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"But laying these Doctrines out of the question; there is "one certainly which the Petitioners have not renounced, “and indeed cannot renounce; namely, THE SUPREMACY "OF THE POPE; the acknowledgment of a Foreign jurisdic❝tion. It is contended indeed that this jurisdiction is only a "Spiritual one; but the jurisdiction of a Foreign Catholic "potentate, of any kind whatsoever, must always be a dangerous thing in a Protestant Country. This argument has "I know been considered as of little moment, and treated "with little respect; but in my opinion it is a most alarming "and important circumstance. A Spiritual authority cannot "be wholly separated from a Temporal one. An unbounded "influence over the hearts and consciences of men, in spiri"tual matters, must necessarily be attended with great in"fluence in civil, and political, concerns; and when we con"sider that the Romish Clergy of Ireland have almost absolute "command over their flocks; that the Clergy are appointed "by their Bishops; and that the Bishops are nominated by

by the Counter Declaration in question, stating that the Doctrines they professed were not those of the Church, and that no regard was to be paid to any such Private Confessions of Faith; in consequence of which, most of those very Roman Catholics, afterwards, withdrew their signatures. Thus also the more moderate of the Roman Catholic Laity, as well as many Political Protestants, would long before this have willingly conceded the Veto, and other points; but they were soon taught another lesson by their Ecclesiastical Superiors-The Pastoral Rescript of the Titular Bishop of Dublin in 1793 asserts, that "it is the funda"mental article of the Roman Catholic faith, that the Pope or Bishop "of Rome is Successor to St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles: in that "See he enjoys, by divine right, a Spiritual and Ecclesiastical Supremacy, not only of honor and rank, but of real jurisdiction and authoIrity in the Universal Church"-Dr. Milner also in his Elucidation of the Veto observes, that "one might as well think of plucking a beam "from the Sun, as attempt to pluck a fibre from the Sovereign Spiritual Authority of the Pope"-In spite of all this, and much more to the same effect, we are now expected to believe that "Catholic Emancipation" will either prevent the Pope from issuing another Bull, or else prevent his own Bishops, Clergy, and Laity, from honouring it with their attention!

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"the Pope, it is easy to see what power this must give him over the people of Ireland, and in how formidable a manner "at any perilous and awful crisis, that power may be exerted "But, besides this, it appears from the History of this

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Kingdom, that in fact, Roman Catholics and Protestants "have never yet agreed together in administering the powers. "of Government; and that England never enjoyed peace and "security, till the ascendancy of one party was established "by the downfall of the other. Where the power of the "Catholics and the Protestants was nearly equal, it was a "constant struggle for superiority. The Corporation and "Test Acts put a final period to that struggle. Since those "Acts passed, the Church of England has enjoyed perfect security and tranquility. Let us then not part with these "bulwarks of our constitution, civil and ecclesiastical, which we must do if we grant to the Roman Catholics all they "demand. Let us preserve with care that admirable Con"stitution, which our ancestors have bequeathed to us;

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namely, the Established Church, under the protection of "the State, with a Toleration to all other religious sects and “denominations whatever; but, at the same time, an exclu"sion of them, by proper tests, from all places of trust, authority, and power. This is the only system that can give

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stability and peace to any kingdom where there are dif"ferent kinds of Religion. It has given stability and peace "to this kingdom. It has been found by experience, which “is better than a thousand theories, to be the soundest policy. "It has left us quiet for above an hundred years; and it "would be the highest imprudence to throw away our best "safeguard for visionary projects of innovation, and improve66 ment, in our civil and ecclesiastical Establishment."

I am, Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

AMICUS PROTESTANS.

LETTER XIII.

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SIR,

I now come to the Second Count in the Declaration of grievances comprised in your Fifth Letter-I mean the impolicy, and inefficacy, of what you suppose to be our persecuting system towards the Roman Catholics, more especially in Ireland. I go all lengths, Sir, with you, in holding Persecution to be without excuse, or defence, and with Mr. WILBERFORCE, in supposing it to be "as weak as it is wicked;" but I contend that neither of you have shewn, or can prove, that Protestants are Persecutors, much less by their adherence to the Laws which are essential to their own existence, and can only be surrendered with it. With respect to IRELAND-it is not necessary to my argument to vindicate the entire policy of this country, in all its parts, towards Ireland, for whole centuries; but so far as regards the maintenance of our present laws of restriction, in that country as well as in this, notwithstanding that you chuse to treat them as laws of illiberality and injury, I conceive that no Paternal Government could hvae changed them, while there was a Protestant Constitution to be maintained, or while there were any Protestant Subjects to be protected; and I cannot admit those laws to have been either framed, or continued, in the spirit of persecution, or hostility, for the reasons I have already adduced in reference to ENGNo candid observer will refer all, or even the greater part, of Ireland's misfortunes, to the Mother Country, whatever errors she may, possibly, have committed, from time to time. As far back as the reign of Henry VII. LORD BACON, in his History of that Monarch, taking notice of the strong bias of Ireland towards the House of York, observes, that "it was a ticklish "and unsettled State, more easy to receive distempers and "mutations than England was." In the reign of Edward VI. BURNET, in his "Reformation," observes, "In Ireland,

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"though the Kings of England were well obeyed within the "English pale, yet the Irish continued barbarous and unci"vilized, and depended on the heads of their names or tribes, "and were obedient, or did rebel, as they directed them." In addition to all this incivilization, and the natural tendency to disaffection and disorder, which are here noticed, no reasonable man can doubt that the Religion of Popery has been a millstone round the neck of Ireland for ages; and in whatever part of Ireland that Religion prevails, she is, even now, groaning under the grossest bondage of Ignorance, which is found to be ever favourable to Mental Bondage, Idolatry, and Superstition; while the melancholy operation of that attachment to a Foreign Potentate, which is inseparable from the Papal system, has also been, from the earliest period, the bane of the Sister Island. "The Irish," (says RAPIN)" had for the "Pope an attachment equal to their ignorance, which was ex"treme this disposed them to listen to the solicitations of "the Romish Emissaries, who were continually inciting "them to rebellion against the Government. ELIZABETH, "therefore, was continually watchful upon the transactions "of that Island, knowing what was the interest and credit "which the Pope, her enemy, had there." [Vol. 8, p. 260, Edit. 1729.]

This last extract may suffice as a summary of Irish History, from that period to the present. Even Foreigners have noticed this unfortunate hankering after an external jurisdiction, while the more sagacious of them have properly referred it, not to the love of foreign rule for its own sake, but to the desire of finding a Ruler of their own Religion—a desire, not indeed confined to Ireland, but very natural in England, and strongly felt by English Roman Catholics, as well as Irish. The Historian of Louis XIV. observes, "The difficulty of ascertaining "how far a Foreign Sovereign should be obeyed, and the plea66 sure of throwing off a natural yoke, in favour of one of our "own choosing, have but too often induced whole Orders "of the Religious to serve Rome in preference to their Na"tive Country." Now, to transfer that allegiance to a Fo

reigner, which is secured to our own Sovereign by the whole system of British law, in mere deference to this hallucination of Irish Roman Catholics, has not appeared to be very wise, and therefore the sacrifice has not yet been made; and we could still less consent to change our RELIGION, for purposes of compliment, or conciliation; hence the continued dissatisfaction of the Roman Catholics; and hence, Sir, your heavy, but, I think, unfounded, complaints. I fear it will be in vain for me to expect that the Roman Catholics will be satisfied with this or any other explanation of the reasons which have operated with us to keep things as they are, because, as HOOKER has observed, "It is not easy to speak to the contentation of minds, exul❝cerated in themselves, but that somewhat there will be always "which displeaseth." Fain would we desire, with all sincerity, "to find a remedy, but when you prescribe the plaister of "Catholic Emancipation," we think we hear the caution

"Lay not that flattering unction to your soul;
"It will but skin and film the ulcerous place,
"Whiles rank corruption, mining all within,
"Infects unseen."

A far readier, more rational, and more scriptural, remedy for the woes of Ireland, presents itself in Evangelizing, and Educating, that fine country. Without the pure Gospel of Christ, the work will never be effected, and therefore the impurities of Idolatry and Superstition should be discountenanced, and not encouraged; their Professors, and Adherents, should be kept in the lowest place, and not exalted to power and eminence; their Hierarchy should not conceive the hope, and be placed within the reach, of ascendancy for their own Apostate Church, nor should their Laity be stimulated to the bad ambition of political intrigue, by the tempting offer of glittering proposals, for their own advancement, when, if they are not the veriest knaves upon earth, they cannot advance themselves, without, at the same time, advancing their own Priesthood, and their own Religion.

When I speak of Evangelizing Ireland, I certainly contemplate a far higher and purer course of Protestant Instruction

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