All thofe falfe miracles by which you shake the credit due to real ones, the numberless abfurd legends with which you clog the truths of the gospel, ferve only to extinguish the pure flame of religion in our hearts. There are too many perfons, who defirous of being inftructed, but who have not the time for acquiring inftruction, fay the teachers of my religion have deceived me, therefore there is no religion: it is better to throw myself into the arms of nature than thofe of error; and I had rather place my dependance on her law than in the inventions of men. Others again unhappily go ftill greater lengths: they perceive that impofture has put a bridle in their mouths, and therefore will not fubmit even to the neceffary curb of truth they incline towards atheism, and run into depravity, because others have been impoftors and perfecutors.

Such are undeniably the confequences of pious frauds and fuperftitious fopperies. Mankind in general reason but by halves: it is certainly a very vicious way of arguing to fay, that because the golden legend of Voraginus, and the Flower of Saints of the jefuit Ribadeneira, abound in nothing but abfurdities, therefore there is no God: that the Catholics have

maf

macred a great number of Hugonots, and the Hugonots in their turn have murdered a great number of Catholics, therefore there is no God: that certain bad men have made ufe of confeffion, the holy communion, and all the other facraments, as a means for perpetrating the moft atrocious crimes, and therefore there is no God. For my part, I, on the contrary, fhould conclude from hence, that there is a God, who after this tranfitory life, in which we have wandered fo far from the true knowledge of him, and have feen fo many crimes committed under the fanction of his holy name, will at length deign to comfort us for the many dreadful calamities we have fuffered in this life; for if we confider the many religious wars, and the forty papal fchifms, which have almost all of them been bloody; if we reflect upon the multitude of impoftures, which have almost all proved fatal; the irreconcileable animofities excited by differences in opinions, and the numberless evils occafioned by false zeal; I cannot but believe that men have for a long time had their hell in this world.

CHA P. XI.

The ill Confequences of NON-TOLERATION.

W

HAT then, it may be demanded, fhall

every one be allowed to believe only his own reason, and to think that that reason, whether true or falfe, fhould be the guide of his actions? Yes, certainly, provided he does. not difturb the peace of community; for man has it not in his power to believe or disbelieve *; but he has it in his power to pay a proper respect to the eftablished cuftoms of his country; and if we say that it is a crime not to believe in the established religion, we ourselves condemn the primitive Chriftians our forefathers, and juftify thofe whom we accufe of having put them to death.

It may be replied, that the difference here is very great, becaufe all other religions are of men, whereas the Catholic, Apoftolic and Roman church is of God alone. But let me seriously afk, Whether the divine origin of our

* See Mr. Lock's excellent letter upon toleration.

religion is a reafon for eftablishing it by hatred, rage, banishment, confifcation of goods, imprisonment, tortures, and murder, and by folemn acts of thanksgiving to the Deity for fuch outrages? The more affured we are of the divine authority of the Christian religion, the lefs does it become weak man to enforce the obfervance of it: if it is truly of God, God will fupport it without his affiftance. Perfecution never makes any but hypocrites or rebels; a fhocking alternative! Befides, ought we to endeavour to establish, by the bloody hand of the executioner, the religion of that God who fell by fuch hands, and who, while on earth, taught only mercy and forbearance?

And here let us confider a while the dreadful confequences of the right of non-toleration; if it was permitted us to ftrip of his poffeffions, to throw into prifon, or to take away the life of a fellow-creature, who, born under a certain degree of latitude, did not profefs the generally received religion of that latitude, what is there would exempt the principal perfons of the state from falling under the like punishments? Religion equally binds the monarch and the beg gar. Accordingly, we know that upwards of fifty doctors or monks have maintained this ex

ecrable

ecrable doctrine, That it was lawful to depofe, or even to kill, fuch princes who did not agree with the established church; and we also know, that the feveral parliaments of the kingdom have on every occafion condemned thefe abominable decifions of ftill more abominable divines t.

The jefuit Bufembaum, and his commentator the Jefuit La Croix, tells us, that it "is lawful to "kill any prince excommunicated by the pope, of "whatfoever country, because the whole world

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belongs to the pope; and that whoever accepts

of, or executes fuch commiffion does a meritori"ous and charitable act.” It is this maxim which feems to have been invented in the mad-houfes of hell, that has almoft ftirred up all France against the Jefuits, who are now more than ever reproached for this doctrine, which they have fo often preached up, and as often difavowed. They have endeavoured to juftify themselves by producing nearly the fame maxims in the writings of St. Thomas D'Acquinas and feveral Dominicans ‡. It is true indeed, that this St. Thomas, the angelic Doctor and Interpreter of the Divine Will, advan

Perufe, if you can get it, the letter of a layman to a divine on the fubject of St. Thomas, a jefuitical phamphlet published in 1762.

ces