II.

STRICTURES ON THE POET LAUREATE'S "Book of

66

THE CHURCH." BY JOHN MERLIN. 8vo. 1825. KEATING & BROWN.

III.

BY

A LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. APOSTOLICUS. 8vo. 1825. BAIN.

I CANNOT give you a better account of this work than by transcribing the author's preface:-" The Roman Catholic writers of the present day have

a two-fold object in view, the advancement of "their political interests, and the re-establishment "of their fallen hierarchy. To the first I have "no objection. The latter I regard with that in"stinctive aversion, which must be felt by every "one that has contemplated the pure and glorious "fountain of light and truth, at the bare mention "of the triumph of darkness and superstition."

Upon this I only observe, that the Irish Roman Catholics have never lost their hierarchy, and that the English are perfectly satisfied with the vicarial prelacy, by which they are now governed.

IV.

THE REFORMATION AND THE PAPAL SYSTEM: REMARKS ON TWO LETTERS UPON THESE SUBJECTS IN THE BOOK OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 8vo. 1825. LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN, PATERNOSTER ROW; AND T. TAYLOR, LIVERPOOL.

ABLY and politely written: the chief object of the author is to shew the civil and religious blessings,

b 3

which this country has acquired by the reformation. With this view, he discusses the six points proposed for consideration in the 12th Letter in "the Book of the Roman Catholic Church." Those, who wish to decide upon this part of the subjects in discussion between Doctor Southey, and the author of "the Book of the Roman Catholic Church," should peruse this work attentively. An outline of it appeared in some letters in a Liverpool newspaper, under the signature of Libra.

The author particularly animadverts upon the reflections in "the Book of the Roman Catholic Church" on Martin Luther and Theodore Beza.

With respect to Luther, I am fully sensible that when Luther wrote with coolness and deliberation, he wrote well. Some of his letters, in the controversy between him and Erasmus, shew great clearness of perception, command of language, and power of composition. But, when Luther did not moderate his genius, his works were often filled with brutality, grossness and arrogance. This I have mentioned, but have not, I believe, exaggerated, in my Letters to Doctor Southey. It is remarkable that Luther, confessedly the most violent of the reformers, receded less than any from the Roman Catholic church.

With respect to Beza, the writer has convinced me, that, in bringing forward, in the manner done by me, the blameable verses of that reformer, I did wrong. Searches in the British Museum, to which the work in question led me, have convinced me, 1st, That they were published by Beza in his

16th year, before he embraced, at least openly, the reformed religion; 2dly, That he never afterwards republished them; 3dly, and that he professed publicly his repentance of having published them. Man, after this, has no right to reproach Beza with them.

1966

V.

"Two LETTERS ADDRESSED TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, UPON CERTAIN PASSAGES IN HIS BOOK, AND SHEWING, FROM HIS OWN EXPOSITION OF THE "ROMANCATHOLIC CREED, THE INADMISSIBILITY 66 OF ROMAN CATHOLICS INTO THE LEGISLATURE 66 AND GOVERNMENT OF PROTESTANT ENGLAND. " BY A LAY MEMBER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF " OXFORD. PP. 168. 8vo. HATCHARD AND "SON."

THIS work is written with elegance, method and perspicuity. Many of the author's criticisms deserve observation; I shall confine myself, at present, to his general charge against "the Book of "the Roman Catholic Church." "I could have "wished," he says, "that your Book had fully "answered to its title; and instead of contenting

yourself with pointing out some inaccuracies in "Doctor Southey's Historical Narrative, and

charging him with want of candour, sincerity or "fair argument (without yourself taking sufficient care to avoid these faults), attempting to disprove some things, which can never be freed from doubt, and to extenuate or excuse facts, which

"had far better be passed sub silentio, because "they admit of no satisfactory extenuation or "excuse; and worse than all, meeting his his"torical details of human ambition, hypocrisy, depravity and cruelty, with recriminations and

counter-charges,—that had addressed your

you

great talents to the pith and marrow of the subject, and have devoted yourself to prove, that "the Roman Catholics of the present times are,

by their creed, their dogmas, their priesthood, " and their ecclesiastical discipline and institutions, as trust-worthy governors and legislators for "these kingdoms as Protestants themselves."

But is not the plan adopted in "The Book "of the Roman Catholic Church," the only plan which I could adopt to do justice to my cause? Dr. Southey had reviled the Roman Catholic religion in the strongest terms; had called it "a pro

digious structure of imposture and wickedness;" had asserted that the Popery, as he terms it, of the Roman Catholics corrupts their moral and civil principles, and renders their allegiance unsound. To vindicate my religion, my brethren in faith, and myself, against these heinous charges, it was incumbent upon me to render an account of her faith. With this view, I mentioned three works, in which it is unfolded in a manner suited to the different capacities of readers; "The Catechism of "the Council of Trent," "-"Bossuet's Exposition "of Faith," and "Bishop Challoner's Summary "of Christian Doctrine." I prefixed to my work

the Profession of Faith of Pope Pius IV.; and, in a separate chapter, stated in the words of the Council of Trent, such doctrines of our creed as the Profession of Pius had described by reference to that Council. All other doctrines I averred to be no part of our creed; and explicitly repudiated all obligation of believing them. What better could I have done to show the real tenets of the moral, civil and religious creed of my church? or to repel the charge that we are not trustworthy governors and legislators for Protestant England?

As to recrimination;-speaking generally, it is a sorry mode of argument, but it is unavoidable in some cases; in mine, it could not be avoided. Dr. Southey averred in the strongest language, that the lawfulness of religious persecution, was a principle of our church; and professed to prove it by producing instances, in which Catholics had been guilty of it. To disprove it, after disclaiming the tenet in the strongest manner, and shewing the explicit disclaimers of it, by Catholics, I produced instances equally numerous and equally unjustifiable, of Protestant persecutions. I then called on Dr. Southey to assign one good reason, why the criminality of Catholics, in the instances produced by him, should be charged on the Catholic creed or ascribed to Catholic principles, if the equal criminality of Protestants, in the instances cited by me, should not be equally chargeable on their creed or ascribable to their religious principles.