The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

—1 88 OF READING THE SCRIPTURES.But a more authoritative confirmation still of all that wehave advanced against Popery on this head has lately appeared.It is the Encyclical Letter of Pius IX. (issuedin January 1850). The document is such a compound ofdespotism andand Gregory XVI. signed.bigotry as Leo XII. might have conceived,It is in itself such an exposure,that we add not a word of comment. After condemningthe '"''neioart of printing," the Pope goes on to say,— " Nay,more ; with the assistance of the Biblical Societies, whichhave long been condemned by the holy chair, they do notblush to distribute holy Bibles, translated into the vulgartongue, without being conformed to the rules of the Church."" Under a false pretext of religion,they recommend the reading of them to the faithful.You,in your wisdom, perfectly vmderstand, venerable brothers,with what vigilance and solicitude you ought to labour, thatthe faithful may fly with horror from this poisonous reading;and that they may remember that no man, supported byhis own prudence, can arrogate to himself the right, andhave the presumption, to interpret the Scriptures otherwisethan as our holy mother the Church interprets them, towhom alone our Lord has confided the guardianship of thefaith, judgment upon the truethe divine books."*sense and interpretation ofSo much for the doctrine and practice of the Church ofRome on this vital point. The world does not contain toher a more dangerous book than the Bible, or one from* The following toucliing anecdote, for the truth of which the writercan vouch, illustrates well the spirit of modern Popery as regards theBible. The wife of a clergyman of the Church of England died at Rome.The following epitaph was prepared by her husband for her tomb-stone :" To her to live was Christ," &c. " She is gone to the mountain of myrrhand the hill of frankincense, till the day break," &c. This was submittedto the censor,—struck out : an ajjpeal was carried to Pius IX. himself:he confirmed the censor's act on two grounds ; 1st, " It was unlawful toexpress the hope of immortality over the grave of a heretic ;" 2d, "Itwas contrary to law to publish in the sight of the Roman people anyportion of the Word of God."