SERMON CXXXVII.

THE PERNICIOUS EFFECTS TO A NATION OF IGNORANCE AND IDLENESS; AND THE HAPPY CONSEQUENCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND INDUSTRY.

Preached before the Society correfponding with the Incorporated Society in Dublin, for promoting English Proteftant Working-Schools in Ireland, at their general meeting in the parish church of St Mary le Bow, on Wednesday, April

27.1757.

PROV. ix. 6.

Forfake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

THESE are the words of Wisdom herself, fpeaking in per

fon and to speak them with effect to the poor of our neighbouring island, that forfaking the follies of their ancestors, they may live as men ought; and go in the way of understanding, through the practice of the duties, and enjoyment of the comforts of this world, to the happinefs of the next, is the whole intent of the charity, which we are met to promote: the noblest and greatest of the kind, that ever existed.

The kingdom of Ireland is bleffed by Providence with all the means of profperity: and yet the bulk of the people are in a condition very lamentable. With health and ftrength, they have little or no industry; with capacities like other men, they have little or no knowledge, even of the common arts of life. With the best fituation and opportunities for commerce, they have fcarce any of the conveniencies which it imports: with a fertile foil, in a temperate climate, they have fcarce food and raiment. Under a government, which lays on then the feweft burthens, that perhaps ever nation felt, they are inceffantly wifhing for a change: and, which is the fource of all, tho' the light of the reformation fhines round them, and the door VOL. IV.

A

of

of Christian freedom is open to them, they continue in thick darkness, voluntary flaves to abfurd superstitions. Attached with fervile awe to the loweft emiffaries of the See of Rome, they imbibe even the dregs of its errors: which many, in other countries of the fame communion, have the wisdom to reject. Hence their idolatry is groffer, their efteem of social duties lefs, their dependence on outward formalities more confident, their enmity to Proteftants bitterer: and their abhorrence of labour almost infuperable, because it will benefit those whom they deteft.

We ought to pity all the mistakes and sufferings of all our fellow-creatures, and yet more of our fellow-chriftians, how much foever they proceed from their own faults. Even their temporal evils ought to move us very fenfibly: and though penury and nakedness may appear to unaccustomed eyes more grievous than they are; yet the real diftreffes flowing from them are often extremely heavy. But their fpiritual difadvantages, that they have fo little acquaintance with rational piety, univerfal benevolence, the value of moral self-government, and the genuine fyftem of the truth as it is in Fefus*, these intitle them to much tenderer compaffion, though seldom confidered in that view. For our fellow-fubjects we ought to feel an additional concern, were their interefts ever fo feparable from our own: but in the present cafe they are united moft intimately. While these unhappy creatures remain without proper employment, the country in general must be unhealthy, as well as unpleasant, for want of culture; and thinly peopled, for want of neceffaries: the fight of so much wretchedness must be painful; the relief of it expensive, and nevertheless unavailing. That part of the British dominions must be deftitute of the wealth and ftrength, which diligence would quickly procure it: and instead of contributing to the support of the whole, must drain and exhaust England for its defence, whenever attacked.

This would be unavoidable, werethe natives ever fo amicably difpofed towards us, ever so dutifully towards our fovereign. But being of a different and perfecuting religion; taught by bigotted parents and inftructors to regard us as heretics, abhorred of God; and devoted, by his vicegerent on earth, to prefent, as well as future, deftruction: fome of them will think doing mischief to us, when they can without hazard, a laudable

* Eph. iv. 21.

:

laudable action; and others will imagine fraud, or perjury, or violence against such abominable mifcreants, offences that claim an eafy abfolution. Thefe fentiments must greatly affect their conduct in the ordinary intercourfes of life: but unspeakably more, when the interests of their church come in question. Accordingly, for these, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, they were rebelling perpetually in that of King Charles I. they maffacred, unprovoked, as many compute, about one hundred thousand perfons of our faith in that of King James II. and the war that foliowed, not only the meaner fort, but the upper also, gave shocking proofs of the like inhuman spirit. By fuch repeated enormities, multitudes of them, on various occafions, forfeited their eftates with their lives. Thefe forfeitures, their defcendants, whilft they cherish the fame way of thinking, must confider as nullities; and wifh and hope to regain what they have loft; pining with envy, thirsting for revenge; and imputing their poverty, the fruit originally of their treasons, and fince of their idleness, and maintenance of priefts without end, to our infupportable oppreffions.

Thus uneafy at home, vaft numbers of them go abroad, and chiefly into the territories of our enemies or rivals. There fome of them exert themselves in trade to our detriment, which they would not do in their own land for our common benefit. Some again, who have got riches already, carry them away to enjoy them elsewhere. But far the greatest part of these emigrants take up the profeffion of arms in the service of popish powers; attack us with peculiar fiercenefs in the day of battle, as we have felt to our coft; and are always ready, when a critical juncture shall appear, to return and head their countrymen against us in another meritorious holy war; which we have the more caufe to apprehend, as their bishops are nominated by the Pretender; as neither clergy nor laity amongst them have ever given, or offered to give, though preffed to it by some of their own church, any pledge of their fidelity to the present government; and as thofe regions of the island, which they occupy the most entirely, are the nearest to the continent *.

*

?

that they

* We have been told indeed by a late Apologift for them have, for near 70 years paft, that is, ever fince they could not help them

*The cafe of the Roman Catholics of Ireland, Dublin, 1755.

felves,

We must be allowed therefore to recollect what hath been; and conclude from thence, what will, or may be; to put ourfelves, when it is requifite, in the condition of our forefathers; adopt their feelings, to excite our vigilance, though not our refentment;

felves, been perfectly well affected. But we can by no means trust, against all probability, and the experience of fucceffive ages, to the bare word of a nameless author. And much lefs can we do it, when a contemporary author, an officer of his own nation and belief, living amongst our enemies, where he may fpeak out with fafety and applause, treats our happy establishment as an ufurpation; and frankly declares, that the Irish Papists have a fettled antipathy to Englishmen, with a strong attachment to France, and the House of Stuart *.

We have also been told by the same Apologist and others, that whatever the Court of Rome may have done, the Church of Rome hath never patronifed perfecution, or rebellion, or breach of oaths or promises, to introduce or fupport its doctrine or difcipline. But if we must be in danger of thefe things, whenever the Court of Rome, or its partifans have power; it is but a forry confolation to tell us, that the Church of Rome hath no hand in them. And yet whence are we to learn the tenets of that Church? Not furely from a few obfcure, or at beft private writers: but from the decrees of her councils, general and particular, the uniform determinations of her Popes, the edicts of her princest, the received opinions of her divines; the. conftant practice of her members, whenever an inviting opportunity pre. fents itself; and that practice not once condemned as unlawful, by any pretended authority amongst them; though there have been many and loud calls upon them to condemn it, if indeed they difapprove it. But they have better ways than this; they force the most notorious facts alledged against them, into a neutrality, if not into their fervice, by mifreprefentations; or, if any be intractably stubborn, they pafs it over in total filence. Thus particularly this Apologist, though he relates a variety of hiftorical occurrences, to show that his Catholic friends were innocent, .or excufable in them all, no more mentions or hints at the horrid butchery of 1641, than if he had never heard of any fuch thing. And the Irish officer, poor man, hath forgotten it as entirely, in his narration of matters, relative to the Papifts of that island: though he remembers a great deal more, than is true, of what preceded, and followed it. Treating perfons in this manner, is really holding their understandings in too much contempt; and being almost as void of judgment, as of honefty and fhame.

*Lettres d'un Officer Irlandois a un Officer Francois de fes Amis, Mem. de Trev. Aout. Sept. 1756.

† See a difcourfe concerning the laws, ecclefiaftical and civil, made against heretics. London, printed for John Wyatt, 1723,

refentment; and make fupplemental provisions for fecurity, where the former have proved infufficient.

How they came to be infufficient, needs not be minutely examined here. Ireland, remote from the rest of Europe, and haraffed continually by domestic feuds, was in a state of great ignorance and rudeness at the reformation. God, whose judgements are unfearchable*, raised up then in that country none of the burning and shining lights †, which he did elsewhere. Popery therefore, while the attention of England was engaged at home, kept its ground, and foon fortified it by foreign fchools and connexions. The firft rebellions indeed, which followed on this, principally weakened the authors of them: but the dreadful maffacre almoft extinguished the Proteftants. And though the perpetrators of it fuffered in their turns very feverely yet the furvivors were buoyed up with hopes, in the two next reigns, of recovering all: which they were on the point of accomplishing, when the arrival of our deliverer King William, and their unsuccessful oppofition to him, broke their strength, but not their obftinacy. However, fince that time, the persons of figure have been gradually coming over; fome on right motives; others in confequence of fuch regulations, as the Legislature can justly make in its own defence, and Papists can never confiftently blame, though wrong minds may be tempted by them to hypocrify. Still, profelytes on fufpected inducements, and fome of them only from the profeffion of a falfe religion to the profeffion of none, are not likely to have much influence, were they to endeavour it, on their inferiors who accordingly have adhered to the Romish communion.

1

And were they never to quit it, their priests unquestionably, had they uprightness and prudence enough, might give them both better difpofitions to industry, and juster notions of Chriftianity. But there is no prospect that they ever will, in any great measure; or should they do their beft, the most refined popery is a dangerous corruption of the gofpel; and hath befides a large mixture of things hurtful to civil fociety. But especially where a perfon of the fame perfuafion keeps up a claim to the Crown, its votaries will never be further good fubjects, than as their feeming fuch may procure connivance

at

*Rom. xi. 33

+ John v. 35.