fons, each of which has the nature and all effential attributes and perfections of the one only true God, and are all equal in power and wifdom; and call this horrible invention unSearchable mystery: That these priests and creed-makers fhould farther dare to add to this doctrine of a trinity, the doctrines of original Sin, infinite Satisfaction, and eternal punishments; the doctrines of adoration of images, praying to a dead woman, angels, and faints, purgatory, feven facraments, tranfubftantiation, adoration of the facramental bread, auricular confeffion, and the fupremacy of a pope; and fo far pervert the principal end of the gofpel, (which was folely to induce men to the practice of folid virtue and inward holinefs,) as inftead thereof to fubftitute innumerable commutations of penances, pilgrimages, indulgencies, and fuch outward bodily exercifes, as have quite outdone the Jewish rites, and tranflated the religion of Chrift from the inward to the outward man, from the fpirit to the flesh, from the foul to the body;

This is a furprizing incident, we must confefs. With amazement we see the doctors depart from the written word to tradition and fancy, and follow giddy imagination into the wood of errors and fuperftitions. We must own they have brought the worship of God to nothing. They teach for doctrines the commandments of men.

Nor is this the whole of the fad affair. Wemuft allow christianity is fo greatly debased, that if any of us refolve to truft in the Lord, and will not lean to the understanding of the priefts; will not bow down to their pride, nor fubfcribe to their ungoverned devices; will only ferve Almighty God, and act up to the propriety of reafon and nature; rejecting the worship of Mary and faints, the wafer and pofts, and the mysterys which have coft them fo much care and pains; and making it our fingle aim to improve in divine knowledge and true goodness, and become perfect in holiness, by faithful watchfulnefs and conftant efforts; then they proceed upon bloody principles, and, contrary to the rules of the gofpel, doom us to the most dreadful inflictions by their decrees of councils, which are more binding than the divine law, according to the doctrine of the Romish church. This is a frightful picture of chriftian religion. How can we account for the thing?

The reafon is, noble Zulima, that true religion had ftill the fame adverfarys to encounter with, the devil and paflions of men. They introduced idolatry, polytheism, and cruelty, into chriftianity. The mystery of iniquity began to work even in the days of the apoftles, and in procefs of time perverted the truth. In the place of faith in one fupreme, over-ruling fpirit, and one mediator or fub

fubflitute, the glorifyed Jefus, in the place of laws for the perfecting of the faints, and all the facred inflitutions of chriftianity, popery brought in tricks and charms, and forms and ceremonys, mediators innumerable, a queen of beaven, and a trinity in unity. The devil and the popish priests in conjunction destroyed very early that proper, fpiritual, true devotion, which is worthy the fupreme Being, and becoming the relation we bear to him; destroyed primitive order, and the fober beautys of holynefs; and inftead of them, introduced the Romish mass, and rites the most ridiculous and burthenfome; fucceffors of the pagan gods in officiary dignity, relics, bulls, plenary indulgences, notes to St. Peter, privileged altars, and papal fecuritys: In fhort, fuch invented pietys, forgerys, and fables as are worthy of laughter and of tears; of laughter, for their improbability and abfurdity; and worthy of tears, as thofe wicked men have imposed them on the world for chriftian religion.

It was impoffible for popery at once to arrive at this height of audaciousness and impiety, and therefore, her infernal fpirit by degrees formed the apoftacy we have at prefent. Till the ftate became chriftian, in the reign of the Roman emperor Conftantine the Great, about 312 years after Chrift, the papal tyranny could make no appearance, nor S 3

give

And

give disturbance to the world for want of civil power. Its theologers only fpeculated. They could not act. But when this emperor turned christian, built beautiful churches, gave them rich plate, and endowed them with lands to fupport the minifters of religion, then pride and ambition began to rule in the breafts of the bishops of Rome, and to corrupt the whole clergy. And as the fucceffors of Conftantine continued the fame favors to the ecclefiaftical state, the fecular and fpiritual powers were foon blended, and the vilest diforders enfued, both in theory and practice. The popes became abfolute princes in the year 756, and appeared one after another mere monfters of men. the prelates frequented the courts of kings; were of their councils, and as feudatorys commanded armies. They medled in the government and confultations of state, and the fame perfons were bishops, counts, and dukes. The very monafterys be-gan to acquire fiefs and baronys. Riches and power engroffed the fouls of the priests, and the facred fpiritual office was intirely dif regarded. Then corruption, like a wasting flood, overfpread the chriftian world, and the religion of the holy Jefus was almost loft in the new abominable religion of Rome. The merciless Spirit of popery now raged. Idolatry every where prevailed. The fpirituality,

=

tuality, purity, and

reasonableness of the E chriftian worship were intirely destroyed by : the execrable priests.

life and power.

Religion had loft its

But notwithstanding this deplorable corruption of the holy religion, and that the - church had abandoned herself to a reprobat ftate, had loft her beautiful fimplicity, and appeared with the ornaments of gold and pretious ftones: that the popes became unmindful of the divine commands, and the falvation of fouls, and applyed their minds wholly to mundane greatness, -to fecure that worldly grandeur they had acquired by forgery and villany: that the clergy in general were no longer the difpenfers of divine things -no longer regarded fanctity of life, the advancement of truth, and love towards God and man; but moft audaciously and fhamefully abandoned themselves to ambition, covetoufnefs, and the most abominable licentioufnefs: And that the catholic, apoftolic, and primitive doctrines were by them changed into direct impietys, and things deftructive of chriftian fociety: Yet ftill, the eternal truths which Christ and his apostles taught, were preferved in the facred records of our divine religion, and refided in the purity of the hearts of the faithful few. Some pious and true chriftians there were in all the nations of christendom, who abhorred the