cendemning this censure of
DOCKS as needless burden, rejecting it as ia
tolerable or with infamous effrentery proclaiming
it to be irreconcileable with the rights of men
or denying in fine the right of exercising such
power, or the existence Of it in the church.
Having, moreover, heard that doctrines are
now circulating in writings among the common
people subversive of the fidelity and the sub
mission due to princes, and that in consequence
the flame of sedition is every where kindIing
all care must be employed to prevent the people
being sedueed from the path of duty Be the
admonItion OF the Apostle known to all, that
''there is no power but from God; and those that
are ordained of God Therefore he that resis'
eth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God;
and they that resist purchase to themselves
dsmnation." Wherefore both divine and human
laws cry out against those who, by the basest
Vaccinations OF treason aud rebellion, strive to
dissolve the bonds Of allegiance to princes, and
to drive them from their states. 6
1t was to preserve their character undefiled S
with his foul blot, that the Christians of DID,
under the age of persecution, continued to de. 9
serve the praise Of the Emperors and of the
Empire, not merely by he fidelity, exactness, !
and promptitude with which they discharged
avery office imposed upon them, not at variance :
with their religion, but more particularly by
heir constancy IN the field, and the readiness 4
with which they she'd their blood in the com '
non cause Strhs Christian soldier, saws St '
Augustine, ''fought under the banner Of the Pa
ran Emperor; but when the cause of Christ
:asne Oh, he acknowledged no other than his ce-
estial Master He separated the character of
MS eternal from that OF his temporal Lord; but
o please the former he became the obedient sub
ect of the latter. 1t was with eyes steadily fix
u on this distinction, that Mauritus, the daunt-
less martyr, apd the Theban legion's captain,
found ready answer to the Emperor, as re-
corded by st. Eucherious: "We are your sol
n L = 4