Few people, however, felt themselves inclined to aspire to this sublime perfection. Most of the monks, more indulgent to themselves, were content with renouncing the world, vegetating in solitude, languishing in an abundant sloth, and living in absolute idleness, at the expence of nations who toil. If some among them were devoted to study, they employed themselves only with the vain subtilties of an unintelligible theology, calculated to incite disturbances in society, and foment discord. Others more active spread themselves over the globe; and, under pretence of preaching the gospel, preached up themselves, the interests of the clergy, and especially the submission due to the Roman pontiff, who was always their true sovereign. These emissaries indeed never had any other country than the church, any other master than its head, or any other interest than that of disturbing the state, in order to advance the divine rights of the clergy. Faithful in following the example of Jesus, they brought the sword, sowed discord, and kindled wars, seditions, persecutions, and crusades. They sounded the tocsin of revolt against princes who were disagreeable or rebellious to the haughty tyrant of the church; they frequently employed the sacrificing knife of fanaticism, and plunged it in the hearts of kings; and, to make the cause of God prosper, they justified the most horrible crimes, and threw the whole earth into consternation.

Such, especially in latter times, were the maxims and conduct of an order of monks, who, pretending

drag his carcase into the street, while they regard a frantic monk, or an enthusiastic wench, as saints agreeable to God.

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to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, assumed the name of his Society. Solely and blindly devoted to the interests of the Roman pontiff, they seemed to have come into the world for the purpose of bringing the universe under his chains. They corrupted the youth, the education of whom they wished exclusively to engross; they strove to restore barbarism, knowing well that want of knowledge is the greatest prop of superstition; they extolled ignorance and blind submission; they depraved the manners, and in their stead substituted vain usages and superstitions, compatible with every vice, and calculated to suppress the remorse which crime might produce. They preached up slavery and unbounded submission to princes, who themselves were their slaves, and who consented to become the instruments of their vengeance. They preached rebellion and regicide against the princes who refused to bend under the odious yoke of the successor of St. Peter, whom they had the effrontery to declare infallible, and whose decisions they preferred far above those of the univer sal church. By their assistance the pope became not only the despot, but even the true God of the Christians.

There were persons, however, who ventured to protest against the violences, extortions, and usurpations of this spiritual tyrant. There were sovereigns, who, to defend their own rights, ventured to struggle with him; but, in times of ignorance, the contest was always unequal between the temporal and spiritual power of opinion. At last, preachers, discontented with the Roman pontiff, opened the eyes of many; they preached reformation, and destroyed some abuses and dogmas which appeared to them the most disgusting. Some princes seized this opportunity to

break the chains wherewith they had been so long oppressed. Without renouncing Christianity, which they always regarded as a religion wholly divine, they' renounced Romish Christianity, which they considered as a superstition corrupted through the avarice, interest, and passions of the clergy. Content with lopping off in this manner some branches of a poisoned tree, which its bitter fruits should have discovered, our reformers did not perceive, that even the principles of a religion, founded on fanaticism and imposture; must of necessity always produce fanatics and knaves. They did not observe, that an exclusive ́religion, which pretends to enjoy alone the approbation of the Most High, must be from its essence arrogant and proud, and become at last ́tyrannical, intolerant, and sanguinary. They did not perceive, that the mania of proselytism, the pretended zeal for the salvation of souls, and passion of the priests for dominion over consciences, must, sooner or later, create devastation. Christianity reformed, pretending to resemble the pure Christianity of the first days of the church, produced fiery preachers, persons illuminated, and public incendiaries, who, under pretence of establishing the kingdom of Christ, excited troubles, massacres, revolts, and endless disorders. Christian princes of every sect, thought themselves obliged to support the decisions of their doctors. They regarded as infallible, opinions which they themselves had adopted; they enforced them by fire and sword; and were every where in confederacy with their priests to make war on all who did not think like them *.

*The Protestants have persecuted, as well as the Romish clergy. Calvin caused Servetus to be burnt at Geneva, while

We see, especially, the intolerant and persecuting spirit reigning in countries which continue subject to the Roman pontiff. It was there, that priests, nurtured in the maxims of a spiritual despotism, dared with most insolence to tyrannize over minds. They had the effrontery to maintain, that the prince could not, without impiety, dispense with entering into their quarrels, sharing their frenzy, and shedding the blood of their enemies. Contrary to the express orders of Christ, the emissaries of the vicar of Jesus preached openly in his name persecution, revenge, hatred, and massacre. Their clamours imposed on sovereigns; and the least credulous trembled at sight of their power, which they dared not curb. A superstitious aud cowardly policy made them believe, that it was the interest of the throne to unite itself for ever with these inhuman and boisterous madmen. Thus princes, submissive to the clergy, and making common cause with them, became the ministers of their vengeance, and the executors of their will. These blind princes were obliged to support a power the rival of their own, but they did not perceive, that they injured their own authority by de

they burned Calvanists at Paris. The Anabaptists committed unheard-of excesses in Germany. The English liturgy made Charles I. lose his head, who wanted to introduce it into Scotland. In Holland the Gomarists warmly persecuted the Arminians.

*The gospel contradicts itself incessantly: It blows hot and cold on the article of toleration, which is very convenient for theologians, whatever side they take. When their party is the weakest, they rest on passages which recommend mildness; but so soon as that party get the upperhand, they are then authorised by other passages to crush their adversaries.

livering up their subjects to the tyranny and extortions of a swarm of men, whose interest it was to plunge them into ignorance, incite their fanaticism, make themselves masters of their minds, domineer over their consciences, and, in short, make them fit instruments to serve their pride, avarice, revenge, and obstinacy. By this worthless policy, in the states most submissive to the spiritual dominion of the Roman pontiff, the liberty of thinking was proscribed with fury, activity was repressed, science was punished, and industry crushed by the rapacity of the clergy, while morals were neglected, and their place supplied by traditional observances. Nations vegetated in inactivity; men cultivated only monastic virtues, grievous to themselves and useless to society. They had no other impulse than what their fanaticism afforded, and no other science than an obscure jargon of theology. Their understandings had no other employment than endless disputes on mysterious subtilties, unworthy of rational beings. Those futile occupations engrossed the attention of the most profound genius, whose labours would have been useful, if they had been directed to objects really interesting.

Nations were impoverished to foster, in abundance,

*The learned Abbé Fleury agrees as to these facts, in his Mœurs des Chretiens, partie 5. § 54. where he says, that Christians ought to observe exactly what is practised in the most orderly monasteries, to become living examples of Christian morality. Thus, by this confession, a good Christian is a true monk; now a monk is a citizen dead to society. What would become of a country where every body should pretend to Christian perfection, and to attain which was their only aim? There would be neither merchants, nor soldiers, hor married persons,