IV. A SYSTEM OF HEATHENISM—THE RELIGION OF FRANCE

“Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god.” A system of paganism, was next introduced into France, and the national assembly enacted a heathen ritual for the use of the French people. This system continued in force until the appointment of Napoleon to the provisional consulate of France, in 1799. The abolition of the ritual is thus recorded by Lockhart, in his Life of Napoleon, vol. I., p. 154:—“A third and bolder measure was the discarding of THE HEATHEN RITUAL, and re-opening of the churches for Christian worship; and of this the credit was wholly Napoleon’s, who had to contend with the philosophic prejudices of almost all his colleagues. He, in his conversations with them, made no attempts to represent himself a believer in Christianity; but stood only on the necessity of providing the people with the regular means of worship, wherever it is meant to have a state of tranquillity. The priests who chose to take the oath of fidelity to government, were re-admitted to their functions; and this wise measure was followed by the adherence of not less than 20,000 of these ministers of religion, who had hitherto languished in the prisons of France.” Thus terminated the reign of terror and the infidel revolution, leaving Bonaparte at the head of the French government, to give direction to the turbid waters, and turn them to his own account, and raise himself, upon the ruins of the revolution, to the throne of the empire, and to be the terror of the world.PREX2 97.1