Faith is felfish and vain, and fuch Religion is falfe and abfurd.

CONFORMITY is the Word! it is the Mother of all Virtues, and the Sanctifier of all Crimes. It is, in fine, All in All. And yet, fo weak and blind am I, that I take this fame applauded Conformity to be in fome Cases a very great Sin. If a Man, for Inftance, in the Worthip of God, follow the Authority of any Church whatsoever, and diffent at the fame Time from the Suggestions and Perfuafions of his own Conscience; it is certain, that he does not worship God at all, but mocks him, adores Men, and condemns himself. If, on the other Hand, he think his Soul in Danger, or in no Way of being edified in any Church, though ever fo Orthodox; he ought to defert it, and join with that which appears to him better. If I fhould thwart or difturb my Confcience, by bowing fashionably to the Altar, I would ask the Clergy, whether ought the Altar or my Conscience to be first or most regarded? He who believes at random, and obeys blindly, may give great Satisfaction to Churchmen; but he neither knows the Gospel of Truth, nor obeys the Precepts of the Holy Ghoft..

IT is a furprizing Thing, the Selfishness and Pride of Man! What Prieft is there that (in Difputes of the most trivial Nature) does not grow hot and eager for Victory, and angry if his Opinion does not prevail? In Spiritual Affairs, this Spirit of levelling all Men to our own

Conceits

Conceits, is ftill fiercer; and Religion, which was given and intended to fubdue the Paffions, is turned into an Engine to raise them. We are much more zealous that Men fhould conform to us than to Holiness, and would rather have them obedient than godly. How many High-Church Parfons would not rather fee their Parishioners drunken Churchmen, than Sober Diffenters?

LAYMEN are at leaft as capable of judging of Error as the Clergy, and more proper, as having no Intereft on either Side of the Que ftion. However, the latter have ufurped this Privilege wholly to themselves, and with good Policy; for it has wonderfully answered their great Ends of Power and Wealth. We are not therefore to wonder that many of them give much more Countenance and Quarter to the moft heinous Immoralities, which are only Sins against God; than to the least Variation from an Orthodox Opinion, which is an unpardonable Sin against Themselves. The greatest Mistakes, when involuntary, are innocent in the fight of God; but in the Eyes of the Priests, the fmalleft are often damnable. Nay, many a Man has been pronounced a Heretick, and delivered to Hell and the Devil, for his pious Searches after Truth, and his devout Adherence to it.

THUS we fee that God may be pleased, and fome of the Clergy provoked, by one and the fame Action. From hence it wofully hap

pens

pens, that weak Men and Profligates, who will do and fay as they are bid, without any Biafs from Reason and Confcience, are careffed, encouraged and promoted; while the Wife and Virtuous, who cannot abandon Truth and the Fear of God, to promote the Craft, and humour the Pride of affuming Men, are browbeaten, reproached and perfecuted. Mr.Whiston, and the Parfon of his Parish*, are known Inftances of this fhameful Truth.

I know feveral, who, notwithstanding their avowed Disbelief of the Gospel and all Revealed Religion, are in high Esteem with the High-Clergy; because, though they deny our Saviour, they reverence his Succeffors; and are zealous for the Hierarchy, though they laugh at Religion. The truth is, if a Man be but a hearty Churchman, it is never asked whether he be a Chriftian. Profligates, void of common Honefty, and common_Sense, have been, and are ftill, reckoned True Friends to the Church, and courted by the Ecclefiafticks, as their Patrons and Defenders. And indeed, where Religion is turned into Faction, fuch Measures and Alliances are natural and neceffary.

BUT, in the Opinion of us Chriftians, a wicked Liver, whether he be a Believer or no, is an Enemy to Religion, which is propagated

* St. Andrew's Holbourn, where the late Dr. SACHEVERELL was then Rector.

and

and fupported by Example; and to human Society, which is maintained by the Bonds of Morality. Whereas a good Man, though a Heretick, is a Friend to Religion, Virtue, and his Country. To conclude: He who is a Rebel to the King of Kings, is like to prove but an ill Subject to his Vicegerent; and as bad a Pattern to his Fellow-Subjects.

G.

20

NUMBER XXVII.

Wednesday, July 20. 1720.

Of FASTIN G.

R. Burnet tells us, in his Letters of Travels, that the Priests of Italy have found out a Secret to make Men miferable, in fpight of all the Abundance and Profufion wherewith Nature hath bleffed that happy Climate. They measure their own Happiness by the Peoples Calamity; enjoy no Pleafures in which they take any part; nor are

fatisfied

fatisfied with all the Plunder and Depredations which they make upon them, unless they can alfo heighten their own Relish, by making the little which they leave to the Laity, infipid and tastelefs.

As one Inftance of this Truth; he informs us, that the Priests have made it a Principle of Religion in the People, to mingle Water with their Wine in the Cask, which foon fours it; whereas they always keep their own pure and unmixed, because they fay that it is to be used in the Sacrament: and fo he observes, that Travellers can drink no good Wine, but what they buy from the Convents.

FOR this and fuch like Reasons they preach Penances, Mortification, Fafting, and a Contempt of worldly Riches, and of all thofe earthly Bleffings, which indulgent Heaven has given to wretched Mortals, to alleviate their Sorrows, fweeten their Calamities, and make the naufeous Draught of Life go down; whereas we cannot better fhew our Acknowledgments and Gratitude to the Author of them, than by making a proper Ufe of the good Things which he has given us, and by enjoying them in every Degree, which will not deftroy that Enjoyment, and change it into a Miffortune.

If we drink or eat more than our Heads will carry, or our Stomachs digeft, Diftempers, Indiscretions, and fometimes Murthers fucceed;

3

and,