Roman Catholicism And Freemasonry.—The Chatham Outrage.

other countries . But the assertion is utterly false unless the church , which boasts itself changeless , has undergone a recent and great change . Multitudes of Koman Catholics are Freemasonsas has been the case for all the centuries of the

Church ' s history—and have enjoyed all the privileges of the Church during their lives , have received its sacraments and its prayers , have attended their consignment " to the tomb . This is a new tiling which Mr Cuffe has

brought before us . On what can he pretend that his assertion rests ? Not on the Canon Law . We boldly challenge Mr . Cuffe , or any who may be disposed . to stand up on his behalf , to produce a single sentence of the

Canon Law which affords it the slightest countenance . Nov can it be vindicated by any decision of any council of the Church , unless it is to be deduced by implication from the finding of the recent pretended CEcumeuicaf Council at Eome , which , on the 18 th July , 1870 , declared the Pope to be infallible iii

everything concerning faith and morals , and this infallibility to be a dogma oi the Church , the reception of winch , as of all its other dogmas , is to be held indispensable to salvation . The only authority which can be pretended for

saying that a good Catholic may not be a Freemason , or that to join the Masonic body is for a member of the Church of Eome to separate himself from the Church , is that of certain Papal allocutions and encyclical letters

; and to make these binding on the conscience of every member of the Church of Rome , the dogma of Papal infallibility must be brought in and ur » ed to the very utmost . It seems , at present to be the policy of the and of his

Pope - advisers , to apply this dogma wherever its application is possible , and to a great variety of subjects . Ultramontane prelates and priests , in almost every part of the world , are busy in the endeavour to bring Papal authority to bear all members

upon of the Church in a way not formerl y attempted , at least in recent times . But it may be

possible for them to strain it too far . They have already got into conflict with the civil powers in more countries than one , and in such fashion that either ihe Church or the civil power must in the end inevitably yield and

leave the other decidedly victorious ; whilst the triumph of the Church , if it were achieved , would be the establishment of a dominion more absolute

and universal than it ever possessed even in the darkest period of the middle ages , over all affairs temporal and spiritual , in nations , in families , and iu respect of the conduct of individuals . Koine has also challenged Freemasonry

to conflicts , in Germany and other parts of the Continent of Europe , in the United States of America , in Brazil , and now in England . Freemasonry will be found no' feeble and helpless antagonist . Freemasons will not engage

in any conflict if they can avoid it , for their system is one of love and peace , but in this case they may well say it was not of their seeking . Their system is one of peace , but it is one of peace founded on charity , not of peace

obtained by slavish submission . At present , it plainly appears to be the duty of every Freemason in Britain to bring all possible influence to bear upon the Grovernment , and particularly of the Military authorities , for an inquiry into the conduct of the Rev . Mr . Cuffe ,

an inquiry which might be expected to lead to his removal from the office the duties of which he has refused to discharge , in that refusal asserting an arbitrary power over the conscience and the conduct of every Koman Catholic

soldier . ' It may be proper , also , that steps should be taken for instituting an action in the proper civil court against him , that the family of Sergeant Johnstone may obtain some compensation for the

injury ruthlessly done to their feelings , and I am confident the Freemasons of Britain would gladly subscribe the requisite funds . We would still add a few words on another point , —the reason of . the hos-