Indeed the whole religious fyftem of Papists, fo far as they have added to or changed the real inftitutions of Chriftianity,the whole train of their rites and ceremonies, have a tendency to banish fubftantial goodness and all true morality out of the world, by fubftituting the idle, and worfe than idle pageantry of fuperftition in their place *, While they fo affiduously tithe their mint, annife, and cummin, they neglect the weightier matters of the law, faith, judgment, and mercy: while they are so exceedingly attached to the commandments of men, and fo ftrictly obfervant of the endless traditions of their reverend taskmasters, they make the commandments of God of no effect, and will find little room, and less inclination to obey them: nor can they have much to fear from the violation of them; for, if they believe the doctrine of their blind guides, a little devotion towards the Virgin Mary will infallibly fecure them from damnation +: a fplinter of wood, a rufty nail, a

monk's

"flesh in Lent; which difpenfations, I prefume, were not granted without ap"plication and fees." Independ. Wbig, No. 34.

Popery introduceth an endless train of fenfelefs and filly, yet fhewy and "fanctimonicus obfervances; the parade of which plays fo perpetually upon "the imagination, as to leave neither leifure nor difpofition for minding any "6 thing more rational or more real. So many facraments, fafts, and festivals, "however superfluous, abfurd, and burdensome; fuch indefatigable saying and "hearing of prayers, though in an unknown tongue; such continual croffings, "and counting of beads, though perfectly childish; fuch external grimaces and "bowing to images, though rank idolatry; all this with a great deal more of "the fame kind, being mixed up with infinite folemnity, doth so intoxicate "the unguarded populace, that they fancy themfelves wonderfully devout and holy, for being out of measure fuperftitious." Tillotson.

This is taught in the devotional books, full of blafphemy, common in the hands of Papifts. The fovereign queen of heaven," fays one of them, "not "only cherishes affectionately her servants, ennobles them with fingular prerogatives, fu cours them in their neceffities, and efpcufes their caufes; but she "alfo faves them by her prayers from deferved punishment, and introduces them into the kingdom of heaven. Of all thefe prerogatives this laft appears to be the most fingular, and worthy of admiration: for it is a thing very strange, "that, according to the common opinion of doctors, none of thofe who live and die her fervants can by any means whatever (en aucune façon que ce foit) be

"damned,

monk's cowl, or an old coffin, will impart to them a fanc tifying virtue: the benediction of the priest, or a little holy water, will at any time wash away all their fins; and, if holy

"damned. Yea, even many of them who are wicked and abandoned, as daily "experience fhows, have miraculoufly obtained mercy and eternal life..

"We read, in Martial le Grand, of a woman very much given to lascivious "and impure practices; but amidst all her imperfections fhe had fuch a great love and affection for the Virgin, that she never let a day pass withoût "making her feven devout obeisances, accompanied with an Ave Maria. Yet "that woman was a common and mercenary prostitute, particularly to one of "chief note in the place, who had a spouse very devout and virtuous, who, "impatient of fuch an affront, every day prayed the Virgin to avenge her of "that ftrumpet. One day falling down before her image, the faid to her, O my dearest Lady, mirror of all purity, how can you fuffer that harlot to in"fult me,-to, rob me of my honour :-punish, punish her, I pray you, and "take fuch exemplary vengeance as may deter all from like practices.But "the image, ( ftrange power of a prayer rightly made), the image, animated "by miracle, anfwered her, My well beloved, it is not poffible for me to fa"tisfy your defire, not as if I knew not very well the justice of your complaint, "and of the refentment of the outrage which that huffey does you; but the "honour and refpect which she still bears to me, amidit all her disorders, tie up my hands, and forbid the chaftifement which you defire. But, that you may not be altogether unfuccessful in your fuit, I fhall try, for your comfort, to obtain of my fon for her a perfect compunction of heart, and an entire retreat from fuch a deteftable life; which fe accordingly did. We read that "it was revealed to a holy perfon, that the Virgin hath fuch credit and autho "rity in heaven, that the obtains of her fon whatever the demands for her fa "vourites, even fo far as very often to make him revoke the fentences of their "condemnation; which may be very easily believed: for if a cardinal, as fays "Paul de Caftro, hath the power to deliver a criminal led forth to execution "by putting his hat upon his head, much more hath the mother of God power "to deliver a poor finner whom the greatness of his offences hath bound over to "eternal death, by covering him with the mantle of her sweet pity,"

"St. Anfelm records, that a famous robber entered one morning into the "cottage of a poor widow with an intention of robbing her; but, judging her "unworthy of his rapine, he began to accost her in a familiar and merry train, "And have you breakfafted yet, my good woman? I breakfast, Sir, (faid "fhe); God forbid that I fhould fo violate the vow I have made to faft every "Saturday of the year. Every Saturday! and why that? replied he. Becaufe, "answered the widow, I have heard from a preacher very famous in doctrine, " and ftill more fo for the fanctity of his life, that whoever fafts on Saturday "in honour of our Lady, cannot die without confeflion. The robber, at these "words, felt compunction, fell down on his knees, and promised and swore to

N 2

"the

holy water can do the bufinefs, why should they trouble themselves about a holy life?

But what shall we fay of the morality of Jefuits? one of the most learned and powerful orders of the church of Rome in later times; whofe fchools and feminaries, and confequently their fyftems and doctrines, are now authorized by British law; whofe fyftem is only the quinteffence of genuine Popery, and the ordinary doctrines of the whole tribe of Popes and schoolmen carried to their highest degree of improvement*:-men, who have tortured invention to reconcile

"the queen of angels to faft every Saturday too: which prom fe he kept invio<< lably ever after: but, as he still continued his robberies, he was one day fur

prized by fome travellers, who by a ftroke of a sword separated his head from "his body. His executioners, thinking they had done his business fufficiently,' "withdrew from him a few steps; when lo! the head of him that was killed « (0 lepidum caput!) fell a crying, Confeffion, mafiers, I beg at least that I may "bave confession. After they had a little recovered from the aftonishment and « panic which such a prodigy caused, they ran to the next village to advertise the curate, who immediately came accompanied with a great multitude of «his parishioners, defirous to behold the miracle; and, having joined the head "of the robber to his body, gave him confeffion as he defired. That being

done, the penitent, having thanked him for his good office, faid to him, with « a voice fo diftinct and high as to be cafily heard by all present, Mafters, I never « did any good in all my lifetime, except my having faßled every Saturday in bonour «of the mother of God. In the very inftant I received the deadly blow, a frightful

troop of devils furrounded me for to feize my foul but the bleffed Virgin «coming to my aid, the drove these forthwith far from me by her divine pre«fence, and would hot fuffer my foul to leave my body till I fhould be fuffici"ently contrite, and make confeffion of my fins. He spoke thus, and, having "entreated the attendants to pray for him, he paffed from this life into one more happy and glorious." Alex. de Salo, Meth. pour ferv, et bonor. la Virg.

Mar, imprimé avec approb. diverses.

* When the doctrine of the Jefuits was fo warmly attacked by fome other orders of the church of Rome, laft century, efpecially by the ingenious author of the Provincial Letters, various apologifts appeared for them; who, inftead of denying that the propofitions imputed to them were to be found in the writings of the Jefuits, endeavoured to vindicate them by fhewing their conformity to the doctrine of the ancient fcholaftics, and the whole approved school of the Roman church. Some of the moft fcandalous of them they proved were to be found in Thomas of Aquin, Cajetan, Sotus, Navarre, Sylvefter Prierias, &c. "It is," fays 'd' Alembert," too fadly certain, (and the hiftory of thofe frightful

reconcile the human mind to every horrid form of vice, and to teach mankind to commit whatever is in vulgar language called evil, without any of the ordinary feelings of guilt and remorfe; who have boldly attempted to effect, by the force of cafuiftry, what the fupreme Pontiffs have done by their plenitude of power, namely, to make void all law and obligation, to change the effence of things, and make fin to be no fin; forcing immutable truth to yield to logical fubtilties, and ftubborn virtue pliantly to bend to the inte refts and corrupt inclinations of mortals.

"

They have exempted mankind from love* and all inward homage

-

frightful times furnishes the most afflicting proofs of it), that the maxims "imputed to Giugnard and the Jefuits, rpecting the murder of kings, were "then thofe of all the religious orders, and of almost all the ecclefiaftics.". "We must distinguish," fays the fame author, "betwixt the juridical means by which the deftruction of the Jefuits was accomplished, and the other mo "" tives, no le's equitable, of that deftruction. It must not be thought that "either the conftitutions of thefe fathers, nor the doctrine laid to their charge, "were the only cause of their run, though that was indeed the only judiciary "one, and confequently the only one of which mention was made in the arrets passed against them. It is but too true, that many other orders have very nearly, for a principle, that fame fervile obedience which the Jefuits vow to "their fuperiors and the Pope: it is but too true, that a thousand other doctors "and religious have taught the doctrine of the church's power over the tempo"ral affairs of princes; it was not merely because the Jesuits were believed to "be worfe Frenchmen than the other monks, that they were deftroyed and "difperfed: it is because they were regarded, and with reason, as the most formidable by their intrigues, and by their credit." Amedeus Guimeneus, Apol. pour les Cafuift. Claud. Def. de la Ref. p. 20. D'Alemb. fur la Defir. des JJ. p. 15, 93, 94.

1

2

* Efcobar collects the different fentiments of the famed divines of the fociety, upon the question, when is a man obliged to have actually an affection fox God? Some of which are as follow; Suarez fays, "it is fufficient a man love him before he dies; not affigning any particular time. Vafquez, that "it is fufficient even at the point of death. Others when a man receives his baptifm. Others when he is obliged to be contrite. Others upon holidays. "But our father Caftro Palas difputes against all thofe opinions, and that jufly. Hurtado de Mendoza pretends that a man is obliged to do it once. every year, and that we are very gently dealt withal to be difpenfed with "from doing it oftener. Our father Coninck believes a man to be obliged

"

homage to the Deity, and charity to men, and fo dash in pieces both tables of the eternal law they have made it almoft as eafy to practife all virtue, if there can be fuch a thing upon their plan, and to evite every fault as it is to

f

once in three or four years. Henriguez, once in five years. But Filiutius "affirms it to be probable that in rigor, a man is not obliged every five years. "When then? he refers it to the judgment of the wife." Anthony Sirmond leaves the point undecided; "Saint Thomas faith, that a man is obliged to love "God as foon as he is mafter of his reafon and difcretion. But that is a little "too foon. Scotus, every Sunday: upon what ground? Others when a man " is in fome grievous temptation. Sotus when a man receives fome benefit "from God. It is good to be thankful. Others, at the point of death: that "is fomewhat of the lateft. I cannot perfuade myself that it ought to be done "at every reception of fome facrament: For in that cafe attrition with con"feffion is fufficient, if it stand with a man's convenience. Suarez fays, that a man is obliged thereto at fome certain time. But what time? Of that he "leaves you to judge yourself, as not knowing what to say to it. Now what "that Doctor knew not, I know not who does know." It is faid we shall "love God by doing his will, as if we had all the affection that could be, that

66

is, as if the motive of charity inclined us thereto. If this really happen, it "is fo much the better; if not, we fhall nevertheless in rigour, ftill obey the commandment of love, by doing the works thereof fo that (do but ob"ferve the goodnefs of God) we are not fo much commanded to love him, as not to hate him." Efcob. tr. 1. ex. 2. n. 21. et tr. 5. ex. 4. n. 8. Sirm. def. virt. tr. 2. § 1. Myft. of Jef. p. 141, 142.

7

Sanchez affirms, that "a man doth not commit any fin, or is guilty of any irreverence towards God when he prefumes to addrefs himself to him in his devotions having an actual inclination mortally to offend him." Hurtado and Coninck teach, that " it is enough to be bodily prefent at mass, though a man be abfent as to the mind; provided he behave himself with a "certain external reverence. Vafquez ftill more indulgent fays,

That a

man fulfils the precept of hearing mass, even though he have not the leaft intention to hear it." Efcobar fays, "if a man íntends to hear "mafs as he ought, he fully performs the duty, nec obest alià prava intentio, ut afpiciendi libidinofe fœminas. Another who dedicates his book to the Virgin and fays, he teaches no doctrines but thofe he learned from her, afferts," that

he that goes to mafs, to take his opportunity to look on a woman with un"chaft defires, and who, were it not for that end, would not go thither at all,

fulfils the precept of hearing mafs, even though he had an express intention "not to fulfil it." Perhaps he may fulfil the precept of hearing mass, but does he herein fulfil the precept of the Saviour too? Matth. v.-Sanch. Opufc.

Mor. I. vii. c. 2. Gafp. Hurt, de Sacr. to, ii. d. 5. diff. 2. Conn. qu. 83. a. 6. Efcob. Th. Mor. Tr. i. ex. 11. Mafcerrennas de Sacr. Tr. 5.