NUMBER XXXVII.

Wednesday, September 28. 1720.

The Enmity of the High Clergy to the BIBLE.

E can never fufficiently admire and adore the infinite Goodness of God to Mankind, in giving him a perfect Rule or Law for his Direction and Conduct; and delivering it in Book and Scriptures, which are plain and easy in all things neceffary to be known to every one, who shall make a proper use of his natural Faculties, and not weakly truft a Pope, or fome Body like a Pope, for their Interpretation, who will ever have ambitious or other worldly Purposes to serve, by impofing falfe and wicked Meanings on thofe facred Writings.

How ought we then to value our Bibles, daily to read them, and fearch ourselves for thofe Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge; and how jealous fhould we be of trufting our

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temporal and eternal Happiness to the Judgment and Conduct of others, who, for the most part, from imbibed Prejudices or worse Defigns, represent the most ridiculous, chimerical, abfurd, contradictory and immoral Opinions, to be fundamental Articles of Chriftianity!

NOTWITHSTANDING, fuch is the Power and crafty Malice of the Popish and popifhlyaffected Clergy, that in moft Countries they have either taken the Bible (even on the pretence of Religion itself) out of the Peoples Hands, or have made it useless there; and fuch is the fenfelefs Stupidity of the gaping Herd, that they obferve not the Injury done them, and not only fuffer this worst fort of Robbery, Violence, and Injuftice, but kifs the Rod, and esteem themselves to be kindly and religiously dealt with.

IN all Popish Countries, before the Reformation, the Bible was locked up in the learned Languages; which effectually hindered the People from being acquainted with that Holy Book; the Priest faying, and the poor ignorant Laity believing, That it was heretical, and the very Foundation of all Herefy and Schifm, for the People to read the Bible. Indeed, after the Reformation, fome Translations were made of it into the vulgar Languages of particular Popifh Countries; but were the People ever the better for it? No fuch Matter, Î can affure you; for no one was fuffered to read those

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Translations without a fpecial Licence, which was dangerous to ask for, and rendered a Man fufpected of heretical Pravity; and the Priest never granted it but to thofe, who either would not or could not make any use of it; that is, to fuch as he well knew were pre-engaged by ftrong Prejudices, or stronger Interefts, to favour the facerdotal Power, and who durft not understand the Word of God differently from the Clergy, who called themselves the Church.

BUT in other Popish Countries, and particularly in Spain, the Bible is not extant in the vulgar Tongue, and confequently must be unknown altogether to the People, who are incapable of reading it even by Licence; which can scarcely be called a Privilege loft, confidering how few durft ask, or can get Licences, who they are that can obtain them, and what Danger they would incur in making a right use of them.

ESPECIAL Care is taken to prevent the Importation of any Translation of the Bible in thefe Countries; and no fooner does any Ship of a Proteftant Nation come to Anchor in any Popish Port, where the Inquifition prevails, but he is vifited and fearched narrowly for heretical Books, and particularly for Bibles, by the Officers of that Court, which are immediately carried to the Inquifition, and there burned.

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THE brave old Marshal Schomberg, when he was last at Lisbon, told a Friend of mine, with Tears in his Eyes, That having, when he came afhore there, left a Dutch Bible (which had been his Grandfather's) upon the Table of his Cabin, it had been carried from the Custom-House to the Inquifition; and that though he had fent to the chief Inquifitor, and had fpoke to him himself for it, he had not been able to recover it.

LET us now approach nearer home, and fee how Proteftants are used in refpect to reading the Bible. And in order to confider this Matter, I fhall premise two things. First, That the End and Defign of reading the Bible, is to find out the Will of God, or the Meaning which God holds forth to us therein, that we may regulate our Belief, and form our Practice thereby. And, Secondly, I premise, That to fuch reading the Bible, it is requifite that we should not be prejudiced by Education, in behalf of any Fancies; that we should pay no Regard to the Authority of weak and fallible Men; that no Opinions fhould be impofed on us as Chriftian Opinions; as for Example, Confubftantiation, Predeftination, the peculiar Opinions of Arius or Socinus, and other Doctrines, pretended to be derived from the Word of God; and that no Man fhould be hurt in his Body, Name or Goods, for understanding the Bible in that Sense which he thinks to have been intended by God, but that we should act,

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and be permitted to act, in this Matter, as we do in understanding any other Book: For if fuch Arts, and Crafts, and Force are used, to make Men underítand the Bible in a Lutheran, Presbyterian, or Socinian Senfe, as form Mens Minds fo ftrongly to thofe Senfes, that not a Man in the Countries, where any of those Opinions prevail, does, or dares differ from the Sentiments of the Publick, or hurts himself any way by fo doing; that Man is not properly allowed to read the Bible, or to take his Religion from thence, but receives his Religion from his Lutheran, or Presbyterian, or Socinian Prieft, and might as well take his Religion from a Popish Prieft, without using any Bible at all. For what is the difference between taking a Popish Prieft's Word for the Senfe of the Bible, about the Infallibility and Authority of the Pope and the Church, or the Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation, (which Bible the Priest keeps folely in his own Hands,) and taking a Presbyter's Word, or being influenced by him, as to the Sense of the Bible, in respect to the Doctrines of the divine Right of Presbyters and Predeftination? (which Bible he does, for Form's fake, put into the Laymens Hand, but keeps the Senfe in his own.) If there be any material Difference, it is in this, that the Popish Priest acts a fair, open and confiftent Part, in denying the use of the Bible; and that the Presbyter does the fame thing hypocritically; and that the Presbyterian Layman makes a more fhameful and contra

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