Bible-Burning: the substance of a sermon preached in St. Martin's Church, Birmingham, on Sunday evening, Dec. 10, 1848 — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Bible-Burning: the substance of a sermon preached in St. Martin's Church, Birmingham, on Sunday evening, Dec. 10, 1848
John Stuart Mill · en
Being in London ’Prentice-street on the Saturday, Mr. Molloy sent for
me to the house where he had burnt the Testament, to ask if I
supposed that the woman to whose daughter the book had been given was
a Protestant, because he had heard that I had visited her the day
before. It was upon that occasion that I enquired of him whether or
not he had burnt the Testament; he told me that he had, and would
burn every Bible and Tract he found in the houses of his people. I
warned him that I should make his words public, and he told me I was
perfectly welcome to do so. I further remember saying that I had
often been told that I had unjustly charged the Romish Priests with
denying the Bible to their people, and his reply was to this
effect—“You have stated the truth, and are perfectly welcome to state
it when you will; you are furthering our objects by doing so.” There
are several other points in the apology on which I should much like
to dwell, but I think it best simply to state facts, and leave the
public to judge for themselves whether the apology that this act was
done in the excitement of the moment can apply to Mr. Molloy, who,
after the reflection of two days, threatened to repeat the act again
and again.
I remain, Sir, your obedient Servant,
JOSHUA GREAVES,
Incumbent of St. Peter’s, Birmingham.
December 14, 1848.
{8} “Hopes had been raised of a new order of things, as a new Head,
of a widely different character from any of his predecessors,
ascended the Papal Throne. Yes—rail-roads and gas-lights shall be
admitted for the first time in the dominions of Him of Rome: but, not
the Bible Society; that shall be denounced with as loud a voice of
thunder, as ever proceeded from the City of the Seven Hills. That
voice of thunder has been re-echoed by Cardinals and others, in
France, Holland, and elsewhere; and so re-echoed, that many a faint
heart has quailed; and some, who before stood half-prepared to
encourage the dissemination of the Scriptures, have drawn back and
closed the door before half-opened. And yet, even among Roman
Catholics, the distribution of the Scriptures has proved as large as
ever.—In no previous year has the Society been counted worthy of
suffering a fiercer vituperation from this quarter than during the
past. Take as an example, the following paragraph from a famous
Encyclical Letter, and see with what company the Society is
associated:—