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ceive what a vast respect the Jesuits have for Bishops, and the Holy See." 2

Seeing that they set his authority at defiance, and that they possessed too much influence at the court of Pekin to venture to inflict upon them the penalty of their disobedience, the apostolic vicar had no alternative but to appeal to the holy see. The Pope, in pronouncing condemnation upon their conduct, described the mode of worship protested against as incompatible with the Christian religion. But the papal brief produced as little effect upon the Jesuits as the Bishop of Conon's ordinance. They persisted in their own course, and actually assured their disciples that the Pope had pronounced no decision against them.

Such was the position of the church in China, when it was determined at Rome to send a Legate with ample powers to correct these evils, and bring the Jesuits to a sense of their duty. He was furnished with a papal brief addressed to the Bishop of Conon, in which the Pope, Clement XI. expressed confidence in that prelate's zeal and fidelity, and his persuasion that he would receive the Legate with due honour, and assist him in effecting the great object of his mission. The Cardinal received from the vicar apostolic all the co-operation that he expected; but he found the abuses complained of too deeply rooted for their united exertions to eradicate them. The Jesuits' proselytes, indeed, were more numerous than those of any other missionaries: but the means to which

2 "A true Account of the present state of Christianity in China." 8vo. London, 1709. This important work, which is very scarce, may be seen at the British Museum, bound up with Mosheim's, "Memoirs of the Christian Church in China." 3 Ibid.

A. D.

1704.

СНАР.
IV.

they resorted to obtain them, and the conduct they sanctioned in them, were a scandal to religion in the eyes of all who had any regard for the honour of the Christian name. Introducing themselves as physicians into the families of the heathen, they are accused of taking advantage of the opportunity thus obtained, to baptize their dying patients when unconscious of what they were doing, or too weak to resist them. Drawing a wet cloth over their faces, they muttered to themselves the baptismal service, and then, as though this were a valid baptism, they immediately added the name of the patient to their list of converts. In the case of children whom they attended in their medical capacity, they actually bribed their pagan parents to allow them to be bap

tized.4

4 Such accounts look so much like events of by-gone days of papal darkness, that some persons think it incredible that similar expedients should ever again be used to swell the catalogue of converts. What then will be said to the following account of the Romish missionaries' proceedings in China at the present day. Instead of being ashamed of them, they glory in them, and are circulating their avowal of the practice throughout England, for the edification of their own people, and for the conversion of heretics.

"In order to procure baptism for the children of idolatrous parents in danger of death, it is necessary to form and support a certain number of persons, who go about the country and through the towns with medicines, and who are often obliged to give money to the pagans to persuade them to let their infants be baptized. In the time of the Jesuits, the grace of baptism was procured in this manner every year for a prodigious number of children. It was a devotion with pious persons in Europe to support at their expense one or many catechists with this intention, which cost annually for each only 70 or 80 francs. At present in the single mission of Sut-chuen, on an average there are yearly more than 8000 baptisms. In 1820 the distress in this mission was so great, that the missionaries found it impossible to continue this sublime work of Christian charity. Happily Providence came to their aid by means of a

This practice may have been consistent in men who believed that the priest is invested with power to communicate The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in baptism, under whatever circumstances and to whomsoever administered: but can any one who does not subscribe to this assumption of priestly authority, think of extenuating the practices to which it leads on such a plea as this? Alas! bad men are too generally more consistent than "the children of light." There are many more dark spots in the fairest characters, than bright spots in the darkest. On the plea of consistency, the Church of Rome herself were defensible:

legacy of 500 piastres left by a priest of Macao. If the missionaries had only moderate resources at their disposal, it is incredible to what a prodigious multitude of children heaven would be opened through all the extent of the immense regions of the East. May heaven again excite that zeal for the salvation of men, which stimulated St. Francis Xavier and his companions, and made them feel that it was not too much to go to the end of the world to save one soul redeemed by the blood of Christ! May all Christians, when about to engage in useless expenses, feel compassion at the remembrance of these unfortunate creatures, and thank divine Providence, who seems to place in their hands the price of their eternal salvation."-Glance at the Institution for the Propagation of the Faith, pp. 23, 24.

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At page 24, it is said of "Monseigneur Florent, Bishop of Sozopolis and vicar apostolic of Siam," that a short time before his death, he "wrote to all the Associates of the Institution for the Propagation of the Faith, saying, Fifty francs would have been often sufficient to enable me to establish a catechist in some place, who might have baptised many hundred children of infidels, and done a vast deal of good; but I had not this sum: so the children died without baptism, and the infidels remained in their horrible blind

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This will account for the numbers said to have been converted during the present century in Sut-chuen. In this single province the missionaries have baptised, since 1800, about 30,000 adults, and more than 250,000 pagan children in danger of death.”—Ib. p. 17.

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A. D. 1704.

CHAP.
IV.

A. D. 1705.

His reception at the

court of

Pekin.

Vicar apos

for what power was ever so uniform in its policy as she has been, in maintaining her dominion of darkness and intolerance? Nothing can be more perilous to the cause of liberty, morality, and religion, than to set up such a standard in vindication of human conduct.

The Cardinal de Tournon understood his duty better than to judge the Jesuits by so pernicious a rule. He found their concessions to the idolatries of China as disgraceful as those which they had made to the superstitions of India, and determined to deal with them accordingly. He inveighed with just severity against their scandalous abuses, and used every means in his power to correct them; but all his endeavours proved of no avail. Everywhere they resisted him with similar pertinacity to that of their brethren in India. Like them, they questioned his authority to interfere with their proceedings, and exerted all their influence with the mandarins, which was very great, to defeat his measures for the reform of ecclesiastical rites. When he first arrived in the country, he found the French and Portuguese Jesuits at variance with each other; but they soon saw the policy of compromising their mutual differences, for the purpose of uniting against one whom they regarded as their common enemy.

14. The Legate did not reach Pekin, the capital of China, until about the end of 1705; and on the last day of that year he was admitted to his first audience with the emperor, who tolic ba- gave him a favourable reception. But there the Jesuits' were too many Jesuits about the palace watchinstigation ing all his movements, for him to do much more at this interview than exchange civilities: and one of that company was audacious enough

nished at

-his letter

to the Pope.

to tell him to his face, that if he had chosen, he could have prevented his introduction at court. After a short time, however, the Legate ventured to bring the question about their ecclesiastical rites and ceremonies to the emperor's notice, but without obtaining any satisfaction from him. On declining to enter into them, he remarked, That such matters should be referred to the Pope, and that all parties ought to hold themselves prepared to abide by his decision. But this reference was unnecessary, the Cardinal, as Legate a Latere, being invested with the papal authority for all purposes whatever, and only requiring the aid of the civil power to enforce obedience to his mandates. This the Jesuits understood very well, but they took care not to let the emperor understand it; and the Cardinal, finding their influence at court irresistible, had no alternative but to yield to the emperor's suggestion.

Neither party remained inactive during the reference home, the Cardinal using every means in his power to bring about the reformation of the church, and the Jesuits straining every nerve to render them of no effect. The Bishop of Conon's zeal in the work of reform, increased their malevolence against him, and they did not fail to visit him with the full weight of their indignation. They obtained an order from the emperor for his arrest, and imprisonment under their own custody. During his confinement, the Cardinal wrote to him from Lin-chin. October 6th, 1706. In this letter he offers the persecuted prelate such consolation as his circumstances required; laments the evil times on which they were fallen; and complains bitterly of the Jesuits' disobedience to the papal authority. But the

A. D. 1705.

A. D.

1706.

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