Ireland; men who are not afhamed to prefer it to themselves. Whether it be fatality, inattention, or ignorance, which reigns over the underftandings of this people of England, I cannot decide; fomething however, of that kind feems to rule all their actions of a public nature. I am,

LETTER XXXIV.

To the Reverend Father FILIPPO BUONANNI, at Rome.

Dear Sir,

HERE is nothing which is fo often objected to the catholics, as that uncharitable tenet of giving all heretics to the devil; believing that none of them can be faved, and keeping no faith with them.

TH

THIS indeed is an imputation which favours very little of chriftianity, and was it carried into practice, and to influence our actions, would be extremely pernicious and truly deteftable.

I HAVE obferved, that churches, or fects, adopt certain articles in their belief, which are difavowed in their practice; and men become much the fame in their actions, tho' their tenets in fome particulars may differ, if they are held by any at all. The church of England are predeftinarians by their articles, and preach free-will;

the

the diffenters allow free-will, and preach predeftination. But let us fee if the church of England, and diffenters, are quite free from this imputation of damning thofe who differ from them. The creed of St. Athanafius is the creed of the English church, which, after recounting the articles neceffary to be believed, fays, "this «is the catholic faith; which except a man faithfully believe, he cannot be faved.

EX

Ji i

T

WHAT is there in condemning people to eternal punishment in our religion, more criminal than in theirs; it is true, we believe thofe articles as well as the church of England, they are therefore no condemnation of catholics, but they are of all other religious fects of chriftianity, who do not think as they do thus, they are equally guilty of the crime they impute to us,

and unjuft in the taxation. I am convinced from

the behaviour of thofe catholics who are natives

of this kingdom, that their word and honor is as feldom violated, as thofe of a Prefbyterian, or any other fectary, who condemns this tenet in our church with fo much violence. A

cil P

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THE Spaniards, the most rigid of all catholics, even those men, in commerce have preserved a punctuality with the English during the time of war, in returning them the effects in their hands, or tranfacting their affairs, in a manner which will do honor to human kind; yet, the English are confidered as heretics by these people. Thus, acknowledging this tenet to be one of the Romish church, is it not one of the English alfo? and the influence to ill-will is no greater with us than with them; in fact, as it is contradictory to all the practice of religion, so it never influences the mind of any chriftian. Methinks, this one article is lefs likely to dif pofe the mind of a human being, to put its dictates in practice, in oppofition to all others by which we fuppofe ourselves bound to do good, than the natural felfishness of man let loofe by the opinion that every man has a right to think for himself, and act in confequence of it, which is the ftanding tenet of the diffenters.

I FANSY a scale might be made of the probity of all fects, who depart from the established "religion of any nation, gradually leffening, as

they

they are more distant from the tenets of the national church at leaft, fomething of that kind appears to me amongst the fectaries of England; I know not what Scotland would produce, perhaps, the quite contrary, hypocrify being the infeparable companion of that establishment.

7

3 THE tranfactions of catholics being as honeft as thofe of any other church, it appears, that this tenet does not much influence their behaviour in life towards their fellow creatures, and probably an eye that will look a little farther into things than the furface, will find that this af fair of excluding people from falvation is the infeparable idea of all the sectaries, tho' not openly avowed to what purpose, or for what pretence was it, that the Prefbyterians feparated from the church of England, but because they conceived that the established worship had fomething in it which is wrong in its modes and articles of belief, or, which is the fame thing, that it does not lead to falvation? now that which does not lead to falvation leads fomewhere elfe, and thus, they believe that all other chriftians are not faved; indeed they will not avow this openly,. but if they do not, they lofe all argument and

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