The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1855-07-07

| ism. No work of equal extent regarded
fore been conceived by the brain of man. 1t
was at once worthy Of the highest order Of
christian intelligence, and could he nonrish-
ed and fed only by the most unboundcd, nay
| incXhaustable supplies of christian bencli-
cence. The enterprise Of bcstowing upon
each family, upon the whole inhabited globe
the means Of salvation, the bible, in their
native or vcrnacular tongue, fully enlisted
the feelings Of American Proiestnnti,m whilst
| it afforded ample scope to the soaring spirit
Of American enterprise. Out of this feeling
grew what have designated one Of the insti
| buttons of the United States, the American
Bible Society. IT'S not mine to do more
| than allude to that society; as hold it an
insult to the intelligence of your readers, to
! suppose them SO ignorant us to be uniform
ed Of its objects and progress, Or so narrow
hearted as not to contribute their mite to its
aid and support. will merely say that never
since the days of the crusaders, has there
been proposed to the Imagination Of man, any
| subject which so cfcctuallv concentrated the
energies of christianity rs that Of the Domcs
tic and Foreign Bible Societies. 1t was in
vain that Pope Plus VII, at the instance Of
| Archbishop GncScn (Junc %, 1860 issued
his Bull forbddine the dissemination Of Bib
| lical Truth. and the formation Of Bible Soci.
cites in Poland. In vain did he 10y a second
Bull suppress the scriptures in Austria and
Hungary. The thundcrs Of the Vatican were
unhcc dcd in Protestant England. and scarce
ly heard. in still more Protestant America.
In the kingdom of Poland. the Car Alex
amber founded by his lihcrality. and upheld
by his autocratic power societies for the dill'n-
sion of the word of Cod whilst Great Britain,
and the United States, through the thousand
| channels Of commerce, dispersed the light
throughout Austria, Italy, France, Spain and
Portugal. So feeble was at that time. the
authority of the Paral See even among Cath
olics, in the United States, that we have
seen William Hogan in the year 1870 attempt
the introduction of Bibles, and Sunday
Schools, into the Diocesan Church Of st.
Marys in Philadelphia, and we have seen him
supported by the American Catholics of the
congrc CATION. | will Leave to your readers
to imagine the emotions which filled the
| bosoms Of the friends Of the scriptures, when
| they saw for the first time displayed in this
| country, Il systematic and authorized attack
upon the dispcnsation of light and knowledge.
| l-p to that time Catholicism had been re-
gardrd as a kindred, though peculiar svs-
TEN: but when ProtcStants saw the s.Nicc-
| gercnt Of God employing all his power, sec
ular and temporal, to suppress Gods Holy
word. and consigning his creatures to eternal
death, it will not be wondered at, that their
| feelings were changed, aud their kind regards
alcna ed. Having exhibited, to the readers
| OF these fugitive papers the fact that the first
| alienation of Protestant fratcrnal regard,
from Catholicism in the United States. oc
cured in defence of the publication and cir
culation of the scriptures. it remains to be
| enuuircd whether the act done in st. MarvS
| Church, was the act OF 4 single Bishop effect
| ing only his own diocese, or whether it was
| in obedience to a gcnrla' order Of the Her
! arcllv Of Rome. ! am free to confess, that
|
Judgment, to condemn whole body Of men.
for the act Of one individual, however emf
| ncut in position, or of one division Of that
body. however numerous; but il, upon en-
curry. it be found that the resistance Of the
congregation of st. Marys to the publication
of the word Of God, was not accidental, oc-
casioual and factions, but that it proceeded
directly from the Episcopal authority was
| general and permanent in its character; and
that it fully conceded with the action Of SIM
liar bodies in other cities in this country; if
particularly, we find it sanctioned by the in
| faHible authority of the head Of that church,
we will find ourselves constrained to believe,
| that the suppression of the scriptures, and
with them, the destruction Of Religious Free
dom, to be ONE cardinal principle Of Catholic
once established, .hcy are found arraycd i'll
| open antagonism, to the first principles Of
Republican Liberty, as | understand those
principles, and the express provisions of the
constitutions and laws OF every State, which
have had an opportunity to refer to, us well
as of the United States.
Up to this time | have confined myself to
the question of Religious Liberty, but as the
authorities which / shall quote are mixed
and refer frequently to the Liberty of the
Press and Freedom Of Speech, l am willing
the proofs which ] now adduce, shall be
taken together, and the whole applied to the
rights laid down in article No. =. BE it re-
membercd that this array of authorities is
not intended as an act Of hostility to the Ro-
man church. am fully aware that the church
is, and has been, since the days of Hide
brand, divided in opinion as to the Temporal
Supremacy of the Pontifcate. Those who
maintain that supremacy being designated in
Rome s-montane, those who deny it the
Ira montana church. On this subject here
after. At present wish to exhibit to my
readers the fact, that the church, which in
the United States is mostly provided with
Bishops, Priests, &c, from the Cis-alpinc
branch of that body, has since 1921, been at
war, not upon the American party, but against
the Freedom of Religion, tho Freedom OF
the Press. and the Freedom of Speech, long
| Al. faith tl,,t =