From these remarks it cannot fail to be obvious, that there is a natural connexion between Popery and national degradation and general poverty. It will be intelligible how it happened that Spain, possessing the richest colonial empire and a fine European territory, sunk into comparative contempt among the nations of Europe; while Britain, after it got quit of the Popish domination, became as a queen among the nations in comparative power and riches. Compare, for an instant, the education of our own country of Scotland with that which the Popish system establishes, and it will be seen how it happened that a small northern territory has taken the lead, almost of the world, in the first of all arts, that of agriculture; and its population have diffused themselves over all lands, prospering and rising into wealth and distinction in every country and climate to which they have had access. But of this I have more to say.

It is evident that the employments in which the members of the Popish priesthood are engaged, must differ according to the situation, interests, and prospects of Popery. Being detached from all domestic and patriotic interests and affections, and exclusively devoted to the aggrandisement of their association, their occupations are much diversified. When sent into Protestant countries they are taught to act with the greatest humility and mildness, in order to guard against giving offence, and to say that they seek only in peace to attend to the spiritual welfare of their followers, without any view to worldly ambition. Thus a veil of the deepest hypocrisy covers them. But they never forget the task they have been commanded to fulfil. In a

free country, under the pretence of fostering liberty, they incessantly stimu. late their followers to labour to attain political privileges, which will to a certainty be employed in subserviency to the interests of the priesthood. These interests so totally absorb the minds of the members of that body, as to deprive them of every sentiment of humanity or regard for the rest of mankind, when the interest of the priesthood is at stake. Hence the horrid cruelties and diabolical tyranny of their courts of Inquisitionthe massacres and bloody persecutions which they have devised, urged, and

accomplished against those styled heretics, meaning, thereby, persons who presumed to read the Bible and ventured to dispute the authority of the combined Roman priesthood, and to disregard the fables and superstition which they taught. These fables, and that superstition, with all its worship of wafers, statues, pictures, pil. grimages, confessions, holy waters, absolutions, and penances, the more intelligent members of the body regard with contempt; but consider them as necessary tools whereby to command the world, filled, as it comes to be under their domination, with a brutally ignorant, sensual, and contemptible race. So completely is the mind of the Popish priest or monk identified with his order, that the laws of morality uniformly bend to its views and aggrandisement. That is good which is profitable to the corps, and nothing is evil that has a tendency to promote its power. Hypocrisy, perjury, every vice, and all profligacy, may be tolerated, or even countenanced, if the measure appears expedient towards advancing the views of the Church. The end sanctifies the means. In a Popish country a man of sense regards with disgust the gross mummery and miserable idolatry represented as religion; but having learned no other religion, and being aware of the hazard of exciting the hostility of the associated priesthood, he holds his peace, and takes refuge in total infidelity. Thus it happens that, in countries under the influence of the system of Popery, the mass of the people are sunk in miserable ignorance and superstition, and persons possessed of some intelligence become utter infidels. With these last the priesthood have no quarrel, as they let them alone. What they hate and fear are heretics; that is to say, men who seek after religious truth, and are disposed to rescue mankind from the dominion of a fraternity combined to hold them under a most brutalizing servitude. whatever country, as his birthplace, a member of that fraternity may belong-his king, chief, or government that obtains his fidelity, attachment, and allegiance, is the Pope or prince of Rome, as head of the association. They are loyal to no government that is not priestridden. In our days, they were loyal to the Bourbons merely because they were under servitude to

To

the priesthood. They are not loyal to Louis-Philippe, because he is not sufficiently submissive to their views. They caused the superstitious populace of Belgium, against the interest of the country, to revolt from Hol. land because its King is Protestant. They are not truly loyal to Leopold, because not sufficiently their creature. In Prussia, they occasionally give

trouble; but the government being Protestant, absolute, and military, and a succession of princes possessed of considerable vigour having held the crown, they have been with some difficulty kept tolerably quiet. What we are chiefly interested in, is the question how Popery ought to be treated in the British isles.

Any man of common sense, who considers the subject with tolerable attention, must be satisfied that it must prove extremely difficult and embarrassing to manage with success the affairs of a people, if Protestants and Papists are to be joined together in forming the legis. lature. The objects which the parties have in view, are totally different. The object which the system of Po. pery has in view is, to render all mankind subject to the associated priest. hood. For that purpose the members of the association are made to abjure every tie that might divert their minds and efforts from that sovereign pur. pose. They must not marry-they must obey the superior of the corps to which they belong, and hold themselves to be the subjects of its head, the prince-bishop of Rome the sacred and infallible vicar of God upon earth, and superior of all kings and potentates. To all this, every member of the incorporation is sworn. Every priest, monk, and nun, therefore, is devoted to the task of subduing mankind to obedience to the Church. Hence, in a free country, they devote their highest efforts to influence the election of the members of the legis. lature, and to direct the people to the nomination of individuals devoted to the Church. For that purpose they spare no exertion. All the influence is called to his aid, by every priest, that can be derived from superstition, from the horror of heresy, the fear of hell and purgatory, and the influence derived from the power to create God in the mass-the power to grant or refuse absolution from eternal damnation. He regards only the interest of the Church, and disregards that of the members of his ignorant congregation. It is nothing to him that an individual, by voting as he directs, will quarrel with his landlord or best em

ployer, and lose the bread of his family. Even were the man a king, endangering his crown by obeying the priest his confessor, that hazard would be disregarded by the priest. They urged Charles X. of France and James II. of England to patronise Popery, obviously at that risk. What then? The Popish priesthood cared not for the interest of these unhappy princes or their families. They said, let these kings reign for our benefit, or let them perish in a miserable exile.

Well, the Legislature is met, and Protestant members and the delegates of the Romish priesthood are mingled together. The Popish members must obey their constituents. If money is proposed to be expended in the edu. cation of the people, the Popish member readily concurs; but their priesthood must be the teachers, or have influence in the nomination of the teachers, so that little may be learned at the national schools but to repeat Popish prayers to saints and catechisms to abhor all heretics, and to adore the priest. If judges or magistrates are to be appointed, or officers of any description to be employed, the King or Queen's ministers will be opposed in Parliament by every Popish voter, if the crown's patronage is not placed in the hands of their priesthood. If the preferment to be granted form a part of the Protestant church establishment, so that it cannot openly be given to a Papist, the influence of the body is exerted in favour of a man of unsound faith, or so unprincipled that he may safely be relied on as a man who will make no opposition to Popery, and will even support all indirect measures demanded by that body. In short, it is in every respect the interest of the Popish system to subdue or retain the people under the most brutal ignorance, and slavery to the most contemptible and odious form of Paganism! The old Greeks and Romans, though under a blind superstition, could still enjoy a degree of liberty; but the subjects of Popery, through their superstition, are fastened down under a degrading servitude to an unfeeling combination of priests.

On the other hand, it is the interest and the duty of Protestants, and of the Protestant members of the Legislature, to endeavour, in every form, to excite to fair exertion, and thereby to improve the talents and moral character of the people; and, for that purpose, to afford them the means of obtaining an enlightened and virtuous education. It is only in that way that the nation can be enabled to put forth all its powers; that is to say, it is only by bestowing on the mass of the population such a degree of literature, and of moral and religious habits, as are necessary to enable those among them, whom nature has gifted with talents, to labour under the control of the exalted and beneficent views that religion inspires in extending the limits of every science, and the powers of every valuable art. It is the nature of Protestantism, and is consistent with an enlightened self-interest on the part of every Protestant, to endeavour to ac. complish that object. It is only thus that his country, and his kindred and descendants, can become great, wealthy, and enlightened. Accordingly, Protestantism has produced that objectlook to Holland and to Britain from the time that Popery was banished from its government and counsels. Nay, even in France, after the Protestants had been removed from every branch of the public service; yet, by directing their attention to the improvement of arts and manufactures, they became the most industrious branch of the population, and the artists and enrichers of the nation. But the historical fact is well known; so utterly regardless is the Popish system of every interest but that of its own selfish ascendency, that the superstition of Louis XIV. was influenced by it to drive into exile many hundred thousands of those Protestants, by far his most valuable subjects, who carried their arts, the source of riches, to England and the Protestant part of Germany, where they peopled whole

towns. Those who did not go into exile were subjected to a cruel persecution, till, in consequence of the ascendency derived from Marlborough's victories, Britain demanded protection for them; and, in virtue of an article in the treaty of peace, the French nation had the mortification to see thousands of their countrymen liberated from French prisons in consequence of the glorious use of victory by a Protestant nation.

As it is the interest, and therefore the object pursued by Popery, to brutalize mankind, and that of Protestantism to enlighten and improve mankind, it is clear that a Legislature containing both Protestants and Papists must of necessity find itself involved in perplexity and embarrassment, at least if either the Papists be in any degree considerable in point of number, or if the Protestant factions in the state be at all divided. The

Papists will necessarily pursue Popish objects, and, acting under instructions from a concentrated body of priests, the Popish members will act consistently, zealously, and with uniformity, in the pursuit of the policy and special objects dictated to them. The Protestant members being, on the other hand, left to follow their own views as individuals, and being often influenced by personal and family interests, the Protestant party will not act with that unity and consistency which, in political contests, and in a popular assembly, is so necessary to success. Hence the Popish party may do more than balance or overcome, in the eyes of the executive government-that is, in point of efficiency as a faction-double their number of Protestant members, and may easily carry with them all those of an infidel and unprincipled character. Thus the Popish party will and must ultimately destroy the Protestant church and clergy. Nor is it possible to prevent this result, if political privilege be given gi to Papists.

To make it a condition of their admission to the Legislature, that they shall take an oath not to injure the Protestant Church already established, is of no avail. If a man swear to do what is wrong, the crime consists in swearing and not in violating the oath. When the Papist swears he will not injure a heretical church, he does an act which in his estimation is of the same nature as if he were to swear that he will commit murder; or that, being a soldier, he will desert to the enemy, or run away instead of standing to his post or his colours. If he have any scruple about breaking such an oath, his priest will give him absolution upon small pe

nance.

It would be more rational for the British Protestant people to receive into their House of Commons representatives of our Mahometan people of Bengal, than to receive the delegates of Popery. Our Mahometan Indians (not Gentoos) have no other prince than our own monarch, and are not the subjects of a sworn combination of priests; whereas the men who by their influence nominate the Popish members of Parliament, are subjects of a foreign power, the prince of Rome, and have combined under him to subdue mankind at whatever cost, under the domination of him and the body of which he is the head. All this was well understood by our Scottish forefathers, and had been impressed upon them by severe experience. They had a hard struggle with Popery. By dint of preserving ignorance among the populace, the Popish priesthood had themselves become ignorant. When directed by their superiors to prevent the Bible from being read or heard read, the historian Hume tells us that many of the Popish clergy în Scotland seriously believed that the New Testament was a heretical book, written by Martin Luther. However strange that idea may now seem, it was not utterly absurd, because, if not heretical, why was the perusal of it prohibited? simple men, not being in the secrets of the combined Roman continental priesthood, could not suspect that the inspired Record of the Christian faith could, under any circumstances, be treated as a bad book, that would lead men to perdition.

These

Having succeeded in putting down Popery, the Scottish Protestants adopted measures, devised with profound sagacity, to prevent its return. Their measures encountered great interruption. Our native princes, having inherited the English crown, became independent of Scotland. In the time of Charles I., who had married a Papist, the Church of England, under the superintendence of Archbishop Laud, was led to the verge of Po

pery. In Scotland, as already stated, an attempt was made to lead the Scots back to Popery by the aid of the forms of Episcopacy; and during the reigns of Charles II. and his brother James II. (VII. of Scotland), the one a concealed and the other an avowed Papist, the Scottish Protestants, adhering generally to the Presbyterian ecclesiastical forms as remotest from Popery, were exposed to a grinding tyranny, and most sanguinary and inquisitorial persecution. They were hunted over the mountains and moors of their native land; and wherever found exercising, or suspected of having exercised, their ordinary form of worship with their ancient clergy, they were slaughtered without mercy by the royal troops. But during the intervals of weakness on the part of the government, the Protestant party in Scotland had taken those measures which rendered their extinction impracticable without an absolute depopulation of this ancient kingdom.

Being aware that the strength of the Popish system consists in fastening down a people under a cloud of superstition and ignorance, the Scottish Protestants, with great discernment, made war upon ignorance and superstition, as the fatal enemies of them and of mankind. For that purpose they made effectual provision for the education of the people; - and here, be it observed, that our forefathers never proposed to establish a board of education or a minister of instruction, with national schools supported by the general government. Their Scottish sagacity protected them from reliance on such projects. In the first place, that a people may enjoy freedom, it is necessary that they do much for themselves, and leave as little, as possible to be done by government, so as to leave little pretext for the collection of a great revenue to support numerous government officers. things must be performed by a general government, such as the management of the Post-Office, the national defence, and the appointment of judges, with the fixing of rules or laws for their direction. But all interference by government that can be avoided, ought to be avoided by a people jealous of their liberties. By intrusting education to a minister of the Crown or a central board, it is exposed to all the effects of political intrigue and re

Some

volutions in the national administration. Above all, it is exposed to the influence of that system of Popery which is established in the centre of Europe, and by its ramifications, intrigues, and efforts, open, secret, or disguised, is incessantly engaged in an active warfare against Protestantism. By the aid of the confessional, it penetrates into all transactions, and operates equally by the ascendency of the priest over the weakness of devout women, and the ferocity which he inspires into ignorant men against the heretic.

Education is of two kinds-intellectual and moral. To possess intellect, without moral virtue or benevolent affections, is satanic, or the character we ascribe to the spirit of evil. When a Frenchman said of the late Bonaparte, whether justly or not, that he had un tête sans entrailles-a head without a heart (bowels of compassion or affections), he represented the character of that eminent soldier as utterly diabolical. It is certain that the mere acquisition of knowledge by men, animated only by selfish passions in whatever form-ambition, avarice, sensuality-leaves the individual actually worthless, while it renders his existence a misfortune to human society. Such men, when aided by opportunity and possessed of ability, have in different ages come forth to afflict mankind, and have been well designated as more eminently the scourges of God than famine or pestilence. Our forefathers endeavoured to educate not a part merely, but the whole of the population of the king dom; and held education to consist of the two branches already mentioned, intelligence and morality, understanding by moral education, instruction in the Christian Protestant religion.

For the first of these purposes, they established a school in every parish to teach the whole of the youth of both sexes to read and write the English language, and also the ordinary rules of arithmetic. In villages, the teachers were required to be capable of teaching the Latin language. The proprietors of lands in the parish were required to furnish a school and schoolhouse, and a salary to the teacher, reserving to him to obtain a very moderate remuneration from the scholars. Thus, cheap education for his children was brought to every man's door,

and thousands and tens of thousands of Scotsmen have found the education received at the parish school their best and no mean patrimony. The teacher of such schools is elected by the owners of property of a certain amount. In every school the translation of the Bible made in the time of James I. is the ordinary schoolbook. Adjacent to the parish school, the parish church and a house for the minister were established. The proprietors of land in the parish were required to furnish both, and a suitable salary to the clergyman. The whole population of the parish have free access to the church; and thus provision was made in Scotland for teaching the Protestant doctrine at the expense of the landed gentry exclusively. This institution continues to this day; although, from the increase of the population, and the establishment of taxation to support the clergy in Edinburgh, and one or two of the larger towns, the institution is less effective than at its original establishment.

That there might be no relapse, and to protect the community more effectually against falling back into that corruption of the administrations of religion which had led to the pernicious institutions of Popery, eare was taken to treat according to its merits the impure device on which the chief practical unity and strength of the Popishcombination rests-thecelibacy of the clergy. The Scottish clergy were not only permitted but encouraged to marry. Further, in the Scottish ecclesiastical establishment, abody of lay elders was in all the parishes appointed to assist the ministers-voting equally with them in all affairs of religion in the Presbyteries and Synods, and with a large mixture of them in the General Assemblies of the Church. In the parish or kirk sessions, which form the radical court, the minister presides; but has only his casting vote added to such influence as may result from his personal character and superior learning. All this was meant to guard against the Popish device of erecting the clergy into a fraternity or corporation distinct from the rest of the community, and with different interests.

The effect of these institutions was, in the first place, to enable every Scotsman, according to the measure of his ability and opportunities, to at