: "man-Catholick church. And, as I know the uprightness and candour of your heart, I "will be at no difficulty to convince you, that her conduct in that refpect is just the re"verse of what your Doctor would make you " believe. In the first place, then, I appeal to "experience, and what every Proteftant, that 66 goes abroad to Catholick countries, may fee " with his own eyes; viz, the affiduity and atten" tion which our clergy use in instructing the people in the truths of Chriftianity. There we " find several religious orders of men, who, fes questrating themselves from all worldly con cerns, dedicate themselves entirely to the fer"vice of their neighbours fouls, preaching the gofpel, catechifing the children, and instruct"ing the ignorant in the principles of their religion. There we find, societies or affociations of young gentlemen, even among the laity themselves, who, full of zeal for the fal"vation of fouls, have a regular time fet every " week for calling together the poor beggars " and their children, in fome church appointed " for the purpose, where they hear them their catechifm, or teach, by word of mouth, those "who cannot read, the truths of salvation; and, 66 66 to encourage those poor people to frequent "these meetings and profit by them, make a " collection among themselves, and give every one an alms each time they attend them: and " of this, I have, with the utmost pleasure and edification, been an eye-witness in the city of "Rome itself, when on my travels. I appeal to your own experience, what you know is prac" tised by our clergymen even in this country, " notwithstanding all the hardships we lie un 1 "der; and, I ask you, If you have not, general ly speaking, found such of our young peo"ple, even of the lowest class, as you have had " occafion to know, as well, if not better, ver" sed, in the truths of Chriftianity than those "who boaft of greater things? I appeal to our " books of piety and devotion, published in the language of every Catholick country, for the " use of the people, and I ask you, if they be not full of the most solid instructions of true " Christian virtue and perfection? Nay! some " of the most celebrated books of that kind used 66 66 by the church of England herself, what are "they but mangled copies of our Catholick ori"ginals? Witness, the imitation of Christ and " Hick's devotions, by way of offices. I appeal to the public decrees of our councils, to the "constitutions of our Popes, and to the works of "all our divines, whose constant doctrine it is, " that, if a person be not fufficiently instructed " in the principal truths of the Chriftian doctrine, " he is not capable of being admitted to the fa craments, and that, therefore, it is the bound"ed duty of every paftor of fouls to employ " himself affiduously in instructing those under " his charge in these things; and that, if any " of his people's fouls be loft through ignorance "of their religion, and this ignorance be owing " to his neglect; his foul must answer for theirs at the tribunal of Jesus Chrift. Judge, my "friend, if those who profess and believe this, " will, at the fame time, make it a point to keep their people in ignorance. I appeal, in fine, to the decrees of the great Council of Trent, " that grand oracle of the Catholick Church, " which never pretended to publish new articles " " " of faith or religion; but to declare, illustrate " and confirm, by her authority, what had been 66 taught and believed in all former ages of Christianity, and, for that reason, appeals, in all " her decrees, to the doctrines and practices of "these former times. This great Council, pro ceeding upon the above principles, in her "decree de Reform. feffion v. chap. 2. de"clares, That the preaching the word is one of the chief duties of a Bishop, and, therefore, following example of all preceding ages decrees, "That all Bishops and other prelates are bound, ei"ther by themselves, or if lawfully hindered, by other " fit persons employed by them, to perform this duty "carefully; and, if they neglect it, they become fubject " to fevere punishment: also, that all the inferiour “ clergy, who have the charge of fouls, are bound in “ confcience, at least on Sundays and holydays, to in"Struct the people committed to their charge, in a " manner suited to their capacity, in all things necef"fary for a Christian to know, and to point out to " them, in an easy intelligible manner, the vices they 46 ought to avoid and the virtues they ought to practife, in order to escape eternal punishment and at“tain to heavenly glory; and if they neglect to do fo, even though admonished by their Bishops, and con 65 tinue in this neglect for the space of three months, "the Bishop is then to fubject them to church cenfures, " and employ another proper perfon in their place." Again, in the xxiv. session and 4th chapter of "the decree de Reform, the Council, sensible of "the necessity of having this duty of the pa"storal charge well performed, and folicitous " that all the Christian people should be tho" roughly instructed in the truths of religion, "refumes the same subject; and defcending to " more particulars, lays her express commands upon all Bishops to fee this duty properly perform" ed either by themselves or by their parisk-priests, or by others at the Bishops expence, and that this be “ done both in town and in other parts of the diocess " where they shall fee convenient, not only on Sundays and holydays, but also every day, if possible, or at least thrice a week, during the times of Advent and Lent; and that the fubject of these in“ ftructions be ; to explain the facred fcripture; to in" ftruct the people in the Divine law; to teach the " children the first principles of their religion, and “ obedience to their parents and fuperiours." And again, in the viith chapter of the fame decree, she orders, "That the people be well instructed in “ the nature and benefits received from the holy facraments, with the interiour difpofitions required in the use of them; and lastly, That those portions of the facred fcripture, which are used for the lef" fons at Mass, be particularly explained to the peo 66 ple in their own language, and that all these things “ be inferted in their hearts, and they be thoroughly inftructed in the law of the Lord." See here, my friend, the language of our church; see here " her folicitude and anxiety for propagating "the knowledge of God and of his holy scrip 66 66 tures among all her people; see here, the principles on which she proceeds; compare this " with the practice of her children, as abovementioned, and you fee she is all of a piece, constant and uniform in what she commands and in what she practises upon this important fubject. Now tell me, pray, which ought I, in reason, to believe, the calumnious "assertions of our adverfaries, pretending, that our church wants to keep her children in ig 66 66 ** norance of God and of his holy truths, of "what I have here laid before you from her " daily practice, principles and public decrees ? "These are facts, my friend, open to the eyes of "the whole world, which cannot be called in question; judge then what an appearance the " conduct of your teachers must have to us, " who, from our own happy experience, know "the falsehood of their slanderous afperfions; " such things may go down with their ignorant "hearers who know no better, but certainly it cannot fail to fill the breast of every candid " and intelligent Christian with the utmost con For tempt of them and their religion, &c. &c.” for I do not choose to purfue this theme further; what I have faid is sufficient to show you, the vast advantage a sensible Roman Catholick might make of these unjust methods used against his church, and how far he could push the above reflections in his own favour, and to the irreparble prejudice of the Proteftant religion. what reply could his Proteftant friend make to the above reasoning? Could any thing stronger be used to stagger him in his own principles, and make him suspect the integrity of his Proteftant teachers and their cause? How much, therefore, ought we to condemn the imprudence and folly of those, who, by publishing fuch falfehoods to the world, betray their own cause, and give their adversaries such advantage over them? I should now proceed to some other instance of the fame unjustifiable conduct; but as the adage, That ignoranee is the mother of devotion, upon which our author builds the above calumny, is common in every body's mouth, and used in ridicule of the Roman Catholicks, I know it will not |