66 (p. 557). This represented his men- easier than to feign a hypothesis WAT ROMANISM. JATERTON literally dosed his | Paganism in Europe. That natreaders with his Romanism, ural adhesion becomes amazingly which makes it a subject of legiti- strengthened in the case of Romanmate comment here. Let almost ism, the most subtle and successful, any religion of purely human origin, the best organized, and apparently with a regular priesthood, become the most permanent of religions of established and acquire a history corrupt human nature, based on and traditions, and hardly any rea- certain scriptural truths, or some of sonable means can extirpate it, al- their aspects, and innumerable suthough it may disappear when its perstitions, that took possession of followers, uninfluenced from with- an originally divine building, or the out, quarrel among themselves, and, framework of it, and turned it into as in the case of Mahometanism, another structure, and applied it, move like an avalanche, carrying with with its traditions and associations, it every object in its course. The for the most part, to other purposes less reason a devotee has for believ- and towards other objects than the ing in the origin and truth of such original ones. By systematically a religion, the greater seems the and perseveringly stimulating and difficulty in getting him to renounce manipulating the religious instincts it, particularly among Asiatic races, and faculties from their very birth, and as was illustrated in the fall of it has taken a transcendent hold on the imagination and obedience of its followers, notwithstanding the clouds of witnesses-moral and intellectual, historical and biblicalthat surround it, and question, dispute and disprove all its peculiar dogmas. It is then no wonder that Romanists should remain Romanists (for a religion of some kind, coming to them from without, they must have) when men of the great est candour, diligence, and capacity have had to undergo a struggle somewhat like a convulsion in nature, before they could break the spell that bound them, and a similar struggle in acquiring a new faith, both taking place at the same time, and frequently leaving the person a roaring infidel. Little chance, therefore, is there of such impulsive and illogical, and, in some respects, weakminded men (to say nothing of women) like Waterton, by their own efforts or the assistance of others, being apt to renounce the faith in which they were carefully reared before their earliest recollection, under the impressive influence of the absolute submission of their parents, and the ghostly nature of the priests' instruction and ceremonial, and embrace another which holds as an abomination that which they formerly worshipped, in the face of the wonderfully efficient means used by the priests in looking after their sheep," and guarding them against the "wolves," which, of course, include everything outside of their fold. 66 Here we have the most absolute obedience and belief in THE CHURCH, whatever it may teach, and the consequent safety in the other world, by virtue of paying dues, and discharging easily performed duties, and making confession and receiving absolution from time to time, and especially at the hour of death, at the hands of the visible, audible, and tangible being with whom the devotee has to do, perhaps his own child or near rela tion. Romanism, by captivating the senses, with its seductive music, incense, and gorgeous ceremonial, and forms of worship generally, and particularly the mass and confession, and absolution, that enthrall the soul, becomes part of his nature, which he will not and cannot doubt any more than he would his own existence, or that of the amulets on his person to keep him constantly reminded of being a "son of the Church;" but if such a thought is entertained it becomes a heinous offence, that requires a corresponding penance before it can be forgiven. The very essence of his religion is to believe and receive everything taught by his Church, and close his ears against everything to the contrary. In short, the worshipper is passive in the hands of the priest, who undertakes everything for him on his yielding implicit obedience to his commands, as those of the Church; and the priest becomes to him the door-keeper of heaven, without whose permission. there is no admittance. On the other hand, we have the priest so far raised above every dignity known to man that even kings in secret grovel at his feet, and receive from him pardon and a passport to purgatory, or have them withheld, or rendered of no effect even if given, according to the intention or inattention the priest when pronouncing them, or the quality, reality or completeness of the confession; * and there they remain till released by the alms and suffrages of the faithful paying for masses for their deliverance; which masses will be of said as long as they are paid for, for the Church does not publicly profess to know or teach when souls are released, and passed to a state of final happiness. In virtue of his consecration, which separates him from all earthly relations, the priest becomes a member of a world-wide caste, that is exalted above any order that can be conceived, and that secures him provision for life, almost as if he were independent of Providence for a sustenance; as well as immunity against arrest or punishment by any person or power outside of the Church, where Romanism is completely in the ascendant. Even if raised from the dunghill, he is yet eligible to the office of our sovereign lord the Pope," who is "above all principalities and powers;" and although filling an humble position in the Church, and yielding implicit obedience to his superiors, he can confess and pardon even that superhuman dignitary, as if, in short, he were a part of the Godhead itself; for priests confess and pardon priests on all occasions, no less than the most ignorant devotees. And let anyone wallow in the mire every day of his life, he can go to the priest and make confession and receive forgiveness, paying, of course, a fee on the occasion. The most memorable events in the lives of priests, before or after consecration, are the first sin they pardoned, and the first wafer they converted into a god to be worshipped. This "mystery of iniquity" is propagated, bodily and mentally, from age to age, and becomes the daily life, and hope for happiness in a future state, of countless millions; and the dignified sacerdotal position in society, as well as the "bread and butter," of the principals, managers, or governors, with no apparent prospect of it ever coming to an end. And not only that, but it makes converts among ritualists, and that floating part of the population, of both sexes and all ages and classes, 66 that, in the language of St. Paul to Timothy, are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth;" and (which is not so surprising) among those who have little more knowledge of religion than the instinct of nature-"that intellectual and emotional want that is as common to man as instinct is to the brute creation for the ends which it has to serve. Every religion of which we have any knowledge, except what has been revealed in the Scriptures, seems to have sprung from the exercise of this natural instinct, which was doubtless accompanied originally by a revelation. So deep is the darkness and mystery surrounding the origin and degradation of religion, and the innumerable forms of worship and superstition to which they gave birth, that we may dismiss the questions from contemplation so far as they could illustrate any one, in whole or in part, known to us, except in the matters of sacrifice and prayer. But even these are worthy of little regard, inasmuch as in the cases of the enlightened Greeks and Romans, St. Paul tells us that "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils (demons) and not to God" (1 Cor. x. 20). And the prayers which accompanied their sacrifices, as well as their supplications in general, no matter how sincere they were, doubtless went in the same directioncertainly to beings that existed only in the imaginations of the worshippers; as illustrated by Plato-the divine and godlike Plato-when he said, "Let us pray," and thus began: 66 O Pan, and ye other gods of this place;" and by Socrates when he said, "Crito, we owe a cock to Æsculapius; pay it, and by no means neglect it." God did not altogether abandon men to themselves, the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly for *Disquisition on the Gipsies, p. 502. 66 seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. i. 20). Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our heart with food and gladness" (Acts xiv. 17), although "in times past he suffered all nations to walk in their own ways" (verse 16), "because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things, wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness" (Rom. i. 21-24). "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. wants or vices of its members, the growth of a priesthood, and the nature of their organization, doctrines and ceremonies, and the manner in which these were presented to the worshippers, the lapse of time, and the political or social convulsions of society, as well as the corruption or abuse of the religion itself, such as it was, influencing the question of a faith taking or keeping possession of a people where a revelation was not given, or brought to bear upon them. 66 Many of the religions of human nature doubtless had their origin in the spontaneous and gradual growth of superstition and imposture, modified, systematised, adorned or expanded by ambitious and superior minds, or almost wholly in the conception of these minds."* How a religion or form of worship might have had its origin is illustrated in the adventure of Paul and Barnabas among the rude people at Lystra, when they would have renwho, know-dered divine honours to them as Jupiter and Mercury, but for the objection that was made; when the priest of Jupiter, apparently rushing in on the top of the wave, to be ahead of the people, and the master of ceremonies, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people" (Acts xiv. 13), although he would doubtless have been just as ready to head them in slaying the Apostles, had the current run in that direction.† How a religion has ing the judgment of God, that they Here we have the human mind, while possessing its wants and natural instincts intact, presenting a vacuum in regard to religious knowledge, into which an impostor or enthusiast could force his way, but with much difficulty, and keep possession through the religion he introduced, till dispossessed by some other; the devotions or whims, * 502. 66 Disquisition on the Gipsies, p. been established in modern times, in the memory of people hardly past the middle of life, is illustrated by Mormonism, which has a much greater hold upon its followers than the world is aware of, or willing to believe. The conclusion to be drawn would be, that human nature was formerly, as it is now, capable of inventing a religion, and setting up a worship, and establishing a priesthood, manufacturing it out of nothing, as it were, having everything to seek where nothing was to be found, except the natural instinct of man to receive, and the faculty to act on, what was presented to it. Why, then, could not that self-same human nature, as it got gradually converted to or absorbed in it, and then born into it, take an actual revelation, complete in itself, and applying to this life and the next, and create from or out of it a religion and worship completely its own, but much superior to common Paganism, using its facts, ideas and phrases only to twist and pervert them to other purposes and towards other objects than the original ones," and adding "innumerable superstitions" to it; so that it became a religion of nature, or Paganism, which its followers would 66 their minds, and said that he was a god" (Acts xxviii. 1-6). Deification among the Pagans seems to have been a common occurrence, but it was only that of the true benefactors of mankind that took root and flourished. It was the rule among the heathen emperors of Rome, extending sometimes to members of the imperial family. Thus Tacitus says that Tiberius forbad the "forms of religious worship" at the funeral of his mother, Livia, the widow of Augustus; which was unnecessary, as "it was her desire not to be deified." Claudius, however, rendered her "divine honours," as related by Suetonius. And a daughter of Nero, dying before she was four months old, we are told by Tacitus, I was canonised for a goddess: a temple was decreed to her, with an altar, a bed of state, a priest, and religious ceremonies." 66 afterwards even fight for, as "the faith of their ancestors," or maintain it for contention or filthy lucre's sake, or make it supply the place generally filled by all the religions known among men? When such a revelation had been perverted, God could with much more reason and justice not merely "give them over to a reprobate mind," as he did the heathen, but "send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess. | ii. 11, 12).* We read of the Apostles healing people or striking them dead, or bringing them to life again (which no priest will attempt to do), but never of their having pardoned their sins, for the apparent reason that God alone does that with the really penitent and believing; while the other gifts, being visible and tangible acts, obvious to every one, would serve the purpose of advancing the religion preached, which the pardon of sins could not do, and was therefore foreign to the mission of the Apostles, as applicable to any other offences than those connected with church discipline. But the fountain for the washing away of sins as against God, claimed by a priest, ignorant and immoral as he sometimes is, never runs dry or freezes, particularly while the applicant's money holds out; while St. Peter *This seems to have been the "natural history" of man :-First, we have the race, with the exception of Noah and his fam. ily, destroyed by the flood (Gen. vi. 5-8), without apparently improving it; next, the confusion and scattering of it at Babel; then the Jews-who "received the law by the disposition of angels and did not keep it"-dispersed over the earth, for their wickedness; and lastly, the way in which the Christian Revelation sooner or later treated. All these cast a certain light over the "darkness and mystery surrounding the origin and deg. radation of religion, and the innumerable forms of worship and superstition to which they give birth." was |