It Is Not Easy To Forbear Reflecting With How Little Reason These
Men Profess Themselves The Followers Of Jesus, Who Left This Great
Characteristic To His Disciples, That They Should Be Known By Loving
One Another, By Universal And Unbounded Charity And Benevolence.
Let us suppose an inhabitant of some remote and superior region, yet
unskilled in the ways of men, having read and considered the
precepts of the gospel, and the example of our Saviour, to come down
in search of the true church:
If he would not inquire after it
among the cruel, the insolent, and the oppressive; among those who
are continually grasping at dominion over souls as well as bodies;
among those who are employed in procuring to themselves impunity for
the most enormous villainies, and studying methods of destroying
their fellow-creatures, not for their crimes but their errors; if he
would not expect to meet benevolence, engage in massacres, or to
find mercy in a court of inquisition, he would not look for the true
church in the Church of Rome.
Mr. Le Grand has given in one dissertation an example of great
moderation, in deviating from the temper of his religion, but in the
others has left proofs that learning and honesty are often too weak
to oppose prejudice. He has made no scruple of preferring the
testimony of Father du Bernat to the writings of all the Portuguese
Jesuits, to whom he allows great zeal, but little learning, without
giving any other reason than that his favourite was a Frenchman.
This is writing only to Frenchmen and to Papists: a Protestant
would be desirous to know why he must imagine that Father du Bernat
had a cooler head or more knowledge; and why one man whose account
is singular is not more likely to be mistaken than many agreeing in
the same account.
If the Portuguese were biassed by any particular views, another bias
equally powerful may have deflected the Frenchman from the truth,
for they evidently write with contrary designs: the Portuguese, to
make their mission seem more necessary, endeavoured to place in the
strongest light the differences between the Abyssinian and Roman
Church; but the great Ludolfus, laying hold on the advantage,
reduced these later writers to prove their conformity.
Upon the whole, the controversy seems of no great importance to
those who believe the Holy Scriptures sufficient to teach the way of
salvation, but of whatever moment it may be thought, there are not
proofs sufficient to decide it.
His discourses on indifferent subjects will divert as well as
instruct, and if either in these, or in the relation of Father Lobo,
any argument shall appear unconvincing, or description obscure, they
are defects incident to all mankind, which, however, are not too
rashly to be imputed to the authors, being sometimes, perhaps, more
justly chargeable on the translator.
In this translation, if it may be so called, great liberties have
been taken, which, whether justifiable or not, shall be fairly
confessed; and let the judicious part of mankind pardon or condemn
them.
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