66 Want of Moral Restraint too general. 



neither papists nor catholics, and who are 

 therefore reckoned churchmen ; or, on a sup- 

 position of the aggregate population being six 

 millions, four of the number would be catholics, 

 three quarters of a million presbyterians, and a 

 million and a quarter protestants, methodists, 

 and other sectaries. Acceding, as I am in- 

 clined to do, to this opinion, I can hardly think 

 it possible, had such been the case, that the 

 country could have been in the extreme state of 

 ignorance, and consequent misery, under which 

 it is suffering at this day. Man in a state of 

 society must b.e made sensible of his indispen- 

 sable duty to God, before it can be hoped he 

 will have respect for the institutions of man. 

 From the want of moral restraint arises a great 

 portion of the crimes so disgraceful to Ireland. 

 The complaint made in the year 1 552, " that 

 there were no preachments to the people," 

 might, I believe, be now very faithfully urged ; 

 for if the towns be excepted, I fear there is but 

 little time bestowed by the village clergy in the 

 instruction of their congregations, f 



The well-founded complaints of the Irish 

 afford but too favourable an opportunity of 

 engrafting on their minds the political opinions 

 which have so long agitated Europe. The ad- 

 vantage to be taken of this was too apparent to 



