of perdition," has been believed by many, since the era of the Reformation. The following are some of the reasons for apprehending danger from this source:

1. The system of popery is adapted to prevail. We are accustomed to consider the system as a prodigy of error and absurdity; and so it is, erroneous and absurd in the extreme: but it has other aspects and attributes, by which its absurdities are veiled, and the whole wonderfully adapted to a depraved heart. It is the most finished production of that wisdom which is from beneath. Ancient in its appearance, imposing in its forms, high in its claims of infallibility, holding out the promise of indulgence in sin here, and the prospect of heaven hereafter; who, that is acquainted with human nature, would not be ready to predict its success? It is accompanied too, by an ecclesiastical machinery, adapted to enlist and employ every depraved and every unsubdued passion, whether it be avarice, ambition, lust, or fanaticism. Here the misanthropy and superstition which sighs for solitude, may find a home and employment in the cloister; and there, the man of activity, who longs for fame, influence and power, in the paths of science, in the courts of princes, and in the high places of ecclesiastical rule, may find his place and service in the ascending path toward supremacy. All this adaptation and division of labor, serves to move forward a system well fitted for action, and to extend a power, which derives energy and facility of extension from the depravity of men. It seizes on the deep sentiments of the soul adapted to respond to the claims of religion, throws around them the chains of superstition, confirms the reign of sin, embodies and baptizes the unchanged depravity of the world, and enthrones itself on the earth in the sacred and abused name of christianity. If the elements of evil remain the same; if man continues as he is; then may we expect, that popery will gain proselytes, and that this system, which has grown up under the supervision of Satan, for a thousand years, which Cecil, with the plainness of truth, calls "the devil's master-piece," and which Paul, speaking by the Spirit, calls the "mystery of iniquity," will continue to prevail; or if it dies, it will be with a strife and a struggle, such as has never yet been witnessed. If it had just made its appearance, and had but one hundredth part of its men and means, in view of the subtlety of its structure, and its wonderful fitness for popularity in our fallen world, we might count upon its prevalence.

2. The tendency of this system to fanaticism. No system contains the elements of fanaticism so fully, as that of popery; and no other system in its history has so frequently exhibited these elements in their combination and consequences, as this scourge

and cu

orld. Papists are taught, that they alone are the

34

objects of divine favor; and that all who differ from them are heretics accursed, the certain objects of divine indignation, and the proper objects of their own hatred and cruelty. Lest these primary and previous tenets of popery should be forgotten at Rome, they annually go through the ceremony of anathematizing all who doubt the infallibility of their doctrines, or dispute the universality of their dominion. While this is done at Rome, the virtue of destroying heretics, and of violating all promises, treaties, and oaths made to them, are taught by their standard works and living teachers throughout the world. Hatred the most inhuman, and persecution the most relentless and iron-hearted, are but the natural consequences of such principles. A late writer on fanaticism, by an examination of the principles and policy of Romanism, has shown in a most clear and satisfactory manner, this tendency of the system. After an able and conclusive investigation of this subject, he adds: "The church of Rome is, without doubt, entitled to the pre-eminence we have given her, as the nurse of sanguinary fanaticism. Her doctrine begets cruelty; her polity demands it; and her clerical institute trains her ministers to the service she has need of."* The same writer remarks, that," at this present moment of general indifference, the breaking forth of any species of fanaticism may seem highly improbable." "But we ought (he adds,) to look beyond to-day and yesterday, and survey the general face of history, and rather assume it as probable, that whatever intemperance, whatever atrocity, whatever folly, history lays to the change of man, may be repeated, perhaps, in our own age, perhaps in the next.

3. The restoration of the order of Jesuits. The restoration of this order is an event of vast importance to popery, and it may yet be seen to have an important bearing upon the future history of the world. After the first establishment of this order, it spread with amazing rapidity. Its real strength was artfully concealed; but it was supposed in revenues to equal the princes of Europe, and in numbers to include one hundred or one hundred and fifty thousand; a standing army, excelling, in discipline and efficiency, the standing army of any military despot that ever lived; all educated men, prepared and sworn to start any moment, in any direction, and for any service, commanded by the general of the order; bound to no family, community, or country, by any of the ordinary ties which bind men, and sold for life to the service of the Roman pontiff; they were the fit instruments for advancing his schemes of ambition. This power, rising soon after the revival of learning, and seizing, as far as possible, on the keys of know

* Fanaticism, page 151.

ledge, bade fair, at one time, to enslave the world. But, as their true character became known, they became odious in the sight of all men. They were expelled from every civil government in Europe, even from those in which the Roman Catholic was the established religion. So strong was public indignation against them, that it became necessary for the pope to abolish the order. This order has again been restored, and popery may now be considered as having her most efficient instrumentality in full operation.

Such, then, are the general features of popery every where; a system calculated to debase its subjects, yet holding over their minds, as it were, a magic sway, organized with all the wisdom and policy of ages, and making its appeal to some of the strongest passions which reside in the human breast. But, before leaving this subject, we wish to dwell a short time on the reasons which exist for apprehending danger to the civil and religious liberties of our own country, from the progress of popery here. In this view, we shall be aided by the second work standing at the head of this article. There are several topics here, which demand a fuller view; yet we can only glance at them. At some future time, we may be able, perhaps, to do the subject more justice.

1. The location and peculiar institutions of our country. We occupy a small part of a hemisphere, almost the whole of which, except our own territory, is now under the influence of Catholics. Eighty per cent of the population of Canada is theirs; Mexico, west of us, is theirs; and the southern continent of Cape Horn. If their dominion could be established here, the western hemisphere would be theirs. Our free institutions, which constitute our true national glory, facilitate the introduction of their emissaries. A public invitation is presented to all mankind, to come and sustain them as they are, or modify them, as a future majority may desire. There is probably no spot on earth, where the establishment of a dominion would be so desirable to Catholics, and at the same time attended with so few political hinderances. Our institutions are in their infancy, and our numbers are comparatively few. It is only for them to come in sufficient numbers to live and vote among us, and the land is theirs. Should this event occur, unless they abandon the principles which they have always professed and practiced, where they have had power, our liberty will belong only to the history of the past, and our only alternative will be, submission or death.

2. Their present numbers. Their numbers in this country have been variously estimated at from five hundred thousand to one million. They report between five and six hundred priests and whether this is all, or one half of their ecclesiastics, some deceptions which have been attempted on this point, render it difficult to say.

They have also about six or seven hundred churches, ten

colleges, twenty-eight convents, fourteen male seminaries, twentyone female seminaries, and sixteen asylums; and a vigilant press is established in almost all the larger and more important places in the different sections of the country.

3. Their aid from infidelity and from politicians. It has been frequently remarked, and it is perhaps generally known, that avowed infidels and opposers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, have supported their institutions, and, through the medium of the press, have almost universally made common cause with them; and with many prominent politicians, are thus fulfilling prophecy, by giving their power to the beast. It is not surprising, that the infidel should be in such company, since the enmity of the human heart is not likely to be aroused by pompous ceremonies, or Latin forms of worship; nor is it wonderful, that the unprincipled politician, who seeks promotion and power, should avail himself of every steppingstone which his keen and scrutinizing eye can discern. The fact, that they move in a mass, and move according to the dictation of a priest, renders them a convenient instrument of the ambitious demagogue.

The Jesuits are fully aware of the advantage they derive from this circumstance. They know, that a body of men admitted to citizenship, unlearned in the true nature of American liberty, exercising the elective franchise, totally uninfluenced by the ordinary methods of reasoning, but passively obedient only to the commands of their priests, must give those priests great consequence in the eyes of the leaders of political parties; they know, that these leaders must esteem it very important that the priests be propitiated. And how is a Catholic priest to be propitiated? How, but by stipulating for that which will increase his power or the power of the church; for be it always borne in mind, that they are identical. The Roman church is the body of priests and prelates; the laity have only to obey and to pay, not to exercise authority. The priest must be favored in his plans of destroying Protestantism, and building up popery. He must have money from the public treasury to endow Catholic institutions; he must be allowed to have charters for these institutions, which will confer extraordinary powers upon their Jesuit trustees; he must be permitted quietly to break down the Protestant sabbath, by encouraging Catholics to buy and sell on that day as on other days; in one word, he must have all the powers and privileges which the law, or the officers appointed to administer the law, can conveniently bestow upon him. The demagogue or the party who will promise to do most for the accomplishment of these objects, will secure all the votes which he controls. Surely there is great danger to our present institutions from this source, and men as skillful as are the Jesuits, we may be sure will not fail to use the power thus thrown into their hands, to work great mischief to the republic.'-Foreign Conspiracy against the United States, pp. 62-64.

The system is so well arranged in some parts of the country, that the bishop or priest can state before the election, what num

ber of votes he can bring to the polls for the person he advocates. Places can also be named, where the Roman priests have stated from the pulpit, what candidates the people were to support.

Popery is organized at the elections! For example: In Michigan, the Bishop Richard, a Jesuit, (since deceased,) was several times chosen delegate to Congress from the Territory, the majority of the people being Catholics. As Protestants became more numerous, the contest between the bishop and his Protestant rival was more and more close, until at length by the increase of Protestant immigration, the latter triumphed. The bishop, in order to detect any delinquency in his flock at the polls, had his ticket printed on colored paper! Whether any were so mutinous as not to vote according to orders, or what penance was inflicted for disobedience, I did not learn. The fact of such a truly Jesuitical mode of espionage, I have from a gentleman resident at that time in Detroit. Is not a fact like this of some importance? Does it not show that popery, with all its speciousness, is the same here as elsewhere; it manifests, when it has the opportunity, its genuine disposition to use spiritual power for the promotion of its temporal ambition. It uses its ecclesiastical weapons to control an election.

In Charleston, S. C., the Roman Catholic Bishop England is said to have boasted of the number of votes that he could control at an election. I have been informed, on authority which cannot be doubted, that in New-York, a priest, in a late election for city officers, stopped his congregation after mass on Sunday, and urged the electors not to vote for a particular candidate, on the ground of his being an antiCatholic; the result was the election of the Catholic candidate." Pp. 88, 89.

4. Their aid from immigration. While some are added to their numbers by conversion from the Protestant population, their chief accession is from immigration. In this way they are increasing in numbers, with unparalleled rapidity. The number of immigrants annually arriving in this country, is estimated at two hundred thousand; three-fourths of whom, at least, it is supposed, are Roman Catholics. Not less than five hundred Roman Catholic priests are reported to have arrived in this country, during the last year. In these several ways, this community have increased in this country for the last ten years with amazing rapidity. The whole subject assumes a still more solemn interest, when these facts are viewed as the indications of a matured design on the part of the Romanists to establish themselves in this country. There is reason to believe, that the Roman Catholics, not only in this country, but throughout the world, are prepared to concur in this design, and unite their efforts for its accomplishment. Leading Protestants in Europe consider this the prominent design of the court of Rome. The crowned heads of Europe, the population of France and Austria, through their Leopold societies, the