Thou nurse of vain and curst idolatry!
Thy faith to Christ is blackest blasphemy!

gether unsatisfactory, as the whole of the decalogue is but short,
and every part is of the greatest importance. The Papists call the
Virgin Mary "the queen of heaven," Regina cali, latare, al-
leluiah. This is an expression borrowed from the idolatrous lan-
guage of the heathens. They pray to her sometimes as to a deity,
and not as to a mediator or intercessor. Their prayers to the
Virgin Mary as an intercessor are incessant and innumerable, not-
withstanding what St. Paul has said, that there is one God, and
one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
1 Timothy, ii. 5. They have "the rosary of the blessed Virgin,"
and "the litany of our lady of Loretto." They call the Virgin
Mary, our Lady of Loretto; because, as they say, some angels took
the house in which she lived in the Holy Land, to Loretto, in
Italy. The Roman Catholics also (I defy contradiction, for I write
with their prayer-book before me) pray to St. Fabian and St.
Sebastian, to St. Gervase and St. Protase, to St. Bernard and St.
Dominic, as intercessors. At the elevation of the host, the Roman
Catholics say, "Most adorable body, I adore thee with all the
powers of my soul." Some of the Popish writers acknowledge, that
if the real presence were not contained in the sacrament, their
church would be guilty of as gross idolatry as was ever practised by
the heathens. As it is of great importance, I cannot here for
bear making some further observations upon this matter.
It may
be proved by arguments, as convincing to a candid mind as ma
thematical demonstration, that the real presence is not contained
in the sacrament; and, therefore, that the Papists are flagrant
idolaters. In the creed of Pius IV. before his succession to the
papal chair, which is thought by Roman Catholics to be the essence
of orthodoxy, it is said, "I do profess, that in the most holy sa-
crament of the Eucharist, there is truly, really, and substantially,
the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our
Lord Jesus Christ; and that there is a conversion made of the
whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the wine into
the blood; which conversion the Catholic church calls transubstan.
tiation." Some Protestant writers have used as strong an argu.
ment against transubstantiation, as can be used against any erior
whatever. It is obvious to every one, it cannot be controverted,
that our Saviour himself instituted the sacrament. Now, say the
Protestants, how could he eat his own body, and drink his own.
blood? If our Saviour had converted the bread into flesh, and the
wine into blood, it is reasonable to suppose, that his disciples would
have made some scruples about eating human flesh, and drinking
human blood. His disciples were Jews, who by the law were
strictly commanded not to taste even the blood of animals, while
they ate their flesh. And it is the custom of the Jews at this day
to squeeze the meat which they eat, to make it as devoid as pos-
sible of blood. If, therefore, the disciples did not hesitate in any
manner at taking the sacrament in the way it was administered by
their Lord, we have a right to conclude, that they thought him
speaking figuratively and not literally, when he called the bread
his body, and the wine his blood, as when he called himself a

BOOK THE FIFTH.

THE ARGUMENT.

Further invocation of the Spirit of Truth---Though our Sa viour appeared truly great and like a God when he distri buted health and peace, yet his benevolence had an higher taim. He meant to advance the eternal happiness of man, by teaching him the most important and salutary truths---He applied his life to this purpose, and at last died a martyr for the good of all mankind-The sermon on the Mount-The excellence of its doctrines--The comfort that arises from following them--The misery that attends neglecting themOur Saviour was averse to every kind of persecution for dif ference in religious matters--When the two disciples wished him to call fire from Heaven upon the Samaritans, who were schismatics and apostates, he mildly refuses, and corrects their indiscretion-Address to intemperate and sanguinary bigots, and to the Church of Rome The virtues of our Saviour's mind-His regular discretion-He avoided the persecution of a foe, where honour and fair conscience would allow-But where the interest of society required it, he exposes the vices of those in power-He satirises the King-As he is going to Jerusalem, he foretels the siege and the destruction of it--Her enemics shall cast a trench around it when her children are within it-Shall keep them in on every side-And shall not leave one stone upon another (Luke, xix. 41, 42, 43, 44 )—The extacy of the multitude upon his entranceHe enters as it was foretold by the prophet (Zech. ix. 9, 10.)-The rulers of Jerusalem, who looked for a temporal Messiah, are disgusted with him-One of his disciples through avarice betrays him-Reflection on the love of money---The insults that are offered to him--His crucifixion and the attendant circumstances---Affectionate and grateful observations upon

him.

WITHDRAW not yet thine aid, O Truth divine
But gracious to thy vot'ry still incline!
I still thy influence propitious ask,
For not completed is my holy task.

Though great, magnanimous, and like a God,
Our Saviour did appear, when he bestow'd
Fair health and peace in distribution free,
With all the tenderness of soft humanity;
Yet his compassion had a higher reach,
The best and most important truths to teach.
The bad and stubborn to reform he meant,
To guide the stray'd, instruct the ignorant,

5

10

And universal virtue to increase,
From which might follow universal peace.
For this severest toils he underwent ;
To this be all his sacred studies bent;
To this great theme he all his life applied,
Fearless of danger, and for this he died:
He died with more than an heroic mind,
A martyr for the good of all mankind.
And thus that true benevolence of soul,

Which, while he liv'd, no troubles could controul,

Which no ingratitude could ere repress;

(For souls sublime are happy still to bless,
Though the oblig'd are barren to return,
Or with contemptuous pride the giver spurn)
Which not the worst injustice could abate,
The most unmerited and bitter hate;
Was to the height of fair perfection borne,
Of a disgraceful death by the triumphant scorn.
When from the mount the multitude he taught,
Was not each word with truest wisdom fraught?
Did ever man proclaim such things before?
Was ever utter'd such celestial lore?

15

20

25

30

How mild! and how affectionately bland!
How simply, how majestically grand!
What just, what pure, what beneficial sense!
What gentle, but resistless eloquence!

35

"Tis like fair Hermon's or like Zion's dew,
Wont their blest virtue largely to renew.
'Tis to fatigue like balmy sleep or rest,
Like cooling water to the thirst-opprest.
To them these holy precepts who pursue,
The sweetest satisfaction will ensue;
But they who their benev'lent spirit scorn,
By the keen darts of anguish shall be torn,
Shall rage in wild, or in forlorn despair shall mourn.
Though he delighted to convince the mind,

He never violence to reason join'd,

He bore no zeal with persecution fierce,
From ev'ry deed of cruelty averse.

45

40

50

Whose gentle gospel it contrasts as far,
As nature of antipathy can bear;

door and a vine. If the bread in the sacrament is converted into the real body of Christ, should we not expect to see parts of a body, distinguished by head, and hands, and feet, instead of a round unvaried mass of bread? If an experiment were made upon common, and what is called consecrated bread and wine, would they not grow mouldy and sour in the same proportion of time? We have the evidence of our senses, the best evidence, against the doctrine of the real presence. That there is a conversion in the manner all the Roman Catholics contend, in the sacrament, implies a power in the worst of men of working a miracle whenever they please. For the candid part of them must allow, that some of their clergy, and some of their popes, have been extremely vicious; and I on the other hand will grant, that some of the clergy, as well as of the laity, in their communion, have been remarkable for their virtues. Who can read the works of the celebrated prince of Conti, a Roman Catholic, and not be pleased with his many amiable vir tues? He contends against the immoral tendency of the stage with the purity of a primitive Christian. St. Paul says, in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, that some of those who followed "the man of sin" (the pope), were to follow him with all deceivableness of unrighteousness." By which phrase, I conceive he meant, that they were to suppose themselves doing right when doing wrong.

To return to my observations relative to transubstantiation, I think it has been well observed, that God made man, but man cau never make God. It is most certain, the Popish priests say, that the bread which they have consecrated is God, that it has the power of working miracles, a power which is irresistible. I once had a curious pamphlet in my possession, "The School of the Eucharist," written by a Jesuit, and published with licence, in French, at Lisle, in 1672. It was afterwards published in English, by Dr. Clagett, in 1687. In the preface, the Jesuit calls the heretics" hair-brained people," for denying the real presence in the sacrament; and says, that as they have renounced their reason, he will send them to "school to the beasts," who have acknowledged this truth, He gives a multitude of instances from various Popish authors of different animals having bowed down, and paid respect to the holy sacrament. Among other instances, he says, "A for quils the hen he had carried away, by virtue of the holy sacrament." St. Gregory the pope tells us, that St. Boniface, whilst he was a young child, standing at the door of his lodging, he perceived a fox running away with a hen in his mouth. Immediately away he went to the church, and placing himself before the holy sacrament, he made this prayer to it, "Lord, I beseech thee to preserve the pullen which my mother feeds in her back-yard, for the sustenance of her little family." Having done this, he returned to his lodging, where this fox appeared again, with the hen in his mouth, and laying down the hen, fell down dead at the foot of this child. S. Gregor. Dialog. lib. 1. If this be not idolatry and blasphemy, if this be not worshipping as God, what we have made with our hands, I know not where we can find Idolatry.

As filth, sweet cleanliness; as darkness, light;
Deformity, fair grace; hell, heav'n all bright.
The self-sufficient Pharisee repin'd,
That Christ with publicans and sinners din'd.
But he, the sick and not the healthy, said,
Requir'd the learn'd physician's cautious aid:
And told them by his Father he was sent,
To make the bad, not righteous, penitent.

80

85

Thou who from vice know'st such excess of care,
That it but little differs from despair;

Whose pamper'd body with disease is fraught,
Or prodigality to want has brought;
Or fraud to grinning infamy has led,

90

Making thee wish to hide thy odious head;
Yet ere distress to suicide beguile,

Pause on eternity's dread verge awhile.

Let thy great Saviour's all-subduing word,

To thy perturbed spirit hope afford,

Who said, that penitence, through boundless love,
Will make rejoicings in the realms above.

Go to thy closet, secretly retire,

And strive to wake devotion's latent fire;

95

100

Strike on thy wicked heart, that heart of rock,
Which reason, piety, and love would mock;
(As Moses in the desert struck the stone,
And out the water gush'd, till then unknown)
Then if the tear should trickle down thy face,
That tear which is the sign of coming grace,

105

I would recommend the reader, if he is willing to see a plain, authentic, and unaggravated account of the cruelties and persecutions of the Inquisition, to "The History of the Inquisition, by Philip a Limborch." Dr. Chandler, the translator, says, in his preface to this work, that Mr. Locke, that incomparable judge of men and books, gives it the highest character, and recommends it for its method and perspicuity, and the authorities by which it is so abundantly coufirmed, and pronounces it a work in its kind absolutely perfect." I would here recommend the reader to another work, "A Letter from Rome, by Dr. Conyers Middleton." By this letter, which is written with admirable learning and ingenuity, we shall find that incense, holy water, white surplices, processions, wax tapers at noou-day, with other customs of the Roman Catholics, are adopted from the Pagans, and not from the primitive Christians.