luted by Saracens and Turks, the holy fathers of the church, in the space of four years, fent over 600,000 of their dear children to wrest it from them, who all died facrifices upon it, and afresh confecrated it with their blood. Yea, above two millions of chriftian lives from firft to laft, fell in this enthusiastical and mad attempt. That compleatest fyftem of villainy that ever oppreffed the earth, calls itself, and by many ages and kingdoms has been reverently acknowledged, as the holy catholic church. Yea, that livelieft image of hell itself, the Court of Inquifition, its officers, tribunal, &c. are all HoLY; even its very jails are confecrated places, they are fanta cafa, holy prisons. Whither will not the superftition and wantonnefs of priefts hurry them, if not curbed by lay-difcretion? It looks as if the infernal powers were sporting themselves with human fottishness, and trying to what depths of ftupidity they could fink them. We laugh at the Egyptians for worshipping leeks and garlic, and holding cats and oxen in religious veneration: But will not after ages more juftly laugh at us, for confecrating ftones and timber, and paying a religious regard to houfes and plats of ground?

Vic. Not religious regard neither; that would make it idolatry.

Gent. As to its idolatry, look you, Sir, to that; but that the regard paid is religious, admits

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but of little doubt you will not call it civil. 'Tis fet apart by a religious officer, for a religious purpose, with religious folemnity, by prayer, &c. No merely civil perfon is able thus to confecrate an house or piece of ground; no merely civil perfon (i. e. no one who is unbaptized or excommunicated from the chriftian church) hath right to lie in this holy ground; 'tis therefore a religious, not a civil regard, which is paid to our churches and their yards. And why it is not as great ftupidity for chriftians to pay religious refpect to a plat of earth, or an house, as for Egyptians to pay it to an ox or a cat, I profefs I cannot fee; of the two, methinks the latter is much the most excufable. There is fome image of deity, there is life in these; in the other there is none.

And as you have mentioned idolatry, you will give me leave, Sir, to afk, why is image or idol-worship fo offenfive to God, and fo strictly forbidden? Is it not chiefly, that it weakens men's belief of the omniprefence of the deity, and represents him as confined more to one place than another? This, God refents as derogatory to his honour, and injurious to the cause of virtue and true religion: And yet, what is that bewing towards the altar and the East, which is practifed amongst us, but a dangerous approach towards this popifh and pagan worfhip? For when the congregation are taught VOL. III. N

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to turn about from the wet or the fouth, and devoutly worship towards the Eaft, how natural is it for them to think that the GOD whom they worship is more prefent THERE, than in any other quarter; for if he were not more present THERE, why fhould they thus folemnly and conftantly turn towards it? But, if this practice tends to cherish fuch wrong apprehenfions in the common people (who in all ages and all countries have been too prone to debase and confine the divine majefty in their conceptions of him) I fhall not flick to pronounce it a very dangerous advance towards idolatry and image worship. From worshipping towards the altar, 'tis but too eafy to pass to the worshipping the altar itself. Our learned clergy know, that in fome fuch manner as this, the worship of images at first flid into the church; and from fo small a beginning, that enormous corruption which now overspreads fo vaft a part of the chriftian world chiefly arose.

Vic. I own, Sir, the juftness of your remarks, and can only fay that I wish, and am certain multitudes of my brethren join heartily in the wifh, that our liturgy were revifed; its exceptionable paffages amended or expunged; that indifferent things were left indifferent; that no other terms were made neceffary to chriftian communion than Chrift hath made neceffary; and that none of the Lord's minifters should be con

ftrained

ftrained to deny the Lord's table and the Lord's bread, to thofe whom at the fame time they verily believe to be the Lord's faithful and accepted fervants, and to belong to his houfhould of faith.- Till the things you have now remarked on, and fome others that might be mentioned, are fet right, our church can never hold up its head with boldness. Infidels will laugh, will teize and infult; and from the abfurdity of fome established doctrines and forms of worship, draw prejudices and cavils against christianity itself.

Those who diffent from her will too juftly retort upon her the heinous fin of schism, she has long branded them withal; in as much as by her unfcriptural rites fhe makes a grievous rent or divifion in the chriftian church, rejecting those whom Chrift receives; and cafting out from her communion those whom she must believe to belong to the communion of faints, and to be real members of Chrift.

Gent. To fpeak freely, Sir, to me it seems manifeft, that a church fo unequally poised with the weight of immenfe revenues and grandeurs on one hand; and with the lightness of superftitious forms and enormous claims on the other, can never be well established; it carries the principles of diffolution in its very frame-Its honours and wealth will keep many, no doubt, attached firmly to its intereft: But-may it not N 2

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be feared, that in fome future age the firft rapacious hand that shall find itself able, will seize the rich prey? That the revenues which now fupport it, will fome time or other prove the occafion of its ruin? Like the temple of Belus, that once richest and most facred treasure of the earth, which Xerxes deftroyed, to enrich himfelf with its wealth. But-here is company I fee coming, whofe prefence will put an end to our talk upon these subjects.