made part of the Dramatis Perfonæ in Greek plays. Many other facts might be urged, to prove the low ebb of religion in thofe days: I felect one or two, which probably will afford fome amusement to the reader. Bartolus, the famous lawyer, in order to fhew the form of proceeding in a court of juftice, imagines a procefs between the devil and mankind. The devil cites mankind to appear at the tribunal of Jefus Chrift, claiming them as belonging to him by Adam's fall. He fwells in rage, demanding whether any one dares appear in their behalf. Againft the Virgin Mary, offering herfelf as their advocate, the devil makes two objections; first, That being the mother of the Judge, her influence would be too great; fecond, that a woman is debarred from being an advocate: and thefe objections are fupported by numberless quotations from the Corpus Juris. The Virgin, on her part, quotes texts permitting women to appear for widows, orphans, and for perfons in diftrefs. She is allowed to plead for mankind, as coming under the laft article. The devil urges prefcription, as having been in poffeffion of Mankind ever fince the fall. The Virgin antwers, That a mala-fide poffeffor cannot acquire by prefcription. Prefcription being repelled, the parties go to the merits of the caufe, which are learnedly difcuffed with texts from the Pandects. The memoirs of the French academy of Belles Letters (a) have the following ftory. A monk returning from a house which he durft not vifit in day-light, had à river to crofs. The boat was overturned by Satan, and the monk was drowned when he was beginning to invocate the Virgin Mary. Two devils having laid hold of his foul, were stopped by two angels. "My Lords," faid the devils, 66 true it is, and not a fable, that God "died for his friends; but this monk was an enemy to "God, and we are carrying him to hell." After much altercation it was propofed by the angels, to refer the difpute to the Virgin Mary. The devils were willing to accept of God for judge, because he would judge according to law. "But from the Virgin Mary," faid they, we expect no juftice: fhe would break to atoms every gate of hell, rather than fuffer one to

(a) Vol. 18.

"remain

"remain there a moment who pays any worship to her image. She may say that black is white, and that puddled water is pure. God never contradicts her. "The day on which God made his mother, was a fatal "day to us."

People who profefs the fame religion, and differ only in forms and ceremonies, may juftly he compared to neighbouring states, who are commonly bitter enemies to each other, if they have any difference. At the fame time, diffocial paffions never rage fo furiously, as under the mask of religion; for in that cafe they are held to be meritorious, as exerted in the cause of God. This obfervation is but too well verified in the difputes among Chriftians. However low religion was in the dark ages, yet men fought for forms and ceremonies as pro aris et focis. In the Armenian form of baptifm, the prieft fays at the first immersion, In name of the Father; at the fecond, In name of the Son; at the third, In name of the Holy Ghoft. This form is bitterly condemned by the Romish church, which appoints the three perfons of the Trinity to be joined in the fame expreffion, in token of their union. Strahlenberg gives an account of a Chriftian fect in Ruffia, which differs from the established Greek church in the following particulars. First, In public worthip they repeat Halleluia but twice; and it is a mortal fin to repeat it thrice. Second, In celebrating mafs, not five but seven loaves ought to be used. Third, The crofs ftamped upon a mass-loaf ought to have eight corners. Fourth, In figning with the cross at prayers, the end of the ring-finger muft be joined to the end of the thumb, and the two intermediate fingers be held out at full length. How trifling are thefe differences and yet for fuch differences, all who diffent from them are held unclean, and no better than Pagans they will not eat nor drink with any of the established church; and if a perfon of that church happen to fit down in an houfe of theirs, they wash and purify the feat *. There are few fects founded upon

more

*Chriftians, occupied too much with external forms, have corrupted several of the fine arts. They have injured architecture, by erecting magnificent churches in the ugly form of a crofs. And they have injured painting, by withdrawing the best

hands

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more trivial differences than the Turkish and Perfian Mahometans. The epithets given to the Perfians by the Turks are, "Forfaken of God, Abominable, Blafphemers of the Holy Prophet ;" and fo bitter is their enmity to the Perfians, that the schools of the seraglio are open to young men of all nations, thofe of Perfia alone excepted. The Perfians are held to be fuch apoftates from the true faith, as to be utterly past recovery: they receive no quarter in war, being accounted unworthy of life or flavery, nor do the Perfians yield to the Turks in hatred. Whether coffee be or be not prohibited in the Alcoran, has produced much controverfy in the Mahometan church, and confequently much perfecuting zeal. A mufti, not foud of coffee, declared it, like wine, to have an inebriating quality, and therefore was virtually prohibited by Mahomet. Another mufti, fond of coffee for its exhilarating virtue declared it lawful; " because," said be," all "things are lawful that are not expressly prohibited in "the Alcoran." The coffee-houfes in Conftantinople, were for a long period alternately opened and fhut, according to the taste of the reigning mufti; till coffee, at laft, furmounting all obftacles, came to be an established Mahometan liquor. Religion thus runs wild, whenever it lofes fight of its true ends, that of worshiping God, and of being juft to man. The Hindows hate the Mahometans for eating the flesh of cows: the Mahometans hate the Hindows for eating the flesh of fwine. The averfion that men of the fame religion have at each other for the moft trivial differences, converts them frequently into brutal favages. Suppofe, for example, that a poor man reduced to the extremity of hunger, makes a greedy meal of a dead horse, a cafe fo deplorable would wring every heart. And yet, let this be done in Lent, or on a meagre day- Behold! every zealot is inftantly metamorphofed into a devil incarnate. In the records of St. Claude, a small district of Burgundy, is engroffed a fentence against a poor gentleman named Claude Guillon. The words are, "Having

hands from proper fubjects, and employing them on the legendary martyrdom of pretended faints, and other fuch difagreeable ftories.

"

"Having confidered the process, and taken advice of the "doctors of law, we declare the faid Claude Guillon duly convicted for having carried away and boiled a "piece of a dead horse, and of having eat the fame on "the 31st of March, being Saturday." And he was beheaded accordingly the 28th of July, 1629; notwithstanding a defence above all exception, That he commited that irregularity to preferve his life. How was it poffible for the monsters to perfuade themselves, that this fentence was agreeable to God, who is goodness itfelf!

No lefs prejudicial to morality, than the relying too much on forms and ceremonies, is the treating fome fins with great severity; neglecting others equally heinosu, or perhaps more fo. In a book of rates for abfolution, mentioned above, no juft distinction is made among fins; fome venial fins being taxed at a higher rate than many of the deepest dye. For example, the killing father, mother, brother, fifter, or wife, is taxed at five grofs; and the fame for inceft with a mother or fifter. The lying with a woman in the church is taxed at fix grofs; and at the fame time, abfolution for ufury is taxed at feven grofs, and for fimony at no less than fixteen grofs *.

A maxim adopted by many pious perfons, has a finiling appearance, but in its confequences is hurtful both to religion and morality; which is, That to teftify our veneration for the Deity, and zeal for his fervice, the performing public and private worship, and the fulfiling moral duties, are not alone fufficient ; that over and above we are bound to fast. to do penance, to honour the priesthood, and to punish the enemies of God, i. e. thofe who differ from us in principles or practice. This maxim, which may be termed the doctrine of fupererogation, is finely illuftrated by an author mentioned above. "The duties which a nian performs as a friend or parent, feem merely owing to his benefactor or children; nor can he be wanting to thefe duties without break"ing through all the ties of nature and morality. A "ftrong inclination may prompt him to the performance: a fenti

* A grofs is the third part of a ducat.

"a fentiment of order and moral beauty joins its force "to these natural ties: and the whole man is drawn to

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his duty without any effort or endeavour. Even with "regard to the virtues which are more auftere, and more founded on reflection, such as public spirit, filial duty, temperance, or integrity: the moral obligation, in our apprehenfion, removes all pretence to religious merit; and the virtuous conduct is esteem"ed no more than what we owe to fociety, and to ourfelves. In all this a fuperftitious man finds no"thing which he has properly performed for the fake "of his Deity, or which can peculiarly recommend him to the divine favour and protection. He confiders not, that the moft genuine method of ferving the "Divinity is by promoting the happiness of his creaHe ftill looks out for fome more immediate fervice of the fupreme. Being and any practice recommended to him, which either ferves to no purpofe in life, or offers the ftrongeft violence to his natural inclinations; that practice he will the more readily embrace, on account of thofe very circumftances, which thould make him abfolutely reject it. "It feems the more purely religious, that it proceeds " from no mixture of any other motive or confideratiAnd if for its fake he facrifices much of his ease "and quiet, his claim of merit appears ftill to rife upon him, in proportion to the zeal and devotion which

❝tures.

❝ on.

he difcovers. In reftoring a loan, or paying a debt, "his divinity is no wife beholden to him; because these "acts of juftce are what he was bound to perform, " and what many would have performed, were there 66 no God in the univerfe. But if he faft a day, or

give himself a found whipping, this has a direct re"ference, in his opinion to the fervice of God. No "other motive could engage him to fuch aufterities. "By these distinguished marks of devotion, he has now acquired the divine favour; and may expect in recompence, protection and fafety in this world, and "eternal happiness in the next (a)." My yoke is eafy, faith our Saviour, and my burden is light. So they really are. Every effential of religion is founded on our

(a) Natural Hiflory of Religion.

nature,