and, if we spend faster than our Incomes will fupply, there is a fure Foundation laid for future Want and Mifery: But nothing can be more abfurd or impious, than to make Abstinence from Food or Pleafures meritorious, any farther than it conduces to Health, or qualifies us for Bufinefs. Almighty God referved but one Tree in all Paradife from our first Parents; but the Priests would keep them all from their Pofterity.

BESIDES, the Luxury of the Rich (when it does not exceed the Bounds of Virtue and Prudence) is the Wealth and Support of the Poor, and the best-judged Charity: For, what we give in grofs Sums to, or for the Ufe of thofe who appear to be in Neceffity, is often mistaken, and applied to maintain prefent Idlenefs, or reward paft Extravagance; and fometimes too, I doubt, is pocketed by those who are trufted to distribute it: whereas whatever is laid out upon the Produce of Labour, and for fuch Manufactures as employ Multitudes of People, can never be mifapplied. It might eafily be made appear, that there is not a Piece of wrought Silk, Linnen, or Woollen Cloth, which has not contributed to the Maintenance of more than an Hundred Thousand industrious People, who must be all kept alive one Way or other.

As it is the highest Crime to deftroy our Beings, fo it is proportionably wicked to endeavour to make them miferable: The Glory and

Honour

Honour of God are beft confulted, in promoting the Happiness of Mankind. It is profane, and a kind of Blafphemy, to attempt to perfuade People, that the good God takes pleasure in the vexing and tormenting his Creatures. He is not pleased by human Sacrifices, nor by human Sufferings of any Kind: A pale Afpect, the Griping of the Guts, wry and distorted Faces, and being Ghofts before our Time, will contribute to no Ends of Religion; and therefore, I confefs, that I cannot fee how Fasting can ferve God, or anfwer any -Purposes of Devotion, or indeed can enhance any Appetite, unless to a good Dinner.

NOTHING Confequently can be more ridiculous, than for the Romish Clergy to tell us, that any Part of Religion confifts in fafting Days, and fafting Weeks; which oblige the wretched People to infipid and unwholesome Diet, whilft they indulge themselves, and riot in the richest Wines, and the luxurious Dishes of Salmon and Turbatt; with all the coftly Inhabitants of the Liquid Element. Befides, it is impolitick, as well as uncharitable; it difcourages Trade and Induftry, depopulates Nations, and depreciates Matrimony, by rendring the People unable to maintain and raise their Families.

RICHES and Labour are two Words which fignify the fame Thing. Nature spontaneously fupplies but little to the Ufe of Man; all the reft is the Produce of Invention and Industry: And VOL. I. there

L

therefore whatever does contribute to make Mankind idle and lefs ufeful to one another, conduces fo far to their Want and Mifery. One Holy-Day, ftrictly kept, robs the Poor of more than a whole Year's Charity will fupply. A little loose Money picked up at the Church-Doors, and afterwards divided between the Parfon, Church-Wardens, and a few favourite. Objects, will make but poor Amends for the Taxation of the Nation, and of every Perfon in it, with the Lofs of a Day's Labour, and Profit of his Trade; which Lofs probably cannot amount to less than 'I'wo Hundred Thousand Pounds, without having any Regard to the Extravagance and Debaucheries committed upon those Days; which often confume the Acquifitions of a Week, and render the common People listless, and unwilling to return to their Labour again. I may therefore venture to affirm, that there is more Charity in taking away one Saint's Day, than in building and endowing Twenty Colleges.

HOWEVER, to do Right to my Countrymen and their genuine Clergy, I must freely confefs, that we fuffer very little from the Penitential Obfervance or Fafting Part of our HolyDays; for the Poor do not faft at all, unless they can get nothing to eat; and the Rich, in Imitation of their Guides, hold out no longer than is neceffary to digeft their former Exceffes, and get better Stomachs to a double Dinner: as old experienced Sinners often live a Day or two with Sobriety and Innocence, to enjoy a

Debauch

Debauch the remaining Part of the Week. At the Universities, as I am told, it is quite given up, and there is not more Epicurism than on thofe Days; and to their Churches there are ancient Veftries annexed, which are the confecrated Repofitories of Pipes, Sack and Tobacco, where the Reverends take regularly a Whiff and a Cup, to prepare them for the Fatigues of the enfuing Service.

BUT how little foever Holy-Days and stated Fafts contribute either to the Temporal or Eternal Happiness of the Laity, yet the Romish Clergy have been able fufficiently to find their own Account in them. When all other Shops are fhut, theirs are open; where they fell their Spiritual Cargo of Grimaces, Vifions, Beads, Indulgencies, and Maffes, for Silver and Gold, Lands and Tenements; and to enhance the Value of their Merchandize, and perfuade the People of the Reasonableness of fuch an Exchange, they make it their Business, and exert all their Endeavours, to depreciate worldly Happiness, and cry down all the good Things of this Earth, that they may have them all to themselves. If they can extinguish the Appetites which God has given us, and teach us the Secret to live without our Eftates, or to make us think it dangerous to live on them, they hope to have them for their pains; for who can have a better Title to our Superfluities than our fpiritual Guides, who have infpired us with fo much refined Devotion, and have given to us lafting Estates in Paradife, in lieu of a few momentary L 2

Plea

Pleafures, and frail and earthly Tabernacles below?

By thefe Arts, and many others, which I fhall fhew in the Progrefs of this Paper, the Priests are become poffeffed of fo much Dominion and Wealth.

T.

NUMBER XXVIII.

Wednesday, July 27. 1720.

B

Of AUTHORITY.

Y Faith is often, if not most commonly, meant, an inward Perfuafion or determined Affent of the Mind to a religious Propofition affirmed, or denied; and fuch Confent can never be given but by the Conveyance, and from full Conviction, of the Senfes, or the manifest Operation of the Holy Ghost; and therefore muft depend wholly upon what appears to be infallible Infpiration, or infallible Information. In this Senfe of the Word, I doubt there can be no fuch thing in the World;

for