In order to obtain the sanction of the Pope, Loyola proposed, that besides the three vows of poverty, chastity, and monastic obedience, which are common to all the orders of regulars, the members of this Society should take a fourth vow of obedience to the Pope, binding themselves to go whithersoever he should command for the service of religion, and without requiring anything from the Holy See for their support. But this vow of Papal obedience amounts to nothing, when the Society sees fit. For it appears that the vow is confined to what concerns the Missions. And supposing a person to have set out in obedience to the Pope's orders, if the Pope should not have precisely fixed the period of his return (which he can hardly ever do) the General shall recall the party whenever he pleases. Other methods by which the fourth vow is invalidated are mentioned in the History of the Jesuits.' Then, again, the Society is undefinable as to its members. Are they Religious? In 1665, the answer was, YES: in 1712, the answer was, No. It is this duplicity which made the Parliament of Paris call the Jesuits, a mongrel Society neither Regular nor Secular.'-'It is this double interest, varying according to circumstances, which prevented the Jesuits in the time of PASQUIER, from giving a definition of themselves and which induced him to designate them as 'HERMAPHRODITES, who in order to be Seculars and Regulars at the same time, are neither one nor the other.'

'Under these circumstances, it is impossible to know whether the man who is a Jesuit to-day, may not

to-morrow be at large in the world without bonds or vows while, on the other hand, there is no assurance, that under a secular garb, and even with the profession of a Lutheran, a man may not be a Jesuit.' (Hist. of Jesuits, chap. xxxii.)

As the Jesuits are proved to be the Second Beast by their duplicity, so they are distinguished by the mystery which pervades their order. 'What other religion has a secret constitution, hidden privileges, and concealed laws of its own? What other has all those things which relate to its government involved in so much mystery? There is always suspicion in mystery: the rules of other religious orders are open to all even the rules and canons of Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, and the whole Clergy: the privileges instructions, and statutes of other orders, may be seen and consulted in almost every library: and the lowest novice of the Franciscan Order may read at one view what his duty would be, if he should ever become the General of his Order: among the Jesuits, however, there are a great number who are ignorant of their own laws the secret is confided only to a chosen few their government is not formed upon the rules. of the Catholic Church, which are generally known, but by secret laws, which are only known to the Superiors in short they are governed rather by private laws, than by such as are authorized, which is manifestly contrary to the law of nature and reason.' (Letter of the Bishop of Angelopolis to Pope Innocent X.)

The name of the mystical Babylon, the Church of

Rome, is mystery.' The name of the Beast,' or the Papacy, is 'mystery,' 'the mystery of iniquity.' In like manner, the name of the Second, or Jesuitical Beast, is mystery.' Mystery is inscribed upon its privileges, instructions, statutes, vows, government, and institute. And it is remarkable that the Hebrew word from which the Greek μvoтngiov and the English mystery is derived contains the number of the Beast, 666.

μυστηριον

OUR SAVIOUR bid his disciples "beware" of those who should "come unto them in sheeps' clothing, but inwardly would be ravening wolves." But the Beast before us is more specious still. be more wary on our part. "having two horns like a LAMB."

We should therefore
He is described as
And are not the

Jesuits like lambs' in appearance? They take a vow of poverty. Nay more, they seem to be poor in spirit. They call themselves 'poor Evangelists,''poor mendicants,'-' the diminutive Society of Jesus.' This is sufficiently humble! The society is certainly 'like a lamb!' Then, again, look at the vow of chastity, and say, whether the Jesuits are not ‘like lambs!' The third vow binds them to monastic obedience, and here we see them all meekness and submission. In like manner their fourth vow leaves them no will of their own, but binds them to go wherever the Pope may send them. Moreover, their

410 SPECIOUSNESS AND PLAUSIBILITY OF JESUITS.

Institute professes to have the glory of God' always in view, and everything is to be understood,' according to the constitutions of the society, AD MAJOREM GLORIAM Dei.'

But in no respect do the Jesuits appear more like lambs' than in this, that they claim to be in a peculiar manner the followers of Him who was "meek and lowly in heart," who " was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth." Their title is SociETAS JESU-THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. The maxims of the Fathers of this Society are so many revelations proceeding from the mouth of the Lamb.' This is expressly asserted by Escobar. The words of this Jesuit are, Ego solum modo memoro revelationem factam ab AGNO suis auctoribus Jesuitis.' The revelation related by Escobar is that which was made by the Lamb to his authors the Jesuits! In the next chapter we shall have occasion to refer to the moral theology of this famous Jesuit. Suffice it for the present to say, that Escobar compiled it from twentyfour Jesuitical Fathers; and in his preface compares it to the Book of the Revelation which was sealed with seven seals, and says that Jesus delivered it thus sealed to the four living creatures, Suarez, Vasquez, Molina, and Valentia, in the presence of four-andtwenty Jesuits, who represent the four-and-twenty elders. The work has passed through several editions ; and it is remarkable that that of Lyons has at the beginning the figure of a LAMB on a book sealed with seven seals!