Note N — AN ADDRESS TO THE CLERGYMEN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Would my Lord Harewood, who lately figured so conspicuously on the platform in York, as the advocate for the pure and unadulterated Word of God, without note or comment, point out to the people the sure guide, which they are to follow, amidst this awful Protestant falsification, and mutilation of the Sacred Scriptures? The Spanish chemist (as related above) cut his master into pieces, and put the pieces into his sublimatory glass, with the hope of raising his master, to a more perfect state than he enjoyed, when God made him. Now, my Lord, from what I have said above, has not the Protestant Church, cut the Scriptures into pieces, and put them into the sublimatory glass of falsification and mutilation? but, my Lord, will she be ever able to raise them again, to as perfect a state as they were in, when God made them, or when your Protestant Church received them, from the hands of the Catholic Church? I am sure, my Lord, she will be here at fault. Another remark or two, my Lord, and I have done. The man, who embraces a religious opinion from conviction, has undoubtedly the right to maintain it by argument. But truth will be his first and principal object, and the champion of truth, will disdain the petty artifices of substituting assertion for truth, and misrepresentation for fact. He will never condescend to swell the crowd of idle disputants, whose ingenuity first, frames a creed for the Church of Rome, and then, after combatting a phantom of its own creation, exults in an easy and a decisive victory. My Lord, just adopt this advice in all your future observations on the creed of Catholics, and then, you will escape two ridiculous consequences; of exalting the Scriptures on the one hand, and of transgressing on the other, one of the golden precepts of that sacred volume, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." But far be it from me, my Lord, to assert that you have already done this. I merely wish to guard your Lordship, against the above ridiculous consequences. Now, as your ideas, with regard to the Catholic doctrine on the Scriptures, appear to be rather vague, I will just state, in short, our doctrine on that subject. Our Saviour commanded his apostles to go and preach his gospel, and after they had done this for a certain time, he then inspired some of them to write certain books, for the fuller instruction of those persons on certain points, which they either did not perfectly understand, or of which they were ignorant. For, as the apostles were absent from these persons, (for twelve men could not be in many places at the same time,) they found it necessary to communicate by their pens, certain instructions which these persons required. Now, as what the apostles wrote, as well as what they preached, was equally the inspired Word of God, the Catholic Church, afterwards, carefully collected those sacred books, which were written by some of these inspired men, gave to the whole of these sacred books thus collected, the name of the New Testament, and presented this volume to the people as the inspired Word of God, and has handed it down as such to her faithful in every age, in as perfect a manner as possible. And in the distribution of it to her faithful in every age, she has followed the example of the apostles. For she orders her ministers to go first, to preach and teach the gospel to the people, and afterwards, for their further instruction, she puts the sacred Scriptures into the hands of the faithful. But mind, as your Protestant Reformers have shamefully corrupted and mutilated the sacred Scriptures, she rejects your human and metamorphosed translations, forbids the use of your incorrect, corrupt, and mutilated translations, and puts into their hands, well-authenticated copies of that sacred volume. Hence, on account of her great anxiety, for the distribution of correct, and well-authenticated copies among her faithful, certain Protestants have the audacity to assert, that the Catholic Church, forbids the use of the Scripture to her people, or at least, will not let them read the pure word of God without note or comment. Do I impeach the veracity of these Protestants! Of some indeed I do, but not of all. But this I will say, most of them might know better, if they would only seek information from proper sources. I hope, this short explanation of the Catholic doctrine on the Scripture, will satisfy Lord Harewood, and caution him never to speak on matters, which essentially concern his neighbour's interest, unless he first perfectly understands them.

One word more, and I have done. I once heard, that a Noble Lord, attending a great County Meeting, in the York Castle-yard, had achieved for himself a lasting notoriety, by declaring, that in his opinion, "the Bible ought to be read by all men, and women, and children, and even idiots. And scarcely had the merriment excited by this memorable burst of sound sense subsided, before his Lordship was heard thus resuming his exhilarating eloquence. "Yes, even by idiots. I myself have derived great advantage from that book." The effect upon the meeting was electric. The noble advocate of the unfortunate idiots, had so completely identified himself with his clients, that laughter became irresistible, and to what class of intelligent beings, his Lordship belonged, most evident. I believe this is the only instance on record, of a Noble Earl, establishing his religious opinions, at the expense of his understanding.