THE HISTORY OF Religion.

Written by A Person of Quality.

Quae quidem Disquisitio, & ad Animi Institutionem pulcherrima, & ad mo­derandam Religionem necessaria. Cic. de Nat. Deor. L. 1.

LONDON, Printed in the Year MDCXCIV.

THE PREFACE.

SINCE Prefaces are so much in fashion, I pre­sume it will not be judged improper that I set one before this History of Religion; to clear the Design of it, and prevent Misapprehensions.

Though the Title be the History of Religion, yet there is nothing contained in it of a Polemical or Controver­sial Nature; no Dispute, or [Page iv] Arguments upon any Contro­versy; the World has been stuffed with too many (useless) Wranglings of that kind al­ready.

The Subject of the follow­ing Discourse, arises from Mat­ter of Fact; How Religion has (from the beginning) been managed by Priest-craft of the Heathens, to mislead the Vulgar and Prophane (as they are pleased to term them) into a Blind Implicit Obedi­ence, to their Inspired and Di­vine Authority; Teaching the Belief of many Gods, or Divine Powers, and Appoint­ing so many various Ways of Superstitious Devotions: such as the Worshipping of Idols, [Page v] of Pillars and Columns con­secrated by them, Adoration of Sepulchres and Dead Men; all Artificially calculated and con­trived so, as they found would most easily make Impression up­on the Minds of Men. So al­so the Notions they taught con­cerning the other World, were made sutable to what is seen and familiar to us in this, that they might be more easy for Mens Digestion. By these Means the Priests made them­selves, and their daily increa­sing Numbers, be thought ab­solutely useful to others. But yet to confirm, and preserve themselves in the Authority and Dominion they had gotten, they invented two great Assistances, Mystery and Persecution: by [Page vi] Mystery, to prevent the Use of Understanding; and by Per­secution, to punish any that should attempt to break out of the Brutal Pound, and use their Reason.

Essays.Montaigne says, That Per­secution is a Trial full of Uncertainty and Danger; for what would not a Man say, what would not a Man do, to avoid intole­rable Torments? Etiam In­nocentes cogit mentiri Dolor. Many Nations, less barba­rous than the Greeks or Ro­mans that called them so, esteemed it cruel and hor­rible, to torment and pull Men in pieces for doubtful and questionable Faults. He [Page vii] says further, That Julian, cal­led the Apostate, had expe­rimented by the Cruelty of some Christians, that there is no Beast in the World so much to be feared by Man, as Man.

All these Practices of the Heathens I have endeavour'd, and I believe very plainly, to make appear, that they are re­tained and followed to this day, in what is called the Church of Rome. Where desembling Priest-craft, under pretence of humbling and guiding the Un­derstandings of the Vulgar and Unlearned, hath usurp'd a Pow­er over both Faith and Con­science: they have made it a terrible Thing for Men to trust [Page viii] themselves, or their own Rea­son, in any thing relating to Religion; 'tis with them, an e­qual Crime for the Prophane Vulgar (as the Heathens also called them) not to submit their Understandings to God, and their Priests. Not considering, that no Dictates of any Superi­ours, or Learned Men, can en­gage a Man's Faith, without he has reason to believe, that God had taught what they prescribe; but, then not to believe, is not opposing the Humane, but the Divine Authority. So that in truth, the Business of submit­ting our Understandings to Hu­mane Authority, is but a Chi­merical Notion, and comes to nothing.

[Page ix]But being aware of this Reason, which is so obvious and plain, they clamour, like Demetrius and the Silver­smiths, Great is the Church: which, if fairly examined, not any thing appears more unin­telligible or ridiculous. I con­fess, some of our own Learned Men (with too much Imita­tion of the Roman Clamour) when they write with Pre­sumption enough on some dark and difficult Points, insert a Submission to the Judgment and Correction of their Holy Mother the Church; when they themselves neither pretend to tell us, nor indeed know, when, or from whence this Infallible Judgment should come. [Page x] And until it does, they as­sume to themselves the dicta­ting and prescribing Power; and submit themselves to no­things less than that Great Nothing. For if any should pretend to shew it, or expect it, from Tradition, or Fathers, or Councils, or the Popes; there is no one almost so meanly Learned, as not to know, how fallible and contra­dictory to one another, all these have been.

The Church of Christ is, no question, in Believers: the Houshold of Nymphas was called a Church, and many o­ther Places and Families where Believers were. Much more must the Church of Christ con­sist [Page xi] of Believers in gene­ral: in which diffusive Ca­pacity, she cannot judg of par­ticular Questions and Contro­versies, because of the Divi­sion into Sects and Parties. The Divisions among us into contrary Parties and Opinions, make it necessary, to judg of what we may call the Church, by the Doctrine; not of the Doctrine, by the (pretended) Church.

To supply all possible De­fects, they chiefly follow the Method and Pretence of My­stery; as the surest Way to keep up their Authority: they frame most of their Articles upon dark Places; affecting to make Religion become an [Page xii] Art, and themselves the sole Masters of it. Plutarch tells us, that Alexander the Great wrote a Letter to A­ristotle, complaining of him, that he had set forth his Books of Select Knowledg, to instruct others as well as himself: but Aristotle an­swer'd, that those Treatises, which were his Metaphy­sicks, were indeed published, but so written as not to be exposed to common Capacities: so that in effect, Alexander was indeed the only Person to whom he had yet commu­nicated them. I suppose he had the like reason, to write out of the reach of common Capacity, that the Learned now a days have for their obscure [Page xiii] Writings, and dark Gibberish; even to keep the (Profane) Vulgar from daring to use their own Understandings, a­bout Matters which they see to be so perplex'd and Intri­cate; unless they will enter into their Society, and so be­come free of the Trade.

In my Opinion, it ought to beget Admiration, to see with what Boldness those that pre­tend to extraordinary Share in Learning and Divinity, write upon the most hidden and never to be determined Points: with what Confidence and furious Difference some have wrote of the Trinity, asserting their O­pinions to be plain and easy, and (almost) demonstrable; [Page xiv] while others, as Learned, call them ridiculous Absurdities, and Heresy. Nor has the sacred particular Providence escaped the impious Temerity of the Learned, wresting the Intention of it to their own corrupt pri­vate Interests; making it a Sanctifier of any successful Mischief or Murder, of any Side, of contrary Parties, and to patronize Mens worst Im­perfections. I will not inlarge into a Dispute, but (if pos­sible) make them blush; with a Character of Divine Provi­dence, given them by a Hea­then Writer. The excellent Plutarch, in his Life of Pom­pey, by occasion of some Dis­course of that Nature, says, Providence is a Point of Di­vinity [Page xv] belonging only to God, and ought to be let alone to act after its own Method.

Nothing has given a great­er Blemish to the Christian Re­ligion, than the Controversial Writings of the Learned; those Disputes have ingaged Nations in more Blood and War, than the Ignorant or the Wicked could ever have occasioned or caused, either by their Mistakes or their Improbity. The tri­vial Subjects, and the doubtful and uncertain, that have been so sharply and definitively ar­gued and contested, shew that 'tis Private Interest and Hu­mour that has occasion'd and maintained them; without any respect to the Service of God, [Page xvi] or the Christian Religion, truly and undoubtedly so called. And when they have once drove one another into extreme No­tions in Religion, the Errors on both sides become alike. Thus the Gnosticks held, that 'twas no matter how Men lived, so they believed aright: and the Encratites, who detested this Libertinism, said on the con­trary, that 'tis not material what Men believe, so they live well. Yet by all this, we per­ceive that the Gospel of Christ, in despite of all these (affected and sought) Clouds and Dark­ness, will and does triumphant­ly extend its Light and Be­nign Influence, to the discern­ing and honest Part of Mankind; its Truth and Power appear the [Page xvii] more great and wonderful, by the Opposition of the Falseness and Weakness of Men.

I remember that Montaigne tells a Story of one, Essays. who went to Rome to see (as he had perswaded himself) the Sanctity of their Manners; but he found, on the contrary, a great Dis­soluteness in the Prelates and People of that time; nothing less than Rome the Holy: but this settled him more firm­ly in the Christian Religion; considering how great the Force and Divinity of it must be, that could maintain its Credit and Dignity amidst so much Cor­ruption, and in so vicious hands. The Consideration of this, ought (in my Opinion) to induce those [Page xviii] that are Guides and Teachers, to make our Way plain and easy, to follow the clear and uncon­tested Methods of the Gospel, to win and excite People chiefly to the Love of God, and to encourage rather than distract.

If any one will but tempe­rately consider it, he will with Horror perceive, what Persecu­tion and Mischiefs have been caused by the Imposing Power, assumed by too many that call themselves the Followers of Christ: What Wars and Expence of Christian Blood have been occa­sioned by their passionate and violent Disputes, concerning dark and never to be decided Questi­ons? Had their Teaching and Learning been applied only to [Page xix] the right Use of the Gospel-Methods, the World had enjoyed an undisturbed and (truly) Christian Peace; not been in­volved in unnatural Wars, and barbarous Persecutions.

In short, I must publish it to the World, that I like such Sermons as Dr. Tillotson's, now Arch-bishop of Canterbury: where all are taught a plain and certain Way to Salvation; and with all the Charms of a calm and blessed Temper, and of pure Reason, are excited to the uncontroverted indubitable Duties of Religion. Where all are plainly shown, that the Means to obtain the eternal Place of happy Rest, are those (and no other) which also give Peace in [Page xx] this present Life: and where every one is encouraged and exhorted to learn, but withal to use his own Care and Reason in the working out his own Salvation. I will conclude this Preface therefore, with some Passages from that excellent Person, which relate to the a­bove-mentioned Particulars.

He tells us, Serm. on Luke 9.55, 56. that our Savi­our came to discountenance all Fierceness, and Rage, and Cruelty of Man; to restrain that furious and un­peaceable Spirit, which is so troublesom to the World, and is the Cause of so ma­ny Mischiefs and Disorders in it. He came to intro­duce [Page xxi] a Religion which con­sults, not only the Eternal Salvation of Mens Souls; but their temporal Peace and Security, their Comfort and Happiness in this World. For when Religion: once comes to supplant Moral Righteousness, and to teach Men the absurdest things in the World, to lie for Truth, and to kill for God's Sake; when it serves for no other Cause but to be a Bond of Conspiracy, to inflame the Tempers of Men to a greater Fierceness, and to set a keener Edg upon their Spirits, to make them ten times more the Children of Wrath and Cruelty, than they were by Nature: then [Page xxii] surely it loses its Nature, and ceases to be Religion; for let a Man say worse of Infidelity and Atheism if he can.

Sermon on 1 Joh. 4.1. Whatever therefore the In­conveniences of Mens judg­ing for themselves, may be; the Inconveniences are far less on that side, than a to­tal and implicit Resignation to the Pretenders of being Infallible; no Man being a­ble to know who they are. To try Doctrines, is to en­quire into the Grounds and Reasons of them; which the better any Man understands, the more firmly he will be establish'd in the Truth, and be more resolute in the day of Trial, and the better a­ble [Page xxiii] to withstand the Assaults and Arts of cunning Adver­saries: and on the contra­ry, that Man will soon be removed from his Stedfast­ness, who never examined the Reasons and Grounds of his Belief; when it comes to the Trial, he that has but little to say for his Belief, will probably neither do, nor suffer much for it.

THE HISTORY OF Religion.

THERE never was yet any Country, or Society of Men, but did own some Religion: as if all the Dictates of Man's Nature, join­ed in that one Principle; though differing in the Particulars of it. As they were distinguish'd from Beasts, by Reason, and the right Use of it; so they were directed to the supe­riour Consideration of an Eternal Being, by a certain Reflection on the Finite Condition of themselves and of all living Creatures, which [Page 2] must be determined by Time or Ac­cident: it seemed no less than ridi­culous, not to believe some Power of an Infinite Nature, that was the Creator and Disposer of Beings; and agreeably to that Position of the Apostles, the World easily consent­ed that in Religion is no Shame.

We have heard of some particular Men, that have been reputed A­theists; but never of any Country or Society of Men, that profest Atheism: we have notice of many very Ridiculous Opinions, that have possest Nations; insomuch, that A­theism seems the only Folly that has never prevailed, with any general Credit; which may deservedly put one in mind of that Saying in Holy Scripture, Psal. 14.1. and 53.1. The Fool hath said in his Heart, there is no God.

This Folly needs not a Laborious or Artificial Confutation; the De­monstrations against it, are obvious and clear. That which seems most to stagger and confound Apprehen­sion, is the endless Search of some­thing without a Beginning; a Power derived from no Power, an Infinite [Page 3] and Eternal Omnipotency: but whoever thinks this too much to be believed of God, must (of necessity) believe as much of other things; and while he thinks he does not believe a thing so incomprehensible, at the same time he believes it of most (if not all the) Objects in the World: so whilst an Eternal Exi­stence or Being seems too hard to be believed of God, the same Dif­ficulty must be believed of no God. For if there were not an Omnipo­tent and an Eternal Power, by which all things are made and disposed; it follows (necessarily) that all things must have been with­out a Beginning: so that such a One must believe the World to be, what he cannot believe God is. And while he doubts of a Creator of all things, he must believe all things created themselves; or were Eternal and Infinite without a Creation: the former of which, is to imagine not one God, but many; the other supposes that Absurdity in Philosophy, Ex Nihilo Aliquid, or Effects without not only a Com­petent, [Page 4] but) any Cause. Or if he imagins a thing called Nature, the Cause of all things; he acknow­ledges a God, only under a bor­rowed name: for whatever was without a Beginning, the Cause and the Disposer of all things, is that Infinite Power and Wisdom. Hermes being ask'd what God was? answered well; the Maker of all things, an Eternal and most Wise Mind. Diogenes calls him, the Soul of the World. Plato says, God is a Mind, the Cause and Or­derer of all things; and Seneca, that he is Mens Vniversi. When Labi­enus desired Cato, to consult the Ora­cle of Jupiter Ammon, in their (pre­sent) hard Condition: Ille Deo plenus, tacitá quem me [...] gerebat, ef­fudit di [...]as Adytis è pectore V [...]c [...]s. Est ne Dei sedes, nisi Terra & Pontus, & A [...]r; & C [...] ­lum, & [...]: superus quid qu [...]rimus ultra? Jupiter est quo [...]cun (que) vid [...], quocun (que) [...]. Cato answered, from a Breast more truly Inspi­red than any Oracle those Priests could give, by a Divine Way of Questio­ning, What was the Throne and Seat of God, but the Earth, the Sea, the Air and Virtue: What farther Inquiry therefore, saith he, ought to be made, [Page 5] when God is whatever is seen, or moves, or has a Being? Thus all several Names, Titles and Appella­tions must determine in an Infinite Power, which is the Life and Di­sposer of them: nor has any Person entertained a (settl'd) Opinion, that things disposed themselves, or that they gave themselves their own Life and Being; or that they were with­out a Beginning as now they are, without being the Effects of an In­finite Cause.

The World in general was ever so far from believing no God, that they were prone to believe many Gods; and from the Infancy of it, that Opinion grew, and increas'd with it. An Opinion much che­rish'd by Priests, in all Ages; be­cause their Dominion, Power and Riches encreased of Course, and in the Nature of the Thing, by the Multiplication of Divinities, or Ob­jects of Adoration and Worship: and it seems indeed impossible, that without some Direction and De­sign, such various and phantastic Divinities and Opinions about them, [Page 6] should enter into the Minds of Men, more ready for Impression, than Invention; and having once made an implicit Resignation of their Sense and Reason, they fol­low with even a zealous Submission those to whom they have resigned. Upon this Foundation, Priests rai­sed themselves to Veneration, and to an Equality with Princes; ming­ling their Divine Interest with Earthly Ambition: Rex [...] ▪ Rex [...]. and Kings them­selves thought it an Addition to their Titles, to assume the Name of Priests. In Suetonius you may see with the Titles of Roman Em­perours, that of Priest joined. A­mong the Egyptians, the Priests were next in Dignity to the Kings; and of Counsel to 'em, in all Busi­ness of importance: from among them he was chosen; or if out of the Souldiery, he was forthwith invested in the High-Priesthood, and instructed by the Priests in their Mysteries and Philosophy; which were delivered under the cover of Fables and Aenigmatical Expres­sions. And as I design in this Dis­course, [Page 7] to shew how the Priest-craft and Power have been continued to this time, by the same and like Methods and Practices; so I shall begin, with taking notice of their continuing in that Ambition, Dig­nity and Power, which is so evi­dently practised and shown in the Church of Rome.

The Pope, the High-Priest there, has exceeded all his Priestly Prede­cessors, in pretending a Power a­bove all Princes; even to the de­vesting them, at his Pleasure, of their Authority and Power over their own Subjects. This Para­mount Soveraignty was derived from Infallibility; in virtue of both, 'twas easy for him to require Men to believe whatever was (any way) his Interest to invent; taking his Pattern from the Heathen Priests, as well in their Methods and Tricks of Devotion, as in their Ways of supporting and propagating what they taught, in all Ages of Mystery and Persecution. The Heathen Priests however seem more excusa­ble in their Inventions than Christi­ans [Page 8] that follow and imitate them. For the former had no Word of God, in a revealing Gospel, to di­rect and limit their Belief: so that they were at large, to teach and pra­ctise such things as they believed must make the most (to them) ad­vantagious Impression on Men; as many Gods, and the lesser to be Mediators betwen the superior Gods and Men, the Adoration of their Images, giving Sanctity to Shrines and Pillars. But for Christi­ans, who pretend to believe a re­vealing Gospel, to continue in those Heathenish Doctrines and Methods, seems to be continued by somewhat a greater degree of that Priest-craft, which had been so long practised with Success.

God himself declares, with Jea­lousy, this Aptness in Men to re­ceive and believe in many Gods; and to worship strange and helpless things: in the First Commandment he says, Thou shalt have no other Gods but ME; and in the Second, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image, or the Likeness of any [Page 9] thing that is in the Heavens above, or in the Earth beneath, or in the Water under the Earth. These large and comprehensive Words, forbid­ding every thing that was in Na­ture to be worshipped, shew plain­ly, that God saw and considered how ready Mankind was to be misguided under a Notion of Re­ligion, into extravagant Worships. We hear very early of many Gods, which probably were Men Deifi­ed; as Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Apollo, Neptune, Pluto, Bacchus: and also of divers Female Deities. Mr. Bochart observes hereupon, Geogr. L. 1. that Noah and his three Sons were the same with Saturn and his Sons, Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto. He takes notice of several Appellations in Scripture, as Vir Belli, pro Mi­lite; Vir Brachii, pro Robusto; Vir Sanguinis, pro Homicidâ: but that of Noah is, Vir Terrae, and is so taken by the Mythologists; as if he had married the Earth, or the Goddess Tellus; and the Earth were the same with Rhea the Wife of Saturn. Gen. 9.2 [...]. Noe coepit esse Vir [Page 10] Terrae, & plantavit Vineam: but to Saturn also the Antients ascri­bed Agriculture, and the planting of Vines. And as Noah was drunk with Wine; Gen. 9.21. so the Feast of the Saturnalia was celebrated with Drunkenness. Cham was cursed for seeing his Father Noah's Na­kedness: and the Poets affirm, that such a Law proceeded from Saturn, that none should escape unpunished, that saw any of the Gods naked. Therefore in the Hymns of Calli­machus, when Tiresias was struck blind for seeing Minerva naked, the Goddess excuses it to his Mo­ther, saying, She was not the Cause of taking away his Sight, but that it was a Law that came from Sa­turn. The Fable of the Punish­ment of Actaeon for seeing Diana naked, relates also to this. Saturn and his Wife Rhea were said to come from the Ocean; as Noah did: and Macrobius says, that in the Medal of Saturn, there was a Ship on the one side, and his Head on the other: he cites also Alexander Polyhistor, that Saturn foretold the [Page 11] Flood; which answers to Noah's being forewarned of it by God, 2 Pet. 2.5. and his taking on his thereupon to be a Preacher of Righteousness to that Generation. Mr. Bochart shows farther, that Cham or Ham was worshipp'd under the Name of Jove; the Egyptians calling him by the Name of Jove Amoun or Hammon: by the like manner of Comparison, and by their va­rious Appellations, he finds Japhet to be Neptune, Canaan to be Mer­cury, Nimrod to be Bacchus; of the Reasonableness and Probability of these Conjectures, any one may be satisfied, by reading that Learned Author.

I have set down these things, to show how early the Corrup­tion of Deifying of Men, was: though at the same time, they ac­knowledged also a superiour Sort of Daemons, who never were Men; as I shall show in the progress of this Discourse, together with the Reason why I insist on this Varie­ty of Gods.

[Page 12]There were also Houshold Gods, called Penates; which were Tera­phim or little Images. The Holy Scripture takes notice, that Rachel stole her Father's Teraphim; Gen. 31.19. and in the Prophet 'tis said, the King of Babel consulted the Teraphim, Ezek. 21.21. and look'd into the Liver. These were so relied on for Blessings and Pro­tections, that they were always carried about. When Hector's Ghost appeared to Aeneas, he remembers him of this piece of Devotion; commending to him the carrying these Penates (or Houshold Gods) with him, as Companions of his Fortune; Suos (que) tibi commendat Tro­ja Penates, hos cape Fatorum comi­tes, Virgil. lib. 2. So also in his third Book, when Aeneas takes Ship­ping to fly from his destroyed Country, he takes care of the Pe­nates, as a part of his Family; Fe­ror exul in altum, cum sociis na­to (que) Penatibus & magnis Diis. When Jacob fled from Laban, his Wife Rachel stole her Father's Teraphim, Penaies or Images; and when La­ban overtook them, he first expo­stulates [Page 13] with Jacob, why he would use him so as to carry away his Daughters like Captives, and not suffer him their Father to take a kind Farewel: but then secondly and chiefly, that he had also sto­len his Teraphim. Gen. 31.30. Rachel in the mean time sate upon these Tera­phim, to conceal them from her Father; believing them to be use­ful for their Protection in their Tra­vel to Canaan.

The strange Readiness and In­clination to worship Images, by those very Persons that made them, seems very unlikely to proceed from their own Opinion of their own Work. The excellent Reasons of the Prophet Isaiah, seem to demon­strate this: He says, Isai. 44.11. Et de­inceps. ‘The Work­men, if they were gathered to­gether, would be ashamed: The Smith with the Tongs both worketh it in the Coals, and fashioneth it with Hammers: —He is hungry, and his Strength fails; he drinketh no Water, and is faint. The Carpenter stretcheth out his Rule, he mark­eth [Page 14] it out with a Line, he sit­teth it with Planes:—He mak­eth it after the Figure of a Man, according to the Beauty of a Man, that it may remain in the House. He heweth down Ce­dars, he taketh the Cypress and the Oak; he planteth an Ash, and the Rain nourishes it: then shall it be for a Man to burn, for he will take thereof and warm himself, and will also bake Bread; of the Residue he will make a God, and worship it; a Graven Image, and will fall down there­to. He burneth part thereof in the Fire, with part he eateth Flesh; he also warms himself therewith: the Residue he maketh a God, worships it, prays unto it; says to it, Deliver me, for thou art my God. Isai. 46.1. Thus useless Gods are a Burden to the weary Beasts that carry them. They lavish Gold out of the Bag, and weigh Sil­ver out of the Ballance; they hire a Goldsmith, and he maketh it a God: —but they cry to him, and he cannot answer, nor save [Page 15] out of Trouble.’ But to all this, the Prophet adds, ‘ Remember this, and shew your selves to be Men; bring things again to mind, O ye Transgressors.’ These Words seem plainly to intimate, that the Peo­ple who did these things, were a­bused and misled by others: and there­fore 'tis, that he admonishes them to shew themselves Men, by using their own Consideration; and that they should bring again to mind what a ridiculous Fancy 'tis, that they could make a God who had that Power, which themselves (the Ma­kers of him) wanted; or that there is so great a Difference in the same Piece of Wood, that one part is fit only to serve them in Houshold Offices, the other part is qualified to save them and their Families. Assuredly this Distinction arose not from the Imagination of the Arti­ficer, that used the Wood or Sil­ver; but from the Priests: who having gained an Opinion among Men of their Spiritual Power, pre­tended by their Consecration to make the Difference; and pronounced, [Page 16] by their Divine Authority, that these were Gods.

There are many Authorities that make it clear, that 'twas not the People nor the Artisans, who first broached the Belief that their I­mages were Gods; but the Priests, who by virtue of their Consecra­tion pretended to make the Images and Pillars Sacred, and sit to be filled with the Spirits of Daemons. Hermes Trismegistus says, In Asclep. their Fore­fathers had devised an Art to make Gods, and to call the Souls of De­mons and Angels, and put them into those Images or Gods. Jam­blichus calls these Consecrated Idols, Images filled with Divine Spirits: Statuas animatas, sensu & Spiritu plenas. and again, Animated Statues, filled with Spirit and Sense. Arnobius sets down the Excuse of the Heathens; that they did not worship the Gold and Silver, or other Materials of which the Images were made: but they worshipp'd the Divine Spirits, that were brought to inhabit those Statues and Images. Arnob. l. 6. ad Gentes; Eos in his colimus, eos (que) veneramur, quos Dedicatio infert, [Page 17] & fabrilibus efficit habitare simula­chris. Which also extended to Pil­lars and Columns; as may be in­ferred from Leviticus 26.1. Ye shall make you no Idols nor Graven Image, neither rear you up a standing Image, (the Margin for standing I­mage readeth Pillar) to bow down unto it. This same Method of Priest-Craft is continued in the Church of Rome: the Romish Saints and Angels answer to the Daemons and Heroes, Deified by the Heathen Priests; and their Idol of Bread, Divinity infused into Crosses, Images, Agnus Dei's and Relicks, correspond to the Pillars, Statues and Images consecrated by Pagan Priests.

When St. Paul, at Athens, prea­ched Jesus Christ risen from the dead; they took this for a Part of their Doctrine of Daemons; which Word is expresly used in the Ori­ginal. Our Translation saith, O­thers said, He seemeth to be a Setter­forth of strange Gods; but in the Original 'tis, of strange Daemons. For hearing of one, who after his [Page 18] Death had Divine Honours and Worship given to him; they took it presently, according to their own Opinion, that he was proposed as a New Daemon. And such Doctrines and Opinions as these, might pro­bably be the Occasion that St. Paul afterwards writes expresly; 1 Tim. 2.5. There is but one God, and one Mediator between God and Men, the Man Christ Jesus. But this Admonition and Caution has not been at all prevalent with the Priests; it be­ing a Limiting and Infringing their Jurisdiction and Interests: there­fore with an Obstante to Paul, they continue the old Methods of Priest-Craft, multiplying upon all Occa­sions the Objects of Worship; a thing that serves to inlarge their Power, and increase their Interests and Wealth.

It would be almost infinite, to repeat the extravagant Honours and Opinions which the Fathers and other Ecclesiastical Writers as­cribe unto, and aver concerning Dead Men. Chrysost. Hom. 70. They call the Bodies of Saints, Defences and Fortifications [Page 19] of Cities: they pretend, that these Carcasses defeat not only visible Enemies, but invisible Fiends, and Ambuscades of the Devil. The Martyrs are stiled Guardians of Cities, Lieutenants of Places; Cap­tains and Champions, by whom they were protected; and Preventers of all Mischiefs from the Devil. In particular, James Bishop of Nisibis was, by Order of Constantine, bu­ried within the Walls of the City; that he might be a Bulwark and De­fender thereto. An Historian of those good Times, inveighing a­gainst the Emperor Leo Isaurus, for demolishing of Images, calls them, Turres at (que) munitiones religiosi cul­tus.

The Deifying and Invocating of Saints, prevailed in the Christian World shortly after the Death of Julian the Apostate: and the Grounds of it were the invented Stories, and (Reports of) Wonders shewed upon those, who with De­votion approach'd the Shrines of Martyrs, and prayed there to their Memories or Sepulchres. And 'tis [Page 20] observable, that at first these De­votions were directed to God; and these Places were chose, only to excite Devotion by the Memory of those Sufferers for Christ's sake: but the Priests reduced that, to their own Use and Interest; and prevailed by their Craft and Power, that the Saints should be prayed to as Patrons and Mediators; just in the same manner, as the worship­ping of Demons was introduced by Pretences of Miracles, of Signs and Wonders, which the Priests were always as ready to invent, as o­thers to follow. But those evil Spirits insinuated themselves too into their own Statues and Ima­ges, Euseb. Praep. E­vang. c. 3. and assisted the impious De­votion that they saw Mankind misled into; even that of Deify­ing the Dead, by erecting Statues to them, on a Pretence of Oracles, and miraculous Cures of Diseases. Bale scrip. illust. Brit. c. 11.

One of our own Historians tells us, that about the Year 712, one Egwin of Worcester published in Writing, Revelations and Visions that he had seen; whereby he was [Page 21] injoined, that in his Diocess the I­mage of the Blessed Virgin should be worshipp'd by the People. This was ratified by Pope Constantine, who caused Brithwald the Arch­bishop to call a Council of the Clergy at London, to commend this Image-worship to the Peo­ple.

In the second Council of Nice there was an excellent Cause found for worshipping of Images; a Tale of a certain Priest or Monk. This Monk used to worship an Image of the Virgin Mary with Christ in her Arms: the Monk had been long tempted by the Devil to For­nication; at last the ingenious De­vil, under an Oath of Secresy, told the Monk plainly, that he would never leave wearying him with lustful Desires, till he forsook wor­shipping of that Image. The Monk, notwithstanding his Oath of Secresy, revealed this to an Ab­bot called Theodore: who first ac­quitted the Monk of his breach of Oath; and then added, that he had better frequent bawdy Houses, [Page 22] than forbear worshipping such an Image: a Ghostly Advice, that was not (perhaps) unacceptable to the Monk.

Thus was Religion corrupted, almost from the beginning, by Priest-Craft; and 'tis managed to this Day, in the Romish Church, by the same Arts and Methods: even a Pretence to such a Divine and Insallible Power, as can give Sanctity and Vertue to Stocks and Stones, by the Priestly Consecra­tion; and may raise up Altars to a piece of Bread, transubstantiated into a God by their Diviner Power, so that they may pronounce of it, This is your Saviour that redeemed you from Damnation. I think 'tis not reasonable to believe, that the common People should fancy of themselves, that one of their Fel­low-Creatures could make a God: and the Baker that baked the Bread would hardly of himself have ima­gined, that a piece of it should be his Saviour. No, these and all other the most idolatrous and fan­tastick Religions and Devotions [Page 23] were (first) taught, and (after­wards) enjoined by Priests.

When Hezekiah died, Manasses built Altars for Baal, and wor­shipp'd all the Host of Heaven: when Josiah destroyed all those High Places, 2 Kings 23.5. he (cautiously and prudently) put down there the At­tendance of the Idolatrous Priests. But the Jews were a long time after charged with the Idolatrous Worship of High-Places, and to be Priests of Trees and Proseucha's, which were sacred Groves; and the Interpreters of Moses's Laws: They are the Words of Juvenal, Nil praeter Nubes & coeli Numen adorant: and again, Interpres legum Solymarum, magna sacerdos Arboris, ac summi sida internuntia coeli; Sa­tyr. 6. And in his third Satyr he complains, that the sacred Groves, where Numa used with the God­dess Egeria, were let to the Jews for Proseucha's: and Philo Judae­us, in his Embassy to the Empe­ror Caius, thanks him for allowing the Jews their Proseucha's, where they assembled on their Sabbaths. [Page 24] The Synagogues were within the Cities, and these Proseucha's with­out; it was in some such Place, that Lydia met St. Paul. Acts 16.13, 14. Solomon made such High-Places, or Proseu­cha's, for Ashtoreth the Abomina­tion (or Idol) of the Zidonians, 1 Kings 11.5, 7. Chemosh of Moab, Molech of the Ammonites: and when Josiah de­stroyed these, as the only way to suppress the False Worship, 2 Kings 23.5. he put down the Idolatrous Priests. Such a Place as a Proseucha, (which was a separate Place for Devotion) where the Images of their Gods were, Virgil describes; and makes the unhappy Priam choose it, as a most proper Place to die in; when he saw his Kingdom sinking (under Flames) to ruine: he was taught by his Priests to die in that Place, which they had made sa­cred; and among those Images, which they had made Gods. Not unlike to which, is the Devotion or Fancy that the Priests of Rome have put into Mens Heads, to die in the Habit of a Priest or Monk, when they are to be executed: as [Page 25] if their very Habit carried with it some Divine Assistance; accor­dingly I remember, that the Bro­ther of the Portugal Ambassador, who was beheaded on Tower-hill, died in the Habit of a Monk.

It always appeared to be the Craft of Priests, to multiply Gods and Places of Devotion, that their Numbers might not only be excu­sable, but necessary also, to attend such various Worships and Opi­nions: at Jezebel's Table did eat 450 of Baal's Priests, 1 Kings 18.19. and 400 of the Prophets of the Groves; a goodly Company of Chaplains for one Princess. From the Asiaticks and Egyptians to the Greeks, and from these latter to the Romans, descended many Names of Gods: Homer mingles them in all Humane Concerns, and makes them of Par­ties: and Virgil continuing the same Method, in the Seventh Book of his Eneids, makes Juno stirring up the Aid of Hell against the Tro­jans. Nor did the Partiality and Passions they were made subject to, hinder the Veneration of them: [Page 26] nor yet their being represented as subject to Lust, Revenge and Mis­chief, lessen their Veneration as Gods; though guilty of those very Crimes which the Priests owned they would punish in Men. But the credulous Minds of submitting Men received easily the Impressi­ons, that those sought to make upon 'em, whose only Design and End was, to bring things as near as could be, to their own Interests, Inclinations and Fancies: and who therefore taught, that the Manage­ment of Affairs belonging to the other World, very much resembled the Ways and Methods of this. What is yet more gross, the Egypti­ans were instructed to honour with Devotion, the most contemptible things, for some Profit that was received by them, or to appease them from doing Mischief: Note: Quis nescit, Volusi Bythinice, qualia de­mens Aegyptus porten­ta colat? — Crocodi­lon adorat. Illa pavet saturam Serpentibus I­bim: Effigies sacri ni­tet aurea Cercopitheci, dimidio Magicae reso­nant ubi Memnone chor­dae, at (que) vetus Thebe centum jacet obruta portis. Illic caerule [...], hìc piscem fluminis, il­lic oppida tota canem venerantur. — Por­rum ac caepe nefas vio­lare, aut frangere mor­su: O sanctas Gentes, quibus haec nascuntur in hortis Numina! Juv. Sat. 15. the Latin Poet describes their Wild Devotions, in ado­ring Crocodiles, Serpents, Golden Monkies, Fishes, Dogs, and even Onions and Leeks; whereupon [Page 27] he deservedly exclaims, O holy Nations! who have Gods growing in their Gardens. All these Fol­lies were of the same Prescription, and from the same Causes and Au­thors: the Priests always watching the ready In­clination of the People, to believe something that came easily to their Imaginations; and what else they were most apt to be perswaded to, they presently enlarged their Devotions, and there­by their own Interests and Domi­nion.

It may now be proper to shew the several Distinctions of Gods and Divine Powers, and the Uses of them: whereby it will further appear, how the Priest-Craft con­trived Notions and Opinions, to engage People to submit implicitly to their Directions; and finding them most apt to believe such things, and in such Ways and Me­thods, as had some resemblance to this World, they set forth the En­joyments [Page 28] and Punishments of the other World, sutably to their Ap­prehensions and Affections in this: through all Ages, the same sort of Priest-Craft has continued, and de­scends even to ours; as I doubt not but will evidently appear by the following Descriptions and Com­parisons. The first Thing to be considered is, the Distinctions they made of Divine Powers; and the several Uses of them, which they framed sutable to the common Me­thod of Affairs, here in this World; where all Suits and Applications that are made to Kings and Prin­ces, are done by great Men and Patrons, or Friends, as Mediators between the inferiour sort of Men, and those superiour Powers. After this Model they composed their Method of Devotion, under the Names of Heroes, and (sometimes) of Demons; which (I say) is still continued, or however imitated in the Church of Rome, under the Names of Saints and Angels.

Demons in the Theology of the Gentiles, were reckoned of, as an [Page 29] inferiour sort of Divine Powers: the Antiquity of this is derived as far as Zoroaster; and 'twas held, Plut. de Defect. O­rac. that these were constituted between the superiour Gods and Men, to mediate, and to reconcile them; the Superiour Coelestial Gods, be­ing supposed so august and pure, as not to be prophaned or approach­ed with the immediate Care of earthly things; therefore these more inferiour Divine Powers were to be engaged between the superiour Gods and Men. Plato says, Plat. Symp De­mons were Messengers and Repor­ters between Gods and Men; and again, from Men to Gods; of Pray­ers and Devotions from Men, and the Return of Rewards from the Gods: Neque e­nim pro Majestate Deorum Coelesti­um fuerit, ista cura­re. De Daem. socr. And Apuleius delivers the same Doctrine, giving the Reason of it, that it was not agreeable to the Majesty of the Coelestial Gods, to take such Cares upon them­selves.

There were too a sort of De­mons, that were only Deified Men; as I have observed before from Bo­chartus: this was as early as Noah. [Page 30] To which I may now add, that Baal, or Bell, was the first King of Babel; but after his Death deified and reputed a God; whence came the Names of Baalims or Lords, all one with Demons: and their Rites, which were Cuttings and Lancings, 1 Kings 18.28. (which were Funeral Rites) were used in their Cere­monies and Devotions. Hesiod says, that when the happy Men of the first Golden Age departed from this Life, Jupiter promoted them to be Demons, that is, Patrons of Mortal Men: but Plato would have all those that died valiantly in the Field, to be declared Demons; and that the Oracles should be consulted, Plato de Rep. how they should be buried and honoured: he would have their Se­pulchres also to be worshipp'd as the Sepulchres of Demons; and that all who excelled in Vertue should be so treated. This Me­thod too the Romish Priests have continued; but keep the Power of the Oracle in themselves, namely to pronounce what Honours shall be done to departed Saints: the [Page 31] Opinion and Doctrine of Plato for deifying Men that died valiantly in the Field, was very exactly fol­lowed in the deif [...]ing the Duke of Beufort, who was killed in the Fight against the Turks at Candy; there was no other Cause to make him a Saint, or one of Plato's Demons, but for Plato's Reason, Dying brave­ly in the Field. Praep. E­vang. Even Eusebius mentions it with a seeming Ap­probation, that it was the harmless Practice of Christians to honour the Memory of Martyrs, by as­sembling at their Sepulchres; to show, saith he, to the Gentiles that we also honour Men that have ex­celled in Vertue. Hermes Trisme­gistus says, that Esculaptus, Osyris, and his Grandfather Hermes, were worshipp'd for Demons in his time; the Egyptians generally worshipp'd them, and called them Sancta Ani­malia: but divers Learned Men are of Opinion, that the Egyptian Serapis, whose Idol had a Bushel on his Head, was Joseph; in remem­brance of the Preservation of E­gypt by him, when he first laid up, [Page 32] and afterwards distributed the Corn of the seven abounding Years.

Cicero gives an exact Descrip­tion of the Demons and Heroes; Divos & eos qui coe­lestes semper habiti, & illos quos in coelum me­rita vocaverint. or such as were always Gods, and such as their Merits had made so. Est & superius aliud augustiusque Daemonum genus; qui semper a cor­poris compedibus & nexi­bus liberi, certis potesta­tibus curentur. Ex hac sublimiori Daemonum co­piâ, autumat Plato, sin­gulis hominibus in vitá agendá Testes & Custo­des singulos dari. Plut. de Difect. Orac. Plutarch tells us, that besides Men deifi­ed, there was another sort of Demons who never were in Earthly Bodies; a Diviner sort never subject to the Confinement of Bodies: and these sublimer De­mons were the chief Guardians of Men and their Actions; these dif­ferr'd in Degree from Heroes. This is continued among the Ro­manists, in their Saints and An­gels: and this Notion of wor­shipping Angels gave perhaps oc­casion to that Advice by St. Paul, Let no Man beguile you through Hu­mility, and a Worshipping of Angels, Col. 2.18. Gregory of Tours, who wrote long since, treating of the Miracles of the Martyrs, frames [Page 33] many fabulous Stories to advance Saint-worship: and there is another Author equally fit to be credited, Simeon Metaphrastes, who makes St. Katherine at her Martyrdom, pray to God to grant those their Requests, that through her called upon his holy Name: but in a higher Strain he makes St. Margaret pray, that whosoever should for the Lord's sake worship the Tabernacle of her Body, or should build an Oratory to her, and there offer spiritual Ob­lations and Prayers, and shall ask Salvation and Mercy through her, that the Lord would grant them plenty of all good things. Agree­ably to all this, Theophanes greatly complains of it, that the Emperor Leo Isaurus erred (saith he) not only in opposing the Adoration of Images, but the Intercession also of the Mother of God, and of all the Saints: and the Historians of that Kidney, no less blame the Empe­ror Constantinus Copronymus for the same irreverent Error; for he pu­nish'd those that made Prayers to the Mother of God and the holy [Page 34] Saints, through whom all Help is con­veyed to us: and in the 2 d Council of Nice, the Council of Constanti­nople was condemned for being a­gainst Saint and Image-worship; which was then established, and for which the Bishops of Rome had appeared with great Zeal.

I cannot here properly omit an Observation, that the Invocation of Saints and Image-worship were brought in by the increase of Priests in Monkery. For about the Year of our Lord 370, the Invocation of Saints began to be publickly intro­duced into Churches; at the very same time when by Basil, Gregory Nyssen, and Nazianzen, the Practice and Profession of Monastical Life were brought (out of Egypt and Syria) into Greece. When the Em­press Theodora design'd to restore Image-worship, she acquainted those in Authority with her Design, and then sent for the chiefest of the Monks, and proposed to them the restoring the Worship of Images: She found them very ready for the purpose; and thereupon called a [Page 35] Synod, where the Idolatry was a­gain erected, 120 Years after it had been suppress'd by Leo Isau­rus.

Having touch'd upon the Craft of Priests, to frame the Worship and Scheme of Religion sutable to what the People in some measure knew and understood in things of this World; we must also take no­tice, that they contrived the Joys and Punishments of the other so as should be most agreeable to their Fancies and Apprehensions about what they saw here. And as they found their Craft successful, in ma­king some Powers their Mediators in the Court of Heaven, as was usual in Courts below; and made also Deities of such Persons, whose Courage or Vertue deserved well here, or of the Publick: so also they framed the manner of Sacrificing and Sacrifices, as such a Descrip­tion of the other World, as was most easy to Fancy and Imagina­tion. In their Sacrifices they taught such and such Offerings were to be made, as somewhat resembled the [Page 36] Powers they sacrificed to: and had not this been an Invention, very probable and likely, to entice and lead Men, especially the Vulgar, they would never have thought of such Methods and Distinctions. Cic. de Nat. Deor. Tempest was consecrated for a God among the Romans; and as Storms and foul Weather was dark and dull, so the gentle Gales of Zephy­rus made the Weather bright and chearful: Nigram hiemi pe­cudem, Ze­phyris foelicibus Albam. Virgil. l. 3. therefore they taught, that black Cattel were to be sacrificed to the former, and white to the other; as resembling their dark and bright Natures. When Dido implored Juno, Ipsa te­nens dex­trá pate­ram pul­cherrima Dido, can­dentis vac­cae media inter cor­nua fundit. l. 4. in the Concerns of her Love and Passion, she poured Wine between the Horns of a snowy Heifer; representing by the White­ness of her Sacrifice, that she im­plored a gentle Compassion. A Bull was sacrificed to Neptune, be­cause his Noise and Violence seem'd to represent a troubled Ocean. And when Aeneas desired the Assistance of the Sybil, to descend to the dark Infernal World, she proposes in the first place a proper Sacrifice of black [Page 37] Cattel to be offered; Duc ni­gras pecu­des, ea pri­ma piacu­la sunto. Idem, l. 6. representing to the Mind thereby an Image of those black Mansions.

Nor did they only fashion these Matters, so as that they might be easy to the Minds and Fancies of Men; but they modell'd also the other World, sutably to such a ta­king and prevailing Method: they made the Enjoyments of their Ely­sium, or Paradise, sutable to what they most affected in this World; whatever inclined their Affections here, Eadem sequitur Tellure re­postos. Virgil. l. 6. their Enjoyments there were to be of that nature, and to be made perfect by being made subject to no Disturbance or Alteration. For Infants that were not arrived to Choice or Inclination, Vagitus & ingens, in­fatium (que) animae flentes in limine pri­mo. l. 6. there was a separate Place, fill'd with their in­nocent Mournings; an Opinion that has also prevailed with some Christi­ans: the warlike Heroes exercised there Eternal Musters, driving their Chariots in large Plains; and others in such Exercises and Divertise­ments, as they were inclined to in their Life; Lovers in separated Groves, and the Poets in such Fields [Page 38] as had been the Subjects of their Songs. On the other side, the Pu­nishments there were made suta­ble to the Crimes committed here: the wickedly Ambitious were thrown into the lower part of Hell; the Luxurious punish'd with tempting Feasts, with-held from them by watching Furies: restless and un­quiet Minds that denied Peace to others, were chastified with perpe­tual Rolling of Stones, which pres­sed to return with their Weight upon them. The Doctrine about these Matters in general, was, that the Punishments and Torments were sutable to the Offences committed here: Ergo exercentur poe­nis, veterum (que) malorum supplicia expectant. Aliae panduntur inanes, su­spensae ad ventos: aliis sub gurgite vasto in­fectum [...]luitur scelus, aut exuritur igne. Qui (que) suos patimur manes, exinde per amplum mittimur Elysium, & pauci laeta arva tenemus. Virg. l. 6. and direct Pur­gatory was described; where some were purged or cleansed, by hanging in the Air exposed to the Winds; some were wash'd in vast Whirl­pools, some refined by Fire; and after the pro­per time of Purgation, all were released, and sent to the hap­py Fields of Elysium, their Heaven.

[Page 39]Nothing can be more plain, than that the Priest-craft has continued such a Purgatory to this Day. Mahomet's Paradise was framed af­ter this manner; the greatest and wickedest Sinners are to pass over a Bridg with heavy Sacks, and by their Weight to be thrown off and press'd into Hell; the lesser fall only into a Purgatory, from whence they are to be released, and finally received into Paradise: but those that merited a happy Place, shall be bless'd with the Company of fair Virgins; who have large Eyes, and perpetually flourish in a Bloom of Youth and Beauty; while Boys of Divine Figures, like so many Ganymeds, shall attend with al­ways renewing Feasts. The Pur­gatory of the Romanists, is distin­guished into divers Apartments; there is a Place for Children, ano­ther for the Holy Fathers that died before the Ascension of our Blessed Saviour: there are Lakes of Fire for such as have been long, or pro­sligatly wicked; and Flowry Fields and Shining Garments for such as [Page 40] have indeed been good, but wanted some degree of the due and requi­red Perfection: thus is Purgatory described by Cardinal Bellarmine, de Purgat. l. 2. cap. 6. & cap. 14.

Thus has the Craft of those that taught Religion, drawn the easy Minds of Men to believe in such things as had a Resemblance to things of this World: and having by these Ways involved Men in Submission to what they taught, they then enlarged into Opinions and Doctrines more difficult, nay absurd and impossible. Though the World from the beginning very readily, and with the greatest Rea­son, consented to such a thing as Religion; yet there could not be on the one hand, such an Artificial Scheme of some parts of it, and on the other such various and strange Opinions about what Gods we must believe in, or in the Exer­cise of our Devotion to those Higher Powers, but by the Contrivance of the Priests. 'Twas impossible that the People (or as we are now called, the Laity) should busy them­selves [Page 41] about, or should be capable to invent such Names of Gods; such particular Applications of their Powers; such Methods and Ways of Devotion; such Distinction of Sacrifices: and least of all is it pro­bable, that they should be the In­ventors of sacrificing themselves; that is, of sacrificing their own Persons, or the Persons of their Chil­dren. Agamemnon, to change the contrary Wind, vowed to Diana, the fairest; which fell out to be his own Daughter Iphigenia: I suppose he did not design the Cruelty upon his own Daughter; but Chalcas the Priest, first suggested the Making, and then the Performance of his Vow. In the War of Thebes, Mae­naecias the Son of Creon vowed him­self to Mars; the Decii devoted themselves to the Infernal Gods; Marius, in the Cimbrian War, sa­crificed his Daughter Calphurnia; Curtius shot himself into a Gulf, being first made ready by the Priests, and girt Cinctu Gabino: the Saxons were so perswaded by their Priests, that many of them were even am­bitious [Page 42] of being sacrificed. Who doubts, that all these Deaths (or Murders) are solely owing to the Doctrine and Institution of Priests?

The Proness of Mankind to be­lieve, by degrees gave Encourage­ment and Opportunity to those that pretended to separate them­selves wholly to the Service of the Gods; and by that Shew of a near­er Attendance and Understanding of them, they intit'led themselves to teach and to prescribe such Rules and Ways of Religion towards the heavenly Powers, as they found might be useful to enlarge their own Power and Interest. And the more various and intricate they contrived the Methods and Rules of Devotion and Worship, so much the more there would be need of their Interpretations and Directi­ons, and also of their Numbers. Things most ridiculous and impro­bable, nay impossible, were some­times most proper for them to pro­nounce and teach: for what is ra­tional carries its own Weight; and they could derive no Authority to [Page 43] themselves by such a Method of Re­ligion. But things that are sublime, above the reach of servile Reason, things that Reason cannot under­stand or justify, if believed, must be an entire Submission to the sa­cred Authority of these Divinely inspired Persons, that are the Teach­ers of others: to this purpose they ever taught, that no Belief can or ought to be hard to an Active Faith; the Difficulty not being in the things we are taught to be­lieve, but in the Perverseness or Imbecillity of the Persons who want Faith to believe. I wish, that a­mong the most Reformed Christi­ans these Methods of Priest-craft were not so much, and violently pursued; the Impositions to believe and profess unnecessary, and even extravagant things, where neither Reason will justify it, nor does Re­ligion require it.

Having thus laid open, how Re­ligion was from the beginning ma­naged by Priest-craft, and always framed and modelled to support [Page 44] their Interests and Power, prevai­ling by degrees on the Minds of Men; it will be proper to examine in due place, whether 'tis probable that the Priests themselves believ'd what they taught: but first I will (briefly) show, how the same Priest-craft continues apparently in the Romish Church to this day.

The Pagan Doctrines of Demons and Heroes, are revived in that of Angels and Saints; Saints are Ca­noniz'd (or, as their Writers speak, Beatified) as formerly the Heroes were Deified: and as I instanced before, the Duke de Beufort dying valiantly in the Field, became one of Plato's Heroes, and one of the Church's Saints. And as the He­roes and Demons were made Me­diators with the superior Gods, so it continues still, the Names of He­roes and Demons being only chan­ged into Saints and Angels: every private Christian is directed to choose him a particular Patron in Heaven, that may intercede for him with God. Their very Se­pulchres are as much reverenced [Page 45] as formerly; their Relicks are kept with a sacred Veneration: and Prayers are made to them as Me­diators, notwithstanding St. Paul's Declaration before cited, 1 Tim. 2.5. There is but one God, and one Mediator be­tween God and Men, even the Man Jesus Christ. The Reverence and Adoration paid to Images, is by some endeavoured to be extenua­ted; by pretending, that Images are only used as venerable Memo­rials, to excite others to the Imi­tation of the Holiness of the Saints, represented by those Images: this Pretence was also formerly used, in that Particular; and also for the Ceremonies used at Sepulchres, which I mentioned before; because the Priests perceived, that it look'd too gross to pay Devotion to sense­less things. But when they had obtained the Power of an Impli­cit Obedience to their Directions, they failed not to injoin the Ve­neration of the Images themselves. Whoever has been in the Countries under the Dominion of the Church [Page 46] of Rome, has seen this: I believe no such Person will deny the Ado­ration paid by the Romanists, to the Image of the Virgin Mary. I knew a Person of Quality that was at Bruxels, when the Image of the Virgin Mary was carried a little way out of Town; the Priests at­tending it, and the People paying Adoration to it: and when it came to the Place where it was to be fix'd, the Priests had contrived a Device to make the Image bow to the People; so that one of the Company was over-joy'd to see how gracious the Blessed Virgin in her Image had been to them. In Padua, where the Body of St. Anthony lies, the People crowd to kiss the Stones, and rub their Beads against them: The now Bishop of Sarum says, in the Account he gives of that Place, that in the little Chappel of St. Anthony these Words are written, Exaudit quos non audit & ipse Deus; they have reason to rub Beads, and pay an extraordinary Devotion, to a Saint [Page 47] more ready to hear than God him­self is. A Person of Quality that gives an Account of his Travels through France and Italy, was pre­sent when they took down the Jaw-bone of St. Anthony and his Tongue in a Christaline-Glass; which being set a-while on the Altar, first the Priests and all the Assistants paid their Devotions to it, then it was carried in Proces­cession; and after that Ceremony was over, 'twas full Imployment for two Priests of the Cloyster, to rub against it the Beads that were handed to them by the People. In the Lady of Lauretta's Chap­pel, they kiss the Walls, lick the Stones, and rub their Beads against them. In the Church of St. John Lateran is the Scala Sancta, or the Stairs on which our Saviour went up to the Judgment-Hall; they are of white Marble: on one of them 'tis believed some of our Sa­viour's Blood drop'd, after his Scourging. But the Person of Quality that writes his (Ingeni­ous [Page 48] and Candid) Remarks, says, He could perceive no such Stains, though the Roman Catholicks pre­tended that they saw 'em very plainly. He discoursed with Car­dinal Howard, how these Stairs were preserved, and brought thi­ther? The Cardinal freely con­fess'd, they were not the true Stairs on which our Saviour went up to the Judgment-Hall; and that the Error was not discovered, till some time after they were sixed there: but the People being set­tled in an Opinion, that these were the true Stairs; it was not, he said, thought advisable to unde­ceive them, their Devotion being however very commendable.

The same Divine Infusion that Pagan Priests pretended to bring into Pillars and Columns, the Ro­man Priests now imitate in Cros­ses, set up not only in Places of Devotion, but (as the Heathen Pil­lars were) in common High-ways: but the Roman Priests have enlar­ged the Priest-craft of pretending [Page 49] to a Power of Consecration, or a Divine Infusion, by their Con­secrating such an innumerable Mul­titude of Puppets, Agnus Dei's, and such like Trifles. And the Idola­try of Bread-worship is much more impudent, than any of the Gentile Idolatries: the Gentile Priests pre­tended indeed, that they brought the Demons into Images and Co­lumns; but they never had the gross Confidence, to own that they could Transubstantiate their Ima­ges into Demons: but it seems, Priest-craft was not yet enough re­fined; therefore not satisfied with the Power of such a Consecration as might infuse some Influence in­to a Piece of Bread, they brought the People to believe they could make the Bread to be God. As formerly it was their Endeavour, by pretended Miracles, to inlarge the Opinion of their Divine Power; so in these latter Days they have exceeded in such Devices. I need not trouble the Reader or my self, with raking into their Kennels of [Page 50] Legends, and other Fabulous Hi­stories; but I cannot omit their strange and wild Endeavours to prove, how certainly they can make a God of a Wafer or other little Piece of Bread, not by the Authority or Testimony of Men, but of Beasts. There is a Book, whose Title sets forth this incom­parable Impudence; 'tis called, The School of the Eucharist, esta­blish'd by the Miraculous Adoration paid to it by Beasts, Birds, and In­sects. I need not repeat many of the Particulars, of the Impossible Follies there related; but I ca­nnot omit one very remarkable Tale in that famous Book, among many others almost as ridiculous. The Tale is of one St. Malo, who be­ing upon the Sea on Easter-day, prayed God to afford him the Means to celebrate the Mass, and to those that accompanied him to hear it; these are his Words: And one would wonder what kind of Vessel they were in, that did not afford them room for that, as [Page 51] well as contain them. But in this Distress, the Book says, a little Island appeared in the midst of the Sea; and they went down into it (it should seem the Island was lower than the Vessel they were in) to the number of 180 Persons: they set up an Altar, St. Malo said Mass, and gave the Communion to a great number; after which retiring to their Ship (now 'tis confess'd 'twas a Ship, and yet not big enough to say Mass in it) they perceived this Island, or rather the Fish, sunk to the bottom: 'twas strange they should be upon the Back of a Whale so long, and yet not find the Dif­ference between a Fish and an Island. Many of these Impuden­ces are published in that Book, by Allowance: but if we must be­lieve, that the Priest can make a God, nothing that follows after that, or is told with it, can seem to be a Wonder.

[Page 52]Another Part of modern Priest-craft is Purgatory, an Imitation directly drawn from the Hades and Elysium of the Gentiles; but now improved into Gain, by per­swading People, that their Friends and Relations could be sooner or later prayed out of Purgatory, as the Price they gave for such Prayers was more or less: I have known this to be true, in a particular Ac­cident; and Money hastned that Prayers might begin, and no time be lost to free the Person from Pain.

I have endeavoured to shew, in several Particulars or Instances, that the Priest-craft has continued to be the same: but there are two very important Examples of it, that yet remain to be treated of, Mystery and Persecution; two very necessary Points to preserve an implicit and intire Submission to Priests, and to their Opinions. By Mystery, they keep Men from [Page 53] using their Understandings; and by Persecution, force the Rebelli­ous, Conceited, and Over-weaning to believe, or however profess as the Priest teaches.

The word Mystery partly de­clares its own Nature, it (ordi­narily) imports a Divine Secret; and was always used to keep the Vulgar and Profane, so called, from the Knowledg of, and from exa­mining and inquiring into Reli­gion. This was the Use of My­stery, in the Theology of the Gen­tiles; Mystery was the secret and extravagant Worship of the False Gods: for nothing was to be re­vealed, but to those that were initiated into their Worship and Ceremonies, but to be kept secret from the Vulgar, commonly cal­led the Profane; without which Distinction, or Nick-naming, it would have seem'd unreasonable to keep them from participating the Religious Mysteries; but the Profane were not permitted so [Page 54] much as to ask a Question about those Matters. To this purpose, in Egypt, in the Temple of Isis, was placed Harpocrates the God of Silence, with his Finger on his Lips; as it were to teach, that the Mysteries and Secrets of Re­ligion are not to be divulged. In very deed, the Heathens sheltered all Abuses imposed on the Cre­dulity of the People, and all the Passions and Enormities of their Gods, under the Vail of Mystery: and this was thought so necessary, that there were Rewards and Pu­nishments appointed, to keep the Priests themselves in a strict Ob­servance of Religious Secresy. Hinc mater cultrix Cy­bele, Coribanti [...] (que) aera, I­daeum (que) Nemus, hinc Fida Silentia sacris. Virg. l. 3. In Crete the Mysteries of Cybele Mother of the Gods, Ex Cretâ ille mos in Phrygiam pervenit, ut summo Silentio celebraren­tur magnae Matris Mysteria: quae his sacris Initiatis tam fideliter reguntur, ut nefas putent ea Profanis violare. were preserved in a most sacred Si­lence; and from thence this Silence was brought into Phrygia: the My­steries of the Great Mo­ther, when celebrated by the Initiated, were to be concea­led [Page 55] so faithfully, that it was recko­ned to be down-right Wickedness to discover them to the Profane. Horace, who had other-ways so much Wit and Learning, Est & Fideli tut [...] Silentio merces; vi­tabo, qui Cereris sa­crum vulgarit arca­nae, sub iisdem sit Trabibus, fragilem (que) mecum solvat Phase­lum. was yet so overcome by this Trick of Priest-craft, that he seems fully satisfied a faithful Silence should be rewarded: and he declares, that though he was in the same House and Ship, he would avoid the Man that had revealed the Mysteries of Ceres. He was perswaded the House would fall upon his Head, and the Vessel sink with him, o're-loaded with the Weight of the Profane. Some of the Philosophers have themselves been guilty of affecting Mysteries; thus Pythagoras charged his Disci­ples to keep their Thoughts dark and unexplained, lest they should be understood by the People. And when we first find Philosophy taught by Plato and Aristotle; for before we have but dark Accounts of it; we find, especially in Plato, [Page 56] and sometimes in Aristotle, very Mysterious Notions: which after­wards gained the Character and Esteem of Learned and Divine Dogmes; though indeed they were only hard Words, to puzzle Rea­son and Good-sense. But the Priests, both Heathen and Christi­an, having been instructed by the Experience of all Ages, that My­sterious and Unintelligible Things made great Impressions on the Minds of Men; they have not failed to keep up the Method, of making (as Grotius speaks) an Art of Religion.

Cato, that had not the Assist­ance of the Gospel, yet judged right of these Mysteries, practised by Priests to support and inlarge their Power and Interest; for when Labienus press'd him to consult the Priests of the Oracle of Jupiter-Ammon, in the Desart of Africa, to be by them instructed what to do; Cato despised such an In­quiry: As if, saith he, I were [Page 57] still to learn, An noceat vis ulla Bono; — Laudan­daque velle, sit sa­tis, & nunquam suc­cessu crescat hone­stum? scimus, & hoc nobis non altius in­ [...]ret Ammom. — Nil facimus non sponte Dei, nec vocibus ullis Numen eget; Dixit­que semel Nascenti­bus Author, quic­quid scire licet; ste­riles nee legit are­nas, ut caneret Pau­cis, mersitque hoc pulvere Verum. Lucan. l. 8. that Vertue is not to be depress'd by any Force, nor inlarged by any Success; this I know, and Ammon cannot more per­suade me of it. Every Man's Soul possesses enough of Di­vine Infusion, and without the Help of Oracles, may know that all things are go­vern'd by a Providence of God: we need not be told by Oracles, what from our Birth is known by all. Has God, think you, chose a barren Part of the World, where his Divine Will shall be taught by a few; and is Truth concealed in these Heaps of Sand? A Commentator on these Words, cites Cicero very properly, who says, that an Oracle is the Divine Will declared in the Mouth of Man: And what Priest can pretend to find more Divinity in himself than Cato; who not only knew all that could be told him of the Diffe­rence between Good and Evil, Vertue and Vice, but in all Con­ditions [Page 58] was an unshaken Observer of all that which he knew must be pleasing to God?

It is Matter of Astonishment, that the Humour and Affectation of Mystery should continue, when Religion and Faith were so whol­ly altered by the coming of our Saviour; who came with Design to redeem us from the Darkness of that Condition we were in by the strange and puzling Methods of Religious Ceremonies and My­steries, and of various Rites of Sacrificing, good for nothing but to confound and distract the Minds of Men. For there was almost nothing proposed to be believed or done, that was plain to be under­stood; but all was to be believed by a Faith in others: many Gods or Objects of Worship, various Ways of Worship, extended even to an infinite Number of confused Particulars; and all without any plain or direct Precepts of Vertue, or Moral Duties to be performed [Page 59] towards one another. Through such Darkness the Light of our Saviour broke; sent by God to dispel the deplorable Night, in which the World was involved: and yet they would continue Man­kind in Darkness, though they pro­fess to be his Priests that brought the Light; not being able to part with that Mysterious Obscurity, which so long preserved the Priest­ly Interest and Power, no not for the Clearness and sincere Plain­ness of him whose Followers they ought to be.

Such as are Asserters of My­stery, choose rather to search into some dark Places of St. John's Gospel or St. Paul's Epistles, 2 Pet. 3.16. to fetch out from thence a Wonder­ful Divinity, than to attend to the general, the plain, and easily in­telligible Current of the Gospels and Epistles. But when St. Paul says, Let a Man so account of us, 1 Cor. 4.1. as Ministers of Christ, and Stewards of the Mysteries of God: by this [Page 60] proper Appellation or Title, he plainly expresses the Dispensation of a Mystery now revealed, though for­merly kept secret; which Mystery (all confess) was the Salvation of Mankind, or of all Nations, not of the Jews only. Now if the Mystery continue, how could the Apostles be Stewards in Dispensing a Revealed Treasure? it were strange to call a Man a Dispen­sing Steward, who had received no­thing to lay out. When the Scrip­ture teaches Mystery, 'tis not to continue Darkness and Difficulty; but to clear it. When St. Paul says, 1 Cor. 15.51. I will shew you a Mystery; which was, that at the Resurrecti­on we shall all be changed; which before was certainly a Mystery, but being declared, became (not a Mystery, but) a Revelation: Here certainly he calls the Gospel the Revelation of a Mystery; and so too, in these Words at Rom. 16.26. The Revelation of a Mystery, which was kept secret since the World be­gan: the Words are expresly (and [Page 61] confessedly) spoken of the Gospel and Preaching of Jesus Christ. Like to which is also the Decla­ration of the same Apostle, Ephes. 1.9. Having made known to us the My­stery of his Will, according to his good Pleasure, which he hath purpo­sed in himself. — And now ye know, 2 Thess. 2.6. what with-holdeth, that he might be revealed in his time; for the My­stery of Iniquity doth already work. If any one ask, whether a My­stery be not Mystery while 'tis so called? he may receive a very fa­miliar Answer; that a Secret told to a Friend, is called a Secret, though when 'tis told it continues no longer to be a Secret: as 'tis said in Scripture the Blind see; Mat. 11.5. they are called Blind after they have received their Sight: and when our Saviour had healed some Lepers, yet they are called Lepers though freed from their Leprosy.

'Tis most clear, that Mystery and dark Notions vented in hard Words, are not studied or main­tained [Page 62] for the sake of Religion; but for the Priests particular Inte­rest and Power: and Dr. Sherlock says well, that nothing can be a greater Injury to the Christian Religion it self, than to render it obscure and difficult. The My­stery-mongers must be very impo­sing, to seek to make the very modestest Man mistrust his Suffi­ciency to inquire into Religious Truth: if that were so, it could not be justly required of any but the Learned and Wise, to be of any Perswasion about controverted Points; but the Gospel does in no manner seem to be particularly directed to them; rather on the contrary, Matth. 11.25. the Father of Heaven and Earth has hid these things from the Wise and Prudent, and has revealed them unto Babes. Where is the Scribe, 1 Cor. 1.20 where is the Disputer of this World? The Gospel pro­fesses Plainness, and uses no hard Words; every where directing us to apply our selves to search and examine: which thing, if it [Page 63] were too hard, or to no purpose, were a Mock-Invitation and Di­rection of the sacred Word. 1 Thess. 5.21. St. Paul recommends this to the Thes­salonians; and gives Preference to the Jews of Berea as more noble, Acts 17.11 because they search'd the Scripture daily, whether the things which he taught were true. Thus to a Free Inquirer he gives the Cha­racter of Noble; which the Priests will by no means allow; as if the Person himself, whose Salva­tion depends upon it, were an unconcerned Party. But without question, every Man is obliged to work out his own Salvation with Fear and Trembling; and there­fore sincerely to use all possible Means for his best Satisfaction; for at the last Day, 'twill be no Excuse to be deceived by ano­ther: a Man must be his own Expositor, Minister, Bishop, and Council; for these will not bear his Punishment, he must bear it himself. Those Powers and Au­thorities given to others, was the [Page 64] Cause of making and multiplying Creeds and Rules of Faith; which ever were modelled according to the present Interests and Animo­sities of prevailing Parties: in very deed, Creeds were the spi­ritual Revenges of Dissenting Par­ties upon one another.

'Tis observable, that the whole Aim of our Saviour in the Go­spel, is to use a Clearness of Di­rection for Practice. When he speaks in Parables, 'tis to make Things familiar to those, whose Apprehensions more readily con­ceive and retain what is express'd by Similitudes; because they are acquainted with them in common Practice: such is the Parable of the Seed, thrown into barren Ground; the Tares among the Corn, and many others, used in that easy and familiar Manner to make e­very thing descend into the mean­est Capacity, and be retained by the shortest Memories. In all his Expressions in that admirable Ser­mon [Page 65] on the Mount, there are no hard Words or dark Do­ctrines; it being his blessed Will to give Light to all, not to reserve or keep any thing dark or vailed: 'twas private Design, Interest and Faction, that invented hard Words, puz­ling Expressions, or unintelligible Notions and Doctrines; had such a Method been conducing to Salvation, he that was the Re­deemer would not have omitted any thing necessary to the Re­demption.

I design to examine, whe­ther any particular Points con­troverted in Religion, if they had never been mentioned or thought of, had been a Preju­dice to the serving of God, and following the full Directi­ons of the Gospel: But first it may be proper, considering the strange and wild Fancies and Opinious that have been taught and exercised as Parts of Re­ligion, [Page 66] to examine (as I pro­pounded sometime before) whe­ther probably the Priests them­selves did or could believe those most ridiculous things, which they themselves taught and im­posed? Though 'tis no Won­der that the People should be perswaded to believe such Va­riety of Extravagancies: for, as I have shown, Men have ever had a Proness rather to believe than to examine; and all Re­ligions are alike easily taught and nurss'd up, from Infancy; and every one is equally fierce, for that in which he has been educated. Hence comes the strange Zeal of the poor Indi­ans, to lay down to be crush'd to Death under the heavy Wheels that carry a Virgin representing their Goddess Amidio; and of others of them, that stretch out an Arm in Devotion towards Heaven so long, that they are never able to draw it back; and thereupon presume that [Page 67] they are sufficiently sanctified. Some Turks have also been so zealous, that after having seen the Alchoran they have put out their Eyes; that they might never more see a Profane Sight: while Christians won­der at these Extravagancies, they perhaps yield to others as much Detestation or Scorn, for some of their ridiculous and impossible Doctrines, and superstitious Parts of their De­votion. When the Morocco Am­bassador attended King Charles the Second at Newmarket; the King observing the large Sleeves they wore, ask'd Lucas, one of the chief of the Ambassador's Retinue, How they could be­lieve that the Moon should come into a Sleeve; which they said they wore so large for that Use? Lucas answered him, with another Question; How Christians could believe▪ that our Lady's Chappel at Laun­retta flew thorow the Air 200 [Page 68] Miles, and pitched it self where it now stands? This Lucas had been a great Traveller; he had been at Lauretta, as well as at Mecha where Mahomet's Sepul­chre is: I believe there are equal Causes for the Miracles at both Places. Thus all Re­ligions are equally easy to be imbibed from the first Milk; and other-ways, it were impos­sible the World should conti­nue in such different, divided, and absurd Faiths: but we see plainly, that Generations conti­nue in the same Opinions about Religion, as well as in the same Natural Descents; as if one were as natural as the o­ther. 'Tis true, that by the Help and Light of the Gospel some have broken these Fetters, and step'd into the Freedom of Reason: but then the Priests always apply themselves, to their last and best Argument, Persecution; to prevent the In­crease of reasonable and honest Men.

[Page 69]The Heathens were more to be excused, who continued in blind Obedience to their Priests; for they had nothing to guide and direct them, but what their Priests invented from time to time: but Christians have a Revealing Gospel, plain and easy enough to direct to the Do­ctrines, Means and Ways of Salvation, and to redeem Peo­ple from dark and blind Obe­dience; by the clear Discovery, there made of the Being and Vnity of God, and the as clear Precept of Catholick Love and Charity; thus laying an evident and certain Foundation of E­ternal Happiness, on what is e­qually rational and intelligible. He that has redeemed us from Mystery and Sin, has insisted chiefly on the plain and decent Methods of Justice, performed to one another: and in his Rule of Prayer, he makes the Forgiveness we implore from [Page 70] God, to depend on a Cove­nant of doing the same to o­thers that we desire of him; Forgive us our Trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. In our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount, all those ex­cellent Rules are delivered, af­ter a most explicit and plain Manner: there we find no Footsteps, nor the least Rise given, for such Mysterious Fan­cies and Opinions, as the Priests teach and injoin in the Church of Rome: all such Doctrines and Impositions arose from no­thing but Priest-craft, to sup­port and to inlarge their In­terests and Power. If they practised only as true Disci­ples of Christ, and taught af­ter his plain and blessed Man­ner and Method; they would then exercise themselves whol­ly in a sincere and plain Exam­ple of Life, and make such an Example the Scope and End of their Teaching, and there­by [Page 71] by infuse the Power of Reli­gion into the Minds and Hearts of Men. But instead of this, they teach and impose the Pow­er of themselves: and their dark and disputable Points cannot be necessary, no nor sutable to the Ends of the Gospel; there being nothing there prescribed to breed Per­plexities, or to alter and trans­fer its own Rule and Power, to the Interpretations and Power of Men. Mystery therefore is used only as a Means to this Perswasion, that Power and Knowledg is in the Priests; and Persecution is the heavy Rod, to awe and terrify Men from questioning their Do­ctrine.

But though Education shows us, that Men may be bred up to, and may be taught all Re­ligions alike; and it may be in part excused by the Ig­norance of the People, occasio­ned [Page 72] by the Multiplicity o [...] Cares and Business: yet there is not the same Cause or Apo­logy for Priests, to continue in their old Elusions and Deceits. The People are generally for­bid to reason and examine; they must submit to the Pre­tence of Divine Authority with an Implicit Obedience; but the Priests that have any A­bilities, and who withal may consider, must know the Folly and Falshood of what they teach; they cannot believe things to be true, which they themselves invent. The Priests of Baal seemed to believe them­selves, when they ventur'd up­on a Trial of Skill with Eli­jah; calling upon their God for Assistance, with clamorous Ceremonies and Slashing them­selves: but it was a forc'd Put upon them; they were obliged to play the Tricks belonging to their Way of Devotion, and probably they hoped that Eli­jah [Page 73] could do as little as they, and so the Difference would be compounded in a Drawn Battel. Nor could they of Bel more believe what they taught; they could not think, their God devoured the vast Provi­sions got ready for him, when they themselves eat it up. Did the Priests believe the Oracles, which they themselves inven­ted; or that they could find future Events in the Entrails of Beasts, or by the Flight or Pecking of Birds, or by a Di­vination by such a Statue in the High-way, or by Thunder on the Left-hand, or any such like? Do the Priests of the Church of Rome believe the Miracles, invented by them­selves? do they not know, that the abused Purchaser has no­thing for his Money, when he buys Indulgences; and as lit­tle, when Money is got toge­ther with all Expedition (which I have known) that Prayers [Page 74] may be begun to hasten a Soul out of Purgatory? Are they not aware that the Virtue pre­tended to be given, by their Consecration, to an Agnus Dei, a Cross, an Image, the Clouts of Infants, is nothing but a Pretence? When they make an indifferent Man a Divine Saint, are they ignorant of the Cheat they put upon the World?

But from this Digression, let us return to conclude the Point of Mystery; how useful it has been thought by Priest-craft to enlarge their Interests and Power: we may see this, in a short Account of Aristotle's Philosophy; which at first was most fiercely and angrily ex­ploded, but afterwards received with highest Veneration, so soon as ever 'twas perceived to be useful to maintain My­stery. In the 13 th Age, as the French write, the Works of Aristotle were brought into [Page 75] France, and for sometime taught in the Universities; but after a little time, his Writings were publickly burnt, and Excom­munication threatned against any that should teach out of them. His Metaphysicks were condemned by an Assembly of Bishops at Paris; and six Years after the Cardinal of St. Estienne (sent by Pope Innocent) forbad the Professor of the Univer­sity of Paris to read the Phy­sicks of that Philosopher: Which afterwards also were condem­ned by a Bull of Pope Gre­gory the Ninth. One Simon a Professor, and Dinart a Master of Arts, were often accused of Heresy, for being Esteemers of Aristotle's Opinions and Wri­tings. Mezeray says, That in the Year 1209, one Almeric a Priest, beginning to preach some Novelties, had been forced to recant; for which he died of Grief. Several, after his Death, followed his Opinions, and [Page 76] were condemned to be burnt: and he being condemned by the Council of Paris, his Body was taken up, and his Ashes thrown upon a Dunghil. And because 'twas believed, that the Books of Aristotle, lately brought from Constantinople, had filled their Heads with these Here­tical Subtilties, the same Coun­cil forbids the Reading or Keep­ing them under Pain of Ex­communication.

But during this Disgrace, there arose in Aristotle's De­fence three famous Divines, to whom St. John Damascen had opened the way, having abrid­ged divers of Aristotle's Works; which had assisted him to put in order his great Body of Di­vinity, the Four Books of Ortho­dox Faith: afterwards others improved this, and took as it were a Plan of Divinity from Aristotle's Philosophy.

[Page 77]Now the Tide turned as fast the other way, for in the Year 1366, two Cardinals, Commis­sioners from Vrban the Fifth, came to establish the Doctrine of Aristotle in France; where it was ordered, that none should proceed Masters of Arts that were not examined upon his Logick, Physicks, Metaphysicks, and Books of the Soul: it was further injoined to study Ari­stotle carefully, so to restore the Reputation of the University.

Pope Nicholas the Fifth, a great Advancer of Learning, com­manded a new Translation of Aristotle into Latin, for the Use of the Divines of the Romish Church.

Pope John, who Canoniz'd Thomas Aquinas, increased the Reputation of Aristotle, from whom that great Doctor has drawn his Principles, and the [Page 78] Grounds of his Arguments; that now Aristotle's Writings became the Fundamental Laws of Phi­losophy and the New Divinity.

In the Fourteenth Age grew the hot Contention between the Thomists and Scotists, or the Dis­ciples of Thomas and Scotus, a­bout subtile Nothings, or (as Mezeray speaks) brangling Cob­web-controversies; these were pursued with Passion, according to Interest or Inclination, or by Ingagement of Parties: and Dis­putes were so multiplied, that a Venetian Writer pretends to rec­kon up Twelve thousand Volumes published in that Age about the Philosophy of Aristotle; whose Reputation now so far increased, and was so establish'd in the University of Paris, that Ramus (who had found out some Ob­servations to diminish the Credit of Aristotle) was by the other Professors in that University con­demned in the Year 1543, as [Page 79] rash, ignorant, and impudent, in daring to write against Aristotle; and an Order was made, that none should teach any other Phi­losophy. Such a Religious Ve­neration was now raised for A­ristotle, though formerly con­demned, that Dissenting from him grew to be Heresy: and in the Massacre at Paris, Ramus was murdered with as much Zeal and Fury as the Calvinists them­selves.

The Credit of Aristotle's Wri­tings, as being fit to support the dark Mysteries and Opinions of the Church, so much increased, that in the Year 1611, the Do­ctors of Paris made a Rule that all Professors should teach the Phi­losophy of Aristotle. And in the Year 1624, a Request for some particular Theses to be proposed against the Doctrine of Aristotle, was denied: and again, Anno 1629, the Parliament there made an Arrest against some Chymists, [Page 80] upon the Information of the Sor­bonists, that the Principles of A­ristotle could not be written a­gainst, or lessened, without pre­judicing the received Divinity of the Schools.

'Tis no wonder if the Fathers and Sages of the Three first A­ges, were not quick enough to understand a sort of Mysterious Darkness which they had no use for; the things not being then found out that it was to be ap­plied to: but when the Occasion was ready for it, the puzling parts of Aristotle's Philosopy be­ing found useful, and among all his dark Subtilties none more convenient than that of Meta­physical or Abstracted Essences, which were Beings no where in being, they were applied to sup­port Transubstantiation; where there appears a Substance that must not be believed to be there, and another must be believed there which is not perceived.

[Page 81]Nothing can be a clearer Evi­dence than this violent Change, how desirous they were to lay hold of every thing that was helpful to preserve Mystery, and thereby to reduce the Power and Use of Religion to themselves, and so enlarge their worldly In­terest and Wealth. They easily apprehended that following the plain Method of the Gospel, in a humble Example and zealous Perswasion, ascribing all Honour and Power to God and none to themselves, would hardly make a great Purchase of Interest and Honours to themselves; there would not have needed a Statute of Mort-main here in England, to prevent (possibly all, at the least) most of the Land to be gi­ven to what they call the Church, that is, the Priests.

The last and most cruel Con­trivance of Priest-craft to sup­port Mystery, is Persecution; to [Page 82] preserve their Power, by the De­struction and Oppression of o­thers. And as in all the Par­ticulars of Priest-craft, before treated of, they have differed from the Methods of the Gospel; so in none so much as their being absolutely contrary to the Pro­position of our Saviour's coming, not to destroy but to save, and to do to others as we would be done to our selves. 'Tis a strange Way of performing those just and bles­sed Rules, to destroy and perse­cute others; for most certainly cruel and bloody Persecutors would not be willing to suffer the Torments and Severities they impose: Hatred, Violence and Cruelty, are the Methods of their proceeding, while our Saviour has made the Doctrines of Love, Meekness and Charity, the In­gredients of his Gospel, John 13.34, 35. and the Characters for his Disciples to be known by. The Christian Re­ligion, that brought Light to the World, began thus with Clear­ness, [Page 83] Meekness, Love and Cha­rity; winning Men to their Sal­vations by such wise and peace­able Ways, that if Heaven and Eternal Happiness had not been added as our farther Reward, yet the before-said Duties and Prin­ciples exactly practised, contri­bute to preserve every one in Health both of Body and Mind, and to the safe Enjoyment of un­disturbed Property.

The Impostor Mahomet pre­tended he was sent from God to convert the World, and brought in his Religion with Destruction and Fierceness of Rage; yet we see that now in a few Ages, that persecuting Madness is softned: it seems now too cruel for their Natures as Men, and contrary also to their Interests; so that now paying that small Tribute to the State which is agreed on, the Christians injoy the Use of their Religion, and Freedom of Trade and Commerce under a [Page 84] quiet and peaceable Protection. On the other side, the Christian Religion that was begun to be taught with so much Gentleness, Love and Charity, grew to be changed into Fury, Hatred, Ma­lice and Persecution: and though they justly complained under the Persecution of the Heathen Em­perors, especially Dioclesian, Maxi­min, and Julian; yet they were no sooner freed from those Mi­series, but they practised upon others all the Mischiefs and Crimes which themselves had suffered, and had inveighed a­gainst; and Revenge, and its ready Instrument Persecution, grew to be their Gospel-Methods: that which before they called Fury and Rage, when used by themselves, must be called Zeal and Devotion.

The first Cause of this Seve­rity that began famously among the Christians, was from Atha­nasius and Arius; and the Coun­cil [Page 85] of Nice it self shewed a Spi­rit of Contention rather than of Peace and Charity: Constantine was forced to burn the Records of their Quarrels and Animosi­ties, to set their Faces towards any prospect of Spiritual Good. The War of Persecution began under the wrangling Names of Homo-ousians and Homoi-ousians: and no sooner was Great Con­stantine dead, but the Arians in­fluenced his Son Constantius to retaliate upon the Homo-ousians, by returning Persecution for Per­secution. If the Homo-ousians had made a Creed at Nice, the Ho­moi-ousians in return fitted them with another at Ariminum and Seleucia; adding to them the Christian Retaliations of Ana­thema's, Banishments, Imprison­ments, Deprivations, Consiscati­ons, Executions, Burnings of Books, and the rest. From this Creed-making came Persecutions, almost equal to those of the Hea­then Emperors; Zozom. l. 4. c. 25. which were so [Page 86] much the more ugly, because it was still one Part of the Chri­stian Church that vexed the o­ther: Zozomen reckons up nine of these Creeds, made in a few Years. The Ecclesiastical War be­ing begun, Creeds were as the Arms and Ammunition with which to carry it on; they ser­ved also as Declarations, and Causes of the War: and as Power and Opportunity gave leave, they pursued one another with these both Means and Incentives to Revenge. Hilary Bishop of Poi­ctiors, describes this, saying, We decree every Year of the Lord a New Creed concerning God, nay every Change of the Moon our Faith is alter'd; we repent of those Decrees, and we defend those that repent of them: He concludes with saying that the Christians were torn to pieces by themselves. Gregory Nazian­zen was so full of Detestation at these Quarrels of Christians, that at last he resolved never [Page 87] more to come into an Assembly of Bishops; because, saith he, I have never seen a good and hap­py End of any Council; but Mischiefs are rather increased than remedied by them, their obstinate Contentions and Ambi­tions are infinite.

At last Heresy came to be the greatest Crime, and Hereticks (so called) were fore-doomed to Eternal Fire; and in the mean time to undergo the more tem­perate ones here. It grew to be a Vie of Christianity, who should be most zealous in Extirpation of Hereticks, and to preserve the Honour of the Church, by cruel and bloody Means: The famous St. Dominick was the most (wic­kedly) zealous in this Tragical Task, and from his Order chiefly the Inquisitors have been chosen ever since: one of his Successors issued Process for an hundred Thousand, whereof six Thousand were burnt in a few Years. [Page 88] Pope Leo the Tenth, with the Approbation of the Council of Lateran, decreed a severe Pro­se­cution of the Hereticks; but at the same time a slight Punish­ment was ordered against such as blasphemed God, or the Lord Christ: an Offence immediately against God was not to them of so dangerous a Nature, as that which they call Heresy; because Heresy is contrary to their Di­ctates and Power. And yet they would not seem to be Men of Blood; but, with a miserable E­vasion, make the Magistrate their Stirrup-Dog, and loo him on to seize and execute the Prey, as they direct him. But 'tis very lamentable, that not only in for­mer Ages those that have suffer'd under, and complained of Per­secution, when by Alteration of Fortune the Power hath fallen into their own Hands, they have acted all that which before they condemned: but even still in our days, every Party that has groan­ed [Page 89] under such Sufferings, when they are arrived at Power, use the same Severities which formerly they inveighed against.

Persecution is commonly taken to rise from the Impatience of Men to endure Contradiction; but if Difference arose only from Disputes, where there is no con­cern of Interest or Ambition, Men would not unite to make Laws to destroy or punish, or en­deavour by such Means to com­pel others to believe as themselves believe. The love of worldly Power and Interest was the cause of Persecution: the Sects of Phi­losophers that had great Diffe­rences, and taught various Phi­losophies, never thought it worth the Combination of a prevailing Opinion or Party, to persecute the others; because no Interest or Power could be the Produce of such a Method. Plato's and Aristotle's Successors taught in Athens, and had their Sects and [Page 90] Followers; but it never became worth Persecution on either side: but when Aristotle's Philosophy became useful for Priest-craft, where Power and Interest were designed, then it grew fit to be mingled with the Causes of Per­secution. Persecution therefore began from the insatiate Desire of Secular Power and Interest, to preserve that Dominion over Souls and Estates, which Mystery brought the Priesthood into: for when, by their subtil and dark Impositions, they had subjected Men to an implicit Belief of, and Subjection to, their Divine and infallible Inspiration and Autho­rity, they then found it necessary to fortify and preserve that In­terest by Persecution; and there­by to prevent the Examination of the unnecessary Follies and Cheats imposed, by comparing them with the naked Truth and Plainness of the Gospel; to se­cure their Subjects from deser­ting them, or declaring against [Page 91] them, they take care that Eccle­siastical Dragoons be prepared (not to Convert, but) Destroy them.

There cannot be any who are for Persecution ▪so dull, as to be­lieve it the Means for what they (would seem to) intend it, the Conversion of the Erroneous. For in Persecution; there is no rational Perswasion, in the Tor­ments, or other Punishments: that which can move an Altera­tion of Opinion, is Reason and Argument, gently and friendly proposed; Error must be shown by Argument, not by Power or Barbarities. If that were the true Way, which the Infallible follow, then if a Man is known to differ in a particular Opinion, he should be converted by break­ing a Limb for that Opinion; and so another Limb for another such (Dissenting) Opinion, and not by Arguments, till the Sum total of his Heresies grew big e­nough [Page 92] for the Fire: but then it would appear also, that what they pretend is for Conversion, in very deed is only for Destructi­on; and the Service and Punish­ment is wholly for themselves, not the Persons punished. If a Man sees Light, or any other Object, could Punishment make him not believe what he sees? Torments perhaps may make him say, that he does not see what he does, or any thing else, from the Force of his prevailing Misery: so perhaps Persecution, in its various and skilful Inven­tions of several Punishments and Torments, may force the wretch­ed Sufferers verbally to renounce their respective Faiths and Opi­nions, though they be not at all alter'd in their Belief; which Victory is indeed a Service to the Priests Power, but none to God, or the Suffering Person. If a Man should say Prayers for a show in this World, and yet not believe in the God he prays to, but only [Page 93] designs to keep himself from Trouble and Disturbance; would not such Prayers be (bantring) Sins? Is there not the same Rea­son, that those who persecute, and by Torments or Fears force suf­fering Wretches to declare a­gainst their own Consciences, should be esteemed and judged guilty of the Sin which their Cruelty caused? or is there per­haps any greater Sin, than to sin against a Man's own Conscience? Should any one force a Man to murder himself; would not such a one be guilty of the Murder? Doth not the Law make the Ac­cessory equally guilty with the Principal? By the same reason, those that are guilty of the Vio­lence or Terror, are guilty of the (unconscionable, and there­fore impious) Renunciations that were caused by such Terror or Violence. Persecution can be no Argument to Perswade, nor De­struction the Way to Conver­sion; and to force any to sin a­gainst [Page 94] their Consciences, is no Rule of Christianity. The late unexampled Persecution in France has, by strange invented Ways of several Torments and Vexa­tions, forc'd many to renounce (verbally) their Opinions and Consciences; a Sin which God hates: it's true, Men should un­dergo all Sufferings for their Con­sciences; but if Torments pre­vail over the Weakness of a di­stracted Sufferer, those that in­flict the Cruelty are certainly the cause of what God hates, and their Rewards will be according­ly. Persecution therefore can be used out of no respect to the Ser­vice of God; but is a Defiance of him, and only a Service to Priest-craft and Priests, who like other Plunderers preserve ill-got Goods by Force. The Prescrip­tions of the Gospel are of another nature; even to be gentle in all things, and to have Charity for those that offend: St. John's Epi­stles, whose Subject-matter is on­ly [Page 95] Love, would be a Cheat rather than a true Gospel-direction, if such a thing as Persecution could be approved in the Gospel-state. If Love could spring from loss of Estates, Torments, and Death; if the Advice and Gospel-com­mand of Catholick Love were not made perfectly ridiculous, by the contrary Command of Persecu­tion and Hatred, we might al­low of the Priestly Expedient of Persecution: but 'twill be impos­sible to perswade those that suf­fer, that their Persecutors do not hate them, and as impossible to love such Persecutors any better than they love their Sufferings themselves. But Wo be to them by whom the Offence comes: what Condemnation must it carry with it, that those who pretend to be Teachers of the Gospel, instead of the Ways of Love, search af­ter those of Blood, and instead of Gentleness, pursue with Fury; and that too for as little reason, as if they went about to punish [Page 96] those that differ from them in Taste; for Opinion is no more to be help'd than a Man's Relish; 'twere as reasonable to punish any one for a vitiated Palat, as for thinking what he must think.

'Tis not reasonable to believe that God, who knows our Infir­mities, will punish Error; which is no Sin, because it comes not from the Will and Intention: One Man may be weaker than another, and both may mistake more or less, according to the Difference of their Capacities; but neither of them is thereby guilty, because the Mistakes and Opinions proceed from their In­noscence, which is to say, their Weakness and Ignorance. There have been very warm and fierce Disputes upon Subject-matters that could have had no good ef­fect, if the Decision had been ac­cording to the Desires and Fan­cies of either of the contending [Page 97] Parties; and yet neither of them is to be charged with Heresy: in the Dispute concerning Free­will, one Party denies it, believ­ing that such Denial magnifies the Grace of God; the other af­firms it, because he believes it engages Men in pious Endeavours; therefore absolutely to determine the Question, in direct favour of either Party, would not be useful.

St. Paul reckons Heresy among the Works of the Flesh; indeed 'tis in Holy Scripture every where reckoned among practical Impieties: Matter of Fact, in di­rect Sins, can only be ascertain'd to be Heresy; if a Man does not mix a Vice with his Opinion, and that his Life accordingly is not led in unjust Practices, his Error in Opinion cannot be a Crime, nor any Foundation of a Punish­ment. If we seriously ▪consider the ill and unjustifiable Grounds of such a Persecution, the Here­sy [Page 98] will appear to be on the other side, the Persecutors will be the Hereticks: for those who pra­ctise Uncharitableness and Cru­elty, commit that Heresy of the Flesh; directly contrary to what our Saviour taught, and founded the Christian Religion upon, e­ven Meekness, Charity and Mer­cy. But as St. Paul says, He that was born after the Flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit: Even so it is now, and so it e­ver will be, while Self-interest and Love of Dominion, are al­lowed to make the Want of Mer­cy, the Means to support and propagate Religion: and such ill-gotten Power must encrease the Cruelty and Pride of Men, and consequently new and more large Inventions of Massacres and other Persecutions; and yet (sure) themselves cannot but think it ridiculous, that a Reli­gion, whose Institution is so hu­mane and merciful, should be propagated by Cruelty and In­humanity. [Page 99] St. Paul says, 2 Tim. 2.24, 25. the Servants of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all Men, in Meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God perad­venture will give them Repentance, to the Acknowledgment of the Truth. Here Persecution is for­bid, though against those that oppose the known Truth, which needed Repentance; they are di­rected to proceed by Meekness and Instructions: sure then the Persecutors that strive to be un­gentle, and use Cruelty instead of Meekness, and Death and Tor­tures instead of Instruction, must be the true Hereticks.

'Tis very observeable, that for real Heresies of the Flesh there are no Inquisitions set up, nor any particular Persecutions; not for Drunkenness, or Whoredom, or other Vices: they increase as much, by Temptation and Exam­ple, as those sort of Vices can; and yet were never made Objects [Page 100] of the (pretended) pious Zeal, or of any Persecution. Against such Heresies, they follow more the Apostle's Rule, endeavour­ing to convert by Instruction and Perswasion; but towards the Heresies that are prop [...]rly against themselves, they proceed by ano­ther Method, by the Rule of their own Passions, not by the Directions of Christianity. The Reason is, Heresy against true Morality does not shake their Design of Power and Interest; but Heresy against their Rules of Faith, which they would have superiour to Scripture, is an Ab­negation of their Authority. The Endeavour to find out Truth should not be reckoned an Of­fence; it should rather tend to unite than divide, and raise Ten­derness sooner than Persecution. God's Service is the pretended Cause of Persecution; but with­out suffering it to be fairly exa­mined, whether the Difference consists in Matters truly neces­sary [Page 101] to Salvation. Which again evidences, that the Persecution is not for the Cause of God, or the Good of the Persecuted, but of the Persecutors. 'Tis sure a most Melancholy Pro­spect of Persecution, that all the Particulars in which those dif­fer who profess the Name of Christ, are in themselves of no consequence, in respect to Sal­vation: for if it be temperately considered, there is not one Par­ticular that if it had never been controverted, or so much as thought of, had been at all a Prejudice to our following the true and the plain Rules of Christianity; nor can the Belief or Dis-belief of any of those dis­puted Particulars, be reputed any Part of the Necessary Faith. Sup­pose, that the Devotion paid to Saints, Angels, Images and Re­licks, Prayers for the Dead, Con­secration of Agnus Dei's, Bles­sing of Clouts, Indulgences and Pardons made Mercenary, had [Page 102] never been thought of, where would the Want of them appear, if we followed the acknowledged Rules and Precepts of the Gospel? Does any of these concern the doing as we would be done to; or would they contribute to Mutual Love and Forbearance of one ano­ther? In relation to Faith and good Works, they could neither be Instrumental nor Exciting; and had they been material, they would have found some place a­mong the Precepts and Institu­tions delivered by our Saviour, in his Sermon on the Mount; where no Part necessary to Chri­stian Conduct can be believed to be omitted. So that these invented Particulars by Priest-craft, are only to create a Faith in them, not in Christ or his Gospel; where every thing that is necessary, is also plain and clear; but these consist of Dark­ness, to involve Deceived Man­kind in a Blind and Implicit O­bedience.

[Page 103]Another of their abstruse In­ventions is Purgatory, wholly the Subject-matter of Power and Profit; as if it were possible there could be a separate Confined Place, where the Punishment or Purgation should be more or less, as the Price is: as if Heaven were to be bribed, according to their lesser or greater Lucre. If Men must believe in their Re­deemer, and living according to his Example, may thereby ob­tain Salvation, to what purpose could that Invention be, unless for the Interest and Power of the Priests that invented it? For if it never had been thought of, what Prejudice could it have been to the Christian Religion, whose Rules are perfect and ef­fectual without it, and which affords no (tolerable) Intimation of such a Place? They may as rationally affirm, that all the Rules of the Gospel followed in a good Life, shall yet not be a­vailable [Page 104] to Salvation, without the Belief of Purgatory; so that one Point of Salvation is wholly for­got by him that saved; as pre­tend that after a Life of Con­tempt or Neglect of the Gospel Precepts; a Man, for all that, may be ransomed, by Money given to the Priest, from the Place of Punishment; so near to Blasphemy, does this extravagant Opinion reach. Be sure Purga­tory is not of so antient date, but that there were Christians long before all mention made of it; who were (questionless) in a State of Salvation without the Help of that Fancy, and others are so now without the Belief of it: the Faith of it is useless, to any Person or Thing, but only to the Priests, to compleat their Catalogue of Mysteries, and to increase their Profit and Au­thority.

The most famous of their dark Particulars, to which they pre­tend [Page 105] to be directed by the Go­spel, is the Real Presence: where the Priest can Transubstantiate, without being himself Transub­statiated; which is ridiculous enough. For all its seeming Im­portance, 'tis of the same nature with the Particulars before-men­tioned; and if it had never been thought of, could in no ways have been prejudicial to the Christian Religion. For sup­pose any one should eat of the very Body and Flesh of our Sa­viour, would that particular Food have been the Food of Salvation, without Belief in him that died for us? 'Tis impossible that any can affirm it would; for if it were so, and that Priests can make Bread, or a Wafer, to be Christ's Flesh, the Eating of it must of Consequence procure Salvation without the Help of Faith and good Works: but if by Faith in his Death for us, Love and Charity, and following the Example of his Life, we [Page 106] must be saved; of what use can it be to determine, whether the Sacrament be the Real Body, yea or no? Since the Real Sub­stance would not be effectual by it self, of what concern can it be whether it be in the Sa­crament or no? And this Opi­nion too was not of so long standing, but that Christians, who before this Invention be­lieved in Christ, and followed his Example, were certainly in a State of Salvation: and if that be granted, it shows that it can be of no concern if the Questi­on about it had never been rai­sed; for if the thing proposed to be believed, was in it self separately of no Force or Effi­cacy, to what purpose is the Enquiry whether it be really in the Sacrament or no? If it had effectual Power separately, and meerly by virtue of the Sub­stance, then it must operate on an Infidel that eats it, as well as on a Believer: but if Faith [Page 107] in him that died for us, be the Foundation of our Salvation, and we build upon it in following his Example and Precepts, then Salvation cannot depend upon this, Whether the Celebration of the Memorial of our Saviour's last Supper be this or that Sub­stance. Should any believe truly in Christ, and in our Redemp­tion by his Death, and endeavour to follow his blessed Rules and Example; and yet never con­sider further of the Celebration of the Lord's Supper, but only as a Memorial, that as often as we come thither, we do it in re­membrance of his Suffering for us; would this be ineffectual, without determining in Opinion at that time, what sort of Subs­tance we receive? If so, then if the Person that takes it gues­ses wrong, all his Faith in Christ, and all his Endeavours of a good Life, are in vain and of none effect. So that upon a contro­verted Point, which seems ridi­culous [Page 108] to common Sense, Salva­tion must depend; and the Mis­take of a dark and controverted Point shall defeat all the Effects of a strict following the plain and blessed Rules of the Gospel; which most certainly contains all things necessary to Salvation. And if this particular Question, What Substance it was that is administred in the Sacrament, had been so very necessary to Salvation, our Saviour would cer­tainly have deliver'd it in a plain Instruction and Precept, to guide our Faith in a Particular on which Salvation depended, and with the same Plainness too, that he uses through the whole Course of the Gospel: but the Gospel only directs Faith in him, with Love, Justice, and Charity to one another; of which, it directly says, that the Reward shall be Eternal Salvation.

St. Paul sets down very di­rectly and plainly the necessary [Page 109] Parts of Faith, and comprises all in a very short Creed; ‘This is the Word of Faith, saith he, Rom. 10.8, 9. which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy Heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’ This Doctrine of St. Paul must either deceive us, or else there is nothing of real ne­cessity besides this, and the ap­parent and immediate Consequen­ces of it, to be believed by us as Christians. But the Priests ha­ving endeavoured to throw eve­ry plain Way into a Wilderness, and to bring Darkness upon Light; it follows, sutably to that Design, that they propose them­selves as Guides, and no Man to use his own Conduct and Reason. But if such Imposers, that design Power and Wealth by their dark and unnecessary Doctrines, could secure us that we should not answer to God for our selves, then to follow [Page 110] such Guides as could and would be accountable for what their Followers have submitted to, on their bare Authority, and to serve them, would be reasonable: but since a Blind and Brutish Sub­mission to any, will be no Ex­cuse to them who had a plain Rule given 'em by God, it be­hoves every Man to take care that his Guide does not mislead him; and then 'tis the same thing to follow his own Reason, and be his own Guide; and sure every one may be better trusted to him­self than to another. Yet if by their undertaking to be Guides, they would exclude the Use of Reason in Religion, why do they themselves propound Arguments, why is Scripture sometimes ci­ted, Councils and Fathers quo­ted, Tradition trumpt up? If we must not use our Reason, and judg of those Arguments, 'twere fair Dealing to decree their Pro­positions Magisterially.

[Page 111]But they say, the Unlearned are not fit to judg. This is true indeed; that is, of the things which they have made too hard even for themselves to judg of, and to agree about: but we are capable to judg of the Plainness of the Gospel, which only is ne­cessary to our Salvation. Their new dark Writings and Doctrines are not decidable among them­selves: and 'tis very impertinent to make it an Argument, that because unlearned Men are not able to judg of the confused dark Notions of these that call themselves the Learned, which Notions these Learned Men sel­dom understand alike; therefore the Unlearned are to be debar­red from using their Reason in what is plain to be understood, such as the plain Gospel of Je­sus Christ is; which is and ought to be their only Concern. Do the Learned by their own A­greement encourage others to [Page 112] depend upon them, as unerring Guides? how can we be satis­fied with their Differences, or find out Truth in their abstruse Cavilings? for are not the Guides themselves grown into different Sects, supported by Custom, E­ducation, Interest and Preposses­sion, more than by Reason? Do they not continue in a resolved Opinion, by only being of the same Religious Club? This is the ridiculous Cause why all the Do­minicans are always of one Opi­nion, in the Points of Predesti­nation and the Immaculate Con­ception; and the Franciscans are as universally of the contrary. It were, in my Opinion, as rea­sonable that all the Johns should be of one Sect and Opinion, and the Richards of another; pursu­ing still what is affirmed by those of their Name, without exami­ning the Nature or Reason of the Opinion: as that the Insti­tution of a Founder of the Or­der; suppose of Dominicans or [Page 113] Franciscans, should as much in­fluence all particular Persons of the Order, as much as an Opi­nion which is taught by Reason. So also from the admired Tho­mas and Scotus, came the Tho­masts and Scotists; as if there might be an Imposition of Opi­nions, from the meer Names of some particular Persons of the same either Order or School. An unlearned Man would receive but small Satisfaction in such Guides; and the Choice of them would be as little rational and intelligible to him, as the Gib­berish of their School-Divinity is. Such a Possession in Mens Minds as we are now speaking of, appeared some time in the Disciples of our Saviour: for though he spoke plainly of his going to Jerusalem, and being put to Death there; Mark 1.32, 33. yet (saith the Text) they understood not these Sayings: Of which, the Reason was, because they were before-hand possess'd with the [Page 114] Traditions and Doctrines of the Pharisees, and most other Lear­ned Men of their Nation, that they were to have a Glorious, a Conquering, and Triumphant Messias; so that no clear Ex­pressions to the contrary, could have weight with them, or be regarded by them: which shows how little Men use their own Reasons, or make use even of common Sense, when once they are thorowly prepossessed by a con­trary Institution or Impression from others, or the early Autho­rity of their assuming Guides.

The high Imposers the Priests, or others under the name of the Church, cannot pretend to lay the Foundation of Faith; which is already laid in the Gospel: they may [...] exci [...]e to the Practice [...] laid in the [...] but they may as [...] the [...] in Generals, as in [...] especially in [Page 115] such as are dark, and have the Appearance of New: to inlarge Faith is the same, as originally to lay the Foundation of it. But they take care that the Parti­culars which they impose, should be stamp'd with a Scripture-Mark, either true or false; that they may not seem to arrogate to them­selves to be Legislators.

From the two great Spring, Athanasius and Arius, the Church overflowed with Divisions, and the insolent Value of Opinions began. Athanasius, in his Creed, calls what he there sets down, the Catholick Faith; which yet received a contrary Censure from two very great Councils; that of Milan consisting of 300 Bi­shops, and that of Ariminam consisting of 550: but the Pra­ctice, on both sides, of imposing their Opinions with a Scripture-Mark or Character, was begot and increas'd by the passionate Desire and Design of Power and Interest.

[Page 116]We have even at this present, an unlucky Instance of the strange Differences among Learned Men. Dr. Sherlock writes a Book in answer to certain Brief Notes on the Creed of Athanasius: He says, his Undertaking is to vin­dicate the Athanasian Creed, and the Doctrine of a Trinity in Unity; which (he says) he has now made as clear and easy, as the Notion of one God. But another, and a very Learned Per­son too, in his Animadversions upon that Book of Dr. Sherlock, calls the Explication of the Tri­nity advanced in Dr. Sherlock's Book, a silly, a contradictory, and an heretical Notion; wholly of his own Invention, and a Stab to the Heart of the Doctrine of the Church of England: he charges another Book of Dr. Sherlock's, being a Discourse of the Know­ledg of Christ, with vile and scan­dalous Reflections upon God's Justice; and says moreover, that it may deserve to pass for a Blas­phemous [Page 117] Libel. I suppose it would hardly happen to the Un­learned, or the Laity, if they should search after the Knowledg of God and Christ in the Scrip­tures only, to be overseen in wi­der Differences either from one another, or from the Truth, than these are. What Measures or Opinions then, can the Unlearned take from their (disputing) Lea­ders? Guides that cannot forbear to impose Faith in dark and un­necessary Points, and yet rate their Imaginations at the Value of Holy Scripture, even while they disa­gree among themselves in the very Points which they would injoin others to believe. But it has long been the Custom of Learned Men to be saying some­thing; to dispute and talk, and from thence to impose: St. Austin ingenuously confesses this, in these Words, Lib. de Trin. 5. c. 7. ‘When Men ask, what is meant by the Three, all Humane Speech wants Power to express it: yet [Page 118] we have ventur'd to say Three Persons; not that it should be said, but that we may not be wholly silent.’ In very deed, in all Ages the Learned have thought it incumbent upon them to say something upon every thing; and upon dark and unnecessary Noti­ons, to found a Power over others: which would never have been built upon the plain, and indispu­table, Rules of the Gospel.

I say not this to lessen the Ne­cessity and Use of Teachers and Guides in Religion: the Know­ledg of Religion is not born with us, nor infused into us; and there­fore is to be learned. And of consequence, Respect and Credit ought to be given to our Teachers and Instructors. The Unlearned must of Necessity, in some things place a Confidence in those, whose proper Imployment and Learning qualifies, and assists them to make a true Translation of the Holy Scriptures. This just Credit and [Page 119] Respect ought to be given to such Teachers as apply themselves strictly to pursue the Methods of the Gospel; yet without suppo­sing them to be infallible, or ma­king an absolute Resignation of our Reason and Judgment. Sup­pose a Man chooses one, that has the Reputation of an Able Coun­sellor and Learned in the Law, to settle an Estate or Purchase; and uses such Counsellor out of that just Opinion of the Knowledg he has in he Law, which he (deser­vedly) reckons is much above his own Skill in the Laws; must he therefore be debarred, or neglect, to use his own Care and Reason in examining the Particulars of the Writings and Settlements? where­in, though there may be many things, Points of Law beyond his Knowledg, yet there must be also many Particulars of a plain and obvious Nature, wherein any Mis­take or Contradiction may be ea­sily judged of by the concerned Party. And is it not as just and rea­sonable [Page 120] to believe that Men should be allowed the same use of their Care and Reason, in the Purchase of an Eternal Estate?

I shall conclude with this plain Assertion, That the Imposing Hu­mour of those who usurp more to themselves than belongs to Teach­ers, and their Quarrels and Disputes upon dark and unnecessary Noti­ons, is an assuming what belongs to God, and a taking away what belongs to Men. By such Power assumed to themselves, they rob God of his Glory, the World of Peace, and Men of Love and Cha­rity: whereas if they had only en­deavour'd to instruct and per­swade according to the plain and genuine Methods of the Gospel, Teaching as they were taught by that; the Glory had been to God on high, Peace had flourished in the World, and Men had abounded in Good-will to one another.

FINIS.

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