Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN

Jacobite and Nonjuring PRINCIPLE 9j

freely examined ;

I N A

LETTER

TO THE

MASTER-TOOL

OF THE

FACTION

A T

MANCHESTER-

With Remarks on fome Part of a Book lately

published, intitled, a Chriftian Catechifm^ &c.

faid to be wrote by Dr. D—c-n.

By J. O W E N.

Quid Homines ( fuftintbitis enim me Impetufufcept/e Aftit-

nls libtrius exerentem ) Homines inquam deploratz, illicit^, ac def- peratae Fa£lionist gre/ari in Deot non ingemifcendum tjl ?

M. Min. Felic. Odav. — — — — RiJicuIum Acri Fortiut ft tne/ius magnaf flerumq\ fecat Rts.

Hor. Sat. 10.

MANCHESTER: Printed by R, WHITWORTH, Bookfeller. MDCCXLVII.

A

LETTER

TO THE

MASTER-TOOL,

SIR!

HAVE fomewherc read of an Order of Knighthood amongfl the Hottentots^ where the Perfon inftall'd is plentifully befpatter'd in a very ungenteel and inde- cent Manner ; which he re- ceives with great Alacrity, as the more Indecency, the more Honour. In a Light fomething analogous to this, I confider your Treatment of me, in a late Epiftle to a Friend. The more Abufe, the more Honour; the more Scurrility you have given Vent to, the more Diflinftioa you have paid me. Jaco-

A 2 bittt

107;

bites and Nonjurors I have always look'd upon as a Race of Britifli Hottentots, as blind and bigotted as their Brethren about the Gape, but more favage in their Manners. A Specimen of this from their Writings? Take one as follows:

cc

Leave to the lew-bred O— ns of the Age, Senfe to belye, and Loyalty to rage ; Wit to make Treafon of each Cry and Chat, And Eyes to fee falfe Worftiip in a Hat; Wifdom and Love to conftrue Heart and Mien* By the new Gofpel of a Magazine."

Epiftle to a Friend, p. 26.

Your polite and elaborate Notes upon the a- bove Lines are as follow.

cc

cc

<c

Line 335. Leave to the low-bred. Allud- <{ ing to a furious, fanatic Preacher, in the <c Neighbourhood of Mancheflery who has late- " ly publifh'd fome Sermons in the Spirit here " defcribed.

" Line 340. A aMgazi?2e. Alluding to Mr. " Owen's mentioning me Story above-mcntion- €C ed" [i. e. Dr. Deacon's worshipping the Re- bel Skulls nVd up on the Exchange at Man- defter] " in his Ranting Sermon on the Thanks- gtving-Day ; and citing for it a paltry News- Paper, intitled the Manchefler Magazine'9

Thefe

<c

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Thefe few Traits of your Genius illuftrate and confirm my Obfervation above; that 'Ja- cobites and Nonjurors are but a Race of Britifb Hottentots, as blind and bigotted as their Bre- thren about the Cape, but more &vage in their Manners. Why elfe fo much Rage and Viru- lence, exprefs'd by you Sir, the Mouth and Matter- Tool of the Faction, in the Neighbour- hood of Manchejhr, againft a Perfon to whom you are a Stranger ? Exprefs'd againft him ; for what ? For blafpheming the Character of faint- ed Traytors, and even daring to profcribe Re- bellion. For thefe high and mighty

Crimes, I am — — what am I not ? A Fury j a Fanatic k, a low-bred Fellow. Go on Sir ; a little more of the fame Billingsgate Oratory ; -. a few more of the fame Bear-Garden De- corations of Language. They well become the Caufe that you plead ; they are the ftrong- eft Pillars that fupport, the nobleft Ornaments that grace, and the moft concluiive Arguments that defend it. Impudent Puppy ; Son of a B— ch ; Son of a W— re ; are fome other Fi- gures of Speech, which when decently inter- larded with well-moHth'd Oaths, have done ex- cellent Service to your Caufe, againft it's two

moft inveterate Enemies, the Love of our

Country and common Senfe. As you have fome Military Friends among you, fince the Aft of Indemnity took Place, 'tis not doubted but you will be taught how to employ the Fi- gures

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However as Loiers are allow'd to complain, and Culloden was a fatal Day ! if a Man cannot {hew his Wit, yet why (hould he not fhew his Teeth ? Believe me, Sir, I {hall never attempt to reftrain you from the free Exercife and En- joyment of this glorious Privilege. Hard Lan- guage and foft Arguments, (I'll fay nothing of the Heads that form them) can never wound that Caufe which has Truth to fupport it. But whilft the Enemies of the Government endea- vour to poifon Mens Minds with all Manner of flavifh, abfurd, and rebellious Principles, fhall there be no Antidote difpens'd by the Government's Friends? Shall a Man fit down, indolent and neutral in his Houfe, while he beholds Thieves rifling his Property, or Incen- diaries fetting his Houfe on a Flame ? Shall State Incendiaries ', you know who I mean, be propagating the Flame of DifafFeftion to the beft of Governments and the beft of Kings, and none endeavour to extinguiih it's Rage and Fu- ry ? Yes Sir, I dare plead the Caufe of Liberty, of Virtue, of Religion, of Mankind, and of my Country, in Spite of all Oppoiition. You have invited, you have provoked me into the Field; and I dare let you know that I am not akin to your fugitive Hero ; that I fhall not flinch in the Combat. I dare tell you that our prefent Government has Enemies, and what

Kind

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Kind of Men they are. Be it at Bokgne, <tf j4vignon, or whatever other Place, that your vagrant Idol keeps up the mock State of a Court, I dare tell you that the Man who vifits it to procure an Abfolution for having abjur'd Popery and the Pretender, and fworn Allegiance to King GEORGE, and yet calls himfelf a good Protejlant and a good Subjcfl, either affronts other Men's Understandings, or betrays the Weaknefs of his own. I dare tell both you, and your Friends, that the Features of bafi-born Superftition, arc as different from thofe of true Religion, as the hcdloring, fwaggering Rant of your Party over their Cups, is different from true Magnanimity and Courage. I dare tell you that jtcobitts and Nonjurors fliould always herd together, that they pine after the fame Yoke, court thejame Chains, and meet in the fame Center : I cannot fay, with your 'Brother Wit and Patriot, Dr. Sacheverel, that like two Parallel Lines, they will meet in one Center.(a) If your Libels againft the Government and Common Senfe, have from Time to Time efcap- cd Notice ; if they have received no Anfwer, 'tis not becaufe they have been unanfwerable, but becaufe they have not defirtid one. How- ever your late Attack upon me, urges me to examine a little into Jacobite and Nonjuring Principles, and to give fuch an Account ©f

them

(a) Satlrvtrtrs Sermon, which his Impeachment was ground.

them as may be of fome Service to the Pub- lick. The two Points I propofe, at this Time to join Iffue with you upon, are,

Whether Jacobite and Nonjuring Principles do not ftand juftly chargeable with Fanaticifm, and whether this Fanaticijm is not, of all o- ther, the moft fovereign and accomplim'd ? And, as I diibwn the Authority of all Gofpels but Chrift's,

Whether Cbri/t's Gofpel or the Nonjuror's Gofpel, be the new one, and which of the two is the more rational and authentick ?

As to the firft : J fhali not take upon me to enquire whether the Word Fanatic boafts of a Greek or Latin Extraction. Be that the applaud- ed Talk of fome fublime Genius • like your

own, whofe Leifure and Talents render him e- qual to Enquiries of fuch folemn Importance. 'Tis enough for my Purpofe, that whatever its Etymology be, the Meaning which Ufe has

flamp'd upon it is this one who covers bad

or the very ivorft Purpofes with a great Shew of Goodnefs and Devotion. The true Spirit of Panaticifm difcovers itfelf in fuch a wild, out- rageous Zeal for Abfurdities, as grows even in- to devout Madnefs. 'Tis a Spirit that raifes Tumults and Seditions in States, without any

juft Provocation ; that diflurbs the Peace

of Societies, and folcmnly invocates Heaven to

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aid in effectuating their Ruin. Fanaticijm is a fanftify'd Phrcnzy, that pretends much to ex- traordinary Influences and Communications; to immediate Infpirations j to & familiar and Jul- fome Commerce with the Deity. It receives Dreams for divine Truths, and pafles off wild Reveries for Gofpel Revelations. It's Lan- guage is a lufcious, unintelligible Jargon. The Fanatical Inamorato feel*, what he looks upon to be, a facred Rage of Paffion fvvell in his Bread. The Fire of Entbufiafm glows within him, and he cherifhes and feeds it with as much Zeal, as the Vellal Virgins of Rome did the facred Fire in their Temple. In fhort, he riots in all Manner of fpiritual Debaucheries, and talks to his God as the Gallant doth to his Miftrefs. Fanaticifm urges its Votaries to the Obfervance of the moll abfurd and unnatural Rites ; to cut and flam their own Bodies for the Good of their Souls ; (a) to Jacriftce their own Children, (b) and makes natural Delirium to be an infallible Token of fupernatural Grace. Such were the Fanatic Priefts of Eellona ; nay

Sir, if you read any Poetry but your own, me-

thinks you might learn that the Fanatic Priefts of Eellona were but Types of the 'Jacobite and Nonjuring Fanatics of our Day. Speak Juvenal

B " Sed

(a) Bellonae fervientes, vere exfecare Brachium, praecepit Studio Crudelitatis: Caufabon in Lamp.

(b) Vid. Lucian de Dea Syria,

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" Sed ut Fanaticus

<c PercufTus, Bellona tuo divinat ; et ingens " Omen habes, iniquit, magni clariq; Triumphi ce Aliquem capies, ant de Temone Britain " Excidit Avirargus. (a)

Florus gives us an 'Account of one Eunus, who by counterfeiting a fanatical Fury, bran- difhing about the Locks of the Syrian Goddefs, pretending to a divine Impulfe, (and indeed moft Fanatics make God a Party in their Quarrels), kindled a bloody War in the "Roman Commonwealth, and induced 60000 Men to take up Arms againft the State, (b)

A learned Writer obferves that Weigelius and "Bebmen ; your intimate Acquaintance, 'Jacob Bebmen, he muft mean, were the Leaders of the Fanatics in Germany, and both thefe were pupill'd by one Paracel/us a Phylician. Now Sir, fuppofe I could name a modern Dr. Para- celfus that teaches and propagates fuch Principles as the above, that, like your Dark Lanthorn ya- €ob^ inculcates a ftrange Kind of Myftic Divinity upon the Minds of his deluded Votaries -, that is for raifing Tumults and Infurreclions in the

State ; whofe Religious Catechifms are

LefTons

(a> Juvenal Sat. 4.

(b) Syrus quidam Nomine Eunus (Magnitude Cladium faclt at meminerimus) fanatico Furore, fimulato, dum Syrise DeJE co- j^as fpeftat ad Libertatem et Ajma Servos quafi Numinum Impe- 3» concitavit. Florut Lib. 3. c. 9.

Leflbns of Abfurdity and Superftition, and

whofe political ones are the Fate of his

unhappy Sons will tell what ? — who

dreams of nothing but dethroning of Britifb Princes, and who, like theWorfhippers of the «Sy- rlan Goddefs,vvill facrifice his own Children to his

Idols. Will not you call this Man a Fana-

tick ? Would not yuvenal j would not Florus

have call'd him fo had he liv'd in their Days ?

*

But you will fay, do you take me for a School- Boy to read Lectures to me out of fuch moth-eaten Authors as thefe? Well Sir, to attone in fome Meafure for putting you under the fevere Discipline of a School-Boy, I'll wave for a while, referring you to any more heathen- //Z>, greek and latin Authors, and remit you to an ILnghJh one, to learn what Fanaticism is, and to one who lias juftly been efteemed one of the politeft Writers of this Age.

" Fanatici/m is a Compofition of Superftiti- " on and Enthufiafm. It overbears all Order " and Government, all Virtue and found Re-

" ligion It implys an uncommon Pretence

£c to Religion and Sanctity, arid fometimes In- cc fpiration itfelf, with an evident Mixture of " Madnefs or Infatuation, accompany'd, for «' the moft Part, with a Reftlefsnefs and Tur- " bulency of Spirit, which is inconfifrent with ** the Peace of Society and any fettled Form c< of Government. The true Fanatic is always B 2 " moft

"

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<e moft earneft about fome palpable Superfti- " tion, which is not only no Part of found Re- c< ligion, but even deftruclive of it He con- <e tends with Vehemence for Opinions notori- <e oufly abfurd, and cannot live in any Degree <e of Charity with fuch as differ from him. <-— ce His religious Syftem is chequer 'd with Con- ditions. He is hurry'd on by the Impc-iu- tuofity of his Zeal, to break through all Re- " gards of the moft facred Importance, that <{ feem to thwart his extravagant Schemes, ne- " ver confidering the Lawfulnefs, the Exocdi- <c ency, or the Wifdom of the Means he ufes, *£ nor attending to the Mifchiefs or fatal Confe- c' quences that manifeftly threaten either him- " iclf, o, Numbers of People, or even whole <£ States and Kingdoms. - The moft irnpi- ct ous as well as the moft ridiculous Notions ct will be received with Veneration, by Per- " ions of a fanatical Difpolition. There was " a Set of Fanatics for Inftance, who took a <c Fancy to be godly and nakedy in Imitation of " our firft Parents in their State of Innocency. <e Their Congregations were held in a warm " Stove. They put off their Clothes at the " Door, and the Men and Women, the Prieft " not excepted, fat promifcuoufly upon Bench- *' es raised one above another, without the leaft " Covering. When their Devotions were en-

«c

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" dcd, they drefs'd and went to their Houfes c< in the Sinfulnefs of worldly Garments, (a)

" How limple and inoffenfive foever, the " Phrenzy of fome Fanatics may be, in the In-

" fancy of their Religion yet as they

" make Profclytes, it generally appears that 11 cunning and ambitious Men mix in their " AfTemblies, and lead the poor Ignorants by "•' Degrees into Projects, for modelling the " Laws and the Government according to their " own wild Fancies, the firft Step to which, " is by teaching them to queftion the Author!- " ty of the Civil Magiftrate.

<c The Fanatics of moll Kinds, have a&u- " ally taken the Advantage of fome great Con- " vulfion or Divifion in the State, to broach <c their Extravagancies, as being on feveral Ac- <c counts the moft fuitable Seafon for favouring " a weak or a wicked Caufe !

I might Sir reft the Matter here, and appeal,

whether from thefe Charaderiflics, Jacobite

and Nonjuring Fanaticifm doth not appear to be of all other the moft fovereign and accom- plim'd ? But a few more Extracts from the

fame

(a) Thefe Adamttu were a Seft that fprung up as early as the fecond Century. They recommended the Monaftic Life, and made Vows of Continence as our Nonjurors do, .tho' if Credit be due to fome Hiftorians, they were Examples of the greateft Incontineney in Practice,

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lame polite Writer, will not at this Time, and upon this Occafion, be unacceptable or unenter- taining to the Friends ofthzprefent Government,

whatever they may be to Tours. The

Doctors of this Church, (i. e. the Nonjurors Church, adds he,) " tell us loudly there is no " coming at Salvation, but thro* their Permif- " fion. Beware oj Counterfeits, is in EffecT: " their Cry to the People. We have a Patent " for a Monopoly of Grace, and it is not to " be had pure in this Nation but thro* our " Hands." Is not this the very Language of our Modern Pulpit Dr. Paraceljus, in hit late Catechifm of bulky Reputation. " A full, *e true, and comprehenfive View of Cbriflianity, *c in Relation to Faith, Practice, Worflnp and <£ Rituals, fet forth fincerely without Regard <e to any Modern Church, Setf, or Party, as it <l 'was taught in the Holy Scriptures, 'was de» *c liver d by the Apo files, and received by the " Univerfal Church of Chri/i, during the four " firjl Centuries." Well fpoken Dr.! What could Dr. Green, the famous Stage Orator, have faid more ! What could the eminent Dr. lay lor, the Oculift, have faid more, as to couching a Cataract, than this Brother Doffor of his has faid, as to curing us of our Spiritual Blindnefs !

There is likewife a Mixture of Madnefs in "Jacobite and Nonjuring Schemes; £C their cer-

<e tain Hopes have been long fruftrated

" but

c< but ftill thefe Nonjuring Fanaticks, are of fo " fanguine a Complexion, that repeated Difap- <e pointments are a Cordial to their Spirits, and <c they grow through Delays more confident of " Succefs j they never fo much as reflect on the <e Medly of concurring Incidents, both abroad <c and at Home, which are to combine in their " Favour , any of which failing, their Chimc- ce rical Project vanifheth into Smoke. Befides, <e their Madnefs overlooks the Bloodfhed and <e Confufion it muft coft to accomplish their <e wicked Intentions ; and after all in the up- " fhot, it is not likely they can be Gainers, " but highly reafonable to imagine they them- " felves would fall the foremofl Sacrifice to " their own Infatuation.

" That they are of a reftlefs and turbulent c< Spirit, appears by the late unnatural Rebel- " lion, (a) in which they were fo active j by " the frequent Riots and Tumults, they have <l excited thro' the Nation j by the Seditious " and Treafonable Books, Pamphlets and Pa- <c pers, they have publifh'd ; by their virulent " and reviling Speeches, againft the King and " his Government ; and laftly, by the notori- *£ ous Evidence of their unwearied Endeavours, " to engage Foreign Powers to affilt their cruel

" Projeds

(a) The Effays from whence thefe Paflages are extra&ed, were wrote foon after the 15 Rebellion: Upon comparing them with the Conduft of our prefent Jacobites and Nonjuron, ic will be found the Spirit of the Part/ is ftill the fame.

" Projects, for embroiling their Native Cotm- " try in a Civil War."

As to their Abfurd Notions ; " do not the *c Doctors of thefe deluded People teach the e< abfolute Neceffity of Confeffion, and facer- " dotal Abfolution 5 the uncontroulable Vali- <e dity of human Benedictions and Denuncia- * ' tions ; and even the Ule of Prayers for the " Dead : And all thefe manifold Superftitions, are " to the Deftruction of found Religion, palm'd " upon their Difciples for the more rerm'd «* Doctrines of the Church of England! Do •e they not vehemently contend for abfurd O- " pinions, when they write and preach, and " talk fo warmly for the exalting of their par- s' ticular Scheme of Church Authority, to not te only the over ruling, but the Subverfion of <c the Civil Power ; as likewife when they ** make the Salvation of Mankind, as well as *e their whole Title to Chriitianity, depend " upon fuch a Succeffion of Priefls as cannot

be proved.

" Is it not a Contradiction to common Senfe, " to pretend to infure the eftablifh'd Proteftant *e Church, by endeavouring to fet a declared

<c Papift on the Throne. Is it not likewife

€< a notorious Contradiction to preach up the *£ imminent Danger of this Church from the " Proteftant Succeflion, which is the only hu- " man Security {he can have.

Their

ct

" Their Zeal is as defperate as their Princi- " pies are abfurd ; fooner than quit their mad <c Project they will lay afide all Regard to the " Laws of their Country, to Religion^ and to ee every focial and moral Virtue. The hazard- " ing of their own Lives and Fortunes, as well <c as the ruining of others; nay the Defolation tc of the whole Ifland, and even of Mankind, <c would probably not give the leaft Check to " their Fanatical Phrenzy, could they find a " favourable Opportunity to exert it in its full <e Vigour.

From what has been faid, it appears, " that " the Denomination of Panaticijm, tho' the " vulgar have been taught otherwife, is by no " Means applicable to People of any Commu- <e nion, who live foberly, within an orderly " Regulation, and in due Obedience to the " Laws of their Country. Men may degene- " rate into Fanatics, under any Form of <c Church Discipline, as well as they may be- tc come Slaves under the mew of any Confti- " tution of civil Government. Inafmuch as " the Members of any Church approach the " Religious Phrenzy particularized above, in- <c fomuch do they difcolour their Devotion with " Fanaticifm. (a)

C Thus

(a) Freethinker, publifh'd by Dr, Bwlltr, la{€ Abp, <rf '#& fr imate of Irelwd*

Thus Sir you fee I have dar'd to make Re- prizals upon you, and have thereby transferr'd the Scene of the War into the Enemies Coun- try. I have retorted the Charge of Fanaticifm in the Language of a very Mafterly Writer. If you are flill commanded to Print away (the Expreflion will pleafe, it is your own) it will be neceffary for you to fummon your whole Political Poffe to meet in a full Houfe, that they may club Wits, and throw their Brains into one common Shot, for the Difcharge of this Reckoning. I have chofen a Metaphor the moft familiar to your Party ; had the Caufe ow'd greater Homage to Mars than to Bacchus, I fhould have faid, it will be neceiTary to Mufler all your Forces together, to {land upon the De- fenfive againft fo formidable an Author.

Were it requifite to add any more, to difplay "Jacobite and Nonjuring Fanaticifm, in it's pro- per Drefs, it could not be done to greater Ad- vantage than by tranfcribing the Language and Sentiments of the Party, as publifh'd in their own Writings. But I have no competent Op- portunity at prefent, of doing this; however fome Extracts out of one of their admir'd Chiefs, the late Dr. Hicks, lie now before me ; after having condemn'd the whole Frame of our Go- vernment, in Church and State, He proceeds thus ; " it is upon a wrong Bottom from the " very firft Foundation, of it. Many falfe Max-

" ims

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ce ims, hurtful to the Church, and extremely " detrimental to the Chriftian Religion, are " receiv'd for Law and Truth ; as that Tythes " may become a Lay-fee ; that Patronage is a cc Lay-fee ; that the King is fupreme ordinary. " The Acts of Parliament touching the Election, <e and Confecration of Bifhops," adds he " arc " Unchriftian, and have been the naturals well '• zs judicial Caufe of all the Mifcries in Church cc and State, amongft us for many Years."—— And as if this was not enough, his Thunder grows louder and hotter, till at laft it breaks upon us in Flames of infernal Fire and Fury, They" fays he, meaning the E/labliJh'd Cler- gy, " can perform no valid Acts of Priefthood ; " their very Pr dyers are Sin ; their Sacraments lf are no Sacraments; their Abfolutions are null, '* and of no Force-, God ratifies nothing in. " Heaven, which they do in his Name upon cc Earth ; they, and all that adhere to them, " are out of the Church ; they can claim no ce Benefits of God's Promifes ; no, not of his " affifting Grace, nor of Remirlion of Sins, " thro' the Merits of Chrift's Blood ; nay, tho* c| they mould die Martyrs in the Schifm, their " Martyrdom would not be accepted ; if they lc could die Martyrs more than once, they could " not make amends for their Sint with their <f Blood.'' Here the Clergy of the Church of

England are all damn'd in a Breath : The

Hands of Omnipotence are ty'd up from flrew-

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ing them any Favour ; and Salvation itfelf can- not fave them. Heavens preferve all Prote-

Jlants, from falling a Sacrifice to the Tyranny of fuch an uncatholick, Catbolick Church as this ! When he talks of the Priefthood, his favourite Phrafes, are thefe, " the Kingdom of the " Church-, the Ihrones of Royal Pri efts ; Vice* " ge rents of the Eternal Melchezideck j Spiri- " tual Principalities. Thouk" fays he, " may- <£ eft fee the Necks of Kings and Princes, bow- ee ed down to the Knees of Rifhops : The Em- <e peror fubmits his Head to the Hands of the " Priefl: Let the Bifhop be honoured as God." Is not this pure and Orthodox Doctrine ! He proceeds to tell us his Sentiments, (and I make no doubt Sir, but they are yours too) that it is lefs heinous to be prefent at divine Offices, where Aoe Marias &c. are fa id, than to pray for our Proteftanf Sovereigns. Nay, for my own Part, fays he, " I had rather as a Priefl:, c* fay Prayers in a Congregation to Saints and " Angels, which is only forbid by a pofitive ct Law, than thofe Prayers by which my King " is abus'd, abjur'd, curs'd, and the righteous " King of Kings moft horribly Blafphemed."{a) Thefe are fome of the Doctrines of the Nonju- rors ; fanatical ones I take leave to call them ; that are palm'd upon Mankind for the Truth,

as it is, in Jefus. And what can we think

of thofe Perfons amongft us, who call them-

felves

(a) Collection of Dr. fliVJ's Letters, referr'd to by Dr. Ktnntt, in his Letter to the JBp. of Carliflt.

(21)

felves Proteftants, join in Communion with Proteftants, and yet adopt fo portentous a Syf-

tem ? What {hall we think of thofe who of*

ficiate at our Proteflant Altars, and yet are for eftabliihing fuch Antiproteftant Tyranny , Prieft* craft, Ab/urdities and Superftitions ? Muft they not be Hypocrites ; as true and yet deceivers ?

Nay, rather muft they not be Athei/ts?

However, this we may fafely lay,

Their Lives make dtheijls, and their DoSrines Slaves!

But I fhould be glad to learn, iS/'r, what it is upon your Principles that conftitutes a Fana- tic? Will you charge Fanaticifm upon any Set of Opinions, that are confiftent with the Peace and good Order of Society j and with that Obedience which is due to the Civil Ma- gi/Irate? Doth Fanaticifm confift in wearing a Coat or a Cloak, rather than a CafTock ? or in wormipping God in a Structure, where there is no Bell or no Organ ? Be tender how you affert thefe Things, leaft you bring your Non- juring Friends under the fame Imputation. But Should you give fuch a fatal Stab to their Or- thodoxy, you'll only ftand convifted of

Chance Medley, and not of premeditated Mur- der. 'Tis taken for granted, that to charge Nonjurors with Fanaticifm, is as ivide of your Intention, as a Nonjuror's Creed is wide of com- mon Senfe, and the Bible. 'Tis prefumed you mean no more by Fanatics, than that they are a Set of Men whom you cordially and devoutly

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hatcy and would have God do fo too. But, however, you and your Friends arrogate to yourfelves, the Name of the true CbHftian, Ca- tholick Church, you'll excufe me, if for on,ce I remit you for Inftruction, I had almoft faid to the more Chriftian, but I muft fay to the more Catholick Pagans.

'Tis a Principle among the Perfian Bram- mines, that whoever feeks God with Sincerity and Uprightnefs, whether he believes him to be the Sun, or the Moon, or fome other Being, fhall be acceptable to him. Accordingly, fay they, on a certain Time, a Muffulman, feeing an Hindoo, i. e. a Pagan Prieft in Heaven, he afk'd God how that Infidel, whom Mahomet calls by the Name of bitter Roof, came thither ? - The Deity anfwers : If a bitter Root bring forth Jweeter Fruit than any of you, why (hould I not receive him ; whereupon, the Muf- fulman was Speechlefs. (a) Now, Sir, whilfl you charge any of your Proteftant Neighbours, (it would be a Solecifm in me to fay your Fel- low P rot eft ants,) with Fanaticifm, without of- fering any Evidence to fupport the Charge ; or whilft you call them bitter Root in the Ortho- dox Muffulman's Language j if thefe very Men bring forth fweeter Fruits than you, what Au- thority have you to condemn them? If they are better Friends to rational Religion, to the

Civil

(a) Btddaris Phil. Tranf. Vol 3- P«

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Civil and Sacred Rights of Mankind, to the Government under which they live ; better Friends to the Conftitution, to their Country,

and to King GEORGE, than you ; or

even fuppofing that they are no better Friends to all thefe than you ; whatever others have a Right to do, I cannot fee with what Decency you can profcribe them. Will you allow no Roots to bring forth fweet Fruits, but thofe whofe Branches have been lopp'd off by Rebel- lion ? Where is there one of thofe you call Fa- natics, (produce me a fingle Inftance in all England if you can!) that, during our late Diffractions, was even fufpected of DifafFcclion to the Proteftant Prince that fits on the Briti/h Throne ? Where can you produce an Inftance, among any of our Fanatical Clergy, of one who went on his Knees in the pub lick Streets, (as you know who did,) to pray for the Young Pre- tender as he paraded it thro' Salford, at the Head of his Highland Rabble ?

Will you have any more upon this Subject ? Compare your own Principles, and the Princi- ples of thofe you brand with Fanaticifm, toge- ther; and then toReafon let us appeal which

are the more Fanatical of the two ? As your charge of Fanaticifm is directly pointed at me, I may for once be allow'd to perfonate that Party, you would wound thro' my Sides. 'Tis one of my Principles, that all Party Cant, and Watch Words, propagated with a View to di-

fturb

fturb the Peace of Society ; to inflame and ex- afperate Men's Minds againft the eftablifh'd

Government, are the Language of Sedition,

that all fuch Seditious Cries are the Seeds of Treafon, and want only to be cherifh'd by the Sun- (hine of fuccefsful Faction, in order tori- pen into Rebellion. 'Tis one of yours, that fuch Seditious Cries are only decent Expreffions of Zeal for the Church j and that to be a bad Neighbour, or a bad Citizen, is of great Im- portance towards conftituting the Character of a good Churchman. 'Tis one of my Principles, that if a Man fwears Allegiance to the Govern- ment that protects him, — God will not be fo fevere as to damn him for paying it $ and that therefore he is not oblig'd to perjure himfelf for Conference fake. 'Tis one of yours, that Perjury, when practis'd by Jacobites is no Sin, nay the greateft of all Political Virtues ; and that Jacobite Rebellion is no Act of Treafon. 'Tis one of my Principles, that mewing religi- ous Honours to Rebel Skulls, as empty now they are fix'd on the Exchange, as they were when fix'd on the Shoulders that once wore them, is falfe Worfhty in the Chriflian Senfe, but true Nonjuring and Jacobite Devotion. 'Tis one of yours, that preferring a Prayer to thefe up-flart Deities, is worfhipping the Lord in the Beauty of Holinefs, is worshipping him in Spirit and in 'Truth. 'Tis one of my Prin- ciples, that the Church of England's greateft

Enemies

jimmies are her pretended Friends, who always fpread abroad tumultuous Alarms of her Dan* ger, and aflert the Body to be independent cf §ie Head that governs it 'Tis one of yours, that the Church of England's beft Friend f are her avow'd and open Enemies ; that damn and hereticatc her as a Schi/matical, Antichriftian Church ! 'Tis one of my Principles, that a Pro- teflant Church requires a Proteftant Prince to be her Faith's Defender j but is it not one of Your's, ^deny it if you can) that the Puppet of Rome, would be a Guardian Angel to' the Churches of Britain ? Juft fo, the Sheep can never be fafe till they are undef the Wolf's Patronage and Protection ! The Dove can never be fafe till the Hawk has her for his Quarry! 'Tis one of my Principles, that the Authority of a paltry Magazine, is at all Times as in- fallible, as that of y9ur good Friend the Pope.

But is it not one of yours, that a paltry

Magazine, inverts the Nature of Things, and makes Truth Falfhood ; acknowledged, and in- difputable Fafts, to be notorious and fcandalous impofture \ Surely, Sir, it might have been a Popifi Magazine, by it's working fuch Miracles' as thefe ! You confefs, that Devotion has been paid to the Gods Jpik'd up on the Exchange^ and yet, it is a Crime in me, to refer to a Para- graph in a Magazine that fays fo. Would'

you gravel an Adverfary, engaged in a bad Caufe? Speak Truth •, nothing gravels him,

P more

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more. But I'll not prefs you on this Head any further. As then, I difown the Authori- ty of every Gofpel, but Chrift's 5 fufFer me next to examine,

Whether Cbrift's Gofpel or the Nonjuror's Gofpel, be the new one j and which of the two is the more rational and authentic ? And now the new Catechifm, (a) whofe pompous Title was taken Notice of above, falls under Confi-

*

deration. It would be no difficult Matter to unprofelyte all the learned Doffor's Profelytes, nnd to overturn the Foundation of his Unive?-- Ja/> Catholick Church, built up at Manchefter, would his Difciples but make this previous Conceflion, that there is no Herefy in being guided by common Senfe, in Matters of Reli- gion ; that a Man may be devout, without re- nouncing his Reafon ; very good, without being very^£//y, and fit for Heaven, without being fit for Bedlam.

The firft Chapter I {hall take Notice of in this new Go/pel, is, the Chapter of Tradition. This, our Author looks upon as more facred and infallible, than the infpired Writings, as appears from his giving it the Preheminenct a-

bove

(a) This Catcchifm, is not only faid to be wrote by Dr. Deacon a Nonjuring Prieft or Bifhop, and Phyfician at Manchejier, but is acknowledg'd as his by his Friends ; which juftifies my wnfi- «Uring him as {he Author of it.

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bove them, (a) 'Tis entirely foreign to my Purpofe, to ranfack the Reveries of the Fathers* To feek for unadulterated, found Learning, and good Senfe among them, would be as abfurd •and fruitlefs, as to ranfack for jewels in a Dung- hill, 'Tis allow'd, that, even in the early A- ges of Chriftianity, Corruption grew apace in the Church, as the rankeft Weeds always grow in the richeft Soil. However, were it of any confiderable importance, it might eafily be /hewn, that in the fecond Century, and fome time after, there was no Divinity ftamp'd upon Tra- dition. " If you are Chriftians (in the Origi- nal, Difciples of the Gofpel, fays one of the Fathers) " make the Scriptures your Rule? " but if you will talk of unwritten Traditions, te what Bufmefs have you with us, who pay " no Regards to any Thing, but what is writ- " ten. (b) We affirm nothing without the Scrip- " tures" (c) faith another, " The holy Scrip- et tures are fufficient to propagate the Truth ; <c and it is fufficient to believe what is writ- " ten," is the Language of a Third, (d) But if you would fee fome more Authorities of this Kind, I refer you to the Margin.

D z Such

(a) Of TraJitioKt and Scriptures. Cat. p. 34.

(b) Chns de Incar. Chrijli cont. Afoll. Tom. I. p. 6*1.

(c) Clem. Alex. Strom. 1. 6.

(d) Atban. contr. Gentes et de Incarnat. Chrifti.

To the fame Purpofe. Quae pertinent ad verara Religionem quaeren- damet tenendam divina Scriptura non tacuit. Augufl. Epift. 42. In iis qu« apcrte in Scriptura pofita funt, inveniuncur Ilia Omnia

Such is the Force of Truth, that it even ex- torts from Bellarmine, the great Champion of Romifi Infallibility ; the following Confef- fion, "All tnofe Things are commited to " Writing by the Apoftles, which are necef- " fary for all Men, and which they generally " preach'd to all.*' fa) But were all the Fa- thers to be enliftcd into this Gentleman's Ser- vice, — what would that prove ? What, but this, that thefe Fathers of the Church, as fome affect to call them, were mere Children in Un- derftanding. Thefe Fathers, whofe Names are fo venerable, whofe Doctrines are fo infal- lible, and whofe Authority is fo facred,

who, or what were they ? They were a

Set ot weak, but one would hope well- deigning Men, who entertained ten thoufand wild and

ridiculous

Cuae continent Fidem, Morefqj vivendi. Aug. de Doft. ChrifU. 2. c. q Side describing a venerable Body of antient Chrifti- »ns, fays, Tantum ea quae in Propheticis, Evangelicis, et Apofto- Jicis Literis, difcere poterant, obfervantes. Hiji. 1. 3. c. 4. Om- »ia ea qua; abfq; Teftimoniis Scripturarum afleruntur, percutiun- tur Gladio Dei. Hieron in Agge. c. i. and P. Gregory the firft fays, In hoc Volunine, cuncta quae edificant, Omnia quas erudi- uat, Scripta continentur. Homil. ^. in Ezek. Gratian a Benedic • tine Monk, who lived in the i'2ih Century, expreffes himfelf to the fame Purpofe. Si folus Chnftus audiendus eft, non debemus mttendere, quid aliquis ante nos faciendum putaveric, fed quid prius, qui ante Omnes eft Chriftus prior fue'rit, neque ehim'hujus Con- fuetudihem fequi oportet, fed Dei Veritatem, cum djcat fine Caufa eolunt me, Mandata et Doftrinas Hominom docentes. Qrat. Dift. e. 8. Veritati eonfueludo cedat.-^ — -Si Confuecudinem fortaffis bpponas, advertendum eft quod Dominusdicit, ego fum Via Veri- tas et vita, non dixit ego fum Confuetudo fed veritas.

Gratian Djftin. c. 8. (a) Sell, de Verb. Dei non Script. 1. 4, c. 1 1.

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ridiculous Fancies, foolifh and extravagant O- pinions, which they believ'd themfelves ; and palm'd upon others, who had Credulity e- nough to believe upon their Authority, for the Doctrines of Religion. They faid, and unfaid the fame Things, folemnly contradicted each other; inftead of arguing, they allegoriz'dj they rav'd, inftead of reafoning ; and did all in the Name of the Lord. " Whoever," fays an ingenious Author, " has feen Solomon's Tem- " pie allegoriz'd by John Bunyan, may find f* there, a Specimen of the Sagacity and Abi- t{ lities of the Fathers, in explaining of Scrip- <c ture. According to John, there was not a " Nail in that Temple but had its Typical " Purpofe; and every Bafon, and Pair of " Tongs prefigured fome great Myftery to come : " In fhort, every Stone, and every Tool in the " Temple prophefied. And in all this, the tf poor pious Tinker treads in the Steps of the " Fathers, without knowing it. As he had ** much more Hone/iy, and a more quiet and be* <{ nefaent Spirit than any of themj fo he had *' as much Invention, and was full as equal to <c the Bufinefs of Allegory, as the beft of them ; cc and his Fancy was not more heated than * * theirs -, and whoever reads his Pilgrim's Pro- " grefs, need only fuppofe himfelf reading one of the brighteft Fathers in Engti/h, and he'll make them no ill Compliment j for his Ima- gination, which was a very good one, was

*< more

c<

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" more regular and correct than theirs." Thefc venerable Fathers, or if you pleafe, venerable Mothers^ of your learned Friend's Catbolick Church ; for thefe, he allures us, conceivd and brought herjorth, — —what abfurd Doctrines have they not taught, and inculcated in their Writ- ings? One of them tells us, that formerly

wicked Demons, not known to be fuch, de- bauch'd Women, defH'd Boys, and were all this while miitaken for Gods, (a) — .Or/gr/z, one of the wifeft among them, had more Charity for the Devil, than your learned Catechift has for the Members of the Church of England, and Proteftants of every other Denomination. He believ'd that the Devil might be fayed; whilft your Catholick Friend will difpenfe Sal- vation to thofe only of his own Party and Com- munion : For he affures us, that there is no Salvation ordinarily to be obtained by any o- ther. (b) But if fo much Deference be due to fome of the Doctrines and Practices of the Fa- thers, why not to all ? Origen, you'll remember I call'd him one of the wijc(l% thro* a miftaken Interpretation of a Text of Scripture, and a frantic, incontinent Zeal, was literally made an Eunuch for the Kingdom of Heaven. He got

himfelf

(a) For Want of Greek Types fubftitute the following Tranfla- tion. Olim mali Daemones per Speftra apparentes, mulieres con-

ftuprarunt, et Pueros imminuerunt, Dziuones malos effc ne^

fciebant, Decs illos vocarcnt. Tuft. p. 10.

(b) Cat. p. i6z.

himfelf caftrated for God's fake, like the Priefts of the Phrygian Goddefs.

Phrygio

More, Supervacuam cultris abfcinderc Carnem (a)

j Why, doth not your learned Friend the Dr.

and his Difciples follow this Example, whiLft they pretend fo much Devotion to the Fathers, efpecially as he allows Matrimony to be only like Silver, but Continence like Gold, which is much better ? But I correct myielf ; if fo, there would be none left to raife up a Seed of Martyrs. But whatever Deference, any may pay to the Opinions of the Fathers, we owe a fiill greater Deference to Truth. The Au- thority of St. Cyprian fhould be of very little Weight, when it ftands in Oppofition to the Authority of Chrift Jefus ; and having Clemens ^ilexandrinus on your Side, is nothing at all to the Purpofe, whilft common Senfe is againfl you. The Truth is, as a learned Church Hi- Jiorian obferves, (b) The Church maintained her Virgin Puritys in the Apoflle's Days, and

Error

(a) Javen. Sat. 2.

(b) Ecclefia ad hsec ufq; tempera inftar cujusdam Virginia in- ttaram atq; incorruptam permanfifle : ad hue in obfcuro Receffu deliteicentibus, quicur.q; redftam przdicationis evangelicz Regu- lam dcpravare niterentur. Sed poflquam Sacer Apoitolorum Cz- tus vano Mortis genere extinftus eft, effluxeracq; jam -<Etas Homi- num illorum qui Divinam ipfam Sapientiam fuis Auribus aufcul- tare merueranc : tune demum exona eft, impii error is Confpiratio, Fraude e{ Malitu falforum Doctor am.

Eufcb, Eccl. Hift. lib. 3. c. 32.

Error could at moft but ikulk about m Cor- ners, when it endeavoured to corrupt pure Christianity ; but after the Apoftolical Age, all Manner of Error and Impofture, made a rapid Progrefs, and had a diffufive fpread. Return we then to the Hinge, upon which this Con- troverfy turns ; to that which is the Sheet An- chor of our Author's Caufe. Would you know what new Gofpel is the Mint, in which he coins all his Superftitions ? What fhould it be, but the Gofpel of Tradition. The Council of Trent (a) requires, that the Oral Traditions of the Church of Rome, Jhould be received with tbejame Reverence and pious AJfeftion, as a writ- ten Revelation. But your learned Friend in his

new more enlarged and improved Edition of

Popery , not only fets Tradition on a Level

with • the Scriptures, but by the Precedence he gives it in the Titles to his Leflbns, plainly fets it above them. But why doth not our Catecbiji fpeak out, as a Man of Integrity ought to doj and declare his Sentiments plainly ? Why doth he not declare, that the Scriptures are not a fuf- ficient Rule of Faith and Manners ; that they do not contain all that is necejfary to Salvation ; that the Old and New Teftament Revela- tion is of itfelf imperfeft, and wants a fupple- mental, Traditionary Revelation, deliver'd by the Mouth of a Nonjuring Prieft, to mend it ? The

Reafon

(a) Pari Pietatis Affeftu, ac ReveiWtia SufcipH ac veneratur.

Cone, Trid, Ssff. 4r

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Reafon is obvious ; his Pills and his Super*

flitions, when gilded o'er, are fvvallow'd down more glibly ! Were it it not for this, would he not with the Council of Trent y (aj devoutly curfe all who refmfe to receive his Tradition ble! But then, what muft we do, when find that the Pope's Catholic Church, and the Nonjuror's Catholic Church, militate againft each other, that the different Seels in the Romijh Church, for Infallibility herfelf has her Sects and Parties, are much divided in their Senti- ments as to Apoftolical Tradition, (b) Thus fome Romanics plead Apoftolical Tradition, for the Ufe of Incenfe ; and others are as peremptory, that it has no fuch Apoftolical Tradition to fup- port it. Some pretend Apoftolical Tradition for the Pope's Supremacy > and this Apoftolical Tradition is by others as confidently exploded. Some urge, infallibly be fure, Apoftolical Tra- dition for offering the Sacrifice of Mafs for Souls in Purgatory ; and this fame Apoftolical Tradition is by others as infallibly rejected. Nay, which is more, the Afian Churches a!- ledg'd Apoftolical Tradition for obferving Ea- Jlert in Imitation of the Jeiviflj Paffbver, on the J4th Day of the Moon ; the Weflern Church- es produced Apoftolical Tradition againft it.

E Each

(a) Si quis Traditiones — contempferit, Anathema fit.

Cone. Trid. Seff. 4,

(b) Nulla Religionis Sefta eafdem obfervat Ccremonias, licet eandem de Deo Sententiam ampledatur : Etenim qui ejusdam funt f idei. iifdcm in Ritibus inter fc difcntiunt.

Sttr. Hift. Eccle. 1. ^

(3+)

Each Party in this Cafe pleaded Apoftolical Tradition, to fanclify their Rage, and confecrate their DhTentions, till at laft in the 4th Century, the Nicene Council put it to the Vote, which Apoftolical Tradition was mofl' * Apoflolical of the two, and determined it in Favour of the We- fern Churches. Now, if it be afk'd, what muft a Man do amidft the Contrails of Infalli- bility in different Churches, and amidft the Clafliings of Apoftolical Tradition ? Why, he muft do as well as he can. He muft believe the Pope's Church Infallibility to be in the Right when he is at Rome, and the Dotfor's Church Infal- libility to be in the Right when he is at Man- chefter, and then he is fure to be in the Right In both Places. Now, who can doubt of the Infallibility of Tradition, when its Evidence is fo plain, and indifputable in Matters that the Church determines to be of the laft Importance, as we have now fhewn it to be ? Your learned Friend's Patients, would they not, when their Lives are in imminent Danger, think it fuffici- cnt that He mould chafe -away Death from their Bodies, as He drives away the Devi/ from their Souls, with a mere Oral Prefcription ? Would not his Heirs think it fufficient, that they have an Oral Title to their Eftates ? And would not the World be as wife, as it is now likely to be, had his Catechi/m been handed down to Man- kind only by the Medium of Oral Tradition ? —Beyond - all Manner of doubt it would !

An

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An unanfwerabls Argument in his Service ! 'Tis Demonstration itfelf, and what would your Ranting Fanatics have more !

I mould be glad, if your learned Friend the

Catechift, would inform me, he'll eafily learn

it from the Gofpel of Tradition, how many of the Faithful^ that is, how many Nonjurors there were at Mancbefter in 1688, that refu- fed Allegiance to King William ? If Tradition be a fure Guide to go by, when its Doc- trines are tranfmitted down thro* a long Sue- ceffion of Ages, much more muft it be infalli- ble in its Teftimony, in Relation to Affairs tranfacted in the prefent Age. If we may rely upon it's Authority, as to what was practis'd or believ'd 1700 Years ago, much more will it inform us as, to the determinate Number of Nonjurors in Mancheftert in 1688 ! I do not know of any written Records that has tranf- uiitted down to us this important Piece of Hifto- ricai Knowledge. Now to know what was the State of your Friend's Catholic Church, in a Time of general Apoftacy and Defection, is certainly a Point of Religion, a Point of very great Importance too ; and upon your Friend? $ Principles, worthy of the peculiar Interposition of Heaven.— -If you have no written Record?

to produce, undoubtedly you can fupply the;

Want of them in this Cafe, from the Gofpel ofcumoritten Tradition ! What are new Go/pels qr new Fafiions for, if they do not fupply the

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Defeats and Imperfections of thofe old exploded Caft-aiuay Go/pels and Fa/bidtis, that were in

vogue before them? Your learned Friend

the Ctitecbifti who 'tis prefum'd mud be well vers'd in HJfpoerflte? s Writings, yet would in- difputably allow, that he had Authority fuffi- cient to believe, that Hippocrates was no . . Phyfician, if it was but handed down to him by Tradition, that his Grandmother^ Great Grandmother^ and Great Great Grandmother believ'd fo before him. The Miracle of Loret- toy and you know what a jweet ijenny that Miracle brings in to the Priefls,, is built upon as ftrong a Foundation. A certain Countryman recollected, that his Grandfather once told him, that his Great Great Grandfather faw Angels convey Santa Cafa, the Bleffed Virgin's Houfe, over the Sea, to Loretto> when he was a Boy, and at Work in the Fields, (a)

I might proceed to obferve, that the Religi- pn of Tradition is fo far from being fubfervi- ent to, that it is quite deftruclive of the Reli- gion of Virtue and Goodnefs. That it only

teaches Men to rely on a finfcl Sanctity, inftead

of Sterling Piety and Devotion, that it an-

fwers no other End, than to make good Churchmen , without being good Men; and that inftead of reforming the World, it improves and multiplies its Corruptions 5— that a Man may put on a

white

(a) Labels, apud Harris's Collection of Voyages, Tojn. ?.

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Garment, and at the fame Time wear a black Confcience j that he may feed upon Ho- #eyy and yet be in the Gall of Bitternefs dill ! And that he may have the Devil fir%d away from bis Soul, and yet be afterwards more a Child of Hell than before 1

I might further urge, that if the Religion of Tradition had been of any real Importance it would have been committed to Writing, ei- ther by the Apoflles, or fome of their Imme- diate Siicceflbrs, in order to preferve it entire and free from all fophifticated Mixture. Are not the Decrees of our Courts of Juftice, the Experiments made in Natural Philofophy, and the Hiftory of Difeafes of the human Body all committed to Writing, in order to perpetuate the Knowledge of them among Mankind? Strange, that none of the Apoftolical Colledgc had the Benevolence or Publick Spiritcdneis, to do as much in Regard to this Religion of Tra- dition, had a Standing Revelation been imper- fect or infbfficient without it ! So much for the Authority of the Gofpel of Tradition . Now for lome of its Doftrines : I (hall fpecify but a few. It would be an Affront upon the Under* landings of my Readers to fpecify many.

Let us begin with the Church. The Church, fay; our Catechiji, " is the Aflembly of the Faithful, <c that is, of thofe who profefs to ferve the true " God according to the true Religion which he " himfelf hath taught, and which they have learn-

"ed

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fc ed from their Forefathers, and preferv'd /#//£- "fully without Alteration." (a)The Religion of this One, holy. Catholic and Apojlolic Church, you may find in the Breviaries, Rituals, and Miffals of Rome, but no where fo compleat- Jy as in our Doctor's new Syftem, built up- on the Rock of Tradition. Thofe who fcpa- rate from this Church, as the far greater!: Part of Mankind do, the Lord have Mer- cy upon them, for the Prieft has none.— They are Heretics and Schematics in his Ef- teem. (b) Out of this pure Church that damns the great eft Part of the World for Confci- ence Sake, Salvation is not ordinarily to be obtain' d. But why faid I, the Lord have Mercy upon them ? It feems God cannot fave them if he would, and the Priefl will not fave them if he can : Who then would not be a Member of this damning, heriticat- ing Church ? Who would not fall into the Hands of the Doftor, rather than into the Hands of the Devil? But would you alk, who are the Members of this Church, or this Ajfemblj of the Faithful, who profefs to ferve the true God? Our learned CatechiH an- fwers, its Members are <c God the Father, Son, <c and Holy Ghoftr Thefe are three of the Per- fons, thatprofejs to ferve the true God. Item, " All " the blejfed Angels and all the holy Men and Be- " lievers that have been in the World ;" thefe too

" are Members of the Church : All the holy

*' Men (a) Cat. p. 47. and i6u (b) Cat, p. 47,

( 39 )

" Men and Believers that ever Jhatt be in the " World." Thefe too are Members of the One^ holy, Catholic, Apoftolic Church, (a) But as to You .Members of the Church of England-, as to You Proteftants of all Denominations ; You have heard your Doom ! Hear again, and tremble ! You are in our Catecbift's Account Heretics and Schifmatics from his Church, and ordina» rily that is, unlefs you purchafe it extrava- gantly dear, there is no Salvation for you ! Unlefs you give your Confcience and your Understanding to the Prieft, your Eftates to the Church, and your Children to the Pa- rifi, this Gentleman will not upon any cheap- er Terms hire out his Salvation to you : Whatever Friendfhip Jacobites may exprefs for Nonjurors, fincerely I doubt not at all, yet let thofe Jacobites who call themfelves Members of the Church of England, know that the Nonjurors look upon them to be all Heirs of Deftruclion. Epifcopal Baptifm as prac- tis'd by the Church of England, our Author calls an heretical Adminiftration. (b) The Ordinati- on of the Church of England, he likewife treats as an heretical Schi/matical Adminiftration. (c^ Countrymen and Fellow- Proteftants, you know •what Judgment the Church of Rome, moft of whofe Superftitions and Extravagancies our Au- thor adopts and improves upon ; you know

what Judgment fhe pafles upon Heretics,

There

|a) Cut, p, 191, (b) Cat. p. 226, (c) Cat. p, 431^

v

\

(40)

There is no Faith to be kept with

There is no more Sin in killing of Heretic**

than there is in killing of Dogs. Thefe are

her Sacred Maxims, Hemp and Heretics are

the Averfion of all good Catholics^ unlefs it

be Rebellion Hemp, that has a Crown of Martyrdom to conjecrate and blefs it.

In the famous Council of Lateran, con-' yen'd by Pope Innocent the Third, Ann. 1215, it was ordained ; that all Secular Pow- ers fliould oblige themfelves to exterminate all Herefe out of their Dominions, and in Default thereof, fuch Secular Powers to be excommunicated, and their Subjects to be abfolved from their Allegiance, (a) Here we have a glaring Inftance of the Spirit of your Friend's Mother Church, and the Spirit of the Daughter if it be improved, doth not in the leaft appear to be improved for the bet- ter. --- The Decrees of this Council, were not the Acts of a few, defpicable, unauthorized Ecclefiaftics, but the Determinations of one of the greateft Ecclejlaftical Conventions in the World. It con fitted of the AmbafTadors of mofl Sovereign Princes, the Patriarchs o f Je-

ritjalem

(a) Potefktes Seculares perpetuas vel temporales jurare tenentur unirerfos Haeredcos ab Ecclcfia damnatos, pro viribus extermi- nare, et temporalis Dominus non purgans terrara fuam Hasreticis, excommunicatur, et fi perfiflcrit in excommunicatione per Annum, nuntiatur Papse, qui fideles ejus a Juramento abfolvet et ejus Ter- ram Fidelibus cxpone:,

Dtcrft, Gre^ lib, 5, (it. 7. C- 13,'

(4O

rttfalem and Conftantinople in Perfon, the Pa- triarchs of Alexandria and Antioch in their Re- prefentatives, 71 ArchbiJhopSy 340 Biflwps, and 800 Abbots or Priors. A goodly Herd of ghoftly Cattle ! but better/^ than taught ! or it had never been decreed in fuch an il- luftrious Affembly, that all Secular Princes fhould upon Oath be obliged to exterminate Herefy and Heretics out of their Territories, .under Pain of being treated, in Cafe of Dif-

obedience as the ivorft Heretics themfelves ,

This is the Spirit, theie are the Features of that holv, Catholic^ and Apoftolic Church that our learned Cat ec hi ft would eftablith. What a fo- lemn Abfurdity is it for any Members of the

Church of England, A Church that is the

Bulwark of the Reformation, to mourn for the Eftablimment of a tyrant on the Britift Throne, which would bring the Eftablimment of this barbarous, bhod-thir(lyy and butchering. Religion with him ! For Proteftants too, to plead Conjcience for introducing a Scheme of Slavery and Superftition, that would do all that it can to exterminate the very Name of Protef-

tantijm from the Face of the Earth ! , Are

thefe Men's Conferences, or their Heads the more fojt and tender?

Proceed we to fome other Parts of fliis

new Syftem of devout Rant, and ' (firitual

Qttackery, extracted out of the new Gojpel of

Tradition. Here the good Proteflant may have

F Sacraments

(42)

Sacraments by Wholefale, Sacraments dealt out by the Dozen. Amongft thefe, Exorcifm muft not be pafs'd over in Silence. Exor- ci/m> what is that ? 'Tis blowing in the Face of the Infant or adult Per/on baptiz'd j figning bim 'with the Sign of the Crofs, and ufing Au~ thoritative Words to drive away the Devil, (a) Unhappy Infants that come out of their Ma- ker's o*wn Hands, poflefs'd with the Devil ! More unhappy Proteflants, that for Want of Exor~ elfm muft be Devil- rid all the Days of their Lives \ by a poor contemptible Devi/, that is to be blown and banimed out of his Domi- nions, by the Breath of a Nonjuring Priejl \ But what if he fhould prove to be a fturdy refolute Devi/, that is not to be Fly-blown out

of his Empire ? What muft the Priefl do

then ? Be it fo. Exorcifm, not only drives \

but fires away the Evil Spirit \ (b) Right ! It feems, a burnt Devil like a burnt Child dreads the Fire ! A Man would no more commit a Kape upon his Countenance, than he would commit a Rape upon the Fair. You muft al- low me then Sir, to be a little ludicrous upon proper Occafions. A little while ago, a Par- ty of your Highland Friends were oblig'd ta take up with Accommodations at an Inn, in an Apartment which they were told was haunt- ed i on this Occafion, they ordered Plenty of

\ Liquor

Catecft. p. 70; (!>) Cat. f>,

(43)

Liquor, Tobacco, and every Thing elfe Into the Room that was neceflary to fhield them from the Devil. Here they regaled themfclves very freely. AJorry Fellow belonging to the Houfe, who was the Devil that haunted it, came in the Dead of the Night (talking in, Chains, and perfonating an Apparition. The Highland Po/fe were all got afleep over their Cups, one only excepted. His Spirits being elated with Mirth and Wine, he receives his new Gueft very civilly thus, •«' Your humble *' Servant Mr. De'el ; pray fit down good Mr, <e De'el j fmoak a Pipe with us ; here's a Pipe as

*' black as your Honour •, Mr. De'el, you are

*e extremely welcome, — — I never had the Dif- <c tinction (hewn me of your Company before." The Fellow more amaz'd at the Highlander^ than the Highlander was at the Devi/, retires in great Confufion. Hereupon the Highland Hero awakes his Neighbour 5 Sawney the

De'el has been here, and what then, cries

Sawney, yawning ; . why fays the Hero, I

confoowted him fairly with a Text of Scrip' ture ; I aik'd him to fmoak a Pipe, and the De'el could neither ftand Fire, nor Smoak. Now Sir, pray tell me what Gofpel did the Highlander find this Text of Scripture in, un- lefs he met with it, when upon his Expedition thro' Manchetter, in Dr. Paracelfus's new Gof>* pely that fires away the Devil from the Soul ? Jt mufl be fo, beyond all Queftion, Sf. Dun-

Jlan, of old, play'd fome very bold Pranks with. the Devil of the fame Nature with this. The Devil having long tempted, but ftill tempted him in vaiu I at laft thought of an Expedi- ent which he promis'd could not fail. " He affumes the Appearance of a fine Lady, and in that Shape renews the Temptation : And you know Sir he muft be a Saint indeed ! more than a Saint I He muft be an Angel, diverted of Fle/h and Blooa, that can refift the Attrac- tions of thofe fweet Charmers ! However £>«;/- flan was even invulnerable and unconquerable by thefe. Unnatural as he was, he took the Jair Devil by the Nofe with a Pair of red hot Pincers, and led her, or him, whatever Gender you give it, round, round and round again about the Room, till the Devil was rea- dy to fwoon away, and roar'd out in great A- gony and Anguifh. (a) Poor Devil, well he 'might, to be led thus by the Nofe!

Our Authors firing away the Devil from the Soul, being a Preface to Baptifm, and one of his folemn Seafons for the Adminiftration of Baptifm being on Eafter Eve, would induce one to believe, that in this, as well as in many Inftances more — he has a fecret Allufion to n Juperftitious Imposture tranfacled on the fame Dey, and for the fame furpoje, viz. driving a*

(a)

'( 4S )

the Devil, by the Greek and Armenian Priefts. The Farce (or the Miracle as they ex- prefs ft) is call'd, that of the holy Fire. It is pretended, that on Easter Eve, a miraculous Flame defcends from Heaven into the holy Se- pulchre, and kindles all the Lamps and Can- dles there, which in the Prefence of the 'Turks and other Witnefles, had, for the Difplay of the Miracle, been previoufly extinguished. This devout Forgery is carry'd on by the Greek Pa- triarch of Jerujalem, the Armenian Patriarch of the fame, and the Coptijb Bifhop. Tbeve- not fays, the Turks faw through the Cheat and would have prevented it for the future, but the Patriarchs reprefented they could not pay them as much Money as they did, if the Pro- fit of the holy Fire was taken away ; and there- upon the Turks agreed to let them continue the Juggle. The Purport of my Author's (a)

Account of it, is as follows. Coming to

the Church of the holy Selpulchre, we found it crouded with a diftracied Mob, making hide- ous Clamours, violently running to and fro, crying out Huia, •— a Word emphatically expreffive that theirs is the true Religion. Their Heads being grown vertiginous, and their Zeal en flamed into Phrenzy, they acted a thoufand antic Extravagancies, in ten thoufand more, as antic and extravagant Poltures. Some- times

^) Maundreirs Journey from Altfto to Jtrufaltm p. 96. 97^

(46)

times they dragg'd each other round the Floor, and fometimes march'd around in Mock- State upon each others Shoulders. Sometim^ they play'd the Part of Tumblers on a Stage, and fometimes plac'd Men with their Heads and Heels inverted, in fuch Attitudes as moft inde- cently expos'd what Nature vails. When the Proceflion begun, they marched thrice round the holy Sepulchre, with Standards, Streamers, Crucifixes, embroider'd Habits, and all the Furbery Superftition could invent or furnim. The Greeks went firft, and the Armenians fol- lowed after. Prefently a Dove (not an Em- blem of Innocence neither, but one properly train'd for the Service) flutter'd into the Cupo- la over the Sepulchre, which was received with Shouts of Joy by the frantic Throng, believ- ing it to be a vifible Dejcent of the Holy Gboft. The Proceflion being ended, the Ecclefiaftics mentioned above, advanc'd with folemn Mien and moft reverend Pace towards the Sepulchre, the Doors whereof had been fealed up when the Lights were extinguifhed , under Pretence of guarding againft all Impofture. Thefe Doors being now unfealed, no fooner had the Priefts enter'd in, but they (hut them again and al- lowed Admiflion to none but themfelves.

The Acclamations of the People grew louder and louder, as the Miracle was expected to be drawing near its Crifis. Every one rufh'd ea- gerly towards the Sepulchre to meet the Priefts

(47)

as they came out of it, with the holy Fire in their Hands ; ambitious who mould be the firft in lighting their Tapers at the celeflial flame. The Miracle-mongers, faith my Author, " had " not been above a Minute in the holy Se- " pulchre when the Glimmering of the holy " Fire was feen, or imagined to be feen thro" " fome Chinks of the Door, and certainly *' Bedlam itfelf, never faw fuch an unruly <f Tranfport as was produced in the Mob " at this Sight. — — Then came out the " Priefts with blazing Torches in their Hands, <f which they held up at the Door of the " Sepulchre, while the People throng'd about " with inexpreflible Ardour, every one ftriv- *c ing to obtain a Part of the firft and pu- " reft Flame," believing that to have moft, wonder-working Virtues to attend it. The lurks in the mean Time that were fet as Guards at the Door, <c with huge Clubs laid " them on without Mercy j but all this could " not repel them, the Excefs of their Tran£- " port making them infenfible of Pain. Thofe " that got the Fire, immediately apply'd it to " their Beards, Faces and Bofoms, pretending ct that it would not burn like an earthly <f Flame; but I plainly faw, none of them could tc endure this Experiment long enough to make *c good that Pretenfion. Innumerable Tapers " were foon lighted ; the whole Church and " Galleries and every Place feemed inftantly

c<

cc

(48 )

f< to be in a Flame, and with this Illuminate " on the Ceremony ended.-— They within te the Sepulchre, performed their Part with

" great Quicknefs and Dexterity. *Tis the

* c deplorable Unhappinefs of their Prieftst that having acted the Cheat fo long already, they are forc'd now to ftand to it, for " fear of endangering the Apoftacy of the

" People. After the Rout was over, we

" faw feveral People gather'd about the Stone " of Unction, who having got a good Store " of Candles lighted by the Holy Fire, were <e employed in daubing Pieces of Linnen with cc the Wicks of them and the melting Wax j <e which Pieces of Linnen were defigned for <£ Winding Sheets ; it being the Opinion of " thefe poor People, that if they can but have <c the Happinefs of being buried in a Shroudy " fmutted with this Celeflial Fire, it will cer~ " tainly fecure them from the Flames of Hell.'"' Now as our learned Author's Exorcijm, is to be practis'd on the fame Day with this fcan- dalous Impofture, practis'd by the Greek and Armenian Priefts, and as the Fire of the holy Sepulchre is deemed by their fuperftitious De- votees to be a Prefervative from the Flame of

Hell ; further, as our learned Catechijl

doth adopt many other of their ridiculous Rites, 'tis probable, to fay no more, that if his Church was once eftablifhed here, we mould have this Miracle of the Holy Fire tranfplanted

into

(49)

into Britain — — as an infallible Method whereby to pre/erve from the Flames of Hell, or, in our Autbtr** Phrafe, to drive away the Evil Spirit. If the Devil be driven away foon enough to refcue the Sinner from eternal Per* dition, 'tis not quite fo material whether it be done at Baptijm or at Burial. All that can be laid, is, that the longer your holy, Catholic and Apo/lolic Priefl has him in Play, the bet- ter Chance he has of making a good Penny of Satan. But perhaps He may underftand how to make a good Penny of Satan without requiring his perfonal Attendance. — If fo, I can but think, upon the whole, that our Author has the Advantage of the Greek and Armenian Priefts, and that the fooner the De- vil is Jird away the better !

Another remarkable Kind of Exorcifm, (for I am upon a copious Subject) is one made Uie of by the yefuits to fanclify Regicides, and confecrate the Affirmation of Princes. This I am the more inclined to give you, as 'tis not improbable, but fomethrng of the Kind was praftis'd upon the Rebel Herd at Manchejler^ before they inlifted under the Banner of Re- bellion, with a Defign to murder our Royal Sovereign, his Family, our Conftitution, our Religion, our Liberties, all together. 'Tis ex- tracted out of a Procefs printed at Delfdfy' by John Andrew, arid runs thus in the Au- thor from whom I tranfcribe it, " The Per-

G

t£ ion perfuaded by the Jefuits to affaffinate ci- " ther a King or a Prince, is brought by them " into a fecret Chappel, where they have pre- " pared upon an Altar a great Dagger wrapt *£ up in LinTien Cloth, together with an Ag- <c nus Dei : Drawing it out of the Sheath they " befprinkle it with Holy Water, and faften " to the Hilt feveral confecrated Beads of Co- *€ ral, pronouncing this Indulgence j that as " many Blows as the Murderer mall give with " it to the Prince, he fhall deliver fo many <c Souls from Purgatory. After this Ceremo- 4{ r.y, they put the Dagger into the Paricide's <c Hand, and recommend it to him thus : " Thou chcfen Son of God, take the Sword

*

" of Jepthe, the Sword of Sampjon, the Sword ct of David wherewith he cut off the Head of " Gcliabt the Sword of Gideon , the Sword of " Judith, the Sword of the Maccabees^ the " Sword of Pope Julius the Second, where- " with he cut off the Lives of feveral Princes his ec Enemies ; filling whole Cities with Slaugh- " ter and Blood : Go, -and let Prudence go a- *' long with thy Courage. Let God give new *' Strength to thy Arm. After which, they " fail down on their Knees, and the Superior •* of the Jefuits pronounces the following Ex- <c crciim : Come ye Cherubims, ye Seraphims, <c Thrones and Powers ; come ye Holy Angels *' and fill up this bleffed VelTel ( i. e. the execrable Parricide ) with an immortal Glo-

cc

cc

f5')

" ry. Do ye prefent him every Day with the <e Crown of the blefled Virgin Mary, of the " holy Patriarchs and Martyrs. We do not <( look upon him now as one of ours, but as " one belonging to you. And thou O God <e who art terrible and invincible, and haft ?c infpir'd him in Prayer and Meditation, to <e kill the Tyrant and Heretic, for to give c< his Crown to a Catholic King ; comfort we C{ befeech thee, the Heart of him whom we <e have oonfecrated for this Office. Strengthen " his Arm that he may execute his Enter- C{ terprize. Cloath him with the Armour of ^' thy Divine Power, that having perform'd his " Defign, he may efcape the Hands of thole *< who iTball go in Purfuit of him,, Give " him Wings that his holy Members may fly {< away from the Power of impious Heretics* " Repleniili his Soul with Joy, Comfort and <c Light, by which his Body having banifhed " all Fear, may be upheld and animated in <* the Midft of Dangers and Torments, This " Exarcifm being ended, they bring the Par- " ricide bsfore another Altar, whereto hangs an. <£ Image of yames Clement, a Dominican Fryar, (t who with a venemous Knife kili'd King " Henry the third. This Image is furrounded <e with Angels who protect and bring him to " Heaven. The Jefaits (hew it him, and " put afterwards a Crown upon his Head 11 iaying, Lord regard here the Arm and the

G 2 " Executor

" Executor of thy Juftice : Let all the Saints *' arife, bow and yield to him the moft ho- " nourable Place amongft them. Afterwards " he is permitted to fpeak to none but to four " 'Jefuits deputed to keep him Company. " They are not wanting to tell him oft that ." they perceive a Divine Light that furrounds *.c him, and is the Caufe why they bow " to him, kifs his Hands and Feet, and con- c< fider him no more as a Man but as a Saint ; <c nay they make a Shew as if they envy'd c< the great Honour and Glory attending him, " and fay fighing, Oh ! that God had been ?' pleafed to make Choice of us inftead of " you, and given us fo much Grace, that as c< you we might be tranflated into Heaven cc without going into Purgatory" (a) Here ends the folemn Farce.

I muft not omit, for the Sake of my Protef- tant Reader, the Hiftory of one Exorcifm more. Prince Chriftopher of the Family of the Dukes of Ratzeil being a great Devotee to the See of Rome, and extravagantly fond of Romifb Trincktts and Superftitions, waited on the Pope to kifs his Holinejs's Feet. On this Oc- cafion, his Holinefs prefcnted him with a Box of Reliques as an Acknowledgment of his Do- cility and Obedience to the holy See. Upon the Prince's Return flome, the Reliques grew

into

(a) Emilliaiu's HUU Monaft. p. 206. i*

( S3)

into great Reputation, and he became famous over all the Country. Hereupon fome Monks came to him, pretending they had a Man un- der their Care poffefs'd with a Devil, which with all their holy Feats and Zeal they had not been able to ferret out of him. They there- fore follicited the Prince for his Reliques, to try whether they were powerful enough to e- ject this obftinate Devi/, to which he readily confented. The Reliques being apply'd with the ufual Solemnity and Devotion, the Devil foon made it appear, that their Virtue was too powerful for him to withftand it. With all the Diftortion of Features, Grimace, and Gnafhing of Teeth ufual on the like Occafions, he quitted Poffeffion. The People prefent, cried a Miracle, a Miracle, and the Prince ex- alts God, and was himfelf exalted beyond Mea- fure, for the facred wonder-working Treafure wherewith he was entrufted.

Some Time after, the Prince with great Zeal and Eloquence, was difplaying the bleiTed Efficacy of his Reliques, one of his Gentle- men prefent, betray'd his Difoelief of what he (aid, both by the Manner of his Action and his Smile. Being queftioned about it (after a iolemn Promife of Forgivenefs) he ingenuoufly confefs'd, that in their Return from Rome, he had unfortunately loft the Box of Reliques pre- lented to his Higbnefs by the holy Father ; and to prevent the Storm of Difpleafure he

dreaded

dreaded in Confequence of it, he had ordered another Box to be made as like it as he could. This, faith he, I fill'd with rotten Bones and other fuch venerable Trinckets ; and this, adds he, is the Box of Reliques that your Monks and Priefts work Miracles with.

The Prince no Doubt equally amaz'd and confounded at the Difcovery, next Morning fent to the Fathers, enquiring if they had any other poffefs'd Perfon that he might contri- bute to the Restoration of, by the Mediation of his Reliques. Imagining they were playing upon his Superftition (till, they were not at a Lofs where to find a proper Perfon, to repeat the fame Kind of Farce as had been acted be- fore. The Prince required that the poffefs'd Perfon might be exorcis'd in his Prefence. But the Devil he was poffefs'd with, had In- ftruclions what Game to play, and prov'd to be a fturdy Devil, that would not relinquifh his Tenure. The Monks being ordered to retire, the Prince delivered over the poffefs'd Perfon to the Hands of a more honeft, tho' lefsfpiritu a!

Kind of Exorcifts fome Tartars that be-

long'd to his Highnefs's Stable. Thefe were authoriz'd to fcourge and difcipline him, till he fhould confefs the Impofture. The Demoniac by his horrible Grimaces and Geftures would gladly have conceal'd the Fraud, and fancli- fy'd the Collufion. But the Tartars renewing their Difcipline, ihepoor Devil could not ftand

Proof

(55)

Proof againft the Violence of their Rage and Fury. Without the Help either of Reliques, or of holy Water^ the Man was difpoffeffed. He confefs'd the Cheat, and afk'd the Prince's Par- don for the . Part he had afted in it.

The holy Monks and Priefts were next fent for, who were as yet wholly ignorant of what had happen'd. When they came, the reftored Demoniac proftrated himfelf in Sight of them at the Prince's Feet, acknowledg'd that a wicked Confederacy with the Monks was the only De- vil that poffefs'd him, and that he never had been poffefs'd with any other. At firft thefe good Men, who have always been more bufy, as well as more fuccefsful in cafting in any De- vil of Superftition, than in cafting out any o-> ther, would have perfuaded the Prince, that this was only the Language of the Devil, who made Ufe of the Man's Organs of Speech with a View to deceive them. But the Prince faith my Author > calling for his 'Tartars to exorcife another Devi/, the Father of Lies, out of them too, they foon relented and confefs'd the Cheat, but urg'd that it was a pious Fraud, and done with a good Intention, to check the Progrefs of Herefy in that Country. This was in the Year 1654. Hereupon the Prince became a Profelyte and a Patron to the reform'd Religi- on, (a) I

(a) Arcbifliop Waki* Defence againft the JSxceftjeng qf .the fiiihop of Meant) zd. Part, p. igb, 7.

(56)

I (hall no doubt be gravfly told upon this Head, that Exorcifm was eftablimcd by the Council of Carthage, (a) But I alk upon what Foundation ? Evidently upon no other than this ; — that the miraculous Power given by our Saviour to his Difciples, to difpoflefs Evil Spirits, or to caft out Difeafes, for it probably meant no more, was to be a ftanding Gift in the Church. Casting out of Devils they turn- ed into Allegory and Figure, to fet forth the moral Effeds of the Chriftian Difpenfation, in cafting out Men's Lufts and Corruptions. This was the Origin of the Practice, and as the Prac- tice grew thofe fuperftitious Rights, fo gravely ridiculous, grew with it. Pity but we could exorcife away the Devil of Superftition, which is the moft difficult to be difpoflefTed out of fome Men's Souls, of all others. The Name of this Species of Devils is Legion, for read your learned Friend's Gatechifm, and you'll find them to be very many.

'Tis recorded among the Papiftst that St. Graf, a Saint of great Eminence and Diftinc- tion, exorcis'd away all the Rats found in the County of Aofl, and three Miles round it. Now 'tis a Tradition, that Rats, like falfc Friends, fly from you when Danger approach- es, and defert the Ship that leans, or the Houfc

that is ready to tumble. The young Cheva- * .-•**]•

her

*

(a) Ann; 25 *(

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Her 'tis faid, complained bitterly during thd Courfc of his Engli/h Expedition, offome po- litical Rats that had long drank and fwore in his Service, that had fought many Cam- paigns for him over the Bottle j but when he invited them to join his Standard, and make the Campaign of Danger, they all fled away and, forfook him. Now as your learned Friend can initiate you into all the Myfieries of Exorcifm9 what think you, if you fhould be rewarded for your diftinguimed Zeal, with the Poft of Rat- catcher General to his R-- y--l H— gh— fs ? But I only mention this en paJJ'ant, as a Hint that may be of Service.

Before I difmifs this Subject, it may not be improper to take Notice, that when the Cate- chumen is going to receive Exorcijm, he h not at firft admitted into the Church, but to ftand at the Door orfomewhere near itt (a) till his Pro- fefiions have been examined and approved of by the fpiritual Co?nmiJjary-General of the Muflers, This done, the holy Conjuration begins ; the £- i)il Spirit is fird cut of the Soul, a Terror is caft itpon him, and be flies from his PojjeJJlon, (b) and becomes a poor "Bankrupt Devil. Could not our learned Author, inftead ofjiring a^ay his Devil, fuffocate him as one would a Ncft

of Hornets ? Then we mould never be

plagued with him aay more : But I re-

H collect

(a) C»c. £. 227. (b) Cat. p. 227,

(53)

colled: myfelf and aflc this Gentleman's Pardon. I had not duly coniider'd the Conftitution of his Catholic Church. A Bankrupt Devil makes a rich Priefthood, but a J'ujfocated Devil would make a Bankrupt Prieft.

Our learned Author having already form'd two different Attacks upon the Enemy, and both driven away the Devil, and fir'd him from the Soul ; next he afts the Part of an Ecclefi- aflical Man-Midwife, and delivers you from Satan. And now it is, and not before, that you are admitted into the Privilege of entering God's Houfe. *tbe Prie/l takes the Cate- chumen by the right Hand, (a) and brings him into the Church, leading him into the Baptiftery or Place where he is to be baptized, and pray- ing that God 'would receive him into his holy Houfiold and keep him in the fame. Being thus admitted into the Church, he muft renounce the Devil towards the Weft, becaufe that being di» reSllj oppojite to the Eaft, the Place of Light9 doth fymbolically reprefent the Prince of Dark- nefs whom he renounces, and this he is to do like a true Ecclefiaftical Prize-fighter, with his Hands

ftretch'd out, and in Defiance of the Devil.

He is likewife to perform fome other devout Pranks with his Face towards the Eaft, with his Hands and Eyes lifted up towards Heaven. He looks towards the Eaft, becaufe as Jbon as he

has

k) Cat, p. 227.

(59)

has renounced tie Devil, the Paradife of God which was planted in the Ea/t, and out of which our fir ft Parent was banifloed, is now open to kimy and his turning about from the Weft to the Ea/l is a Symbol of this. Be fides the Raft, or the ri- Jing Sun, is an Emblem of the Sun of Righte- ou/nejs, to whom the Catechumen is now turned

from Satan, and the Defign of our fpiri-

tual Merry- Andrew in all this is, would

you have thought it ? to make Men fenfible of the Nature of the Cbriftian Religion. fa) But what if our Catechumen, whiltt he is officiating with Chrift with his Face towards the Eaft, fhould be turning his Back upon Paradife ? Your learned Friend has not thought fit to inftruft us where Paradife Hood. Some of his adored Fathers will not allow it to have had any local Situation at all, — but explain a- waythe whole Hiftory into Allegory and Figure. Others plac'd it in the third Heaven, and the Mahommedans place it in the ytli. Some of the Fathers plac'd it in the middle Region of the Air, above the Earth, under the Earth, in fome hidden Recefs not to be difcovered by us, in the Tract poffefs'd at prefent by the Cafpian Sea, under the Artie Pole, and under the E- quator. Some have difcovered it in Afia, fome in Africa, fome in Europe, America, in Tarta- ry, upon the Banks of the Danube, and the 'Ganges. Others we are told have difcovered it

H 2 in

(a) Cat. p. 22$.

(6o)

in the Ifle of Ceylon, in Perfia, in Armenia, in Mefopotamia, in Chaldea, in Arabia, in Palej- tine, in Syr/j, about the Mountains of Z//- &*«#j and Antilibanus, near the City of Damafcus and Tripoly, in ^Ethiopia, and which will doubtlefs be thought as ftrange in Sweden, — or which is ftranger ftill, in the World in the Moon, (aj Now what ligni- fies believing in Chrift towards the Eaft, as an Emblem of Paradife, if your learned Catechift cannot tell us where Paradiie lay. He'll tell me it was Eaft of Judea* Be it fo. — But pleafe Sir to inftrucl: your moft learned Friend, that the fame Place may be Eajt of one Country and Weft of another. If Paradife be Eaft of Judea, 'tis Weft of Perfia. It follows then, that if all Men mould make their Vows to God, facing towards Paradife, which is our Author's Intention, when he directs you to face to- jyards the Eaft, in different Countries they mufl face different and oppolite Ways, and what then becomes of his Symbol Worihip ? But is not the whole Earth the Lord'sy or doth He keep his Court only in one particular Corner of the Globe ? Are you, in your folcmn Devotions, to mind which Way the Wind blows, left if it mould be in a wrong Quar- ter, it mould obftruc~t the wafting of your AddrelTes to the Almighty's Throne ! — Your learned Friend no Doubt will affert roundly,

that

ty Vfc. Vniv. Hijt. Vol. jft.

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that God is not God of the Weft; for how (hould he, when the Weft is the Symbol of the Devil. What a pitiful Cafe then are we in, in thefe We/tern Nations, where all but the Priefts 'who are God's Representatives, (z) muft in fome Sort be the Reprefentatives of the Devil : At leaft, if the Weft be the Devil's Image, as our learned Author affures us it is, muft not the In- habitants of the West be the Image of the Devil's Subjects ? But why after all, fo much wheel- ing about to the Left and to the Right, and to the Left and the Right again, whereby a Qz- tbolic Saint's Exercife becomes more difficult than a Soldier's ? Pity but thefe Symbol Religi- onifts, would now and then look towards Golgo- tha in their Devotions j would it not exhibit their own Likenefs, under the Symbol of the Place of Skulls ?

I fhall be poffibly told, that the Church of England, a Church which I have confefs'd to be a Bulwark to the Reformation, adopts the very Practice I have been decrying, of bowing towards the Eaft, tho' not of renouncing the Devil towards the Weft, in her Devotions. I anfwer ; whatever fome overgrown Zealots may practife, I cannot learn from the Canons or Rubrics of the Church of England, that this Practice is any Part of her Confritution. Tis only a Corruption of her Worfhip, and as it is no where prefcrib'd in the Book of Common Prayer, is forbidden tQ be us'd in divine Scr*

vice t») Cat. p. 63.

vice, by an exprefs Statute of ift of Elizabeth, c. 2. which enadls, that no other Rite or Cere- mony fhall be us'd in Time of divine Service, or Sacraments, than thofe prefcrib'd in the Book of Common Prayer, under Pain of Imprifon- ment, and other Penalties and Forfeitures therein mention'd.

Tho* our learned Doffor, has both driven and pr'd the Devil from his Spiritual Pa- tient> and delivered him too, yet it (hould feem that he has not been able to foil him. He has not been fo ill fcar'd orfcorcbed, bat he dare return to the Charge, and renew the

Combat. Make Way then clear the Field

for another Engagement, and patiently wait for

the Iffue. Next then comes anointing with

holy Oy/, for why may there not be Holinefs in Oy/, as well as in Water ? Bat the Ration- ale of this ? Why, becaufe the Pagans of old anointed their Wreftlers and Runners in their Gymnic Games, in order to give their Bodies greater Agility and Vigour, fo, in oar Popifh Paganifm, we are taught to anoint the baptiz'd with Oy/, that they may in the Spiritual Race run fafter from the D^vil. Bsfides, will it not give the baptiz'd th^t Lubricity or Sleeknefs, that will enable them' fb elude Satan's Attacks,

and flip like an Eel thro' his Clutches ?(a)

Bat our Author in this, as in many other In-

ftances,

{a) Cat. p. 229.— —make their Limbs Supple, that their A^- .Ugonifts nMghs take lefs hold of them .

fiances, has only exhibited to our View fomc Outlines of his Scheme. It will be foon enough for the Monfter to (hew himfelf in his full Proportion, when he has fhaken off his Chains, and you can no more refill his Rage ; that is, when this Catholic, dntiproteftant Church is eftablifli'd. Befides, weak, Protefiant Under- fhndings, could no more bear a Flood of Su- perftition breaking in upon them all at once, than a weak Eye could bear a fudden and rapid Flood of Day Sir John Cbardin in his Tra- vels, has given us a very intelligible Account of the Importance and Ufefulnefs of holy Oyl. — "Tis an unexhauftible Fountain of facred Trea- fures to the Church, that difFufes itfelf into ten thoufand rich and refrefhing Streams ! 'Tis an Article that Priefts of ©ur Author's Complexion trade largely in, who make Merchandize of Souls, and fet to Sale the holy Gbofl. 'Tis us'd in the Greek and Armenian Churches, in- flead of Water in Baptifm, as well as for the Purpofe of Extreme Unction.

This occafions a very great Confumption of it, and confequently as great a Demand for it. 'Tis faidtwo of a Trade feldom agree. . This was the Cafe in the Inftance that follows. During the Courfe of Sir John's Travels, a Competition of Interefts arifing from the Merchandize of this ho- ly Oyl, caus'd great Difputes and Contentions be- tween the Perjian Patriarch, and the Armenian Patriarch of Jerujalem. Not being abk to bring

their

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their Differences to an amicable Accommoda- tion, thcfe two Pr*flfefe*BHhaffcj as Catholic-* Bimops have been oft wont to do, excommu- nicated and gave each other to the Devil round- ly ; and not fatisfy'd with giving each other to the Devi/, they commenc'd litigious Suits, and gave each other to the Lawyers, as if their Hell had been the hotteft of the two. Vaft was the Confufion which this Affair occafion'd.(a) Our learned Catechift has not thought it as yet expedient to let the World know, that his Soul-

faying Oy/ is a Marketable Commodity.

However, he has dropt a broad Hint, from whence we may infer that it is. Ble//ingo{Qy\ and of Ointment he afferts to be the fole Pre- rogative, the unalienable Prerogative of his Ca- tholic- Bimops. (b) And if it be fuch a gainful Trade to fell it, whofe Prerogative mould it be

to make it but theirs ? He has not indeed

told us they may make Merchandize of it, but flep to the Salvation Market of Rome, you'll find how it is. Selling of Sacraments is an Orthodox Practice there. Infallibility itfelf approves of it. And if the facred Liquid brings in a large Re- venue to the Priefts, muft it not be an ill O- men to the Devil to fee his fworn and declared Enemies, God's Reprefentatives, thus rioting irf Wealth and Power? — ~ This is fufficient to Account for the Efficacy of the holy Qyl.

Irf

(a) Cbardin's Travels p. 333. 334.

ft) Father Paul's Council ot Trent, p. 247,

In our learned Catechi/l's LefTon upon Bap- tifm, we have fome other very fignificative Rites. Putting off the old Garment wore before Baptifm, iignifies What? — What mould it fignify, but Mens putting off the old Rags of their Corruptions. This Practice has Antiquity to countenance and fupport it. Thus the antient Arabs, before Mahommed's ^ Time, caft off their Cloaths in fome Part of their Devotions, as an Emblem of their carting off their Sins, (a) But our Author will icarce own that he has adopted this Rite from the Prac- tice of the antient Arabs. Again the baptiz'd cloathing themfelves after Baptifm with white Garments, denotes their putting on Jefus Chrift Then comes the Kifs of Peace, and feed- ing upon confecrated Oyl and Honey. Unra- vel me the Myftery of this ? In the Eaftern

Countries it feems, the Inhabitants live much upon Milk, Oyl, and Honey, the Nature of their Clime and Constitutions, not allowing the Ufe of that grofs Diet which is familiar to us in colder Regions, (b) • — Hence it follows, that Oyl and Honey, which was the common Food of the Jews, mould be the Cbriftian's

Spiritual Diet. " At this Rate," fays an

ingenious Writer •, {< every Madnefs would be

" made a Myftery. , We might be made

I " to

(a) Salis Koran, p. 121.

(b) Maundreirs Journey from dleppo to Jtrufalem.

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" to walk barefooted into the Church, to fig. " nify the Sanctity of the Place, and to crawl <f upon all four out of it, to fignify the Hu- " miliation of our Hearts. A Match of Cud- " gel playing every Sunday, might be inftitut- '* ed to fignify our Spiritual Warfare, and a " Game at Blind Man's Buff, to fignify the " Darknefs of our Underftandings." A Pull at Back Gammon, might be inftituted as fome Part of your Nonjuror's folemn Devotions ; as a proper Emblem of the Inftability of Fortune, and the Viciffitude of all human Affairs ; and a Sunday's Foxhunting Chace might be moft de- voutly appointed to fignify their hunting down their Corruptions, and unkennelling he Wiles of the Devil. Agreeable hereto, if I am right- ly inftructed, the Portuguese have in St. An- thony^ Church in Lijbon, a Picture of Jefus Chrift, and the Devil playing a Game at Puttt or fome other analogous to it, for the Salvation of Mankind : The Virgin Mary ftands behind Jefus Chriftj and patts him on his Shoulder en- couraging him to ftand his Game. And if I remember right, Bimop Burner, in his Travels, tells us, that in the City of Worms^ in Ger- many, they have in one of their Churches as holy and farcical an Emblem of Tranfubftan-

tiation. It is this, a Windmill, and the

Virgin Mary with the Infant Jejus in her Arms, landing at the Hopper, into which (he cafts him, and he comes out at the Eye of the Mill

in

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in a huge Multitude of Wafers, the holy Priefls ready waiting to fcramble them up as faft as they can. Thus likewife the Papifts tells us, that their feven Sacraments are typify'd and fet forth by the Book in the Revelations, fealed with the feven Seals ; and by the feven Trum- pets given to the feven Angels ; and by the feven Stars the Son of Man had in his Right Hand j and by the feven I /oaves with which our Saviour fed the Multitude ; and by the fe- ven Eyes upon one Stone mention'd by the Prophet ; and by the feven Lamps fet on the Candleftick of the Tabernacle ; and by Jofoua's comparing the City of Jericho feven times, when about to beftege it ; and by Naamans dipping himfelf feven times in Jordan, (a) Iraneus one of your FfiettiT* ador'd Oracles, the Fathers, proves that there are four Gofpels, be- caufe there are four principal Regions of the Earth, Eaft, We^ North, and South t or be- caufe the Building of the Church is founded on the Gofpel, and there mud be four Pillars to fupport a Building. Tbeopbylaci's Strength of

I 2 Genius

(a) Septem Sacramenta quae figurantur per fcptcm fignacula quibus fuit veteris Tellamenti Pagina Sigillata. Apoc. 5. Item per feptem Tubas, quibus Angeli cecinerunt. Apoc.S.et per feptem Bel- las quas habuit Similes filio Hominis in dextra iua. Apoc. i. Item per feptem Panes quibus Dominus turbas fatiavit. Mat. »^. Item per feptem Oculos fuper unam Lapidcm. Zech. 3. et per feptcm Lucernas Tabernaculi luper poluas Landelabro. Zach. 4. Item per feptem Circuitiones Jeirichulinas. Joih. 6. Item per icptem Lotio- nes Naaman in Jordanc.

Lj'nw. Prov. p. 43.

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Genius foars no higher, who alledges, that there are four Golpels, becaufe Chriftiani- ty teaches four Cardinal Virtues ; or becaufe it contains Doctrines, Precepts, Promifes, and Threatnings. (a) Thus I find a National Coun- cil, and Councils cannot err, playing as facred-

ly on the Number three. In three Cafes

a Wife may legally leave her Hbfband, if he has a Leprofy, a {linking Breath, or be unable to give her due Benevolence. In three Cafes it was like wife decreed, to be lawful for a Man to kifs his Neighbour's Wife, at a Banquet, at a Game mention'd by the Council, and upon Return from a Journey, by Way of Salutation. Such were the Importance of thefe Canons, that the King, the Archblfkop, and three Bijhopsy went to Rome, to engage the Pope to ratify and confirm them, (b) As in the former Inftances, fo here, there was beyond all doubt fome em- blematical Myftery couch'd under the Number three. Even fo our learned Author has a ftrange Medley, a goodly Groupe of Myfteries couch'd under .his trine Baptifmal Immerftcn. (c) The Armenians, whofe Corruptions of Christianity

he

(a) Bayrbeyrac's Spirit of the ant. Fathers.

(b) This was held by Hoel. Ddha for Wales in 970.

Spel. Cone. 411.

(c) See Cat. p. 231. By the Defcent into the Water, is re- prefented drift's Death. — By our being totally covered with it Chriit's Burial, and by the Rifing out of it again Chrift's Refur- reftion. This Immerfion adds our Author, is perform 'd thrice, which reprefents the Baptiz'd Perfon's Faith in the holy Trinity, Chriit's three Days Burial, and his Refurredion on the third Day.

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he always imitates, and oft improves upon,

give you as inftrudtive and edifying an Emblem

in the following Relation. They tell you

that Jefu* Cbrift being at School to learn the Armenian Tongue, would never pronounce the firft Letter of their Alphabet, unlefs his Mafter would give him a Reaion why it reprefented an m inverted. The good Man not knowing who the Infant Jefus was, gave him a Box on the Ear. Well, faid Jejus without any Emotion! fince you do not know I'll tell you ; this Let- ter reprelents the Trinity by it's three Legs, (a) The Matter of the Scrjpol admir'd his Know- ledge, and fent him to his Mother, confefling the Child was wifer than himfeif ! Not fo wile as our learned Doftor neither.

Now by fuch Spiritual Legerdemain, fuch Thimble and Button Logic as this, a Man may illuftrate every Thing out of any Thing ; may prove the very fame Thing to be either a God or a Broom/lick.

But. to return to the Ufe of Oyl, as a prepa* ratory Sacrament, to the Sacrament of Baptifm. Should not our learned Author, tinder this Head, have led his Difciples thro' a Proccfs of Cbymiftry, in order to enable them more fuc- cefsfully to confront the Devil ? Should he not have inform *d them, whether Ejential, or 7

fyrettmatic

(a) Tourncfbn's Voyage to the Levant Vol. 3. p. 236.

(7°)

pyreumatic Oyls are to be us'd on the folemn Occafion ? Whether Animal, Vegetable •, or Mi- neralOyl is moft fit for the Purpofe ? Whether it fhould be Oyl obtain'd by Emulfion, Expref- fion, Coction, or fevere Torture : And as fome of our Aromatic Oyls are feldom to be met with unadulterated, fhould he not have given fome Rule whereby to know whether the De- vil and the Chymifl be not join'd in a Confede- racy, to fophifticate the facred Oyl, and there- by rob Mankind of its Divine Efficacy and

Virtue? But I (land corrected. Thefe are

Myfteries not to be frufted with tinferlEtify'd Laymen. It belongs only to Bi/hops and Priejh to God's Repre/entatives, to Chrift's Vicars, to the Prime Stewards of God's Revenues ; to the Chief Majiers of his Houfehold ; and to his (a) Almoners to know them. 'Tis enough for the Afs, that he can eat his Provender without knowing how to drefs it ; and 'tis enough for ChrijTs Champion againft the Devil, for fuch your learned friend calls him, (b) that he knows where to buy holy Oyl : If he doth but

know further where, any one may tell how,

to get a Purjey to pay the Prieft for it. However, tho' our Author has moft religioufly kept us in the Dark, as to the Procefs made ufe of for the Preparation of the holy Oyl, I prefent my Reader with fome Account of it, and Jirft how it is managed by the Armeuians.

It

^

£) Cat. p, 207. (b) Cat. p. 229.

(7O

It will not be unentertaining to the good Pro- teftant, to fee with what devout Eclat and Su- perftitious Parade the whole Bufinefs is con- ducted.

It is prepar'd between the Vefpers on Palm- Sunday, and the Mafs on Holy Thurfday j which is celebrated' on this Day on a great Veffel, wherejn this Liquor is preferv'd. They ufe neither common Wood nor common Coals. to boil the Kettle, left the Sacredneis of the Oyl, fhould be tainted by any unfanclified Drofs, or Rubbim. Inftead thereof, they boil it with Wood that has been blej's'd and with any Thing thas been us'd in Churches. Old I- mages, worn-out and decay'd Ornaments, torn Books, are moft religiouily preferved for, and appropriated to this facred Service. This Fire cannot fmell very agreeably j but the Oyl is perfum'd with Herbs and odoriferous Drugs, which are mix'd with it. They are not or- dinary Clerks, or your little Hackney Pettifog- gers in Divinity, who are employed in mak- ing this wonderful Compolition. 'Tis the Pa* trlarch himlelf, cloathed in his Pontifical Veftments, attended at leaft by three Prelates, in their Pontifical Habits, who altogether re- cite certain Prayers during the whole Cere- mony. (%) Here is pure and undefiled Re- ligion ! But

(a) Tournefort's Voyage to the Levant Vol. 3. p.' 2*2.

(7O

But 'tis prefum'd, your Catholic Friend has not his holy Oyl imported hither from Arme- nia. Befides other Inconveniences j in Times of War the facred Treafure might fall into E- nemies Hands, as was the Cafe with 500 Bules of Bulls, taken on board a Spanijh Galleon., by the Briftol Privateer in 1709. Sixteen Reams made up a Bale, fo that the whole Number was computed to amount to three Million, eight Hundred and/or/y Tboufand In- dulgences. What a Pity, that fuch a rich Soul- faying Cargo, mould ever have fallen into the Hands of Heretics ! To guard againft fuch fatal Difafters, we'll fuppofe that the Catechift blejj'eth his own Oyl. Why then, doth he not inform us that, according to the Conftitutions of his Mother Church, this Oyl mutt be blefb'd not once or twice, but nine Times together, in order more effectually to purge away the Devil out of it, and to exterminate its impregnated- ejfential Pollution ? Why doth he not inftruct us, that it is to be blefled thrice with an Ave, Santfum Oleum ; thrice with an Ave, SancJum Chrifma j and thrice with an Avey SancJum Bal- famum ? As he is faid to be one of the Catho- lic-Church Bifhops, to whom thefe Conjecra- tions belong, he cannot be fo much a Stranger to the Duties of his Function, as to be un- acquainted with thefe Maigic, Devi I- con front- ing Rites ! Why has he not further given us the Form us'd in exorcijing the Devil out of

the

(n)

the Oyl, which runs thus, — — <c I exorcift " thee O unclean Spirit, and all Incurfion of " Satan or Phantom, in the Name of the Fa- tc ther, &c* that thou depart from this Oyl, cc that it may be a fpiritual Unclion, to corro- <e borate the Temple of the living God, that <c the holy Spirit may dwell therein, in the " Name &c."

And this leads me to obferve, befides the Sacrament of anointing the Perfon to be baptiz'd with holy Oy/, there is another as near akin to it, as Madjtefs is to Super/lit ion ; and that is, anoint- ing the fame Perfon with Chryfm or Ointment. fpiritual Phyfic prepar'd one Way, or pre- fcrib'd in one Form, will not do, we muft try how it operates in another. An old chro- nical Devil, it feems, like old chronical Dif* tempers, is not eafily to be expelPd, or con- quer'd: Every Method mutt be effay'd, in order to ejeft him out of PoiTeffion. Tho* we are not favour'd by our learned Author, with the Procefs of making holy Oyl ; yet to {hew his great Abilities in both his Pro- feffions. he has given us the Subftance of a

C3

Prefcription for Ecclejiaftical Chrifm j or, if

you pleafe, for his fpiritual Ointment.

Only he would avoid all Shew of Pedantry 5

K other wife

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otherwise in the Style of the learned Facul- ty, it would run thus,

R 01 Olivar. Bals. Gilead. pur. ana. q. s. mifc. a. a. fiat Unguent, fecund. Pharmacopoeiam Papalem i

Unguent. Catholic. Antidiabol. (a)

But the Misfortune is, genuin and unfophif- ticated Balm of Gilead, how rarely is it to be met wkh ? This Liquid flows in Summer from the Trunk of a certain Shrub former- ly found in that Part of the World from whence it takes it Name. Since the Turks were Matters of the Holy Land, they tranf- plantcd this Shrub into their Gardens at Grand Cairo 5 which are not only guarded with ftrong Walls but likewife wiih Soldiers, during that Seafon, in which the Balfbm flows If then it be fo difficult to get at in the Holy Land, what muft it be to procure it unfophif ed mOurs?

You may learn from your good Friend the D^r, or, if not from him, you may lear from any Botany Profeffor, that the Plant called Scabious or DeviFsM, has only fome fmall fibrous Roots, and upon Examination, appear as if the Mafter Root was bit off dole

the Stalk Accordingly, Tradition is my

Authority, (your learned Friend has no Right

(a) Confecrated Chrifm or Ointment is cornposM of fwcrt Og qf Olive* and precis Balfoo, commonly ulld W^r^;

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to infift upon a better) that the Mafler Root was bit off by the Devil, in order to rob Man- kind of its many falutary and fanatfVe Virtues. — And do you not think Sir, that 'tis owing to this fame wicked and intriguing Devil, who be fure hates holy Oyl, as much as holy Water \ that our learned Catechi/l's divine Balfom is fo wretchedly adulterated, as we are told it oft is ? — — No Wonder that the Dev II dreaas holy Oyl and Ointment ; for pour Oyl upon a Flame, and will it not rage with the great- er Force and Fury ? Pour Oyl upon the

unextinguimable Flame ; this accounts for

our learned Author's firing away the Devil!

As I am now upon the Subject of Uncti- on, I would not pafs over in Silence our Au- thor's Unction of the Sick. Anointing with Oyl, upon fome particular Occafions, 'tis al- low'd, was antiently practis'd, both by Jews and Heathens : Whence it derived its Origin, is a Point at this Diftance of Time not eafy to determine. 'Tis philofophical to fuppofe, that their Oyl and odoriferous Ointments would, in the warm Ea/lern Climates, operate in a me- dicinal Way, far more efficacioufly than they can in our colder Regions. Perhaps anoint- ing with Oyl might be us'd, as Oyl was of fo fubtle, delicate, and penetrating a Contexture, that it would eafily infinuate itfelf thro' all the Pores of the Body, would invigorate the Motion of the Fluids, quicken the Animal

K 2 Powers,

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Powers, brace the Nerves, or ftimulate the Fibres. The Pfalmift, when he imprecates, or rather proprieties Vengeance upon the Enemies of the State, fays j let it come like Oyl into his Bones. Solomon gives his Teftimony to the fame Purpofe ; Ointment rejoices the Heart. The Prophet Amos, likewife reprefenting the wanton Luxury of the Jews, fays j they drank Wine in Bowls, and anoint themfelves with chief Ointments ; and in the Hiftory of the Sa- maritan, • his Benevolence is difplay'd by

this elegant Figure, of pouring Oyl and Wine into the diftreffed Stranger's Wounds, which implies, that it had a fanative, refreshing Vir- tue ; and when the Apoftle James, fummons the Elders (Prefbyters if you pleafe) to pray over the Sick, anointing them with Oyl, it feems not to refer fo much to a miraculous, as to a medicinal Efficacy and Power. This ap- pears the more probable, as Unction was not pra&ifed by the Apoftles, in healing all Difea- fes, but in fome particular Indifpofitions. Where the Nature of the Diftemper made warm, cordial, and refreming Medicines necelTary, here it was proper to anoint with Oyl. In this View St. James's Advice amounts only to this. Pray for the Sick, and, if needful, fupply them with Phyfick, as it becomes the Difciples of a benevolent Lord and Mafter to do. But whether this was the Defign of anoint- ing with Oyl, or whether it related, as Pro-

teftants

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teftants generally fuppofe, to any miraculous Powers then fubfifting in the Church, the Reafons for this Practice muft have long ceaf- ed among us, and confequently the Practice itfelf mould ceafe with them. To apply a Precept or Example, that relates only to fome peculiar Circumftances, as a general and ftated Rule of Action, is the fure Way to foiter and cberim all Manner of Superflition. If our learned Catechift would follow the Inductions of Sf. James in anointing the Sick, why doth he not likewife follow the Example of our Sa- viour, when he is fummoned to attend them, and ride on an Afs ?

I am next to enquire of our learned Author ^ whether any Perfon~ anointed with holy Oyl, if he recovers from his Illnefs, would be allow- ed by him afterwards to pay due Benevolence to his Wife ? I fufpect from the main Scope of his Principles, that he will not allow it. 'Tis true, if it be Benevolence, it would be unchari- table to deny ; if it be due Benevolence, it would be more than barely uncharitable j it would be unjuft to detain it. • However, it was a Sentiment that prevaiPd much in the Days of Superftition, that if any Per/on re- covered from Sicknefs, after he hid been a- nointed with bofyQy], he mould from thence- forth abftain from all conjugal Commerce asul Duty, and live in a State of wedded Widow- hood. This Point was oft canvafs'd in our

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EngUJh Councils, (a) and at laft, to prevent the Inconveniencies arifing from fo unnatural

an Inhibition ; it was decreed, that the

Unction of the Sick mould no more be admi- niftred but under the Extremity of Nature, when a Perfon was paft all Hopes, and all Probability of Recovery. This is now the Practice in the Church of Rome ; and for the fame Reafon it is prefum'd, in the Armenian Churches, Extreme Unction is adminiftred to none, till they are actually dead, (b) But as our learned Catechift adheres to the earlier Practice, which was attended with the unna- tural Reftraint I have mentioned, in Cafe of a Man's Recovery, this fufficiently accounts for the Queftion I have urged above. Suffer me further to afk him, whether in anointing the Sick, he does not, as prefcrib'd by the Council of Florence, anoint the Feet, the Seats of the five Senfes, and the Reins as the Seat of Concupifcence ?

But mould it be afk'd, why is it neceflary that Oyl fhould be confecrated, before it is ap- plied to thefe fpiritual Incantations, our learn- ed Author anfwers, " 'Tis confecrated in

" order to be fanftified : " I thought confe- crating it had been fanctifying it ; but it feems

I

(a) The Councils of Wonefier and Exeter in the Year 1287; that of Wincbefttr in 1308, and that si Oxford in 1322. vid. Spelman,

(b) Tournefort's Voyage to the Lwani, Vol. 3. p. 248.

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I am miftaken. " 'Tis confecrated, or by " folemn Defignation, appropriated to that fa- " cred Ufe, to be fanctified and cleans'd from " that Impurity, with which, iince the Difo- " bedience of our firft Parents, all the Parts " of the created World are defiled/' (a) De- fil'd Fields, defil'd Gardens, defil'd Fruits, de- fil'd Flowers, defil'd Temples, defil'd Houfes, defil'd Hufbands, defil'd Wives, defil'd Vir- gins ; and nothing pure but the Catholic Prieft, who is God's Representative, and the Catho- lic Pr left's Concubine. As to the Prieft's Con- cubine, her Perfon is facred as well as the Prieft's who fanftifies her. She is, as Pope Paul the third allured the Duke of Mantua, exempt from all fecular Cognizance, and fub- ject only to Eccle/iaftical Jurifdiction. fb) From tiie Sacrednefs of her Character and Office t one may therefore infer, that no Defilement can, reach her. But can you inform me Sir, whe- ther it be a natural, or a moral Defilement, that all the Parts (thofe only already excepted) of the created World are polluted with ? If our Author means the former, as from the Connexion it mould feem he muft, wherein doth this natural Pollution confift, and what Certainty have we, that by Dint of Confecra- tion, our Cburch-Chymift can extract it ? How- ever, if Confecration be attended with fuch re- generating

(a) Catech. p. 229. 230.'

(b) F»;hcr /W's Counc, of Trt*t> p. 82,

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generating Powers, and if all the Farts of the created World are deffid by the Fall, would it rot be humane j would it riot be charitable, friendly and generous, to confecrate our Food, as well as our fpiritual Phyfick ; to confecrate our Houfes j our Gardens, our Fields, our Herds and our Cattle j to confecrate whole Families, whole Villages, whole Towns, whole Parimes, whole Counties, whole Kingdoms, nay, and even the whole World ? ~ — But, perhaps, your learned Friend will fay, mould this be done the old Serpent, as well as the young Chevalier, would be banifhed out of his hereditary Dominions ; and then the two va- grant Adventurers might be oblig'd to herd to- gether. For my own Part, I am at a Lofs to conceive, how the Appropriation of a Thing for facred Ufe, can purge away any inherent Uncleannefs. But we have your learned Friend s infallible ipfe dixit for it, that it can. How- ever, thefe are Difficulties Men muft boggle at, if they are weak enough to be guided by Reafon and common Senfe in Religion.

" The Fall" continues our Author, t{ im- tr pregnated all the Fruits of the Earth with *£ an inherent and ejjential Pollution, as with- <c out Confecration, by fome facred and reli- <c gious Rites, muft render them utterly unfit <{ to be uied in the Service of the Majefty of the <e Supreme Being." Heavens preferve us all, from having our Brains impregnated with fuch

an

an inherent, efftnfyl holy Delirium, as cannot be (onfecrated away! EiTential Impregnations ', or if you pleafe eflential Accident^ for one is as good Senfe as the other, like Popift Protef- tants, or Proteftant Papifts, are fuch folid Ab- fur di tics as can be palm'd upon no Believer s% but thofe who'll believe Contradictions to be true ! But this Wonder -working Confecration, that deftroys the inherent t effential Pollution of the Fruits of the Earth, muft it not of Con- fequence deflroy the very Nature and Subftance of the Things confecrated ? The Fruits of the Earth, it feems, are not jit to be appro- priated to the Service of that God whofe Workmanfoip and Creatures they are, till they are new made, and regenerated by the more Jacred Hands of a Nonjun'ng, fanatical Clergy, Nature before the Fall was in her Virgin State, but the Difobedience of our firft Parents de- flowered her. However our Con[ecratory our Spiritual Conjurer^ I fhould have faid, (only out of Reverence to his high Ecclejjajlical Dignities and Function) can reftore loft Goods. He'll re* ftore to Nature her loft Virgin- Charms and Purity ! and conjecrate away^an impregnated- ef- Jential Pollution.

„,

As your learned Friend can ccnfecrate away e inherent, ejj'ential Properties of Things, could he think you conjecrate a Block of Lead, or any other heavier and fojter Block that, (hall be — ^~, namclefs, into fome more ufejul Sub-

L ftance?

(«*')

fiance ? Could he ccnfecrate it into a Statue of Silver, which like Matrimony I mould look upon to be very goody or into a Statue of <?0A/, which like Continence is undoubtedly #/2/ft& better ? (a) 'Tis not difputed but that, at all Times, he can confecrate away the Guilt of Treafon and Rebellion ; but that he can confecrate away the Tyrannies and Ufurpati- ons, the SuperfHtions, Follies and Frenzies of his holy, Catholic, Apojlolic Church ; but that he can confecrate Grimace into Godlinefs, wild and monftrous Abfurdities into pure and or- thodox Doctrine ; and devout Dreams and Rhapfodies, into Divine Revelations. P0- pifli Cajuifls tell us, the Pope can confecrate Vice into Virtue, and whenever he pleafeth unconfeerate it again. And cannot our learned Catechift do as much, who confecrates away

an ejjential Pollution ? He may further

confecrate the Living into their Graves, but can he, confecrate the Dead out of them ? If he can confecrate away an ejjential Pollution, he may do this, and more ! Shame on the Philofophy of a Newton^ who could never teach us how to deftroy, or confecrate away the Eflence of Things : Had he confulted fome of our modern Divinity "Jugglers, what Won-

ders might he not have done?

Next

.(a) Marriage like Silver is gqod, Continence like Gold is tetter, Cat, p. 433.

Next to the Confecration of 0>7, comes the Confecration of Water j whereby faith our learned Catecbifa "it is rendered capable of " wafhing away Sins and purifying Souls." More Miracles ftill ! For a natural Element to waih away moral Pollutions is extraordina- ry, very extraordinary I confefs ! For the E-

lement of Water to warn away an E-

vil Thought, a Lye, — •— Principles of Ra- pine and Extortion, out-miraclest the Mi- racles of Rome ! It outftrips all her fanctify'd Legends ! But Faith to believe thefe Things, is a Imgular Gracf, which like the Gift of Continence is not be flowed upon all. fa) 'Twas the Sentiment of the Roman Orator , that the Spots of the Mind are neither to be wafh'd a- way with Water^ nor with Length of Time, (b) But Cicero was only a learned Pagan. He was no Catholic Prieft, and Nonjaror. Ci- cero knew no better. Admitting, that neither Water nor Length of Time will ivafi away Sin, yet it muft be confefs'd, that they'll do more, that is, they'll prevent it. They'll pre- vent the crying Sin of premeditated

Murder , by wafhing away the Charms of an* tiquated Maids and Faces ! Return we then to our Author. " Confecration doth not'*

L 2 faith

(a) Cat. p. 92.

(b) Animi Lakes nee DiuturnitatC ncc Manibus ullis elui poteR,

Ci(. de Leg. Lib, *»

faith he, " change the Sub/lance, but the M Qualities of Water." Whence comes it to pafs, that he doth not confecrate away the EJJence, or which is the fame, the Subftance of Water, as well as confecrate away the Ej'ence and Subftance of Oyl ? Is there any greater Difficulty or Abfurdity in doing of the for- mer, than there is in doing of the latter ? But what means the Catecbi/t by Conjccrati- cn's changing only the Dualities of Water ? Will it make that hard, which was foft before ? Give that a clear chriftalline Hue, which was dark and dufkifli before ? Or make that frefh and fweet, which was briny and rancid. before? Or, doth Confecration give it fome myfterious Divine Quality, whereby like the Philofopher's Stone, it tranfmutes every Thing it touches in- to Gold ? — It fhould feem fo by what fol- lows ; for after the Water has been confecrated, or which I take to be the fame, fanttijy'd by the Priefly that it may be thoroughly purged zr\& fublimatedy " the Holy Ghoft immediate- " ly defcends from Heaven, and retting up- " on it, fanclifies it himfelf ; and it being fq " fandlified," twice over! firft by the Prieft^ to whom we ought to give the Precedence be furc, and next by the Holy Gboft>

La « it

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" it imbibts the Power of fanftifying. (a) 1$ not this Myftery in the Superlative ? What Pleasure would it give me to meet with fbrne My fie Divinity Decipherer, that could explain ^— what is couch' d under fuch Ecclefia/licnl Riddles ! But thefe Things are to be under* flood only by the Affembly of the Faithful! (b) They are too facfed for the profane Vulgar to pry into.

Odi prcfafium Vulgus & arceo,

Thus much, fays our learned Author, for the Ceremonies preceding Baptifm. Enough of all Confcience, unlefs he could have furniihed us with fomcthing better. Next for Baptifm it* felf.

Adult Perfons have no Right to call God their Father according to our learned Author , till they are baptized, (c) That is, God dare not recognize them as bis Children^ till the Prieft grants him a ^Toleration, or Letter of Licenfe fo to do. They are none of God's Children, till the Prieft who is God's Repre-

Jentati've

(a) Confecration works a Change, tho' not ift its , yet in its Qiralities and Powers, for th« Italy Spirit immediate- ly defcends from Heaven, and reiling npon it, fanftifies it by himfelf, and it being fo fandified, imbibes the Power of fane- tifying. Cat. p. 232.

(b) This is one Part of our Author'* Definition of bis Church. Cat, p 47.

(0 Till Perfons are baptized, they are not allowed to call Cod their Father, Cat. p. 233.

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fintative, adopts them into a State of Sonflrip. 'Tis he that authorizes and commijfions God to receive them ! Our learned Author feems upon this Head to be either afraid, or ajhamed of fpeaking his Sentiments freely. From his Manner of Expreffion, One would fufpect that he is inclined to purfue the fame Track of Thinking with his Brother Nonjuror, the tru- ly learned Mr. Dodwell. That learned En- thufiafl fpeaks out honeftly and plainly. His Notion is this, that the Soul of Man is nafu- rally mortal, but that it is immortaKz'A by Baptifm adminiftrcd by Priefts or Biiliops, and by fuch Priefts or Bifoops only, as can boafl of a lineal, uninterrupted Succejfion from Chrift and his Apoftles. Thofe who are not fo happy as to be baptized by thefe Givers of Life and Immortality are a Herd of heretical Beads that perifi. Unlefs this be your learned Friend's Opinion, I cannot account for it upon what Principle it is, that he allows none but fuch as are baptized, to fay the Lord's Prayer, or to addrefs God as their Father. Auftin one of this Gentleman s fainted Fathers, afTerts

roundly, it would edify me much to hear

our learned Author do the fame, that if a Child die in the Way as his Parent is carry- ing him to receive the Adminiftration of Bap- tifm, that Child is damn'd, irremediably damrfd for ever ! (a) But whatever be the Fate of the

unbaptiz'd

(a) Father Paul's Counc. of Trent, p. 239.' ^

unbaptiz'd, or whatever Portion our learned Catechift may out of his great Catholicifm af- fign them, yet we are aflur'd, that Baptifm adminiftred by a Bifhop or Prieft, that is, a Nonjuring Prieft or Bi$op> " impreffes a Cha- " rafter which can never be done away: What- cc ever Crime the baptiz'd Perfon may after- " wards commit, it will be always true to " fay, that he was regenerated and confecrated <c to God as his Child by Adoption," not by Creation you'll obferve, but by Prieftly Adop- tion \ " and he will nsver want to be baptiz'd " again, in order to obtain Forgivenefs of his " Sins, and be reftor'd to God's Favour.'* (a) Rejoice O ye Saints of Rome, Rejoice O ye AJjembk of the Faithful at Manchefler^ that you are in PoiTeflion of fo invaluable and unaliena- ble a Bleffing ! Ye Heretics of Britain fee what you are deprived of for Want of being the Sons of Superftition, and our learned Cafecbi/t's Church ! The Privileges of Baptifm rightly ad- miniftred, are never to be loft or forfeited. No! fays the ranting Fanatic \ what means the Con- fifient Doctor \ when he fays, " the Difcipline of <c the Church confifts in a Power to deprive us " of all the Benefits apd Privileges of Bap- " tifm." (bj Are the Privileges of Baptifm fuch as never can be done away, and yet, can the Church deprive Men of all thefe Privileges

which

(a) Cat. p. 225, (b) Cat, p. Sa,

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which never can be done away f 1 es, but

thefe two different Tales are told in two diffe- rent Pages. If a Man's Jugdment be /««

jallible, it doth not follow from thence that his Memory fliould be fo too. But allowing thefc PafTages to be contradictory, if the Ghurch re- quires us to believe Contradictions, furely we ought to believe them ! Have we not the Tefti- mony of St. Bellarmine, as able a Champion againft Herejy, as our Catechi/i is againft the Devil-, that if the Pope fliould chance to err in enjoyning the Practice of Vice for Virtue, or forbidding the Practice of Virtue, the Church is in Confcience bound to believe Vice to be Virtue, and Virtue to be Sin. (a) And elfe- where he afferts roundly, that Chrifl gave un- to Peter, and confequently to Peter's SucceJJcrs^ full Power and Authority to make that a £/;/, which is no Sin ; and to make that to be no Sin, which is in it's own Nature Sinful, (b) As thefe are, a Catholic Churchman s Decisions,

You and your learned Friend, having fuch

Authority on your Side, will undoubtedly ex- pect me to believe, that the Privileges of Bsp-

tifm are unalienable, and that thofe una-

Uenable Privileges the Church has an indifputa- ble Power to alienate and take away from whom (he pleafes, He muft be a Heretic indeedr

that

(a) Bellarm. de Rom. Pontif. Lib. 4. c. 5. {b} Bellarra. Lib. in Barkl«un, <;, 13.

that will not fubmit to fuch Almighty Convic- tion ! Would not a little Modefty teach us to judge as King James the firft did, on a fimilar Occafion, when he heard Council plead on the two oppofite Sides of a Queftion ; By my Sawl Man they are both in the Right as to their Caufe, and take Care that they both get it.

As to the proper Officers to adminifter Bap- tlfm : Deacons are allow 'd by the Gatechift to baptize, but never any unhallowed Laics. Here our learned Author improves upon the Bigotry and Superstition of his Mother Church of Rome ; for in Cafes of Neccfftty (he allows the Vali- dity of Baptifm adminiftred by unclean Beafls of all Kinds ; by Laymen, Pagans, Heretics, and Mid wives, fa) But this would, in our Author's Eftcem, derogate too much from the Power and Authority of God's Representatives, the Priefthood. Our learned Catechifl therefore, out of his great Zeal for the Honour of God's Rcpre/entatives, Chrift's Vicars, the Prime Stewards of Gods Revenues, the Chief Maflers of his Houflold, and his Almoners, (b) refcues this Office out of all unfanctify'd Hands ; and reforms, as He beyond all Queftion fays, but J fhould rather fay itnproves upon^ the Corrupti-

M ons

(a) Minifter huj us Sacrament! eft Sacerdos, cui ex Officio corf petit baptizare. In Caufa autem Ncceflitatis, non folum Sacer- dos, vel Diaconus fed etiam Laicus, vel Mulier, imo etiara Pa- ganus ct Hsereticuj baptizare poteft. U Abbf* Cone. Tom, 13. p. 535- • (b)Cat.p. 207.

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ons of his holy Mother the Mother of Har- lots and Abominations.

It may not be improper in this Place to take Notice of the Enumeration our learned Author makes, of the different Orders of Officers in

the Tradition Church he would eftablifh. .

There are, " Bifbops, Priefts, Deacons, and " Subdeacons" whofe Province it is, to pre- pare the Sacred Veffels and Utenfils of the Altar, and deliver them to the Deacons, but they are neither allow'd to Minifter c< at the *c Altar as Deacons, nor even to come within " the Rails of it, to fet a Paten, a Cup, or <{ Oblations of the People thereon." Next come the Readers, the Singers, and the Door- keepers, (a) In fome other Churches, faith

he, there are other Orders ; fuch as Catecbifis, Exorci/ls, and Acolythijls. (b) Thefe Acolythifts appear to me to be a Kind of Ecclefia/Ucal Scullions, whofe Duty it is to carry about In- cenfe-Pots and Candlefticks, to light Candles, Tapers, &c. Tonfure and ptfkobric are two Orders more which fome Canonifts have added, but are patted over in Silence by our Author. Tonfure is the firft Step of Admiffion into Church Dignities and Honours, and is perform'd by the Bifhop's clipping either the Beard or the Hair, and blejjing it with fome Prayers and

Benedictions,

(a) Vid. Spanhem Hift. Eccle. p. 739. Ct Paflim,

(b) Cat, £. 428.

• (9O

Benedictions, as he doth the Work. The

curious Reader may find in Father Paul's Hi- ftory of the Council of Trent, fome laboured Difquifitions, whether all the Holy Orders of the Church are not fo many Holy Sacraments ?

to which I refer him, . and return to

our learned Author. The Council of Conflan- tinople, if I remember right, prohibits any one being put in PofTefTion of the Epifcopate, with- out afcending gradually thro' all the federal Or- ders, till at Lift he arrives at the Mitre. Our

learned Author, Tradition avers it, is

cloathed either with Epifcopal or Archiepifcopal Honours. I mould be glad Sir, to be in- ftructed, whether he arofe Step by Step from the lowefi Order, that of an Eccle/iaflical Scul- lion ? I am fo far from intending to eclipfe his Merit, by putting the Queftion, that I rather think if that be the Cafe, it gives his Reputa- tion a fuperior Dignity and Luftre. They make the beft Commanding Officers, whether it be in the War againft his Friends the French, or againft his E?2emy the Devil, who are gra- dually rais'd by Dint of Merit, from the lowe/t Ranks, to the highejl Military Promotions. If our Author has fuch a Progreffion of Services and Characters to value himfelf upon, I congra- tulate him upon the Honour it doth him, and queftion not but he was as exemplary in the

M 2 Capacity

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Opacity of a Church Scullion^ as he is in that of a El (hop.

But there are another Species of Church Officers mention'd by our learned Author, that is IPeacpntffes. Concerning thefe, I am folli- citous to learn, whether they too, like Bi/hops and Priefts, are to defcend in the right Line of Succeffion ? If not, whence derive they their Extraction ? But I aft Pardon ; I recoiled my-

felf Thefe, efpecially if they be fair and

pretty ones, mufl needs be — ~- the Angels of his Churches !

Having glanc'd at the different Officers of our Author's Catholic Church, return we to

reconfider it's Sacraments. Befides the two

which Proteftants acknowledge as inftituted by Chrift, your learned friend's Church has in- ftituted ten more ; and indeed upon the fame Footing it might have inftituted ten Times as many, nay, ten tiooufand Times ten more ! One would wonder that fo folemn an Admirer of the fathers^ doth not with St. Bernard, and St. Auftin^ make the wafting of his Feet into a Sacrament : (b) Tho' indeed amidft all his Zeal for Hieroglyphic Piety, he would be at a Lofs to inftrudt us, what wafiiing of Feet

fhould be a Sign of, unlefs it be a Sign

that they want it. But the Sacraments he

I has

(a) Father Paul's Hift. of Council of Trent, p. 234.

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has given us, you are to look upon as fo many. EC clefiaftical Conduit Pipes, that cc convey Grace " to us." (a.) Which are they? Exorcifm ; anointing with Oyl j the White Garment ; a ¥afte of Milk and Homy ; anointing 'with Cbrylm or Oyntment-, the Sign of the Crofs j Impofition of Jlands ; Unffiion of the Sick j Holy Orders ; and Matrimony, (b) Excrciftn, as obferv'd before,. drives or fires away the Devil. Anointing <witb holy Oyl makes the Saint fupple and fleek, that the Devil cannot grafp him in his Clutches. The White Garment reprefents baptifmal Rege- neration. Milk and Honey is good Ipiritual Diet. Confirmation is a Deed of Gift, where- by the Bifiop (or in Cafe of Neccflity the Prieft) makes you a Conveyance of the Holy Gbofl. " He enters into the Perfons confinn'd, " dwells with them, and becomes the Soul of " their Soul." (c) Chrijm or Oyntment fignifies an internal Undtion perform'd upon you by the Holy Ghofl. The Ufe of the Sign of the Crofs is, <c that the Devils upon feeing that royal " Sign, fly trembling away." (d) Impofition of Hands is bleffing you by Divine Authority, (e) Untfion of the Sick is for the Recovery of Health, and for Strength to out -cudgel tiie De- vil. (f) Holy Orders furniiheth " Jpiritual Fa* " thers for the Church," (g) and fometimes

natural

(a) Cat. p. 69. (b) Cat. p. 69. 70. (c) Cat. p. 73, (d) Cat. p. 418. (e) Cat, p. 421, (f) Cat. p. 422. (g) Cat. p, 123.

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'natural ones too! Matrimony makes up the Rear in this fpiriiual Militia , rais'd to wage War with the Devil. But tho' this Sacrament in common with the reft conveys Grace into us j yet as to the Grace it conveys, according to our learned Author, we had better 'want than have it ! For c< Matrimony" fays our Catechift, €< like Silver is good, but Continence like Gold <c is better." (a) However tho' this be your learned Friend's Doctrine of Perfection, (b) yet St. Paid calls it, was he not low- bred think you for doing fo ? — the Doctrine of Devils.

In our Engli/h Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, we read of St. Dunftan the great Patron of Mon- kery and Superftition, caufmg the following Mi- racle to be wrought for the difcountenancing of Marriage amongft the Clergy. In a Coun-> cil held at Winchefler about 974, the Debates ran high between \hzfecular Prtefts that mar- ried and left their Eftates to their legitimate Iflue, and the Monks, good Men ! who re- nounced Marriage for the Good of their Souls and the Church, and judg'd it a higher Degree of Perfection to debauch other Men's Wives, than to have Wives of their own. The fecular Priefts urg'd fuch Arguments in Favour of the Marriage of Ecclefiaftics, as had well nigh de- termined the Council to ratify and confirm

them.

(a) Cat. p. 433." Cat, p. 222?

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them. To prevent which, Dun/I an t Saint as he was, had plac'd a proper Perfon on the Roof of the Hall where the AfTembly met ; who being himfelf invijible, cried out loudly thro' a Hole.—- Non bene fentlunt qui Prejby- teris Javent. They are not Orthodox in the Faith, who favour the Marriage of the Clergy. Hereupon the Monks cried out a Miracle! a Miracle ! and declar'd that nothing more was necelliry to determine the Affair, fince it was thus decided by the Voice of an Angel from Heaven ! (a)

The Reader will perhaps enquire, what is the Policy of the Church of Rome and her Daughter ^Churches, fuch as our Author's; to prefer a State of Celibacy to Marriage. The Reafon is obvious ; Marriage would alie- nate the Affections of Ecclefiafiics from the Church and their Concubines j and fix them on their Wives and Offspring. At the Council of Trent it was pleaded, that Marriage would de- ftroy the Hierarchy y prove fatal to the Pope's Authority, and that inilead of Univer/al Bifiop, he would come to be only a mere Bijbop of Rome, (b)

Be fides

(a) EmiJlianes Monaft. Vid. Preface.

(b) father Paul'a Hift. p. 460, and 680.

Betides, if the Church can fir/I rob the Laity of their Under ft andings^ by impofing unnatu- ral Vows of Continence upon them, this is the fure Way in the next Place to rob them of their Eftates. If Men have no Families of their own to provide for, whom (hall they be- queath their Subftance to, but to God? And who (hall be deputed to receive it for God, but the Prieftsy who are Chrift's Vicars> God's Reprejentatives, the Prime Stewards of his Re- •uenues, the Chief Maflers of, his Houfkold, and his Almoners. I need only exemplify this in the Cafe of the Saint, that is, One of the Saints of Rome, laft mention'd above. A certain La- dy, who by the Bye, feem'd to have been link- ed to St. Dunftan, by fome other Bonds than thofe of Spiritual Affection, advis'd with him what would be the beft Difpofition {lie could make of her Eflate, to pious Ufes ? The Saint recommends it to her, to leave it to yejus Chrift, and to make him Chrift's Executor. It was accordingly fettled, and Jefus Chrift not putting in his Claim, the Executor carry'd off

all. . If Matrimony contributes to obftruct

fuch Donations to the Church, what good Ca- tholic, that has the Intereft of God's Reprejen- tati'ves at Heart, can approve of the Infiitu- tion ? Allowing Marriage as a Sacrament ', doth bring in fome Silver to your Fricjxfs Church ;

vet

(97

yet Celibacy, I'll not fay Continency, brings in much Gold> which is certainly better*

A Writer of great Reputation gives us a very remarkable Inftance, and Hiftory would furniih us with ten thoufand more, of the Fruits of prieftly Celibacy. In 1689 a Ghoft haunted the Convent of the Monks of St. Anthony, in the City of MarfeilUs. This Ghoft prov'd to be of a very martial Spirit ; knock'd down every Thing that flood in his Way, and bailinadoM every Pcrfon that was fo unhappy as to meet him. If a Monk ftraggted out of his Cell at Night, the 'vigilant Ghoft Was fure to find him out, and as fare decently to chaflife him for it. In (hort, he dealt Blows and Terrors very plen- tifully around him. By his Rcfentment of all

nocturnal Perambulations but his own, He

was concluded to be the Ghoft of their dtceafed Prior-, aG^J/?ofgreat Dignity and Diftinc- tion \ Mafles were faid to be deliver'd from his unwelcome Vifits j and a large Reward of- fered to any one who durft accoft him and eil- quire what important Errand he came upon, of what important Commiffion he was to execute 1 The Print of the Spirit's Hand was difcovered on a Wall. Nothing but the Ghoft now en- groffed all Attention. Every Mouth was open with the Talk of him by Day j arid upon the Approach of Night every Door \vv&fkut for fear of an Interview with him. Cue Evening fome Chairmen in the Suburbs of the Convent being

N .(urpriz'3

(98)

by a violent Shower, carried the Chaif within the Gates of the Monaftery^ and placed themfelves with it under a Portico, for Sanctuary from the Weather, One of the Men having feated himfelf in the Chair fell sfleep in it, and never awoke till Midnight. The Gates being (hut, inftead of giving the holy Fathers any uri- feafonable Difturbance, he determin'd to con- tinue where he was, and wait till the Return of ^/lorning (hould bring him a Return of his Free- dom with it. Anon the Ghoft having opened the Gate with a Key, advances forward in a long fweeping black Train, walking to and fro, as you know Sir, Ghofts do, and cough'd very foftly. The Chairman, before hand poffefs'd with the Thoughts, was now alarm'd much more at the Sight of the Apparition -, opprefs'd with Fear, he kept folemn Silence ! Prefently a Monk ap- pears at the Window, and with a gentle Voice a fits are you there ? Yes, anfwers the Ghoft , throw down the Rope. You have ftaid very long, replies the Father ; and letting down a Ladder of Ropes, the Spirit got into the Con- •uent) and in three Hours Time return'd the fame Way. This Difcovery being made, the whole Farce was unravell'd. The Monk, and his Courtezan acting in Concert, was the Ghofl that haunted the Place ; and the Terrors he had fpread, was only a Scheme form'd to keep e- very Body within Doors, and prevent his re- ceiving any Dijlurbance or Interruption in his

Pleafures.

.(99)

Pleafures. Hereupon it grew into a. proverbial Phrafe at Mar/eiilest when they would ibften the Name of a common Proftitutc, to call her St. Anthony's Ghoft. (a)

Should it be afk'd upon fuch an Occafion as this, what is it that denominates a Perfon a common Proftitute ? A learned GloJJator upon the Cannon Law anfwers, No Woman, till Ihe nas beftow'd her Favours upon more than three and twenty thoufand Men, demerits the Appel- lation of a IPhore. (b) Would not a Proieflant% look upon a lefs notorious Proftitute than this, to be like your Friend's Church, a truly Catho- lic Harlot? But you'll tell me, Proteflants Principles, are much too fever e for their Mo- rals. Let Proteftants blum for the future at their giving Perfons infamous Names, only be- caufe they have not committed a Rape upon Nature. Let Prrtejlants learn, that there may be Chaflity in Stews ; and to their Confufion, let them confefs, that there is Charity for all Sinners, but thofe who lin againft the Prieft> at Rome. But to return from this Digreffion.

Remarkable is the Spirit of the Biftayans in the Kingdom of Spain. They'll not tolerate

N 2 any

(a) Dugout's Voyage to the Levant, p. 96. 7.

(b) Meretrix eft, qu» admifcrit plures, quam Vigentl tria ho-' minum Millia,

D^cret, Diftinft. 34. c. 4,'

( 100 )

fcny Priefl to live in their Villages unlefs he brings his Concubine to refide with him. The Reafon of it is, becaufe they apprehend, that Without fuch a Precaution, their Wives are in, imminent Danger of being ravifi'd by Ecclejia- Jiical Enchantment / (a)

Before I difmifs the Sacrament of Matrimo^ fly ; — I would add, that if your learned Friend appears any more upon this Subied:, it would oblige me to receive from his Hands an Account of the whole Prpcefs of the Prieft's blejjmg and confeprating the Wedding-Sheets previous to the Cpnfummatjon of Marriage, which is a Rite pradtis'd by his Mother Church of Rome. This Account muft be extremely edifying and in- ftrucTiive. What a fuperior Relim muft it give to every foft Enjoyment, to have the very nup- tial Sheets hallow'd by God's Reprejentativc for their proper Service ?

Confejion is another Chapter in your learned friends new Gojpel, which he reads to his .D//C ciples with great Solemnity and Devotion ; un- der this Head our Author might have inform'd us, that it has been a common Practice in the Church of Rome , when Women or Boys at their facramental Devotions have confefs'd their ha-* ying been engag'd in Scenes of Gallantry -, or in

(a) HtyJins Cqfinog. p. t\q.l

(lor)

lewd unnatural Intrigues, for the Prieft Confeffbr

to addrefs them • fince you have beftow'd

fuch Favours upon others, beftow the fame up- on me. Pope Pius the Fourth publim'd a Bull againft this Practice. So Catholic it feems. was the Practice grown, Pope Gregory the Fif- teenth publilh'd another upon the fame Occa- fion. (a) In Confequence of that exhibited by Pope PiuSy in Spain all Wives and Women were firstly enjoin'd to difcover before the holy Tribunal within thirty Days after the faid In- junction, all fuch Priefts as had thus proftituted and profaned the facramental Confeffions. The fevereft Cenfures and Anathema's were pronoun- ced againft fuch as refufed a Difcovery. This work'd upon Super/lit ion fo far, as to bring in fuch Crowds to give Evidence againft the Father

a

Confeffors, that twenty Secretaries and as many Inquifitors appointed to take Depofuions were too few for the Purpofe. Hereupon the Lords Inquifitors allow 'd thirty Days more for receiving and regiftering Convictions j and when thofe Days were expir'd, they found it nectflury a third and a fourth Time to repeat the Line In- dulgence. This was done that Perlbn? of better Figure might fteal an Opportunity to confefs without the Knowledge of their Hufbands, and

^

without routing their Jealoufy, in which how- ever they very feldom tucceeded. But after fuch

Numbers

(a) Contra Sollicitantcs in Confefiiont.

(I02>

Numben of ConvictioQS regularly receiv'd, and legally fupported, when Judgment was expected to have been iffued out by the holy Tribunal, the whole Affair Was qua(ftdt and never exa- min'd into, never heard of any more, (a)

To make Gain of Godlinefs, feems to be the main Drift and Defign of our learn ed Ca- ttcbifts Scheme. Only it would not have com- ported with that View, other wile he might

likewife have inform' d' us, that in the

qtb Century > a Lady of Diftinction, a noble Matron Sozomon calls her, (b) wickedly or weak- b confefs'd an Intrigue that had pafs'd between / arf'. -Ecc lefiaftic and herfelf, which was not a proper Subject of Confeffion. This Intrigue becoming public, Oh ! fatal Confeffion / gave great Umbrage to poor unfanctify'd Laymen ! It was thereupon adjudg'd inexpedient y that the Liberty of privately confeffing Sins before the Sacrament, which might bring fuch Reproach upon God's Reprefentatives, mould be any longer tolerated in the Church. Nor do I find any Traces thereof in the Greek Churches fmce; nor indeed doth our learned Author plead for fuch Sacramental Confeflions. But the Proteftant Reader will afk, is it not enough for the Sinner to confefs to God? For the Sick Perfon to reprefent his Cafe, to the fupreme

and

(a) C&aW/^'s Hifl. of Perfectt, p, 215,

(b) Sewn. Lib, 7. c. 16.

and Sovereign Pbypcian? and to him

. Our learned .Author will anfwer, — by

no means. As in our Courts of Juliice, being acquitted by the Judge, will not rclcafe the Perfon arraign'd, till he has difcharg'd the Fees of the Jay/or -, fo conferTing to God {hall not fave you, unlefs you humbly and penitently confefs to the fried who is God's Representative / And who would part with fueh an invaluable fpiritual Prerogative, as that of knowing the Secrets of every Family and every Soul in a Pa-* rifh ? When once God's Reprefentative, the Prieft, is in Poffeffion of Mens Confidences., one Step more, and that but a fhort one, puts him in Pofleffion of their Honour, their Virtue, their Reputations, their E/lates, their Fortunes, their Bodies, and their Souls all together : When EC- clefiailical Prerogative runs lo high, and common, Senfe ebbs fo low as to fubmit to fuch Ufurpa- tions, it doth by no Means iurprize me to lee your learned Friend all Extacy and Trantport ! " To caft out the Devil of Luft, or to throw " down the Pride of Lucifer, to beat down " Satan under our Feet, or to triumph over " our fpiritual Enemies, to cure a difeas'd Soul, " or to keep unharm'd from the Affault of a <c Temptation or the Infection of an ill E\* " ample," by which he means no more th to make Men fuperftitious Fools and Bigots, to prevail upon them to renounce their Realba

and Underftanding, and to devote themfelves

without Referve to the Will of the Priefl,

the Power to do thefe Things faith our learned Author, " is much more advantageous and be- " neficial to us, that is the Priefts, than the " Power of working the greateft Miracles." (a) Well fpoken Priefl ! So it is ! By this Craft wf get our Wealth, and our Devotees loje their Senfes. Pliny tells us, and 'tis probable he wrote only the Language of Tradition, that if a Man be wounded by a Scorpion, going forthwith and whifpering in an Afs*s Ear, will relieve his Pain, mitigate his Anguifh, and heal his Wound, (b) Now, as your learned Friend delights much in Symbolical Reprefentations, is not this a beauti- ful Symbolical Image of Confeffion to the Prieft ? Is the Poifon of Vice more deadly than that of the Scorpion ? What is to be done, but to have

immediate Recourfe to an Ajs if you can

find one for your ghoftly Doctor ? Whifper in the Ear of an Eccleftaflical Afs, the Wound is heal- ed, and the Work is done i

Well, Confeffion being made Your Sins

rated according to the current Price they bear in Rome's Difpenfation- Market, and all your Jpiri- tual Debt* being honeftly difcharged to the Prieft, Abfolution follows of Courie. '« For-

46 givenefs

(a) Cat. p. 236.

(b) Nat. Hift. Lib, 28, c, ro.

105

" givencfs of Sins," faith our learned Divinity* Fatfor, " is to be obtain'd in the Catholic " Church, by the Miniftry of Bifhops and " Priefts, who are authored Mediators and In* " tercej/ors under Chrift for Men," (a) Journey- men Saviours Sir, if you pleafe J " They arc Cf Subftitutes and Vicegerents, binding and f< loofeing, opening and (hutting with the Keys <c of the Kingdom of Heaven," and the beft comes laft, " their Sentence is a prejudging " Forerunner of the Sentence to be paft on the <c laft Day." (b) Here you fee a Man's eter- nal Doom fix'd, — — by whom? By God? No. But 'tis all the fame, by the Prieft, (jjpd's Reprefentative ! God is no more than an humble Executioner of the Sentence which his Reprc-* fentative denounceth. The Prieft, whatever he be in Name, is in Authority and Power the fu» preme God and fupreme Judge. His Voice is a " prejudging Forerunner of the Sentence of " the laft Day." If the Prieft condemn, {hall God juftify ; or if the Prieft acquit, mall God condemn ? Who then dare affront a Prieft, that has the Keys of Heaven and Hell at his Girdle ? Ye Generation of Nonjurors, Generation of

•wife Men fliall I call you ? When you hear

your Prieft fay, Let us bow down and wor- fhip, before the Lord QUX Judge ! Our Salvation hangs on his facred Lips ! Let us ftand in Awe and tremble before him !

O This

(a) Cat. p. 165, (b) Cat, p. 85,

(io6)

This Doctrine of Autboritaftw prieftly Abfo- lution, is fuch an Infult upon Common Senfc, as well as daring Impiety and Irreligion, that even wife and virtuous Heathens have treated it with fovereign Contempt and Abhorrence ! Attilius ReguluSy the Roman Conful, having been defeated by the Carthaginians and taken Prifoner in Battle, was fent to carry Offers of Peace to the Romans, having firfl been folemn- ly fworn to return to the Enemy's Camp, in Cafe thefc Offers were rejected. The Over- tures he was fent with, being accordingly rejected, the Roman High-Priefts urg'd him to violhte his Oath, and offer'd to abfohc him from the Guilt of Perjury. But how doth he refent the Motion ? He receives it with Indig- nation, and rejects it with Difdain. (a) This furely he woulid never have done, had he con- ceived them to have been, what our Author in his new Go/pel reveals them to be — inverted with Power to forgive all Sin, but the Sin of - deriding the Prieft and fcoffing at Cod's Reprefentative, for forming fuch injolent and ujurping Claims !

Your good Friendy I am too much in Earn- eft to call him your learned Friend any longer, will plead that Fathers and Councils are on his Side. Juft fo, have I known a Tyburn Con-

(a) Suppl. Livy. Dec, ii. L, 18, c, 62^ HOT. Lib. 3. Od. 5.

(io7)

feffor plead that Alexander and Cefar were as great Robbers as he ! However the Truth of the Fatt is granted ! The Council of Trent pronounces a folemn Anathema, upon fuch as deny the facramental Abfolution of the Prieft to be z judicial Act. And yet, tho' all the Sa- craments of Rome confer Grace ; by whofc Ble fling do they confer it ? By God's ? No, but by the Bleffing of the Prieftbood ! 'Tis the good Intention of the Prieft that is to give EfHcacy to the Administration, fays the Council of Flo- rence, (a) If the Prieft be not well paid, can you expect him to be well pleas' d ; and if he be not well pleas' d, whatever good Words he may amufe you with, you'll have Reafon to fufpeft the Goodnefs of his Intention ! When you come to be weigh'd in the Ballance, ac- cording as the Prie/l is in good or bad Hu- mour, Heaven or Hell will preponderate in the Scale. Whatever you have been told before of the Efficacy of Sacraments ; you may fafe-

ly believe what you are told now you

have the Word of a Council for it, and Coun- cils, like Tradition, cannot err; that Sacra- ments are no Sacraments, unlefs you are in fuch clofe League with the Prieft as to be af- fur'd of his good Intention to blcjs them.

02 To

(a) Ha:c Omnia Sacramenta tribus perficiuntur, videlicet rebus tanquam Maceria, verbis tanquam Forma et Perfona miniftri con- ferentis Sacrmncntum, cum Intentiont faciendi quod facit Eccle- fia. Si dtfu, non pe/fkicur Sacramentum.

Lobe's Coqc. Tom 13. p. 535,

(168)

To e^pofe the Abfurdity of this Doctrine, it was urg'd at the Council of frent, that if a

Prieft mould want a good Intention, fuch

Catholic Priefts there were in thofe Days, what- ever there may be in ours ! all the Sacra- ments he adminifters, muft want the facr amen- ta! Efficacy. If he baptizes Children, or ab- folves Penitents j fuch Eaptifm is no Baptifm, fuch Absolution is no Abjblutiont confequently thofe who are cursed with his Admin iftration, dying unbaptiz'd, or unabfolv'd, muft be loft for ever ! Nay, if an Infant, that receives fuch unintentional Baptifm^ mould afterwards be- come a Eifkop ; as many as he ordains, have a Nullity ftamp'd upon all their Adminflrations ; fo that Millions may eternally perifi, thro* the Conduct of one Jingle Prieft, in one fingle Inftance only ! But all fuch Arguments as thefe were ealily overut'd, tho' not fo eafily anfwer'd. The Council was under the Pope's abfolute Di- rection ; which occafioned this bold Pafyui- nade upon it, that the Synod was guided in all its Decifions by the Holy Ghoft, fent thither from Time to Time in a Cloak- bag from Rome, (a)

But to return to our Author. I have one very ccnfiderable Objection againft his Doc- trine that the Sentence pronounced by his

Catholic

(a) Father Paufs Counc. of Trent, p. 497.

Catholic Prieft, " (hall be a prejudging Forc- " runner of the Sentence pafs'don the laftDay." If Chriftianity be in the Right, he muft be in the Wrong. 'Tis not Cbrift's Vicars, • God's Reprefenfatives, the Prime Stewards of his Re~ venues, the Chief M afters of his Hou/hold arid his Almoner^ but another Sort of Men> Men of a very different Character and Complexi- on, 'Tis the Saints that muft judge the

World. But if this refers only to Civil Judi- catories by Chriftian Magiftrates, oar Author no doubt, will ftill maintain his Church Pre- rogative^ of fitting as fupreme Judge of the

World : mould we then appeal to the Bar

of Godt rather than to the Tribunal of the Prieft^ who knows but we may fubject our- felves to a Premunire for appealing to a fo- reign Jurifdidlion ?

Be it afk'd what Family are thefe Priefts of, \vhofe irreverfible Decrees fix and direct the Sentence of the laft Day ? The Catecbift anfwers roundly, t{ From ye/us we have an uninterrnp- tl ted Chain of Bimops, the Sttcceffors of the A- <l poftles down to this Time." (a) The Line of

Succeffion is as ft rait as a Ram's Horn, and

ranting Fanaficks add, as oft broke into, and indented. However let them glory in the Name of the Apoftles Succeffors, as well as of God's Refrefentatives ! Did You ever read of a Pope

who

Cat. p, 47,

(no)

who directed a Painter to Draw him Peter and Paul> and exert all the Force of his Genius on the Occafion. The Painter draws them with a ftrong Vermillion Blufh in their Faces. And had They fays the holy Father fuch ruddy Complexions as thefe ? No, re- ply's the Virtuojb, but were they here riotv, to fee what a Ragamuffin Race fet up for their Succeffbrs, they would blufh with Surprize and Slftonijhment as thefe Piffures do ! I leave Your ' Friend and his uninterrupted-Succeffion Tribe to apply this. We have known the Times Sir, Times that You and Your Party ftill adore, when it was the Language of one who call'd himfelf a Proteftant Divine, one of the Paul's Coppock's, or Cl—yt—ns of that Age, that if the Devil bimfelf was to put on holy Order s^ he •would be injpird of the Holy Gho/i. (a) From the whole Turn of our Author's Sentiments, I queftion, if it were put to him, whether he would not aflert the fame !

Praying for the Dead brings in a frefh Flow of Treafures to the Church, and therefore muft be^another fundamental Article in the new Gof- pel, this Gentleman would eftablifh. " The " Dead pray for us, and why mould we not <c pray for the Dead ? Surely one good Turn requires another ! But mould it be afk'd, how

know

(a) Emanl. Utty. D. D. Vid, Century of fcandalous and lewd Minitlers, p. 2, 1643.

(II!)

know you that the "Dead pray for us ? — ^*- You have our Author's Word for it in his Cj- techifm •> and who, but a Heretic, can difpute the infallible Word of an infallible Prieft or Bifiop? The Authority of Tradition itfelf is not more venerable and facred than the Autho- rity of this our Tradition Believer! " The cc Saints," faith he, " pray for us more after " their Death than before." Did he, think you, ever fee or hear them at their Devotions in the other World ? Has he any Correfpondence with the Saints there ? Whatever he may have with the Saints of Rome, 'tis prefum'd he has none with the Saints of Heaven.

Another Argument in Juftification of praying

for the Dead is, that it was the Practice among

the Antient Jews. That I deny, and call upon

our Author to prove it. It fliall be done

*— - as follows. Mofesjorbids the Jews offer- ing Oblations for, (or to) the Dead-, (a) or, in other Words, he warns them againft apofta~ tizing- into the Idolatry of the Gentiles, among whom it was ufual to facrifke to their dead Idols, or Hero Gods-, — therejore praying for the Dead is a Duty prefcrib'd in the Jeivifb Inftitution. Now Sir permit me to illuftrate the Force of this Reafoning by one or two/>#- ralell Inftances. God fays to Mofes thou fliall have no other God but me ; — — therefore Ido- latry

(a} Dcut. 26. 14,

(112)

iafry is of divine Appointment. Thou fhali

not worfhip any graven Image ; therefore

bowing to an Idol's Shrine is paying Obedience to the Commands of Heaven. Was our Au- thor think you, pupill'd by a learned Divine^ (not a fanatic one, Jor it is a Cafe that has been argrfd in Councils^) who could prove the Illegality of Commendams, and Nonrejtdencesy from any one Text in his Bible ? Once he was to entertain his Audience with a Difcourfe up- on this, you will expect me to call it proli- fic^ rather than barren Subject ; — — Abraham begat Ifaac . After having difplay'd much ge~ nealogical Learning, and holy Zeal over his Text, he inferred from it, and fo natural was the Inference that any one of your venerable Church Deaconeffes would have infer r'd the

fame, the Unlawfu/nffs of Nonrefidences.

For how mould Abraham have begat Ifaac, had he not been a Rejident with his Wife Sa- rah? Our Catechift*s Reafoning, has more of the marvellous in it than this, tho' I can by no Means allow it: to be as clear and conclujtve !

Some other Authorities, Scripture ones he calls them, he has deduced out of the Apocry- phal Writings. In Imitation of the Council of Trent, he has fcifted the Apocrypha into the Sacred Canon, tho', as might be fhewn at large, all antient Councils and Authorities are

again (I

I ("3)

againft him. (aj 'Tis prefum'd, that with the Council of Trent likewife, he'll curje and a- nathematize all fuch as refufe to receive thefc Books as canonical Scriptures, and to believe the Legends they contain to be, like his own Catechijm^ the Language of a Divine Revela- tion. But what has he advanc'd from them in Defence of Praying for the Dead ? The firfl Text he has urg'd bids as fairly to prove the Divinity of the Alcoran, or the Truth of Tranfub/tantiation, as it doth to prove the Point he would eftablim. The next Authori- ty he adduces, is taken out ofihefecond Book of Maccabees; a fpurious Performance, com-

pil'd by an unknown Hand, by a Writer,

whoever he be, of no Reputation. But be the Hi/tory wrote by whom it will, it is probable that the Paragraph refer'd to is an Interpola- tion. Jofephus, in his Account of the Defeat of the Jamnites, never mentions the FacT: of Judas, now under Confideration, as 'tis highly probable he would, had the Hiftory of it been authentic. But allowing our Author to make the moft of the Paflage that he can ; the Pray- ers and Sacrifices there mention'd, might be of- fer'd and feem to be offer'd for Sin, as that might be hurtful to the living, as was the Sin

of Achan. Yet after all fuch Apocryphal

Authority is of as little Weight with a Man

P who

(a) Vide Cofins's Canon.

(«*•)

ivho is guided by Common Senfe, as the Autho- rity of your Friend's Tradition Bible.

But St. Paul who was no Apocryphal Wri- ter, exhorts that Eucbarifts be made for all Men, and Supplications for all Saints ; therefore infers our Author, St. P#&/ recommends it to us to pray for the Dead. What then, doth St. Paid mean that we mould pray for Dead Kings that are in Authority, as well as for the Living ones that are ? Doth he mean that we mould lead quiet and peaceable Lives under the Government of dead Kings, as well as under the Government of the Living? According to our Author he doth ; and you know Sir, Infal- libility cannot be miftaken. Should any Per- ibn of Diftindtion call in all the Phyficians in Manchejler to join in a Confultation upon his Cafe, would not you underfland that he meant to fummon all the dead Phyficians, as well as all the living to attend him ? All thofe whofe Bodies lie rotting in the Ground, as well as any others whofe Names rot above it ? I take all becoming Confulion to myfelf, unable any longer to combat fuch Catholic Church-De- monjlration as this.

Another Piece of Artillery our Catechi/l brings out of his Catholic Arfenal, to batter down Herefy and eftablifli Prayer for the Dead, is that Text in St. Jebn, " There is a Sin un- " to Death, I do not fay you fliall pray for

4CC

Jt.

c< it." Becaufe there is a very heinous ag- gravated Sin, called here a Sin unto Death t which we are not bound by Precept to pray for ; therefore we are to pray for the Dead. Remarkable are the Words of our learned Light- foot, referring to this very Text. " When" fays he " I fee thefe Men's Annotations on thig <c Scripture, they often put me in Mind of " Bfnbadad's Servant with Ropes about their " Necks, catching at. any Word that fell from c< the King of Ifrael's Mouth, that might be " of any Advantage to their forlorn and loft " Caufe and Condition. Thefe Men's popifk " Caufe, has had the Rope about its Neck now " a long Time, and been in a loft and for- <c lorn Cafe ; and I cannot tell whether I " fhould laugh or frown, to fee what pitiful " Shifts and fhameful Scrambling they make <{ for it, by catching at any Word or Syllable " in the Scriptures or Fathers, and wrefling, " and twifting, and twineing it to any feeming " or colourable Advantage to their condemned " Caufe, to fave it from Execution.

<e Certainly they are at a very hard Pinch for " Proof of praying for the Dead, when they " make fuch a Scraping in this Portion of *c Scripture to rake it out thence ; whereas the <c Words are as far from meaning the Living " praying for the Dead, as the Dead praying " for the Living:1 (a.)

P 2 But

{a) JLightfoot's Works Vol. 2. p, 1094;

(u6)

But if we muft pray for the Dead, what are the proper Seafons for this Kind of Devotion ? Our Author anfwers : <{ If you would cornrne- " morale any of the faithful departed in as fo- " lemn and particular Manner, let it be done " with Almfgiving, on the third, ninth> and <c fortieth Day after the Perfon's Deceafe, " and on the Anniverfary Day of his or her " Death." We are told that our Pagan An- ce/lors in this L-and, and Herodotus gives the fame Account of fome other Nations, as foon as any of their Friends were dead, inftead of consigning them to their Mother Earth, as a Prey to Worms, feafled themfelves upon their Remains, which they look'd upon as an Act of great Piety and Devotion. With great Solemnity they invited their moft inti- mate Friends to feed with them upon the Bo-* dies of their dead Relations, to regale them- felves with a Fricafee, cook'd out of the Re- mains of a dead Neighbour, Father, or Bro- ther, (aj Our Gatechijt's Prayers for the Dead, have not that /avage Complexion which this Kind of Devotion wears, but they are equally indefeniible and fuperftitious. He has not thought it expedient to entertain his Readers with the Reaions alledg'd by the Daughters of Superftition in Favour of the Periodical Devo- tions mentioned above. However as I find

the

(a) Mum's Funeral Ceremonies,

the fame Practice in the Greek Churches, and the Reafons urg'd by them in Support of the Practice, I'll beg Leave to fupply our Author's Omiflion.

Their third Day's Devotions for the Dead, are perform'd for two Reafons. _. Firft, in Confideration that the Dead Body in that /Space of Time, begins to. change, its Form and Fea- tures ; and next becaufe our Saviour rofe from the Dead on the Third 'Day. Their Prayers on the Ninth Day after a. Perfon's Deceafe are offer'd, fay they, became by that Time the whole Body, excepting the Heart only, which was the chief . Seat and Inftrument of the vi- tal Functions, is grown putrifv'd and noifome ; and likewife Prayers are. renewed then, becaufe one of the Times our Saviour appeared to his Difciples, when he had rofe from the Dead, was on the Ninth Pay after his /aid Refurrec- tion ; and the Solemnities of the fortieth Day are perform'd, becaufe, then the Heart and the whole Body is become corrupt and putrified \ and becaufe alfo our Saviour afcended to Heaven the fortieth Day after his Refurrection. (a) If our Author will not abide by thefe Reafons, for the Practice he recommends, I call upon him, to afOgn ivorfe if he cany for I defp.iir as to his afligning any better. If this be Religion,

I no

(a) Muret's Funeral Ceremonies,

("9)

I no more wonder at the Turks, who reverence Idiots and Madmen, as Saints and Prophets'.

Sir John Chardin, in his Travels to Per/ia, gives us an Account of fome Funeral Ceremo- nies of the Mingretians, in the County of Col- &is. One of them is _ to perform, after the Manner of our Author, Acts of Devotion over the Dead on the fortieth Day after his Deceaie. Their Motives to this Practice are very fub/lantial zndfolid. I'll not prefume to fay that our Author's are the fame. After fomc Jrantic Lamentations, that infpire indifferent Spectators with Pity and Horror, and which are continued till the fortieth Day after the Perfons Deceafe, that being the appointed Day for his Interment ; the Bifhop fays Mafs over him, and then moft devoutly /eizeth on his Horfe, Wearing Apparel, Plate, and every Thing he left behind him, and appropriates, or, if you like the Expreffion better, con fe crates the whole to his own immediate Service, (a) Thus the Goods which the deceafed has left be- hind him, become the Property of God's Re- prefentative -, and the more there is left for God's Reprefentatiw the better I I appeal to our Author, whether this is not, upon his own Principles, pure, primitive Religion !

The next Thing I would take Notice of in your Friend's tradition Go (pel is, the Zeal he

exprefles

(a) Chardtn's Travels, p. 105;

(120)

cxpreflcs for the Commands of the Church. " You are to obferve the Laws of the Catholic " Church, and all the Rubrics and Canons of *e the particular Church of which you are Mem- " bers ; and befides thefe general Laws, you are <c to regard the following particular Commands :

<c . To abftain from eating Blood; to offer

" to God our Tythes, Firft Fruits, and volun- <c tary Oblations; to obferve the Feafts and <c Fafts of the Church ; to offer and receive <e the Eucharift every Holy Day, at leaft not " to omit any of the great Fcftivals ; and to " pray (landing on all Sundays, and every Day " between Eafter and Penteco/t" (a) The ho- neft Proteftant will afk, will it not be fuffici- ent for -a Man if he endeavours to pay a fincere and uniform Regard to the Commands of Goo1; tho' he mould be a Stranger, or even an Infi- del as to the Commands of the Church ? Cannot God fave me without the Church's Confent, or the Church*s Interpoftion ? But let the Quari/l confider, who fhould the Church be, but the Priefls ; and who are the Priefls ', but God's Re~ prefentatiiies ? In an Affair of fuch Importance therefore 'tis neither /afe nor prudent, to fay no more, to run any Hazards. *Hndaly one of our firfl Reformers, whofe Tranflation of the Bible into Englijfb, was burnt in Queen Mary's Reign, by tfie Hands of the Common Hangman, difput- ing with a learned Papift, and mewing him

that

(a) Cat. p, 60;

( 120 )

that Popery was a mofl horrid Corruption of Chriftianity ; his Adverfary replies, ive had bet- ter be without God's Laws, than without the Pope's Laws. And would not your Catholic Friend were he put to it, as roundly affert, that we had better negleft God's Commands, than negledt the Commands of the Church. I make- no Doubt but he- would. One of thefe Com- mands I would briefly animadvert upon at pre- fent, that is, the fecond. The Catechi/l and his Difciple talk thus.

<J. What Refpedl are we oblig'd to pay to God, befides worfhipping him with our Hearts and Mouths?

A. We are to Honour him with our Subflance.

4J. What Part of our Income mufl we offer to him?

A. The Tythe or Tenth Part.

<$>. What mufl we offer to God befides ?

A. The Firft Fruits of all our Increafe.

£>. What doth God expeft from us befides ?

A. That we mould offer him fomething of our own Free- Will.

^ How much, and when ?

A. The more and the of tern r the better.

(121)

^. To whom are thefe Tythes, Ftrjl Fruits^ and Oblations to be offer'd ?

A. To God's Reprefentatives, his Prie/ls. (a)

Here Sir you fee, that what is given to the Prieft, is given to the Lord, and that the Prieft, like him whole Reprefentative he is, loveth a chearful and liberal Giver. The Tenth Part of all your Revenues is but a fmall Matter to give him. The Fir/I fruits of all your In- creafe is fomething better,; but it is your vo- luntary Oblations that muft crown all. For your Comfort, you cannot err by giving too much, even tho' you give away more than your all ; for the more and the oftmer you give, the better. Your Offspring, your Family, your Creditors may not blefs you for it ; but the Prieft will.

The Ecclefiaftical Flrft Fruits, that is, the Jirft Years Profits of Bi(hoprics and Benefices after their Avoidance, as they ftand rated in the King s Book, was formerly in this Kingdom paid to the Pope, but alienated to the Crown. at the Reformation. Queen Anne^ in the third Year of her Reign, fettled the Revenue ariiing from fuch Fir ft Fruits^ and Tenths, as a per- petual Fund for the Augmentation of poor Liv~ tngs, and the better Maintenance of the poorer

Oat. p. 62, (13,

( 122)

Clergy, whereby they have once more reverted to the Church. This Grant,, however ujeful it may be at prefent ; fhould it always be con- tinued, the Confequences that may arife from

it in future Ages, I dread to mention;

but you, and your Catholic Friend will mention with Pleafure. Nothing lefs it feems will fatisfy his Appetite, and a voracious one it is, than the Tythes and firft Fruits of all our PoffefTions.

Nor are thofe alone fufficient j , when he has

fleec'd his Flock, by 'Tythes and Jirft Fruits-,

next they are to devote the Remainder of

their Subilance to him, in voluntary Oblations. This Gentleman's Stomach would digeft Church Revenues, as a Wolf would Lambs, or a Kite

Chickens. I truft Sir, I can fafely pro-

phefy, that his Wifhes will never be fully gra- tify'd in Britain, At Paraguay, in South A- merica, the Miffionary Jefuits have a Settle- ment that muft be moft excellently adapted to our Catech[/ls Taft. Thither I would recom- mend it to him to tranfport himfelf, and if he pleafes, he may take his R-y-1 Mafter, France's political Foot- ball with him. This Settlement, which is computed to contain two Millions of Indians, is divided into 42 petty Principalities, govern'd by that Number of Ecclefiaftical So- vereigns, who are both Priefts and Kings. It abounds with Sheep and bkck Cattle, Timber, Corn, Pulfe, Flax, Cotton, Indigo, Sugar, and Fruit, and with Silver and Gold Mines, tho'

it

( 1*3 )

it feems the Gho/tly Fathers will not own the latter. The Inhabitants, whom they have in the moft abject and abfolute VafTalage, have no Property of their own, and nothing allow'd them but Food and Rayment. Not- withftanding this, they are an active and labo- rious People. They bring all the Produce of the Mines ; all the Provifiona of the Land ; and all the Manufactures they work, into EC- clefiajlicalWarehoiifes appointed to receive them. Not even a Chicken of his own Rearing^ is a poor Slave fuffer'd to eat, unlefs it be cater'd out to him in the Courfe of the Church- royal Allowance. The Trade thefe Holy Fathers carry on at the Expence of their Slaves, and the Re-venue it brings them, not to mention the Gold Duft gathered by the Indians, out of the Wafhes, when the Rivers ebb, is incredible. To keep thefe Slaves in Obedience, as well as to guard againft Livafions, they have a large ftand- ing Military Force, and a right Reverend Ge- neralijfimo to head them. In a Week's Time they can collect an Army of 60,000 Troops, to fight the Battles of the Pnejl and the Lord, againft all Enemies or Invaders, (a) Now 5Vr, would not our right Reverend Ca- techi/l think you, relifh fuch a Settlement as this, where he need not preach up Tytbes, fir ft Fruits, and voluntary Oblations, becaufe,

all

(a) Betagh's Voyaj-e ">'«"* the World 1719. p. 3*3.

di the Treafures of the Land, and all the ta- bour of its Inhabitants, are the Inheritance of Catholic Priefls, and their Subjefts have nothing but the Sweat of their Brows which they can call their own ? What pure Orthodox Religion muft that be, which would conftitute him a

Royal Prieft ? Were he advanced to fuch

£hurcb Royalty as this, and who knows but

he may, if he tries; the Scene would be

probably chang'd, and God muft then become the Pr^e/i s Representative, inftead of the Priefts cpndefcending to be God's!

In the Kingdom of Pegu in the Eaft, the fuperftitious Inhabitants worfhip the Devil, and offer their Addreffes to him by the Medi- ation of the Prieft, whom they call, not as our Catecbift doth, God's Reprefentative, but the Devil's father, (a) Our Author will con- clude, that thefe Idolaters are very much out in their Church Heraldry, and derogate much from the Dignity of his Heaven.born Extraction ; and yet I confefs a Devil that is to be blown orjir'a' out of his Dominions* one can fcarce forbear inferring, that he is created only to Jerve a Turn ; and is, as the Inhabitants of Pegu fug- geft, a Devil of the Catholic Pri eft's own be- getting.

In

[ (a) Atl, A(U p. 66a.

( "5 )

In fome of the preceding Pages it has been obferv'd, that Baptifm gives God a Property in his Creatures, which he had not before. Now we come to Excommunication, which according to our Author is an Ecclefiaftical Rite, that robs God of all Property in his Creatures, and makes them the Property of the Devil. This fays he, <c is difcinguifhed by the Names of " total Separation, and Anathema or Curfe, it " being the greateft Curfe that can be laid " upon Man," and in relation to it, he otv ferves, that " cafting out of the Church" more Myfteries or Sacraments flill ! "is an I- <c mage of cafting out of Paradife, and to be <£ paralell'd with it, that when a Man is ex«- <e communicated out of one Church, he is ex- " communicated out of all ; and any Church *' that receives an excommunicated Perfon de- <e Jerves the very fame Sentence ;" that is, a- ny Church that receives a Perfon that has been devoted to the Devil, when the Devil rejufes to receive him, dejerves to be given to the De- vil itfelf. (a) " When Perfons are thus excom- " municited, they are not only excluded from " Communion in facred Things, but are to be " fhunn'd and avoided in civil Commerce and <c ordinary Conversion j no one is to receive *' them into^ their Houfes or eat at the fame

Tuble

(a) Catech. p. 406.

(126)

tc Table with them ; they are not to converfe <c with them familiarly whilft living, nor per- " form the Funeral Obfequies for them when

*' dead : . They can neither have a Chrifti-

<c an Burial, nor a Chriftian Commemoration " among thofe who are departed in the true ct Faith and Unity of the Church." This dreadful Sentence of Excommunication which our humane and benevolent Author bandies a- bout, feems to be but a new Edition of the old Pagan Excommunication, practis'd in this Land by the Britifo Druids, as related by Cefar. " This Punimment" fays he " is, of all <e others the moft dreadful, for they who lie " under* the Sentence of Excommunication, are " number'd among the moft reprobate and a- " bandon'd : All mun them and fly from them " as from a Peftilence, leaft they mould be " tainted with the Infection. They are ex- <e eluded from all the Privileges, and from the " Protection of Law, and from all the Ho- " nours of the State," (a) But fevere as this Pagan Excommunication was, our Catholic Chriftian' s is much feverer of the two. This Ecclefiaftical thunderbolt as hurFd about by our

Author

(a) Sacrificiis interdicunt. Hsec Psena apud eos e(l gra-

viffima, quibus ita eft imerdiclum ii Numero Itnpiorum ac Sce- leratorum habentur, iis omnes decedunt, aditumq; eorum fermo- nemq; defugiunt, ne quid ex Contagione incommodi accipiant, neque iis petentibus jus redditur, neque Honos ullus communica- tur.

has in former Times been a dreadful Inftrument in the Hands of fpiritual Tyrants. However, blefleci be God and the Reformation for it j amongft Pro tell ants 'tis confider'd at prefent.only as rufty Armor, fitter for Parade than Service ; — fitter to be hung up in Ter- ror, than to do any great Execution. But a- mongft our Cafecbiji's Difciples, I am inclin'd to believe it may have its Ufe ftill. It may contribute to preferve and increafe that Spirit of Devotion to Wooden Gods and Wooden Shoes, and Prie/ls more Wooden than either, which this Gentleman would propagate. 'Tis hard to account upon any other Footing, how fo fo- lemn an Admirer of early Church Antiquity t as our Author profeffes himfelf to be, mould be for the Eftablimment of this Kind of Church Difcipline^ which boafts of no fuch Antiquity tf> recommend it; for I find no Tracks of it in the Chriflian Church, till near 200 Years after Chrift Pope ViBor made Ufe of it as an Ecclefiaftical Racket, wherewith to play off the Bali of Contention.

Should it be afk'd what black and atrocious Crimes thofe Perfons have been guilty of, a- gainft whom your Friend's Catholic Fathers, the Popes of Romey have from Time to Time pro- nounced this dreadful Sentence ? Why truly

their Crimes have been fuch as thefe :

Celebrating Rafter on a wrong Day ; Want of Orthodoxy in the Cut of the Beard -t being

guilty

(128)

guilty of fhilofipbicalHereJy, in maintaining the Doctrine of Antipodes j transferring a Branch of Trade from one Country to another. Thefe, and ten thoufand more fuch Sins as thefe, have from Time to Time provok'd the Catholic High Priefts of Rome, to devote obftinate OfYen- cnders, that is, thofe who will not, or cannot buy Grace and Par 'don , without Pity and with- out Redemption to the Devil ! No Hell then like an empty Purfe ; that fhuts all the Bowels of the Catholic Priefl's Compaffion, and opens all the Sluices of Perdition, to pour down Floods of eternal and relentlefs Vengeance upon the poor penny Jefs Sinner!

By the Ecclefiaftical Laws of this Realm^ Excommunicated Perfons are not allowed Chrifti- an Burial. In the Days when Monkery and Su~ perftition reign'd like Twin Sifters, or rathar rag'd like baleful Meteors without Controul in our Land ; thole who died under the Sentence of Excommunication had their Bodies caft into a Ditch, or cover'd with a Heap of Stones, which according to Hoveden they calPd Imblo- care Corpus. In thofe Times it was the facred Language of Tradition, and Tradition like its nurfing Father the Pope cannot errj that fuch Bodies, however expos'd to the Weather, could not perifh, but would continue incorruptible, as dreadful Monuments of the Divine Venge- ance, that overtook the Contumacious Of-

fenders, (a) Abfurd and extravagant as fuel? Pretenfions were, yet mould your Friend's Ca- tholic Faith ever become eftablifhed in our Land, it would not all furprize me, to fee him plead- ing Tradition and Antiquity in fupport of ths fame Priefl-tvor/hip Superftition.

Whilft I am upon this Subject, a Subject that muft be very grateful to the Catechift's *Taft, as Church Power and Authority appear to be the darling Idols he wor flips : I would beg Leave to tranfcribe, a Very holy and piou$ Form of Excommunication us'd in the Church of Rome. It was wrote by Ernuflus the 5;- fiop, one of the Succe/ors of the Apoftles in the uninterrupted Line, tho* indeed one would fcarce imagine fo, from his meek and merciful Spirit. A Tranjlatlon of it (which I mail make Ufe of here, with fome little Variation) was publim'd in feveral Papers in 1745. It is to be met with, not only in Sir Henry Spetmatfs Gloffary, but like wife in the Leger Book of the Church of Rocbe/ter, now in Cuftody of the Deari and Chapter there.

The Account given of the Original Occafion of it is this : An Allom Worker that belong'd to his tiolinefs the Pope's Allom Works, was brought over to f,ngland) who difcover'd the Secrets of that Trade to the Evglifk Nation,

R fe

(») M&tth.

( 13°)

In vengeful Commemoration whereof, the At- lorn Workers, Englifh ones my Author muft mean, aremoft devoutly curs'd one certain Day in the Year as follows.

By the Authority of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft $ and of the Holy Ca- nons ; and of the immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother and Patronefs of our Saviour ; and of all the Celedial Virtues, Angels, Archang- els, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Cherubims, and Seraphims j and of all the Holy Patriarchs, and Prophets ; and of all the Apoftles and E- vangelifts 5 and of the Holy Innocents, who in Sight of the Holy Lamb, are found worthy to fmg the new Song j of the Holy Martyrs, and Holy Confeflbrs; and of the Holy Virgins j and of all the Saints ; and together with all the Holy and Elect of God j we excommunicate and anathematize this Thief, or this Malefactor N. And from the Threfholds of the Holy Church of God Almighty, we fequefter him, that he fnay be tormented, difpos'd, and deliver'd over with Dathan and Abiram, and with thofe who fay unto the Lord God, depart from us, <we de/ire not to kmw thy 'ways. And as Fire is quenched with Water, fo let the Light of him be put out for evermore, unlefs it (hall repent him, and he make Satisfaction. Amen.

May God the Father who created Man, curfe him. May the Son who fuffer'd for us,

curfe

('3')

curfe him. May the Holy Ghoft who was given for us in Baptifm, curfe him. May the Holy Crofs, which Chrift for our Salvation triumphing over, afcended, curfe him. May the Holy and Eternal Virgin Mary, Mother of God, curfe him. May St. Michael, the Ad- vocate of Holy Souls, curfe him. May St. John the Chief Forerunner and Baptift of Chrift, curfe him. May St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Andrew, and all other Chrift's Apof- tles, together with the reft of his Difciples, and four Evangelifts, curfe him. May the Holy and wonderful Company of Martyrs and Con- fefTors, who by their Holy Works are found pleafmg to God, curfe him. May the holy Choir of the holy Virgins, who for the Honour of Chrift have defpis'd the Things of the World, curfe him. May all the Saints, who from the Beginning of the World to Everluft- ing Ages, are found to be the Beloved of God, curfe him. May the Heaven and Earth, and all the holy Things therein remaining, curfe him. May he be curs'd wherever he be, whe- ther in the Houfe ; or in the Field ; or in the Highway ; or in the Path ; or in the Wood ; or in the Water ; or in the Church. May he be curs'd in Living; in Dying; in Eating; in Drinking ; in being Hungry ; in being Thirfty ; in Fading; in Sleeping; iii Slumbering; in Waking; in Walking; in Standing; in Sit-» ting ; in Lying; in Working ; in Refting ;

R 2

Here for Decencfs Sake I fubftitute the Or- ginaly in the room of the Translation, - iningendo cacandot and in Blood-letting. May he be curs'd in all the Powers of his Body. May he be curs'd within and without. May he be curs'd in the Hair of his Head. May he be curs'd in his Brain. May he be curs'd in the Crown of his Head ; in his Temples j in his Forehead ; in his Ears j in his Eye- brows; in his Cheeks; in his Jawbones; in. his Noftrils ; in his Foreteeth or Grinders ; in his Lips ; in his Throat ; in his Shoulders ; in his Wrifts ; in his Arms ; in his Hands ; in his jFingers ; in his Bread; in his Heart; and in all the interior Parts to the very Stomach ; in his Reins ; in his Groin ; in his Thighs ; in his Genitals ; in his Hips; in his Knees ; in his Legs ; in his Feet ; in his Joints ; and in his Nails. May he be curs'd- in the whole Structure of his Members. From the Crown of his Head to the Sole of his Foot, may there be no Soundnefs in him. May the Son of the Living God, with all the Glory of his Ma- jefty, curie him ; and may Heaven with all the Powers that move therein, rile againft him to damn him, unlefs he (hall repent and make fulj. Satisfaction. Amen* Amen* So be it. (a)

This Excommunication, Mutatis is to be apply'd to one or more, or to any 6-

ther

(a) Spelra. Gloflf. p. 206,

( '33 )

ther Occafion, as well as that recited above. Here we have a flagrant Inftance of the Spirit of the Catholic Church of Romet and I wifli there be any better Spirit that reigns in you i Friend's Catholic Church at Mane be ft er. Even our prefent gracious Sovereign, whom may God long preferye ! is every Year excom- municated at Rome, in the famous Bui la C&n&, It is withal therein ordain'd, that Catholics^ that is Believers of your, or of your Friend's Complexion, mail not be oblig'd to attempt de- throning him, till the Affiftance of a French Power gives them a Profpect of Succeis in tae Enterprize : But if they ihould make any Vo- lunteer Attempts, and mifcarry, their Zeal (Lull be adjudg'd IS^eritorious ; and thofe who fall a Sacrifice to it, mall b^ enroll" d as Martyrs^ that fuffer'd in a glorious Caufe. 'Twas proba- bly this, that tempted your lite unhappy Man- chefter Friends, when executed for their Trt.-;:- ions, to ape the Character of Martyrs: this likewife Accounts for the Religious pours fince paid them j for why may not Wormip them, as the Inhabitants of Goa -Jo dpes, who builds Pagods or Temples, in which to ferve them, (a) Upon clofing the Recital of the above truly G?//;0//V Bull,a Cannon isdifcharg- ed, at which it is faid, the more Superrtitious blind and bigottcd Papifls believe, all the fcV- retics of the Earth tremble ! (b) And

(a} Tavernier's Travels in India, p. 77. jb) Bcnnct of" NewcalUe againft Popery ,p. so,'

i

('34)

And now we are at Goay a Learned Writer gives us a recent Illuftration in an Inftance he met with there, of that Spirit we have beenjuft defcribing. A Prieft, a Catholic one you may be fare, came to buy Fifh in the Market, and finding none left, he demanded a Gentleman's Bargain who had juft bought fome before, The Gentleman civilly excus'd himfelf, alledging that he had fome Friends to dine with him that Day. In- ftead of admitting the Propriety of the Apolo- gy, God's Reprefentative gave him a Repri- mand in very fcurrilous Language; to which he replied with becoming Dignity and Spirit. Hereupon God's Repre/entafivf, the Prieft, let fly the Dart of Excommunication, which pierc'd fo deeply, that befides the Gentleman's begging Pardon on his Knees before the Archbifhop, it coft him above Jeven Pounds Sterling, to procure his Abfolution, (a) and redeem himfelf from the Power of the Devil. — - K good-natur'd and merciful Devil too ! Quoth Pafquin ; that will relinquifh his Rights, and releafe his Pri- foners upon any pecuniary Confiderations what- foever ! But I dare not dwell any longer upon this Subject, leaft I mould Wreftle down upon rayfelf, this very Sentence I have been expo- fing, and provoke your Catholic Friend, in his great Catholicifmt to deal out his holy Curfes

like (a) Hamilton's Voyage to the We ft -Indies, p, 253;

(i35>

like his Sacrcments, by WMefale ; by the Do~ zen againft me !

I could eafily point numberlefs more, fur dities and Super /iitionsy that abound in your Friend's New Gojpel. I could give you not a Jew Specimens only, but a large Mufter-Roll of the Magical Forces he employs, to 'wage War with the Devil. I could lead you through the whole of his Church Difcipline : Shew you what Part of the Tear you are to pray /land- ing, if you would have God to hear your Pray- ers : And what Part of the Tear you are to pray kneeling, if you expect Heaven to be pro- pitious. But I need not inftruct Tou in thefe Things. 'Tis prefum'd Tou muft be properly inftrucled in them already ! And what has been already offer'd, is more than fufficient to con- vince my Proteflant Readers, mould the Revo- lution long mecV;tated by your Friends, take Place j what kind of Religious Principles muffc take Place with it. With New Governors we muft have New Gofpels, and New Gods : And as to Civil Affairs, we muft have all our Old Taxes, and ten thoufand New ones befides them.

The Lands alienated to the Crown at the Reformation, muft likewife revert to the Church. How elfe mould we be able to feed and fupport Swarms of hungry Priejls, of your Friend's Complexion? Swarms of Exorcift-Detuil-dritu~

ing

'ing Ecclefia/ltcs, that demand your Money, not with Piftoh levell'd at your Breaft, but with Anathema s levell'd at your Conference, and let you kno\V what you are to expetty if you do not believe, that the more you give them the better. What a happy Exchange would it be ! I do not mean for you Sir, but for rational confident Protefla?itsy to barter a- way their Eftates and their Senfes, for Old Wives Fables, and New Go/pel Revelations?

But as much Fanatic as I am, 'tis hop'd

by this Time you are convinc'd, that I have no great Fondnefs for either ! Of all Frauds, there are none fo enormous as devout Frauds j of all' Cheats and Impoftures, your fanclify'd ones are the moft dangerous, as well as the moft accompli fti'd. Know you not Sir, that what thole who practice Slight of Hand, call Hocus PocuS) is nothing elfe but a Corruption of the Words Hoc efi Corpus meumy made ufe of by the Papijis, when they pretend to tranfubftan- tiate Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Chrift ? Sojuft/ycontemptttottshzs the Church of Rome render'd herfelf, by her Legerdemain Practices and Pretenfions ! If your Friend the Catechift has done the fame, let him not blame others for pouring Contempt on his Principles, but let him blame thole Principles that jufify and dejerve it. To paint a Monfter in his pro- per Colours and full Proportions, is a fure Way to expofe him !

Relight.

( '37 )

Religion, and the Religion of Jefus Chnft in particular, is a plain, eafy, and intelligible Thing ; adapted not only to the Tafte of Pri?(lst Pbilofophers, and Poets,, but to the loweft Ca- pacity. 'Tis plain and uniform, like the Coat which Je/us wore. It derives a nobler Luilre from its own Native Simplicity, than all the Airs belonging to Super/iitious Grimace, or Theatrical Pageantry can give it. Indeed Religion doth not, cannot confift in Rites and Modes, or any pretended Orthodoxy of Opini- on, but in Reftitude of Life and Manners ; in Purity of Converfation, and the Adornment of our Nature. Suppofing that the Worfhip of Saints or Angels, the Confecration of rotten Bones, or the Bleffing of old Clouts and Rags, were no Part of your, or of your Friend the Cat f drift's Religion j would your Reverence for the Deity be diminifftd? Would the Springs of Benevolence be impaired thereby ? Or would the Contempt of fuch devout Farce and fanfti- Jied Fopperies, contribute in the leafl to wound focial Affections ?

Is living upon Vegetables not from pbilofophi- cal but from fuperjiitioits Motives, a Token of Divine Grace ? Muft he be an Enemy to God, who is a Friend to Englijb Beef and Mutton ? Muft he hate his Neighbour who doth not hate Fowl or Venifon ? Or muft he be a bad Man who eats a good flejh Dinner ? Thefe

Sir are the Principles if I am rightly inftrudt- ed, that prevail among fome gf your Friends,

and thefc are Principles but I forbear.

To argue cooly with an Enthu/iaft, is gene- rally as little to the Purpofe, as it would be to read Lectures of Philofofby to a Man in a Fe- ver.

As it appears from the Language of our Ca- techift, that there are no Treafures too great, •o: too grofs for thofe Church Cormorants^ his Prie/ts to devour, for the more they Jiva/loiv the better -, fo it feems there are no Principles either in Church or State fo abfurd, but you and your Nmij tiring and Jacobite Brethren can digeil them. Sometime ago, I had the Ho- nour to converfe with a Gentleman of your Ca- tholic Friend's Complexion. To mew his great Skill in Politics and Jockeyfiip, he very grave- l\ afTur'd me, that our Breed of Horfes in this Kingdom, was as much degenerated as our Mo- rals, and that we had rear'd no Good ones fince the Revolution. I could not on this Occafion foibesx imagining, that my new Acquaintance had been pupil'd by Mr. Addijorfs Foxhunter -, one of whole political Maxims it was, that there had been no Good Weather lince the Re- idittion. (a) You'll imagine, my Curiofity would prompt me, to learn upon what Grounds he advanced fo extraordinary a Proportion ;

and

(a) Freeholder Number 21,

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and Reafons he had for it too ; as good ones no Doubt as any he could have aiTign'd, for fet- ting up his Idol- Knight- Adventurer on the Bri- tifh Throne ! The Papifts are prohibited by Law, from keeping Horfes of Value ; and they, poor unhappy Gentlemen^ vvhofe Misfortunes our very Horfes and our Country groan under to this Day ! were the only Graziers that could preferve or improve our Breed. To reafon wi'h Perfons of this Stamp, is to talk to the Winds. Their Zeal is as blind and undiftinguifking, but more raging and boifterous.

Amidft our late national Diftra<5tions, the Nonjurors, confidered as an Eccle/lafiical 6V#, and their faithful Friends and Allies that call themfelves Church of England Ncnjurcrs, have been treated with great Tendernefs. This, in- flead of infpiring them with Sentiments of Gra- titude', -the natural Effect of fuch Treatment up- on generous Minds, has fill'd them with dif- dainful Iniult and Triumph. They have upon all Occafions, enjoy'd the Protection of thofe Laws which they daily trample upon, and of that Government which they daily i:ifu!t. And I am very far from envying them any Privi- leges they enjoy, or any Liberty they can. plead for, but the Liberty of -. cutting their Neigh- bours Throats, and making a free People

a Nation of Staves. The leail Senfe of Gra-

S 2

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^ Generofity and Honour, would be a ftrong Tie upon them, to preferve at leaft an exfer- tial Shew of Decorum, towards that Govern- ment, and that Government's Friends, which protects them. Ingratitude wears that black and monftrous Complexion, that an antient Lawgi- ver look'd upon it to be too aggravated a Crime, for human Nature to perpetrate j which was the Reafon affign'd, why he enacted no Laws to profcribe or punifh it. fa) But the antient Persians who had not the fame roman- tic Ideas of the Perfection of human Nature, confidered Ingratitude as a Crime againft the State, and decreed it to be punifhable by the Civil Magistrate. Thofe who were convicted of it, were adjudged deftitute of all Regards to their Friends, their Parents, their Country, and to the Gods -, and as fuch, were punifhed with peculiar Severity and Rigour, (b) Perhaps Sir, you would greatly rcfent it, fhould I in Aliufion to the above, charge the Nonjuring and Jacobite Faction, with being defKtute of all Regards to their Friends, their Parents^ their Country y and to the Gods. However, it would give every Lover of Proteflantifm and Liberty true Pleafure, to fee that Faction con- vince Mankind, that fuch a Charge is not pro- perly fupported. Gratitude, Generofity, and Honour, are Plants that will not thiive in

(») Lycurgus. (b) Vid. Xenoph. Op.

(HO

every Soil. In Nonjuring and Jacobite Soils, they feldom or never flourim.

Herodotus tells us, that the Scythians having made an Expedition to 4fia, which prov'd of long Continuance ; their Slaves in their Abfence invaded their Beds, and upon their Return, re- iblutely took up Arms againft their Lords and Matters. Their Rencounters were attended with various Succefles. At length one of the Scythian Lords aliedg'd, it would be fcandalous to wage War with Slaves upon equal Terms, and propos'd that they fhould be attack'd with thofe Whips and Scourges wherewith they for- merly chaftis'd them. The Scheme took Place, and Succeeded. They who had made a vigo- rous Defence againft warlike Inftruments and Weapons, fled in Confufion before thofe Badg- es of Servility, whofe Smart they had been u- fed to feel. Our 'Tribes of Difajf'e&ion cannot pretend that They are enjlav'd, unlefs it be by their own Vices. Their great Grievance is, that they are not fufFer'd to enjlave others, fo as to enrich themfclves upon the Wreck and Ruins of their Country ! The only Whips und Scourges known to our Conftitution arc, the Inflictions of Juftice, temper'd with Sovereign Mildnefs. But as to our Nonjuring and 'Jacobite Slave s, Slaves to the Slave of France and Rome^ tho* they dread not, yet do they not lighte- oully de/erve the fame contemptuous Punifhment with their Fellow- Traitors the Scythian Slaves ?

Should

Should France's Duke become Britain's King,

. O'

'tis not our "Wives only, that muft be ravim'd from us : No, we muft be robb'd of every Property; of our Eftates ; our Confciences 5 our Laws ; our Liberties ; and even our Lives too ; which indeed are not worth preferving, when our Liberties once become the Prey of luftful Tyranny, and are devour'd by the /&- vage Jaws of Oppreffion. But whatever thefe Men deferve, they enjoy that Protection which they have no grateful Senfe of, and which it would be well for their Country, if they had but the Hearts and Honefty to improve. Thefe Sir are the Men, that by their fecret Confpira- eies, and open Factions, clog and embarafs the Meafures of the Administration ; render it ne- ceffary to increaje the National Expence, to countermine their deftruclive Schemes ; and then rail moft floridly againft thofe Taxes and Debts which themjehes only, have occaiion'd. They do all that they can to debauch and corrupt the Age, by their wicked Principles, and then in- troduce a Spirit of Political Methodijm, and bowl lamentably over our Political Corruptions ! They firft do all that they can to ruin us, and then cry aloud and fpare no.t to complain, that we ate an undone and ruin'd People ! Heavens preferve the Land from being fet on a Flame by fuch State Incendiaries as thefe ! Heavens preferve us from falling a Sacrifice to fuch State Crocodiles^ if I may be allow'd the Metaphor,

that

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that weep over their Country, whilft they eager^ ly labour to devour it !

I am not infenfible of its having been the Cant Language of your Friends , that to charge Jacobites and Nonjurors with Difaffeftion to the prefent Government, or with any Seditious Practices, is mere Party Rant and Ribaldry. The Manchefter Jacobites and Nonjurors in particular, are upon all Occafions reprefented as the mofl loyal Subjects in the Kingdom. — ^~ *Next in Loyalty be fure to thofe whofe Blood fay you, (I venture to translate your Afterijkt into Frenchify 'd EnglifJ^ (aj was unjufily fhed, for being engag'd in the late Rebellion. But Metals are known by their Weight ; Trees by their Fruits ; and Men by their Actions : If you are the loyal People you reprefent your- ielves to be, whence happens it that there has been fuch a Flufh of Joy difcover'd by Tour Friends, I will not fay for the taking of Bergen,

that was a grand Affair ! . but for a

little Seditious Priefl, by Virtue of the Adi of Indemnity, efcaping that Juftice which was upon the Wing to purfue him? Whence was it that the Bells rung on the Occafion, for Days together ? Was it not by Way of grate- ful 1e Deumt for the great and — unde-

(a) Alluding to thefe Lines in the Epiftle to a Friend.

Not Content with Blood.

Juflly perhaps, perhaps, •••**•*• fted, (Do them determine Judge of Quick and Dead.)

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ferved Deliverance ? Whence is it that this,, mall I call him Reverend, Teacher of Babes? has fuch Numbers of his young Fry, as I am