THE

PREFACE.

To my dear Countrymen, Friends, and Kinsmen of the Roman Communion in Ireland.

THE great scandal which you seem to have taken upon my withdrawing from the Communion of the Roman Church, and adhering to that of England, has occasioned that I should the more willingly obey the order I have received, of exposing to public view the account of my proceedings, and motives of my alteration, contained in this sermon, which I have preached in the Royal Chapel of Christ Church at Dublin, desiring that such as could not, or would not go thither to hear it, may, at their leisure, and without passion, read it. If my proceedings herein were indeed a scandal, I might justly fear that woe* to him who gives it. But man's averse disposition is apt to term a scandal, what, in itself, is an example. And I have ground to hope that it is so with you at present in my concern. Certainly it may be called an example, and a good one, if you hear the voice of God, not to harden your heart, or shut your ears against it, though you may prudently examine the calling, and endeavour to be certified whether it be of God; and when you are assured that it is so, to obey your Lord and Maker, not heeding the cries of the world against you, nor the suggestions of human fear or shame. So did the blessed Virgin Mary, who hearing that high and honourable calling of God by the mouth of the Angel Gabriel, neither hardened her heart, nor shut her ears against it; nor yet did she give a sudden assent, but replied with a pressing reason, according to the rules of human discourse, saying, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" but convinced with superior evidences represented by the Angel, she obeyed promptly the will of God, not regarding her former apprehension of fear and shame. Her example I have followed: I heard the voice of God by several * Mat. xviii. 7; Luke xvii. 1.

ways, interior and exterior, calling me out of the errors of my former profession. I neither hardened my heart with resolute obstinacy, nor gave a hasty assent to change; but, by prayer and study of many years, endeavoured to certify myself of the truth, by all the ways that I could imagine fit to find it out: and being at last fully convinced, resolutely embraced it and openly declared for it; not heeding the cries, nor fearing the menaces, of passion and malice against me. If you will not think fit to follow my example in this kind of proceeding, I hope you will not disdain to follow that which I proposed of the blessed Virgin Mary. If you hear the voice of God, by what mouth or means soever it comes, harden not your hearts; examine and try, in God's name, whether it be really his voice and will; and finding it is so, fear not to declare for Christ before the world, lest he may refuse to own you before his heavenly Father. (Mark viii. 38.)

To persons thus disposed, and to such only, I desire my words or writing to be addressed, deeming it labour lost to speak or write to any one who is resolved obstinately to remain where his lot was to fall, be it right or wrong. That there should be persons so careless of their greatest concern, is not only a matter of pity, but of wonder, that their judicious instructors should teach them to think (and act accordingly) persuading them that it is a mortal sin to admit of any doubt in their belief; that they must neither hear nor read any arguments against it; or, if they happen to do, it must be with resolution not to yield or consent to them, be they ever so demonstrative or evident: which is really to divest men of rationality, and make Religion a matter of chance, not of council or free election; and so undeserving of praise or reward, They allow to others whom they would gain to their party the use of their reason, and liberty to hear and examine arguments proposed to them; otherwise why should they go about to convert them? How then comes their own flock to be excepted from the use of this privilege, allowed to the rest of human kind?

They wonder that I, by so many years learning and teaching philosophy and divinity, in several famous colleges of Spain, should not find out until now, on which side the truth of Catholic Religion did stand. Which is to wonder that I could judge

better of a debate after hearing both parties, than when I was hearing only one side;-t> wonder that by ten years of more study I should learn more: which will appear yet a more unreasonable wonder, if you consider what St. Luke relates of Jesus Christ the Son of God, though of infinite wisdom, that as man he seemed to grow more wise by age. And shall we disdain to grow more wise with more time, and with more light sent from God?

They object to me that I am the first of my family who has become Protestant: and so was St. Paul the first of his that became Christian. If I am now in the right, as I am fully satisfied that I am, I heartily wish that my kinsmen, according to the flesh, would follow my example, in examining the truth and adhering to it.

They tell me I was unkind and hard hearted in forsaking my friends and kindred, in discomforting and offending many noble families, at home and abroad, from whom I have received singular demonstrations of love and honour. None is more sensible of the hardship of that case than myself. To die effectively in defence of truth never appeared to me so harsh as to be alienated from my friends, and to see their love turned into hatred; but all that, though heavy, I thought more tolerable than God's anger, which I was to draw upon me by working against my conscience.

They say that I lost my wits; and well may they say it, if for wordly respects I had embraced this resolution; but if for superior motives of pleasing God, and securing eternal happiness upon sufficient ground, I might expect they should rather take it for the greatest shew of wisdom I could give. The trial will be to examine the reasons which I give for my resolution, in the ensuing discourse, by public writing, that indifferent persons may judge which of us speaks more sense. That I heartily desire to see, provided it be in a modest and serious way, with plain and solid reasons grounded upon the word of God, as becomes Christians and learned men to speak, and will be suited for clearing the truth-shewing wherein my reasons against their tenets, examined in this discourse, are deficient; or what other reasons they have for them of more strength, and to await my answer to them. To such replies I will listen willingly, and answer seriously, with resolution to honour, and acknowledge

truth wheresoever I find it. If they think that I am in an error, and pretend to win me out of it, this is the way, and not by promises, menaces, or calumnies,* with all which I was assaulted. To those who came with promises, I gave all signs of perfect indignation; to the menaces I answered with Susannah-"It is better for me to fall into your hands, and not do it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord." (Hist. of Susannah, v. 23.)

The calumnies are so rude, and apparently false, that I need not wish more harm to their forgers, than that they might be known. Such as to say-that, after resolving to embrace the communion of the Church of England, I went about to my friends in the county of Tipperary, and collected a great sum of money to go over the seas, and then came with it this other way. The untruth of this base obloquy, I made evident after diligent enquiry, as is well known to the most Reverend the Lord Archbishop of Cashel, and to several other persons of quality.

And being so averse to such proceeding, I passed by the houses of my chief friends and kinsmen in that county, without taking leave of them, fearing that they would offer me any money for my voyage (then intended for England as I have declared to some). I only entered very few houses, where I had some concerns to dispose of, and where, by good luck, no money was given or offered to me.

* "You even might have made some candid allowance for the workings of nature, and have excused some little tendency to a peevish moment had you reflected that when a person who formerly had your esteem is suddenly become the object of your enmity-when he is addressed by captious and taunting letters even from the infernal regions-when his actions are severely scrutinized, and the purity of his motives questioned-when his character is traduced, and the seeds of discord are scattered even amongst his own domestics-when he sees himself deprived of the blessing and affections of a tender mother; the regard and friendship of a numerous acquaintance-when even dark surmises are spread abroad to deprive him, if possible, of the benevolence and estimation of his new connexions * the natural feelings will prompt at least a transient sentiment of fretful retaliation. All this, sir, have I suffered from individuals against whom I never harboured an unfriendly thought—and if I do not utterly 'despise' such men as these, and think their religion vain,' it is because I rather wish to impute their unchristian conduct to the prejudices of a mistaken zeal, than to any wilful prevarication or malevolence." A Letter to Rev. J. Berington from Rev. J. Hawkins, Worcester, 1788, p. 193.

* *

How much the above resembles the narrative and personal statements of Casaubon! see the last note on part 1, of Catholic Faith, &c.

Of the like condition is the report spread here in Dublin, that at the making my Declaration in the Church of St. John, at Cashel, before the most Reverend the Lord Archbishop of that city, and the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Waterford, and a very great congregation, I was struck dumb, and could not speak a word. And that, after going into the street, I fell dead suddenly. It were both tedious and ridiculous to mention all the fables which they coin daily, forging things certainly so far from my thoughts, and contrary to my inclination as to put my hand into the fire would be.

I could not but expect this kind of proceeding from them, knowing how much their writers of greatest repute encourage them to it, saying-" It is lawful for the Priest or religious man, to kill any who would offer to divulge grave faults of himself or of his religion:" and, which to me seems no less cruel, "that it is not a grievous sin to raise false testimonies against him that would blemish one's honour, to bereave him of credit." If they allow this kind of defence for the honour of every individual, what may I expect they will suggest in order to destroy, or defame one who, they suspect, may diminish with his opposition the credit of their whole religion? I abstain, at present, from quoting the authors of this doctrine, not willing to defame the teachers of such infamous tenets, until farther occasion may make it necessary to show how opposite they are to the law of God and the doctrine of Christ. This kind of defence is a great discredit to their cause; truth needs not such weapons to be drawn for it. David saith, that God needeth not our goods"-Deus meus es, quoniam bonorum meorum non eges." (Psalm xvi. 2.) And if he needs not our goods, surely he needeth not our evil. He who uses these means, shews clearly it is not for God that he is acting, for God refuses all such ways; "Will you speak wickedly for God, (saith holy Job xiii. 7.) and talk deceitfully for him ?” Certainly none of his true followers will do so. It is not the way which Christ and his Apostles pointed out to us by which to propagate their doctrine.

Several persons, who pretend to desire my safety, were employed to forewarn me that I should not speak in prejudice of the party

* The maxims of the Jesuits are here alluded to. See Pascal's Provincial Letters, No. 15, on Calumny.