תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

God

But, however, I doubt not but that God may in ano- What other ther manner make Provifion for the honeft fober Pagans in Provision another World; for in that very Verfe, in which our may make for Saviour fays, He goes to prepare a Place for us Chriftians; them. he tells us, That in his Father's House are many Manfions. There are many glorious Places or Seats in the Universe, unto which these good. People may be transferred, there to enjoy a confiderable Happiness, though very unequal to the Joys of our Chriftian Parádife. Our Manfion or State of Happiness feems to be the choicest of all the reft, one of our Saviour's own choofing and taking up. In my Father's Houfe are many Mansions; if it were not fo, I would have told you; I go to prepare a Place for you. It is a Metaphor taken from a Harbinger's Office: And the Senfe is this: Let not your Hearts be troubled, ye believe in God, believe alfo in me. In my Fathers Houfe, &c. I would not have you difmayed upon my Sufferings, and be diftruftful about your future State, upon your being initiated into a new Sect of Religion, as if you were not to enjoy fo much Happiness hereafter as the Jews, or other Sects of religious Worship in the World fhall; for in my Father's Houfe are many Manfions; there fhall be fome Degrees of Happiness, fome Seat of Bleffednefs for good People of all Sorts; But I go and prepare a Place for you, I who am the beloved of my Father, and the chiefeft in his Glory, will obtain a Place of the most extraordinary Happinefs for you to abide in.

So that at laft, though it fhould be granted, that you Theifts, that have had a Chriftian Education, fhould be admitted to the State of good Pagans in another World; yet you are a very narrow-foul'd People, that you will afpire to no higher a Degree of Happiness, when it lies eafy before you, only by maintaining your Gofpel-Covenant, which in your Baptifm you have engaged to.

Phil. That is more, Credentius, than I have Faith to believe yet; I have a great many Rubs to get over, before I can come to that. But, however, I have no Abhorrence to your Chriftian Worship, I can go to your Churches upon Occafion, hear a Sermon, and fay my Prayers with

[ocr errors]

you,

you, without any Check of Confcience at all. I have no Reafon to think, but I might lawfully go to an Indian Pagod, and worship the fupreme Deity, though under the Reprefentation of a horfe-faced Image. I fhould ne....... ver flick out to pray to him among Mahometans in a Turkifb Mofque, or hear Mafs in a Popif Chapel; nay, I am of Opinion, I might, as one expreffes it, Summi Entis vim adorare in flofculo, adore the Power of the fupreme Being in a little Flower. For the principal Part of all Religions is the fame, viz. Morality and a good Life, and the common Notions of Good and Evil; fo that I do but laugh at all the little Squabbles of fo many angry Sects in the World one with the other; for my Part I fall out with none of them, for they all agree with me as far as my Creed goes, fo that I have no Reason to forbear Communion with the worft of them. Indeed most of them have added fome Superftructures of their own to natural Religion, which I do not approve; but I can ftep over a hundred Things of this Nature, for the fake of Peace and Unity. And to fpeak freely, I could never approve your Chriftian Zeal and carneft Prayer, to have all the World of the fame Chriftian Religion; for, as the King of Siam has obferved, the Diverfity of religious Worfhips is one of the great Beauties of the Univerfe. For fays that wife Prince to the Perfon who came to him in the Name of an Embaffador from the French King, and propofed to him his turning Chriftian, Iwonder that Prince Should fo bufy himself in a Matter relating to God, for which there is no Sign that God does fhew any Concern himself, as Leaving it altogether to Man's Difcretion. For (fays he) the true God who created Heaven and Earth, and all the Creatures comprehended therein, and who has endowed them with Natures and Inclinations fo various, had it pleased him, when be gave Men Bodies and Souls alike, he could have infused into then the fame Sentiments of the Religion they were to profefs, and have united all Nations under one Law. But 'tis obvious, that Providence permits Variety of Sects and Opini

*An Epiftle of a Deift in Prizcovius's Works, p. 600.

ont,

Ons, because God takes as much Pleasure to be adored with different Forms of Worship and Ceremonies, as to be glorified

the wonderful Diversity of his Creatures, whofe various Beauties fet forth his infinite Power. So that, in fhort, Credentius, I think it every Man's Duty to comply with the Religion established in his Country, whatever his private Thoughts may be concerning it; and that God Almighty is fatisfied with the inward Worship of the Mind, though for Peace Sake he complies with an erroneous outward one. But, however, I hold his Folly inexcufable, that will expofe himself to Suffering and Contempt, rather than comply with a few fimple Niceties, which particular Sects and Nations are fond of; when all of them own natural Religion for their Foundation. In a Word, as fome have boafted themfelves to be Citizens, fo I am a Church-man of the whole World; and though you perhaps may be offended at me for an extravagant Latitudinarian, yet I am fure I have more Reason on my Side, than those narrow-foul'd People, that are hedging in Salvation, and keeping their Communion only within the Bounds of a little paltry Sect.

Cred. I thank you, Sir, for this great Freedom, for Not indifby this Frankness you have laid open the very Soul of ferent, to be of any Deifm; but withal have given fuch a vile Character of it, Religion. as no honeft Man would be very fond of embracing it. I am afraid there are too great a Number of Men in the World of thefe Sentiments, and by whom Religion fuffers more than by avow'd Atheifts; for thofe are open and generous Enemies, whilft the other are ftriking at the Vitals of the Church, as they lie fofter'd in her Bofom. But that you may understand how unreasonable and wicked this Opinion is, be pleafed with me a little to confider,

1. What horrid Hypocrify and Diffimulation it is, to 'Tis Hypo communicate with a Religion, that you do not believe crify. a Tittle of the Truth of. There cannot be a greater Falfity and Cheat in all the World than this is. To tell a Lie, or to act a fhuffling Trick in bargaining, or the like, feldom deceives but a very few; but fuch a wicked Diffimulation, in Matters of Religion, deceives a whole O 2

Congre

Sometimes

Congregation, or it may be in a Man of Figure, a whole Nation This is the bafeft Act which any Man of Honour, or any Pretence to Virtue can condefcend to, fo perfidioufly to deny the Truth, to make Ufe of fuch falfe Arts, and fuch little creeping Tricks, to perfue an Advantage. But what is worst of all, it is the most intolerable Affront to God Almighty that can be imagined, to offer to pay a Worship to him, which we are confcious, that neither he nor our felves do approve, and to join in Prayers and Devotions, which we know muft be an Abo- mination to him. Which muft,

2. Bemore wicked, when the Worship you join with Idolatry. is downright idolatrous. What Excufe can you make for worshiping or falling down before a Popish Hoft, which you believe to be only a Wafer, and you pay to it the -Worthip due to the fupreme God? How can you with-out Horror think of worshiping an Indian Idol, with Pretence it is but a Symbol of the Deity, when 'tis generally but the Reprefentation of fome horrid Figure the Devil uses to appear to them in? You may talk what you please of the Extenfiveness of your Communion; but I proteft, I am fear'd at fuch a Religion as you pretend to, and I think you had better, with the Atheists, openly bid Farewel to all, and lay Claim to none.

Morality Tot the

3. As to what you affert, that the Morality of all Religions is the fame, and is the principal Part of them; I fame in all think, that is a great Mistake. For many Religions are Religions. fo made up of ceremonious Foppery, that Morality is

little taken Notice of in them; and fome retain fuch dangerous Errors and Faults in their Doctrine and Worship, that there is no Communion with them, without Violation of moral Honefty, or intrenching upon the Dictates of narural Religion. As when the Worship is idolatrous, when wrong and injurious Notions are entertain'd of God's Nature, when dead Men, Devils, or Images have divine Honours paid them, when Indulgences are granted to Sin, and Crimes are pretended to be pardoned without Repentance; when a good Intention fhall be allow'd to juftify evil Actions, and the like. So that there is no communicating with

fuch

fuch Religions, without committing an Offence again the ordinary Rules, even of natural Religion, and foun matically and perfidioully deferting that true Religi we have been educated in. Te

4

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

to be

they

Keligin of

Our Coxida

I try.

4. As to what you fay concerning every Man's being obliged to be of the eftablished Religion of his Country, or and to profefs (to fpeak in the ufual Way) all the Tales which the fupreme Magiftrate fhall think fit to allow; look upon this to be the wildeft of all Hobbs's filly Para doxes. For if the Magiftrate be the publick Confcience by which all Men are to be governed, as he afferts, why did God give every Mana Confcience of his own, which natural Religion informs us, every one is to be governed and judged by? There are very few Men can quiet their own Confciences,after the Commiffion of a grievous Crime, only because their Prince might allow it; or believe a Ballad to be Holy Scripture, though there was an Act of Parliament to call it fo. But if we must be of the Religion, which the Magiftrate enjoins, we must make the Magiftrate, God Almighty; for no one has Authority to command any religious Doctrine to be believed, but God. Befides, this Opinion would make Religion the moft trifling and inconftant Thing in the World; a Man might change his Religion as often as he does his Cloaths; and the poor Men of the Frontiers in Flanders fhould be Papifts, Calvinifts, or Lutherans, three different Religions, in fo many Moons. This would be to render contempoible the nobleft Thing we are capable of doing, the Service we owe to Almighty God, and to make it the Sport and May-game of prophane and atheistical Men, "

[ocr errors]

with a

5. But whereas you affert, That God Almighty will sin outbe fatisfied with the inward good Intention and Worship wardly to of the Mind, whilft you outwardly comply with the comply most false and erroneous Worship: This Opinion will faife Reli open a Gate to all the Deceit and Villany in the World. gion. Upon this Principle, Men may murder and fteal, for the Glory of God; and cut Men's Throats, to fave their Souls. There would be no tying any Man by Oath or Compact; lingua juravi, mentem injuratam gero, would

0 3

always

« הקודםהמשך »