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"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 respect is just the re"verfe of what your Doctor would make you "believe. In the first place, then, I appeal to experience, and what every Proteftant, that

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goes abroad to Catholick countries, may fee "with his own eyes; viz, the affiduity and atten"tion which our clergy ufe in inftructing the

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people in the truths of Christianity. There we "find feveral religious orders of men, who, fer queftrating themfelves from all worldly concerns, dedicate themselves entirely to the fer"vice of their neighbours fouls, preaching the gofpel, catechifing the children, and instructing the ignorant in the principles of their re65 ligion. There we find, focieties 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 falvation; and, 66 to encourage thofe poor people to frequent "thefe meetings and profit by them, make a "collection among themfelves, 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"tifed by our clergymen even in this country, "notwithstanding all the hardships we lie un

"der; and, I ask you, If you have not, generally fpeaking, found fuch of our young peo

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ple, even of the lowest class, as you have had "occafion to know, as well, if not better, verfed, in the truths of Chriftianity than those "who boaft of greater things? I appeal to our "books of piety and devotion, published in the

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language of every Catholick country, for the "ufe of the people, and I ask you, if they be 66 not full of the moft folid inftructions of true "Chriftian virtue and perfection? Nay! fome "of the most celebrated books of that kind used by the church of England herself, what are they but mangled copies of our Catholick originals? Witnefs, the imitation of Chrift and "Hick's devotions, by way of offices. I appeal "to the public decrees of our councils, to the "conftitutions of our Popes, and to the works of "all our divines, whofe conftant doctrine it is, "that, if a perfon be not fufficiently inftructed " in the principal truths of the Christian doctrine, "he is not capable of being admitted to the fa

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craments, and that, therefore, it is the bound"ed duty of every paftor of fouls to employ "himself affiduously in inftructing thofe 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 muft answer for theirs "at the tribunal of Jefus Chrift. Judge, my "friend, if those who profefs 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

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"of faith or religion; but to declare, illuftrate "and confirm, by her authority, what had been taught and believed in all former ages of Chri

stianity, and, for that reafon, 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 other

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fit perfons employed by them, to perform duty carefully; and, if they neglect it, they become fubject "to fevere punishment alfo, 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 fuited to their capacity, in all things neceffary for a Chriftian to know, and to point out to them, in an eafy intelligible manner, the vices they ought to avoid and the virtues they ought to prac"tife, in order to escape eternal punishment and at“tain to heavenly glory; and if they neglect to do so,

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even though admonished by their Bishops, and con

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."

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Again, in the xxiv. feffion and 4th chapter of "the decree de Reform, the Council, fenfible of "the neceflity of having this duty of the pá"ftoral charge well performed, and folicitous "that all the Chriftian people fhould be thỏ"roughly instructed in the truths of religion,

refumes the fame fubject; and defcending to

"more particulars, lays her express commands i. upon all Bishops to fee this duty properly perform"ed either by themselves or by their parif-priests, or

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by others at the Bishops expence, and that this be "done both in town and in other parts of the diocefs "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 inftructions be; to explain the facred fcripture; to infruct 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, fhe orders, "That the people be well inftructed in "the nature and benefits received from the holy facraments, with the interiour difpofitions required "in the ufe of them; and laftly, That thofe portions "of the facred Scripture, which are used for the lef fons at Mafs, be particularly explained to the people 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; fee here her folicitude and anxiety for propagating "the knowledge of God and of his holy fcrip"tures among all her people; fee here, the prin

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ciples on which the proceeds; compare this "with the practice of her children, as above

mentioned, and you fee fhe is all of a piece, "conftant and uniform in what fhe commands "and in what fhe practifes upon this impor"tant fubject. Now tell me, pray, which ought I, in reafon, to believe, the calumnious "affertions of our adverfaries, pretending, that our church wants to keep her children in ig

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*t norance of God and of his holy truths, or "what I have here laid before you from her રંડ daily practice, principles and public decrees? "Thefe are facts, my friend, open to the eyes "the whole world, which cannot be called in

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question; judge then what an appearance the "conduct of your teachers must have to us, "who, from our own happy experience, know "the falfehood of their flanderous afperfions; "fuch things may go down with their ignorant "hearers who know no better, but certainly it

cannot fail to fill the breaft of every candid "and intelligent Christian with the utmost con

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tempt of them and their religion, &c. &c." for I do not choose to pursue this theme further; what I have faid is fufficient to fhow you, the vast advantage a fenfible Roman Catholick might make of these unjuft methods ufed 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.

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what reply could his Protestant friend make to the above reafoning? Could any thing ftronger be used to stagger him in his own principles, and make him fufpect the integrity of his Proteftant teachers and their caufe? 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 adverfaries fuch advantage over them?

I should now proceed to fome 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