ch is suppressed, and the liberty of the people, with regard to
examining for themselves, totally restrained.

It is, however, the case that, even in this country, the weak and ignorant
are often led too implicitly to put their faith wholly upon what their
spiritual teachers think proper to inform them, and precipitately imbibe
sentiments from them, which, if their teacher is a designing knave, may
prove detrimental to society. The Jesuit will, however, find it very
difficult, notwithstanding many circumstances may seem to favor his views,
to carry the point of altering a free government to one more arbitrary, in
such a country as this.

The cloak of religion too often answers to promote plans detrimental to
the peace and happiness of mankind. The priests, who accompanied the
Spaniards when they first invaded the kingdoms of Mexico and Peru, urged
on those blood-hounds to perpetrate scenes of cruelty and horror (at the
bare recital of which human nature shudders), with assurances that it
would tend to promote the cause of the Christian religion, if they
effected the conquest of those unhappy people, and that any conduct was
justifiable to bring infidels to a sense of their duty.

The teacher of the benign and peaceable doctrine of the Saviour of
mankind, often thinks he can, with greater security, on account of his
profession, disseminate the seeds of sedition and discontent, without
being suspected. This thought no doubt occurred to Numa before he
exhibited his designing productions to the publick. Sheltered under the
sacred wing of religion, how many an impious wretch stalks secure from
publick justice,

"Whose mem'ries ought, and will perhaps yet live,
In all the glare which infamy can give."

Numa indicates that he means to prepare the minds of the people for the
reception of that government which the Federal Convention shall think most
proper for them to adopt. In the name of common sense, what can that
scribbler mean by this assertion? Is a scandalous abuse of our rulers--the
propagation of sentiments which are calculated to set the publick mind in
a ferment--if they are so far attended to as to have any influence among
the people--a fit preparation for such a measure? Surely, by no means, and
every thinking mind will discover that the productions of Numa are either
intended to effect secret purposes, or that they are merely effusions of
the fanatick brain of that Quixote of the day.

Instead of