nation may roufe the courage, or exafperate the vengeance of an injured, if an enlightened people. Where the principles of liberty are understood, the throne of the patriot monarch is the only throne which is fecure. But when reafon has been fubjected to the tyranny of long prescription, and religious bigotry, no fudden exertion is competent to restore its freedom. The twilight must first glimmer, and the day dawn through ages of gradual illumination, ere the perfect light of truth can rife to dispel the terrors of darkness. Bacon ftudied, and Wickliffe taught, without any immediate refult corresponding to the merit of their exertions. Other ages were to elapse before the practicability of deliverance could ex ift, before that flame of reformation could be kindled at the pile of Latimer and Ridley, of which, as they predicted, fo we confide that it shall never be extinguished.

With the corruptions of the Romish church it must be unneceffary to compare, exprefsly, the unviolated religion of Jefus Chrift. The contraft is too obvious to require a minute exem

is an instance of ftill more licentious immorality, p. 451. Eff. 32. where the writer, however, has the modesty to diffent himself from an opinion which he relates to be avowed by many eminent doctors.

plification. No infult to the spirit of true Christianity can easily be imagined, of which, in the manifold abufes of the papacy, fome striking instance is not to be discovered. Christ gave himself a ransom for mankind. Pardons have been lavished by the Roman pontiff on all who would arm to glut his vengeance *; and fold to all who would contribute to fatiate his rapacity y. Chrift fubmitted himself to share the forrows, and participate in the infirmities of mankind; that he might comfort our weakness, and show by the most lively example that he was fenfible to all our wants,

* Hift des Albigeois p. 95.

y "A notable inftance of this hath appeared lately, "when in the year 1709, the privateers of Bristol took "the galleon, in which they found five hundred bales of "these bulls, and fixteen reams were in a bale; so that "they reckoned the whole came to 3,840,000. These " bulls are imposed on the people, and fold, the lowest at "three ryals, a little more than 20d. but to fome at fifty 66 pieces of eight, about 111. of our money; and this to "be valued, according to the ability of the purchaser, "once in two years. All are obliged to buy them against "Lent. Besides the account given of this in the Cruiz"ing Voyage, I have a particular attestation of it by Cap"tain Dampier. He was not concerned in cafting up "the number of them; but he fays that there was such a "vast quantity of them, that they careened their ship with "them." Burnet, iii. Introd. p. xx. cited Jortin's Life of Erafmus, i. 108. 8vo.

When

When the order of the inquifition was instituted by Innocent III. he felected fuch perfons to fill its offices as were most remarkable for the aufterities of perfonal difcipline. He concluded that the fanatic exceffes of mortification, to which they had habituated themselves, would deaden their fenfibility for others: and they, in truth, who inflicted on their own flesh unnatural and fuperftitious penances, were, probably, of all men, most hardened against humanity; least likely to be mollified by tears or difturbed by pity in authorizing the use of torture, or regulating its severity.

Without attempting, therefore, to enlarge on this uncontefted diftinction between the moral purity of genuine Christianity and of Papal corruptions, it is to be obferved that their difference in real wifdom is not lefs re

2 Hift. de l'Inquifition, p. 119. 8vo. Col. " Ecoutons le "Docteur Gonzale de Illefcas, dans la premiere partie de "fon Hiftoire Pontificale et Catholique, pag. 117. "Si "alors (dans les premiers fiécles de l'Eglife) on ne bru"loit pas les hérétiques opiniâtres, c'eft qu'outre qu'ils "étoient fort puiffans, le Pape n'avoit pas les forces ni "l'appui des princes féculiers. Présentement, la foi "étant établie et reçue, et le fouverain pontife ayant acquis beaucoup de pouvoir, il eft jufte que l'on procede "contre eux par les plus cruels fupplices." La Croze, Hift. du Chriftianifme d'Ethiopie, pp. 304, 305.

mark

markable; fince it is probably to this difference that the imperfect progress of our religion in the world is chiefly to be referred.

It has been seen that the abuses which have been enumerated, whether their guilt be extenuated by fincere error, or enhanced by temporal ambition, undoubtedly originated in a principle of compliance with exifting circumftances. Such compliance, while it was practifed by mistaken Chriftians from the belief that it might be unobjectionable or expedient, was encouraged by the ambitious from infincere and selfish motives. Now, if the prejudices of mankind were uniform both in kind and degree, an accommodation to those of one time might prove, at all times, equally politic and fuccessful. But though truth be always the fame, error is always variable. The prejudices of different ages and different countries are different from and oppofite to each other. To compromife, therefore, the real doctrines of religion by compliance with the fuperftitions of a particular age, or fingle people, not only impairs the purity, but also impedes the progrefs of the religion, when delivered to a fucceeding generation, or preached in another country. What, in the one case, is compliance, muft neceffarily be oppofition

in

in the other. Weak, alfo, and imperfect as is our perception of the truth, yet reason and evidence are, on the whole, feen ultimately to prevail, while oppofing errors combat each other without ceasing, and triumph alternately without effect. Where Polytheism is the popular fuperftition, the worship of images and the deification of faints may be a politic adaptation to immediate circumstances. But, wherever the errors of Polytheism are diminished in their prevalence, the policy of this adaptation must be proportionably leffened: and wherever the unity of the divine being is completely acknowledged, and idolatry abhorred, polytheistic or idolatrous doctrines must prove a fatal bar to the reception of a religion which includes them a

Nor is the tyranny of a religion less adverse to its progrefs in an age which recognizes the principles of liberty, than its corruptions, in an age which is enlightened with the know

• The fuperftition of the Siamese may not always difpofe them to believe in tranfubftantiation. "L'Eucha"riftie après cela ne fcandaliferoit point les Siamois, "comme elle fcandalifoit autrefois les Payens d'Europe: "d'autant plus que les Siamois croyent que SommonaCodom a pû donner fa femme et fes enfans à manger aux Talapoins." Loubere, Siam, vol. i. p. 428.

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