The following objection however will perhaps relish more with people of plain underftanding. Tranfubftantiation is a very extraordinary miracle, reiterated every day and in every corner of the earth, by priests not always remarkable either for piety or for morality. Now I demand an answer to the following plain question: To what good end or purpofe is fuch a profufion of miracles fubfervient? I fee none. But I discover a very bad one, if they have any influence; which is, that they accustom the Roman Catholics to more cruelty and barbarity, than even the groffett favages are ever guilty of: fome of them indeed devour the flesh of their enemies; but none of them, the flesh of their friends, efpecially their greatest friend. But to do juftice to people of that religion, I am confident, that this fuppofed miracle has no influence whatever upon their manners to me it appears impoffible for any man ferioufly to believe, that the bread and wine ufed at the Lord's fupper, is actually converted into the body and blood of our Saviour. The Romish church requires the belief of tranfubftantiation; and a zealous Catholic, out of pure obedience, thinks he believes it. Convince once a man that falvation depends on belief, and he will believe any thing; that is, he will imagine that he believes: Credo quia impoffibile eft *.

That

A traveller defcribing the Virgin Mary's houfe at Loretto, has the following reflection. "When there are so many faints "endued with fuch miraculous powers, fo many relics, and fo

many impregnated wells, each of them able to cure the most "dangerous diseases; one would wonder, that phyficians could "live there, or others die. But people die here as elfe"where; and even churchmen, who preach upon the miracles "wrought by relics, grow fick and die like other men." It is one thing to believe, it is another thing to fancy that we believe. In the year 1666 a jew named Sabatai Levi appeared at Smyrna, pretending to be the true Meffiah, and was acknowledged to be fuch by many. The Grand Signior, for proof of his miffion, infifted for a miracle; propofing that he should prefent himself as a mark to be shot at, and promifing to believe that be was the Meffiah, if he remained unwounded. Sabatai, declined the trial, turned Mahometan to fave his life. But obferve the blindness of fuperftition: though Sabatai was feen every day walking the streets of Conftantinople in the Turkish habit, the Jews infifted that the true Sabatai was taken up into heaven, leaving only behind him his fhadow; and probably they moft piously fancied that they believed fo.

That our first reformers, who were prone to differ from the Remifh faith, fhould adopt this doctrine, fhows the fupreme influence of fuperftition. The Lutherans had not even the excufe of inattention: after ferious examination, they added one abfurdity more; teaching, that the bread and wine are converted into the body and blood of our Saviour, and yet remain bread and wine as at firft; which is termed by them confubftantiation. I am perfuaded, that at this time not a fingle man of them harbours fuch a thought.

Many perfons, proof against a ferious argument, are fufficiently clear-fighted to difcover falfehood when put in a ridiculous light. It requires, I am fenfible, a very delicate hand to attack a grave fubject with ridicule as a teft of truth; and for that reafon, I forbear to offer any thing of my own. But I will fet before my readers fome excerpts from a book of abfolute authority with Roman Catholics. Though tranfubftantiation be there handled in the most ferious manner, with all the ceremonies and punctilios that naturally flow from it, yet to my tafte, nothing can be contrived to give it a more ridiculous appearance. The book is the Roman Miffal, from which the following is a literal translation.

"Mafs may be deficient in the matter, in the form, "in the minifter, or in the action. First, in the mat66 ter. If the bread be not of wheat, or if there be fo great a mixture of other grain that it cannot be call"ed wheat bread, or if any way corrupted, it does not "make a facrament. If it be made with rofe-water,

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or any other diftilled water, it is doubtful whether it "make a facrament or not. Though corruption have begun, or though it be leavened, it makes a facrament, but the celebrator fins grievously.

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"If the celebrator, before confecration, obferve that "the hoft is corrupted, or is not of wheat, he must “take another host: if after confecration, he muft ftill "take another and fwallow it, after which he must al"fo fwallow the firft, or give it to another, or preferve "it in fome place with reverence. But if he have "fwallowed the first before obferving its defects, he "must neverthelets fwallow alfo the perfect hoft; be"cause the precept about the perfection of the facra

66 ment,

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ment, is of greater weight than that of taking it fasting. If the confecrated hoft difappear by an acci"dent, as by wind, by a miracle, or by fome animal, "another muft be confecrated.

"If the wine be quite four or putrid, or made of unripe grapes, or be mixed with fo much water as to fpoil the wine, it is no facrament. If the wine "have begun to four or to be corrupted, or be quite 66 new, or not mixed with water, or mixed with rofewater or other distilled water, it makes a facrament, "but the celebrator fins grievously.

"If the priest, before confecration, obferve that the "materials are not proper, he muft ftop, if proper ma "terials cannot be got, but after confecration, he

muft proceed, to avoid giving fcandal. If proper "materials can be procured by waiting, he muft wait "for them, that the facrifice may not remain imper"fect.

"Second, in form. If any of the words of confe"cration be omitted, or any of them be changed into "words of a different meaning, it is no facrament; if they be changed into words of the fame meaning, "it makes a facrament; but the celebrator fins grie"voufly.

66 Third, in the minifter. If he does not intend to "make a facrament, but to cheat; if there be any part of the wine, or any wafer that he has not in "his eye, and does not intend to confecrate; if he "have before him eleven wafers, and intends to con

fecrate only ten, not determining what ten he in"tends in thefe cafes the confecration does not hold "because intention is requifite. If he think there are

ten only, and intends to confecrate all before him, "they are all confecrated; therefore priefts ought always to have fuch intention. If the priest, thinking, he has but one wafer, fhall, after the confecration, "find two ficking together, he must take them both. "And he mult take off all the remains of the confecrat"ed matter; for they all belong to the fame facrifice. "If in confecrating, the intention be not actual by wandering of mind, but virtual in approaching the

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"altar,

"altar, it makes a facrament: though priests fhould "be careful to have intention both virtual and actual. "Befide intention, the priest may be deficient in "difpofition of mind. If he be fufpended, or degraded, "or excommunicated, or under mortal fin, he makes "a facrament, but fins grievously. He may be defi"cient alfo in difpofition of body. If he have not fafted from midnight, if he have tafted water, or any "other drink or meat, even in the way of medicine, he cannot celebrate nor communicate. If he have taken meat or drink before midnight, even though he have. not flept nor digefted it, he does not fin. But on account of the perturbation of mind, which bars de"votion, it is prudent to refrain.

"If any remains of meat, fticking in the mouth, be fwallowed with the hoft, they do not prevent com"municating, provided they be fwallowed, not as meat, but as fpittle, The fame is to be faid, if in "washing the mouth a drop of water be swallowed, provided it be againft our will.

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"Fourth, in the action. If any requifite be wanting, it is no facrament; for example, if it be cele"brated out of holy ground, or upon an altar not con"fecrated, or not covered with three napkins; if there "be no wax candles; if it be not celebrated between "day-break and noon; if the celebrator have not faid "mattins with lauds; if he omit any of the facerdotal "robes; if these robes and the napkins be not bleffed "by a bishop; if there be no clerk prefent to ferve, or "one who ought not to serve, a woman for example; "if there be no chalice, the cup of which is gold, or "filver, or pewter; if the vestment be not of clean "linen adorned with filk in the middle, and blessed by a bishop; if the priest celebrate with his head cover"ed; if there be no miffal prefent, though he have it "by heart.

"If a gnat or fpider fall into the сир after confecra❝tion, the priest must swallow it with the blood, if he can: otherwife, let him take it out, wafh it with "wine, burn it, and throw it with the washings into holy ground. If poifon fall into the cup, the blood "must be poured on tow or on a linen cloth, remain

" till

"till it be dry, then be burnt, and the ashes be thrown upon holy ground. If the hoft be poifoned, it must be kept in a tabernacle till it be corrupted.

"If the blood freeze in winter, put warm cloths "about the cup: if that be not fufficient, the cup in boiling water.

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"If any of Chrift's blood fall on the ground by negligence, it must be licked up with the tongue, and "the place fcraped: the fcrapings must be burnt, and "the ashes buried in holy ground.

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"If the priest vomit the eucharift, and the species appear entire, it must be licked up moft reverently. "If a naufea prevent that to be done, it must be kept "till it be corrupted. If the fpecies do not appear, "let the vomit be burnt, and the afhes thrown upon "holy ground,"

As the foregoing article has beyond intention fwelled to an enormous fize, I fhall add but one other article, which, at the fame time, fhall be extremely fhort ; and that is the creed of Athanafius. It is a heap of unintelligible jargon; and yet we are appointed to believe every article of it, under the pain of eternal damnation. As it enjoins belief of rank contradictions, it seems purpofely calculated to be a teft of flavish fubmiffion to the tyrannical authority of a proud and arrogant prieft *.

I

RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.

N the foregoing chapter are traced the gradual advances of the fenfe of Deity, from its imperfect ftate among favages to its maturity among enlightened nations, difplaying to us one great being to whom all other beings owe their existence, who made the world, and who governs it by the most perfect laws. And our perception of Deity, arifing from that fenfe, is fortified by an intuitive propofition, that there neceffarily must exift

*Bishop Burnet feems doubtful whether this creed was compofed by Athanafius; though his doubts, in my apprehenfion, are fcarce fufficient to weigh against the unanimous opinion of the Chriftian church.