The popish priests have admirably aped their predecessors, by building their churches dark and dismal, with figured and painted windows, to let in a false and glimmering light; the structure arched and contrived in such manner as to resound the voice hollow and shrill; with private apartments, cemeteries for their saints, pompous inscriptions, whispering places, secret chapels for confessions, masses, dirges, penances, and other devotional exercises. Like the heathen, they also build their temples solemn and magnificent, in antic and uncommon figures, adorn them with silver and gold, rich carpets, curious statues, and images inlaid with jewels. Their priests appear in gaudy vestments and fantastical robes and caps, and perform their worship with music and affected ceremonies; all which pageantry and farce is calculated and intended to attract the eyes, act upon the passions, amuse, lull, and suspend the understanding, and draw admiration and reverence to those who preside in these fabrics, and attend this pompous adoration. Their bells, also, which call the people together, are contrived to emit such sounds as affect vulgar minds with a sort of superstitious and pleasing melancholy.

I remember visiting a clergyman some years ago at Castle-Eaton Rectory, near Lechlade, in Gloucestershire, and my friend, anxious to interest me, took me to a church two or three miles distant, built, I believe, during the last century; at least, it

was erected by Protestants.

The windows of this

church are unusually large, in proportion to the size of the building, and many in number; the whole of them are of richly painted glass, but the subjects of several windows are ridiculous in the extreme. One, in particular, I well recollect. It represents the jaws of hell, with the devil's assistants furnishing materials for the flames, in wheelbarrows and carts; but how will my reader be surprised when I state the nature of the materials! They were all of one kind, neither wood nor coals-but women! Not a man is to be seen either in the wheelbarrows and carts, or in hell; but figures, in the shape of men, are seen dragging women by the long hair of their heads to the flames. The glass of these windows is said to have been seized in an enemy's prize ship, by one of our ships of war, and brought to England ; and the church in question was erected for the express purpose of receiving the glass. Here we have another forbidding and disgusting portrait of our enlightened Protestant bishops, who could apply such materials to the erection of a sanctuary to the God of mercy.

As Christian priests have become more numerous, have received larger revenues and more leisure, so they have greatly improved on the heathens in this art of deceiving; inasmuch that there is scarcely an imperfection or error in human nature which is not adopted into their scheme, and made subser

vient to their interest. Men of sprightly genius and courage are caught by their ambition, are highly honoured, flattered, and raised up by their general voice to the highest dignities, and then are indulged in all their passions, and gratified by the condescension of dignitaries, who assist them in their ambitious projects. By these arts, those talents which should be nobly employed to free mankind from sacerdotal usurpations, are meanly perverted to support and aggrandize the priestly and antichristian power.

The hierarchy of the Romish church has always found men of violence and impetuous tempers to execute their tyrannical designs, and to take vengeance of their enemies; and the debauched and wicked have been made to buy their peace of Heaven by giving money and lands to the priests. But none contribute so much to advance their system as visionaries and enthusiasts. There are in all countries multitudes of people whom ignorance, pride, conceit, ill habit of body, melancholy and splenetic tempers, unfortunate circumstances, causeless and secret fears, and a panic disposition of mind, have prepared to be the objects, as well as instruments, of delusion. Some of these have been thrust or decoyed into religious houses, or persuaded to lead retired, recluse, and austere lives; to torture and punish themselves with whippings, penances, and fastings, and to walk barefoot, in order to astonish the gaping mul

titude, and thereby gain reverence to the priesthood for their fancied holiness; whilst the governing ecclesiastics feast and riot in delicious banquets, ride in state with coach of four and six, attended by numerous servants in costly liveries; and earth and sea are ransacked, and heaven itself profaned, to maintain their luxury and pride. How closely those men in England calling themselves Protestant and Christian bishops pursue their practices, I shall leave my reader to determine, and hasten to shew, in the next chapter, that this artificial devotion, this mechanical religion, has no existence in Christianity.

63

CHAP. VI.

EPISCOPAL POWER AND USURPATION ÎNCONSISTENT WITH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.

I CANNOT with my best inquiry discover, that, in the whole Christian religion, there are any new rites or ceremonies appointed, or any new offices erected. Nor in the Gospels, Acts, or Epistles, does any thing like a new institution occur, except that of deacons; which office, by modern Christians of established churches, is quite laid aside, unless it may be said to be revived by virtue of the Act of Queen Elizabeth, which appoints overseers of the poor. For as to the modern ecclesiastical deacon, he has no resemblance to the scripture officer, who was appointed to serve tables, upon complaint of the Grecian widows, who were neglected in the daily administration, which the apostles were not at leisure to attend, because of the preaching of the word," and therefore directed the congregation to choose others.*

* Acts, vi.