History of the Jesuits: Their origin, progress, doctrines, and designsNicolini, G. B. (Giovanni Battista)
History
History of the Jesuits: Their origin, progress, doctrines, and designs
Nicolini, G. B. (Giovanni Battista)
Jesuits -- History
Our Protestant readers, we presume, have by this time learned what
malignant and unrelenting enemies of their religion the Jesuits have
always been. They must have learned that all the north of Europe, and
France itself, perhaps, would have become Protestant countries, had
it not been for the demoniacal arts and ill-employed activity of the
disciples of Loyola. They must, further, be aware that the Jesuits did
not obtain those results by honest means only, by force of argument,
or by active and earnest exertions, which would have at least entitled
them to the approbation and esteem of all Roman Catholics, but they had
recourse to perjury, to murder, to persecution, to cruelties of every
kind—to means, in short, involving the perversion of every principle of
morality, for which they at last came to be abhorred by every honest
person, even of their own persuasion. Lastly, it clearly appears, from
what we have related, that, while pretending to fight for the Roman
See, the Jesuits, in reality, fought for their own aggrandisement; that
they recognise no religion, but their interest; worship no God, but
their order. We must, finally, remind our readers that we have omitted
numberless other charges which are generally brought against them, which
we consider well founded, but which we cannot satisfactorily prove.
All that we have advanced we have proved, according to our promise,
by documents of unquestionable authenticity, and we shall continue to
observe this rule to the conclusion of our history.
CHAPTER X.
1581-1608.
COMMOTION AMONG THE JESUITS.
In relating the proceedings of the Jesuits in divers countries of Europe,
we have not mentioned Spain; first, because, though firmly established in
that country, they, under the absolute Philip II., exercised no influence
whatever over its general policy; and, secondly, because we had it in
reserve to speak of their proceedings in that country in the present
chapter.
In Spain the Jesuits had no heretics to contend with—no zeal or
fanaticism to excite. If now and then some Christianised Jew or Moor
relapsed into his former belief, the Inquisition was too jealous of her
privilege of roasting those accursed of God, in a solemn _auto da fè_,
to permit the Jesuits to meddle in the holy ceremony. Having thus no
external enemy to contend with, they, as usually happens, fell out among
themselves, and fought with one another.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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