Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

+

'Tis true, indeed, that there is one thing that did, for a feafon, ftagger the faith of fome Sceptics, here, a little; which was, that the Convent of St. Claire at Rome, did once, and still pretends to exhibit an other real caput mortuum, taken off from the very felf-fame fhoulders, by that Infidel Herod. Herodia*, danced, they fay, but poor John paid the piper.

Much pious ink, expreffed from the blackeft and bittereft galls, has been fpilled in this religious contention; and the devout Priefts, on both fides, had been thaking thefe facred heads at one another, for feveral centuries, 'till

Mifs Heredia, the daughter of Herodias..

the

the learned-indeed he must have been inspired, or have found it in the Revelations-Pere du Cange at length published a treatise, on this head; which fufficiently proves, to the meanest capacity, that we folely are in poffeffion of the genuine original phyfiognomy of the Præ-curfor

And as Faith, refting barely in the mind, is looked upon by that Church, to be little better than a pious flumber, unless it exercife its dominion over the waking fenfes, alfo, there are fome devotées here, at present, am told, who after an interval of near eighteen centuries, tafte the flavour of locufts and wild bhoney, ftill fresh, upon his hallowed lips.

[blocks in formation]

CHAP. XXXVIII.

SOME

FAITH.

COME religionifts, among whom was that great light in divinity, St. Auguftin, are reported to have prayed most devoutly to heaven, to have their faith fupplied with fome farther and more improbable misteries, in religion, to believe; as the ftrength of their zeal had given fuch conviction to those they had already received, that it had rendered the ароcalypfe, or obfcurations, of St. John, perfect revelations to them, in the most literal meaning of the expreffion.

Thefe

These pious Fathers of the Church were not contented, it feems, with believing, themselves, all that was neceffary to their own falvation, without multiplying articles to endanger that of others. Such enthufiaftic monopolifts strive to gain heaven all to themfelves, by rendering it fo difficult for other people to get there.

But there are believing conftitutions of mind, and mathematical ones; and is it our fault that we are differently framed? A man may as well borrow an other's works, as his faith, to fave him.

The greatest part of the faith of this world, is rather paffive, than active;

and

and confifts not fo much in believing, as in not doubting-We take tenets upon credit, without examination; and this, with a formulary canted out by rote, compose the too general idea of religion.

A certain female devotée feemed to have formed a very adequate notion of fuch verbal piety, lately; for having read Mr. Deane's treatise on the fouls of brutes, fhe, in real fondness and fimplicity of heart, had her favourite Parrot taught to repeat the Creed and Lord's Prayer, that it might accompany her in the other world: and, not thinking this fufficient to its falvation, fhe was catechifing it through the thirty-nine articles; but it unhappily died, at the

end

1

« AnteriorContinuar »