,transcribed from the #ahee ,john ,robertson edition by ,david ,price4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,the ,,fire3 ,a ,sermon ,,occasioned ,,by ,,the ,,public ,,burning ,,of ,,the ,,bible ,,at ,,kingstown1 ,,by ,,the ,,redemptorist ,,fathers1 ,,on ,,the #e,,th ,,of ,,november1 #ahee4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,preached ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,robert ,,wallace4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,dublin3 ,,john ,,robertson1 #c ,,grafton-,,street4 #ahee4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,dublin3 ,,printed ,,by ,,white1 ,,brothers1 #de ,fleet-street4 ,a ,,sermon4 8,and the ,lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire3 ye heard the voice of the words1 but saw no similitude2 only ye heard a voice4 ,and he declared unto you his covenant which he commanded you to perform1 even ten commandments2 and he wrote them upon two tables of stone4 ,and the ,lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments1 that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it4 ,take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves1 for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the ,lord spake unto you in ,horeb1 out of the midst of the fire1 lest ye corrupt yourselves1 and make you a graven image1 the similitude of any figure1 the likeness of male or female40--,,deut4 iv4 #ab-ag1 the passage on the outer page of the fragment taken out of the ,fire1 and given to the ,preacher upon the spot4 8,,god who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets1 hath in these last days spoken unto us by his ,son1 whom he hath appointed heir of all things1 and by whom also he made the worlds4 ,therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard4 ,for if they escaped not who refused him who spake on earth1 much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven40 ,such are the solemn sanctions under which ,god has entrusted us with the ,book of ,life2 nor can these sanctions be considered too weighty by any who rightly appreciate that gift4 ,next to the gift of ,god's incarnate ,son and of his ,blessed ,spirit1 we rank the ,book divine4 ,we are thankful for the ,church and its ordinances and means1 and if we may distinguish between the ,church and its ministers1 we are thankful for them too2 but we value the ,sacred ,volume above all institutions1 however sacred1 and above all men of whatever character4 ,it is not our intention at this time to elaborate arguments for the necessity of a divine revelation2 suffice to say1 that without one we could have no certainty in matters of faith1 and no authorised standard in matters of morality4 ,that 8the world by wisdom knew not ,god0 is proved by the history of all nations1 ancient and modern4 ,the classic times of ,greece and ,rome were as destitute of correct knowledge of the true ,god as were the times most distant and barbaric1 while the highest culture of arts and science did nothing whatever for pure morality2 ,god1 therefore1 for his own glory and man's good1 condescended to speak from heaven1 and give us a revelation of his will4 ,it was necessary that this revelation should be a written one3 for in matters of such importance no man could be satisfied with its transmission by tradition4 ,tradition never did and never can transmit any dictate of either ,god or man with certainty4 ,what tradition can do as a medium of supplying knowledge from the past may be seen in the case of those nations which bordered the kingdom of ,israel--whose fathers1 descending from the patriarchs1 must have had some knowledge of both ,god's character and his claims2 yet these nations had forgotten all1 and lapsed into the most contemptible idolatry4 ,it may be seen1 in the case of the ,israelites themselves4 ,how simple and correct the views which ,abraham their father entertained of ,god1 and yet so completely did his descendants forget all this during their sojourn in ,egypt that ,moses found it necessary to ask the ,lord by what name he should speak of him to them4 ,the uncertainty of tradition may be further seen by a reference to the days of our ,lord1 when we find that by it the elders made void the law of ,god4 ,tradition is often at fault in its very origin4 ,look at one which rose among the disciples themselves4 ,the ,saviour1 before ascending to heaven1 informed ,peter of the manner of his death1 on which this ,apostle was curious to know what should be the lot of ,john1 who was coming up at the time4 ,the ,lord did not think it wise to satisfy that curiosity1 and said1 8,if ,i will that he tarry till ,i come1 what is that to thee1 follow thou me40 ,then went this saying abroad among the brethren1 that that disciple should not die2 yet the sacred historian tells us1 that for this tradition there was no foundation in fact4 ,and who among us could tell in this day what were the doctrines of our own glorious ,reformers1 if their teachings had not been placed upon record8 ,whether1 therefore1 the dictum be inspired or uninspired1 it cannot with any certainty and authority be transmitted through the medium of tradition4 ,god1 therefore1 not only spoke from heaven1 but commanded that the ,scriptures should be 8written for our learning40 ,but the passage before us not only speaks of a record of the teachings and commandments of ,god1 it also informs us that in the absence or neglect of that record men will be not merely ignorant of ,god's character1 but corrupt themselves1 and fall into idolatry4 ,it therefore seems to teach with great force the tendency of our nature to some religious system1 and to us it appears plain that whether we trace that tendency to traditions of the past1 to some law of the mind1 or to the 8light which lighteneth every man that cometh into the world10 the fact itself is indisputable4 ,man every where seems to feel a need of something beyond himself to which to look1 on which to lean--the object of his hope1 or the object of his dread4 ,and where is it that men do not realize the warning of the text1 that without the ,word of ,god they will corrupt themselves and set up images1 the likeness of male or female1 or some other thing4 ,perhaps1 indeed1 no age of the world1 and no portion of the human race1 could more fully verify the fact than the times in which we live1 and the men whose conduct is the occasion of these remarks4 ,they have not thought it needful to consult the ,word of ,god to remember his ,,ten commandments1 and have therefore forgotten that ,god is not represented by any similitudes1 and have made to themselves images1 the likeness of male and of female4 ,there is1 indeed1 so striking a discrepancy between the text and the worship of images that it can surprise no one that those who practise the one should renounce the other4 ,no one can be pleased with that which bears testimony against conduct he is not prepared to abandon4 8,every one that doeth evil hateth the light1 neither cometh to the light1 lest his deeds should be reproved40 ,but since the right course is to abandon the practice1 not to insult the witness1 this discrepancy is not a mitigation but an aggravation of the conduct of which we complain4 ,we need not say that we refer to the burning of the ,holy ,bible in open day1 very near the place in which we are met1 and under the eye of ,roman ,catholic and ,protestant4 ,we are aware that from policy or shame the deed has been denied1 and1 therefore1 our first business will be to place before you the evidence upon which our charge rests4 ,on ,monday last1 about half-past ten o'clock in the morning1 having heard that ,bibles were being burned in the yard of the ,roman ,catholic ,chapel1 we proceeded to the spot2 there1 at the lower end of the chapel1 and in sight of every one that passed up or down the street1 we saw a large heap of cinders from books or paper4 ,around the edges of the heap there were patches of flame4 ,a number of persons1 one of them a boy in the dress of an acholyte1 stood round the fire4 ,they were kicking books1 that were evidently small pocket ,bibles1 into the fire4 ,one of these persons turned round and said1 8,we are burning ,bibles10 and asked1 8,have you any more to bring80 ,and then1 to leave no doubt upon our mind1 took up a portion of one out of the fire before our eyes and placed it in our hands4 ,this fragment you now behold1 and from its first page we have selected the text4 ,can evidence like this be disputed or set aside8 ,our next duty will be to consider1 the wickedness of the deed4 ,in doing this we wish you to observe1 that ,god threatens with severe punishment those persons who merely do not receive the truth in the love of it2 still more severely such as will not hear1 who turn away the shoulder or stop the ear2 but most of all the men who dare to treat his commandment with contempt4 ,now we say that the act complained of was one that treated the ,word of ,god with the utmost contempt possible4 ,the burning of a book is every where1 and from time immemorial has been1 looked upon as the worst brand that can be stamped upon its character4 ,in the times of the ,apostles we read of some who1 when converted from their evil practices1 brought their curious books of occult arts and burned them as evidence of their detestation of the books and the sincerity of their conversion4 ,the burning has been sometimes conducted by the hands of the common executioner4 ,with the knowledge of these facts1 and that the deed should be regarded in this light1 the ,holy ,book of ,god was1 in this nineteenth century of the ,christian ,era1 committed to the consuming flame by the authority of the ,redemptorist ,fathers4 ,it must not be pleaded1 as any mitigation of the daring impiety1 that it was the ,protestant version that was burned3 for many ,roman ,catholics of high authority have admitted this version to be the ,word of ,god1 and the difference between it and the ,douay version1 in all essential matters1 is not such as to allow any candid man of either creed to hesitate to confess that either is the ,holy ,bible4 ,this deed was done under the most aggravating circumstances4 ,it would have been great rebellion against ,god to have burned his ,word alone in one's own chamber2 but in that case the insult would not have been so emphatic or so daring4 ,it was done before the face of many ,protestants1 and under such circumstances that it must come to the knowledge of all ,protestants in the town1 if not throughout the kingdom4 ,it was an act not merely calculated to insult their creed1 but to provoke them in the highest degree4 ,the ,book of ,god was burned in revolting association4 ,to increase the ignominy of our ,lord's crucifixion he was placed between two thieves2 malefactors who1 according to their own admission1 suffered justly4 8,he was numbered with transgressors40 ,on the same principle1 to make the odium cast upon the precious volume more complete1 it was placed in the same heap with the worst productions of infidelity and licentiousness4 ,this outrage upon ,protestant feeling was committed at a time when it became all men who loved their country to unite in seeking its welfare4 ,amidst the hardships and dangers of war1 and when we were looking forward with hope to see our country fully resuscitated from the dreadful consequences of pestilence and famine4 ,thus we find in every point of view1 and by all its accompaniments1 the deed was one of daring impiety and provocation4 ,what judgments may be expected to follow4 ,can any one suppose that ,god will not visit for these things8 that he will not be avenged for such a deed as this4 8,because ,i called and ye refused2 ,i will laugh at your calamities and mock when your fear cometh40 ,this seems specially to apply to individuals4 8,if any man shall add unto these things1 ,god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book2 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy1 ,god shall take away his part out of the book of life1 and out of the holy city1 and from the things which are written in this book40 ,this seems to refer to the ,church4 8,because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved1 ,god shall send them strong delusion--that they should believe a lie1 that they all might be damned who believed not the truth1 but had pleasure in unrighteousness40 ,this evidently applies to such as knowingly turn from the true to a false system4 ,what ,god will do unto the nation that turns away from and despises the holy ,word of ,god may be seen in such threatenings as the following3 8,if thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book1 that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name1 ,the ,lord ,thy ,god1 then the ,lord will make thy plagues wonderful1 and the plagues of thy seed1 even great plagues1 and of long continuance1 and sore sickness1 and of long continuance4 ,and it shall come to pass that as the ,lord rejoiced over you to do you good1 and to multiply you1 so the ,lord will rejoice over you to destroy1 and to bring you to nought40 ,all these judgments are threatened against the rejection of the ,word--in fact1 the mere neglect of it3 public insult never seemed to be contemplated at all4 ,the only instance upon record1 in any wise resembling the deed we are speaking of1 is that of ,jehoiakim1 who burned the roll containing the prophecy which ,god had commanded ,jeremiah to utter against ,jerusalem4 ,and for this burning ,god threatened the king with early death2 informed him he should have the burial of an ass2 should have no man to sit upon his throne1 and that the nation he ruled over should be visited with wasting desolation4 ,now1 to all these judgments is the nation liable that can be guilty of a crime like this4 ,all who approve of the deed1 or who do not protest against it1 must be in danger of ,god's displeasure2 and we remember that ,bible burning was practised just before the judgments of #ahdf4 ,let us1 then1 address a few observations on this solemn subject to all classes in the land4 ,and1 first1 to ,roman ,catholics themselves1 at least1 to such as have any moderation and candour4 ,surely there must be many among them who do not approve the deed4 ,we would ask the men of intelligence1 and rank1 and property--men who are anxious for the welfare of their country1 and who especially desire the social amelioration of the poorer classes4 ,what do these men expect from the burning of that book which more than any other teaches the principles of industry1 and leads1 under ,god1 to the exercise of self-reliance8 ,what do those men hope from the deed1 who have publicly acknowledged that the difference between ,ulster and other parts of ,ireland in these respects is traceable to the circulation of the ,bible alone8 ,we ask such ,romanists as have any interest in literature1 what they think of the burning of a book that has done more for the advancement of true learning than all others put together8 ,we ask the men of that creed who profess liberal principles1 what they think of the burning of a book which is the ,magna ,charta of our privileges--the palladium of our civil and religious liberty8 ,above all1 we ask those who have any interest in piety or morality1 do they consent to ignore a book which is the source of the one and standard of the other8 ,now1 it will not do for such ,roman ,catholics as these to say1 they did not do the deed1 and were not cognizant of it4 ,it was done under the direction of their clergy2 and1 until they protest against the deed1 they must be held answerable for its results4 ,suppose the deed to have been done--if ,i may venture upon such a supposition--by a minister of any ,protestant community1 would not every minister and every man of that community throughout the kingdom be held accountable for the outrage8 ,and we do not hesitate to tell the ,roman ,catholics that their ,protestant fellow countrymen can place no confidence in any profession of moderation or liberality till they wash their hands of an enormity such as this4 ,we have been informed that during the visit of these men many persons from the different ,protestant bodies have joined the ,church of ,rome4 ,whether this be so or not1 we have no means to determine1 and ,god forbid that we should interfere with the fullest exercise of the understanding or liberty of conscience1 but if there have been any who1 from levity of disposition or sinister motives1 have forsaken the teaching of the ,scriptures1 and have aided in this deed or given it their countenance1 we dare not address to them other language than that of this holy book3 8,for if we sin wilfully1 after that we have received the knowledge of the truth1 there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin2 but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation1 which shall devour the adversaries40 ,lastly1 we address ourselves to ,protestants3 and what duties devolve on them in this case8 ,we hope no one will be so foolish as to say--none4 ,the persons concerned in this act are our fellow-subjects--our next-door neighbours--and with whom we are brought into contact every day in the duties of life2 it is therefore impossible to consider ourselves mere disinterested hearers or spectators of the deed4 ,as citizens1 as ,christians--and1 above all1 as lovers of the ,bible1 we are deeply concerned therein4 ,let us1 then1 first of all1 thoroughly appreciate its real character4 ,there must be no blinking the question or softening it down2 there could be no real charity or generosity in this1 but a mere extenuation of a dreadful crime4 ,we must apprehend the danger of living in contact with a system that could sanction it1 and rouse ourselves to action4 ,we must not1 indeed1 transfer the hatred we bear to the act to those who committed it4 ,this may be hard2 but the ,gospel requires it4 ,there must be no anger1 malice1 or revenge--nothing inconsistent with the utmost charity1 the love of ,god and man4 ,but while we must think nothing1 feel nothing1 do nothing1 which charity forbids2 all that charity allows1 all that it demands1 is expected from us now4 ,the love of country--the love of learning--of liberty1 religion1 and of ,god--calls us to wake to action4 ,all that we can do by prayer1 by personal effort1 by the multiplication of evangelical agencies1 is forced upon us now4 ,especially1 what a lecture does this read us on union among ourselves1 union among all evangelical denominations4 ,in view of transactions like this what are our differences--can they be worthy one unbrotherly thought4 ,let us love our several systems much1 but our ,saviour more2 let us wish well to our party1 but long more eagerly for the salvation of our country4 ,let us unite to press upon all men more fully the great doctrine of the ,reformation and of the ,bible--justification by faith alone4 ,let us agree to declare throughout the length and breadth of the land that he that hath the ,son hath life4 ,he that hath the ,son as the foundation of his faith--he that hath the ,son within him as the hope of glory--that hath the ,son before him as the pattern of his life--he1 whatever his creed or his party1 hath life2 he lives 8by the faith of the ,son of ,god0 on earth1 and is passing to the fuller life in heaven4 8,but10 on the other hand1 8he that hath not the ,son hath not life20 he that hath not the ,son in these respects1 with whatever church he stands connected--whatever opinions he subscribes--whatever forms he practises--hath no real life on earth1 and can have none in heaven4 ,should ,god of his infinite mercy1 as the result of these doings1 give us that grace1 that will unite us more closely among ourselves1 give us more singleness of eye in our efforts1 and supply us with greater zeal for the salvation of our fellow-countrymen--what was intended by the ,redemptorist ,fathers as the laying of the topstone of their triumph may turn out the loosening of a stone in the mystic building1 and accelerate the period when heaven and earth will unite in the cry--8,,babylon ,,the ,,great ,,is ,,fallen60