that they had them so from their ancestors, and they from theirs, till you run backwards to the days of the apostles; alleging, that a change in the worship was unpracticable, since it could not be done in a corner, but in the view of all the world, who, it is not to be imagined, were capable of suffering any great or considerable change to be made in that which was daily in their view, and much in their esteem; therefore he concludes, that every generation adhered to that belief in which they were born, and so no change in any great substantial and visible part of worship could be made. It is true, he applies this only to the belief of the corporal presence, which he attempts to prove could never have been introduced into the church, had it not been conveyed down from the apostles. He hath indeed set off this with all the beauties of wit, and elegancies of style, and much profound reading. But with how great and eminent advantages, both of reason and learning, this pretence hath been baffled, I leave it to the judgment of all who have been so happy as to read Mr. Claud his incomparable writings. And the common sense of mankind will prove this but an imposture, how fairly soever adorned; for if we find it certain that any doctrines or main parts of worship are now received into that church; and if, from the undeniable evidences of history, and writings of ancients, it appear that these things were not received in the ancient church; then it is certain there hath been a change made from what was then to what is now, though an ingenious invention may make appear very difficult to imagine how and when the change came in; especially when it was insensibly and by pieces advanced. If then it be proved, that the fathers believed the elements in the sacrament were really bread and wine, and not changed from their own nature, but only types and figures of the body of Christ, then we are sure a change must have been made, though the ignorance of some ages make it a hard task to clear all particulars about it. It is true, the fathers did highly magnify this sacrament with many expressions, which (though the vehemence of divine rhetoric can well justify, yet) will not bear a logical examen; but when they speak in a cooler style, nothing can be more clear than that they believed not the corporal presence. But may not that reasoning of the impossibility of a change in a worship be as well applied to the

it

taking the chalice from the people, who in reason should be imagined so tenacious of so great a privilege, that no consideration should have obliged them to part with it? And yet we know, nor do they deny, how it was wrung from them about 250 years ago. What may seem less credible than for the people to consent to have their worship in an unknown tongue, and yet we know that all once worshipped in their mother tongue; but that after (by the overthrow of the Roman empire) the Latin tongue decayed, the barbarous worship was obtruded on the world. And what piece of worship is both more visible, and more contrary to the clearest evidence of scriptures, especially to the Commandments, in which the people were always instructed, than the worshipping of images? And though we know well enough, that for the first seven centuries the Christian world abhorred them; yet within a hundred years after that, we find a great part of it bewitched with them. And what can be thought more uneasy for the world to have received, than the pope's absolute authority over all the churches and states of the world? One should think, that though religion and reason had lain out of the way, yet interest and ambition had withstood this; yet we see clearly by what steps they crept up, from being bishops of the imperial city, in an equality of power with their neighbouring bishops, into that culminating height, to which they have now mounted. In a word, we refuse not to appeal to the first four ages of the church, in these matters that we quarrel the Roman church for: we deny not but human infirmity began soon to appear in the church, and a care to gain on the heathens made them quickly fall upon some rites, and use some terms, which after-ages corrupted. But the ruin of religion was, when the Roman empire being overturned by the incursion of the northern nations, in the beginning of the fifth century, both piety and religion being laid to sleep, instead of the primitive simplicity of the faith and worship of the Christians, they turned all their zeal to the adorning of the outwards of religion; and hence the corruptions of the church took their rise.

But I had almost forgot to name some revelations which that church pretends to, even for some of her most doubtful opinions; which are, the visions and extraordinary inspirations of some of their saints, from which they vouch a Divine con

firmation to their doctrines. I confess there is a great deal of extraordinary visions, raptures, and ecstasies to be met with among the lives of their saints; and I fear a great deal more than truth for really whoso will but read these writings, he must confess they are so far from being probable or well contrived, that they speak out their forgery. Alas! whereas St. Paul, being put to glory of visions and revelations, was forced to run back fourteen years for one; their saints are found in them every day. Are they not very credible stories they tell of Christ's appearing to some of their she-saints, and kissing them, giving them rings, being married to them, and celebrating nuptial rites, making them drink out of his side, and leaving on them the prints of his wounds, with many other such like apparitions of the Virgin, and other saints, which are either forgeries, dreams, or the effects of melancholy, or hysterical distempers? And yet these extravagant fables are given out to the people as sacred pieces of Divine revelations.

But the inspiration of the holy writers, on which we found our faith, was proved by their miracles which they wrought publicly in the sight of many, and in the presence of their adversaries, many of whom were convinced by them; and it is certain, that whosoever offers any thing to another's belief, pretending he comes to him in the name of God, must have some evident proof of his Divine mission, since none are bound to believe him barely on his own testimony, otherwise there should be no end of impostures, if every pretender to Divine inspiration were to be believed without proof. Now the way it must be proved is, by some evidence of God's extraordinary · assisting such a person, which appeared always either in prophecies or miracles, but chiefly in miracles under the New Testament; and therefore both Christ and his apostles appeal to the mighty works they wrought, as the great confirmation of their doctrine. If then there be new doctrines brought into the church, they must have the like confirmation, otherwise they are not to be believed.

But here those of that church think they triumph; for miracles they have in abundance: not a relic they have, but hath wrought mighty wonders; nor a country saint, but the curate of the place can gravely tell a great many deeds of his puissance : nor want the images their marvellous achievements;

but wondrously wondrous are the feats the hostie hath performed. Here I am upon a sad subject of that trade of lies and fictions, wherewith the merchants of that Babylon have so long trafficked; of which the sincere among themselves are ashamed. How ridiculous are many of their miraculous narrations! Was it not a worthy piece of the angelical ministration, for angels to go trotting over sea and land with a load of timber and stones of the Virgin's house, till at length they set it down at Loretto, that great devotions might be shewn to it? It is a goodly story for to tell of a saint, that walked so far after his head was cut off, with it in his arms, resting in some places to draw breath; yet he will pass for an infidel that should doubt of this at St. Dennis' church. Who can look on the lives of the late saints of that church without nausea? Gregory's Dialogues begun this trade, which indeed hath thriven well since. The miracles of the Christian faith were grave and solemn actions; but what ridiculous scenical stories, not to say blasphemous ones, meet us about the miracles of their saints! He that would know this, may read the lives of St. Francis and St. Dominic, St. Bridgit and the two St. Catharines, and he will be satisfied to a surfeit. The miracles also of Christ and his apostles were acted publicly, in the view of all; but most of these narrations of their wonders were transacted in corners, none being witnesses but persons concerned to own the cheat. And the doctrine of equivocating was a good cordial for the ease of their consciences, though they swore what they knew false, according to the natural sense of the words which they uttered. Thus we have many fables of Christ's appearing in the hostie, sometimes as a child, and sometimes as crucified, when but a very few of the whole company present were honoured with that amazing sight.

Further, the miracles of the Christian faith were written in the times in which they were acted, that so inquiries might have been made into their falsehood; and the powers that then governed being enemies to the faith, it was safe for its opposers to have proved and discovered their forgery, had they been such. But many of the miracles of Rome are not heard of till some ages, at least years be past, whereby they are secure from the after-game of a discovery; and he were a stout man that would adventure to question the verity of these pre

tences at Rome, where it is the interest of that church to have them all believed, without once questioning them. But how comes it, that in heretical countries, (as they call them,) where there is more need of those miracles, and where they might be more irrefragably proved, if true, since the examiners of them were not to be suspected, yet none of these mighty works do shew themselves forth? Certainly, that they are to this day so rife in Italy and Spain, and so scant in Britain, is a shrewd ground to apprehend legerdemain and forgery in the accounts we get of their later saints. And indeed the contrivers of these stories have not managed their design by half so well as need was; for they have bestowed as many of them on one person, as might have sainted the half of an order. But the gain that is made by new saints and new relics is well enough known, not to speak of the general advantage that church pretends to draw from it.

In fine, though some things among them did seem to surpass the known powers of nature, these ought not to prevail upon us for departing from the truth; since though an angel from heaven preached another gospel, he is to be accursed, Gal. i. 8. If then they have so changed the Christian doctrine by their additions and inventions, that it is become thereby as another gospel, none of the seemingly seraphical appearances they may have among them, though true, ought to reconcile us to it; and that the rather, since we are expressly guarded against this imposture by St. Paul, who gave it as an indication of the son of perdition, that his coming was after the power of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10. And it is part of their curse, that they are given up to strong delusions, to believe lies. The beast also that appeared to St. John, Rev. xiii, 13, did great wonders, so that he made fire come down from heaven, in the sight of men, and deceived many that dwelt on the earth by these miracles which he had power to do. But to conclude this, my greatest quarrel at these forgeries of miracles is, that the people being taught to believe them, and the miracles of the gospel, with an equal certainty, since they have the testimony of the church for both; and they seeing such evident characters of fraud and forgery on these supposed miracles, whereby they are