dictory Submiffion to his Presbyter, than a Popish Layman does to his Prieft.

WHEN the Minds of the Youth, and their Paffions, are thus engaged in behalf of certain human Compofitions; when they are taught to reverence Men, who are hired and paid to maintain those Compofitions; are bred up to hate the Perfons of Men of other Perfuafions, to abhor their Doctrines, and think it matter of juft Difgrace to change the Principles of their Education: And when all this is taught as the Dictates of the Holy Scriptures; muft they not, under these Prejudices, read the Scriptures, without understanding them? Is not that Impartiality, which is neceffary towards finding out the true Sense of a Book, intirely taken away? And is not a Partiality, which muft lead Men to mistake the Sense of a Book, introduced?

BUT even this is nothing to what those muft go through, if they dare to understand the Bible differently from what is vulgarly understood in the Country where they live: They will be deemed Hereticks; which is "fuppofed cc to include every thing that is bad in it: It "makes every thing appear odious and de"formed; diffolves all Friendships, and ex"tinguifhes all former kind Sentiments, how"ever just and well deserved. And from the "time that a Man is deemed an Heretick, it "is Charity to act against all Rules of Cha"rity. And the more Men violate the Laws " of God in dealing with him, it is in their

« Opi

« Opinion, doing God greater Service*" And befides being thus put into a Bear-Skin, and made a Scare-Crow; what is called Herefy, undoes Men in their Trades and Callings, fubjects them to Ecclefiaftical and Civil Profecutions, and deprives them of all Preferments in the Church or State. Whereas a Person who understands the Bible, as he is led by the Nofe to understand it, which is for the most part falfly, has not only fair Quarter and Reputation, and all manner of Preferments in Church and State attending him; but may be as lewd as he pleases, provided he have a fufficient Portion of Zeal for his Orthodoxy, or rather for the Orthodox Priest.

Is it not therefore a mere Mock-Show, to recommend to Men the reading of the Scriptures; if, when they read them, they must understand them just as their Master, the Prieft, tells them, under the Penalties of all the foregoing Inconveniences, and the foregoing Rewards, which the Prieft, by his Power and Influence, bestows? Bishop Bramhall tells us plainly, (and too many of our modern Divines agree with him) that "the promiscuous Li"cence which Proteftants give to all forts to "read and interpret the Scripture, is more ແ prejudicial, nay, pernicious, than the over«rigorous

See a Pamphlet entitled, The Difficulties and Dif couragements which attend the Study of the Scriptures, in the way of private Judgment. A Pamphlet generally afcribed to Dr. FRANCIS HARE, formerly Dean of Worcefter, and now Bishop of St. Asaph, and Dean of St. Paul's.

" rigorous Reftraint of the Romanifts." This is Proteftant Prieftcraft with a witnefs! For, as Mr. Chillingworth most judiciously obferves, "He that would ufurp an abfolute Lordship "and Tyranny over any People, need not put " himself to the Trouble and Difficulty of "abrogating and difannulling the Laws made "to maintain the common Liberty, or of "locking them up in an unknown Tongue from "the People; for he may compafs his own "Defign as well, if he can get the Power and "Authority to interpret them as he pleases; "if he can rule his People by his Laws, and "his Laws by his Lawyers. Nay, the more "expedite, and therefore the more likely way "to be fuccefsful, is to gain the Opinion and "Efteem of the publick and authorized Interpreter of them. For by this means he preffes the Laws into his Service, to advance his Defigns; and can, in Accommodation to the Opinion which Men have of the Excellency of the Laws contained in the Scriptures, with a fort of Grace, put a Crown on their Head, and a Reed in their Hands, and bow before them, and cry, Hail, King of the Jews! and pretend a great deal of Esteem, Respect, and Reverence to them, while he is in a more effectual manner misleading the People about their Meaning, than if he deftroyed the Scriptures themfelves, or locked them up in an unknown Tongue from the People.

C.

NUM

NUMBER XXXVIII.

Wednesday, October 5. 1720.

Of Penance and Religious
Revellings.

HAVE, in Two former Papers, confidered the Nature, Ufe, and Confequences of Religious Faftings. I hall, in this, enquire a little into the Merits of Penance, and the Devotion of Festivals; a couple of potent Engines in the Hands of Churchmen.

Joy and Sorrow proceeding, as they do, from certain Causes which neceffarily produce them; the one troubles the Imagination, and the other delights it, whether we will or no. They are different Names given to different Operations of the Animal Spirits, which bring to God Almighty no voluntary Worfhip, and confequently no Worship at all. The fame Disorder in

the

the Blood or Nerves, which discovers itself in Sighs and Groans, would, in a greater degree, bring forth Rage and Convulfions, which are not the Symptoms of a Gofpel-Spirit, but rather the Marks of Spirits difpoffeffed in the Gofpel. People under Trouble, or in the Spleen, are too apt to mistake their bodily or mental Disorders for the Workings of Divine Grace; as if the wife and mild Spirit of God delighted to play childish and mifchievous Pranks with weak and unhappy Men, by filling them with wild Freaks or cruel Agonies. I doubt there are few of these Sort of People, who can give a Reason why the great God fhould be better pleased with a forrowful Heart, than an aking Head.

IF God Almighty be pleased with our afflicting our felves, he must be pleased best when we afflict our felves moft; and a greater Degree of Suffering muft beget a greater Portion of his Favour: And confequently, the cutting our felves with Knives, as did the Priests of BAAL, must be more acceptable to him, than the bare whipping our felves with Rods, as do the Priests of ROME, &c. By the fame Rule, if the endangering of one's Life be well pleafing to him, the deftroying of one's Life must be more pleafing to him; and Despair and Self-Murther are more grateful Inftances of Duty and Devotion to the God of Mercy, than barely being afraid of him, and barely making our Lives miferable. The pious Confequence of all which must be, that the bleffed and beneficent God, who is