till the Revolution established freedom of conscience, or raTHER GAVE AN UNDUE ASCENDENCY TO CONCEALED ATHEISM, WHICH ANY SUPERSTITION REMARKABLY ABSURD HAS A -36 TENDENCY TO PRODUCE. But the strongest minds, as usual, "remained deistical." See Pinkerton's Geography, vol. i. pp. 415, 253 and 257.

Now, without endeavouring to strike the balance of iniquity between Atheism and Deism, it is by this time pretty - well agreed that a deplorable corruption existed on the Continent before the French Revolution; and that, in the righteous judgment of God, even an Infidel Philosophy was permitted to become the scourge of the perverted Faith and criminal practices which had taken the place of all true Religion and virtue.

It is a necessary consequence of the superstitious abuse of Religion, and of the excess to which such an abuse may be carried, that Religion itself falls into universal discredit; and is commonly replaced by Atheism, libertinism, and the contempt of all laws, divine and human.

If the following History shall be considered to establish the fact of the Jesuits having been from their origin the opponents of spiritual light, and the advocates of spiritual darkness, the unhallowed instruments of perpetuating the reign of bigotry, superstition, intolerance, and error; what then will become of MR. DALLAS's attempt to erect these very men into Apostles of piety and purity, or of his theatrical assertion (p. 167), that they were ACTUATED BY THE SUB66 LIMEST MOTIVES, SUCH AS MIGHT BE ATTRIBUTED TO AN66 GELS, THE GLORY OF GOD, AND THE BENEFIT OF MAN❝ KIND?"

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If that statement shall be completely negatived by the History which follows, what then will become of his minor proposition, that it was to their suppression, rather than to its own demoralized and vitiated condition, that Christian Europe must refer the tremendous visitation she has experienced; a visitation which, so far from having had the purifying and

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salutary effects which might have been anticipated, has only seen her settle down again, into the dregs of the same system which was, before, her sorrow and her shame:-a visitation which, after all the expenditure of Protestant blood and treasure in defence of the rights and liberties of the world, has only issued in the restoration of the Pope, the revival of the Inquisition, and the re-establishment of the Order of Jesuits? So far from MR. DALLAS having established his extraordinary theory, that the Jesuits would have prevented the revolution of opinions which preceded the revolution of Govern. ments, it is well known that some persons, and particularly NICHOLAI of Berlin, informed the public, during the same period in which the new Philosophers were at work, that, so far from the Jesuits having ever been effectually suppressed, they were at that very time actively engaged in abetting and supporting the advocates of Infidelity; and that the members of the Society of Jesus were then to be found in every place, under various habits and characters, labouring with indefatigable zeal for the re-establishment of their own government upon the ruin of others. Whether this opinion be true or false, will be best ascertained by a reference to the evidence which that writer and others collected and published in Germany in support of it: but at all events it may serve to shew, that before the Public consents to be concluded by the positive assertions of MR. DALLAS on this subject, the interests of truth require that an opinion so entirely at variance with his own, should be fairly examined; an opinion which undoubtedly corresponds better with the recorded History of Jesuitism than that which is advanced by MR. DALLAS, and which (as we have seen) he has supported by no better authority.

It may be very fairly questioned, whether the Jesuits, so far from being pure of all design to promote Scepticism and Infidelity on the Continent, did not actually encourage and forward the propagation of those principles from the period of their public suppression, as an Order, down to the time immediately antecedent to the French Revolution; and this by

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means of the Masonic Lodges which abounded both in France and Germany, and which are now well known to have been abused to the vilest purposes. There seems at least to be some evidence in support of such an opinion from the following authority. PROFESSOR ROBISON, in the Introduction to his Proofs of a Conspiracy against the Religions and Governments of Europe, says, "German Freemasonry was much connected with many occurrences and schisms in the Christian Church: I "found that THE JESUITS HAD SEVERAL TIMES INTERFERED "IN IT; AND THAT MOST OF THE EXCEPTIONABLE INNOVA66 TIONS AND DISSENSIONS HAD ARISEN ABOUT THE TIME 66 THAT THE ORDER OF JESUITS WAS SUPPRESSED; SO THAT "IT SHOULD SEEM THAT THESE INTRIGUING BRETHREN HAD 66 ATTEMPTED TO MAINTAIN THEIR INFLUENCE BY MEANS OF "FREEMASONRY."

Afterwards, speaking of Freemasonry in England in the time of the Civil war, he says, "I have met with many particular "facts, which convince me that at this time THE JESUITS INTERFERED CONSIDERABLY, insinuating themselves into the

Lodges, and contributing to increase that religious mysticism "that is observable in all the Ceremonies of the Order. This "Society is well known to have put on every shape, and to have "made use of every method that could promote the power " and influence of the Order: and we know that at this time

they were by no means without hopes of re-establishing the "dominion of the Church of Rome in England." See p. 21 of Professor Robison's work. Again, adverting to the period which followed the English Revolution of 1688, he says, 66 King James *, with many of his most zealous adherents,

* That the attachment of King James II. to Popery (by which he lost his Crown) was chiefly referable to the intrigues of the Jesuits, will appear from the well-known letter of a Jesuit of Liege to a Jesuit of Fribourg, dated 2d February, 1684, given at length by RAPIN. This Letter was circulated publicly through Switzerland, and was copied by BURNET, at Zurich. It is as follows:

"It is wonderful to see King James's great affection to our Society:

"took refuge in France: they took Freemasonry with them to "the Continent, where it was immediately received by the "French, and was cultivated with great zeal, in a manner

"He wished prosperity to all this College, by the Reverend Father, "the Provincial, and earnestly recommended himself to our prayers. "Upon Father John Keynes's return to England, he gave him a most "gracious reception (while Earls and Dukes were commanded for some "hours to wait for admittance); with whom, in the Queen's presence, "he discoursed with all familiarity. He asked him, how many Can"didates for Orders he had, and how many Students? And upon the "Provincial's answer to his Majesty, who was urgent with him, that "of the former and the latter he had above fifty; he replied, there "would be occasion for double or treble that number, to effect what "he designed for that Society's performance; and ordered that they "should be all exercised in the art of preaching; for now, says he, "England has need of such.

“I do not doubt but you have heard, that the King, writing to "Father de La Chaise, the French King's Confessor, concerning the "affairs of the House among the Walloons, declared, that whatever "was done to the English Fathers of that House, he would look upon "as done to himself. Father Clare, Rector of the same House, being "arrived at London to treat of that matter, got an easy access to the «King, and as easily gained his point. The King himself forbad him "to kneel and kiss his hand, according to custom, saying, 'Reverend "Father, you have indeed once kissed my hand; but if I had known “then, as I do now, that you were a Priest, I would rather myself, "Father, have kneeled down, and kissed your hand.' After he had "finished his business, in a familiar conversation, his Majesty told this "Father, that he would either convert England, or die a Martyr; and "that he had rather die the next day and convert it, than reign twenty 66 years piously and happily, and not effect it. Finally, he called him"self a Son of the Society, of whose good success, he said, he was as glad as of his own. And it can scarcely be expressed how much gratitude he shewed, when it was told him, that he was made partaker, by the most Reverend our Provincial, of all the merits of the "Society; out of which he is to nominate one for his Confessor; but "hitherto it is not known who it will be; some report that it will be "the Reverend Father the Provincial, but still there is no certainty of "that. Many are of opinion, that Father Edward R. Petre, who is "chiefly in favour with the King, will obtain an Archbishoprick, but "more believe it will be a Cardinal's cap. To him has been granted

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suited to the taste of that polished people. The Lodges in "France naturally became the rendezvous of the adherents to "the exiled King, and the means of carrying on a corre

"within this month or two, all that part of the Palace, in which the "King used to reside when he was Duke of York, where there is not "a day, but you may see I know not how many courtiers waiting to "speak to his Eminence, for so they say he is called. For the King ad❝vises with him, and with many Catholic Lords who have the chief "places in the kingdom, to find a method to propagate the faith with"out violence. Not long since some of these Lords objected to the "King, that they thought he made too much haste to establish the "Faith. To whom he answered, 'I am growing old, and must take "large steps; else, if I should happen to die, I might perhaps leave you "in a worse condition than I found you.' When they asked him, "Why then he was so little concerned about the conversion of his "Daughters, who were the Heirs of the kingdom? he answered, "God will take care of that; leave the conversion of my Daughters to "me; do you, by your example, convert your Tenants and others to "the Faith."

"He has Catholic Lord-Lieutenants in most counties; and we shall "have shortly Catholic Justices of the Peace in almost all places. "We hope also that our affairs will have good success at Oxford. In "the public Chapel of the Vice-Chancellor, who is a Roman Catholic, "there is always one of our Divines, who has converted some of the "Students to the Faith. The Bishop of Oxford himself seems to be a "great Favourer of the Catholic Faith: he proposed to the Council, "whether it did not seem to be expedient, that at least one College "should be granted to the Catholics at Oxford, that they might not be "forced to study beyond sea at such great expenses; but it is not "known what answer he had. The same Bishop having invited two of "our brethren, together with some of the Nobility, drank the King's "health to a certain Heretic Lord who was in company, wishing his "Majesty good success in all his undertakings; adding also, that the "religion of the Protestants in England, did not seem to him in a bet❝ter condition, than Buda was before it was taken; and that they "were next to Atheists that defended that Faith, Many embrace the "true religion, and four of the most considerable Earls have lately "made public profession of it, Father Alexander Keynes, the Provin"cial's Nephew, to whom is committed the care of the Chapel belong"ing to the Elector Palatine's Envoy, is continually taken up in solv"ing and answering the questions of Heretics, who doubt of their