amongst you in thousands; whom you have encouraged for the last fifty
years, until at last, you have emboldened them, by your mistaken
sensibility and mock philanthropy, to say and proclaim to the universe,
_Americans shan't rule us_. This was their motto, during the last
presidential election; a motto devised and blessed by those turbulent
demagogues and pensioned agents of the Pope, in New York. But they are
not the only Papists who have proclaimed that Americans shall not rule
them. The same has been done in Philadelphia and Boston! These men are
at the bottom of all the riots, tumults, and popular commotions, which
have occurred in this country for several years back. Witness the
disturbances in Philadelphia, in 1821 and 1822, by an Irish bishop, in
trying to get possession, in the name of the Pope, of church property,
estimated to be worth over a million of dollars. (I shall refer to this
hereafter.) Witness the riots in the same city last May, where several
Americans have been sacrificed to the fury of a Popish mob. Witness the
proceeding in this city of Boston, on the occasion of a nun having made
her escape from the convent in Charlestown, to avoid, I have no doubt,
what delicacy forbade her to mention. Other causes were assigned for her
escape, and some were weak enough to deem them sufficient; but from my
own knowledge of convents, there can be no doubt of the real cause of
the escape, of the virtuous young lady, of whom mention is made.
Here is another instance of the morbid and mistaken sensibility of many
of our people. A certain number of Popish agents have applied to our
legislature to build a _jail_, which they call a convent, in our very
midst. To this jail, they attach a school, for the education of young
ladies, and for this ostensible purpose, numbers of older ones are kept
in the _jail_ or convent, by the Pope's agents.
The young ladies, who are sent to this school, are treated with kindness
and attention; every thing is done to please, to flatter them, and
even to cultivate their minds. The interior of the jail or nunnery is
depicted in the most delightful colors. The happiness of the inmates is
said to be equal to the saints in paradise. No opportunity is lost to
impress on the minds of their pupils, the temporal as well as eternal
beatitudes of this convent, until, finally, the young minds of the
scholars become perfectly enchanted, and, in the full glow of their
youthful imagination, they determine to become nuns. This step, too,
they are taught to take with apparent caution; they must serve a
noviciate, go through all the ceremony of wearing a white veil; the old
nuns representing to them the happiness they are about to enjoy, when
they are about to assume the black veil. But when this is done, the
poor innocent victims soon feel the horrors of their condition. They
are confined to solitary cells, to which no one has access _but the
priests_, and thus, in our very midst, a free born American citizen is
seduced from her parents, from her guardians, and fellow-citizens,
and no one is permitted to go and ask her freely how she likes her
condition. She is confined there with more severity, and watched more
closely, than any female in a Turkish Seraglio; and as we all recollect,
a few years ago, a Popish bishop, with his priests, and some thousands
of their _subjects_, viz., Irish Papists, threatened to sack the city
of Boston, because the people deemed it necessary to pull down that
synagogue of satan, the Charlestown nunnery. I am not an advocate of
mobs or riots: I would observe the law of the land, and see it enforced
at every risk; but there is a point at which no man would support even
the civil law.
There are laws founded upon necessity, and the eternal laws of
morality, which have a paramount claim upon one. Allegiance. Suppose
some hoary-headed profligate should obtain a charter to build a house
on Mount Benedict; suppose further, he attaches a school to it, to be
governed by the faded victims of his former dissipation, with a view of
making money for himself; suppose he and they had the address to gather
around them some of the most innocent, lovely, and respectable females
in the country; let us even suppose that ninety-nine in a hundred of
those young ladies left that school with unblemished reputation and high
accomplishments; and we had that evidence that _only one_ in a hundred
fell victims to the designs of the founders of this corrupt institution:
who would hesitate to determine what should be done with this
institution, or this nunnery, as Roman Catholic priests would call
it? An answer is not necessary. But suppose the hoary-headed gentleman
should apply to the legislature to rebuild it, would they do so? There
was a time when their acquaintance with Popery might have induced them
to say aye, if such a resolution were introduced; but now that they have
seen Popery in its native colors, withered should be the tongue of him
who would advance such a proposition; and paralyzed should be the arm of
the American who would support it. But it may be replied, that the Roman
Catholic church is different now from what it was in ancient times; that
it has essentially changed in its doctrine and in its discipline.
Others may say that Protestants, too, have been intolerant, and guilty
of many cruelties, in the propagation of their religion. This is freely
admitted: but there is this wide difference between the two religions.
The Popish creed inculcates persecution and utter extermination of all
who do not believe in its doctrines; while on the contrary, the creed
of the latter has never, and does not now, inculcate any other doctrine,
than Jesus Christ, and him crucified. In plain English, the Romish
church curses all who differ from her; while the Protestant church
blesses all, though they may be in error, and sincerely prays for their
conversion. The spirit of the latter breathes nothing but love, joy,
peace, and good will to mankind; that of the former, malice, hatred, ill
will, and persecution. This has been her uniform theory from the middle
of the third century; and as I will now show you, from the lips of her
own divines, and cannonized saints, her members have never ceased to
reduce it to practice. Cyril, who is to this day invoked, and prayed
to as a saint, taught and practised the above Romish doctrine. He was
bishop of Alexandria, in the year four hundred and twelve. There is not
a Roman Catholic, who is not taught to pray to him; and, of course, they
can have no objection to my giving him as authority. Whatever St. Cyril
believed, is believed by Papists now. Whatever he did was right, and
according to sound doctrine consequently as Holy Mother, the church,
never errs, and never can err, it must be right now. Let us see what
this saint has done and believed, in his time. Socrates, a native of
Constantinople, gives the following account of a portion of the life
of St. Cyril, and other bishops of Alexandria. I take it from his
ecclesiastical history.
The bishops of Alexandria had begun, says Socrates, to exceed the
limits of ecclesiastical power, and to intermeddle with civil affairs,
imitating, thereby, the bishop of Rome, whose sacred authority had, long
since, been changed into dominion and empire.
The governors of Alexandria, looking upon the increase of the Romish
episcopal power as a diminution of the civil, watched the bishops, in
order to restrain them within the limits of the spiritual, and prevent
their encroaching on the temporal jurisdiction. But Cyril, from the very
beginning of his episcopacy, bade defiance to civil power, acting in
such manner as showed but too plainly that he would be kept within no
bounds. Soon after his installation, he caused, by his own authority,
the churches, which the Novitians were allowed to have in Alexandria, to
be shut up, seized on the sacred utensils, and plundering the house of
their bishop, Theapemptus, drove him out of the city, stripped of every
thing he possessed. Not long after this, Cyril put himself at the head
of a _Christian_ mob, and, without the knowledge of the governor, took
possession of the Jewish synagogue, drove the Jews out of Alexandria,
pillaged their houses, and allowed the _Christians_--all Papists--who
were concerned with him in the riot, to appropriate to themselves all
their effects. This the governor highly resented, and not only rebuked
Cyril very severely, for thus encroaching on his jurisdiction, and
usurping a power that did not belong to him, but wrote to the emperor,
complaining of him for snatching the sword of justice from him, to put
it into the hands of the undeserving multitude.
This occasioned a misunderstanding, or rather an avowed enmity between
St. Cyril and the governor. With the _saint_ sided the clergy, the
greater part of the mob, and the monks; with the governor, the soldiery
and the better class of citizens As the two parties were strangely
animated against each other, there happened daily skirmishes in the
streets of Alexandria. The friends of the governor, generally speaking,
made their party good, having the soldiery on their side. But one day,
as the governor was going out in his chariot, attended by his guards,
he found himself, very unexpectedly, surrounded by no fewer than five
hundred monks. The monks were, in those days, the standing army of the
bishops, but are now of the Pope's alone. The monks in the service of
St. Cyril, having surrounded the governor's chariot, dispersed the small
guard that attended it, fell upon him, dangerously wounded him, and
determined to put an end to the quarrel between him and St. Cyril, by
taking his life.
The citizens, alarmed at his danger, flew to his rescue, put the
cowardly monks to flight, and having seized on the monk by whom the
governor was wounded, delivered him into his hands. The governor, to
deter others, caused the monk to be put to death. But St. Cyril,
partly to reward the zeal which the monk had exerted in attempting to
assassinate his antagonist, caused him to be honored as a holy martyr.
The partizans of St. Cyril, enraged at the death of the monk, and under
the advice of this Romish _saint_, determined to revenge it; and the
person they singled out among the friends of the governor to wreak their
rage and revenge on, was one who, of all the inhabitants of Alexandria,
deserved it the least. This was the famous and celebrated Hypatia, the
wonder of her age for beauty, for virtue, and knowledge. She kept a
public school of philosophy in Alexandria; where she was born, and her
reputation was so great, that not only disciples flocked from all parts
to hear her, but the greatest philosophers used to consult her as an
oracle, with respect to the most abstruse points of astronomy, geometry,
and the Platonic philosophy, which she was particularly well versed in.
Though she was very beautiful, and freely conversed with men of all
ranks, yet they were so awed by her known virtue and modesty, that none
ever presumed to show, in her presence, the least symptom of passion.
The governor entertained the highest opinion of her abilities, often
consulted her, and in all perplexed cases governed himself by her
advice. As she was the person in Alexandria whom he most valued, St.
Cyril and his friends, to wound him the more effectually, entered into a
conspiracy to destroy this beautiful and innocent lady.
This barbarous resolution being taken, as she was one day returning home
in her chariot, a band of the dregs of the people, encouraged and headed
by one of St. Cyril's priests, attacked her in her chariot, pulled her
out of it, and throwing her on the ground, dragged her to the great
church called Caesareum; there they stripped, her naked, and with sharp
tiles, either brought with them or found there, continued cutting,
tearing, and mangling her flesh, till nature, yielding to pain, she
expired under their hands. Her death did not satisfy their rage and
fury. They tore her body in pieces, dragged her mangled limbs through
all the streets of Alexandria, and then gathering them together, burned
them. Such was the end of the famous Hypatia, the most learned person
of the age she lived in; but she was not a Roman Catholic. Can you,
Americans, believe that this very Cyril is now a saint in the Roman
Catholic church; that he is daily prayed to, honored, and worshipped
by Papists? Can you believe that the Catholics whom you employ in your
houses, the nuns to whom you intrust the education of your children,
daily invoke the intercession of this murderous Cyril?
And think you, fellow-citizens, that the spirit of the Popish bishop,
Cyril, has died with him, or that the church, which approved of his
conduct, would refuse to sanction a similar act at this day? If you do,
you are mistaken. Was the conduct of Cyril ever censured by the church?
Were the murders and atrocities which he committed, and caused to be
committed, even disapproved by the holy mother? If they were, I would
ask at what council was it done? Where and when was such a council
held? Who was the presiding Pope? The fact is, so far from incurring the
displeasure of the Romish church, this notorious Popish murderer of Jews
and heretics was _canonized and sainted_; and similar distinctions would
be now awarded to him who would commit similar crimes, if his holiness
the Pope deemed it prudent to have such crimes committed.
We saw an instance of the spirit which actuated Cyril, some years ago,
in this city, when, in the case of the Ursuline Convent, to which I have
already referred, every Papist within fifty miles of Boston, who
was able to bear arms, volunteered his aid to his bishop, in taking
vengeance upon our citizens, merely because they would not sanction
among them the existence of a house, called a nunnery, and used as a
jail, for the confinement of some of our most virtuous females, against
their will. Had Miss Reed, who escaped from that den of profligacy,
been caught by her Popish pursuers, and without the knowledge of our
citizens, what would have been her fate? She might not have been torn to
pieces, as Hypatia was, but her torments would not have been less cruel.
She would have been kept upon her bare knees, perhaps ten hours in the
twenty-four, for months.
She would be obliged to pray to the same St. Cyril, and a string of such
vagabonds, for the _remission of her sins_. She would be compelled to
kiss the ground and lick it with her tongue, at stated intervals, and
bread and water her diet, until the zeal of her holy confessors was
perfectly satisfied. And if those who aided her escape were detected,
what would have been their fate? Thanks to our republican government,
they could not be punished in this country; but had they committed the
deed under a purely Catholic government, the _infallible_ church would
consign them to the inquisition, and have broken them upon the rack.
This is the church, and her members are the men, whom you are
countenancing amongst you. The Romish church never surrendered the right
which she once claimed of destroying heretics. She only suspends it for
the moment, until her strength and numbers shall enable her to enforce
it. But there are some who will not believe this, especially when
Catholic priests and bishops deny it. Many Protestants, who are natives
of this country, and unacquainted with Roman Catholic doctrines, will
not believe it. Many, even, of our Protestant clergymen will scarcely
believe it; such is the craft and consummate falsehood of priests and
bishops, that I have never met with one Protestant who entertained the
most remote idea that keeping no faith with heretics, and persecuting
them to death, formed any portion of the doctrine of the church of Rome.
This is owing to the fact of their being born in a free country, at a
distance from the seat of Romish power, and their having little access
and no acquaintance with the standard works of Popery.
Many, even, of the native born Americans, who have become Roman
Catholics, know little or nothing of the doctrines of the church into
which they have permitted themselves to be seduced. I will hazard the
assertion, that there are not ten lay members amongst them, in the
United States, who have read the works of Belarmine, the canons, or
decrees of the various councils that have been held in the Popish
church, or even the _corpus juris canonici_, containing the decrees of
the council of Trent.
If the writings of De La Hogue, used in the college of Maynooth,
Ireland, or the works of Antoine or Den, taught in that college when I
was a student there, were thoroughly read, and the doctrines contained
in those standard works of Popery understood, there is not a moral man
living who would not shun the church of Rome, as a thing too unclean,
too impure, too licentious, too wicked, too corrupt, and of too
persecuting a character to be allowed to exist at all. This their
priests well know; and, having recently discovered that a few copies of
Den's "Theology" had found their way into this country, they have the
unblushing effrontery to deny that his work was ever approved of by
the church, or was ever received as such in any college in Ireland. I
studied in the college of Maynooth, and have read speculative theology
under Dr. De La Hogue, and moral theology under Dr. Antoine, in the same
class with several priests now in this country, and among other works
which we read in that class was the "Moral Theology" of the Rev Peter
Den; especially his treatise _de Peccatis_.
I have the pleasure of an acquaintance with some native Americans who
are become Roman Catholics. They are men of honor, moral worth, and
possess highly cultivated minds. They were religious men; and deeming a
connection with some church to be necessary, and seeing nothing of the
Romish church but its seductive and imposing ceremonies, they united
themselves with it, or, if they happened to hesitate in joining it, and
deemed it necessary to consult with Catholic priests and bishops, these
crafty Jesuits soon furnished them with Catholic works manufactured for
such occasions, and unobjectionable to the most pious Christian; taking
good care, at the same time, to keep out of their way such works as I
have alluded to, from which they may learn that there is no religion
in the Popish church, and that it is no more than a political machine,
devised for the suppression of republicanism, knowledge, and the
liberties of man.
Let us pass over the time which intervened between the fourth and
twelfth centuries. The history of the Popes and the Romish church,
during that period, is replete with crimes committed by Popes, and
atrocities sanctioned by the church, the bare mention of which humanity
shudders The very earth is almost saturated with the blood which Popish
despots caused to be shed under the mask of religion, but, in reality,
for the advancement of their own temporal power.
I will now show that the spirit of Cyril had not died with him. During
the reign of Pope Innocent III., that holy pontiff discovered that there
was, in the province of Narbonne and in several other provinces of the
south of France, a religious sect, called the Albigenses, who presumed
to differ from the Romish church, and had the audacity to believe that
the Bible was the only rule of faith. They rejected the external rites
of the Romish church, except baptism and the Lord's supper.
They had no faith in images, indulgences, and other such semi-pagan
mummeries. Auricular confession and the forgiveness of sins by man
they rejected as impious. They looked upon nunneries as places of sin,
instituted by priests, as a sort of substitute for the marriage of the
clergy. They demolished such of them as were in existence among them,
and declared the marriage of the clergy as lawful and honorable. They
scouted at the idea of the temporal jurisdiction of the Pope over the
nations of the earth, and looked upon him as emphatically _the Man of
Sin_.
These crimes, of course, were not long overlooked by the _infallible
church!_ They were heresies. These people were heretics, and the holy
mother, _in the plenitude of her affection_ for her strayed children,
determined that they should be exterminated. But how was this to be
done? The holy father, Pope Innocent III., was not long in determining.
He sent two spies amongst them, of the names of Guy and Regnier. These
were Monks, whose hands were already stained with blood. They were
empowered by the Pope, to use their own discretion in checking the
heresy of the Albigenses by fire, sword, faggot, or the inquisition,
which employed all those means upon such occasions.
The Albigenses however, were so numerous their lives so pure, so chaste
and correct, that this was not easily accomplished; and his holiness had
to preach a crusade against them, and published a bull addressed to
all the authorities of southern France, declaring them _accursed_ and
_excommunicated_, and giving absolution to all who should murder them
and take possession of their property. Here are the words of the bull,
"According to the canonical sanctions of the holy fathers, no faith
ought to be kept with those who do not keep faith with God, or are
separated from the communion of the faithful"--Papists. "We release, by
our apostolical authority, all those who deem themselves bound to them
by any oath, either of alliance or fealty; we permit every Catholic
man to seize their persons, to take their lands, and keep them for the
purpose of extirpating heresy."
Here, Americans, is a specimen of true, genuine Popery, as Innocent
Expresses it, "_sanctioned by the canons and holy fathers of the Romish
church_." People of New England, what think you of it? Bear in mind that
this is not the act of a few fanatics; it is not the belief of a few
zealots. If it were, it would be wrong to charge it to the Romish
church. All denominations have had among them fanatics; but the
extravagances of a few individuals are not chargeable to the body
to which they might have belonged. Even our New England Presbyterian
forefathers had among them persecutors; but who, in his sound mind,
could charge this to the Presbyterian church? There is nothing in their
creed or doctrines which sanctions the persecution of those who differ
from them and there the Romish church differs from all others. The
persecution and destruction of heretics, and the confiscation of their
property, is an _integral part_ of the Roman Catholic faith, and the
watchword of Papists.
The crusade against these unfortunate Albigen-ses commenced its march
about the year 1209. Indulgences were offered to all who would unite
in the war, and history informs as that the Pope and his vassals in the
church raised an army of between three and five thousand men, who were
to serve for forty days; at the termination of which, the Pope, in
one of his heavenly transports, saw that "every one of the sect of the
Albigerises should be massacred." To this army his _holiness_ caused
to be added, by an offer of indulgences, multitudes of peasants, with
scythes and clubs, who were to be under the command of monks, and whose
peculiar duty it was, to slaughter the wives and children of these
_heretics_, while their husbands and fathers were engaged in the field
with their adversaries. Horrible! Yet this is a true picture of what
_has been_, and what _will be_ in this country, at some future day,
should Popery gain the ascendancy.
It is much to be lamented that the Christian League, as it is termed,
had not looked to this, in place of going abroad in search of objects
worthy of their philanthropy. They seem to me to have acted like a man
who, while his own house is in a blaze, runs out to see if there be any
of his neighbors' houses on fire, and leaves his own to smoulder into
ruins. Assuredly, such a man would not be deemed prudent, nor should he
even be considered sane.
Far be it from me to think or speak disrespectfully of the pious and
reverend gentlemen who compose that league; but their solicitude for the
welfare of a foreign country and a foreign people appears to me strange,
when all their charities are much more needed at home. They desire the
suppression of Popery, especially in Italy, where it is kept alive by
Austrian bayonets and Popish bulls, and where it will live until
those bayonets are broken and those bulls are burned. They can no more
suppress Popery in Italy, than they could confine a fire with a flaxen
band.
The continuance of Popery depends upon this country alone. Extinguish it
in the United States, and it dies every where. The old world is sick of
it; it has cursed it long enough. It is for us alone to say whether it
shall live or die. Americans alone can sound the death knell of Popery;
and, if this Christian League will unite their energies and bring them
all to bear, in excluding Popery from the United States, they will be
conferring a blessing, not only upon this, but upon the old world.