Journal against our English version, arise out of Ward's Errata lately reprinted, (crambe repetita.) in the hope of prejudicing poor Roman Catholics against our Bibles, now liberally distributed in Ireland ;-for the Romish faction are convinced that Popery and the Bible cannot subsist together. It is a wise measure in all diseases, intellectual as well as corporeal, to have recourse to a specific remedy, rather than to fly to the use of palliatives, or to sit down contented with the application of probable, or the risk of experimental means of cure. Mr. Grier has kindly supplied an antidote to Ward's Errata, as safe and as effectual as oil for the bite of a viper, or Peruvian bark for an intermitting fever.-I send you a most corious passage from the preface to his excellent and most satisfactory and conclusive work, "An Answer to Ward's Errata of the Protestant Bible ;". a book dedicated to one for whom I have the profoundest respect, the Bishop of Cloyne-there passes not a day over my head but I feel myself indebted to his lordship for instructions which I derived from him early in life.-Mr. Grier, speaking of himself, about to acknowledge an obliga. tion to a late learned English prelate, says (Preface, p. xxx.) "The au thor has now to notice a fact, which falls strictly within the range of the present controversy. It has been communicated to him by an *English prelate of the first distinction, in so obliging a way, as to demand the expression of his most respectful acknowledgments. The point to which his attention has been directed, is the insincerity of the church of Rome in deliberately sanctioning versions, which pretend to be true versions, when they are not. A most singular instance of this kind occurs in a +French New Testament, published by the JESUITS at Bourdeaux in 1686, with the permission of the ecclesiastical authorities of that place. As Bishop Kidder, to whom the Christian world is indebted for the exposure sent forth by him of its numerous, and gross falsifications, found no little difficulty in procuring a copy of that curious production, and as that difficulty has by this time nearly grown into an impossibility, it is not im; probable that Doctor Milner, or some of his episcopal brethren, will have the hardihood to deny its existence. Should they be disposed to do so, they will have found precedent in the conduct of Baldwin the Jesuit But in addition to a copy of it in the possession of the learned prelate just • The Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Ely, [Dampier]. + Le Nouveau Testament de notre Seigneur J. C. traduit de Latin en François par les Théologiens de Louvain :“ imprimé à Bourdeaux, chez Jacques Mongirón-Millanges, Imprimeur du Roi et du College 1686, avec APPROBATION et PERMISSION. Baldwin perceiving that the Papal Bibles, (viz. those of Sixtus V. and of Clemens united to overthrow the boasted infallibility of the church of Rome, and knowing the Bible of Sixtus to be extremely scarce, boldly, though not unwisely, affirmed, that it was never published at all! JAMES'S DEFENCE, p.34. spoken of, there is another preserved in the Fagel Library of Trinity College, Dublin. And of Bishop Kidder's work, one copy may be met with in the library founded by Primate Marsh, near St. Sepulchre's, in that city. So that as these works are confessedly scarce, it is desirable to present the reader with some of the texts, as they are rendered in the French Testament, and, at the same time, with an abridged view of the comments made on them by Bishop Kidder. This, under existing circumstances, is the more to be desired, as the Popish clergy are in the habit of inveighing against the Protestant version of the Bible; as they affect to say that Protestants have no Bible, or at best, but an adulterate one; as they scoff and deride them on this head; and as they likewise boast that their church has been the faithful preserver of those divine oracles. But, as Bishop Kidder judiciously remarks, "here is a proof of their insincerity; here is what may convince any honest man, even of their own communion, who is willing to know the truth, in this most important matter, No man will in other cases trust a cheat, or a forger of Testaments and deeds. But how great must this wickedness be, when the holy oracles of God are corrupted to serve a túrn ?” "It is granted, that the Popish church of Ireland sanctions the use of no other than the Rhemish Bible, (and that, too, in a limited degree,) and that it is purged of many of the errors and corruptions which disgrace the Bourdeaux one. But is it guided even by that?" Is it not, on the contrary, become a dead letter; while in theory, as well as in practice, they adhere to the falsifications of the French divines? So that what has been said by Bishop Kidder of the then state of the Popish Clergy, is, after a lapse of more than a century, applicable to the existing succession. "The few passages selected here from the French New Testament, with the literal English of the parts corrupted, fully proves the justice of the preceding observations. *Acts xiii. 2. Or comme ils offroient au Seigneur le sacrifice de la Messe, et qu'ils jeunoient, le S. Esprit leur dit. "Now as they offered unto the Lord the sacrifice of the mass, &c." "[As they ministered unto the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, &c. Engl. Transi.] "The foregoing is one of the most notorious falsifications to be found in the French translation. It was made designedly to support the doctrine of " the sacrifice of the mass." By it, the translators departed from the Vulgate,as well as from the English Protestant version. * This is the very passage, respecting which Monsieur Veron, when asked why he • Simon's Crit. Hist. of the New Test. p. 357. M wrested it from its natural meaning, replied, because he had been often asked by Calvinists, what scripture affirmed that the apostles said mass! 1 Cor. iii. 15. Si l'œuvre de quelqu'un brûle, il en portera la perte, mais il sera sauvé quant à luy, ainsi toutefois comme par le feu du Purgatoire. "but shall be saved as to himself; yet so, as by the fire of Purgatory." [Yet so as by fire. Engl. Vers.] "Here they have added to the text, to prove the existence of the LIMBUS PATRUM. "2 Cor. vi. 14. Ne vous joignez point par sacrameni de mariage avec les infidèles. 1 Cor. vii. 10. Mais à ceux qui sont conjoints par le sacrament de mariage, je leur commande, non point moy, mais le Seigneur, que la femme ne se sépare point du mary. "Join not yourselves by the sacrament of marriage, &c. [Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Eng. V.] "But they who are joined by the sacrament of marriage, &c. [Unte the married I command. E. V.] "In defence of marriage as a sacrament, they also corrupted 1 Tim. iv. 3. viz. Condamnans le sacrement de mariage, &c. [Forbidding to marry. E. V.] See also Tit. i. 6. Because Protestants deny this doc. trine, they make the apostles thus speak against them, as if they were the apostates he points at. " 1 Tim. iv. 1. Or l'Esprit dit clairement, qu'en derniers temps quelques-uns se sépareront de la foy Romaine, s'adonnans aux esprits d'erreur, et aux doctrines enseignées par des diables. "Now the spirit distinctly says, in the latter times, some shall depart from the Roman faith, &c." [Depart from the faith." E. V.] "Here they are guilty of another forgery, for the purpose of representing the church of Rome as the only Catholic church. "Jean, v. 17. Toute iniquité est peché, mais il y a quelque peche qui n'est point mortel, mais veniel. "There is a sin that is not mortal, but venial." [There is a sin not unto death. E. V.] "Here they add to the text in order to support the distinction drawn by the church of Rome between mortal and venial sins." "2 Cor. viii. 19. Et non seulement cela, mais aussi il y a esté ordonné par les Eglises, compagnon de notre Pélerinage, &c. "And not only that, but was appointed by the churches the companion of our pilgri «ae, &c." [Chosen of the churches to travel with us. E. V.] In this passage St. Paul merely speaks of his having selected a brother to accompany him on his travels; yet in their translation, they affect to shew that the practice of pilgrimage is warranted by Scripture. They elsewhere introduce Pélerins, as in 3. John i. 5, &c. "Heb. xi. 30. Par la foy les murs de Jericho tombèrent, après une procession de sept jours tout autour. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after a procession of seven days." [After they were compassed about seven days. E. V.] "That they may establish the antiquity of Popish processions, they make their translation speak accordingly." "In their rendering of 1 Cor. ix. 5, after the words "have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife," they add, "pour nous servir en l'Evangile, et nous souvenir de ses biens :" "to serve us in the Gospel, and relieve us out of her goods." "Luke iv. 8. Serviras de latrie à luy seul. "Thou shalt serve him only with latria.” [And him only shalt thou serve. E. V.] "They make an addition here to the text, to preserve the distinction drawn by their church between DULIA and LATRIA; and what shews their inconsistency is, their omitting it in another text (Matt. iv. 10.) exactly parallel. By the one passage, at least, they insinuate that there is ground in Scripture for the worship of creatures." "In 2 Pet. iii. 17. the Vulgate reading is "insipientium errore," yet they render it "erreur de méchans hérétiques:"—" the error of wicked heretics." [The error of the wicked. E. V.J "Heb. x. 10. Par laquelle volonté nous sommes sanctifiez, à sçavoir par l'oblation du corps du J. C. une fois fait. "11. Et tout Sacrificateur se présente chaque jour sacrifiant, et offrant souvent les mêmes hosties, lesquelles ne peuvent jamais oster les pechez. "12. Mais cettuy-ci offrant une hostie pour les pechez, est assis pour toussiours à la dextre de Dieu. "18. Or ou il y a remission d'icieux, il n'y a plus maintenant d'oblation légale, pour le peché. "It is unnecessary to detain the reader by making further reference to this singular compound of misrepresentation and falsehood." I hope, Mr. Editor, these flagrant instances of Popish craft will make Mr. Andrews and, his compeers, whoever they may be, careful how they prefer unfounded charges against our Protestant church, which abhors falsehood as much as she loves the Bible. Popery, on the other hand, infallible as she impudently claims to be, has, in all ages, taken refuge in forgery, falsification, interpolation, suppression, and all the arts invented by the "deceivableness of unrighteousness." Oct. 31, 9814. I am, Sir, yours, &c. INDAGATOR. OBSERVATIONS ON JUDGE FLETCHER'S CHARGE, In Extracts of a Letter transmitted to the Editor from Dublin. "THE violent speech delivered by Judge Fletcher, last summer, to the grand jury of the county of Wexford, has excited much surprise and indignation among the loyal subjects of Ireland. His first duty should be, to soothe and conciliate the people, and to attach them to a government (as its most vehement opponents must allow,) unremittingly vigilant and sedulous in promoting the happiness of all his Majesty's subjects of every order and religious persuasion. Instead of this, Judge Fletcher has reflected on that government, and the manner of administering justice; has condemned many of our institutions, both civil and ecclesiastical; and has accused the magistrates and the grand and petty jurors of malversation, of perjury, and corruption. After having given a long list of grievances, by which he says the King's subjects are galled, he asks, "Bat, gentlemen, is there no method of allaying those discontents of the people, and preventing them from flying in the face of the laws?"* He then tells us, in page 18 of his printed charge, that the only remedy for them is the "equal and impartial administration of justice;" by which he certainly seems to insinuate that it is not, at present, equally and impartially administered. "We may deduce from the opinions which Judge Fletcher entertained and avowed during the greater part of his life, from the character and principles of his early friends and associates, and from some circumstances which attended his political career, by what motives he was prompted to deliver so dangerous a charge. Previously to the union of Great Britain and Ireland, he procured a seat in parliament, and there joined himself to a party which had uniformly condemned, with singular acrimony aud virulence, every law which was enacted, and every measure which goverument had devised, for the preservation of the constitution, from the year 1792 to 1798, though there existed, during that period, a treasonable conspiracy to massacre all the Protestants in Ireland, and to separate it from England; as subsequent events have unequivocally proved. The reader will find in the speeches of the leading members of that party the same causes of popular discontent as are to be found in Judge Fletcher's speech, and the same censures on the government for not having removed them. It fortunately happened for him, that the British cabinet, in a moment of weakness, sent Lord Fitzwilliam to Ireland, in the year 1795, to conciliate the party to which Judge Fletcher had attached himself; and they, during the short existence of their power, appointed him a king's counsel, which raised him to notice in his prófession, and prepared him for further promotion on the eventaal return of |