Om If.) mumm. ? and ?/roulated in tlm Lives of the Sa/nts by Dr. Butler, the V'm/(ms of St. Theresa, and the Infliction of the five Stigmata of St. Francis. Fanaticism is to be found occasionally in every church. But it is proper to make (me important distinction between Protestants and Re- manias respecting the instances of fanaticism among each. Protest- ants provide against it by eotmd instruction, and discourage and disavow the fanaticism mid enthusiasm which arise among them. But the Church of Rome does not Scripturally provide against it?doe8 not dis- ?e or disown, but rather fosters the instances of delusion that arise in thmr ?mm?(ty. 3. It is objected that the miscellaneous reading of Scripture produces Mr. Hughes esy8, "The Protestant rule of faith has g/yen rise to all the hercs/es that exist.'** But are the poor and i!litemte those who mr/ginate herms/es ? Not at all. Du Pin, a celebrated doctor of the //?/?onne, and a Roman Catholic, informs us, "If there be obscure and d/fficult passages in the Bible, it is not generally the simple who abuse them, but the proud and learned who make a bad use of them. For, in truth, it is not the ignorant and simple who have formed hercules in l?rverting the word of God. They who do ?o are genrany mmd priests, learned and enligh/ened persons. So that, so far from knowing by experience that the reading of the Scripture is dangerous to the simple and the ignorant, one may say that we learn therefrom that it seldom causes any but the learnedto fall into error, and that the simple h?tve generally found there nothing but what is edifying and mstructive." Card/nal Bellarmine writes as follows: "Heres/es ori- g/note with men of rank rather than with the common people. With- out doubt, heres/archs were almost all either bishops or presbyters. So that heres/es are certain factions of leading men, without whom there would be no revolts of the people in the church.'? From these two ?emt/monies of Roman Catholics, who, in this respect, speak the word? of soberness, the reading of Scripture by the common people does not produce heres/es. But the weight of such an objection is another proof of the low est/mation in which the Scripture is held by those who But nmy we not ask, How have Catholics succeeded in ptstting 8 romp to disputes, and rooting out tmres/e8 ? Their rule has worked wnme than ours. In m?ttling disputes, not by reason, the Bible, or the records of history, but by a?Ao,/ty and force, they have driven church after elmrob, and nation after nation, from their communion. How did they settle the dispute with the Waldensea and Albigeuses, with the Greek Church, find the reformers ? The Church of Rome, where she is pre- drainant, may acted by* the power of the inquisit/on, and such other means, in mpreasing the outward expression of oplni(m. Such rosario $ Dmer. Prelim. our � Bible, b. i, e. 0, Par. IT01, ?m quotod in diocum?ou between Pop ud Mquire, p. 8?.
- t "Hereses tb opt/mr/bus potius quam �plobe/b bom/? exc/tantur.. Certe,
heresiarclm fere omue, sut Epiccopt ?ut Prembyteri ruerunt. Itmtue aunt !lmre#s _?umdam optimaturn factiones S/no quilms nulls esoent /n eeclem populorum sedi? mumo.'*--ib Ibmmap Pmd//&?, h*b. i, ?. 8, ul/nu edit/o, d) iimm suthom
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