see, as it is nicknamed, towards Queen Elizabeth, on her ascension to
the throne of England. The queen sent a messenger to the court of Rome,
to inform the Pope of the event. This was an act of state courtesy; but
his holiness had the insolence to reply to the messenger who represented
his sovereign: "Tell your mistress that England was held in fief of the
apostolic see; that she could not succeed, being illegitimate; nor could
she contradict the declarations made in that matter by his predecessors,
Clement VII. and Paul III. Tell your mistress," said this insolent
ecclesiastic, "that it was great boldness in her to assume the crown
without my consent, for which, in reason, she deserves no favor at my
hands; yet if she will _renounce_ her pretensions and refer herself
wholly to me, I would show a fatherly affection to her, and do every
thing for her that could consist with the dignity of the _Roman see_."
Fellow-citizens, do you want any other proof to satisfy you that the
Pope of Rome claims universal jurisdiction over kings, queens, nations,
kingdoms, and all mankind? It is only about three hundred years since
this occurred; and is there evidence on record that the Pope has
resigned the prerogative of universal dominion which he then claimed?
You may laugh at the idea of his claiming it over this country; but,
mark what I tell you, some successor of the present Pope will not only
claim, but exercise it in less than half the time that has elapsed since
the days of Elizabeth. Other objects may divert your attention from this
subject; you may sleep on in fancied security, but your sleep may be
fatal.
"America," as a talented writer (Giustiniani) expresses it, "is the
promised land, the land of the Jesuits' operations. To obtain the
ascendency, they have no need of a _mercenary Swiss guard_, or the
assistance of the _holy alliance_, but a majority of votes, which can
easily be obtained by an importation of Roman Catholics from Ireland,
Bavaria, and Austria. Rome, viewed at a distance, is a colossus; near
at hand, its grandeur diminishes, its charm is lost. But the Jesuits are
every where the same--cunning, immoral, and sneaking intriguers, until
they have obtained the ascendency. Rome feels her weakness at home;
she knows herself to be a mere _political_ institution, dressed in
the garment of Christianity. She takes good care to uphold that holy
_militia_, the Jesuits, in order to appear what she is not. It is a
strife for existence. I am not a politician," says this writer, "but
knowing the active spirit of Jesuitism, and the indifference of the
generality of Protestants, I have no doubt whatever, that in _ten_ years
the Jesuits will have a mighty influence over the ballot-box, and in
_twenty_ they will direct it according to their own pleasure. Now they
fawn, in ten years they will menace, and in twenty command."
In this city they not only "fawn," but they have proceeded to "menace."
Some of the knowing ones among the Catholics now boast that they have
the power to govern this city, and they intend to exercise it. This is
no idle threat. Even now, though they are actually less in numerical
strength in the aggregate, than the Protestants, and pay far less for
the support of our free schools, they, nevertheless, have succeeded in
depriving Protestant children of the privilege of using the Bible for a
school-book, as they have been wont to do. Protestants may sleep on if
they will, but they may be assured that they are sleeping on the sides
of a burning volcano, and that ere long they will be awakened, but too
late, we fear, by the angry thunders of the upheaving fires within,
which shall scathe and desolate the fair heritage they now enjoy.
I entreat you, fellow-citizens, never to forget the solemn declaration
of the father of your country: "Against the insidious wiles of foreign
influence, (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens,) the jealousy
of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and
experience prove, that foreign influence is one of the most baneful
foes of a republican government." This is the warning of the immortal
Washington, and should not pass unheeded. To the same effect spoke other
revolutionary patriots. Jefferson says, "I hope we may find some means
in future of shielding ourselves from foreign influence, political,
commercial, or in whatever form it may be attempted. I can scarcely
withhold myself from joining in the wish of Silas Deane--that there
were an ocean of fire between this and the old world." And Madison said,
"Foreign influence is truly a _Grecian horse_ to the republic. We cannot
be too careful to exclude its entrance."
The cruelty of Papists, the intrigue and craft of Popes, the hypocrisy
of Jesuits, the dynasties which they have overthrown, the devastations
and carnage which they had occasioned, for centuries back, were matters
of historical notoriety, and were well known to our pure-minded and
clear-headed forefathers. They dreaded similar occurrences in this happy
republic, which they have bequeathed to us as their trustees, to be
handed down to posterity; and hence arose their warnings to be on our
guard against all foreign interference with our institutions or our
country.
Ponder upon those warnings, and let each and every Protestant in the
Union pledge himself to guard our liberties, as the apple of his eye.
I speak from experience. I am myself a foreigner by birth, though a
resident of this country for thirty years. My life has been a checkered
one. Born a Roman Catholic in the south of Ireland, educated a Roman
Catholic priest, officiating in that capacity for some years, here, as
well as in my native country, and for many years a member of the bar
in South Carolina and Georgia, I could not fail to acquire a correct
knowledge of the doctrines and practices of the Romish church. The
result of my experience is, that the doctrines of the Roman Catholic
church are fatal to the morals of any people; at variance with sound
national policy and pure religion. It is a rank and poisonous weed,
which will flourish even in the soil of liberty. Would that I could
eradicate it! Would that you would enable me to tear up this Upas, which
is spreading its poison, from one end of our land to the other! Would
that you could aid me in muzzling those Popish bloodhounds, who are
freely coursing over our eastern mountains and western valleys! Already
have they scented blood, and I warn you to be on your guard or they will
scent more.
I am no sectarian; I am not the tool of any party, either in church or
state. I have never asked the countenance or support of any religious
denomination, nor has any ever been tendered to me. I have stood alone
in my opposition to that hydra-headed monster, Popery. There is no abuse
which I have not received; no calumny which has not been heaped upon me;
no crime which they have not accused me of; no scurrilous epithet which
they have not applied to me. All this I have met single-handed; but I
would bear it again, rather than submit to the iniquitous doctrines of
Popery. I would bear it again, rather than submit, as _native Americans_
have done, and are doing, to be publicly denounced, as _cowards and sons
of cowards and pirates_.
But, fellow-citizens, they do not consider you cowards and pirates
alone; they will, by-and-by, apply to you a term, which you will better
deserve. It is sweet, it is a euphonious name, and I trust you will bear
it with as much Christian philanthropy, as you have that of cowards,
and pirates--_Fools_. It is the only ignominious term, in the English
language, which they have not applied to myself, and I assure my
fellow-citizens, natives of this country, that if you are willing to
be governed by the Pope of Rome, and his priests, and bishops, I shall
never question your paramount claim to this preeminent distinction.
Can you bear the following opprobrious language applied to you by the
Jesuit, now the Boston Pilot, the organ of the bishop of that city. "How
in the name of conscience," says this Popish organ, "can a man have the
impudence to find fault with honest emigrants, whose own fathers were
_emigrant pirates?_" You are also complimented by the Literary and
Catholic Sentinel, another Popish press, in Philadelphia. That blessed
organ of Popery, the Sentinel, in its comments upon a sermon delivered
by that eloquent Presbyterian divine, McCalla, thus eulogizes New
England. He, Mr. McCalla, knew the character of his New England
audience, that their minds were warped by fanaticism, darkened by
bigotry, and vitiated by the abhorred, and atrocious principles
inculcated by the _vile and sanguinary wretches, called the Pilgrim
Fathers_. He well knew that the mental capacity of the generality of his
hearers were chained down by ignorance.
Very flattering this, especially to Bostonians, and their puritan
fathers. Their fathers were sanguinary wretches, if we believe Papists,
and the people of Boston are an ignorant set of boobies. You, Americans,
may bear all this; you know not the designs of Popery, but I do;
and while I have liberty to write, I will write for liberty, and in
opposition to Popery. Truth may be unpalatable to Papists, but it is my
duty to record it.
Among the instructions which I received from my bishop in Ireland, when
he sent me out to this country as a Catholic priest, was one to which
I beg to call your attention. The same is given to every priest in the
United States. "Let it be your first duty to extirpate heretics, but be
cautious as to the manner of doing it. Do nothing without consulting the
bishop of the diocese, in which you may be located; and if there be
no bishop there, advise with the metropolitan bishop. He has his
instructions from Rome, and he understands the character of the people.
Be sure not to permit the members of our holy church, who may be under
your charge, to read the Bible. It is the source of all heresies.
Whenever you see an opportunity of building a church, make it known to
your bishop. Let the land be purchased for the Pope, and his successors
in office. Never yield or give up the _divine right_, which the head
of the church has, by virtue of the _Keys_, to the government of North
America, as well as every other country. The confessional will enable
you to know the people by degrees; with the aid of that _holy tribunal_,
and our bishops, who are guided by the spirit of God, we may expect,
at no distant day, to bring over North America to the bosom of our holy
church."
This needs some explanation. By extirpating heresy, he meant the
conversion of heretics to the Romish church, without violence, if
possible, if not, by such means as the Romish church has adopted in all
ages. You have already seen what these means were--I need not now repeat
them; but you shall see them more plainly, when I lay before you, as I
intend to do hereafter; the ways and means which the church has adopted,
to bring over the Huguenots from the darkness of Protestant error, to
the glorious light of Popish truth.
The Bible, as you are aware, is a forbidden book in the Romish church. I
remember when acting as Popish priest, in Philadelphia, having ventured
to suggest to the very Rev. Mr. De Barth, then acting as vicar-general
of that diocese, the advantages of educating the poor, and circulating
the Bible among them. He scouted at the idea, as heretical, and lodged
a written complaint against me, before the archbishop of Baltimore, then
Romish metropolitan. I was reprimanded verbally, through the aforesaid
De Barth. He was too crafty to send it in writing; the Papists were not
then strong enough to forbid, openly, the reading of the Bible. It
was then too soon to seal up the fountain of eternal life in this free
country. The most sympathizing Protestants could scarcely believe then,
that in less than thirty years, Papists would not only dare forbid it to
be read, by their own people, and in their own schools, but cast it out
of Protestant schools, as they did the other day in New York. What are
we coming to, Americans? Your ancestors have come to this country,
with no recommendations but holy lives; with no fortune but their pious
hearts and strong arms; with no treasure but the word of God.
Will you now permit Papists to cast those Bibles out of your schools, to
burn them on the public streets, as they have done in the state of New
York, under the inspection of Popish priests, as proved on the oath of
several respectable witnesses? That priest, however, did no more than
every priest and bishop would do, did he deem it _expedient_; and here,
fellow-citizens, let me assure you, that same power which authorizes
that priest, or any other priest, to burn your Bibles, also authorizes
him to burn every heretic or Protestant in the country.
The same power which authorizes them to officiate as priests, empowers
them to _destroy heretics_, whenever it is _expedient_; and is ready
to absolve them from the commission of this foul deed. _Saint_ Thomas
Aquinas, in his second book, chapter the 3d, page 58, says: "Heretics,
may justly be killed." But you will answer, there is no danger of this.
They can never acquire the power to enact any laws in this country
which would sanction such a doctrine. How sadly mistaken you are! How
lamentably unacquainted with the secret springs or machinery of Popery!
I regret that circumstances oblige me so often to introduce my own name,
but it cannot be well avoided, for the purpose of explaining certain
Popish transactions in the United States. While I was a Romish priest
in Philadelphia, and soon after my difference with the archbishop of
Baltimore, in relation to the introduction of the Bible, a consultation
was held between the Popish priests in the diocese of Philadelphia,
and it was secretly resolved by them, that the best mode of checking
_Hogan's heresy_, as they were pleased to term my advocating the
reading of the Bible, was to take possession of the church in which
I officiated, in the name of the Pope. They accordingly wrote to his
holiness, humbly praying this man-god to send them out a bishop, and to
give him, and his successors in office, a lease of St. Mary's church, in
Philadelphia, and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging. Accordingly
his royal holiness the Pope sent them a bishop with the aforesaid lease.
I was immediately ordered out of the church; and having refused to
depart, unless the trustees thought proper to remove me, this emissary
of the Pope, only a few days or weeks in this country, had me indited
and imprisoned for disturbing public worship, or in other words,
officiating in St. Mary's church, even with the full and undivided
consent of the trustees.
But the bishop's legal right was questioned; the case was brought before
the supreme court of Pennsylvania, Chief Justice Tighlman presiding. I
was discharged from bail and custody, and the rights of the trustees,
under their charter from the state, sustained. But the priests and
bishops were not content with this decision. They put their heads once
more together, and fancied that they discovered another mode by which
they could rob the people of their rights, and defeat the intentions
of the donors of the property of St. Mary's church; and what was their
plan, think you, fellow-citizens?
The bishop called a meeting of all the priests and leading Catholics
in the diocese. Every lay member was ordered to bring with him a hickory
stick. The meeting was held in the church of St. Joseph; and at the hour
of twelve at night, the _Romish bishop of the diocese of Pennsylvania_,
an Irishman, not more than a few months in the country, attended in his
pontificals, told the multitude who were there assembled to lay down
their sticks in one pile, in order that he might _bless_ them for their
use. This was done as a matter of course.
[Illustration: Bishop of Pennsylvania blessing the sticks. p125]
The bishop said mass, sprinkled holy water upon the sticks, blessed
them, and this done, the whole party bound themselves by a solemn vow
never to cease until they elected a legislature in Pennsylvania that
would annul the charter of St. Mary's church; and, as an American
citizen, I blush to state the fact, they succeeded. The charter was
annulled by an act of the legislature, and property, worth over a
million of dollars, would have passed into the hands of the Pope and
his agents, were there not a provision in the constitution of that state
empowering the supreme court to decide upon the constitutionality of the
acts of the legislature.
We brought the question of the constitutionality of the act, which
annulled the charter, before the court, Justice Tighlman still
presiding. The court decided in the negative, otherwise the trustees
and myself would have been defeated; I should have been fined and
imprisoned, and they ousted out of their trust.
This, I believe, was the first attempt the Pope has made to establish
his _temporal power_ in this country; and it is a source of consolation
to me, dearer almost than existence itself, to be the first to meet this
holy bull. If I have not strangled him, and trampled him to death, I
have, at least, the comfort of seeing his horn so blunted, that his
bellowings have been, ever since, comparatively harmless. But there
seems a recuperative power in the beast. He is again attempting to plant
his foot upon our soil, and establish his temporal power amongst us; and
how is he trying to accomplish this, fellow-citizens? The Papists have
united themselves together as a body, headed by their priests, and
resolved to carry, through the ballot box, what they cannot otherwise
accomplish, at least for the present. Popish priests have all become
politicians; they publicly preach peace, good order, and obedience to
the "powers that be," but they tell the people in the _confessional_, to
disregard those instructions, and stop at nothing which may promote the
interests of _the church_.
They have now, what they call "religious newspapers," under the
supervision of their bishops, but in which, not a word of pure religion,
or Christian charity, is to be found. They are political presses, whose
object is to overthrow our laws, our government, and introduce, in their
stead, anarchy and confusion. These people--and here I allude to Irish
Catholics and their priests in particular--have no regard for the
obligations of an oath. Let the priest only tell them that it is for the
_good of the church_, and they will stop at no crime; no, not even at
murder; and they are daily becoming more audacious in consequence of the
support which they receive from unprincipled politicians, and the morbid
indifference of Protestants.
I have shown you, in a former page, that the increase of Catholics, in
this country, will soon give them a majority of voters: and who, think
you, will they vote for? A Protestant is it? Any man distinguished for
virtue, and for love of republican principles? Assuredly not.
Will they select such a man as the virtuous and pious Frelinghuysen,
of New Jersey? Will they choose such a man as the upright and honorable
Archer, of Virginia? Will they cast their votes for such a man as the
honest John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina; than whom, whatever may be
his politics, there is not a greater or a better man of the age.
I might name hundreds, equally good and great men, who are disqualified,
by their virtues, from receiving the votes of Popish vassals. None but
mercenary demagogues, such as the Pope's tool, Daniel O'Connell, who
_generously_ sacrifices five thousand pounds a year to obtain fifty-six
thousand, the sum which he received last year in order to _ameliorate
the condition of the poor Irish_. Give the power, and they will elect
such a political desperado as this restless O'Connell, a Jesuit by
education, an intriguer by nature, and as great a coward as ever drew
breath. This is the champion, and his followers--the Irish--are the
people, who call Americans _cowards_, and _their_ "pilgrim fathers,"
_pirates_ and _sanguinary wretches_. These are the men, with Daniel
O'Connell at their head, numbering nine millions of the "_bravest men in
the world_," who have been for centuries, and are now, on their knees,
begging favors from the British government. Americans, too, once asked
for favors, or rather their just rights, from that government, but
not having obtained them, they drew their swords, threw away their
scabbards, and, though the whole population of the United States did
not, at that time, amount to two and a half millions, they fought
for their rights, and they won them. Yet these Popish braggarts, but
wretched slaves, call you cowards, and your fathers pirates. How long
will you suffer this?
We know, from history, that Popery and liberty cannot coexist in the
same country. A Popish government has never advanced human happiness. It
never promotes any object truly great or philanthropic. How deplorable
would it be, did this country fall a prey to those who are trying to
establish it amongst us. The truth is, Popish glory, the trappings of
its court, have been always the silly objects of the Roman church,
while the mass of her people has ever been left in the recesses of want,
obscurity, and ignorance.
Americans, at present, seem sunk in a sort of political lethargy; and
this is taken advantage of, by foreign priests and Jesuits; but I
would tell those disturbers of our peace, not to trust too much to this
apparent sluggishness; a calm often precedes a storm: the continued
insolence, abuses, and threats of Papists, may arouse our young lion,
and, if I mistake not--although, appearances are at present against
it--his holiness and his minions, who are trying to set up a power in
this country unknown to our constitution, and not enumerated in our bill
of rights, may have occasion to tremble.
To effect this, however, without the shedding of blood, it is
necessary--indispensably necessary--that no Papist should hold office,
or even vote, until he ceases to have any connection, or hold any
alliance with the Pope, who is a _foreign potentate_, as well as head of
the church. Let them come amongst us, if they will, but let it be with
healing on their wings, and not to disturb our peace and tranquillity.
Let them prove themselves the friends of liberty, religion, and mankind,
and Americans will receive them with open arms, admit them to a full
participation in all their own privileges, and extend to them the
hand of friendship; but never let this be done, until they forswear
_expressly_ and _without mental reservation_, all allegiance, of
whatever kind, and under whatever name, to the Pope of Rome, who is a
_foreign potentate_, and acknowledged as such by the powers of Europe.
When a Papist refuses to do this, trust him not. I repeat it, trust him
not, Americans. He is a spy amongst you, a traitor to your country, and
the sworn enemy of your religion and your liberties.
This, however, they do not. They come amongst you with different motives
and far different characters. Though I know them well, it would be
impossible for me to express to you the designs which mark their
entrance into this country. They cross the Atlantic, under instructions
from their priests, and bring nothing with them but their bigotry,
intolerance, and ignorance. Their tastes, their passions, and their
native hatred of Protestants are wafted over to us, and are already
corrupting the morals of our people. In their native country they feel,
or pretend to feel, oppressed by British laws and British government.
They are taught by their priests to despise their government, at home;
that its laws are all penal, and that there is no crime in evading them.