lege, fill in referve for a free people, to judge for themfelves; and in fuch a cafe they ought certainly to claim their privilege, and look with their own eyes.

Some time ago, the Parliament made a very unpopular and offenfive act for regulating the government of Quebec, by which Popery is not merely tolerated, but the Romish priefts are entitled to a legal maintenance, through that large and extenfive province. This act, at the time of paffing, made fome noife, and met with confiderable oppofi tion; and continues ftill to be a matter of complaint, and not without caufe. That act, in fo far as it relates to religion, in which view only it belongs to our prefent confideration, is entirely indefenfible. With what juftice can falaries and revenues be appointed by law, for fupporting a fet of men, whofe office and employment are pernicious to the interests of mankind; whofe chief bufinefs it is to maintain and enlarge the empire of ignorance, fuperftition, and idolatry; who, befides the damnable and blafphemous doctrines whereby they ruin fouls, are then acting most in character, when they are teaching the fubjects of a Proteftant government principles of fedition, revolt and treafon? With equal propriety, might the law provide a livelihood for quacks and mountebanks, for vending their poifons; or indemnify thieves and sharpers, and fecure them in the undisturbed enjoyment of their ill-got fpoils; or affign a reward to banditti publicly to rob and murder on the high-way. Though the plea of liberty of confcience, and lenity towards the popith bigotted inhabitants, already planted in that country, were to be admitted in behalf of fuch a law for the prefent, and with refpect to the fmall part of the country already fettled; yet this plea can have no place, when it is confidered as a law, defigned for a lafting and perpetual fettlement, and reaching to vaft tracts of land yet defert and unexplored. What apology can be made, for fwelling the boundaries

boundaries of that province to fuch an immenfe extent, and providing fuch ample immunities and privileges, not only for the prefent generation of Papifts, but for myriads and millions more of the fame herecategory, who may after arife? Here Popery has full room, to dilate and establish itself, under the wing of British laws, through territories more wide and extenfive than are poffeffed by all the Proteftants in Europe taken together. Was this a proper improvement of thofe conquefts, wherewith kind Providence had favoured Britain, whereby a golden opportunity was afforded her of diffufing the ineftimable bleffings of knowledge, true religion and liberty through lands, hitherto, ftrangers to them; by which, in the event, fhe might have acquired greater ftability, more permanent dominion, and more lafting advantages than can be derived from a little paltry gain, or the fervile and precarious homage of bigots and flaves? Hitherto, indeed, there is but little caufe to boaft of the friendship and aid of Papifts: if our ministers meant to procure these at such an unwarrantable price, they may find themselves egregiously deceived; they have been leaning on a broken réed at beft, if not a spear: and though thefe Canaanites fhould be ever fo much careffed by Proteftants, they will prove galling thorns in their fides, and pricks in their eyes. It has been remarked by many, that lofs upon lofs, and difappointment upon disappointment, have distinguished the years elapfed, fince Government, by the above act, openly and legally patronifed the Antichriftian interest in America.

But our governors have not stopt here. Not content with lending their power to the beast at a distance, they must try the experiment alfo at home. As if all they had already done abroad, had not been enough to awaken our fears and jealoufies, they have proceeded to heap new fayours and largeffes on the Papifts in Britain and Ireland; reviving, and taking again under protection, a profcribed

faction

faction in our very bowels; cherishing them with the re turning beams of court favour. England, Ireland, and Scotland too, of course, must be attempted; and the whole British empire, what of it yet remains, must be new-modelled, as to the matter of religion.

Were I on this fubject to infift on topics properly religious, or to evince the evil of fuch measures by arguments taken from the Bible and Chriftianity, I am afraid I should lofe my pains, as to many readers; and probably expofe myfelf to the contemptuous and ignorant fneer of our Machiavelian politicians, who confider religion in no other light than as an engine of ftate; and who regard it no farther than comports, with convenience or intereft. Should I speak of truth, divine authority, the established laws of the kingdom of Heaven; the glory of God, the honour and intereft of the Redeemer; or the fpiritual and eternal good of men; and plead, as with good reason I might, that these ought always to regulate and restrain the exercife of all human authority; and that no man, or fet of men, on any pretence whatever, may prefume to enact any laws in the least incompatible with thefe, but at their highest peril; I should then talk a language which they did not understand, and make an appeal to principles and feelings of which they are not poffeffed. This would carry them beyond their depth, and draw them out of their natural element. It would be idle to attempt to produce the idea of colours in one born blind, or endeavour to excite a lively impreffion of founds in one who never heard.

But though the authors and promoters of these meafures, may be incapable of being influenced by fuch confiderations as thefe, yet furely they would do well to reflect, whether they are not acting oppofite to the fpirit and principles of the established conftitution, and inconfiftent

with

with the fundamental laws by which they hold their places, and enjoy any fhare in the Legislature; and they ought to confider, whether they be not injuring the civil ftate, at the fame time that they are doing a differvice to Christianity. Is it in their power to abrogate the legal fecurities given to the Proteftant religion, and to alter the whole frame of the conftitution at pleafure? Are they not all under the most strict and folemn obligations to maintain them; an obligation from which the Sovereign himfelf is not exempted? Let them take heed, that they exceed not the limits of their power; for there are certain matters fo irrevocably fettled in the conftitution, as that they are no longer left open to review, or dependent upon the fickle and precarious vote of a Parliament.

It ought to be remembered, what mifunderstandings, jealoufies, quarrels, and dangerous convulfions, have for merly arifen in the kingdom through Popish counfels, and measures appearing to favour that intereft. Particularly, it need not yet be forgot, what refentments the nation fhewed against the unbounded toleration and indulgence granted to Roman Catholics by James II. and how much this very thing contributed to haften on the memorable Revolution, and the expulfion of that Popifh tyrant from the government for ever. I think neither his Majefty, nor his minifters, if they be wife, would ever wifh to play the fame game over again. Every future prince that fits on the throne of Britain, ought to profit by fuch an example, and, as they love their dignity and their crown, keep at the greatest distance from thofe dangerous quickfands, and abstain from all new friendship for that execrable and fatal fuperftition, which hath wrought thefe nations fe much woe, and coft kings already such a forfeit.

Our freedom from Popery was gained through time and perfeverance, and was accomplished through a feries. of

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of difficulties. It was by far too dearly bought to be wantonly thrown away. The found policy, the tried wifdom, and coftly experience of paft times, feem to have dictated the laws whereby it is fecured. And fhall thofe advanta

ges, obtained with fuch difficulty, be parted with and loft in a day, by the rash decisions of a few gracelefs votaries of pleasure, the giddy flaves of ambition and pride, or the plodding fons of avarice and care? Shall fuch new upftart reformadoes remove the ancient land-marks, and, piece by piece, destroy every remnant and relique of former refor mations, and yet none be heard to complain? Shall effeminate beaux, juft reeking from the opera, the gamingtable, or the bagnio, pretend to fit as judges, and pass fentence upon any thing relating to holy religion, or touch. that facred palladium with their unhallowed hands? Wo unto Britain when fuch are her fenators, the guardians of her laws and religion!

I am very far from fufpecting any of these gentlemen of any peculiar inclination to Popery, or of an intention of taking the benefit of the act themfelves by turning ftaunch Roman Catholics: a diftinguished and hearty attachment. to any religious system whatever, on its own account, is not a fault which they are likely to be guilty of. By any imputation of this fort, they would furely reckon themfelves highly affronted. The religion of the ftate, whatever it be,-that which brings the loaves and the fishes, and may ferve as a ftirrup to mount up to preferment,-that, in all events, shall be theirs. Befides, Popery is not a religion calculated at all for our modern fashionable gentlemen. They would have too many beads to tell, and too many paternofters to repeat. The intriguing meddling priests would be continually intruding into their fecrets, as well as thofe of their wives and daughters: they would have too many Lents to keep, and too many floggings and flagellations to undergo for the expiation of their fins, and the good of

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their