AN "OPEN BIBLE."

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 292, 6 December 1878, Page 17

AN "OPEN BIBLE."

Jflfi i &MW& hke most of the Protestants sects, or rather all of them, Uwells much on the great advantage of an " open Bible " as a means of religious and moral improvement* His arguments On tnia heftd all proceed on the false assumption that to ftoman Catholics and the laity especially the Smie is a fast settled book. If he were not a very Ignorant man* and Wilfully blind, he would know that when Catholic laymen dp not bead the Bible it is from their own fault, and not ttir0 WSi« M * »*"* of tQ e Church that they omit that profitable exereise^Tne highest authority in the Church teaches us that. the Bible, Ww inspired Word of God, ought to be open to all j that Catholics 'should be exhorted or urged to read it because from it all men may, rfiraw purity of doctrine trad morals. The Record may, if he please, buy English Catholto Bibles by the cart load in New Zealand. The Church, however, though she urge every man to read the Bible and make himself familiar with its contents, would betray her duly and bring confusion, error, and immorality among her children, Were she to sanction the deadly Protestant principle that every man Is at liberty to expound and explain the Bible at bis own discretion, irrespective of ecclesiastical authority ;— as well say that every man is at liberty to explain and apply Acts of Parliament for himself without reference to the authority of the Judges on the bench. This false and pernicious Protestant principle has produced, and must yet produce, divisions, Jdissentions, and wars without end, wherever It ig introduced. Strange that sensible and thinking Protestants cannot see that. Among Pagan nations whom Protestants vainly attempt to convert to Christianity this erroneous open Bible principle has proved peculiarly disastrous. It cost this very colony much money, much bloodshed, and suffering. The late William Thomson, the celebrated Maori chief and king maker, took the " open Bible" as his" text-book and warrant when he defied the power of the British Government in New Zealand. It required ten thousand British bayonets, millions of money, and all the political address of Sir George Grey to convince William Thomson that his reading of the " open Bible " did not square with the truth, or " British interests " at least. In fact he was not convinced after all. Brute force put him down, not argument or moral suasion, or religion. Sir George Grey, the Protestant missionaries, and the grog, have gone far to civilise the noble race of Maori savages off the face of the earth. But it is not among the Maoris only that such things are seen. Among whatever savage or Pagan people, the Protestant missionary with his " open Bible " comes, the like melancholy results happen — dissention, immorality, and war, at last ensue. Every philanthropist patriot and lover of peace may well devoutly pray that the influence of the Protestant missionary and his " open Bible " may speedily come to an end. The greater portion of mankind have yet to be civilised and Christianised. It will not be Protestantism and steam and Bibles that will do it. The task remains for the Catholic Church to accomplish, and by God's help she will accomplish it, in spite of the devil and Protestant principles. The fact is it is seldom that religious truth makes its way into men's minds through the cold medium of books. It comes warm from the lips of a living teacher who is duly authorised to make it known when it comes at all. This is so whether the person to be converted be a heretic or a Pagan. In either case the truth must be sought as the devout Roman centurion Cornelius sought it by prayers and alms, combined with humility and fervour of spirit. Yes, great service is being done to religious truth by books, too, and newspapers, and the Bible rightly used. There is an old Scotch song which says : "It is pride keeps 'a the country down." It is pride which keeps Scotchmen Presbyterians ; pride, money, and sensuality together. Nothing so mortifies men's pride and sensual appetites, and worldly mindedness, as the Catholic religion. The religion of a Catholic is a religion of humility, mortification, and self-denial, if it be honestly practised. The religion of a Protestant is practically a religion of self will and self indulgence. Need we wonder that the one is unpopular and the other highly popular with the " world," and that so many Catholics should be but middling faithful to their own creed and professions. The wealthy land-owners in Scotland who enriched themselves by the sacrilegious plunder of the Church have good cause to fear and hate the Catholic religion and to subscribe money to keep the Pope from getting in his hand again in Scotland. Whom men have deeply wronged they cordially hate. TJhe principal landed gentry in Scotland deeply wronged the CalNjaolic Church and the Scotch people too when they seized on the Cuorch's lawful possessions and applied them to their own selfish purposes. What more natural than their alarm at seeing the revival of Papal influence in Scotland now, and the progress, though slow, of the Catholic religion among the Scotch people. The Pope now depends but little on the favour of princes, and cabinets, and parliaments or political parties ; his main reliance is on God and all " the people," upon justice and education, upon these as we daily see he does not rely in vain either in Scotland or New Zealand any more than in other countries. I do not like to say anything rude or offensive to my Presbyterian countrymen and friends. But Scottish history no less than the Bible is " open" to the perusal of Catholics. From Scottish history we learn how the Protestant-~the Presbyterian — religion came into Scotland. It was born of great injustice, violence and robbery — not to speak of treason and rebellion. A very disgraceful parentage truly, it was associated with a sham and fanatical piety. The spirit of imposture, and robbery and hypocrisy yet adheres to it in Dunedin. It is, however, a consolation to see that you have among you such just and sensible Scotchmen as Mr. Keith Ramsay and Mr. Robin. The former gentleman appears to read the Tablet and to feel the sting of your reproaches when you impute 11 persecution" to the Government as marking their conduct to Koman Catholics. The Macgregor seems to look upon it as a " weakness" in Government to do right when the interest of Catholics are in question. The spirit of John Knox, it is to be feared, is the spirit of the Dunedin Scotchmen. That is a pity. Among the greedy, selfish and sanguinary rebels and hypocrites who subverted the Catholic Church

and seized on. her property in Scotland, none exhibited so repulsive * disposition as John Knox. He was, as Hume remarks, by nature of a ferocious temper, and bis native ferocity had been heightened by the fanatical tenets which he had imbibed while at Geneva. His disloyal, coarse, and unmanly conduct to his sovereign, and that sovereign, a beautiful, amiable and accomplished woman, and almost; friendless, should stamp him with a brand of perpetual infamy even in the eyes of impartial Scotch men — and Scotch women especially. He seemed to take a fiendish pleasure in mortifying her and torturing her gentle and sensitive spirit, and making her shed bitter tears. How could such a man have had a spark of genuine religion in his breast. Knox taught that it was the duty of governments to put Catholics to death as idolaters. How strange, says Mr. Hallam in his " Constitutional History of England" that our modern advocates of toleration should admire such a character as Knox. Strange indeed, yet so it is, That many in Dunedm do admire Knox almost on " this side idolatry" is true. But are they in the right sense advocates of liberal and tolerant principles ? Some are, not all The leading men are not, certainly.