The Sun.
London, England, 1818-01-15 00:00:00

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0 P 'I:, It Y.

`6N Tf-it mui=AnTu'ry (iFPOER'r; tr6rn BROWN'S
celehrwed " itSTINIATEnt the MANNERS and PRIN-
CWLES- a the TlMES."—Lond'on, 11313. 'Seventh Edi-

tion.--Vrol. 2. Part 2. Sec. 4.

" OF THE, DfFFF.RENT GENIUS'. AND PERMANENCY
• oF I'OVEitY AND PROTESTANTIsNI.

Let us not, More particularly consider, bow
fat the dilrerrnt keni•ts of the two religious Sys-
tems or Popery and Protestantism, may taWect the
national spirit cif &fetter., and consequently the
•tl...rition of every State ; a subject but slightly
-tortrhed on in the former Volume. •
—'l,_li,;busirtstic Religion ;leads •o Conqnsst ;
'ratioaal Religion:leads to r;,tional Defence ; but
the modern •spirit'of Irreligion !calls to rascally
'And abandoned cowardice.
This is :a Text on which the Writer thinks
it is of peculiar consequence to enlarge.
1. Popish superstition, as Well as fanaticism
(of which indeed, in many instances, Popish SO-
pet stitiou, is a species), is a more active principle,
with regard to conquest, than rational Protes-
tantism: The first piques itself on destroying and
extirpating the enemies of Got). The latter, re-
garding none as the enemies of GOD on account
•oflrror, aims only at rational defence.
While Protestantism, therefore, retains its
propel' influence in the minds of men, it may be
a match fOr Popish superstition. What it wants
in tury it makes up in steadiness,. This truth our
'forefathers have twice seer) manifested in our own
country.
" But here lies the 'danger : Mankind are apt
to be either blindly zealous, or altogether cool, in
.matter's of Religion. The reason is, because malt-
kind are generally led by their passions, in Re-
ligion, as in other things. }fence the peculiar
danger,to Protestantisth, arising from Popery.—
"For Popery, in its.nature tending .to inflame a
passion, lays hold of the .ruling weakness of man.
While PrOteitantisnr, working only on his nobler
part, his reason, whose dictates he but seldom re-
-gavls, is apt to fall away into neglect and cold•
itess. Thus we see, taking. MIDI as he is, Fury i 3
the natural character of the one ;• lnditrefence, of
the other.

2. Ye'sides thiS, Popish suPermititiOn obtains
'advantage over rational Protestanrisio,
arising from degenerate manners. For Popery
points out religious fury and persecution, as the
best attooement. for %ice or crimes Whereas,
Protestantism urged) no pretence of this kind upon,
its votaries ;, hut, on the contrary, teaches them,
that without Morals, religion is mockery of God.
Thus we see, that even the vices of >t Papist tend
to inspire him with. furinns zeal. Whereas, the
-vices of a Protestant urge him, for the sake of a
false peace of mind, to the neglect, the designed
lore-cattiness of atd Religion.
," Thus, though the persecuting principle of the
Papist (loth not preserve the purity of his
_man--
liters ; yet even the , degeneracy of 'his manners
tein".s. to ;-mreserve Isis principle. This we see cou-
-firmed by the genera:state. of.things, in our own
"countl-y ; in 'which, though the Roman Catho-
lics are carried along in the common streron of
manners,. yet their principles remain unshaken. .
`F.bn the hand, though the rational itrin
rcip►les of Protestantism tem! to preserve the purity
of .manners ; yet, if a degineracy of manners
comes on, it certainly tends to destloy the prht-
eiple.. This, too, we see confirmed 'by the gene-
ral 'state. of things in our, own country; where.
as, manners have degenerated, religious principle
bath •derayed.
3. Another circumstance, which tends to
preserve and strengthen the blind zeal and into-
ler ant •principles of I'opery, As, the tremendous,
penalty annexed. in the imagihation to any de-
parttire flora them. 'For as the Papist believes
this departure will expose him to the effects of
the divine displeasure ; so this apprehension tends.
to prevent time natural excursions of thought, and
chains down the mind in intellectual darkness.
" (in the contrary, the tree principle of Pro-
test,antism, not working by -terror, encourages
the mind to range abroad in onestof troth. No
religious apprehension 'accompanies the search :
And hence, thong!' reason will sometimes fix the
mind in salutary.rdigious principle; passion Will
oftener allure and misguide it into the pleasur-
able path of unbelief.
" 4. Another cause of the superior permanency
of Popery, wised) naturally frirm ,the last assign-
ed. Where so much merit is supposed to be in
one particular system of belief, and so much de-
merit or guilt in any departure- from it, there,
even the benevolent passions urge strongly to
making proselytes.. it is esteemed lit:le less than
saving a soul, to draw a man over to the Popish
faiih. And, to give all parties their due, this
bath been often the Mistaken and fatal nto ive to
persecutions, wh:ch have been charged altogether.
npoit unfeeling cruelty. Now the, genius of•Pru-
tCstasitiSlll is essentially opposite to this. As is
is too just and generous to compel, so, as a na-
tural consequence, it is often too indolent even
to persuade.

. •
" 5. A fifth can4e of the permanency of Popish
principle, beyond, that of Prinestantistu, was
touched in genera; terms, in t:ie first volume:.
Popish
,superstition arms itself with the weapons
of civil power ; and, by checking the open and
avowed profession,, checks in a certain degree the
progress Of impiety. Whereas it :must be ac-
knowledged and lamented, a's one of the unalter-
able defects of a free govritme,)t, that oldnion
must haVe its course. 'lire disease is• bad, but
'the cure would he fatal., •,"fires freedom' is com-
who, tinder pretence.
pelled to 'admit an etteiof,; ,
and form of an ally,•olten'proves_ her destroyer.
" 6. The last cauS"e'llows naturally, as a con-
sequence 0 these'-Krick have been assigned. A
is
relitf,ions principk-, Whichomy overwhelmed-by
the prevalence :of vice or passion, but still. Ties
dormant in the heart, may be easily aiyaliened and
recalled into action : where tire principle is
not overwliefraed; but extinguished by degenerate
manners, tlrert it is seldom, if ever, restored to
its former itiOnence.
" Now the Popish principle', 'when it seems to
lose its effect, 'is generally no more than over-
whelined by vicious 'manners the religious be-
lief being routed in powerful passions, remains in
the heatt, and through any striking or alarming