Dr. Murray, Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, has addressed a letter
to the sliorning Chronicle, in reply to certain calumnies of the Reve- rend .Mortimer O'Sullivan. At the late Protestant meeting at Wor- cester, Mr. O'Sullivan said-
" In 1825 Dr. Murray was examined before a Parliamentary Committee; and he was asked whether the Church of Rome gave liberty to her members to read the Bible without notes? To which he answered, No. He was then asked whether the Church had provided its members with a Bible with notes ? To which he replied, No. So that, up to that year, the Church of Rome had not allowed her members to learn the word of God either with or without interpre- tation."
Dr. Murray says, that not only is this untrue, hut that Mr. O'Sulli- van, who was himself examined before the Committee in 1825, had access to the evidence given by him, and must have known that he was stating an untruth. It appears from the following questions and answers taken from the printed evidence, what Dr. Murray really did say.
" Have any considerable number of editions of the Roman Catholic version of the Scriptures been published in Ireland under Roman Catholic authority?" Vmy many editions within the last twenty years." " hi the sale of the Scriptures among the Catholics of Ireland considerable ? It must be considerable, from the very fact that so many editions have been given of them. Booksellers undertake those editions upon a speculation of gain ; and if they did not find it likely that they could get extensive circulation, they would not of course run the risk of loss, by incurring a very heavy expense in putting them forward."
" Are you now engaged in supporting a stereotype edition of the Scriptures?" It is nearly complete." ." What has been your object in publishing in a stereotype manner ?"—" To give it a mere extensive circulation." "Do you believe that those editions of the Scripture which have been so printed for the use of the poor, have been circulated with the knowledge and the approbation of the Roman :Catholic clergy in Ireland?"—" Most cer- tainly with their knowledge and their approbation."
With regard to another charge of Mr. O'Sullivan, that Dens's book was carefully concealed, Dr. Murray remarks that,
"A person who is not over nice about the truth of his assertions, aught, it is said, to have a long memory. But here the orator's memory seen s to have been peculiarly short ; for after expatiating with due solemnity on the caution with which this desperate book was sealed up from Protestant inspection, out comes the astounding admission from the Reverend Mr. O'Sullivan himself, That there were two booksellers in Dublin--one a Catholic, the other a Protestant— who furnished this book to their correspondents.' Is not this a novel mode of keeping a book out of Protestant view, to actually put it for sale into the heads of a Motestant bookseller? how dull must he not have thought the intellects of his audieuce, if he really perceived the blunder he was committing, and yet believed that die clumsy imposture would escape detection? "hut why was not this book sent forward to Parliament, or submitted to the Educatiou Commissioners ?— Simply because it was not of that class of books that was required. Besides, it would have been quite a pity, had any busybody volunteered to send forward this uncalled-for book ; for then Mr. M'Ghee would have been robbed of the glory of making the graud discovery of a book hidden from the eyes of Protestants with such jealous care, and yet exhibited openly for sale in a Protestant bookseller's shop ! Enough of this absurdity." As to die persecuting doetrinea of Dens, Dr. Murray denies that they are the doctrines Of the Catholic Church— They were never held more generally among Catholics than they were aimeig Protestants ; hut they are, thauk God, falling every everywhere into disrepute : and notwithstanding the p,ous efforts of Mr. O'Sullivan and Co. to revive them in the minas of their fellow-religilmists, they are in the minds of the great body of Catholics a per fectiv dead lett er —w holly inoperative its to any practical result, :11111 Ili Ile viewed still iii the pages of angry polemics only
Mr. O'Sulli- wit 11 a feeling of regret that they had ever found an advocate.
van, it is tore, attempted to fasten tht,e thwttities on the Catholic Church, as it' to persecute, when we l.:111: all who ditler front IN hil'cligiota, were considered In y US a religious duty. 'flue whole face of Christembmi proves the contrary. I will not bete review the threadbare mailmen,. o Lich he puts forward with as ninell pomp as it' they had hut been a thousand times before refuted; but if any of his hearers would have the goodness to glance at the chapter on perse- undies contained in the late Dr. 31ilticr's End of' Pt llqi,us Gmtrorersy, he would perceive nt liliCe Ill1W si;;R:Illy the Reverend orator has failed in his attempt. If they is ish farther to know 'with accuracy the doctrines which are praetically taught to our people, let them not be led away by the rhapsodies of interested declaimers, but let them consult our catechisms. There they will perceive with what care tlw you rig inirol is tam;lit to consider every indi- vidual of the 1i nnnniaiu 11114., of ohatever creed or country, is the brother whont we are bound to love as lvt, IOW 11111,4h cs. WOUld it not contribute much to our social etinithrt•, if lit. ( JSiillnv,tin and his saintly associates, instead of endeavouring to tn n r asunder the bonds of stwiety by the of mii,o,ord, would practically listen ti) that divine aditionition--" Chi thou awl do ?"
Dr. :Murray concludes with charging. O'Sullivan with purposely misquoting his letter to herd :Melbourne, in order to found a charge of falsehood against him.
Previous page
