What muft were to caufe this Apoftacy, and teach this Dobe the Cha- trine of Demons. For at laft these terms of Apothofe, that facy and the Doctrine of Devils, or of Damons, beteach Do- ing general, the Subjects of Antichrift would al ahould &rines concern ing D4 mons. ways have been able to have faved themselves, bý the help of the doubtfulness and ambiguity of them, in saying, that every berefy is apoftacy, and every lye is a Doctrine of Devils. But fee here, that which makes the meaning of Saint Paul exceeding clear. The Doctrines of Demons were to be taught by Hypocrites, enemies to Marriage, and fuch as fhall forbid the ufe of meats. By the hypocrify or fiction of lyars, feared in their conference, that will forbid to marry, and command to. abstain for meats, which God hath created for them that believe. It may be, there is nothing in the prophecies more admirable, and more particular. We have already obferv'd, that we must not take this as if it were here the Doctrines of Devils, which the Apoftates from the Chriftian Religion were to teach. The Holy Spirit fhews it us by what they have of fair and fpecious, to the end we may know them by thofe particulars, for which they greatly value themselves. We here fee their Character, and afterwards the means whereby they are to advance this Apofacy and worship of Demons. Their Character is, that they greatly affect outward aufterity, in abstaining from Marriage, and depriving themfelves of the use of ordinary meats. The means they use to establish this worship of Creatures, and the Theology of Damons, is hypocrify, fiction and lying. I know not whether one cannot fee in this pourtraiture the Roman Clergy in general, and the Monks was efta Monks in particular, that fo greatly value themfelves upon the Law of Celibacy, their Fafts, and their abftinence from certain Meats. And here. Idolatry upon, that we may fee how admirably the event bisht in anfwers to the Prophecy; we muft obferve, that the Church idolatry began in the Church precifely the very time the fame time, and in the very fame age, and, which Laws of fa fting, and is more, by the very fame Authors as the Laws Celibacy of Celibacy and the Monaftick life did. . 2 It was in the 14th age, Paul the Theban and Anthony, the two Patriarchs of the Monks, lived pretty late in this fourth age. Saint Anthony died Anno 358, and Paul the Theban was dead a little before. Twas at the fame time that men began to fpeak of the Reliques of the Martyrs, to feek after them, and attribute Miracles to them. And a little time after, the Monks that had been hid in the deferts of Syria and Thebais, fpread themfelves every where. Saint Bazil in the Eaft, af fifted by Gregory Nazianzen and Gregory of Nyfa, eftablifht them in Greece; from a termites life he made them pass to a Monaftick one, and gave them rules. Saint Ambrofe in the Weft was as great a Zealot for the monaftical life. In the fame age, Lent, and the Fafts, that confift in the diftinction of Meats, began to be establisht. And it was the authors, of and zealots for thefe ill underfood aufterities, that pushed forwards alfo the worship of creatures. For St. Bafil, St. Ambrofe, and the two Gregories, are the most ancient Authors, in whom we begin to find the worship and invocation of creatures. If we profecute the Hiftory of the Monks, we fhall admire how they have been in all ages the promoters of Idolatry and Superftition. We have a paffage of Ennapins the Heathen, who lived in the time of Theodofius the the fame were by the Monks. Lib, de opere Mo. nachorum. the great, which informs us, that the Monks were the original caufe of Idolatry, the guardians of Reliques. tan, In the life of Edefius he makes a long complaint concerning the violence, which the Chrifians had offer'd to the Temples of the falfe Gods in Egypt, and faith, that Monks were establisht in the place of Canopus, instead of intelligible Gods to worship flaves. So he calls the Martyrs for Christianity; and adds, that thefe Monks redu cing into ashes the heads and the bones of perfons condemned to death for their crimes, made Gods of them, and proftrated themselves before them. Let us fee what they did in Saint Austin's time. Safaith he, fpread abroad a great number of hypocrites, who in the habit of Monks run over all the Provinces, without being fent, never ftaid long in one place, never ftood, and never fate; they fold the members of a Martyr, falle or true. They addreffed themselves to all the World, and required a reward of a rich poverty, or of a falfe and appearing holiness. Gregory of Tours, that lived in the following age, i. e. inthe 6th, faith, that the Franc. 1.9. Monks came to Rome, in the night digged up the bodies near the Church of Saint Paul, and that being gone away, they confeffed they intended to carry, them into Greece, and there make them pafs for the Reliques of the Martyrs. He also gives us the History of a Monk, that pretended to come from Spain, with Martyrs Reliques, and it was difcovered, that they were only roots of certain herbs, with rats teeth and fome other fuch like things. He adds, that there were many the like cheats at that time, who ceafed not endeavouring to feduce the poor people and the ignorant. Hiftor. C. 6. They were the fame Monks that were the zea lous are zealous lous defenders of Images in the feventh and eighth The Monks Age , on which account they fuffer'd fo much, defenders which gives occafion for the fad complaints of of Images. those both ancient and modern Hiftorians, that are worshippers of Images, on account of the great violence that was offer'd to the Monks by the Emperours that were breakers of Images. Conftantine furnamed Copronymus, was their mortal Enemy, as well as he was fo to Images. He made fome of them be whipt, and others of them be dragged through the streets. He is accufed of having burnt a whole Convent, with the best Library of the Eaft. He did crufh, as far as he was able, this generation of vipers, and did feverely chaftise those that would not renounce this fort of life, full of hypocrify. The Monk Theophanes, and lately the Jefuite Maimbourg in his Hiftory of the Iconoclaste, defcribe thefe pretended cruelties in a tragical manner. There is fomewhat of lying without doubt in what these Authors fay; but however, 'tis true, Conftantine did ufe fome severity against the Monks, because in a violent manner they oppofed the defign, which the Emperours had to cleanfe the Church again from the abomination of Images. This is not a point that needs proof; the Hiftorians that are for the worhipping of Images confefs it, and glory in it. 3 the authors ons intro the Church. In the following Ages the new orders of Monks Mons are were in the Weft the corrupters of Religion. They of all the were thofe that brought Tranfubftantiation and corruptithe Corporal Prefence of J. Chrift in the Sacra- duced into ment into the World. It was one Pafchafe a Monk of Corbia, which firft lick't this Bear into shape. They are the mendicant Fryars, that have carried the worship of the creatures, of Saints, and the bleed Virgin, to thofe extravagant heights, The Idola Popilm was heights, that they are at this day abhorr'd by all men of good fenfe, without excepting the Papifts themselves. One need not have very much understanding in Hiftory to be affured of this: The proofs of it may be feen in our just prejudices against popery; for there I have fhewed thefe exceffes, that fmell of the fpirit of reprobation; and that they have had for their authors a Saint Dominick and his facobins, a Saint Francis and his Cordeliers, and generally all the orders of the Monks By what means did thefe perfons eftablish Idotry of the latry? by hypocrify and lying by the hypocrify eftablisht of liars feared in their confciences. Behold preby the Fa cifely the very way by which the Roman Clergy, fictions of and generally the Priests and Monks, as well those the Monks of the East as of the West, have establifht Idola bles and try; by profound hypocrify, by lies and fables, How many falfe vifions were there to establish. the invocation of Saints? How many falfe miracles? You should confult the Legends on this point; and if any will not give himself that trouble, let him read eleven Chapters of our prejudices in the fecond part, from the 11th to the 23th We have given our felves the trouble to make a confiderable collection of the horrid, filthy, fhamefull falfities, which the Papifm, its Priefts and Monks have advanced to uphold the idolatrous worship of Saints, Reliques and Images. And it fhould be obferv'd, that this fpirit of fables was introduced into the Church, exactly at the fame time that the Antichriftian Idolatry began to enter into it. The lives of the ancient Monks Paul, Anthony, Hilarion, &c. were written by St. Jerom, without honefty and judgment. The Hiftory of the Church from this very time begins to be a Ro , manca |