The ground upon which this union is justified, is as full of fallacy as the thing itself is extraordinary. We are referred to the weak and fallen state of the Romish church, and to the liberal sentiments of certain individuals belonging to her; by whom it is said the narrow and contracted spirit which she has formerly shewn, as well as the persecuting doctrines are disclaimed. But the fact is that no dependence can be placed upon any result which may be drawn from the situation of that church, nor even from the language of ever so many of her members speaking individually: because the principles of her usurpations are interwoven with her very essence: because too it has been one of her maxims, avowed and acted upon, that dissimulation and submission to her ene mies was allowed whenever she had not the

↑ The misfortune is that in order to attain this spirit of liberality, the Romanist is obliged to make such an effort as carries him beyond the mark, and transports him into the very regions of infidelity. This is notorious of all the Roman catholic writers in other countries who have become famous as having taken the lead in emancipating the world from what they call the slavery of priestcraft. And if the reader wishes to see more recent instances of it, he may consult "Sir John Throckmorton's Considerations, &c." or "the Remarks on the Bishop of Durham's Charge:" the former of which I have noticed in the "Sequel," and the latter in the Reply to Dr. Milner's Obervations." I might mention also some late attempts of Dr. Geddes.

power to assert her superiority'; because lastly, according to her fundamental doctrines, no individual can speak with any authority of himself, nor can act upon his own private judgment. In fact, none of those Romanists who disclaim the most strongly the tenets in question, will admit distinctly that the popes or the councils by whom those tenets were promulgated, or by whom they were acted upon, did err. They cannot indeed make such an admission without shaking the foundations of their church, and destroying the ground upon which she builds her claim to dominion. The infallibility which she arrogates to herself being thus impeached in one instance, would by necessary consequence leave every man at liberty to judge for himself as to the whole of the controversy which is what none of them will choose to admit of, or suppose to be lawful.

See the graces or faculties granted to Parsons and Campion, in 1580. Foulis p. 435, or Lord Burleigh's tract of "Execution, "&c. not for Religion, but for Treason." Preservatives against Popery, tit. xiii. p. 171. or Appen. to "Sequel," p. xlviii. Bellarmine's position is well known that "Hæretici non sunt bello petendi quando sunt fortiores nobis." Bellarm, de Laicis. See this set forth at full in Hicks's tract of "Missionaries' arts discovered," printed in Preservatives against Popery, tit. xiii. 1.

If there be any man who doubts of this I recommend to him Dr. Milner's late charge or pastoral letter before referred to. At p. iv. in a passage, part of which I have elsewhere quoted, he says, after inculcating the necessity of obedience to authority, "The

The truth is that intolerance is and must be the indelible character of that church; that it is interwoven with her very frame. The position so tenaciously maintained that out of her pale there is no salvation, constrains them, as it were, out of very charity, to use every meaus in their power to extirpate all whom they cannot reclaim; to persecute and put down all those whom they call heretics; and every page of their history will point out to them the horrible doctrine that all means are allowable for the

"Catholic church in particular, that most illustrious and perfect "of all societies, as being the work of infinite wisdom; that society, which like the ocean spreads its arms round the whole earth, and "which unlike all human institutions, is neither to be dissolved by "external violence, nor internal decay; the church, I say, owes "all her beauty and stability to the exact discipline and subordination "which her divine founder has established in her, and in which he "has marshalled her, like an army drawn up in battle array.'' Cant. vi. 9. (It is v. 10 in our translation, and rendered, "terrible as an army with banners." No matter, the quotation is not the less remarkable, as well as the comment which follows) "As in

a disciplined army the soldiers obey their officers, and these other "officers of superior rank, who themselves are subject to a com"mander in chief: so in the Catholic church extending as it does from

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the rising to the setting sun, the faithful of all nations are guided by "their pastors, who in their turns are submissive to the prelates, "whilst the whole body is subordinate to one supreme pastor, whose seat is the rallying point and centre of them all. The Catholic, acknowledging in the church a living, speaking authority as the guide of his faith, must submit his private opinions to its decisions, "otherwise he ceases to be a catholic." This is afterwards explained to extend to the minutest points of discipline, (p. x) and this under the express penalty of an ANATHEMA.

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bringing about of so desirable an end. The very existence of such a tribunal as the inquisition, however mitigated its forms, and however in some countries, of late years it may have been subjected to the civil sovereign, is in itself a decisive proof of what I say. In all the countries where it is suffered to subsist, will it be pretended that a Protestant is per-, mitted even to breathe, except by mere connivance? At Rome, in any part of Italy, in Spain, or in Portugal, will it be asserted that such a thing as a place of worship for members of the reformed church, except in the houses of foreign ministers, has ever been licensed or endured? Is it safe even now for a native inhabitant of any of those countries to profess opinions contrary to the bulls of the pope or the decrees of the council of Trent??

' I need not bring any stronger proof of this than what appears in the very answer of the university of Salamanca to certain queries, &c. which was printed by the Roman Catholics themselves as a part of their case in 1805. The university after asserting that "Because they were catholics it is not necessary that they should "be acted by a persecuting spirit against those who are adverse "to their religion :" (which is indeed most true of the real catholie religion) and afterwards saying that "A distinction must be made "between the civil and religious toleration of heretics," make the following admission :- "In Spain indeed," (and this is the case in all countries where the inquisition subsists) "for these three hun“dred years past no one is permitted to hold any military office, nor to enjoy perpetual settlement, who is considered as an enemy to the catholic church, "because our princes have thought it more eligible to forego cer

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The degree of ignorance produced by such a state of things may, indeed, well be conceived to be both inveterate and hopeless. In fact, the same causes continue to produce the same effects. If, indeed, as it is said, or rather surmised, any improvements or modifications either

"tain advantages which might perhaps be derived from commercial "intercourse with men of different persuasions or from their im

provement in the arts, than either to endanger the faith of their "subjects, or expose their empire to frequent broils and conten"tions about the doctrines of religion." App. to Impart. Report of the Debates, &c. p. 28. This is exactly the "solitudinem fa"ciunt, pacem appellant." And the reader will observe, that this is found in a document brought forward expressly in support of the claim which the Roman Catholics of this kingdom advance to what they call emancipation; that is, to be declared eligible to all civil and military offices whatsoever.

• I have been assured, from authority, upon which I have the fullest reliance, that, out of eight hundred emigrated priests, which were at one time at Winchester, not more than four individuals could read Greek, and not more than two out of those four could read the New Testament in the original so as to understand it. A very near relation of mine had a conversation with a Romish priest respecting our differences in religion, and the propriety of examining into them, upon which the priest gave this account of himself, that, having heard much of these things, and having, in consequence, a desire to know what was said on our side, he had obtained leave of his bishop to read controversial books, but that he had gained nothing by it; indeed, quite the contrary, for he found his judgment so completely bewildered, that he ended with being a confirmed sceptic. "J'ai fini par ne rien croire," were his words. Such is the consequence of a man being early impressed with principles fundamentally wrong; or, perhaps we may say in this case, having his temporal interest at variance with his better judgment.