The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

456 INFLUENCE OF POPERY ON NATIONS.CHAPTER IV.INFLUENCE OF POPERY ON THE MORAL AND RELIGIOUSCONDITION OF NATIONS.We come now to speak of the influence of Komanism onsociety.to a large extent.This part of our subject we have already ilhistratedAll that we have said regarding the influenceof Popery on individual man and on governmentbears directly on the question of its influence on nations.In the three foregoing chapters we have laiddown and demonstratedthe principles of the subject : in this, we shallattempt the proof from experience, or show the operation ofthese principles on society.If it be true that Popery tendsto degrade man intellectually and morally, and if it be alsotrue that it exerts a most malign influenceon government,rendering it essentially despotic, and adverse in its spiritand actings to the constitution, the necessities, and the progressof society, then there must be a marked and palpabledifference between popish nations and protestant nations.We maintain, and now proceed to prove, that popish nationsare vastly inferior to protestant nations,—first, in generalmorality ;and, second, in general prosperity and happiness.I. There is a great and obvious difference between protestantstates and popish states, in point of morality. Letit be remarked here, once for all, that we are not dealingwith individual cases, but with broad and prominently