YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Hiftotkal Dissertation

O N

Idolatrous Corruptions

in

RELIGION From the
Beginning of ffo Worlds

AND

Qn the Methods taken by Divine
Providence to Reform them.

In the Courfe whereof the Divine Originb
of the Law of MOSES, is proved,
againft the Obje&ions of fuch as have
thought that Law deducible from the Rites
and Cuflonts of the Egyptians and other
Gentiles,
**»— ^— ¦¦ I ¦ ' ¦ I ^ I ¦ ¦ ' ¦ '  '¦¦¦ -ill'--— ¦ ¦¦'¦¦— If ¦!« i ,mMm,
And in which divers Cavils of the Deists
againft Revelation are occafionally
confidered. VoV ii.
L 0 N D O K:
feinted fat C Rivikcton, at the/Btf/e and Cr#xt»*
mSuP^VChwch-yard, MDCCXXXlV.

An
Hifiotkal Dissertation O N
Idolatrous Corruptions
RELIGION From the
Beginning of the "World;
AND
On the Methods taken by Divine
Providence to Reform them.

In the Courfe whereof the Divine Origins
of the Law of M O SE S% is proved,
againft the Objections of fuch as have
thought that Law deducible from the Rites
and Cuftoms of the Egyptians and other
Gentiles.
And in which divers Cavils of the Deists
agaitift Revelation are occa/Ionally
confidered.

Vo\t. ii.

¦ •

LONDON:
feinted forCRxviK6TON, at the *Bttle and Crivi*
m Su Pad'$ €hureh~yar<). MDCCXXXlV.

To the Right Honourable
Arthur Onflow, Efqi
Speaker of the Houfe of Commons,
Chancellor to the Queen,
And one of his Majefty's moft Ho
nourable Privy Council.
This Volume is infcribed,
By hh mojt Obedient^
Humbk Servant,

.Arthur Young:.

THE
CONTENTS OF THE
SECOND VOLUME.
Chap. I.
%^^($I£Hj4T notwithftanding the cere-
?S2s fT f$«2s mon*aI Law of the Jews was in->
*p&«ffr?P>S Jiituted in Oppofition to Idolatry ,
&^$3$$<t>i they frequently fell into it. 'The
Idolatry i they corrupted them/elves withy
before the Divifon of the Tribes into the
Kingdoms of Ifrael and Judah. Baal-
Peor. Micah'i Idolatry. Teraphim.
The, Groves. Gideon'* Ephod, Baal-
Berith. The Witch of Endor. Mo-
Jech, Afhteroth. Dagon. Chemofh, Page i
Chap. II,
*fhe Idolatry s which the Kingdom of Ifrael
fell into. Jeroboam'* Calves. The Si-
donian Baal. Baal-rZebub. p. 67
Chap.

Contents. Chap. III.
The Idolatrys the Kingdom of Judah fell
into. Sodomites, Children paffing thro'
the Fire. The brazen Serpent. Cha
riots and Horfes of the Sun. Obferva*
tion of Times. Inchantments. Witch
craft. Wizards. Dealing with fami
liar Spirits. Human Sacrifices. The
Babylonifh Captivity cur'd thi Jews of
Idolatry. ?• 97
Chap. IV.
Of the Idolatry of the heathen World*
Their grofs Notions of the Deity. Je-
fus Chrift. came into the World, to reform:
it. Mahometifm, a Chriftian Herejy.
Our Saviour enabled bis Apojtles to effeSl
a Reformation, which the Philofophers
coidd not do. Of the Morality of the
Heathens. Of doing Good, and fuffer-
brg Evil. Evangelical Purity. The
Go/pel was fufficiently promulgated. Of
the Preaching it in India and Britain,
Its Progrefs a Demonjlration of its
Truth, and that the Scriptures we now
have, are the fame as were writ by the
Apojlks. The Conclufion againft the
modern Deifls, and an Objection of theirs
anjwer'd. p. ^
Chap,

Contents. Chap. V.
The Rift and Progrefs of the Idolatry of the
Church of Rome. Sir Ifaac Newton
has plac'd it too early. Pictures and
Images brought into Churches. The
Troubles they occajion'd. Their Worjhip
at laft eftablifh'd : But not pracJis'd in
England //// about the Conquefl. The
Ignorance of thofe Times. Wickliffe'i
Character. He and his Followers oppofe
Saint-Worjhip. They are perfecuted.
Of the $th of Richard II. Chap. 5. and
the zd of Henry IV. Chap. 15. They
were Ordinances, not Acts of Parlia
ment. Herefy punijh'd with Death at
Common Law. Sir John Oldcaftle'j
Character and Martyrdom. A Refor
mation at laft effected, which freed Re
ligion from the Evils complain 'd of by
the Drifts, p. 25}

R E*

( 1 )

REVELATION

Defign'd to prevent

SUPERSTITION.

C HAP. I.
That notwithftanding the ceremonial haw
of the Jews was inftituted in Oppofti-
tion to Idolatry, they frequently fell
into it. The Idolatrys they corrupted,
themfelves with, before the eDivifion
of the Tribes into the Kingdoms of If
rael and Judah. Baal-Peor. MicahV
Idolatry. Teraphim. The Groves.
GideonV Ephod. Baal-Beritb. The
Witchof Endor. Molech. AJhteroth,
Pagon. Chemofh.
N E would have thought, that
the giving the Jews fuch a
Body of Laws, as we have
feen in the former Volume the
Levitical to be, ihould have
been a fufficient Barrier and Defence tq
Vol. II» B them,

1 Revelation Aejignd to
them, from any Attack from the Quarter
of Idolatry : that fuch a Conftitution, if
it had not produc'd an intire Separation
of the Jewijh Nation from all others,
fhould, at leaft, have prevented fuch an
Intercourfe with Strangers, as fhould have
made them either diflike their own Cu-
ftoms, or defirous of exchanging them for
others ; and that, after that perverfe and
ftiff-necked Generation, which, tho it had
been fupported by a continual Series of
Miracles in a barren and defolate Wilder-
nefs, mutinied againft God and againft
Mofes, had been wholly extindT:, that which
had fueceeded fhould have been fufficiently
warn'd, and in no Danger of falling into
Idolatry. But the quite contrary appears.
'Tis true, they were not Inventors in
Matters of Religion, had no Gods peculiar
to themfelves ; but in their Idolatry imi
tated, as has been obferved *, the Super-
flition of other People. In Egypt they a-
dor'd the Gods of that Country j and
foon after they left it, renewed the Wor
ship of the Apis, by making a Golden Calf;
which we mall hereafter have an Occa-
fion to fpeak of: And afterwards in the
Wildernefs and promifed Land, fell into

* Calmer, the

prevent Superftitiort. $
the Worfhip of the Gods of the People,
Who were found about therri.
This Moabites and Mididnitts, being
afraid of them, fent for Balaam a fa
mous Soothfayer, out of Mefopotafrtia,
promifing him a very great Reward, if
he would curfe them* But he! being forced,
by the Spirit of God, inftead of curling,
to blefs them altogether, arid to fofetel
the .Felicity which attended therri, and
the Calamitys which would befal their
Enemys, and fo difmifs'd without the
Honour and Reward he had been pro-
rriifed; When he " * came to the Eu-
" phrates, bethought himfelf, and fent
St back to fpeak with Baldck and the
u Princes of Midian, and thO he would
ie riot cuffe, would advife : Send into their
*c Camp, fays he, a Proceffion of the love-
" lieft Virgins you can pick out; dfefs
" therri up with all the Ornaments of
" Art to afTift Nature ; give them theit
" Leflbns how to behave upon all Occa-
" fions of Courtfhip and Amour. If the
il young Meri mall make Love, and pro-
*'- ceed to any w&riton Itripbrturiitys, let
" them threaten immediately and pe-
" remptorily to be gone, unlefs they will

•" Jofeph. Antiq. /. iv. c. 6.
B z V aftu-

4 Revelation dejignd to
" a&ually renounce their Country's Laws,
u and the Honour of that God who pre-
" fcribed them ; and finally engage them-
" felves to worfhip after the Manner of
" the Mbabites and Midianites. This, fays
" he, will provoke God, and call down
" Vengeance on their Heads." The
Counfel of this Wizard was followed,
and fucceeded to Admiration. The If-
raelites were charmed with their Con
versation and Beauty; and being blinded
with their Paffions, abandon'd themfelves
to their Pleafures : it was not long before
they renounced their Religion and Laws,
* committed Whoredom with the Daughters
of Moab, ate of their Sacrifices, bowed
down to their Gods, and joined themfelves^
unto Baal-Peor. The Jewifh Doctors tell
us, that when the Ladys faw they had
their Gallants fure in their Toils, they
pull'd out little Images of Peor, which
they prefented to them to kifs, and defired
them to eat of the Sacrifices which had
been offer'd to them.
The old Generation of idolatrous If
rael being utterly gone j the new Genera
tion, which was to enter Canaan, began,

* Numb. xxv. 1,2, 3. after

prevent Superftition. 5
after their Fathers* with fuch Courfes as
"thefe. ¦'¦
BAAL-Peor was the chief God of
the Country. The Name of Baal, toge
ther with that of Molech, feems to have
been generally given to the chief Deity of
Pale/line, Phoenicia, and the neighbouring
Countrys. Baal, or Belus, as it is in the
Phoenician Dialect, or Bel, as it is in the
Babylonian Chaldee, fignifies a Lord or
King, and is frequently tranflated by the
LXX, by *pjewv or fiueiteOg, it was given
to the true God, till he forbid it, becaufe
it had been profan'd by being fo often
given to Idols. This is plain from Ho-
fea *, It /hall be at that Day, fays the
Lord, thou Jhalt call me IJhi, that is, my
Husband ; and fhall call me no more Baali,
that is, your Baal -f.
BAAL was fo proper a Name for
the true God, that Apuleius has treated
)| of it. And fome Word or other of the
fame Signification, as Milcom, Adonis, &c.
is ufed by the Greeh, Hebrews and Arabs.
The fame meaning has the Latin Word
:for God, Deus. *< Our Countryman Po-

* Hofea iv. 1 6.
f See Drufii Obferv. Sac. /. x. c. 22.
|| Apologia.
B 3 " cock

6 ReveUtion defigrid to
« cock, as Mr. WUfipn tells us %, deduces
" it from the Arabic Word Du, (and in
« the oblique Cafe, Di) which fignifies
« Lord. And in this Senfe, Princes are
*' called Go<&, Pf. lxxxii. 6. And M^fr is
« called the Gotf of his Brother y^wz,
" and the Goi of .KY/zg Pharaoh, Ex. iv.
« 1 6. and vii. i. And in the fame Senfe,
" fays he, the Souls of dead Princes were
«c called, of old, Gods by the Gentiles,
" but falfeiy, on accqunt of their Want
" of Dominion."
Worshiping, as! have already taken
Notice, the true God at the Graves and
Monuments of their great Perfonages ;
when they came to canonize and rank
them amongft their Gqds, they gave them
the fame Names or Titles *, as they had
before

$ Sir Ifaac Newtp^V Corollaries.
* ftaai 'was not the onjy Name belonging to the tnje
God, which the Heathens gaye their Idob'j there was an
other which was ng, lefe; pjropjaj to hupj or,- was gather oh© of
hjs Attributes: we meet with, it, If. lxvi. \J- Ihw that
fanclify themfelves, and' purify themftl'ves behind onp Tree in
th$ niidji: The Word 2fcas, not being- to be found in the
Jfiehrenu, is printed, in pur Bibles iq, Italkk Cha.rac^e?s 3
which has made the Generality of Interpreters render the
Words, behind one in the midfl, one after ana/hex. But I
rather prefer Scaliger's Interpretation, who fuppofes the Word
Temple or Chapel, to be underftqod, and, that the Pailage is,
to be rendred behind the Chapel qr- Shrine of the God, AHAD
that is, Qae. Wg m?et with tWs God in, Macrobius (Sat, V.i.

prevent Superftition. 7
before given the true : As the firft Con
verts to Chriftianity gave the true God
the Titles, which, before their Converfion,
they had given the Heathen Jupiter; as
appears from that Epitaph on Aurelius
Balbus in Gruter *, Jovis optimi maximi
Beneficio, hie in fpe Refurrebtionis quiefcit,
and from others to the fame Purpofe:
and addrefied themfelves to the true God,
as they had before done to Jupiter; as
appears by that Form of Prayer, Kyrie
Eleefon, Lord have Mercy upon us, which
has been fo long ufed in the Chriftian
Church, and was antiently Part of the
Pagan -j- Litany. The Heathens having
thus given the Title of Baal, to their
great Anceftor Ham, the firft Perfon they

/, i. c. 23) They, fays he, fpeaking of the Affyrians, give to
their chief and principal God, the Name Adad, which Jignijies
ONE ; him they nvorfbip as the God of the greatefi Ponuer. Mr.
Selden (SeeSynt. i. c. 6.) tells us, that Macrobius is miftaken,
or the Text depraved, when he fays that Adad fignifies One 5
for that the Affyrians and Chaldeans ufe Chad, from the He
brew Achad, to fignify One ; but Adad or Adod, which in
the Scripture is Hhadad, is of a different Spelling : and
that therefore Drufms reads in Macrobius Hhada, which in
the Syriac does fignify One. Sanchoniatho mentions Adodus,
who, as he tells us, tuas named King of the Gods. Hence
came the Names of Hadad or Adad, and Benhadad, given
to their Kings and Princes j from whence there is but a fmall
Tranfition into Adod : for that it was antiently the Cuftom
to give their Princes the Names of their Gods, is plain
from Gen. xxyi. and 1 Kings xx.
* Grut./. 1050.
¦f Arrian. Epi&. /. ii. c. 7.
B 4 deify'd

S Revelation dejigrid to
deify'd, gave the fame afterwards to his
Son Mizraim and others ; who were upon
the fame Account confecrated, either as
the Founders of Nations, or for being
otherwife beneficial to Mankind. Thus
amongft the Egyptians, all their firft Kings
were called Pharaoh, and their later Pto
lemy ; and fo the Romans, becaufe their firft
Emperor had the Title of Cafari gave it
alfo to all thofe who fucceeded him.
H e n g E we find Baal, not only a gene
ral Title, which was given to their ca
nonized Heroes, but frequently compounded
to denote particular Deitys, as Baal-
Peor, the God before us. There have
been Variety of Opinions concerning Baal-
epeor. Some fay the Word Peor fignifies
to edfe Nature, and that the Jews gave
him that Name by Way of Derifion, when
the Moabites call'd him Baal-Reem, that is,
the God of Thunder : as they gave Bethel,
after the golden Calf had been fet up there,
the name of Beth-aven, that is, the Houfe
of Iniquity-. Mr. Selden *, from Peor's
being the Name of a Mountain in the
Country of the Moabites, fuppofes, that
by Baal-Peor, was meant no more than
Baal, whofe Temple ftood on Mount

Synt. i.e. 5. .
Peor\

prevent Superftition. 9
Peor; as Jupiter was called Olympius,
from his being worfhip'd on Mount O-
lympus. He neverthelefs owns, that Peor
might be fome great Prince, who had
been deified by his Subje&s ; tho he choofes
rather to interpret, Pf. cvi. 28. They
joined themfelves unto Baal-Peor, and ate
the Sacrifices of the dead, of fuch Sacri
fices as were offered to the infernal Gods,
than of thofe which were offered to fuch
Gods as were dead Men. But Bijhop
Cumberland's * Conjecture concerning
him, feems moft probable; he fuppofes
him to be the fame with Baal-Meon, men
tioned Numb, xxxii. 38. Jojh. xiii. 17.
1 Chron. v. 8. Jer. xlviii. and Ex. xxv. 9.
Amongft other Reafons for his Opinion he
tells us, that the Targum of Jonathan Ben-
Uzziel paraphrafes Baal-Meon, Num. xxxii.
38. a City of Balack, in which Ifrael de-
ftroyed the Idol Peor, in the Houfe of Al
tars, &c. The Egyptians and the reft of
his Worfhipers, as he takes it, intended
to honour him when they call'd him Meon,
as a Perfon who gave them Habitations
and all the Benefits of a Colony: but
the Jews, by calling him Peor, intended
to let us know that he was the God who
boafted publickly his Nakednefs,, who was
/
? Pheen. Hift./. 66. * void

! o Revelation d&fignd to
void of all Modefty, and a Friend to De
bauchery. The Bijhop fuppofes Meon to
be the fame with Menes the firft King
of Egypt, whom he proves by Variety of
Arguments to be no other than Mizraim.
The Defcendants of Mizraim, it may
be, (as we have feen it to be agreeable to
their Theology, to worfhip different Per-
fons under the fame Name, and the fame
Perfon under different Names,) having
confecrated him, pay'd him divine Ho
nours under the Names of Baal-Peor, Bac
chus, Priapus, Ofiris and Adonis. We are
inform'd by Plutarch and Suidas, that
Bacchus was the fame with Ofiris or A-
donis; and you may fee at large in Char-
tarius *, that he was the fame likewife
with Priapus. And the fort of Wor
fhip which was pay'd to all thefe Deitys
was pretty much the fame. Ofiris and
Adonis, as we have already taken Notice,
were honoured with all the Pomp and Ce-
remonys us'd at Funerals j which fuits
with Baal-Peor 's Sacrifices being called
the Sacrifices of the dead -f. And the So-
lemnitys in Honour of Bacchus; the car
rying the Phalli in his Proceffion ; in At-

* P- 294-
t Pf, cvi. a8.

tic&

prevent Superftition. 1 1
tica *, his Votarys giving themfelves over
to all manner of Excefs and Lewdnefs;
in Egypt, his lifelefs Image with an
iiifaTov rffuhitriov, and his living Image the
Goat; as likewife the Manner of repre-
fenting Priapus ; agree very well with the
conftant Opinion of the Jews concerning
Baal-Peor, that he was an obfcene Deity ;
whofe Worfhip, if we credit St. Jerom -j-,
Maimonides J, and other Rabbles, confifted
in fuch obfcene Practices, or Poftures at
leaft, as are not fit to be named : and by
what they have faid, 'tis difficult to deter
mine whether they were more ridiculous
or impure. All this is agreeable with what
we have already faid of the wanton
Daughters of Moab, engaging the Ifraelites
in the lafcivious Worfhip of this Godj
which Hofea j| fpeaking of, fays, They went
unto Baal-Peor, and feparated themfelves
unto that Shame, and their Abominations
were according as they loved.
I make no doubt, but that the firft
Introducers of the worfhiping this Deity,
meant by him fome great Founder of
their Nation and Kingdom ; and that the

* Arch. Gr. /. ii. c. 20.
f On Hof. iv. 1 4. and ix. 19J
% Part iii. c . 43,
| HoT, ix. \q,
jnon-

1 1 Revelation dejigrid to
monftrous Pudenda they beftow'd upon
him, was to reprefent his generative Vir
tue : and a proper Emblem, as they thought,
of his great Fruitfulnefs and numerous
Iffue. And this is what, I fuppofe, is
meant by that Infcription TQ THS TENE-
SEftS IIOIMENI on a Priapus in Begerus ||;
and by the SQTEP KOSMOT fubfcribed on
another, in La Chaufe's Le Grand Cabinet
Romain-f. Hence came thofe Phalli which
they carried about in their religious Pro-
ceffions, fo often taken notice of by He
rodotus, Plutarch, and Lucian: and hence
came the Adoration of the Mendes or
Goat, amongft the Egyptians, which gave
name to one of their Nomes. They wor
fhip him, fays Suidas, as prefiding over the
feminal Virtue. And all this fuits with
the Account Diodorus * has given us of
thefe Phalli and of the < Mendes, which
he concludes with faying, By this they
would fignify their Gratitude to the Gods,
for the Populoufnefs of their Country.
The Heathens feem to have in their
Theology, a frequent Remembrance of the
great Fruitfulnefs of their Deitys ; as ap-

|| V.m.p. 261.
\ P. 122.
* L. i. c. 6.

pears

prevent Superftition: 1 5
pears by what we have here faid, and
by what we fhall have farther Occafion
to take notice of, when we come to their
great Goddefs AJhteroth. They fometimes
made it (as they did their Gods having
been mortal MenJ a Secret, which was
to be comtnunicated to fuch only as were
initiated into the moft hidden Myfterys
of their Religion. Herodotus -j- tells us,
that the Reafon of the Egyptian Obfer-
vances in the carrying the Phalli, was a
facred Myjlery. And the Explication of
the Pomegranate in the Hand of Jupiter's
Statue on Mount Caffius, and in Juno's
at Mycene, which fignified by the great
Number of Seeds contained in it, that
thofe Deitys were the Parents of a very
numerous Offspring, was, as Paufanias \\
affirms, a wonderful Secret. (It may be
the Syrian Rimmon % was fuch another
Idol. The Word in that Language figni-
fies a Pomegranate *.) But what puts
this paft Doubt is, the Difcovery the Ro
man Conful made, of the Bacchanal My
fterys being made up of all fuch Pleafures
as the moft unbounded Proftitution could
afford to private and nocturnal Affemblys;

t L. ii.
|| Corinthiaca.
% 2 Kings y. 1 8.
* Stt Mr. Bedford's Script. Chron. I. ii. c. 6. $ 158. in-

1 4 Revelation defignd to
infomuch that none could be initiated
into them, without renouncing all Modefty,
while the Priefts, who prefided over
them, prefcribed in Public to thofe who
were to be admitted, a ten Days Abfti-
nence -|*.
That the Ifraelites, during their St&y
in Egypt, join'd with the Egyptians in alt
the Abfurditys of their Idolatry, we have
feen in the former Volume: They were
too near Neighbours to the Memeftans,
not to be infedted with this particular Part
of it. The lower Canton of Egypt, which
was water'd by many Streams from the
Nile, was thought by Jtfeph the proper eff
Situation for thofe whofe Life Was fo much
addicted to Fafturage. Gojhen, it is cer
tain, lay next Canaan; for 'tis plain from
Gen. xlvi. 28. that Jacob went diredMy;
thither, and ftay'd there till Joftph Carrie
to him ; and its Name feems to be deriv'cf
from the Hebrew Gejham, which fignifies'
Rain; becaufelying near the Mediterra
nean Sea, 'twas expos'd to Rains ; which:
were very rare in other Parts of Egypt i
and the Mendes was worfhip'd at one df
the Mouths of the Nile,, which Pliny tells

+ See Senatus-Confulti de BacchanalibiM Exglkatio, fy
¦&gyptius» US

prevent Superftition." t j
us he gave Name to. We may very fair
ly therefore conclude with * Maimonides,
that this Worfhip of Goats is forbid, Lev.
xvii. 7. They Jhall no more offer their Sa
crifices unto Devils, after whom they have
gone a whoring. For the Word which
our Tranflators, following in this Place
the LXX, render Devils, is Seirim, which
properly fignifies Goats. And I rather
think, it was to thefe Abominations that
Ezekiel alludes -j-, than to any fpiritual
Adultery : They committed Whoredoms in
Egypt, they committed Whoredoms in their
Youth ; there were their Breafts preffed, and
there they bruifed the Teats of their Vir
ginity : and again %, Neither left Jhe her
Whoredoms brought from Egypt ; for in her
Youth they lay with her, and they bruifed
the Breafts of her Virginity, and poured
their Wh&redtms upon her. Diodorus || af-
fures us, that not only the Egyptians but
other Nations likewife affirm'd,, that by
tirefe Obfcenitys they gave Thanks for the
numerous Iffiie of their Progenitors. We
are told the fame thing by ** Herodotus,
and -j-j- Strabo; which muft make us,

* Part iii. c. 46.
•f Chap, xxiii. 3.
JVer.8.» L. i. c . 6.
** L. ii.
ft L. xvii.
1 with

\6 Revelation dejignd to
with Bijhop Cumberland obferve ++, how
much better the Old Teftament has pre-
ferved the Memory of God's multiplying
Mankind fo abundantly : that one Verfe *,
He encreajed his People greatly, and made
them fironger than their Enemys, fhews
plainly, without fuch an obfcene Religion,
that the true God did multiply his People
before the Egyptians Faces, more than all
their fhamelefs Gods were able to do for
their Worfhipers.
The Ifraelites having devoted them-.
felves to the Worfhip of Baal-Peor, what
ever that Idol was, -j- The Anger of the Lord
was kindled againft them. He commands
Mofes to apprehend the Ring-leaders in
the Abomination, and to hang them up
before the Sun ; and then the Judges to
put to Death all who were guilty within
their Diftridts. But the Magiftrates being
able to punifh only the open Offenders,
that the fecret ones might not efcape,
he fent a Plague upon the People, which
fwept away twenty three thoufand in one
Day %.

& Phoen. Hill. p. 70.
* Pf. cv. 24.
+ Numb. xxv. 3.
j 1 Cor. x. 8.
Goo

prevent Supefftition, 17
God having thus taken away all thofe
who had fallen into the Worfhip aifBaaU
Peor, makes a farther Provifion to retain
the Innocent to himfelf. He commands [|
them to vex thofe who had vexed them
with their Wiles : and knowing how dan
gerous it would be for them, to have any
Intercourfe with thefe People, gives them
that farther Precept to prevent their Com
merce, * The Moabites Jhall not enter into
the Congregation of the Lord \ even to their
tenth Generation Jhall they not enter into the
Congregation' of the Lord for ever. Be->
caufe, when ye came forth out of Egypt,
they hired againft thee, Balaam the Son of
Beor of Pethor of Mefopotamia, to curfe
thee. Where, by the by, the Ifraelites
are not forbid to entertain thofe People
as Profelytes ; nor prohibited fuffering them
to worfhip God in the Temple ; for that,
as we have feen at large, was permitted
to the People of all Nations, who would
.renounce their Idolatry: but that they
fhould not admit them into the Afiembly
of their Elders, or to bear Office in their
Commonwealth ; or elfe that they fhould
not (as the Generality of Writers, both

BNumb. xxv. 17, 18.
* Deut.xxiii. 3,4.
Vol. II. C Jewifh

1 8 Revelation defigrid to
Jewifh and Chriftian, underftand it) in
termarry with them *.
But notwithftanding, it was not long
before their Government was fo unfettledj
that every Man did that which feemed right
in his own Byes; when, as the Prophet A?
pariah deferihes the Infelicity of the Times,
they werejf\ without the true God, and with
out a teaching Prieft„ and without Law. At
fiarchy prevail'*!, and they fell again into
Idolatry. It crept firft into the Tribe of
Bphrmm, and thence foon fpread amongft
the Danites. The Superftition of a rich
Widow gave rife to it. She was Mo
ther to Micah, an Ephraimjie, and had de
dicated, ox devoted .^eleven hundred iShekek
tf Silver to the, Lord.' Th^fe were ftolen
from her, before fhe had performed her
Vow, by her Son, who afterwards . in-
genuouflyconfefs'dhis Theft, and brought
back the Money, to his Mother* She, for
|| 200 of the She&elsi procured a graven I-
mage and a molten Image.. Thefe fheput,
together with zn.Ephod and Teraphm,
which her Son bought with- the reft of
the Money, in a .Room at Micah's Houfe.

* See Bp. Patrick on tht Place, and the Autbm by him re
fer 'd to.
f 2 Chron. xv. 3.
% Judges xvii. z, \i
They

prevent Superftition. ip
They having thus furnifhed their
Chapel ; Micah *, that he might be com^
pleat in his Devotion, confecrafes one of
his Sons to be the Prieft. But riieetihg
afterwards with a Levite whorii the Irti*
quity of the Times, || there being no King
in Ifrael, forc'd to wander from Place to
Place for a Subfiftencej he thought he
had morellight to the Priefthood, tho he
was not of the Family of Aaron, than his1
Son, and having tempted him with a
yearly Stipend of % ten Shekels of Silver ;
a Suit of Clothes and his Diet, Confecrates
him Prieft in his Son's Place, and
imagin'd 4- the Lord would do him goodt
becaufe he had a Levite for his Prieft.
It is not fo plain what fort of Wof-*
fhip they here fet up, as that they had no
Intention to forfake the Worfhip of the
true God. But if Religion was to be
judged of according to the Intention^
there would be fcarce any fuch Thing as
Idolatry in the World. Throughout the
whole Story they appear to have a Re
verence for Jehovah. The Mother dedi
cated the Silver unto the Lord. And by the

*Ver. 5.
|| FerJfi.
j Ver. id.
f Vtr. 1 3
C 2 whole

2 o Revelation defigyfdfto
whole they feem to have had no other
Intention, than to erect a private Chapel'
of their own, in imitation of the Houfe
of God, at Shiloh, that they and their
Neighbours might not have the Incon
venience of going up thither, to the.. Ta
bernacle. They conform in fome meafure
to the Law. 'Tis fuppos'd it was . the
eldeft of Micah's Sons whom he chofe to
be his Prieft; and when he met with
a Levite, he did not ftand for Price, but
hired him to officiate in his Son's ftead.
This (hews he had fome Refpect to the
Law, otherwife it would have been the
fame thing to him, who had officiated;
and they both feem to hope for a Blef-
fing in fetting up this Worfhip, what
ever it was. But tho; it may be, neither
Micah nor his Mother had any Intention
to forfake the Faith or Worfhip of their
Country; yet I cannot think, with our
learned Countryman Dr. Spencer *, that
their Images and Teraphim fo exactly a-
greed with the Cherubims which covet'd
the Ark and the Urim of the High-Prieft,
as the Epbod might with his Veftments.
For to omit other Differences, the Cheru
bims were both alike; Thefe, the one a gra
ven, the other a molten Image: andwhat-

De Urim & Thum. foever

prevent Superftition. 2 1
foever the Urim was, (about which there
are fo many Opinions and Obfcuritys,
that another Oracle is wanted to deter
mine what it was, 1 can by no means
imagine it With him to be a Teraphim *, or
C 3 little

* The Teraphim are generally rank'd by Expofitors in
the Number of Idols, tho they have been very much per-
plex'd to determine what they were. The moft current O-
pinion is, that they were the human Images, whereby the
Eaftern People pretended to receive Anfwers from their
Gods, There is no certainty as to the Etymology of the
Word, or indeed whether it be Hebrew or an Exotick ;
and Tranflators vary fo much in rendring it, that they
give us but little Light toward the underftanding it.
There is no more to be gather'd from the Talmudifis and
Targumijls, than from the LXX, who generally tranflate it
¦S-sgjrifW, or S-e&ipiv ; but Gen. iii. 19, 34,35. «</W«;
Ezek. xxi. 21. ykvmivi 1 Sam. xix. 13, 16, wtywdQt* «
Ho/ iii. 4. SS'i i£££Tf/*f. /JV JViaV i and Zach. x. 2.
it cLmipSiyy'onzvoi ih&Maax, The vulgar Latin in three
Places retain Teraphim, but in Gen. translates the Word
Deos meos & Deos tiws ; and in other Places by Statuas,
Simulacra, or Idola, and fbmetimes Figuras Idolorum. They
who derive it from the Hebrew Kapha, which fignifies to
heal, as if they were I 'reformers from Mifchief, take them
to be a fort of Penates, or Houfehold Gods, and under
stand accordingly thofe Words of Laban (Gen. xxxi. 30)
Wherefore hafl thou Jiolen my Gods ? But the Hebrew Doer
tors, as Mr. Selden tells us, queftion whether they were, in
thofe antient Times, worfhipp'd as Gods, or only us'd as
Inftruments of Divination. And this is favour'd by Dr. Cafile
and Van Dale's Derivation of the Word from the Syriack
Taraf, which fignifies percontans or inquirens ; implying that
they were indued with the Gift of Prediction. And there
fore Hottinger (Hift. Orient. /. i. c. 8.) makes them to-be the
fame wkh the Arabian Tali/mans, in after Times, which have
the fame Name given them, and were Figures in humane
Shape made under a proper conjun&ion of the Heavenly Bodys

% % Revelation dejlgnd to
little human Image wrapt up in the Fol4
of the High Prieft's Breaft-plate. This is

Bodys, in order to receive their Influence. This Opinion
feems to be the moft probable. The Eaftern People are all of
^hem very much addi&ed to this Superftition ofTali/manslevea
to this Day. The Perfeans fChardin, of the Sciences of the
Periians, v. ii. c. 10.) call them Telefin, a Word plainly
derived from the Hebrew, Teraphim. But Dr. Spencer (De
Urim & Thum.) fuppofes that thefe Images or Idols came
from the Amprites or Chaldeans, and that Teraphim is a
Cbaldee Word, and the fame with the Hebrew ' Seraphim,
the Change of S into T being common in thofe Languages ;
and he makes them to be Figures of the Angelical Powers
which attended upon the divine Majefty j and gives us 3
great many Reafons, and Opinions of learned Men to prove
Ft. And it is, I think, vpry probable, that they were Images
made to refemble the heavenly Hoft which waited upon
the Appearance of the Divinity, or of the Angels that
were fent in the firft Ages of the World, to perform the
divine Commands. But I can by no means believe, with
that learned Man, that they were Images, which being
dedicated to fuch Angels, were infpired by them to deliver
their Reiponfes 3 or that God gave his Arifwers by fuch Fi
gures, either before or after the Urim. This would have
ppen'd a wide Door for Idolatry. The Superftition of the
Eaftern People, it is certain, led them to make ufe of them,
whatever they were, in Augurys, and to imagine they could
by them be informa of future Events 5 as is plain from
what we read of the King of 'Babylon. He (Ezei. xxi. 21 . j
flood at the parting of the Way, at the Head of the two Ways,
(0 life Divination ; be made his Arrows bright, beconfukedimth.
fmagtl) ('that is, Teraphim, ) And it is faid (Zech. x. %.)
the Idols, ('that is, TeraphimJ have fpoken Vanity, and the
Diviners have feen a Lye. In fhort, if we confider the De-
fcriptkms the Rabbis give us of their Teraphim, and the A-
rabian Writers of their Tahfenans, who tell us how they were
made, and Divination perform'd by them, as they are to be
found in Selden (Syat. i. c. z.) Hettinger (L. i. c. %.) and
Yan Dale (de Div. p. 659, (s?c) notwithftanding the In-
credibilitys they would put us off with, we may conclude, them

prevent Superftition. i $
is an Opinion Dr. Pocock * has fufficienrly
confuted, and fhewn to favour more of
Idolatry and Heathenifm, than of an In-
ftitution that was defign'd in direct Opp1 o*
fition to them. I rather think therefore,
With Mr. Selden -f and the beft Commeri-
tators, that notwithftanding their Reve
rence for the true God, they blended his
Worfhip with that of Idols. Without
doubt he confecrated, fays Mr. Selden, the
Ephod and the Levite to the true God; but
the Teraphim, the molten and the graven
Image he devoted to Devils. Or, it may
be, having feen thefe religioufly us'd by
the Heathens, he thought they might be
fartdtified by being dedicated to the true
God, tho they us'd them in their Enqu>-
rys of the Dead : And accordingly, as if
they had been the Oracle of the true God,"
they have the fame Regard for the Terd^

them to be fiich Pieces of Machinery,, as Athanajiusr Kircher
fays (Phonowgia^l.h.. c. 6.) he himfelf made of a human
Figure, from which, by the Affiftance of a Tube, he could
anfwer any Queftion demanded j infomuch that ignorant
People concluded his Image to be poffefs'd by the Devil,
Such was the prophetick Head, made by Pope Sylvefter JI.
f'Malmsb. /. ji. c. 10.) and fuch that made by the learned
Frier, our Countryman, Bacon. So that, after aH, we njtay
determine thefe Teraphim and Tatt/mans to be no other than
fuch Machines as we now meet with in the Clockmakers,
Shops. (See the Authors coUetted by Fabricius, Bibliogra?
phia Ant. c. xii. §. 5^
* Qn Hof. iii. 4. ,
f Synt. i. c . 1 .
phim,

24 Revelation defignd to"
phim, the graven and the molten Image
as for the Ephod zn&r the Levite. So that
Whatfoever their Intention was, it being
to Worfhip God by Images, we may con
clude it was idolatrous ; and that therefore
Micah is faid to have * had a Houfe of
Gods. BV that Time the Tribe of Ephraim
Was corrupted with this Idolatry; the
Danites -f-, who, thro' their own Sloth
or Want of the other Tribes Affiftance,
Were ftraiten'd by the old Inhabitants of
the Land, fent five Men to find out a pro
per Place for a Colony. Thefe taking up
their Lodging near Micah'% Houfe, and
underftanding from a Levite the State of
his Affairs, defired him to ask CounfelofGod,
as to the Succefs of their Undertaking.
The Levite feign'd fuch an Anfwer from
his Oracle, as afTur'd them of the Care
and Protection of Heaven ; which made
them, when they came again with fix
hundred others to take PofTeffion of the
Land they had fpy'd out, perfuade them
to rob Micah's Chapel of its Furniture,
and invite the Levite to go with them.
'This they readily confented to, imagin-

* Ver. 5.
f Judg. xviii.

ing

prevent Superftition. i^
ing that thofe Idols from which they had
received an encouraging Anfwer at the
Beginning of their Undertaking, would
be a Means to crown it with Succefs. So
they feiz'd by violence * Micah's graven
and molten Image, his Teraphim and Ephod,
and carried 'em with them to Laijh, a-
gainft which their Expedition was in
tended ; and there ere&ed them, after they
had rebuilt that City, and given it the
Name of Dan. Here they continued
the fame fort of Worfhip as had been
carried on at Micah' % Houfe j and the Le
vite and his Sons minifter'd there as Priefts,
till the Philiftines deftroyed the Houfe of
¦f- the true God at Shiloh. This Houfe of
Gods efcaped the Reformation of the
Judges, altho they were all of them very
zealous for the Lord ; either from Dan's
being in the very Skirts of the King
dom, or that fcarce any of them rul'd
over all the People, but only over fuch
Tribes as they had freed from Captivity.
But God raifed up the Philiftines to exe
cute his wrath upon thefe Idols, who,
when % heforfook the Tabernacle of Shiloh,
and deliver'd his Strength into Captivity,
deftroyed this Houfe of Gods, and carried

Ver. 17.
f Ver. 30, 31.
j Pf. lxxvii. 6>. their

1 6 Revelation defim V to

their Priefts captive. But Dan .notwith
ftanding continu'd fo famous for thefe
Idols, that Jeroboam made choice of it,
as we fhall hereafter fee, to place one of
his golden Calves in.
But this was not the only Corruption
which crept in amongft the Ifraelites. at
this unhappy Juncture. That People
were always fo ready to change their re
ligious Cufloms for thofe of other Na
tions, $tat they could not but fuffer from
the Quarter of Idolatry, at a Time when
their Government was loofe and out
of frame, the Authority of their El
ders flighted, and Men liv'd without any
Reftraint, either of Shame or Law. And
accordingly during this Dif&lution of the
Adminiftration, they * f&rfook the Lord,
and ferved Baal and Afhtevoth. Deitys
of which I fhall fay no more, than that
Ihe who is here called Afhter&th, is cal
led the Grovm, in Ch. iii. J. Which has
made the Generality of Interpreters, un-
derftasding Baalim of their confecrated
Heroes* fuppofe, that by the Groves,* is
meant the Trees which the antient Hea^
thens dedicated- f o Asm, an4 which corn^
pos'd a fhady Place where they were

Judg.ii. 13.
wor^

prevent Superftition. 27
worfhip'd. This is occafion'd by the near
Affinity the Word Afcheroth, which fig
nifies Groves, has with AJhteroth, the pro
per Name of the Goddefsj which has
made fome derive her Name from it,
as if fhe was fo called from her being
worfhip'd, as it is certain fhe was, in
Woods and Groves. The Hebrew is iveth
haajheroth, that is, and Afheroth, or the
Groves ; on which Mr. Selden * obferves,
that alluding at the fame Time, to the
proper Name AJhteroth, and fignify ing
Groves, it may very properly be us'd for
the Images which were in the Groves.
Afchora, a Grove, in the Singular Num
ber, has two Plurals, Afcheroth and Af-
cherim; the latter of which conftantly"
fignifies Images, as the former properly
enough, may the Images of Aft arte.
Thus Kimchi fays in the Root AJhur, that
every thing that was worfhip'd was cal
led Afherah. This will explain to us
feveral Paflages, which would otherwife
be very unintelligible. Thus 2 Kings
xvii. 1©. They fet them up Images and
Groves in every high Hill, and under every
green Tree-, plainly fhews this Word is
not to be underftood of Groves, but fome
Idol : for how fhould Groves be fet un-

f Synt. ii. e. 2. der

2 8 Revelation dejigrid to
d#r every green Tree, as the Ajherim are here
faid to be ? and fo Manaffeh is faid, to have
*?fet a graven Image of the Grove that
he had made in the Houfe of the Lord; which
can't well be underftood of the Reprefenta-
tion of a Place planted with Trees, as
Jofephus and fome others would have ir,
but of a wooden Idol : it being exprefs'd
by a Word denoting a Grove or Oak, by
way Of Reproach to fuch an improper
Deity. And 2 Kings xxiii. 6. where Jo-
ftah is faid to have brought out the Grove
from the Houfe of the Lord, it muft be
meant the wooden Image, or Image of Af-
tarte : for as Procopius Gazeus fays, where
the LXX tranflate this Word the Grove'^
others render it 'AffnpwS or 'Ac;ap»8; that is,
Aftarte. And, indeed, all thefe Places al-i
lude to the Worfhip which Jezebel brought
with her from Sidon ; and which Ahab, out
of Complaifance to that imperious Woman,
corrupted Samaria with. Aftarte was
there in the higheft Reputation, and the
Sidonians had no other Deity, which could
be fo properly meant by the Words here
rnadeufe of, or by Afaroth, AJ'arim or Afa-
rah, which are us'd in other Places, as this.
And in this Senfe other Texts, where Groves
are mentioned,' are to be underftood ; and
in particular Judg. vi. 25, 28. where Gi-

2 Kings, xxi. 7. de'on

prevent Superftition; 29
deon is defcribed as cutting down the Wood
or Grove, that was by the Altar of Baal,
it ought not to be tranflated, fays Mr.
Selden, by the Altar, but upon the Altar ;
and accordingly the LXX tranllate it
fV dvru.
This Defection, and others which the
Ifraelites at this Time fell into, was highly
provoking to Almighty God. To punifh
ther Infidelity, he deliver'd them into
the Hands of their Enemys ; and upon
their Repentance, he raifed them up
Deliverers. The Severity with which
the Midianites treated them, and the
MefTage of a Prophet, had brought them
to a due Senfe of their Sins, when
the Angel of the Lord appear'd to Gideon
* the Son of Joajk /he Abiezrite, and
commifiion'd him to deliver them. He
obeys the divine Command, throws down
his Father's Altars, breaks his Images in
Pieces, and with the Wood of them, of
fers a Sacrifice for Ifrael to the true God.
By this he acquir'd the Title of Jerub-
baal -f-j that is, the Adverfary of Baal.
But he ftop'd not here ; by a Stratagem %
he made the Midianitijh Army defeat it-
felf, with the Slaughter of a hundred

* Judg. vi.
¦J- Ver. 32.
% Chap. vii. 1 6, &c. thou-

}0 Revelation dejtgrid to
thoufand Men; the reft he purfued and
deftroyed j put four of their Kings to
Death, and chaftis'd the Citys which re-
fufed him Refrefhment. The Deliverance
he wrought for his Countrymen,gain*d him
fuch Love and Affe&ion, that they made
him an Offer % of the Kingdom, which
his Piety refus'd.
GIDEON is no fooner dead, but
they fall again into Idolatry, and make
an Idol of the Monument or their Deliver
ranee. Gideon having had an Inclination
to- perpetuate the Memory of fo miracu
lous a Victory, upon his refufing the King
dom, requefted of them the Ear-rings of
their Prey: With thefe (they weighing
a thoufand and feven hundred Shekels of
Gold *, or about forty three Pound weight)
and the golden Ornaments, and Collars, and
Chains that were upon their Camels Necks%
He made an -j- Ephod, which was the up
per Veftment of the High Prieft's Robes,
and fet it up in Memory of his Victory*
This he made choice of, rather than the
Hanging up of Trophys, the erecting of
a Pillar, or the raifing a vaft Heap of
Stones, which in thofe antient Times was

X Judg. viii, 22,23.
* Ver. 26
¦f Ver. 27. the

prevent Superftition; yi
the ufual; Method of perpetuating fuch
Actions ; as a, Token that he afcrib'd his
Victory to Jehovah alone, and that the
Reftoration of his Religion was his greateft
Glory. It has been thought by fome, that
the Epbod was his military banner, (as the
Archiepifcopal Pall is his Grace of Can*
terbury's Arms) under which his Soldiers
fought in this Expedition ; and if fb, 'tis
no wonder that the Standard, or En*
fign, which his Soldiers followed, fhould
be made choice of to preferve the Me-
mory of his Succefs. This Ephed he put
in, his City, even in Ophrah ; which may
imply, that he built a^ Tabernacle, or
erected fome Building to put it in: and
that he made choice, of' Opbmbi it being
the Place where the Angel off the Lord
had appear'd unto him, who ofFer'd1 Sa
crifice with Fire, which rofe up out of a
Block ¦*, and cornmifiii©n?d ¦< him t® work
thofe Wonders he had per-fonm'd. And
i% i& not improbable, but that the better
to celebrate his^Atchievements, he ap>-
pointed ?in . the Place where he fix'd this
Memorial, i of bis Glory*' fome ftated Fef-
tival forv the. Peopte to meet ancH thank
Godofor. the Deliverance he had ^wrought.
But in procefs of Time, when the If-

Judg. vi2i. i raetttss

j 2 Revelation defigrid to
raelites return'd again to Idolatry, in-
ftead of meeting to offer up their Praifes
and Thankfgivings to God, at this Monu
ment of his Mercy, they ador'd the Ephod
itfelf; and all Ifrael went thither a whoring
after it * ; which is the ufual Expreflion
for their falling into Idolatry. This we
muft fuppofc happened after Gideon's
Death; for we can't well think that fo
good a Man as he, who was invefted both
by God and the People with an almoft
abfolute Command, would have fuffer'd
it in his Life-Time : and when we are
told that this Thing became a Snare unto
Gideon and his Houfe -j-, we are to imagine
is meant, that his Memory and Character
fuffer'd in his Pofterity, who by their fal
ling into this Idolatry, were extinct in If
rael. But this was not the only Idolatry the
Ifraelites at that Time corrupted them
felves with; they went a whoring after
Baalim, which, as we have feen, was a
general Name given to all their confe
crated Heroes ; but in a particular Man
ner they went over to the Worfhip of
Baal-berith. This is a Deity we no where

* Ver'.'zj'.
t Idid.

meet

prevent Superftition. 3 5
meet with but on this Occafion ; and by
what is faid of him, it is certain that he
had a Temple dedicated to him at Schechem ;
and, from the People of that City's giv
ing to Ahimelech * threefeore and ten Pieces
of Silver out of it, we may conclude,
that they made it their publick Treafury ;
and from their retreating to it, when he
deftroyed that City -j-, that it was like-
wife their chief Fortrefs or Citadel. The
Word Berith fignifying a Covenant or Con
tract, has made the Chaldee Interpreters
fuppofe him to be called fo from his Of
fice, and to be that Baal who prefided
over Contracts or Covenants, Oaths,
Treatys and Alliances ; whom they look'd
upon as the God of Honefty and Plain-?
Dealing. As there was a Jupiter T'V<oc,
whom we find mention'd by Dionyftus
Halicarnajfeus, and is by Gyraldus % fup*-
pos'd to be the fame as the Fidius we meet,
with in Ovid |j.
Qucerebam Nonas SancJo. Fidione referrem.
Others will have that Name to be
given him from his Worfhipers entring

* Judg. »«¦ 4>
•f Ver. 46.
% Synt.ii.
|| In Faftis.
Vol. II. D into

1 4 Revelation dejigrid to
into Contrast or Covenant together to pro**
mote his Service* But Bocbart * interprets
Baal-berith, Baal of Berytus; and, from
Baal's being of both Genders, he fuppofes
this Deity to be the fame as the Goddefs
Beroe, celebrated by the Poet Nonnus ^
and who gave name to, and was wor*
ihipp'd at that Town ; and he imagines
that the Ifraelites came to the Knowledge
of her by Gideon's having made fome
League, or traded with that famous City.
Tho it may be the Credit Sanchioniatto^
who was of this City, and flourifh'd a^
bout that Time, was in, prevailed with
the Ifraelites to worfhip this Deity. He
himfelf tells us %, that in writing this
Hiftory, he made ufe of the Memoirs
of Hierombilus Priejl of the God Jao ; by
whom, learned Men ** have thought he
meant no other than Gidem, to whom,
as I juft now faid, the Scripture gives
the Name of Jerubbaal or Jerobaalj and
who might have been taken for a Prieft
of the God Jao, from his facrifickig
to || the God Jehovah. And it may be

* Canaan, Part ii. /. ii. t . 1 7.
\ Dionyfiac. /. xli.
\ Eufeb. Prcep. Ev. /. i.e. 3.
** Bochart. ibid. Hurt's Demonft. Ev. Prop, iv, c . % . art.
2. & Voffius de Hift. Gnec. /. i. e. 1 .
ft Judg. vi. 25.
% from

prevent Superftition. 3 5
From thence conjectured that the People
of Ifrael, were no Strangers to him.
But Punifhment fopn followed their
Sin ; their Enemys fpoil, harrafs, and take
Ppfleflion of their Country, God having
fold them at once * into the Hands of the
Philiftines, and into the hands of the Chil
dren of Amnion. They were not wholly
deliver'd from this Captivity, till by || Sa
muel's Perfuafion, they folemhly repented
at Mizpeh; and then by Thunder from
Heaven, God deftroyed their Enemys,
and put an End to their Tyranny and Op-
prefBon. SAMUEL being grown old, afio-
ciated his Sons with him in the Govern
ment ; but their ill management made the
-Ifraelites diflike their Conftitution : or ra
ther they made that a Pretence to demand
what their Pride and Vanity had long fug-
gefted to them. That they might have
the fame outward Pomp and Pageantry in
their Government, as they faw in that of
their Neighbours, they required a King
to be fet Over them : God in his Anger J

* Judg. x. 7.
|| 1 Sam. vii. 5.
| Hof. xiii. 1 1 .
D 2 granted

3 6 Revelation dejignd to
granted their Requeft, and fo brought it
about, that Saul who was feeking his Fa
ther's AfTes, found a Kingdom.
But for his Difobedience to the di
vine Command he was rejected by God,
and David anointed to fucceed him. We
do not find indeed that during his Reign,
the People openly revolted to their Idols :
Their Manners were vifibly enough cor
rupt and irregular, but we do not find that
they fell into open Idolatry. It may be the
Laws were pretty well executed againft it ;
for it is plain from i Sam* xxviii. 9. that
he cut off thofe who had familiar Spirits
and Wizards out of the Land: And yet
he himfelf afterwards had recourfe to one
of them. The confulting of thefe Im-
poftors, as well as the Impofture itfelf,
was, without Doubt, a very grofs and o-
dious Species of Idolatry ; it being a pay
ing divine Worfhip, and a direct reforting
to an impure Spirit. And if he who ex
pected an Anfwer or Counfel from fuch
Spirit, did not burn Incenfe or perform
fome other religious Act, in Honour of
it, as fome have believ'd, he attributed
to it fuch a Knowledge as was peculiar
(or at leaft little lefsj to the divine Na
ture ; and gave a Truft and Credit to the
Anfwer which was pretended to be re-
ceiv'd

prevent Superftition. 37
Ceiv'd from it. And indeed, as Filefacus *
has learnedly fhewn, the Nature of all
their Magical Performances, of which
this was one, was fuch, that they were
necefiarily accompany'd with Idolatry.
I fhall not therefore pafs over Saul's con-
fulting with the Witch of Endor, without
giving an Account of it.
H e was juft ready to fight a Battle with
the Philiftines, when, as was his Duty, he
addrefs'd himfelf to God, to know how
to carry himfelf in the Action. But \ the
Lord anfwer d him not, neither by Dreams,
nor by tjrim, nor by Prophets. Upon this
he commands a Woman to be found
him %, who had a familiar Spirit ||, that
is, a Ventriloquift ** j his Courtiers were

* De Idololat. Polit. & Magica, § 5, 6, 7.
f 1 Sam. xxviii. 6.
j See the Authors collecldby Fabricius, Bibliographia Ant.
c. 12. §2. under the Articles, Engaftrimythi and Necro
mania. || Ver. 7.
** The Hebrew Word has no Epithet joyn'd to it, but is
rendred in our Verfion, a Woman that hath a familiar Spi
rit ; occafioned, as Bijhop Hutchinfon (on Witchcraft, ch. 14.)
has obferv'd, by our Translators Complaifance to K. James
the Firft. For fetting about their Work after that Prince
had wrote his Deemonologia, they 'Teceiv'd into it, by his
particular Defire, feveral Phrafes, which favour the vulgar
Notions of Witchcraft, which were not in the old Transla
tion, and firft brought up that grofs Notion of a familiar
Spirit.
D \ too

3 8 Keveiation nejtgn a to
too obfequious, and accordingly informM
him of fuch a Woman at Endor. SauldK-
guifes himfelf, and with only two in his
Retinue, the better to avoid the Enemy,
makes her a Vifit by Night. After the firft
Salutations were over, he demanded of her
a Trial of her Skill. The Woman was
too crafty to be furpriz'd, mention' d the
King's Edict, and excus'd herfelf, till fhe
was aflur'd by an Oath, that fhe might
fecurely truft him. She then ask'd him,
if he was not defirous to have fome dead
* Perfon brought up to him, and who,
he Was : Bring me up Samuel, fays the King.
By that Time fhe could be well fuppos'd
to have finifh'd her Charm, fhe crys out
in a Fright, Sir, Tou have deceiv'd me,
you are King Saul. Fear not, fays he, f
will keep my Promife ; but tell me what
appear'd to you ? I faw a Majeftick Per
fon, of an eminent and high Station, aft
cending out of the Earth, reply'd the Wo
man. What Form is he of? fays the King.
pf a venerable Afpeft, faid fhe, and in a

* That their Eaftern Impoftors did frequently pretend
to bring up the Dead, fee the Authors quoted by Pool, oh
i Sam. Utxviii. 1 1 . We have a remarkable Ihftance of it
about the Time of Saul, in Homer, where UMh ipdy/jT. 1 1 .)
by the A'ffiftance of Circe, confalts Tireftas's Ghoft ; awd JEf-
'ehylus has a Tragedy intitled P»/<e, in which the Shade
of Darius is call'd up, and foretefe 'Qgeen Attiffa all her
Misfortunes.

facer-

prevent Superftition. 30
facerdotal Veft. By this Defcription he
* perceiv'd that it was Samuel, and he
ftooped with his Face to the Ground and
bowed himfelf. Upon this the Ghoft de
manded of him, why he call'd him up,
Saul excus'd himfelf, that the Trouble he
was in, and the Perplexity of his Affairs,
had urg'd him to it. Thou fenfelefs and
abandon'd Man, fays Samuel, wherefore
doft thou ask of me, feeing the Lord is
departed from thee ? &c»
This indeed is a Point which the learn
ed have differ 'd upon in all Ages ; and very
great Authoritys, it is to be confefs'd, there
are for Variety of Explanations. Jujlin
Martyr, Origen, Anaftaftus of Antioch,
St. Ambrofe, St. Auftin, and Thomas A-
quinas, and all their Followers, fome of
the Rabbis, and moft of the Popifh Writers,
are of Opinion that Samuel did really
appear ; and they have fram'd Variety of
Hypothefes to render this Story as little
fhocking to Reafon and Faith as poffible.
But to let them and their Suppofitions
alone, upon examining the whole Matter,
I can fee no reafon to have Recourfe to
any thing beyond the Power of a cunning
and dextrous Woman : for as Horace fays,

f Ver. 14.
D 4 Never

40 Revelation dejignd t6
Never prefume to make a God appear.
But for a Bujinefs worthy of a God. *

If we examine this Matter, we fhall
find the only Difficulty to be, that the
Scripture give us this Relation, not ac
cording to the Reality, but the Appearance
% of Things ; not as the Facts were really
perform'd, but as the Woman pretended,
and as they feem'd, and were believ'd to
be by Saul, without determining any thing
of the Manner, which it certainly would
have done, and have fpoke more plainly
of, if there had been any Thing extraor
dinary in it. Saul, it is certain, was a very
fuperftitious Perfon, and had an Opinion
of Necromancy and Incantations. It is
certain likewife that he was very much
difpirited, and void of Courage ; and upon
his being deny'd an Anfwer from God,
his Mind was fo afflicted, that his Under-
ftanding was as much fhatter'd as his Af
fairs. To this we may add, that he was
weak in Body for want of Food ||, ha
ving eat nothing for twenty four Hours.
What remained now for one of this Dif-

* Art of Poetry.
X That this is common in Scripture, fee the Inftances
taken notice of by Pool, on i Sam. xxviii. 14..
1' Ver. so. pdfition,

prevent Superftition. 41
pofition, and in thefe Circumftances, to
be impos'd upon by a skilful and cun
ning Woman, but for her to have a Know
ledge of his Perfon, and the State of his
Affairs ? This fhe could not fail of. It is
probable fhe might before have hacLa Sight
of the King. Gilboa, where the Camp
then was, and had for fome Time been,
was not far from Endor, as app'ears by
Saul's coming to her, his being enter-
tain'd and returning again, and all in the
Space of one Night; which indeed
was as much Time as the Circumftances
the Army was in would allow the Gene
ral to be abfent. Befides, in thofe early
Ages, Kings liv'd with more Familiarity
and lefs Diftance towards their Subjects :
Thus we find Saul, after he was anointed
King, follow'd his old Profeffion of Life,
* He came from after the Herd out of the
Field. But if fhe had never feen him, fhe
could not but have heard, -j- that from his
Shoulders and upward he was higher than
any of the People. So that by the Good-
linefs of his Perfon, fhe might eafily guefs
who he was ; not to fay as the Hebrew
Doctors do, that this Woman was of a
good Family, and Abner's Mother, and

* 1 Sam. xi. 5.
f 1 Sam. ix. 2. that

42 Revelation defignd to
that he and Amafa were the two Gentle
men who accompanied the King. Nay,
if fhe had had no perfonal Knowledge of
the King, his calling for Samuel, might
naturally caufe her to fufpect who he was.
But fhe fuppreffes her Conjectures, and
carries the King into a private Room, (as
is fuggefted, v. 21.) where being alone, he
was to hear what the fuppos'd Apparition,
or fhe, who had the Art of fpeaking like
a Spirit out of a Bottle, or the Ground^
ihould anfwer him. And when fhe faw,
as fhe pretended, Samuel, as if fhe had
known it by her Art, fhe cryes out in a
Fright, * Why haft thou deceiv'd me % for
thou art Saul.
This being fuppos'd, we fhall find no-*
thing in the Anfwers given to Saul, but
what might very well come from a Wo
man of Subtlety ready in her Profeffion.
Whatfawefi thou ? fays the King. I farm
a Judge afcending out of the Earth -j-, re-
plys the Woman ; for fo the Jews under^
ftand the Word Elohim, which we tranf-
late Gods, meaning Samuel who had judged
the People. And any one who had ever
feen a Judge might anfwer the next Quef*

* Ver. 12.
+ Vtr. 1.3.

tion,

prevent Superftition. 43
tbn, What Form is he oft An old Man
cometh up, and he is covered with a Mantle,
which was the Robe worn by their Kings,
Prophets, and Judges. Upon this Saul
concluding that it was Samuel, ftoop'd with
his Face to the Ground and bowed himfelf*.
The Woman was too quick to let this
Opportunity flip of letting herfelf into hi?
Affairs. Why haft thou difquieted and
brought me up ¦f ? fays the fuppos'd Spectre.
Saul inadvertently in anfwering this Quef-
tion, laid open the miferable State of his
Condition, and gave the Woman a ftill
farther Occafion of bewildering him : lam
fore diftrefs'd^ fays he, for the Philiftines
'make War againft me, and God is departed
from me, and anfwer eth me no more; nei
ther by Prophets nor by Dreams : therefore
I have called thee, that thou mayft make
known to me what I Jhall do J. The Wo
man might with Eafe return the Anfwer
fhe did to this, without any Affiftance
either divine or diabolical, or indeed with
out ftraining for a Conjecture. Wherefore
do' ft thou ask me, jeeing the Lord is departed
from thee, and become thine Enemy? And
the Lord hath done to him as hefpake by me,
for the Lord hath rent the Kingdom out of

* Ver. 14.
f Ver. ic.
| ibid.' ¦' thine,

44 Revelation dejign'd to
thine Hand, and given it to thy Neighbour,
even unto David, becaufe thou obeyectft not
the Voice of the Lord, nor executed 'Jl his
fierce Wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath
the Lord done this Thing unto thee this Day * .
This was no more than every Body knew.
No one could be ignorant of what had
pafs'd between Saul and Samuel in the
Face of all the People about Agag, that
-j- the Lord had rent the Kingdom of If-
rael from him, and had given it to his Neigh
bour. And the Perfecution which David
had long lain under on account of the
King's Jealoufy, was not lefs known. And
without doubt the Eyes of all the People
were upon him, as the Perfon appointed
by God to fucceed the King. And then
the Confternation fhe plainly faw in Saul
who commanded, made her conclude the
like of the Army, which fhe was near
enough to have confirm'd to her by other
Means, or thofe Emiffarys which Peo
ple of her Profeflion have abroad. And
knowing how numerous the Philiftines
were above the Ifraelites, fhe confidently
pronounces, % Moreover the Lord will alfo
deliver Ifrael with thee into the Hand of

* Ver."i6, 17, 1 8.
f 1 Sam. xv. 28.
X Ver. 19. the

prevent Superftition: 45
the Philiftines, and to morrow Jhalt thou
and thy fons be with me : and the Lord alfo
Jhall deliver the Hoft of Ifrael into the Hand
of the Philiftines.
And after all, if we examine farther,
we fhall fee that this Woman acted her
Part but very indifferently. She makes
her Spectre afcend out of the Earth, when
it fhould have come down from Heaven ;
and to quit the Character of a Prophet,
and fay fuch Things, as Samuel would
not have faid. Could a Prophet have
complained of the Power of Magick, or
that his Repofe in the other World was
difturb'd by the Incantation of a wretched
Woman ? Or would Samuel, who had o-
penly reprov'd that Prince when alive,
and had * mourned for Saul, even after he
was forfaken by God, have infulted his
Condition, inftead of rebuking the Hard-
nefs of his Heart, and his Recourfe to Ne
cromancy ? Neither fhall we find her more
fortunate in her Conjectures. All fhe fays
is either falfe or uncertain. However we
underftand that part of the Prophecy re^
lating to the Fate of Ifrael, it is not ftrict-
ly true ; for if only of the Hoft or Army,
fhe foretels lefs than befel them ; for the

1 Sam. xv. 35.
Phu

46 Revelation dejigifd td
Philiftines took pofleffion of the Valley of
Jezreel, and came and dwelt in their Cities *i
And, if of all Ifrael, the Prophecy was
plainly falfe. There is as little Truth in
what fhe fays of his Sons ; for what fhe fore-
tels of them, happen'd but to three ; and
there were Mephibojheth and IJhbofheth^
who liv'd long after. And then the men
tion fhe makes of the Time, gives little
Credit to what fhe fays. For if the Word
Machaar, which we tranflate to Morrowi
be taken in a loofe and indefinite Senfe*
as it fometimes may, it was ufing an am
biguous Term, as the Fortunetellers ge
nerally do: but if the Word be taken
ftrictly for the next Dayi it was palpably
falfe ; for 'tis plain to any one who con
siders Chap>xxix. 10. and xxx^ 1,2. that
Saul liv'd five or fix Days after.
After this, the Kingdom was free
from Idolatry, till fuch time as SoloMon,
having his Mind enervated, and his Un-
derftanding darken'd with Senfualityj was
fo tranfported by the Charms of his ftrange
Wives and Concubines, that they || turn'd
away his Heart after other Gods. It may
perhaps be wondered, how he, who en-

* 1 Sam. xxxi. 7.
|| 1 Kings xi. 4, ,
joyd

prevent Superitition, 47
joy'd fuch a fuperlative Degree of Know
ledge and Underftanding, fhould ever be
brought by his Wives to tranfgrefs the
Law of that God, who had exalted him
to the higheft Pitch of Grandeur and
Magnificence. But, it may be, he was
affected with his great Wifdom, and ima-
gin'd he could reconcile his Religion with
theirs, and find out fome good meaning
or other in all their Superftitions. (Hap
py would it have been for Chriftianity,
if the moft learned Members of the Church
of Rome had not imitated this falfe Turn
Solomon gave his Wifdom !) Accordingly
we do not find they ever perfuaded him
entirely to forfake the Lord, but they fo
inveigled him, that he join'd the Worfhip
of their Gods with the true, -f For
Solomon went after Afhtoreth the Gsddefs
of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the
Abomination of the Ammonites ; and So
lomon did Evil in the Sight of the Lord,
and went not fully after the Lord, as did
David his Father. Neither did he arrive at
that Audacioufhefs, which fome of hisSuc-*
cefibrs afterwards did : He did not permit
Grange Worfhip to beexercifed within the
My Qky, but built the high Places for his
Wives Idols on Mount Olivet, without the

f Ver. 5, 6,
Wall*

48 Revelation dejtgnd to
Walls of Jerufalem. * Then did Solomon
build an high Place for Chemofh the Abo
mination of Moab, in the Hill that is be
fore Jerufalem ; and for Molech the Abomi
nation of the Children of Ammon ; and
likewife did he for all his ftrange Wives,
which burnt Incenfe and facrificed unto their
Gods. Thus was the Worfhip of all or
moft of the neighbouring Idols feen in
Ifrael, as an Earneft of the King's Affec
tion for his Wives. Molech or Milcom,
Afhtoreth and Chemofh, are particularly
named. Molech or Moloch feems to be a
general Title, as that of Baal, given to
the chief Deity of Pale/line ; and to have
been more efpecially had in Veneration and
Efteem by the Ammonites, who were fo
eminently attach'd to his Worfhip, that
we know of no other Idol they had. The
Word Molech has the fame Signification
as Baal; as that expreffes Lord, fo does
this King. And that they do both of them
denote one and the fame Deity, is plain
from Jeremiah -j-, They built the high
Places of Baal which are in the Valley of
the Son of Hinnom, to caufe their Sons and

* Ver. 7, 8.
f Jer. xxxii. 35.

thir

prevent Superftition. 40
iheir Daughters to pajs thro' the Fire untd
Molech. And Mr* Selden has given us the-
Infcription of a Palmyrene Marble in the
Farnefe Gardens, with both their Names
join'd together, in the Word Ma.iei%t^g,
by which (fays he) * may not Moloch be
underftood, who is alfo called Baal ? And
as \ Molech was the fame with Raul, fo like-
wife was he with Milcom; or rather, they
are both of them the fame Word, only
differently pointed.
And as We have feen, the Title of
Baal was compounded and given to their
Deitys, fo likewife was that of Molech.
We find the Addition of Addir and Ana
given him, to denote the Gods which the
Sepharvaites -f brought with them out of
Syria. Addir fignifying mighty or magni-*
ficent, makes Adramalech the fame as mighty
Molech ; fo the Philiftines fpeak of % mighty
Gods : and Ana fignifying to anfwer, makes
Anamelech the' fame as oracular Molech ;
juft as Jupiter by the Romans was called
Jupiter Oracularis. And fo likewife the
Tyriarn had an Idol compounded of Mo
lech, which they call'd Melcarthus, taken
from the two Phoenician Words, Melee

* Synt. ii. c. i .
*}• 2 Kings, xvii. 31.
X 1 Sam. iv. S.
E and

50 Revelation ^^g/zW fo
and Kertha, . which fignify Lord of the
City. Herodotus tells us * his Temple was
built at the fame Time with the City, en-
rich'd with fo many Donations, and in
fo great Fame, that he himfelf weht thi
ther to vifit it.
I T is probable the Ammonites had fome
King whom they deified under this Title,
for we find the Word Melcom, in the.Pro-
phecys addrefs'd to them by Jeremiah
and Amos, ufed fo, as it may very well be
interpreted either of their King or Idol,
for the Word fignifies both. Thus Jere
miah -j- foretelling the Captivity of the
Ammonites fays, Why then doth their King
inherit Gad ? Their King (hall go into Cap
tivity, and his Prieft s, and his Princes to
gether, as it is in our Tranflation. But
Theodoret, C aft alio, Drufius, and Grotius,
retain the Word Melcom, as the Name
of the chief Deity of that Country, who
might properly enough be faid by the
Prophet to fhare in the Profperity or Ca
lamity of his Worfhippers. And Amos
J likewife prophefying againft the Chil
dren of Ammon, fays, their King frail go
into Captivity, he and his Trinces together,

* I. ii.
+ Chap. xlix. 1,3.
X Chap. i. 15. 2 faith

prevent Superftition. 5 1
faith the Lord. Druftus, and Grotius,
retain the Name of their Idol ; and the
LXX add, as in the Place of Jer, o< lepers
dvtSv, meaning their Priefts who attended
upon the Service of that God. And
2 Sam. xii. 33. and i Chron. xx. 2. do, I
think, plainly fhew that we are fome-
times to underftand the Word of the Idol,
and not of the King; for David is there
faid to have taken their King's Crown from
off his Head, the Weight whereof was a Ta
lent of Gold, with the precious Stones: for
that we ought here to tranflate the Word
their Idol Milcom, and not their King, is
plain, from its being impoffible for their
King to have worn a Crown of fuch a
Weight, as of a Talent, or a hundred and
fourteen Pounds of our Weight; tho it
might very well fuit with fuch enormous
Statues as they fometimes made of their
Gods. And tho this Crown is faid to have
been fet on Davids Head, we may under
ftand the Words over his Head; that is, It
was hung like a Canopy of ftate over his
Throne ; or, if you will, we may render
the Words with Mr. Selden *, fecitq; fibi
inde Diadema ; or with Munfter, ordinataq;
eft pro Capite David; that is, he made
himfelf a Crown out of it.

* Titles of Honour, Part. i. c. viii. § z.
E 2 As

n

5 z Revelation defigdA tp
As to the Mfinner of the Ammonitel
reprefenting this Deity, it is not agreed.
Rabbi Benj 'amine, in his Itinerary fays, that
at G.ebal, which was, as the Name im
plies, a frontier Town (it belong'd to the
Ammonite^ and is mention'd Pf. lxxxiiL
y.) he found an antient Temple, with
the Idol, which People formerly wor-^
fhip'dj in it ; that it was of Stone
cover'd with Gold, fet on a Throne*
with the Statue of a Woman on each fide
in like Manner on a Throne, and before
it an Altar, It has been conjectur'd
that this Idol had nothing extraordinary
in the Shape or Make of it, from this
Author's faying no more about it; and
from thence it has been concluded to be
no other than one of thofe rude Stones*
which, as we have feen elfewhere, the
Heathens very antiently worfhip'd as Re-
prefentations of the Gods, and that thft
Ammonites ador'd fuch for Mdkck. But
the Figures which the Rabbis give us. of
hisi Statues, are very different. Such of
them as fuppofe them to have been of
Brafsj with Arms extended reaching to
wards the Ground, fo,that when they put
a Victim within the Arms, it immediately
fell into a Fire, which was lighted at the
..Foot of the Statue; make it very much
10 referable the Idol, which Diodorus tells
3 U8

prevent Superftition. 53
tis *, t*he Carthaginians offer'd their Chil
dren to. Others of them, who relate
that it was hollow, and contriv'd fo as to
have the Offering received within it, der
feribe it as like to that, which Ludovicks
Vives fays -j-, the Americans ador'd with
human Sacrifices. But the Rabbis are all
of them agreed, that the Effigies of this
God had the Head, or, at leaft, the Face
of a Calf; tho it is plain, from what I
havejuftmention'd, and which is all that
We can be certain of, that the Ammonites
reprefented him under a humane Figure,
with a Crown on his Head.
There is great Probability that the
Ifraelites Were much addicted to the Wor
fhip of Moloch, even from their comjrig
out of Egypt. They are reproach'd With
it, as we have feeri, both by the Prophet^
Amos % and St. Stephen [j. But whatfo
ever his Worfhip was, we know little of
it, more than that they dedicated arid fe-
crificed their Children to him, which I
{hall fay nothing of here; for I do not
^hirfk that his Worfhip could be got to

* li. XX. C. I .
+ Notes on St. Auguftin, de Civit. Dei. /. vii. c. 19.
4 'Gbap. v. 26.
|| AEts, vii. 4.3.

E | thai

54 Revelation defignd to
that Height, before Solomon, on his Re
pentance, reform'd the State, and I fhall
have a more convenient Place to take No
tice of thofe Impietys. And as to the
Relation which this Deity, who was the
chief of their Gods, bore to the Sun, I
have already taken notice of it, fo fhall fay
no more of him, but pafs to
ASHTEROTH, whom we have al
ready feen to be the fame with moft of
their Goddefles and the Moon. The Wor
fhip of the Sun and Moon feems to have
been equally regarded, and generally joyn'd
together all over the Eaft. Their Idols
are fet up together by Solomon ; and we
generally find Molech's or Baal's Temples
in Afhteroth's or Aftarte's Groves : and
while they offer'd to him human Sacrifices,
they abandon'd themfelves to all forts of
Incontinence in Honour of her. But in
Solomon's Time, they might, I believe,
content themfelves with prefenting * her
Perfumes, Cakes, and Libation?.
I have already mention 'd her being
Lucian's Dea Syria. . He tells us, that in
her Temple there was an annual Com
memoration of a Flood ; intimating there-

Jer. vii. i8. andxliv. 17.
: by

prevent Superftition. 5 5
by that this Goddefs Was one of thofe, who
with Noah, fhar'd in that fignal Efcape.
Hence, it may be, the Greeks, as Sancho-
niatho tells us, call'd her Aphrodite, and
Ovid, ' Venus orta Mari.
This Deity was reprefented under the
Figure of a Fijh, which was a very pro
per Defcription of her; not only on
Account of her having efcap'd the
Flood, but for being fuppos'd to be of
both Sexes, and worfhip'd as the common
Parent of many Nations. For there is
little Appearance of any difference of Sex
in Fifh ; neither is there, as Naturalifts
tell us, either Bird or Beaft, that is any
thing equal to them in Fruitfulnefs, and
confequently none fo proper an Emblem of
the Parent of fo vaft a Progeny. The
Perfians, Syrians, Phoenicians, Cretans,
and Egyptians, did all of them worfhip
her under this Form, as well as the Phi
liftines. In the Opinion of fome, fays *
Lucian, " Aftarte'* Temple at Hierapolis,
" was dedicated to Derceto, whofe Image I
" Jaw in Phoenicia of a very ftrange Shape,
" for in the upper Part fhe refembles a

Dea Syria.
E 4 " Woman;

5 .6. Revelation defignd to
** Woman ; but from the Thighs downwards
ic a Fifh'' Much after the fame Manner
did the Philiftines reprefent her ; They
call'd her Dagon ; from Dag, a Fifh, and
had her in fuch great Requeft, that at
Gaza her Temple was fo magnificent and
large, that the Roof of it contained * a-
bout three thoufand Men and Women that
beheld while Sampfbn jnade Sport. They
built her another Temple at Aftdcd, into
which the Ark of the Lord was carried
when they took it. -j- And when they of Afh-
dqd arofe early on the Morrow, tyekold Da
gon was fallen on his Face to the Earth,
before the Ark of the Lord : and they took
pagon and Jet him in his Place again.
And when f^ey arofe early on the morrow,
Morning, behoU rDagpn was fallen upon Ms
Face to the Ground, before the Ark of the
Lord ; and the Head of pagon, and both
the Palms of Ms Hands were cut off upon
the Thr.efhoU, only the Stypif °f Pagon
was left to him..
The Jewifh Doctors differ very much
io the Deferiptions they give us of this I-
#o)j fome of them, with Kimchi, re?

-ray

* judg. xvi. 27.
\ 1 Hm- v. 3, 4.

pfefen.

prevent Superftition. 5 7
prefent it from the Thighs downwards a
Fifh, and all above of humane Shape :
Definit in Pifcem Mulier formofd fuperne *.
Others, with Abarbanel, from the
Thighs downwards humane, and all above
a Fi&i ; and Jarchi and others, all of him
a Fifh. This is certain from the Scrip
ture, that the Statue of Dagon was re-
prefented in a human Figure, at leaft the
upper Part of it ; it had a Head and two
Hands, to which the LXX add Feet,
which they feparate with the Head and
the Hands from the Trunk ; and by the
Stump which was left to him, is probably
meant, as it is in the Margin of our Bt-
bles, his fifty Part ; for Kimchi and others
tranflate the Words, only the fifty Part
was left; and Junius, only fo much as re-
fembled the Fifh remained of him. It may
be, they fhap'd this Idol like the Egyp
tian Deity we meet with on a Coin -f of
the City of Menelaus, reprefented like a
Woman to her Wafte, holding a Horn of
Plenty in her Hand, and the Tail of a
Fifh turn'd up behind, with Feet like the
Crocodile or Sea-Calf. And every Pro-

* Hor. de Art. Poet.
if Vaillant Hire. Ptofem.|i. ssi a,

vince,

5 8 Revelation defignd to
vince, nay City, defcrib'd her after their
own Manner. The Tyrian Medals ftruek
in Honour of Demetrius II. King of Sy-
ria *, reprefent her with a Croft -j- in her
Hand ; on one ftruek at Ccefarea in Pa-
leftine %j fhe has a Man's Head in her
right Hand, fuppos'd to be the Head
which annually travell'd from Egypt to
Byblos. Some took the Mark of one of
her Qualitys or Characters, others of a-
nother, according to the Humour and Ca
price of her Votarys. But this -is ob-
fervable, that all their old Coins and Sta
tues agree in pourtraiting her with the
fame Features, Air and Gracefulnefs, as
we fee in that celebrated Statue of Venus
of Medicis; as they all of them likewife
agree in pourtraiting the eldeft Jupiter:
which would make one fuppofe, if there
was any Credit to be given to Conjectures,
that we have on your old Coins and Sta
tues, the Features and Lineaments of Ham
and Naamah, or whofoever they werej

* Vaillant Hift. Reg. Syr./. 272, 273. .. . .
-}• The Crofs is very frequently found in their Egyptian
Hieroglyphicks, 'made in different Shapes and Manners : It
denoted, it may be, Life eternal; or the Life to come, as you
may fee in Pp-amidograpbia of Mr. Greaves, Rujfinus 1. ii.
1. 29. Socrat. Hift. Eccl. /. v, <. 1 7. and Soz. Hilt. Eccl. /.
vii. c.i 5. Upon the finding of this out, as you may there
read, many of the Heathens were converted to Chriftianity.
X Montfaucon, Antiquity expIainU 1
who

prevent Superftition. 59
who firft gave Rife to thofe two great
Deitys. And there is the more Room for
fuch a Guefs from what we are exprefly
told by Plato *, that 'twas a Rule amongft
the Statuarys to imitate the antique Pat
tern, they being reftrain'd by Law from
attempting any thing which look'd like
Innovation. From their reprefenting this Deity
under the Form of a Fijh, it was, as Mr.
Pope obferves from Plutarch, that among
the Egyptians, Syrians and Greeks, to ab-
ftain from Fijh, was efteemed a Piece of
Sanctity : And therefore 'tis, that we have
not the leaft Intimation that the Greeks,
tho they were encamp'd, during the Tro
jan War, upon the Hellefpont, ever eat
any Fifh; and that the Companions of
Ulyjfes J never fought for Fifh till all their
other Provifions were confum'd ; and that
the fame Neceffity compell'd them to eat
the Herds of the Sun ; and that Menelaus
complains Hunger was fo violent among
his companions, that they were compell'd
to eat Fijh. And for the Syrians, Tully -j-
and Xenophon |J do both of them affirm,

* De Legibus, /. a. p. 789.
X Odyfs. /. xii.
t De Nat. Deor. /. iii.
|! De Exped. Cyri, /. i. that

60 Revelation d$ghid to
that they worfhip'd Fifh; and Lucian
fays *, that " They efteem'd Fim very
* much, asthmkmg them facred, and there
" fore never eat any:" And that adjacent
to the Temple at HieTapelis, " there was a
" Lake, wherein there were many facred
" Fifh kept, Tome of the krgeft of which
" had Names given them, and would
<c come to you when called; one of
" which he took particular Notice of, as
*' having on golden Fins." Dkdorits gives
os the fame Account : l* There is a City in
" Syria, fays he, called Aft aim" (which
was a famous City of Judea in the Tribe of
Dan) " near which is a deep Lake a-
" bounding with Fifti, where not far off
" ftaftds a Temple ^dedicated to a famous
** Goddefs called hy the Syrians, Derceto,,
" reprefenting a Woman in her Face, and
<* a Fifh in all other Parts of her Body.
«pt —^-Whence it came to pafs, that at
** this very Day the Syrians eat no Fifh,
*{ hut adore them as Gods." And Artemi-
dorus fays -f of the People of Syria, that
all of them, except it be thofe who worfhip
Aftarte, <eat Fifh. I fuppofe thofe Tyrians
mentioned by Nehemiah % were not in the

* Dea Syria.
Hi.ii.c,
f Oneirocritic. /. i. e.g.
X JCiiii. 1 6.
t^umbet;.

prevent Superftition. 61
Number of her Votarye, who- brought Fifh
and all Manner of Wares, andjUd on the-'
Sabbath unto the Children of Judah and in
Jerufalem : for if they had pay'd Honours
to Fijhes, we fhould not have found them
felling them in the Jewifh Markets. It
was, I make no doubt, from thefe Peo
ples having fuch an Opinion of Fijhes,
that we find God, where the Ifraelites
are fo particularly caution'd againft the
Neighbouring Idolatrys, telling them that
they were to * take heed left they made.
themfelves a graven Image, the Likenefs of
any Fijh that is in the Waters.
And as Fifh, fo likewife were P.idgeons
facred to her. Lucian -f- fpeaking of this
Goddefs fays, tc that Doves as well as Fifh
" were confecrated to her:" and again,
" Of all Birds, they, that is the Syrians,
iC think the Dove to be moft holy ; fo that
" they count it very unlawful fo much as
" to handle them ; and if by chance they
" touch them, they efteem themfelves
"as unclean that whole, Day : for which
" Reafon you may fee them frequently
" live in their Houfes, converfing 'fami-
" liarly with them, and feeding gene-
¦" rally on the Ground, but without

* Deut. iv. 1 6, bfe,
if- Dea Syria,

any

6 1 Revelation dejignd to
" any Fear." Philo tells us * the fame
Thing of the Inhabitants of Afcalon, and
TibuUus, Alba Palaftino janbla Columba Syro -f~.
We meet with feveral Reafons for the
dedicating of this Bird to Venus in Charta-
rius £. 'Twas facred likewife to Semi-
ramis, who feems to me to have been
Daughter to, tho fome have confider'd
her as the fame with, the Aftatick Venus.
The People of Afcalon, as Diodorus || tells
us at large from Ctefias, believed that " Se~
"s miramis had been expos'd, when an In-
" fant; and preferv'd and nourifh'd, in a
" very wonderful Manner, by a Flock of
" Pidgeons, which the Syrians ewer after a-
" dor'd for Goddefles." But the more ge
neral Opinion of her feems to be, that, zsLu-
cian ** tells us, She was at laft transform d
into a Dove; which is agreeable to what
DiodoruseXie where aflerts -f-j-, that, " there
" are fome who fay that fhe was meta-
" morphos'd into aPidgeon; and that fhe
" flew away with a Flock of thofe Birds.

* Apud Eufeb. Praep. Ev. /. viii. c. 14.
f El. vii. c. 18.
|| L.ii.c.i.
** Dea Syria.
if L. ii. c. 2.
" which

¦pi 'event Superftition. 6$
\l which lighted upon her Palace ; and
" that hence it was that the Affyrians a-
" dor'd Doves, believing that Semiramis was
" , enthron'd amongft the Gods." And 'tis
not improbable that fuch as believed this
Fable fhould, upon this Account, pay di
vine Adoration to thefe Birds; as Mr.
Voltaire tell us * there are few Mufcovites
who will venture to eat a Pidgeon, becaufe
the Holy Ghoft is painted in Form of a
Dove. I h a v e had Occafion before to fpeak
of Aftteroth's great Love for her Husband
Thammuz or Adonis, and what a principal
Part of their Religion, her bewailing his
untimely End made, and of fome other
Parts of her Worfhip, fo fhall fay no more
of her here.
The other Deity mentioned in this
Account of Solomon's Idolatry, is Chemofh.
The Refemblance in the Hebrew between
his Name and Ammon's, and the LXX
tranflating him by X*p*'s, has made fome
think him the fame with that Egyptian
God. And they who derive his Name
from an Arabick Word, which fignifies
to haften, make it agree very well with

* Hiftory of the King of Sweden, p. 2$. the

64 Revelation defignd fo
the Sun, (whofe precipitate Courfe might
procure it a Name fignify iriglwift or fpeeuy)
which be, and indeed,' moft of the other
heathen Deitys, had fuch Relation to.
But the Worfhip which was paid Ghe~
mofh feems* to be very different from that
of Afflmott: The former was, as appears
from the Place before us, ordinarily wor
fhip'd, like the other, on high Places;
but we no where read that he had hu
mane Sacrifices offered to him, which we
fhall hereafter fee were common amongft
the other Votarys. And as for the Refem-
blance of the NameSi 'tis the moft flender
Foundation for Proof. St. Jerome* and
the Generality of Interpreters, make him
to differ in nothing but theName from Ba
al-Peor, whom we have already fpoken of.
It may be he was the fame as Comus, whofe
Image is given us by Philoftratus, and
whom the Greek Writers make the fame
as Dionyjus, and who prefided over Re
velling, Debauchery and immodeft Plea-
fures; or with Apollo Cottieeus, who is
taken Notice of by feveral Authors refer^d
to by Gyraldus *}-, and was worfhip'd in
many of the Eaftern Provinces. It is
certain, this Idol was particularly ador'd

* On If. xv. 2.
f Synt. vii.

under

prevent Superftition. 6<$
Under the Name of Chemofh, by the Mo
abites, as appears not only from the Place
before us, but from Numb. xxi. 29. Judg.
xi. 24. Jer. xlviii. 7, 13. and it is not im
probable that there might have been fome
Prince, from whom a great many of that
People were defcended, who had been
deified by them (under this Title:) and
this Suppofition will explain thofe Words
in the Ifraelites Song, Num.xxi. 29. more
fully than if we fuppofe him to have
been only their Deity. The Moabites are
there faid to be the Sons and Daughters of
Chemofh; which they certainly were in
a very emphatical Manner, if they were
not only under his Protection as their God,
but a great Part of them defcended from
him. But let us fee how God dealt with
Solomon for this Idolatry. We have be
fore feen him fending his Prophets to re
prove, and the heathen Nations execut
ing his Vengeance upon his People, for
the like Tranfgreflion of his Law. But
here was a Prince, who had been belov'd,
favour'd and dignified by him ; who had
built him a Temple, fallen into the moft
enormous Wickednefs, and building Tem
ples for his Wives Idols. He made there
fore a Revelation of himfelf to him. He
appeared to him ; not as he had before, to
Vol. \L F ap-

66 Revelation dejignd to
approve his Behaviour; but as terribly
now, as he had twice before kindly, and
afiur'd him how fatal his Apoftafy fhould
be to him and his Pofterity. He pro
nounced his Doom, that forafmuch as he
had not kept the Covenant and the Statutes.
which he had commanded him, he would
furely rend the Kingdom from him, and
give it unto his Servant *. As Solomon's
Splendor was to be eclips'd for his Punifh-
ment, thofe who had followed his Exam
ple, and join'd with him in his Offence,
were to be corrected in the Diffraction of
the Government. The Prophet Ahijah
found Jeroboam, and inform'd him that
God would rend the Kingdom out of the
Hand of Solomon, and give ten Tribes
to -j- him. Accordingly Solomon was no
fooner dead, than the Ifraelites affembled
at Schechem to crown Rehoboam, and with
Jeroboam at their Head, petition'd to have
their Grievances redrefied. But he, by
the Advice of young J Counfellors, giv
ing them a fharp Anfwer, ten of the
Tribes revolted from him, and made Je
roboam their King. Thus was God's Peo
ple divided into two Kingdoms, that of
Judah, and that of Ifrael.

*

i Kings xi.

11

t

Ver. 3 i .

--

X

i Kings xii.

CHAP.

prfvent Superftition. 167

CHAP. II.
The Idolatrys which the Kingdom
of Ifrael fell into. Jeroboam s
Calves. The Sidonian Baal.
BaakZebub.
C^fEROBQAM, being made King, in
1 Oppofition to the Houfe of David,
\J over ten of the Tribes, confider'd
how he might keep his new Subjects to
their Allegiance : He faid in his Heart *, If
the People go up to do their Sacrifice in the
Houfe of the Lord at Jerufalem, then jhall
the Heart of this People turn again unto their
Lord, even untoR.ehohoam King of Judah.
He confider'd, that by their going fo of
ten up thither on a religious Account, the
Splendor and Magnificence of the Place
might remind then of the Grandeur to
which David and Solomon had rais'd
them, and give Rehoboam an Opportunity
of drawing them off from his Party.

1 Kings xii. 26, 27.
F 2 The

6% Revelation defignd to
The civil Defection was foon there
fore followed with a fpiritual one : He
refolv'd to divert his Subjects from going
thither to worfhip, by fetting up a new
Form of Religion within his Kingdom.
He call'd to mind the Inclination which
the Generality of the People had on all
occafions fhewn for the neighbouring Su
perftition; that their Fathers had been
bred up in the Idolatrys of Egypt, and
after they had been refcued by the vifi-
ble Hand of God from their Slavery there,
forfook his Worfhip ; and even while
they were fupported by the fame miracu
lous Power in the Wildernefs, ador'd the
Egyptian Apis : and having, it may be, been
initiated himfelf in that Worfhip, when
he took Refuge from Solomon's Jealoufy at
the Court of Shijhak, ^he refolv'd, as Rea-
fons of State requir'd, to introduce that
Idolatry into his Kingdom, and caufing
two golden Calves to be made, commanded
his Subjects to worfhip them, as the Gods
which had brought them out of the Land
of Egypt.
One Egg is not more like another,
fays Bochart*, than Jeroboam's Calves

* Hieroz. part.i. I. ii. c. 34..
were

prevent Superftition. 6*9
were to Aaron's. That the Ifraelites made
juft as they had left Egypt, and thefe were
fet up by one who was but juft come
from thence. In order therefore to a right
understanding of them and this Idolatry,
we muft once more have recourfe to the
Religion of Egypt, that Mother Land of
Superftition.
The Worfhip of Animals, we have
feen, had been long practis'd there, and
made a principal Part of their Religion.
Amongft thefe they had an Ox very par
ticularly mark'd, which they ador'd as
the Emblem or Reprefentation of their
great God Ofiris. Their Reafon for it
was, becaufe they believ'd the Soul of
Ofiris went into fuch an Ox. Ofiris, as
we have feen, was the Name by which
they had deified the Father or Founder
of their Kingdom ; and the word Apis,
which was the Name they gave this Ox
at Memphis, fignifies as much, coming
plainly from the Hebrew word Ab, a Fa
ther ; as Suidas, and after him Voftius -j-,
has fhewn. But tho the Egyptians were
the firft who held the Tranfmigration of
the Soul, it is, I think, a more probable
Conjecture, that they chofe this Beaft to

* De Orig. & Prog. Idol. /. i. c. 29.
F 3 repre-

7° Revelation defign,d to
reprefent Ofiris for his being the Founder
of their Hufbandry, as well as the chief
Father of their Country; from the Ox
affording them fuch Help and Affiftance
in plowing their Ground, and carrying in
and treading out their Corn. And agrees
able to this is the Reafon which Diodo
rus gives us for this Animal's being con
fecrated to Ofiris * : " This Creature, of
" all others, was extraordinarily fervicea-
" his: to the firft Inventors of Hufbandry,
" both as to the fowing Corn, and other
" Advantages concerning Tillage, of
" which all reap the Benefit." And the
fame Reafon he gives us again -fv where he
largely difcourfcs on this Subject.
THERE.isvnot an Author, who has
wrote of Egypt, but what affords us feme
Account of this Idol ; but they are not
agreed about the Marks the Beaft was
to have which they admitted into their
Temples. Lusian fays J, that " he was
" born with the Marks of Divinity upon
" him." Plutarch **, that his Body was
to be all black, unlefs it was a fquare
Spot of White on his Forehead. But the

* L. i. C. 2.
+ C. 6.
X Of Sacrifices,
** If. & Of, fulleft

prevent Superftition. 7 1
fulleft Account we meet with is in Herodo
tus: he fays *, that " the Apis is the Calf
" of a Cow paft bearing, but who, ac-
" cording to the Egyptians, is impregnated
" by Lightning, whence fhe has the Apis.
" The Marks which diftinguifh him from
" all others, are thefe : His Body is black,
" except one Square of White on the
" Forehead : He has the Figure of an
" Eagle on his Back, a double Lift of
" Hair on his Tail, and a ScarabaUs un-
" der his Tongue." It Was no Difficulty,
in St. Aufiin's Opinion -f, for them to meet
With a Calf fo marked: " 'Tis no great
" matter for evil Spirits, fays he, in order
" to carry on their Delufion, to place be-
" fore the Eyes of a Cow, at the time of
" her Conception and Pregnance, theima-
" ginaryReprefentation of a Bull fo mark'd,
" to look upon ; by which means thofe
" Marks were impreffed on the Foetus
" which the Dam had formed in her
" Luft. As Jacob's Stratagem was to
" procure fpeckled or ftraked Sheep and
" Goats by the help of his particolour'd
" Rods. For what human Nature can
<c do by the Object of real Bodys and Co-
" lours in the Conception of Animals,

* 1. m.
f De Civit. Dei, /. 18. c. 5.

that

7 2 Revelation defigrid to
" that Spirits may moft eafily effect by
f- falfe and imaginary ones."
When they had found an Ox with
the proper Marks * a hundred Priefts
Waited on him with very great Rejoicings
to the Temple of Oftris at Memphis ; where
there were two Thalami, or Bed- Cham
bers -f- prepar'd for him, to which the Peo
ple repair'd for Prefages, If he enter 'd
into one of them, they reckon'd it a good
Omen, and to forebode all manner of
Happinefs to the Publick ; but if he went
into the other, a bad one, and to portend
much Evil. We learn from Strabo^.,
Plutarch**, and Suidas, that when they
could not find a Beaft with thefe Marks,
they paid Adoration to its Image, which
they fet up in their Temples. Plutarch tells
us ** that thefe Images were made of
Gold; and we find Lucian *-f introducing
Mercury joking, that the God? of the^Er
gyptian and Eaftern Nations were made of
Gold, but the Greeks of Ivory, Wood, or
fome fuch bafe Materials. To which God
alludes X* '• Te know how ye have dwelt in

* Solinus c. xxxv. and Suidas.
f Pliny/, viii. c. 46,
X L- xvii.
** If. & Of.
*f Jove Tragsdo.
f$ Deat. xxix. 1 6, 1 7.

prevent Superftition. 75
theLandofEgy^x.  and have feen their
Abominations and their Idols, Wood and
Stone, Silver and Gold, which were among
them. But he forbids their having fuch*:
Te Jhall not make with me Gods of Silver^
neither Jhall ye make unto you Gods of Gold.
A s at Memphis, which was in the up
per Egypt, they called this Ox Apis -f; fo
at Heliopolis, which was in the lower, he
had the Name of Mnevis. But none of
the Antients give us the Reafon for their
dedicating two Oxen to this Deity at the
fame time; tho it may be fuppos'd J that
this came from a Schifm in their Religion,
which might proceed from the religious
Neceffity they imagined there was for
their worfhipping a living Ox: and it not
fuiting the People of two different King
doms to appear at the fame Place of
Worfhip, the Priefts of each Kingdom
look'd out for an Ox, and boafted they
had found the true Ofiris.
The Ifraelites, when they came into
the Wildernefs, no fooner met with any
Difficulty or Hardfhip, than they called
to mind the Happinefs and Plenty of 23-

* Exod. xx. 23,
f Strabo /. xvii.
^ Mariham, p. 60, gtff>

74 Revelation dejtgn'dto
gypt, which they attributed to the Idols
which were there worfhipped. ' And when
Mofes * ftaid longer with God in the Mount
than they expe&ed, they having then re
ceived, fays Bifhop Patrick, no Directions
abbut the Service of God, which was
what they were brought out of Egypt for,
made fuch a Symbol, or Representation
of the Deity as the Egyptians had, to con
duct them thro' the Wildernefs ; and
chang'd their Glory into the Similitude of
an Ox that edteth Hay -f. They had not
fo divefted themfelves of Humanity and
common Senfe, with their Religion, as to
think that Calf a God ; or that the Idol
they had juft then made, had brought
them out of Egypt three Months before,
and wrought fuch Miracles for them : no,
'twas the true God they meant to worfhip ;
they fuppos'd that the divine Virtue re-
fided in their Imager and that it was fuch
a Sign or Symbol oFhim, as the Apis was
' of the Egyptian Ofiris. And that was what
they meant when they faid J, Thefe be thy
Gods, 0 Ifrael, which brought thee up out
of the Land of Egypt. And the very fame
Words, in the fame Senfe, we find made

* Exod. xxxii. i .
¦j- Pfal. cvi. 20.
X Exod. xxxii. 4..

ufe

pnvfitot Superftition. 75
ufe of by Jeroboam * : It is too much for
you to go up fo Jerufalem, at a great Trou
ble and Charge, to a People that hate you :
Behold thy Gods, O Ifrael, which brought
thee up out of the Land of Egypt : mean
ing that the true God was every where
prefent, and can no more be confin'd to
the Temple at Jerufalem, than to any other
Place : If that was confecrated, fo were
his Calves -f ; and if they wanted any fpe-
cial Symbols of God's Prefence, there they
were for them.
And that Aaron' sand Jeroboam's Calves
might in every Thing agree with the E-
gypfian Apis, they made them of Gold,
the fame Metal with which the Egyptians
made the Statues of their Gods; an&Aa-?
ronfafhioned% his with a graving Tool, after
he had made it a molten Calf ] i.e. He gave
it all thofe particular Marks, which were
the diftinguifhing Chatacteriftick of the
Egyptian Apis.

m 1 Kifig«x».-2&- ¦
f This Reprefentation being call'd in Exodus Eghel,
a Calf, does not at all hinder its being the fame with that
Egyptian Ox : For tho the Word us'd in the Hebrew, like
the Greek (jiia^@-, may denote a Calf, yet we find the
fame Word us'd in Scripture for an Ox, as Pfal. cvi. 20.
and Herodotus often ftyles the Ox, Apis, \MnyxiV, the Calf.
X Exod, xxxii. 4.
a And

7 6 Revelation defignd to
After this the People received thofe
Idols with the fame Joy and Acclamations
as the Egyptians fhew'd at the Appearance
of their God. As Suidas tells us of them,
that in honour of their Apis, vavticiKrfcv,
Convivium agebant ; fo they proclaim'd a
Feaft *, and rofe early in the Morning to
exprefs their Devotion by Mufick, Dancing,
and the like Tokens of Mirth ; they fat
down to eat and drink, and rofe up to play :
And therefore, when Jofhua faid unto
Mofes*}-, There is a Noife of War in the
Camp ; Mofes, who had been informed by
God X what the matter was, anfwers him**,
It is not the Voice of them that fhout for
Maftery, neither is it the Voice of them
that cry for being overcome, but the Noife
of thofe who fing db I hear ; or, as it is in
the LXX, e&pzovruv wovy of thofe who
were revelling in this heathenifh Enter
tainment. And in like manner Jeroboam
had no fooner erected his Calves, than
he too, in imitation of this Egyptian Wor
fhip *-{-, ordained a Feaft to their Honour,
that the People might receive them with
* Ver. 5, 6,
¦}¦. Ver. 17.
+ Ver. 7.
** Ver. 18.
*| 1 Kings xii. 32. Mirth

prevent Superftition. 77
Mirth and Jollity ; the * Feaft of Taber*
nacles, which fhould have been celebrated
in the 7th Month at Jerufalem, he brder'd
to be obferv'd in the 8th at Bethel. And
becaufe -j- the Priefts and Levites had left
their Suburbs and their Poffefjions, and were
gone to Jerufalem, detefting the Service
of his Impiety, X He made Priefts of the
lowejl of the People, i.e. fays Abarbanel,
out of all the People ; which is not to be
underftood || as if they were taken out
of the meaneft of them, but out of the
other Tribes.
It is to be obferv'd, that Jeroboam
did not erect his Calves in Schechem, the
Capital of his Kingdom ; but, as the
Egyptians were one at Memphis, the other
at Heliopolis, fo he fet the one in Bethel,
and the other put he in Dan, which were
in the two Extremitys of his Kingdom.
Bethel he made choice of, becaufe it had
been long efteem'd as a Place facred for
the real Appearance of God in antient
Time to Jacob **, and might therefore,
he thought, induce the People to a readier

* Ver. 32,33.
\ 2Chron. xi. 13, 14.
X 1 Kings xii. 3 1 .
| Bochart, Hieroz. part i. /. ii. c. 34.
** Gen. xxviii. 19. Belief

78 Revelation defigndto
Belief of the Refidence of the fame Di
vinity in his Calf; and Dan, becaufe
there had, for a long time, been a very
great Refort thither to Micah's Tera
phim *.
W e find throughout the whole Scrip
ture, the ftrongeft Terms of Reproach
given to this Idolatry. The Idols are
called Devils f. The LXX, the old Ita
lian Verfion, Jofephus $, and Tobit Jf, by
way of Indignity, fpeak of thefe Calves
in the Feminine Gender. And Hofea,
on their Account, calls Bethel **, which
fignifies the Houfe of God, Bethaven, i. e.
the Houfe of Wickednefs, or Idolatry ; and
calls their Priefts, Chemarim, i.e. Sacru
ficuli ; and to fhew his Contempt of
them, makes ufe likewife of the Feminine
Gender. This manner of Expreffion is
common amongft the Poets,
'A%«/5«s» «k erx 'A%mt. Iliad ii.
And Virgil, O vere Phrygia neq; enim Phryges.
&n, ix. v. 6 17.
* Judg. xviii. 30.
•f- 2 Chron. xi. 15.
JL. viii. c. 3.
Tob.i.S.
** Hof. x. 5, 8.
The

prevent Superftition. y§
The Wrath of God was immediately
executed upon the principal Ringleaders
in Aaron's Idolatry, by the Levites, who,
at the Command of Mofes *, put three
thoufand of them to Death ; and a
Peftilence -f- was fent to fweep away fuch
as efcap'd their Sword. After which
God finifh'd the giving of the Levitieal
Law, and made fuch a Provifion againft
Idolatry in general, and this Species of
it in particular, as fhould, it might have
been thought, have prevented the People's
falling into the fame again.
But Jeroboam's preferring Reafons of
State before the Concerns of Religion,
made it necefiary, as we have feen, for
the divine Providence to rebuke it once
more. The fending a Prophet from
Judah, was thought fufficient, who,
while Jeroboam, the Idol Shepherd %, was
perfonating the High-Prieft at Bethel, and
burning Incenfe on the Feaft he had infti-
tuted, in the midft of the People and hear
ing of the King, foretold the Judgments
which fhould be one Day executed on

* Exod. xxxii. 27, 28.
\ Ver. 35.
X Zech. xi. 17.

that

8o Revelation dejignd to
that Altar and its Priefts. This he con-
firm'd by Signs and Wonders in the pre-
fence of them all. The Very Altar is
rent * lit the Word of the Prophet, and
the Afhes poured out from it. But Jero
boam, inftead of bowing his Knees for
Humiliation, ftretched out his. Hands for
Revenge, faying \, lay hold on him. And
his Hand, which in his Rage he put forth,
dried up, Jo that he could not pull it in
again. This could not but work a Change
in him. He who juft now threatned the
//Prophet, humbly fupplicates a Cure from
the Hand which gave the Wound ; and a
new Miracle is immediately wrought for
his Relief. But this only reftor'd the
King to the ufe of his Arm, not him or
his People to a fenfe of their Sin, for
he dyed at laft in this Idolatry, as did
all the Kings of Ifrael after him ; which
brought a Flood of Miferys and unheard
of Calamitys upon them and that King
dom, and was, with the other Idolatrys
they fell into, the Source of all the ,Mif-
fortunes that People were afterwards af
flicted with.

* i Kings xiii. 5.
t Ver. 4.

But

Prevent Superftition. 8 i
But let us fee what thofe other Ido
latrys were. Ahab was the firft who
added ftrange Worfhip to that of the
two Calves. He exceeded in Wickednefs
all who went before him; not only imi-*
tated the worft of his Predeceffors, in the
very worft of their Actions, but * did
very abominably in following Idols, accord
ing to all Things; as did the Amorites i
and having married the idolatrous Jeze*
bel, Daughter of Ethbaal, or Ithobal, as
he is called by profane Authors, King of
the Zidonians, out of Complaifance td
her, who was an imperious as well as
wicked Woman, added the Worfhip and
Service of her Country Gods. The Cha*
racter Jofephus gives us of her, is, that
" She was a Woman of a rafh, enter-
" prizing Humour ; and of fo impetuous
" and ungovernable a Spirit, that fhe
u had the Confidence to erect a Temple
" to Baal; the God of the Tyrians; to
*e plant Groves for Superftitionj of all
*' forts of Trees, and to appoint her
" Priefts and falfe Prophets exprefly fot*
*' that idolatrous Service.'*
The Tyrian or Sidonian Baal, whofe
Worfhip fhe introduced, was the fame
* i Kings xxi. 26,
Vol* II. G with

8 1 Revelation dejigrid to
with the Marine Jupiter of the Greeks,
who has a great deal faid of him in
Hefychius, Phavorinus and Suidas. Theo*
doret calls him * curv\pa vmt uhslixtuiov. Stra-
bo gives him the fame Title of iulkuvL^,
Malorum Depulfor; and as fuch, Jezebel
thought him a proper Support for Ahab's
declining Affairs; fhe therefore made him
build a Temple to him at his royal City
Samaria, fet up an Altar in it for his
Sacrifices, and provide him 450 Prophets,
or Priefts, to officiate at it. Adjoyning
to this Temple fhe had a Grove, for the
Worfhip of Aftarte, and four hundred
Priefts belonging to it, who were in fuch
high Efteem with her, that, to induce
the People to do them the more Honour,
they eat at her Table -f.
There is room to conjecture that
Jezebel's Baal was the fame God that our
Anceftors ador'd as the All-healing Deity,
and to whom the Druids, who were not
unacquainted with Greek, gave the fame
Title of uteh'mnos; and dedicated Altars to,
with fuch Inferiptions as we meet with
in Selden j, BEAINQ TQ IIANAKEI, &c.
'Tis not improbable that they fhould be

* De curandis Grac. affecT:. Ser. viii.
•|- 1 Kings x viii. 19.
X See his Notes oe Drayton\ Poljolbion, Song 9.
2, ac-

prevent Superftition. 8}
atquainted with this Phoenician Deity,
When we confider the great Traffick the
Tyrian and Sidonian Merchants drove with
this Ifland for Tin.
When Wickednefs and Idolatry had
thus overfpread the Land, God fhewed
his Goodnefs in fending his Prophet Eli
jah ; a feafonable Reformer, when Times
were come to the worft. The miraculous
Power, which attended him, fhould, one
would have thought, have added fuch a
Force to his Preaching, as would have
tUrn'd the moft devoted People from their
Impiety s. At his Prayer neither Dew nor
Rain fell for three Tears and fix Months * ;
but having reprov'd Ahab, and by Fire
from Heaven convinc'd the People, that
the Lord he is God, who immediately, at
his Command, put to Death four hun
dred and fifty of Baal's Prophets, by
Prayer he obtain'd Rain enough -j-. And
'tis to be obferv'd, that Menander, a
heathen Hiftorian, " who turned the
" Tyrian Annals out of the Philiftin into
" Greek %," recorded this Drought in his
Account of Ethbaal King of Tyre : " In
" his Time, fays he, there was an ex-

* Lukeiv. 25. and Jam.V; 17;
f i Kings xviii.
X Jofsph. Antiq. /. viii. e. 2.
0 i fi treffie

84 Revelation dejignd to
" treme Drought for want of Rain, which
" lafted from the Month of Hyperbere-
" taus, till the fame Month again next
" Year. There were Prayers, indeed,
" put up for the averting of the Judg-
" ment, which were follow'd by mighty
" Claps of Thunder." This, as Jofe
phus obferves *, " was undoubtedly the
" Drought under Ahab, for it was in his
" Reign that Ethbaal was King of Tyre,
" as Menander has it in his Commen-
" tarys." But there was no fuch happy Effect
attended Elijah as might have been ex
pected : a general Prevalency of all thofe
Abominations, which had incens'd God
againft the Canaanites, continued amongft
the People ; and Ahab, their King, dyed
in his Sins, and the Dogs lick'd his Blood -f,
agreeably to Elijah's and Micaiah's Pro-
phecys J»
AHAB was fucceeded by his Son
Ahaziah, Who was a very wicked Man,
and not only continued the Idolatry of
Jeroboam, but the Worfhip of all thofe

* Apud Jofeph. ibid. c. 7,
¦\ 1 Kings xxii. 38.
X Ver. 17, &c.

ftrange

prevent Superftition. 85
ftrange Gods with which his Father and
Mother had corrupted Samaria ; and be
ing ill of a Fall, he fent to confult * Baal-
Zebub,

* It may not, perhaps, be unentertaining to fee the
State of Phyfick in thefe antient Times. We fee here
Ahaziah being fick, fends not for a Phyfician, but to con
fult the Oracle of BaabZebub ; as Jeroboam fent his Wife
to the Prophet (i JCingsyiv. z, &c.) when his Son was
jndifpos'd ; and as Naaman (2 Kings v.) the Syrian went
himfelf, and BexhadadiaxA Hazael to confult EUJha (2 Kings
viii. 8.) concerning his Sicknefs. They advis'd in thole
Times with their Priefts, Prophets, and Augurs, as we now
do with our Phyficians, and expefted to be reftor'd to
Health by fome Charm, or the Art of Vaticination, not
by any natural Means or Remedy, The lame was praftis'd
likewife by the Greeks, as appears by the Speech of Achilles
to the Generals on the breaking out of the Plague,
Strait let fome Prophet, or fome facred Sage,
Explore the Caufe of great Apollo's Rage j
Or learn the wrathful Vengeance to remove
By myftic Dreams ; for Dreams defend from Jove. II. i.
Jpollo was the Deity the Greeks reforted to upon thefe
Occafions. Diodorus tells us, (/. v. c. 4.) that he " dif-
« cover'd the Art of Phyfick, which is prattis'd by Revela-
" tion from him, by which the Sick heretofore were
?' commonly reftor'd to Health." Celfus, [Li.) has obferv'd,
that Homer takes notice of no Difeafe his Heroes were
troubled with, but what was immediately infiifted by
Heaven. He fuppofes, that Exercife and Temperance
preferv'd them from all befides. I rather imagine, that
Homer thought it beneath their Dignity to be fick or in-
difpos'd, when engag'd in fo warlike and noble an Expe
dition. He paints them more divine than that comes to.
If they are wounded, 'tis no more than their Gods are too.
But at the fame time it muft be acknowledg'd, that there
might not in the firft Ages be much Occafion for a Science,
which is now fo neceflary to the Health and Happinefs of
Mankind. The Simplicity of Men's Manners, and the
G 3 aflive

8fj revelation aefign a ju
aftive and temperate Lives they then led, naturally tendqd
to the procuring of Health. And <befides, the Powers of
human Nature not being then prejudiced by Luxury and
intemperance,"~afforded them a greater Share of Health
than we now enjoy ; as we find they liv'd longer Lives,
which was no more than the natural Confequence of Health.
This was the Reafon a Science was no fooner devis'd,
which is juftly efteem'd fo beneficial.
The firft Phyjicians by Debauch ivere made,
Excefs began, and Sloth fuftains th'e 'Trade, Sec.
Mr. Dryden.
As the Evil appear'd, Men look'd out for a Remedy, which
could not but be gratefully receiv'd by a benefited People.
Botany was firft- hit upon, as appears from the Storys of
Medea, Circe, &c. We often find mention in the moft
antient Writers (See Mr. Pope on //. xi. <v. 696.] of Women
eminent in that Art ; as of Polydamne, (Odyff. iv.) and of
Agamede, (II. xi.) who is faid (like Solomon} to have known
the Virtue of every Plant. I am inclin'd to think that it
was brought very early into great Efteem and Practice ;
knd that ' feveral very uirprizihg Effefts being produe'd
by a Skill in Herbs and Plants, the Generality of the Peo
ple attributed them to Charms and Incantations j and
that from thence came the Retort to Priefts, Prophets,
and Charmers, for the Cure of Difeafes. And this agrees
very well with the Characters of Medea (Pakephatus 44.)
and Circe, (Bochart Geog. Sac. /. i. c. 33.} they being e-
qually famous for their Skill in the nature of Herbs, and
for Sorcery or Witchcraft. So Melampus has the Character
partly of a Botanift, partly of a Prophet. He indeed is
./aid to have been the Inventor of Purgatives, (Apollod.
/. ii. /¦• 85.) and is call'd the Purger, (Servius Georg. /.iii.
q/. 550.) However, it is intimated that the Purgations
(Ibid.) invented by him were no other than religious Puri
fications. And it is certain, that the Cure of Madnefs,
which was what made him famous as a Phyfician, was, at
that time, attributed to the Performance of fome religious
Rite or Luftration ; as is plain, not only from the Storys of
Hercules, Alcm&on, Orefies, &c. but from the manner of
his caring Pnetus's Daughters, which was by Charms,
and caufmg them to bath in the Clitorian Fountain. {Ovid.
$ktata. 1. xv.) And

prevent Superftition. 87
And from hence, it may be, $ctpp<tK&g,, came to fignify
as well the Art of Medicine, as the Profefjing of Sorcery and
Witchcraft; and Ku£«,p[Jt.os to be us'd (See Bayle, Art. Me-
lampus, Remark G.) to fignify not only a purgative Medi
cine, but alfo what we call an Exorqifm, or rather a Form
tf magical Words.
But about Homer's Time, we meet, in holy Writ, (2
Chron.xvi. 12.) with Afa fending to cbnfult a Phyfician.
This was condemn'd in him as an Impiety, as it very well
might, if a heathen Prieft or Charmer was that Phyfician.
Tho, perhaps, the Phyfician he fent to, was what wa
fhould now call a Surgeon. His Indifpofition, we are told,
was a Difeafe in his Feet ; (Ibid.) having the Gout, it
was proper enough for him to fend for one, who pro-
fefs'd a Knowledge in outward Applications* His Pro-r
feflion might probably be the fame with that of Maehaon
and Podalirius in Homer, who praftis'd Surgery, not Phy
fick, tho they have the honourable Title of Phyficians
given them. Their Skill did not exceed that of their
father Mfculapius, who gain'd his great Reputation by
Curing Hippolytus, who was very much wounded by the
dafhing in Pieces of his Chariot ; or of his Mafter Chiron,
(Galen's Introduft. and Pliny, /. vii. c . 46. and Hygin. c.
27,) whofe name fhews him to have been famous for manual
Operations, , They were both of them only eminent for
their Knowledge in Botany and Surgery. What we find
them employ'd about, is the making of Stipticks, ufing
Fomentations, extracting Darts and Arrows, curing of
Wounds, &c . Any modern Phyfician would tell you, they
could not know much of their Science, who could allow,
as they did, (II. xi.) ground Cheefe and Meal fteep'd in
Wine to be given to a wounded Man. And accordingly,
Pliny tells us, (Nat. Hift. 1. xxix. c. 1.) that it was Surr
gery, not Phyfick, which was praftis'd in the ^Trojan
Times. In the fame fenfe Home r applies the Word to the
Egyptians, who, fays he, were all of them Phyficians.
The State of War we have feen their Country very early
in, neceffitated them to acquire fome Knowledge in the
healing of Wounds. However, they are the firft Prafti-
tioners in Phyfick which I have met with. Herodotus has
given us an Account of that Science as, he found it amongft
them. " The Art of Phyfick, fays he, (A ii.) is diftri-
" buted into feveral diftinft Parts, and every Phyfician
f* applies himfelf wholly to the Cure of one Difeafe only,
f* no Man ever pretending to more. By which means all
G 4 « Places

§ 8 Revelation* dejigrid to
Zebub, the God of Ekron -j-, concerning
his Recovery.
I t is upon this occafion only that wc
meet with this Deity in the Old Tefta^
ment, who is feveral times mentioned in
the New, where he has the Title of %
the Prince of the Devils, given him.
There are different Conjectures andj
Opinions amongft learned Men concern^
ing him. AH that we know of him for
certain is from the PJace before us ; thaf
he was a Philiftine Deity, and had a cele
brated Temple and Oracle at Ekron.
The Commentators give us no Rea^
fon.for his being call'd, in our Saviour's

?f Places abound with Phyficians ; fome profiling to cure.
" the Eyes, others the Head, Teeth, or Parts about the
" Belly, while others take upon them the Cure of internal
'.' Diieafes." Soon after this Hippocrates flourifh'd. He
was a Coan, and taught this Science in that Ifland, and is
laid ( Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. xxix. c. i .) to have been the firft
who vifited fick People, and prefcrib'd them Remedys ; tho,
by what Dean 'Prideaux fays, (Parti. I. vl) upon his be-;
ing fent for by Artaxerxes, that " many Ihfiahces in the
*» Hiii'orys of thofe Times do acquaint us, how fond the
" Perfians were of Greek Phyficians," one would conclude
that Phyfick had ah earlier Praftice. Hippocrates, how
ever, has, by \\s Writings, deieryedly acquired the Title of
the Father of the Phyficians.
-j- 2 Kings i. 2.
% Mat. xii, 24. Markiij. 22. eitidLakexi. 15.
Time,

prevent Superftition. 89
Time, the Prince of Devils. If I may
be allow'd a Conjecture, I fhould fuppofe
it to be from the Jews of that Age
taking him to be the fame with Beelfamin.
Sanchoniatho tells us, that the Heathens
worfhip'd the Sun, whom they thought the
only Lord of Heaven, calling him Beelfa-r
min, 'which, in Phoenician, is Lord of
Heaven. And thofe whom the Heathens
worfhip'd as Gods, the Jews of later
Times, thro' an Oppofition to Idolatry,
fuppos'd to be fallen Angels, or Devils;
and 'twas natural enough for them, to
make the chief falfe Deity, the Prince of
Devils. And 'tis the Opinion of a great
many learned Men *, that this God was
called by his Worfhipers Beelfamin, the
God of Heaven ; but that the Jews, who
were fcrupulous of calling the heathen
Deitys by their proper Appellations, and
therefore disfigur'd their Names, call'd
him, in derifion, Beelzebul, the God of
Ordure, or Beelzebub, the God of a Fly.
But Mr. Selden thinks f , that he had
the latter of thefe Names given him from
the Cure of a contagious Diftemper.
And upon that Account he might be a

f See Pole's Synop. to 'Mat. x. 25.
f Synt. ii. c. 6'.
3 very

oo Revelation defign'd to
very proper Deity to confult concerning
the King's Recoyery. He founds his, Opi
nion on a Story in * Pliny -f-, that there
being a Peftilence in Africk, oeeafion'd
by a Multitude of Flys, it was ftop'd by
facrificing to the God Achor : In Achore,
fays Mr. Selden, veftigia reperis Acaronis ;
& qua de muftis dicit, ea Baalzebub
ferme fonant.
Others, from this Deity 's being
call'd in the New Teftament, the Prince
of the Devils, imagine him not to be the
heavenly Baal, or Jupiter, but Pluto the
Prince of infernal Spirits. And Mr.
Millar, from the Refemblance there is
between Ekron, the Place where he was
worfhip'd, znd.Acheron, the River in Hell,
joyns in Opinion with them ; and is cer
tainly in the right when he tells us, that
the Name of Baal being prefix'd to Zebub,
does 'not hinder Pluto from being meant

* L. x. c 28.
-J- ' Mr. Selden, arid feveral .others, who have quoted this
Paflage of Pliny, upon his Authority, have miiftaken it }
the Peftilence was not in Africk : the words are, Elei (who
were a People in the Pehponnefe) ihtiocant Myiagron Deum,
mufcarum multitudine pefiilentiam nfferente, qtta protinus in-
tereunt quam litatum efl ei Deo ; and not as he quotes it,
Cyrenaici Achorem Deum invocant, &c. Tho it may be he
had feen it in fome Copy Achorem, for in the Notes on this
PafTage of Pliny there is fuch a Reading as Myiacarem, tho
it is condemn'd by Father Harduine,
by

, prevent Superftitjon^ o i
by it, Baal being a general Title given
to all the Gods, as that of Jupiter fome-
times was to Pluto, as appears from Ho
mer's calling him * infernal Jove, and
from that of Virgil -f.
Thus will I pay my Vows to Stygian Jove,
The fame Appellation was given too, as
appears from Mfchylus, to Neptune. It is
certain the Title of Baal-Zebub, Lord of
Flys, as that of Serapis, Prince of Locufls,
might be properly enough given to Pluto:
for they are, if we will credit Pliny,
one of the greateft Plagues of thofe Coun*-
trys, and, as % Bochart has fhewn from
Herodotus, Appian, and Strabo, have forc'd
People even to forfake their Habitations :
and the Heathens worfhip'd Pluto as the
Author of fuch Calamitys, to keep him
from doing them harm.
B y Baal-Zebub, I am inclin'd to be
lieve, they meant that Baal which was
reprefented by, and worfhip'd under, the
Form of a Fly ; having, as they conceived,
Power over all that Species of hurtful In
fects. That it was cuftomary with the

* II. /. ix.
¦j- Mn. I. iv.
j Hieroz. part ii. /. iv. c. 13,
Heathens

pi Revelation defign d to
Heathens to reprefent their Deitys by
fome Creature that was facred to them,
and to put them on their Heads or Hands,
intending them as the Hieroglyphicks of
their Gods, as to figure Ammon with a
Ram's head, Ifts with a Cat's, Anubis with
a Dog's, &c. is plain from a great num
ber of Egyptian Coins, as well as from
the Fable of Ifts; fo did they reprefent
this God by a Fly. Hence it is we meet
with a Fly on the Statue * of the Goddefs
Diana of Ephefus, as alfo on an old
Phoenician Coin -f ; and that Clemens
Alexand. % upbraids the Gentiles with
iacrificing to this Infedt at ABium in
Acarnania ; and that Philaftrius tells us ||,
it was continued to be worfhip'd at Ekront
r.ill after Chriftianity appear'd;
I make no doubt, but the Flys were
commonly worfhip'd by the old Inha
bitants of Canaan, who were driven out
by the Ifraelites. ' For as the Author of
the Book of Wifdom fays **, that People
were tormented with their own Abomina-

* Vide Claud. Menit. Symbolic. Dianx Ephefis Sta-i
tuam. /.vii. p. 391. Gronov.
t John Erneft. Gerard Analeft. ad Mat. xii, 24.
+ Cohort, ad Gent. i. 2.
|) Haeref. xiii.
'!** Chap. xii. 23. t ions',

prevent Superftitiog. 95
tions : and fpeaking of the Beafts they wor
fhip'd, he fays *, by the like were they
punifh'd worthily. And again he fays -j-,
But for thefoolifh Devices of their Wicked-
nefs, wherewith being deceived, they wor
fhip'd Serpents void of Reafon, and vile
Beafts, thou didft fend a multitude ofunrea-
finable Beafts upon them for Vengeance,
that they may know that wherewithal a
Man finneth, by the fame alfo fhall he be
punifhed : God would have them read
their Sins in his Judgments, that they
might repent of their Sins, and give
Glory to his Juftice. And therefore the
fame Author tells us, that he % did fend
Wajps, Forerunners tf his Hoft, to deftroy
them by little and little. And from our
being three times told \\, that God fent
Hornets before his People to drive them
out of the Land, we may conclude that
the Deity, on whofe Account this Infect
had divine Honours paid it, was in very
great Efteem, and generally worfhip'd by
the antient Canaanites. And it may be
he was no other than that Heathen Her
cules, Apollo, or Jupiter, who had the
Title of the Fly-Hunter, or the God who

* Chap. xvi. 1 .
+ Chap. xi. 15, 16.
% Chap. xii. 8.
ii Exod.xxiii. 28. Deut. vii. 20. WJofh. xxiv. 12.
caught

p4 Revelation dejignd to
caught or drove away Flys, whom we find
mention'd by Paufanias, Solinus, Pliny,
and others *.
And this Will clear three PafTages in
Homer from the Cavils of the Criticks,
who have been much offended at his
likening Ulyffes -f, Menelaus J, and Achil
les 's || Myrmidons to this Infect j a Com
parifon, fay they, by reafon of the little-
nefs and infignificancy of the Creature,
unworthy to have a Place in Epic Poetry.
Our prefent Ideas of this Animal are in
deed very low ; but Homer's Heroes can
not be diminifh'd by a Comparifon taken
from a Creature which they reverenc'd
and ador'd as a God, as this was by them,
having been brought into Greece by the
Canaanites who fled from Jofhua.
The laft publick Action of the Pro^
phet Elijah, was the reproving Ahaziah
He having call'd for Fire from Heaven,
which confum'd two Captains with their
Companys, went with the third, who
was likewife fent to feize him, and pro-
aounc'd the Sentence of God againft him,

* Gyraldus Synt. /. i. Alex, ab Alex. /. i. c. 13,
t OdyfT. xvii,
% II. xvii.
| II. Stvi.
That

pr&oent Superftition." 05
That forafmuch as he had fent to Baal-
Zebub, as if there was no Qod in Ifrael,
he Jhould not 'come down off" that Bed on
which he was' gone up, but fhould furely
die there*.
But notwithftanding thefe repeated
Reproofs of the Prophets, and the mira
culous Evidence they gave of the Divi
nity of their MifTions, the Kingdom of
Ifrael continued in the Idolatrous Worfhip
of thefe falfe Gods; which brought on
the Ruin and Deftruction of it, and occa-
fion'd that People's being at laft carried
away by Shalmanefer into AfTyria, and
placed in Halah, and in Habor, by the
River of Gozan, and in the Citys of the
Medes \. This was the miferable End
of that ftiff-necked and perverfe People,
who would neither regard the feveral
Revelations God made of his Will to
prevent their Idolatry, nor hearken to
the Threatnings and Admonitions of
their Prophets, tho they foretold them
that certain Deftruction would be the
Confequence of their Wickednefs ; after
their- Kingdom had fubfifted, from its

* 2 Kings i. 1 6.
f 2 Kings xvii. 6.

Divifion

ofS Revelation dejignd to
Divifion from Judah, 254 Years, amidft
a continual Scene of tragical Deaths
Revenge, Civil Wars, and all forts
of unheard of Misfortunes and Cala-
mitys.

¦tains

CHAP,

prevent Superftition. pf

CHAP, III.
The Idolatrys the Kingdom of Ju*
dah fell into. Sodomites. Chil
dren pafjing thro the Fire. The
brazen Serpent. Chariots and
Horfes of the Sun. Obferva*
t'ton of Times. Inchantnients.
Witchcraft. Wizards. Dealing
with familiar Spirits. Human
Sacrifices. The BabylonifJh
Captivity citr'd the Jews of Ido
latry.
HAVING in the foregoing Chap
ter given an Account of the Idola*
trys the Kingdom of Ifrael fell
into, arid the" Methods of divine Provi
dence in reforming it, we fhall in this
treat of thofe with which that of Judah
was corrupted.
One wbuld have imagined, if there
had been no other reafon than worldly
V o l. II. H Policy

5>8 Revelation dejtgn'd id
Policy (which, as we have feen, brought
the Idolatry of the Golden Calves into
Ifrael) for preferving the true Religion
in its native Purity, and free from the
leaft Pollution among the two Tribes
which kept clofe to the Houfe of David,
it fhould have been fufficient to have pre
vented any falfe Worfhip being fet up.
For after that difmal Rent, the new erect
ed Kingdom was become a frefh Enemy
to * the City which the Lord had chofen out
of all the Tribes of Ifrael to put his Name in,
which was therefore oblig'd to ftrengthen
itfelf, and provide againft it ; and the very
fame Reafons which led the ten Tribes to
fet up that ftrange Worfhip, fhould have
Induc'd thefe to have been zealous fot the
true. They were in poffeffion of the
Temple, to which all true Believers were
oblig'd three times a Year to come up to
worfhip ; and their Prince was of the
Lineage and Houfe' of David and Solomon ;
which not only brought over to them all
the Priefts and Levites -j~, but others too,
who left their Habitations and PofTeffions,
and came and joyn'd with them to attend
the Dutys of their Religion, and kept up
a very ftrong and numerous Party in the

* i Kings xiv. 21.
f 2 Chron. xi. 14, Ssfa other

prevent Superftition. po
other Kingdom of thofe, who retaining
their old Religion, could not but be ready
on all occafions to ferve and afiift them;
But the contrary we fhall find to be
the Cafe. For notwithftanding the great
ftrength added to the Kingdom of Judah
by thofe, who out of the other Tribes
join'd with it for the fake of Religion,
Profperity puffed up Rehoboam, and foon
ruin'd him. He continued but * three
Tears walking in the way of David and
Solomon, before thofe Inclinations began
to appear, which, it may be, were in-
ftill'd into him by Naamah his Mother,
who was an Ammonitefs -f* ; and who, tho
(he might have been profelyted before
fhe married Solomon, might retain fo much
of the Religion of her Country, as to
inftill ill Principles into her Son, and
entice him, as fhe is efteem'd to have
done Solomon, to Idolatry. In fhort, he
forfook the Law of the Lord, and all Ifrael
with him %, and fell into a much groiTer
Idolatry than that of Jeroboam ; they pro-
vok'd the Lord to Jealoufy with their Sins
which they committed, (that is, by joyning
other Gods together v/ith him) above all

* 2 Chron. xi. 17.
f 1 Kings xiv. 21.
J 2 Chron. xii. 1 .
H 2 that

t oo Revelation defignd td
that their Fathers had done : For they alfo
built them high Places, and Images, and
Groves, on every high Hill, and under every
green Tree *, But they were not con
tented with this, which, as we have feen,
had been practifed before them, but car
ried their Wickednefs to a much greater
height. For there were alfo Sodomites in
the Land 'j.
B y thefe Sodomites we are not to un-
derftand any Relicts or Remnant of the
People of Sodom, but fuch as follow'd the
Abominations of that City ; that is* as Dr.
Lightfoot interprets it %, Men who profti-
tuted themfelves to Sodomy, and Women who
kept Brothel Houfes. They Were come to
that Excefs of Impiety and Wickednefs,
that they had Tents or Chapels, or, if
Vou will, Colleges, adjoyning to their
idolatrous Temples, inhabited by Perfons
of both Sexes, whofe profefs'd bufinefs it
was, in Honour of their impure Deitys,
to proftitute their Bodys in the moft
horrid manner. Thefe Colleges the Jews
erected, notwithftanding they had receiv'd
that Command in the Law of Mofes ||, Do

* i Kings xiv. 22, 23.
*j- Ver. z\
t Vol. I. /. 80, of his Works.
(| Lev. xix. 291 net

prevent Superftition. i o i
not proftitute thy Daughter, to caufe her to
be a Whore : which I chufe rather to un-
derftand, with Bifhop Patrick, of thefe
religious Proftitutions, than of any others ;
for we cannot well think any one would
expofe his Daughter as a common Strum
pet, tho he might overlook her Leudnefs :
and it is plain from Lev. xxi. 7. Judg. xi.
1. and from feveral Places in the Proverbs,
as well as from Solomon's Judgment be
tween the two Harlots, that there were
fuch in Ifrael. And therefore, Deut.
xxiii. 17. we find both the Men and
Women, who were devoted to this im
pure Service, joyn'd together in the fame
Prohibition ; There jhall be no Whore of
the Daughters of Ifrael, nor a Sodomite of
the Sons of Ifrael.
But notwithftanding thefe Prohibi
tions, fuch Colleges were fet up in their
facred Groves, which being on their High
Places, is the reafon the h%X (who
frequently chufe to give us the Meaning
rather than the literal Signification of the
Text) tranflate their High Places * by
70 %ofvsi6v} Lupanar ; and that we fo often
find their High Places joyn'd in Scripture
with thefe Abominations ; as -f* He made
* Ezek. xyi.'39.
-J- 2 Chron. xxi. 1 1 .
H 3 High

I ox Revelation dejignd to
High Places in the Mountains of Judah,
and caufed the Inhabitants of Jerufalem to
commit Fornication: and in feveral other
Places, as where the Prophet Ezekiel
alludes to their enclofing a Place for their
Obfcenitys with their Garments: * Of thy
Garments thou didft take, and deckedft thy
High Places with divers Colours, and
flay edjl the Harlot thereupon. To the like
ufe they put the Hangings the Women
were fometimes employ'd in Weaving, as
appears from 2 Kings xxiii. 7. He broke
down the Houfes of the. Sodomites, that
were by the Houfe of the Lord, where the
Women wove Hangings for the Grove, or
for Afherah, that is, for Aftarte, as we
have feen it ought to be tranflated.
With thefe Garments, Hangings, or-
Curtains, fays Bifhop Patrick, they en-
compafs'd their Idols, and made a kind of
Houfe fpr them, as the Hebrew Word
imports, which the Greeks call'd vutiin,
that is, little Temples, or Habitations, into
which the Worfhipers retir'd, and before
the Image of their Deity committed their
^bqm'mable Leudnefs. The retiring Pla
ces were called Succoth-benoth; fo the Men
of Babylon aye faid to have made -j- Suc-
¦. ' ¦ ¦ . ., „ _"~ — — . | ,
* Chap. xvi. 6.
j- 2 Kj'ngs xvii. 30, SOtk"

prevent Superftition. 10$
eoth-benoth, which is not to be underftood
as the Name of a Deity, but of thefe lit
tle Temples ; for the Word plainly imports
the Tabernacle of Daughters, or of young
Maidens, that is, thofe Chapels wherein
their Daughters were proftituted. Mr.
Addifon was fhewn one of them at Puteoli,
which was adjoyning to the Ruins of an
old heathen Temple, and call'd the Cham
ber of Venus. It was wholly dark, fayS
he *, and had feveral Figures on the
Cieling, wrought in Stucco, that feem to
reprefent Luft and Strength by the Em
blems of naked Jupiters and Gladiators,
Tritons and Centaurs, &c. fo that one
would guefs it formerly to have been the
Scene of many lewd Myfterys.
M r. Selden -f is of Opinion, that by
Kedefchim, which we tranflate Sodomites,
and underftand of thofe Men and Women
who proftituted their Bodys as a piece of
Religion, is meant their Priefls; as by
Kedefchoth St. Jerom underftands the
Priefteffes, whofe Bodys were expos'd in
Honour of Baal-Peor: and accordingly
the LXX tranflate Kedefchim £ very pro-

* Travels.
\ Synt. ii. c. 7.
% See St. Jerom on Hof. iv. 14,

H 4 perly

<«

i ©4 Revelation defignd to
perly by reretewtm, fuch as were initiated
into the fervice of the Idol; and Theodo-
ponrendevs it by aejewpwjxfw, a) Populo. ftpa-r
rati ; and the Character Julius Firmicus
gives us of the Priefts of Juno or Aftarte
agrees yery wpll with this Suppofition;
?' Whofe Priefts cannot be qualified for
her Service, fays he, but by making
" their Perfons effeminate, fhaving thprn-
fc felves clofe, and difhpnouring their
f{ Sex by wearing the habit of the other,
•' One may fee in the very Temples moft
?c fcandalous follies, Men become Pathics,
f' and declare and publifh this Stain of
" their Nature with an oftentatious boaftr
" ing, &c." But thefe Abominations!
were committed not by the Priefts and
PrieftefTes alone, but by others too, as is
plain from Athanafius * ; *' It is certain,
•' fays he, that the Phoenician Women, in
" former T'ime?, proftituted themfelves
(l before their Idols ; making an Offering
?' to their Gods, by way of Firft-Fruits,
*'. of the Pay which they received for the
" lofs of their Virginity, being perfuaded
f they made them propitious to them by
?« that whorifh Oblation. The Men too,
?< renouncing their Sex, and appearing no
«« longgr in the Quality of Men, affected

* Orat. cont, Gent. p. 27,
3 " «*

prevent Superftition. 105
«* to go and behave like Women, as if
" thereby they did Honour to the Mother
*¦ of the Gods."
The Annotator on Father Calmet'%
Dictionary * informs us, that this in
famous Practice is ftill continued in the
Eaft, according to the Account of modern
Travellers ; that Tavernier tells us -j*, that
there is a Pagod near Cambay, where
the Women proftitute themfelves to their
Idol. And that Mark Polo takes notice of
the like Cuftom in the Province of Camul,
and fays that 'twas forbidden by Mangon
Khan<, whofe Order for three Years was
obey'd; but that his People obferving
then that their Fields were not fo fruitful
as ufual, fent Deputys to him with a
Reprefentation againft it.
The manner in which they offer'd
themfflves to Strangers is defcrib'd by
Herodotus, and explains a Paffage in Jere-
miah'% Letter, where he alludes to thf
Babylonian Idolatry J : The Women alfo
with Cords about them, fays Jeremiah,
fitting in the Ways, burn Bran for Per
fume ; but if any of them, drawn by fome
r ¦!--¦>. --J'.: ¦ ' - ¦...¦' ' 
* Jrt.A&sate.
¦}• P. ii. /. ii. c. a.
| Baruch vi. 43 .
tlaj

1 06 Revelation dejlgnd to
that paffeth by, lie with him ; fhe reproach-
eth her Fellow, that fhe was not thought as
worthy as herfelf nor her Cord broken.
For as Herodotus tells us *, " Every Wo-
'¦ man at Babylon is oblig'd, once in her
-' Life,; to fit down openly in the Tem-r
*' pie of Venus, in order to proftitute her-
" felf to fome Stranger : Yet, becaufe the
fc moft wealthy difdain to expofe them-
" felves in publick among the reft, many
'c come in cover'd Chariots to the Gates
" of the Temple, and make that their
" Station, with a numerous Train of Ser-
" vants attending at a diftance. But the
" far greater part enter into the Temple ;
" and fit down crown'd with Garlands,
tl fome continually going out, and others
" coming in : The Gallerys where they fit
" are built in a ftrait Line, and open on
" every fide, that all Strangers may have
" a free Paffage to chufe fuch Women as
" they like beft," that is, they form'd fome
Ranks, which were feparated from each
other by Cords, and are what are call'd,
by Jeremiah, Ways. Dr. Hyde -j- gives it
another Turn : " They fat crown'd with
" Garlands, fays he, and their lower Gar-
<c ments were tyed with fmall and weak

* L.i.
f Rel. Vet. Per. /. gr. Cords

prevent Superftition. 107
ff Cords made of Rufhes," qui ad congre*
diendum erant frangendi; or, it may be,
thefe Women had Cords, as a Token that
they were under a Vow, which when
they had perform'd, the Cord was properly
faid to be broken; for every Vow may be
Call'd Vinculum *, or a Cord. Herodotus
goes on and tells us, " that thofe Women
" who excel in Beauty and Shape, are
" foon difmifs'd ; but the Deform'd are
" fometimes neceffitated to wait three or
" four Years, before they can fatisfy the
" Law." We meet with pretty much
the fame Account in Strabo -f : " 'Tis
f the Cuftom of all Babylonian Women,
" fays he, to have to do with fome
•' Stranger. They come in, or rather
*' offer themfelves in a Croud, being very
" well fet put, each one crown'd with a
" Garland." The Cuftom mention'd by
Herodotus juft before (" that when a
" Babylonian intends to accompany with
" his Wife, he firft burns Incenfe, fitting
" on one fide of the Fire, while fhe does
'* the fame on the other") gives us Light
into what Jeremiah means by the Bran
they burn for a Perfume ; that they were
preparing their Perfume, (it may be

* See Grotius on Baruch vi. 43.
;f- L. xvii

feme-

108 Revelation
fbmething like the Romans Mola falfa,
Flower which they threw into the Fire
when they facrificed) that nothing might
he wanting when they were fo fortunate
as to be addrefs'd to by a Stranger. Tho
it may be this Incenfe, or Bran, which
they burnt for a Perfume, was intended
as a Love-Potion ; fornething which they
us'd, by way of Charm, for an Incentive
to their Inclinations. For TUvupw, the
Word made ufe of in Jeremjdh's Epiftle,
which Grotius fuppofes to have been
wrote by fome Jew in Greek, we meet
with in the Pharmaceutria of Theocritus,
where Sim<ztfoa is ufing her Incantations
for the Love of Delphis,
Nvv Aoo-jS to. THrvptt v. 33.
Nunc Furfures facriftcabo.
Strabo goes on and tells us, that cc the
tf Stranger who makes Choice of one of
" thefe Ladys, throws into her Lap a
" piece of Money, which is confecrated
" to Venus ;" and Herodotus fays, " that
^c the Law forbids her to refufe the Pre-
*¦' fent, how fmall foever, becaufe fuch
" Money is accounted facred :" which
gives us the Reafon of the divine Prohi
bition *, Thou jhalt not bring the Hire of
-f 111 .11 . 11
* Deut. xxiii. iS. a

prevent Superftition. 100
a Whore into the Houfe of the Lord thy
God; meaning, that if any of thefe Wo
men fhould make an Offering unto God
of what they thus got by proftituting
their Bodys, it was fo far from being ac
ceptable unto him, that it was to be re
jected as the greateft Abomination; and
this fuits with the Precepts immediately
following after that other, * There fiall
be no Whore of the Daughters of Ifrael, nor
a Sodomite of the Sons of Ifrael.
This Cuftom of their expofing them
felves in their Temples, feems to have
fpread it felf very far ; Herodotus tells
us -j-, that the Cyprian Women had a Cuf
tom not unlike the Babylonian. And we
may conclude from Valerius Maximus%,
that they had the like at the Temple of
Venus at Sicca in Africk, as Strabo tells
us they had j|, not only at Corinth **, but
at *-f- Comana in Cappadocia. And from
a PafTage in Herodotus *£, one would
guefs, they antiently every where made
their Temples the Scene of their impious

* Ver. 17.
t L.i,
% L. ii. c. 6.
\ L. viii.
** See BayleV DicJ> Article Lais> Remark G.
*t L. xii.
*t L. ii. Lulls i

1 1 6 Revelation defign'd to
Lufts : " The Egyptians, fays he, werd
" the firft that ordain'd, that Men fhould7
" abftain from Women in the Temples ;
" and not enter into any facred Place
lt without wafhing, after the ufe of a
" Woman. For almoft all other Nations^
" except the Egyptians and Grecians, nei-
" ther fcruple to perform that Action in
u Temples, nor to go thither unwafh'd
" after they have had the Company of
t{ Women ; thinking Mankind to be like
" other Animals. And becaufe they fre-
tc quently fee Beafts and Birds coupling
" together in Groves and Temples, they
" imagine, that if this Action was dif-
ce agreeable to God, thefe Creatures would
" abftain from it in thofe Places."
This abominable Practice continued
till Conftantine's Time, as is plain from a
Paflage in his Life, wrote by Eufebius *,
where he mentions the Temple of Venus
at Aphaca on Mount Libanus : " There
" was a certain Academy of Leudnefs
" there, open for all debauch'd Perfons,
" and fuch as had corrupted their Bodys
" with all manner of Filthinefs. For cer-
" tain effeminate Men, deferving rather
" the name of Women than Men, re-

* L. iii. c. 55. " nouncing

prevent Superftition. 1 1 1
K nouncing the Gravity and Dignity of
" their Sex, and being us'd in the Nature
" of Women, appeafed by thefe Practices
" the Deity of the Place. And more-
" over, unlawful Congrefs with Women,
" and Adulterys, and beaftly and moft
" filthy Crimes were acted in that Tem-
ct pie, as in a privileged Place, exempted
" from all Law and Government *."
As to the Rife and Original of this
abominable Practice, I cannot attribute
it, as I have done the obfcene Manner in
which they reprefented their Gods, and
fome other things of the like Nature, to
the commemorating of them as the firft
Parents of an infinite Number of People.
For here we meet with Leudnefs contrary
to Nature, and which we can't therefore
think fhould flow from fuch a Spring;
but rather, that the Heathens fell into
this diffolute Practice, from what they
believed of their Gods, thinking them
felves oblig'd to take them for their Pat
tern. For we may reafon ably fuppofe it
to be a part of the heathen Religion, as
well as of our own, to imitate the Object of
Worfhip, and to form the Behaviour on

* See Alex, ab Alex. /. vi. c. 26. Spencer /. ii. c. 35:
akd Heidegger'/ Hift. Patriarch. Exercit. i. Seel. 2. the

1 1 2 Revelation defignd to
the heavenly Model. So that we miy
conclude, that their unworthy Reprefen-
tations of the celeftial Powers, muft needs
have advanc'd the Caufe of Ungodlinefs
In the ignorant World; and that it was
the believing fuch Impietys of their Gods,
that produc'd7 fuch an impious Religion.
" He who indulges himfelf in Adultery,
" fays Julius Firmicus, confiders Jupiter,
tl and from that Encouragement feeks
" out where to affuage his Luft; he ap-
" proves, commends, and imitates the
" Stratagem of his God's deluding one in
cc the fhape of a Swan, ravifhing another
" in that of a Bull, fporting and ranging
" about like a Satyr, and being fo liberal
" to his Miftrefs, when he debauch'd a
" Princefs, that was fhut up in a Tower,
" by help of a Shower of Gold. Ano-
<c ther, who has a Tafte for Mafculine
" Love, may look for Ganymede in Jove's
" Embraces; he may turn his Eyes to Her-
" cules, fearching about for Hylas with
" an impatient longing ; or know how
" Apollo once fell in Love with Hyacin-
" thus'.' This is no more than we meet
with in * Lucian, where, fpeaking of
their principal Deity, he fays, " He de-
" pos'd his Father, made him a Prifoner,

Of Sacrifices.
" and

prevent Superftition, » 1 }
" and invaded his Crown ; then turn'd all
" Heaven into a Brothel-Houfe, married
" an infinite number of Wives, and laft
tc of all, his own Sifter Juno, in imita-
" tion of the Affyrians and Perfians, a-
" mong whom Inceft is tolerated by the
*' Laws of the Land. The next Scene
u of his Life is his Luft, which they
" make as boundlefs as his Command ;
«' that he ftock'd all Heaven with a Race
" of BaftardSj fome of whom were begot
" by a kindly mixture of Gods and
^ Goddeffes ; others Were of a mortal
" Strain, a mongrel Race* half humane,
*' half divine ; that he transform'd him-
ic felf into more variety of Shapes, than
ft ever Proteus did, into Gold, a Swan,
" an Eagle, a Bull, in the purfuit of his
" Amours." And having given the like
Account of moft of their other Deitys,
he concludes, " This is the Life the Gods
*c lead, and the whole Syftem of the di-
" vine Worfhip has been for m'd. agreeably
" to the extravagant Ideas fram'd of thefe
" formidable Phantoms." No wonder
then if the Religion of the Pagans was
monftrous, when they believ'd fuch things
of their Deitys, and fuited to that Belief
the religious Worfhip they paid them.
But God foon corrected Rehohaem and
his People ; becaufe they had forfaken
• Vol. II. J him,

1 14 Revelation dejignd to
him, he, in his Turn, forfook them, and
deliver'd them into the Hands of their
Enemys. We are exprefly told, that
'twas becaufe they had tranfgrefs' d againft
the Lord*, that he fent the Egyptian Shi-
fhak, who, with a vaft Army, enter'd their
Country, took their fenced Citys, and
plunder'd Jerufalem and the Temple of
all the Riches David and Solomon had
treafur'd up. But the King and his Peo
ple repenting at the Reproof of Shemaiah
the Prophet -f, and forrowfully confeffing
the Juftice of their Punifhment; their
Humiliation % mitigated God's Anger:
He gave them not over to utter Deftruc
tion, but taught them, by Subjection to
the Egyptians, the difference between hira
and other Mafters \\.
We do not find that the Kingdom of
Judah after this fell into any Idolatry,
which we have not already taken notice
of, till the Reign of Ahaz, who was the
moft impious Prince that had ever far.
upon the Throne. He was not content
with ** walking in the Ways of the Kings

* 2 Chron. xii. 2.
f Ver. 5, 6.
J Ver. j.
|| Ver. 8.
** 2 Chron. xxviii. 2, £sV.

of

prevent Superftition* 1 i 5
of Ifraek and making molten Images of
Baalim, and with facrificing and burning
Incenfe in the High Places, and- on the'
Hills, and under every green Tree ; but he
carried his wicked Inclinations ftill far
ther, and imitated the old Inhabitants of
the Land in an idolatrous Practice we
have not before met with ; He burnt
Incenfe in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom,
and burnt his Children in the Fire, 2 Chron.
xxviii. 3. or, as it is in 2 Kings xvi. 3. he
made his Son to pafs thorough the Fire.
This Pyrolatry, or Fire- worfhip, was
an Idolatry different from what we have
yet met with, tho it was praftis'd by the
antient Inhabitants/ of Canaan ; as it is
certain, not only from what we are here
told, that Ahab made his Son to pafs thro'
Fire, according to the Abominations of the
Heathen, whom the Lord caft out before the
Children of Ifrael * ; but likewife from
its being forbid, amongft other Crimes
which that People were guilty of, as
Lev. xviii. 2 1. Thou fhalt not let any of
thy Seed pafs thro' the Fire, to Molech.
Where it is to be obferv'd, the Word Fire
is printed in our Bibles, in Italick Cha
racters, as not being in the Hebrew; fo

2 Chron. xxviii. J. I 2 th^tC

1 1 6 Revelation dejtgnd td
that the Words without it would be,
pafs thro' to Molech. Heeverta, which
we tranflate pafs thro', is render'd in Ex*
xiii. 12. fet apart, Thou fhalt fet apart
unto the Lord: So that we may plainly
interpret this Precept thus, Thou fhalt
not dedicate or confecrate any of thy Seed to
Molech. And there being no Penalty
annex' d to this Law, fhews that the
Crime it forbids, is not fo heinous as the
facrificing their Children, which is pro
hibited under the pain of Death : Whofo"
ever he be of the Children of Ifrael, or of
the Strangers that fojourn in Ifrael, that
giveth any of his Seed unto Molech, he jhall
furely be put to Death *. And therefore,;
Deut. xviii. io. where the Prohibition of
this Dedication of their Children is re
peated, the LXX rather explain than tran
flate the Hebrew Words, ff£p<H«6«*p«ov iv vvth
that is, one who purified or luftrated his
Son or Daughter in ;the Fire. And this
being a Rite of Initiation into the Ser
vice, or Worfhip, of Molech, is the Rea
fon we never find it mention'd of Men or
Women, but of Children only : and there*
fore, in the Conclufion of this Precept,
they are faid thereby to profane the Name
of the Lord -j-, that is, reject and difown

* Lev. xx. 2.
\ Lev. xviii. 21.
him,

prevent Superftition. 1 1 f
him, by devoting their Children to Mo
lech, who fhould have been dedicated to
none but him.
But whether Ahaz's Crime was this
Dedication or Luftration of his Son, or a
real Sacrifice of him, I muft confefs, is not
plain. However, the beft of our Com
mentators understanding it of the former,
I fhall understand it fo too, having Occa-
fion to fpeak of the facrificing their Chil
dren, when I come to Manajfeh's Reign ;
tho it be no Argument which fome of
them have made ufe of, that this Prince
did not facrifice his Children, becaufe
Hezekiah his Son outliv'd him, for he
might have had more Sons than him.
That it was the Practice of the
antient Heathens to pafs * thro' Fire, as
a Rite of Initiation or Luftration, is cer
tain from what Suidas tell us of the Myf-
terys of Mithra, that they , who were to
be initiated, were 8*<S wpps vapehdeDt. Arid
it is plain from Virgil, that it was us'd in
the worfhip of Apollo by the Etrurians
on Mount SoracJe (the Italians at prefent
>f call the Mount, becaufe its Name ber-
gins with an S, San Orefte.)

* See Dr. Spencer, /. ii. t. 13.
f Mr. AddifonV Travels.
J 3 0

1 1 8 Revelation dejignd to
O Patron o/Soradte'j high Abodes,
Phoebus the ruling Pow'r among the Gods,
Whom firft we ferve, whole Woods of
unSluous Pine
Are fell' d for thee, and to thy Glory fhine.
By thee protested, with our naked Soles,
Thro' Flames unfing'd we march, and
tread the kindled Coals, .
JEn. xi, v. 786.
Pliny alfo tells us, that thefe People were
never burnt, and that they were there
fore, amongft other Immunitys, freed
from Service in War: " Not far from
fc the City of Rome, in the Country of
" the Falifci, fays he, there are fome few
" Familys who go by the Name of Hir-
" pi an, who, in an annual Sacrifice which
f( is held to Apollo upon Mount SoracJe,
¦c walk over an heap of burning Wood
*' without being hurt, and are therefore,
" by a perpetual Decree of the Senate,
(C exempted from ferving in the Wars, or
*' being burthen'd with any Duty." It
may be the Canaanitifh Cuftom was much
the fame with what the Romans did an
nually at their Palilia, which were Feafts
they kept on the 12th of May, which
was the * Birth-Day of their City, to
* . I A . 1 ¦
* OyicL Faft. /. iy. w, 80.6, «^Prop. /, iv. Eleg. 4.
the

prevent Superftition. 1 i o
the Honour of their Goddefs Pales, who,
as Gyraldus tells us * from Servius, was
the fame as the Mother of the Gods, (or
Aftarte) and that fome took her to be
of the Feminine, others of the Mafcu-
line Gender. Varro, as he is quoted
by the Scholiaft on Horace, fays : " The
" Country People have private as well as
" publick Feafts of Pales, when they
" jump over a great Fire, made of Stubble
" and Hay, imagining themfelves to be
" purified by thefe Palilia." Ovid de-
fcribes this Ufage,
Certe ego tranftlui pofttas ter in Ordine
Flammas.
And again,
Moxque per ardentes Stipulee crepitants
Acervos,
Trajicias celeri ftrenua Membra Pede.
Faft. /.iv.
This Practice continued, as Benjamin
Tudelenfts tells us -j, a long while in Per-
Jia ; and if we will believe fome of their
Authors %, it is even ftill practis'd there
by the Worfhipers of Fire. Theodoret ||

* Synt. i.
+ Itiner. p. 214.
\ Apud Schickard.
| On 2 Kings xvi. I 4 mentions

1 20 Revelation defignd to
mentions it as continuing in his Time;
and St. Chryftjlom blames, amongft other
heathenifh Cuftoms then remaining, the
lighting two great Fires, and pafling be
tween them. And the 65th Canon of the
Council in Trullo condemns the obferving
the New Moon, with making Fires be
fore their Doors, and leaping on them.
We meet with the Reafon of their
being fuch ftrict Obfervers of this Rite in
Maimonides*: " The Worfhipers of Fire
" gave out, that that Man's Children
" would certainly dye, who did not
" make his Son and Daughter pafs thro?
" the Fire." And he goes on and tells
us, that there were fome Remains of it
in his Time.
The manner of the Jews performing
.this idolatrous Rite, at this diftance of
Time, is not very eafily known. Some
fuppofe, that either their Parents, or the
Priefts, led them between two Fires ;
others, that they wav'd them about in
the Flames, while the Worfhipers danc'd
round, or leap'd thro' them. The Fire
being a plain Emblem of the Sun, or
Molech, fignified their being confecrated
to that Deity.

Pxrt iji, c. 37,,
But

prevent Superftition. 121
But let us fee how God dealt with
Ahaz, and his People for their falling
into this Idolatry. As their Crime Was
great, he brought great Miferys upon
them. We are exprefly told, that 'twas
therefore * he ftirr'd up againft Judah,
Rezin King of Syria, and Pekah King of
Ifrael; who, having ravag'd the Country,
laid Siege to the Capitol of the Kingdom,
and boafted that they would make the
Son of Tabeal -j- King. Upon this the
royal Family of Judah were under great
Apprehenfions that the Invafion might
put an end to that Kingdom. But their
Enemys were not to exceed the Warrant
the Lord had given them, which was to
punifh Ahaz for his Wickednefs, not the
whole Houfe of David- He fent there
fore the Prophet Ifaiah, who had before
denounc'd his Judgments againft them
for their Ingratitude \, to affure them j|
that their Family fhould not be extinct,
but that the Meftiah fhould in due Time
arife out of it. And then for a ftanding
Antidote againft their Idolatry, which
confifted, as we have feen, in the fuperr

* 2 Chroh. xxviii. c.
,f If. vii. 6. ' '
X If- v.
| Chap. vii. ftitious

12 2 Revelation dejignd to
ftitious Worfhip of falfe Mediators, he
gave them a more full and plain Infor
mation of God's eternal Purpofe in fend
ing his Son into the World, who was to
be the only Mediator with him. And
this the Prophet, who faw by an excellent
Spirit what Jhould come to pafs at the
laft *, inform'd them of with that Clear-
nefs and Perfpicuity, that he has always
been moft juftly efteem'd an Evangelift,
giving an Account of paft Actions, ra
ther than a Prophet foretelling Things
to come.
But Abaz was no fooner deliver'd,
but he grew more wicked and perverfe
than he was before. Wherefore God,
the next Year, gave him into the Hands
of the fame confederated Kings, who di
vided their Troops into three Armys.
Rezin, with his, carried away a great
multitude of Captives to Damafcus, while
Pekah gave him Battle, and flew an hun
dred and twenty thoufand in one Day, which
were all valiant Men -j-. Upon which
Zichri, a mighty Man o^Ephraim, who
commanded the third Army, took Jeru
falem, ftew Maafeiah the King's Son, with

* Ecclef. xlviii. 24.
f 2 Chron. xxviii. 5, 6, other

prevent Superftition. 1 2 5
other Princes of the People, and carried
two hundred thoufand into Captivity.
In fhort, Ahaz, inftead of having Re-
courfe to the divine Protection, repeating
his Crimes, drew ftill farther the Wrath
and Vengeance of God down upon him ;
and Tiglath-Pilefer, whofe Aid he had
fent for, compleated his Deftruction, and,
inpurfuance of Ifaiah's Prophecy, brought
upon him, his People and his Father's Houfe,
Days that had not come from the Day that
Ephraim, (that is, Ifrael) departed from
Judah *, and all that Calamity and Dif-
trefs foretold in the 7th and 8th Chapters
of Ifaiah. And he himfelf, after a con-
ftant Courfe and Exercife of all manner of
outragious Impietys, died in the Flower
of his Days.
HEZEKIAH his Son, who fuc-
ceeded him, was very different from his
Father, a religious and good Prince. He
did that which was right in the Sight of
the Lord, according to all that David his
Father did -f. The firft thing he fet a-
bout, was fettling the main Affair of Re
ligion, and the Worfhip of God. He

 — ;  — 1  n— r.  1  ~.  j ™-~ „
\
* If. vii. 1 j.
f 2 Kings xviii, 3, remgv'd

124 Revelation defignd to
remcv'd fhe High Places *, which none of
his PredecefTors had the Courage, or
Piety, to attempt ; and broke the Images^
and cut down the Groves.
Amongst the Idolatrys which he
abolifh'd, was the Worfhip of the brazen
Serpent. *f* He broke in pieces the brazen
Serpent that Mofes had made ; for unto
thofe Days the Children of Ifrael did burn
Incenfe to it : And he call'd it Nehufhtan.
When this piece of Idolatry firft fprung
up, is very uncertain. Kimchi fuppofes,
that from the Time the Kings of Ifrael
corrupted themfelves, the People burnt
Incenfe unto it ; and that it efcap'd the
•Scrutiny of Afa and Jehofhaphat, when
they reform'd the Church. This Ser
pent might have been pioufly preferv'd,
as well as the Pot of Manna, or Aaron's
Rod, as a Memorial of God's miraculous
Goodnefs to his People ; and as Gideon %
intended his Ephod fhould have been a
Monument of their Deliverance from the
Midianites. But this, as Well as that,
was perverted to Idolatry. It may be,
they call'd to mind What God had faid of
it to Mofes, that he who looketh upon it

* 2 Kings xviii. 4.
t Ibid.
j Judg. viii. 27.
3 fhall

prevent Superftition. 1 2 5
Jhall live * ; and their Anccftors having
receiv'd the benefit of being heal'd by k,
they might think, God would the more
readily grant their Prayers for their mak
ing it a Mediator with him; and fo it
became the Object of their Worfhip*
But Hezekiah, having obferv'd its being
us'd as an Idol in his Father's Reign,
when he clear'd his Kingdom of other
Superftitions, took care to abolifh this*
Tho with pious Men it would have been
a very proper Memorial of God's Mercy,
he judg'd it rather to be deftroy'd, than*
by its remaining, endanger the People's
committing of Idolatry. He therefore
not only gave it the reproachful Name,
Nehufhtan, which fignifies, fays Bifhop
Patrick, foul Fiend, the old Dragon, or
Satan; but broke it in pieces; that is, as
the Talmudifts explain it, he ground it to
Powder, which he featrer'd in the Air j
that no Relique of it might remain to
be worfhip'd by a fuperftitious People*
Father Calmet is of Opinion, that the
Serpent which is always reprefented with
Mfculapius, and with the Goddefs Salus,
and often with the Egyptian Deitys, as a
Symbol of Healing or Health, ow'd its
Original to Mofts's brazen • Serpent. But

* Num. xxi, 8. Of

1 26" Revelation defignd to
of this enough, we having hereafter oc-»
cafion to take notice of the religious Wor
fhip the Heathens paid to Serpents.
HEZEKIAH was fucceeded by
Manaffeh his Son, who was unworthy of
fuch of a Father. Being but twelve
Years old when he came to the Crown,
he had the unhappinefs to fall into the
Hands of fuch for his Guardians and
Governors as being ill affected to his
Father's Reformation, not only rais'd in
him a Deteftation of it, but gave him
fuch an Education, that he equal'd, or
rather exceeded the Canaanites, who had
been driven out of the Land, in their
abominable Wickednefs and Idolatry.
* For he built again the High Places,
which Hezekiah his Father had broken
down ; and he rear'd up Altars for Baalim,
and made Groves, and worfhip'd all the
Hoft of Heaven, and ferv'd them. Alfo he
built Altars in the Houfe of the Lord,
whereof the Lord had faid, in Jerufalem
fhall my Name be for ever. And he built
Altars for all the Hoft of Heaven, in the
two Courts of the Houfe of the Lord. And
he caus'd his Children to pafs thro' the Fire,
in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom : alfo

* z Chron. xxxiii. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. ht

prevent Superftition. 1 17
he obferv'd Times, and us'd Inchantments,
and us'd Witchcraft, and dealt with a
familiar Spirit, and with Wizards. He
wrought much Evil in the fight of the Lord,
to provoke him to Anger. And he fet a
carved Image [the Idol which he had made)
in the Houfe of God, of which he had faid
to David and to Solomon his Son, In this
Houfe and in Jerufalem, which I have
chofen before all the Tribes of Ifrael, will I
put my Name for ever. He feems to
have made it his bufinefs, to fearch out
what God in his Law had forbidden,
and to make the Practice of it his Study.
For we have here, not only a Catalogue
of all thofe Idolatrys his Predeceffors had
fallen into, but others too of a blacker
and deeper Dye. His building of High
Places and Altars for Baalim, and his
planting of Groves, were no more than
what, as we have feen, had been done
before him, by one or other of his Prede
ceffors, who, as well as he, worfhip'd
all the Hoft of Heaven : but his Devotion
for the Sun, feems to have outgone theirs,
and to have added to the Superftitions
with which they worfhip'd it. For we
do not read of * Chariots and Horfes con
fecrated to the Sun till Joftah's Time}

* 2 Kings xxiii. 1 1 . and

1 2 8 Revelation defignd to
and it has been therefore fuppos'd that
they were firft brought in by this Prince.
The antient Heathens were of Opi-*
nion that the Sun was carried about the
World in a Chariot ; and they therefore
reprefented him as riding in one drawn
by the moft beautiful and fwifteft Horfes,
and performing every Day his Journey to
1 enlighten the World. Feftus tells us * fo
of the Rhodians, and Paufanias -j- of the
Spartans; and we have a large Defefip-
tion given us of it by Ovid £. The
Romans therefore dedicated the Quadriga
to him, as they did the Bigce to the Moon;
and on the fame Account the Circus was
facred to him. Mr. Addifon || fuppofes
that it was for feme Victory in the
Chariot-Rapes, that the Emperor Comma*
dus was complimented with the Chariot
of the rifing Sup, as defcrib'd by Ovid,
on one of the Coins which he prefents us
With. It is probable, the Chariots and
Horfes they dedicated to the Sun were
.made of Wood, Stone, or fome Metal ;
for the Horfes we find reprefented to
us in Spon in the Shape of Griffins, whkh

* In Voce O&ober.
•f In Laconicis.
X Metam. /. ii.
| Of Medals, Jt

prevent Superftition. 120
it is certain, from Philoflratus, Heliodorus,
and others, were facred to Apollo or the
Sun. Hence in Goltzius we fo frequently
find a Griffin, fometimes with a Tripod on
the Coins of fuch Citys as were famous
for the Worfhip of the Sun : and, in the
Table of Ifts, a Griffin is join'd to the
Image of Oftris, who is the fame with
the Sun, as facred to him ; and hence on
the Reverfe of a Coin of Galliehus *, we
fee a Griffin; the Legend, Apollini Conf.
Aug. or Confervatori Augufti. But there
is no doubt but that they dedicated like-
wife real living Horfes to the Sun. Such,
'tis probable, thofe were, which were
taken away by Jofiah, for the Scripture
does not fay that they were golden, fther
or brazen Horfes ; which 'tis likely it would
have done, had they been made of either
of thofe Metals : And, befides, we are
told that they flood in the Street, which
led from one of the Temple Gates to the
Houfe of -j- Nathan-melech the Chamber
lain, which was in the Suburbs; for fo
the Words imply. We may fuppofe that
they made choice of this Animal, as they
did of Hawks and fome other Creatures,
on account of their Swiftnefs. It is cer-

* Spanh. Diff. iii.
f 2Kingsxxiii. ii.
Vol. II. K tain

130 Revelation dejignd to
tain the Majfageta did fo, of whom He
rodotus tells us *, " that they ador'd the
" Sun only of all the Gods, and facrificed
" Horfes to his Deity, judging it moft<
" proper to offer the fwifteft of all Ani-
" mals to the fwifteft of the Gods."
And Strabo -f fays the fame thing of
them £. It is uncertain whether the
Ifraelites kept thefe Horfes for Sacrifices,
as not only the Majfageta, but the Rod
mans, Spartans, Ethiopians, Armenians,
and Perftans || did ; or whether they were
kept, as fome of the Rabbis will have it,
and as it may be their Chariots were, to
be led every Morning in Pomp to meet
the rifing Sun ; or, as others of them, for
his more folemn Worfhipers to ride out
early in the Morning to falute him.
But this was far from being the only
Superftition in which Manaffeh exceeded
his Predeceffors ; he obferved Times, which
was what God had forbid his People,
Lev. xix. 26. In the Hebrew it is Teonenu,

* L.i.
f L. xi.
j He who would know more of the Horfes of the Sun,
may confult the Authors refer'd to by Fabricius, Bihliogtb-
phia Ant. c. viii. § 12.
|| See the Authors quoted by Bocbart, Hieroz. part i.
1. ii. c. 11,

prevent Superftition. 1 3 1
a Word which learned Men are not a-
greed in the Interpretation of. Some
have deriv'd it from Ain, an Eye *, and
underftand it of Juglers, who, by their
Legerdemain, deceive the Sight in play
ing their Tricks. Others derive the
Word from Anan, a Cloud, imagining
the Precept enjoin'd the taking no notice
of the flying of the Clouds, which the
Chaldeans were much addidted to, and
againft which Jeremiah therefore cautions
the Jews, when they were going captive
into their Country -j- ; Learn not the Way
of the Heathen, fays he, and be not dif-
mayed at the Signs of Heaven, for the Hea
then are difmayed at them. But the more
probable Derivation of the Word, is
from Onah, which fignifies Time. This
agrees with our Tranflation, and is accep
table to the beft Interpreters. And then
it muft be underftood of the obferving
fome Days as lucky, others as unlucky.
The Heathens, 'tis certain, were of Opi
nion that there were particular Days and
Months which carried fomething fatal in
them, certain Seafons and Times appro
priated for good and bad Events; that,
agreeably to the Precepts of their Aftro-

* Maimon. Avoda Zara. c. xi.
f Cbap. x. 2.

K 2 logers,

1 3 2 Revelation dejtgnd to
logers, fome Days were the Caufe of
Succefs, and therefore proper for one
Bufmefs, others for another ; and that
fome were proper for none at all, being
the Caufe of the mifcarriage of fuch
things as were undertaken upon them.
This is a Superftition, which, 'tis certain,
very antiently prevail'd, as is plain from
Heftod * ;
Some Days, like rigid Step^Dames, adverfe
prove,
Thwart our Intentions, croft what e'er we
love ;
Other's more fortunate, and lucky fhine,
And, as a tender Mother, blefs what we
deftgn.
'Twas a Practice common in almoft
every Nation, and made a deep Impref-
fion on the Underftandings of the greateft
Men. " Aiigujlus -j* never went abroad
" upon the Day after the Nundina, nor
" began any ferious Undertaking on the
" Nones." St. Ambrofe tells us %, that
the firft Converts from Heathenifm were
much addicted to it; and it is a Super-

* In bis Days.
4/ Suetonius c. xcii.
j OsGal. iv. io.

ftition,

prevent Superftition. 1 3 3
ftition, which will, I am afraid, fubfift
among Chriftians to the end of the World.
The great Bodin, who was equally famous
for his Wit and Learning, could trifle
away his Time in giving us * a Collection
of Revolutions which happen'd in the
Month of September ; which brings to. my
Mind a Paffage in Mr. Pope; -j- " I
" believe, fays he, it will be found a
" true Obfervation, that there never was
" any Thing fo abfurd or ridiculous, but
" has at one Time or other been written
" by fome Author of Reputation : A
" Reflection it may not be improper for
" Writers to make, as being at once fome
" Mortification to their Vanity, and fom§
" Comfort to their Infirmity,"
How inconvenient this Opinion was
to them, appears from Lucian' s Defcrip-
tion of an unlucky Day, « On. which,
" fays he J, neither do the Magiftrates
w meet to confult about publick Affairs,
<? neither are Law-Suits decided in the
u Hall, nor Sacrifices offer'd, nor, in fine,
" any fort of Bufinefs undertaken, where-
*' in a Man would wifh himfelf fortu^

* De Repub. /. iv. c . g.
¦f On II. iv. <v. 630.
j Pfeudolpgift.

K 3 " natt,

134 Revelation defignd to
" nate. Such forts of Days, as he goes
" on, have been inftitiited by different
" Nations on different Accounts" The
fame Author, in another place, tells us*,
" that Lycurgus, the Lacedaemonian Law-
" giver, had made it a fundamental In-
" ftitution of Government, never to enter
" upon any warlike Expedition, but
" when the Moon was at the Full; that
"People being of Opinion * that all
" Things were under her Influence and
" Direction, and that confequently their
" Forces Abroad wou'd riot act with fuch
" Vigour and Succefs, nor their Affairs
" at Home be fo well manag'd in the
" Increafe, as in the Decreafe of the
" Moon." Such an Obfervation of Times could
not but be a very great Sin in the Jewifh
People. The only Foundation it could
be built upon, was a Belief, which, as
Plutarch informs us -f, was very antient,
of two Principles, the one an infinite
good, the other an infinite evil one; who
were at a continual Difagreement toge
ther, having no Power or Sovereignty
over one another, but as each got the

* Concerning AJlrology,
f If, andOi,

Preemj-,

prevent Superftition. 1 3 5
Preeminence, Good or Evil was admini-
fter'd to the World : the good Principle
intending all Happinefs, the evil Principle
all manner of 111. This is what the
Poets mean when they fpeak of the Fates,
Parca, &c.
." The Heathens being poflefs'd with
this Opinion of God and the Devil
dividing the Sovereignty of the World
between them, there foon fprung up
Aftrologers who pretended to foretel by
the Stars which of the two would be
uppermoft, and have the Government of
Affairs at any particular Time. This
they made a Profeflion or Science. Lu
cian, who wrote a Treatife in Defence of
it *, attributes the Merit of the Inven
tion to the Ethiopians, who, he fays9
" were the firft Difcoverers of the Art;"
that from them, " 'twas handed to
" the Egyptians, who were their near
" Neighbours, and greatly cultivated
" and improv'd it." That " the Baby-
" lonians indeedjjretended that they were
" the firft Inventors," but that he was of
Opinion, that " their Knowledge was of
n a much later Date." He goes on and
tells us, that " of all the Nations, he

* Concerning Aftrology.
K 4 « never

136 Revelation deftgnd to
" never heard of any but the Arcadians,
" who contemn'd and rejected it."
This Superftition, as the Baron Pufs
fendorf affures us *, *f ftill bewitches 3
« great part of the Eaftern World, where
" no bufinefs of Moment is undertaken,
" without cpnfulting the Aftrologers,
" that they may read, as the Phrafe is,
" what is written in Heaven." To which
purpofe, Father Bernier tells a pleafant
Story of a Gardiner of Abas King of
Perfta, who " rooting up fome Trees,
fi which the King, by Direction of his
" Aftrologer, had planted in a fortunate
" Hour, and being thereupon rebuk'd,
" turning to the Aftrologer, Sure, fays
" he, you was put in your Calculation:
" for thofe Trees could never have the Bene-
" fit of lucky Stars, .which were jet at
" Noon, ..and unfortunately pull'd up at
•?' Night", It appears from Lucian's Treatife,
which I juft now refer'd to, and feveraj
other Authors, that the Aftrologers divided
the Heavens into feveral Houfes, each of
which had its particular Function, and
belong'd to a particular Planet; and then

* Law of Nature and Nations, /. ii. c. 4. § 4.
fuppos'd

prevent Superftition. 1 3 7
fuppos'd, that fome Planets were good,
feme evil, and others indifferent of them
felves, but took their Character from fuch
as they were in Conjunction with ; and
that every Perfon was in a particular
manner dear to the Planet under whofe
Afpect and Influence he was born. " For
" whatfoever Planet, fays Lucian, is Lord
P of the Houfe, at the Time of any
" Man's Nativity, produces in him a
?' Complexion, a Shape, Actions and
ff Djfppfitions of Mind exactly anfwer-
" able to its own." By thefe Principles
laid down, and many more of the fame
kind, they fill'd People's Fancys with
Signs and Omens, difquieted their Minds,
and took them off from the Contempla
tion of God's Laws, and advanc'd the Wor
fhip of Stars and Demons. And there
fore Mofes, where he tells the Jews, that
* the Nations they were to poffefs, hearken d
unto Obfervers of Times, and unto Diviners,
commands them to be perfect with the
Lord their God, that is, to have nothing
to do with any other God, nor with any
of the Rites and Cerernonys of the hea
then Wprfhip.

* Deut. xviii. 13, 14,
The

138 Revelation dejignd to

The like Superftition ^\xx.' Manaffeh
upon uftng Inchantments, which had been
forbid together with the * the Obferving
of Times. The Hebrew, lo tenakafhu\ in
its Signification relates particularly to
Divining by Serpents or Birds, and may be
refer'd *j- to any kind of Divination, of
which the Heathens had too many £ to
be taken notice of by us. But, it may
be, as Bifhop Patrick obferves, fuch
fuperftitious Obfervations were meant by
it, as we meet with in Theophraftus || and
Plutarch ||. " The Superftitionift," fays
the former of them, " if a Weefel crofles
" the way he goes, ftirs no farther till
" fome body elfe has gone before him,
" or he has thrown three Stones crofs the
*' way." Many fuch Obfervances you
may meet with amongft the Antients,
which are derided by Terence ** ; they
made however fuch a deep Impreffion on
Mens Minds, that it was difficult for

' * Lev. xix. 26.
•f Leo Barceloh. Prascept. 253.
% You have a Multitude of them in an Alphabetical
Order, and a Collection of the Authors, who have wrote
upon each of them, made by Fabricius, Bibliograpbia Ant.
c. xii. § 2.
| Of Superftition.
** Phormio, Ail iv. Scene 4.

them

prevent Superftition. 139
them to part with them, even after they
had embrac'd * Chriftianity.
To this he added the Ufe of Witch
craft, the LXX tranflate it itpxpucuisveTo ;
he praftis'd what we call the black Art
or Magick. This was at firft had in very
great Honour and Reputation, and the
Profeffors of it applied themfelves to -Phi-
lofophy and a ftrict Search into the Myf-
terys of Nature. The Account Plato
gives us -f- of Magick, is, that it con-
fifted at firft in the Knowledge of divine
Things, and the right Worfhip of the
Gods. But the cafe was foon alter'd, and
Philofoplvjr degenerated into the Invoca
tion of Demons, and the pretended Practice
of performing, by certain medicated and
inchanted Compofitions of Herbs, Mine
rals, &c. by Incantations, Fafcinations,
and the like diabolical Means, fuch fur-
prizing Effects as furpafs'd both Art and
Nature: as Pharaoh's Magicians pretended
to equal the Miracles wrought by the
Finger of the true God.
This Art not only flourifh'd in Per-
fta, which was famous for it, but in

* St. Chryfoft. viiith Homily qn Coloff. and the v\tb
againft tbe Jews.
f In Alcibiads. Phoenicia

1 40 Revelation dejigrid to
Phcenicia likewife: for Democritus, who
improv'd and brought it to fome Perfection
in Greece, is faid to have learn'd it out
of the Writings of certain Fheenicians.
Maimonides attributes it to the Zabii, or
Chaldeans : " If you read, fays he *, the
" Books I have taken notice of, you will
" fee that Aftrology or Magick was
" -praftis'd by the Zabii, Caf deans or
" Chaldeans; but that it was more com-*
" mon amongft the Egyptians and Ca-
" naanites : for they perfuaded People,
" and believ'd the Impofture themfelves*
" that by that Art they perform'd many
" wonderful Works." He goes on and
enumerates feveral different manners of
performing their Cheats, and then tells
us, that " no magical Operation can be
" perform'd without Regard had to the
*' Stars : for they hold that every Plant
" has its governing Star, and afcribe cer-
" tain ruling Conftellations to Animals
" and Metals. They believe, therefore,
" that their magical Performances are
" religious Afts done to the Stars, which
" they are delighted with, and will
" therefore grant, them whatever they
" wim for."

* Part iii. c. 37.

prevent Superftition. 141
1 shall pafs by the furprizing
Operations perform'd by their Charms
which the Poets * are full of, and only
obferve, from Pliny i that they pretended
whenever they pleas' d, Deos evocare -J-, to
raife the dead ; that Eufebius fays they
affirm'd the Gods \ were obedient to
them ; and that in Apuleius we meet with
a Witch threatening them with the
greateft Mifchiefs, and boafting that fhe
could deprive the Sun, Moon and Stars
of their Light.
These Impoftors not only fiU'd the
Courts of the Eaftern Princes, but were
very numerous both in Greece and Rome,
There were indeed at all Times Swarms
of them all the World over. Plato pre-
fcribes || a Punifhment for them, and
Seneca tells us **, that they were forbid
by the Law at Athens, as they were by
that of the twelve Tables. Apud nos in
duodecim Tabulis cavetur, fays he, ne quis
alienos FruSlus excantdftfet. But they were
no fooner banifh'd the City, than they

* See the Inchantrefss Speech, Ovid. Met. /. vii.
•J- L. xxiv. c. 17.
% Praep. Ev. /. v. c . 8.
|| De Legibus /. xi.
»* Nat. Qujeft. /, iv. c. 7.
were

142 Revelation dejignd to
were courted to it. Tacitus fays of them
that they were, Genus Hominum potenti-
bus infidum, fperantibus fallax, quod in
Civitate noftra & vetabitur femper, & reti-
nebitur. But we muft diftinguifh be
tween the Impoftors cenfured by thefe
Laws, and thofe we meet with in Scrip
ture : the firft feem to be fuch as made a
Gain by pretending to do as much out of
Temples, as the Priefts and eftablifh'd
Religious did in them ; the latter to be
thofe Priefts, &c. themfelves.
But over and above thefe, Manaffeh
dealt with Wizards. God had command
ed his People, upon pain of Excifion *,
not "j- to regard them, nor to turn after
them, and order'd that they fhould be
put to Death by Stoning J. They were
call'd in the Hebrew Jideonim, as fome
will have it, from their putting into their
Mouths, when they were confulted with,
the Bone of an Animal call'd Jaduah.
The Rabbis tell us many incredible
ridiculous Storys of this Creature. With
the affiftance of one of its Bones, and
fome Fumes with which they intoxicated

* Lev. xx. vi.
-J- Lev. xix. 31.
% Lev. xx. 27.
them-

prevent Superftition. 143
themfelves, thefe Impoftors pretended to
be qualified to give their Anfwers. Mai-
monides makes the jaduah to be a Bird,
(it may be the fame as the 'I»V£, or Mota-
cilla) * " They put the Bone of a certain
" Bird, fays he, fpeaking of thefe Cheats,
" into their Mouths ; make a Fumiga-
" tion till their Underftandings are intoxi-
" cated, and then utter what they think
" moft likely to come to pafs." But
'tis more probable that the Jideonim were
what we call Cunning men ; fuch as pre
tended to help People to loft Things,
and to tell them their Fortunes : For the
Word imports Knowledge. They had the
Name Jideoni given them, fays Mr. Sel
den -f-, becaufe they were Jodaim, i. e.
Futurorum Confcii. So that we mav de
termine them to be either fuch as pre
tended to have acquir'd, in a natural way,
by a long Courfe of Study, Experience
and Obfervation, a Knowledge of dis
covering, by the Interpretation of Dreams
and other Means, the Secrets of Heaven j
or elfe to be pretty much the fame with
thofe the Greeks call'd dmjixove^ Knowers,
who, as we fhall prefently fee, Plato tells
us, had Intelligence or Communication

* Havoda Sara, c. vi. § 3,
f Synt. i. c. ii.

with

1 44 Revelation defignd to
with fome Demon. And accordingly the*
LXX tranflate * the Word Iwfcn^ which
fignifies Gnarus or Hariolus.
A t the fame time Manaffeh was guilty
of another Wickednefs ; he dealt with a
familiar Spirit. The Jews had been
commanded by God -j- not to regard them
who had familiar Spirits. What we
tranflate familiar Spirits, is in the Hebrew
Obhoth, or Obh, as it is in the Singular
Number; which may be well enough
deriv'd from Ob, a Bottle, or hollow Veffel
(a word we meet with Job xxxii. 19.)
meaning fuch as fpoke with a hollow
Voice, who cou'd fo well manage the
Air in their Lungs, that their words
feemed as if they came out of a Bottle,
or whofe Voice refembled the Murmur
or Muffitation which Liquor makes that
is pent up in a Bottle. And accordingly
Ifaiah describes thofe who pretended to
have familiar Spirits by their muttering
or fpeaking imperfectly, as if their Voice
had proceeded out of the Caverns of the
Earth. J Seek unto them that have fami
liar Spirits, and unto Wizards that peep

* 2 Kings xxi. 7.
f Lev. xix. 3 1 .

j Chap. viii. 19. <\ and

prevent Superftition. 145
and that mutter. And again, * Thou fhalt
be brought down, and jhalt fpeak out of
the Ground, and thy Speech jhall be low
out of the Dujt, and thy Voice Jhall be as
of one that hath a familiar Spirit out of
the Ground, and thy Speech fhall whifper out
of the Dufi. And accordingly, the LXXJ
tranflate thefe Perfons by 'w^WuS^,
Lev. xix. 31. and xx. 6. Deut. viii. J I*
1 Sam. xxviii. 3, 7, 8, 9. 1 Chron. x. 13.
2 Chron. xxxiii. 6. Ifa. viii. 19. Speakers
in their Bellies; and Ifa. xix. 3. by it W
-riff yifff (puvSvro, fuch as fpoke as if
their Voice came out of ths Ground,
Munfier tranflates fuch a one, by §>ui
habet Spiritum Pythonis ; and he fays (on
1 Sam. xxviii. 19.) Is Spiritus loquitur fub-
miffd Voce, vel ex Membris obftcenis, vel ex
Cavitate Axillarum : and fo fays the Mi ft
na -J-, " A Pythian Wizard is one who
" fpeaks out of his Arm Pits." We have,
in Maimonides's Havoda Sara J, an Ac
count of the Manner of thefe Impoftors
anfwering the Queftions propos'd to
them. " Of what kind is that work of
" the Pytho? He is one who offers 4
" certain kind of Fumigation. Hq
(t flourifhes a Myrtle Rod in his Hand,

* Chap. xxix. 4.
•j- In Sanhed. <.. vii. § 7.
X Chap. vi. $ 2.
L « and.

1 4<$ Revelation defigrid to
" and pronounces certain fet Words of
" Enchantment; then he feems to con-
" fult one who is talking with him
" and anfwering him Queftions, as it
" were underground, with fo low a Voice
" that he cannot hear it, but muft collect
" the meaning by his Imagination." The
famous Pyt-hia was a noted Impoftor of
this Kind, who fetting upon a Tripos over
a Hole, pretended, by her feeret Parts, to
receive the Spirit (for, as Origen fays *,
their Gods delight in nothing more,
ii ToTg xohxoig twv yweum&v, than in the bofoms
of Women) which having fwell'd and
poflefs'd her with a divine Fury, em-
power'd her to utter her Oracles -J-. By
their delivering their Refponfes after this
manner, they had the Advantage of being
lefs liable to lofe their Reputation if they
fhould prove falfe ; for in that cafe their
Confulters might attribute it to their not
rightly hearing or underftanding what
they utter'd. And to this perhaps
it was in fome meafure owing that
their Cheat lafted fo long ; for we not
only find them in the Apoftles Time £,
but Eugabinus, Rhodiginus. \\, Fagius **

* Cont. Celfum, /. vii.
¦f See Byerus on Selden p. 226.
% Aft. xvi. 16.
|| Antiq. Left. /. viii. c. 10.
** On Lev. xix. 3 1 .
and

prevent Superftition. 147
and Oleafter do all of them tell Us that
they met with them in theirs.
But, after all, Obh may fignify a
Serpent, tho it is not taken notice of by
the generality of our Lexicographers ; and
accordingly Obh and Obhoth are alway9
rendered in the old Latin Verfion, by
Pytho and Pythones, which fignify a Ser
pent or Serpents : being, as is generally
agreed, deriv'd either from the Hebrew
Pethen, or the Syriack Pithun, both which
fignify a Serpent. And it may be, the
Word Obh being us'd for a Serpent, and
pronounc'd by fome Ofh, the Greeks took
from it their #$'?> a Serpent* Obh being
the Word proper to fignify a Serpent,
and the Egyptians ufing to divine by Ser*
pents, it came to be given to fuch Spirits,
as they fuppos'd pofiefs'd them, and fitted
them for Divination ; and from thence
became a general Name for all divining
Spirits, and efpecially fuch, as their Im
poftors pretended to have a Familiarity
With. As the Word Seirim, which pro
perly fignifies Goats, was given to Devils,
becaufe, as the Jews fuppos'd, the Devils
appear'd to their Worfhipers under their
Form. This Interpretation being ad
mitted, we may fuppofe, that God by
thofe Precepts, Regard not them who
L 2 have

148 Revelation dejigrid to
have familiar Spirits *, and that there
fhould not be j'ound amongft them a Con-
fuller with a familiar Spirit *j-, and his
commanding all fuch, and thofe who
had any Recourfe to them, to be cut ojf%,
intended to take aWay and abolifh all
that religious Refpeft and Veneration
which the Egyptians and other Nations
had for Serpents, as the Symbol or Habi
tation of fome prophefying Deity; and
to teach his People, that they were to
be fo far from giving any Credit to fuch
as pretended to an Intercourfe with thefe
Demons, that they were upon no Ac
count whatfoever to confult them, or
give any countenance to them.
That the Antients believ'd Serpents
pofiefied by fome prophefying Deity, is
plain from numberlefs Inftances. Ser-
vius tells us ||, that the Old Egyptians
call'd Serpents «V«8« lui^ons ; to which,
agrees that of Ovid,
 Cum criftis aureus altis
In Serpent e Deus pranuncia Sibila mi/it;
Met. /. xv. v. 669.

* Lev . xix. 3 1 .
f Pout, xviii. 11. ¦
( X Lev. xx. 6, 27.
J In Georg. iii. v. 417.
And

prevent Superftition. 140
And Sanchoniatho fays * both of the Phoe
nicians and Egyptians, that they attributed
a Divinity to Serpents. Herodotus -j* tells
us of the Athenians, that they " fay the
" Acropolis is guarded by a great Serpent
" kept in the Temple ; and as if the
" thing had been true, they every Month
" brought thither a certain Quantity of
" Pafte mixt with Honey ; which in
" former Time having always been con-
" fum'd, now remain'd" (fpeaking of
Xerxes's invading Greece) " entire and
" untouch'd. So that when the Prieftefs
" had given notice of this Event, the
" Athenians were willing to leave the
" City, becaufe they concluded v the God
" had abandon'd the Fortrefs." And
therefore Alexander, Lucian's falfe Pro
phet, when he had made the Paphlago-
nians believe that a God would make his
Appearance to them, produc'd a Serpent,
which they receiv'd and reverenc'd as
fuch. MOSES charges this Superftition as
one of thofe Abominations for which God
drove the Canaanites out of the Land % '•
and that the Egyptians were guilty of if

* Apud Eufeb. Prep. Evan. /. i. c. 10.
+ L. viii.
X Deut. xviii. 12.
L 3 as

1 5 o Revelation dejignd to
as well as they, is plain from Ifaiah's
* Prophecy againft their Nation : They
fhall feek to the Idols, and to the Charmers,
and to them that- have familiar Spirits,
and to the Wizards. And the Egyptian
City Pithom, which we meet with Exod.
\. 1 1. had, it may be, its Name from its
being famous for fuch os pretended to
eonfult with thefe Spirits.
The praftifing of thefe Impoftures,
and the applying to the Praftifers of
them, were certainly very great Crimes,
as is plain from Deut. xviii. ii. and
i Chron. x. 13. And we may fairly
conclude from that Precept, Deut. iv.
18. where God forbids the making
the likenefs of any Thing that creepeth on
the Ground, which Interpreters commonly
underftand of Serpents, that they had
praftis'd thefe Super ftitious before the
giving of the Law. Nay, it may be
fufpefted that this Practice was very
common amongft them, and that there
fore God forbids it them three times in
the fpace of a few Verfes, Lev. xix. 3 1.
and xx. 6, 27. And this may be the
reafon why the Ifraelites fell into the
Worfhip of the brazen Serpent, which
had been made and fet up for a quite

Chap. xix. 3. different

prevent Superftition. t 5 1
different Caufe, even to confer upon
them the divine Goodnefs and Mercv.
But, after all, we have fo little faid
in Scripture of thefe Impoftures, more than
a bare mention of Names without any
Definitions given us, that we muft not
pretend to much Certainty in our Account
of them. Yet it is, I think, very plain,
that they were the Practices by which
the Idolaters of thofe Times took the
Minds of Men off from their Dependance
on the true God and his Providence ;
and, under Pretence of fatisfying their
vain Curiofity, impos'd on their Credu
lity, and fix'd in them an Opinion of
their falfe Objefts of Worfhip, their
Stars, Demons, &c.
This Inclination, which Manaffeh
and the Pagans conftantly fhew'd for
Divinations, Incantations, and the like,
was not fo great a Refleftion on their
Underftanding and Wifdom, as it miy,
at firft perhaps, feem to be ; it was agree
able enough to their Notions of Religion,
and no more than juft finding Employ
ment for their Gods, and taking care
that fuch Deitys as were of their own
Creation, fhould not enjoy an idle Im
mortality. I have already taken notice of
the Method they took in flocking Hea-
L 4 ven

t 5 & Revelation dejlgrid to
ven with Deitys ; their Religion was fe
calculated that each City might deify
any eminent Citizen, and each Man his
AUceftor, as fuited their Abilitys and
Merit ; every one facrificing to what Per1-
fon of Renown he pleas'd. And over
and above thefe, they rank'd, as plainly
appears from Plato *> every wife and
good Man, after hisDeceafe, in an Order
fomething inferior to the Gods, which
they call'd Demons ; and having once
imagin'd fuch a Set of Deitys, and fuch
a Species of Beings as were of a degree
between the Gods and Men ; it was not
long before they found out for them an
Employment fuitable to fuch Divinitys:
k< Demons, fays Plato *f-, are of a middle
" Nature between the Gods and Men.
*' The Correfpondence between Heaven
k< and Earth is carried on by them. The
" Things of this World they reprefent
Jt and convey from Men to the Gods,
€t and divine Things from the Gods to
" Men : for Inftance, the Prayers and
" Sacrifices of the one ; Commands, reli-
" ligious Rites, Appointments and Ordi-
" nances from the other. The nature
" of them being of a middle kind be-

* In Cratyjo.
f In Cohvivio.

tc tween

prevent Superftition* i y 3
<l tween both, fills up the Whole, and,
" as a Link in a Chain, connefts the
fX Univerfe with itfelf." This it may
be, was at firft the whole of the Demon's
Office, but as Superftition encreas'd, they
had a much larger Field given them to
aft in. Plato goes on and fays, " By this
" all kind of Prophecy is carried on, to
" this is owing the Diligence and Appli-
" cation of Priefts about Sacrifices, Ex-
" piationSj Incantations, and Divinations.
" The God indeed has no Communica-
" tion or Intermixture with human Na-
" ture ; but by this Canal a Commerce
" and Correfpondence is maintained be-
" twixt the Gods and Men. Whoever
" is verfed in thefe matters is call'd
" Atu(Mvios; that is, a happy and a wife
" Man *." Agreeable to this is the Ac
count which Diogenes Laertius gives us of
the Doctrine of Pythagoras : " The whole
" Air is filled with Spirits, or Souls of
" Men, we call them Demons and He-
" roes ; 'tis from the Impreffions which
" they make upon us, that our Dreams
" proceed, and thofe Forebodings which
" we have of our Health or bodily In-

* See Platans Sympof. Epitwmis, Timaus, Set. This
Opinion is likewife well exprefs'd by one of Plutarch's
Difputants in his Ceafing of Oracles. " difpofitions ;

I J4 Revelation defignd to
" difpofitions ; which is an Office they
" perform, not only unto Men, but to
" the reft of the animal Creation. To
" them likewife is owing our Skill in
" Luftrations, Vaticination, and our other
" Abilitys of a like nature."
This was a Doctrine fo beneficial to
their Priefts, that it could not but be
improv'd to their Advantage : It was
only filling the filly and deluded Multi
tude with Panicks and Confternations, to
gain farther Power over their Under
ftandings and ConfeienceS, to exhibit new
Modes of Religion, and introduce Myf-
terys, Initiations, Purifications, &c.
But they ftop'd not here : Tales and
Fables were obtruded on the ignorant
People. The Effefts of Nature, as im
prov'd by Art, were afcrib'd to fuper-
natural Caufes, and Advances in Philo-
fophy imputed to Magick and the Power
of Demons. Thus Plutarch tells us *,
" That Aganice the Daughter of Hegetor,
" a Theffalian Lord, understanding the
" Reafon of the Moon's Eclipfes, her
" being obfcured by the Shadow of the,
" Earth* made the credulous Women be-

Conjugal Precepts. " lieve

prevent Superftition. 1 5 5
" lieve that it was fhe, who, at thofe
" Times, unhing'd the Moon, and re-
" mov'd her from the Sky." And the
fame Story * he gives us again. There
is no doubt but all thofe Fables of
Bringing up the Dead, Witchcrafts, &c.
flowed from the fame Fountain. Im
poftors, having, it may be, at firft, by
thefe Means, acquir'd fome Reputation,
and perceiving that the Inclination of the
People was not to find out Truth, con
cluded that a lucky Falfhood, or ufeful
Lie, might contribute to their own Re
putation, as well as to the Pleafure of
the credulous. And as People were
weak enough to give Credit to them,
there were Cheats enough to praftife
upon their Credulity.
This, as I juft now faid, was a Doc
trine very beneficial to their Priefts. But
by Priefts, I do not mean a Clergy. The
Direftors in Religion, in thofe very an
tient Times, were fuch as had the fu~
preme Power in civil Affairs, who taught
the People their religious Rites and Cere-
monys, as well as gave them Laws to be
govern'd by. In this the Hiftory of every
heathen Nation, which is come down to

f Of the Ceafmg of Oracles. US,

1 5 6 Revelation dejignd to
us, is agreed. There was then no fuch
thing as Priefts, in the Senfe we now ufe
the Word. Romulus appointed that the
King fhould have the fupreme Admini-
ftration in every thing which related to
Religion, and that the religious Officers
under him fhould be of fuch as were re
markable for their Nobility *. And we
are told that the religious Settlement at
Rome was agreeable to the Greek Plan -j-.
And the Egyptian and Aftatic Priefthood
was plac'd in the fame Hands. Such
was the publick Eftablifhment of Reli
gion; while the Father, or Head of every
Family, agreeably to what feems to have
been the original divine Inftitution, was
Prieft, prefided in religious Offices, and
facrific'd, at his domeftic Altar, for his
own Family and Kindred and fuch as
depended immediately upon him. But
of this I fhall fay no more, it being a
Point which has with great Learning
been fully treated of by an excellent Per
fon %, whom I have often had occafion
to refer to.
What therefore I mean is, that
Kings, and fuch as were in Authority,

* Dionyf. Halicar. Ant. Rom. /. ii. § 13.
+ Ibid. §63.
j Mr. Shuckford, /. vi. having

prevent Superftition. 157
having the Offices of Religion in their
Hands made ufe of them as Engines of
State to manage the Populace as the pub-
lick Good requir'd *. 'Twas their bufi-
nefs to govern the fimple and ignorant
Herd ; and they were fo quick-fighted
as to perceive that the Superftition of the
People was to be us'd to their Advantage,
to fubdue Mens Minds and lead them
tamely captive. As the People defpis'd
naked Truth, and paid a profound Re-
fpect to myfterious Error, Politicians fet
their Brains to work to invent new Delu-
fions, either to intimidate or raife their
drooping Spirits. This I believe to have
been Plutarch's Opinion : " Good Gods!
" fays that Philosopher -f, How hard is
" it to find a Man free from Vanity and
" Superftition ? For fome are betray'd
" into thofe Foolerys by their Igno-
" ranee and Weaknefs ; others, that they

* This was plainly Tullys Opinion, " Non enim
" fumus, fays he, ii nos Augures, qui Avium, reliquonmv
" ve Signorum Obfervatione futura dicamus :  errabat
" enim multis in Rebus Antiquitas, quam vel Ufu jam, vel
" Doftrina, vel Vetuitate immutatam videmus ; retinetur
" autem, & ad Opinionem Vulgi, & ad magnas Utilitates
" Reipublicse, Mos, Religio, Difciplina, Jus Augurum,
" Collegii Authoritas." And in another Place he fays,
f Exiftimo Jus Augurum, etfi Divinationis Opinione Prin-
" cipio conftitutum fit, tamen poftea Reipublicje Cauf4
" confervatum ac retentum." De Divitiat. 1. ii.
f Socrates'/ Dsem.on,.
" may

1 5 8 Revelation dejign'd to
" may be thought extraordinary Men,
" and Favourites of Heaven, refer all
" their Actions to fome divine Admoni-
11 tion, pretending Dreams, VifionSj and
" the like, for every thing they do.
" This method indeed is advantageous to
" thofe who intend to fettle a Common-
" wealth, or are forc'd to keep them-
" felves up againft a rude and ungovern-
" able Multitude ; for by the Bridle of
" Superftition, they can manage and re-
" form the Vulgar. But thefe Pretences
" feem not only unbecoming Philofophy,
" but quite oppofite to thofe fine Pro-
" mifes fhe makes." The blind fide of
human Nature being thus found out,
the Nail was driven home, and there
fbon appear'd Diviners, Charmers, Witches,
Wizards, Inchanters, Magicians, Necro
mancers, and fuch like Impoftors, who
were generally expert enough in impofing
on a credulous People.
But tho the Pagan Religion natu
rally led its Profeffors to give Credit to
fuch a multitude of falfe Pretenders, we
cannot fay fo of a Religion reveal'd by
God. The Jewijli Revelation, as we
have feen, was fo far from countenancing
thefe Superftitions, that it commanded
the abolifhing them on Pain of Excifion >
and the Chriftian in this Particular con
firms

prevent Superftition. 1591
firms the Law and the Prophets. So
little Reafon has a late Author to affert,
that thefe Revelations have been * the
Occafton of all Superftition. We muft con-
fefs indeed that the confulting of thefe
Impoftors, is a Difeafe with which many
have been infefted in all Ages and Na
tions ; Princes and mean Perfons, the
Learned as well as the Vulgar ; but it is
fo far from being owing to, that 'tis
occafion'd by the not following the Light
of the Gofpel. The Fathers, Councils
and Synods, are an evident Proof of the
Church's, as well as the Scripture's, en
deavouring their Deftruftion. The Sta
tute pafs'd in the beginning of our King
James the Firft's Reign, which makes
thefe Impoftors guilty of Felony, and the
too many Profecutions there have been
upon it, fhew that we have not been
long cur'd of this Folly. But found Phi-
lofophy, and an exaft and careful Study
of the Scriptures, may at laft put an end
to fuch fuperftitious Errors, and fet us
truely free.
B u t to return to Manaffeh 's Impiety.
It proceeded ftill farther ; and as Ahaz
has been fuppos'd to have dedicated his

* Christianity as old as the Creation, c. viii.
Son

i f5o Revelation dejignd to
Son to Molech by making him pafs thro"
the Fire, this Prince went to the high-
eft Pitch of Wickednefs which an enthu-
fiaftick Religion cou'd infpire, and facri-
fic'd his to that Idol : Tho it may be, he
too was guilty of the fame Crime with
Ahaz; and as he ' facrific'd orie of his
Sons, he dedicated or confecrated the reft
in the manner we have defcrib'd. For
we are told, that * he caus'd his Children
to pafs thro' the Fire in the Valley of the
Son of Hinnom ; which is generally un
derftood of the Rite of Initiation. But
in 2 Kings xxi. 6. there is notice taken
only of one of his Sons, whom he is faid
to have made to pafs thro' the Fire ; which
is to be underftood of his burning him
in Sacrifice to Molech. This indeed is a
furprizing piece of Idolatry, and fuffi-
ciently fhews their Religion to be Im*
piety, and the Spirit of their Devotion
the greateft of Crimes. But that the
Jews were guilty of it in this King's
Reign, is plain from the DefcriptiOn
Jeremiah gives us of their Idolatry :
•f They have built the High-Places of To-
phet, which is in the Valley of the Son of
Hinnom, to burn their Sons and their

* 2 Chron. xxxiii. 6.
-J- Cbfip. vii. 31 1

Daughters

prevent Superftition. 161
Daughters in the Fire. And again *,
They have built alfo the High-Places of
Baal, to burn their Sons with Fire for
Burnt-Offerings unto Baal. Both which
Places do fo plainly exprefs a true and
perfeft Burning and Sacrifice, that they
can be no otherwife underftood or inter
preted. The Place where this inhuman Rite
was perform'd, was a Valley not far
from Jerufalem, on the Brook Kidron, in
the Southern Limits of the Tribe of Ben
jamin. 'Twas call'd Tophet -f, from
Toph the Hebrew Name for the Tympa
num or Siftrum which the Priefts play'd
upon to drown the Cries of the Victims;
and the High-Place of Tophet $, becaufe
the Altar there was built after the fame
manner with thofe which the Heathens
erefted to their heavenly Gods, and
which we before defcrib'd. It was like-
wife call'd in the Hebrew, Gee Hinnom,
i. e. the Valley of Hinnom, or the Valley of
the Son of Hinnom || ; from whence the
word Gehenna, which fignifies Hell, is de-

* Chap. xix. 5.
f Ifa. xxx. 33. and]ex. vii. 31, 32. and xix. 6, 11,
&c.
X Jer. vii. 3 1 .
|| Jofh. xv. 8. and 2 Kings xxiii. to.
Vol. II. M riv'd-,

1 6i Revelation dejignd to
riv'd; the Sacrifices there offer'd being a'
lively Pifture of Hell-Torments. 'Twas
defil'd by King Joftah, who, to render
it odious and deteftable, commanded all
manner of Filth and dead Mens Bones
to be thrown into it, that no Man might
make his Son or his Daughter to pafs thro'
the Fire to Molech *.
The Jews learn'd thefe barbarous
Sacrifices of the Canaanites, as is plain
from Pf. cvi. 37, 38. They facriftc'd their
Sons and their Daughters unto Devils, and
fhed innocent Blood, even the Blood of their
Sons and their Daughters, whom they fa
criftc'd unto the Idols of Canaan ; as like-?
wife from Lev. xx. 2. where this horrid
Impiety, amongft other Canaanitifh
Practices, is forbid under Pain of Death.
But the Canaanites were far from
being the only Pagans who were guilty
of this unnatural Barbarity, -j- " In the
" early Times, when Nations were yet
" barbarous and favage, there was ever
" an Aptnefs or Tendency towards the
" dark part of Superftition, which among
" many other Horrors produc'd that of

* z Kings xxiii. 10.
t Charadterifticks, Vol. III. p. 1 24.

" human

prevent Superftition. 165
" human Sacrifice ;" which was fo uni-
verfal, that there is nothing in which
Men feem to have been more generally
agreed, as is plain to every one who is the
leaft vers'd in * Antiquity. I fhall only
obferve, that the Egyptians feem to have
been the firft who reform'd in this point,
this Practice being abolifh'd by Tethmofts
before Abraham's coming -j- amongft
them ; wherefore Egypt is never accus'd
of ir, either by Mofes or the Prophets :
and that it feems to have been retain'd
+ longer by the Druids than any other
European Religionifts. Procopius Caja-
rienfts |[, who' flourifh'd in the 6th Cen
tury, affirms that thefe Sacrifices were
offer'd by them in Gaul in his Time.
And we may fuppofe that they retain'd
their Religion as long in this Ifland,
which was farther from Rome, and the
Nurfery, or, if you will, the Univerfity

* They who have an Inclination to fee how common
thefe Sacrifices were, may confuit the Authors quoted by
Selden de Diis Svris Synt. i. c. 6. Grotius on Deut. xviii. 10.
Ifaac Voffius de Orig. Idol. I. ii. c. 5. Dion. Voffius on Mai-
man. de Idol. c. vi. 1.5. Ludovicus Fives's Notes on St. Aug.
de Ci'vit. Dei, 1. vii. c. 19. Ouxelius & Elmenborfliiis's
Notes on Min. Felix, and Tiraquellus on Alex, ab Alex.
Spencer de Leg. Hebr. 1. ii. c. 13. § 3. and Fabricius, Bib-
Uographia Ant. c. 9. § 3.
f Bedford'* Scripture Chronology, /. iii. c. 4. § 79,
X Selden & Epinomis, c. 2.
|| De Bello Goth. /. ii.
M 2 of

1 64 Revelation dejignd to
of thofe Priefts : For tho Julius Cafat
brought under and fubjecfed our An-
ceftors to a Tribute, he left them in the
Pofleffion of their Religion and Laws,
which they enjoy'd not only under him,
but the fucceeding Emperors, till they
were taken away by Claudius. It is plain
from Dion Caftius, that our Country en
joy'd its own Laws in his Time, by his
giving the People the Epithet Zvrovopot *
i. e. uftng their own Laws ; and Seneca
the Tragedian fpeaks -f- of them as en
joying them in Claudius's Time. But
that Emperor chang'd the Face of Af
fairs ; he left our Anceftors indeed in
Pofleffion of their Eftates, but reduc'd
the Ifland to a praefidial Province, as
appears from feveral antique Inferiptions
exhibited by Mr. Selden %. Religion it
may be had then the fame Fate as our
Conftitution. It is certain that Druidifm
was abolifh'd by that Prince in Gaul as
the greateft Immanity. Druidarum Reli-
gionem apud Gallos, fays Suetonius ||, dim
Immanitatis, & tantum Civibus fub Au-
gufto interdiSlam, penitus abolevit. This

* L. Ix.
• • In Oftav. Aa i.
% Epinomis. c. ii.
U Cbdp.xxv. is

prevent Superftition. ifjj
is confirm'd by Seneca * ; and Strabo ex
prefly tells us -j-, that it was becaufe the
Druids offer'd human Sacrifices, that the
Romans endeavour'd the Deftruftion of
their Religion. What Suetonius fays of
Auguftus's prohibiting this ReKgion, is no
more than what Tiberius did : Tiberii
Ccefaris Principatus fuftulit Druidas Gallo-
rum, fays Pliny % ; it refer'd only to
Rome, as [| Lipftus has obferv'd, But tho
we meet with the Druids in Lampridius,
Vopifcus, and Ammianus Marcellinus, after
Claudius's Time, there is nothing in any
of thofe Authors to make one think their
Religion was protefted by Law. But to
return. This horrid Impiety had probably
its Rife from what they believ'd of their
Gods ; they found the moft monftrous
Crimes and direful Wickedneffes recorded
of them in their Hiftorys ; and to thefe they
thought themfelves oblig'd to fuit the
Worfhip they paid them. Lucian**, as
we have feen, having defcrib'd their enor
mous Extravagancies, fays of them, " This

* Apocojocyntofis.
f £• iv. ? '
f Nat. Hift. l.xxx. e. to.
Comment, ad Tiberium Tacit. Annal. xii.
** Of Sacrifices. M j (i is

1 66 Revelation defign'd to
'£ is the Life the Gods lead, and the
H whole Syftem of the divine Worfhip
" has been form'd agreeable to the ex-
" travagant Ideas the World has fram'd
" of them." They offer'd their Children
to Saturn, becaufe, according to their
Creed, he had devour'd his own. " As
" Saturn, fays Turtullian *, did not fpare
" his own Children, fo he perfifted in
" not fparing thofe of other People;
" for Parents offer'd up their own Chil-
" dren to him." But it may perhaps
be a better Reafon, that they were at
firft induc'd to offer thefe Sacrifices from
an Opinion that there ought to be fome
Equality and Proportion between the
Sacrifice and the Perfon who was to be
-thereby reconcil'd to the God: and he
being a Man, they concluded the Sacri
fice therefore fhould be of human Race.
And accordingly Micah, where he intro
duces the People as anxioufly inquifitive
how they might propitiate God's Dif-
pleafure and avert his Judgments, makes
them, agreeably to this Cuftom of the
Heathens, ready to offer -f their Firft-
born for their Tranjgreftion, the Fruit of
their Body for the Sm of their Soul. And

* In Apolog.
f Chap, vi. 7,

Caftar

prevent Superftition. 167
Catfar tells us * of the Gauls, " thofe
" who are afflifted with any grievous
" Diftemper, or whofe Lives are hazard-
" ed in War, or expofed to other Dan-
" gers, either offer up Men for Sacrifices,
" or vow fo to do ; and they make ufe
" of the Druids for their Priefts upon
" fuch occafions, imagining their Gods
" are to be fatisfied no other way for
" fparing their Lives, than by offering
" up the Life of another Man." And
therefore it is that we find thefe Sacrifices
generally made in Times of the greateft
Diftrefs, when they hop'd to pacify their
angry Gods by offering them what was
deareft to them. " Among the Antients,
" fays Philo Biblius -f, it was held for a
" ftanding Rule, that in extraordinary
" Calamities of the Commonwealth,
" thofe in whofe Hands the Adminiftra-
" tion of Affairs was, fhould have the
" deareft of their Children offer'd up to
" avenging Spirits, that by their Blood,
" as by a Price or Compenfation, the
u Ruin of the Publick might be bought
" off." And fo Jufiin tells us + of the
Carthaginians ; " When among other

* L. vi.
+ Apud Eufeb. Praep. Evan. /. iii. c. 16.
X L. xviii.
M 4 Cala-

1 6 8 Revelation dejignd to
" Calamities they were vifited with a
" Peftilence, they made ufe of a moft
" bloody and inhuman kind of religious
" Rite, by way of Remedy, to remove
" it. For they offer'd up humane Sa-
" crifices, they brought even Children
" (whofe tender Age raifes pity even in
"an Enemy's Heart) to their bloody
" Altars ; imploring the Mercy of the
" Gods by fpilling the Blood of thofe,
" for the fparing of whofe Lives their
" Prayers us'd chiefly to be put up."
Thefe inhuman Sacrifices were offer'd on
the like occafions in America, as appears
from what Acofta tells us * : " Whenever
<c the Inca King of Peru was troubled
" with any Difeafe, or was concern'd for
" Succefs in War, or other Affairs, the
" Peruvians facrificed ten Children from
" four to fix Years of Age ; and upon
" his Coronation Day they facrific'd to
" the number of 200, from four to ten
" Years of Age. When the Father was
" fick, his Son was facrific'd to the Sun,
" or Viriachocha, praying him to be con-
<{ tented with the Son and fpare the
" Father." You may meet with an
Account of the prodigious Slaughter of
Men facrific'd to the Idols of Peru and

Hiftory of the Indies, 1. v. c. 19.
Mexico

prevent Superftition. i6"o
Mexico, before the Spaniards put an end
to it, and facrific'd a like, or greater
number, to their blind Zeal and Popifh
Superftition, in Viginere's Notes on Gee-
far 's Comment, p. 317. and in Montaigne's
Efifays, 1. i. c. 19. But of this enough.
The Goodnefs of Almighty God, to
reform his People, call'd, at this Time,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Huldah,
Uriah, and particularly Jeremiah, to the
prophetick Office ; all of whom by their
Preaching, and Foretelling the Deftruc
tion and Defolation, which were coming
upon them for the Sins they were guilty
of, would have incited the People to
forfake their Iniquitys. But all in vain :
they continued ftill in their Idolatry. A
Reformation of Religion was indeed at
tempted by King Jofiah ; but the Peo
ple, as may be gather'd from the nth
and 1 2th Chapters of Jeremiah, tho they
complied outwardly with their Prince,
were private Idolaters, and turrfd but
feignedly to the Lord*. God therefore,
out of Tendernefs to the Piety and Good
nefs of the King, ' permitted him not to
fee the Miferys which were to heix\ the
Nation : But he being flain in Baule at

Jer. iii. 10.
Mcgiddq

170 Revelation defigndto
Megiddo, all the Glory and Happinefs of
the Kingdom fell with him, and nothing
enfued but thofe Judgments and Cala-
mitys which had been decreed, till the
Kingdom itfelf ended in the moft mife-
rable Deftruftion.
The Princes who fucceeded, and
their People, feem to have liv'd in a kind
of Competition with one another in
Wickednefs and Idolatry, and to have
given a Loofe to the Wildnefs of their
Imaginations. The View of the Tem
ple, which God gave Ezekiel (whom he
fent at that Time to be his Prophet a-
mongft thofe who had been carried cap
tive to Babylon) fhews the Abominations
which were there committed. In his
Vifion, he faw at his Entrance into the
Courts of the Priefts, an Image * fet up
to provoke God to Jealoufy : At another
Gate, Women -j- bewailing their deified
dead Princes: The High-Prieft, with
the Heads of the 24 Courfes of the
Priefts, who fhould have been ferving at
God's Altar, % turning their Backs up
on it, and worfhiping the riling Sun :
The whole Sanhedrim or great Council,

* Ezek. viii. 3,5,
\ Ver. 14.
j Ver. 16. and

prevent Superftition. 1 7 1
and Jaazaniah their chief, praftifing all
manner of Idolatrys ; and having the
Room they met in pourtraited with *
every Form of creeping Things, and abomi
nable Beafts, and all the Idols of the Houfe
of Ifrael, upon the Wall round about.
This was agreeable to the Superftition of
the antient Egyptians and Troglodytes.
Philaffrius tells us of the like Cuftom
amongft the latter of thefe ; and Diodo
rus -j- defcribing a very magnificent Tem
ple at Thebes, which was built for the
Sepulchre of one of the firft Kings of
Egypt, fays, " That round the Room
" where the King's Body lay, are many
" Apartments, wherein are to be feen,
" in curious Painting, all the Beafts
" which are accounted facred in Egypt."
Thefe abominable Wickednefles brought
upon Jerufalem and her People the utmoft
Fury of God's Wrath, and finifh'd the
abfolute Ruin of that Kingdom ; which
was brought to utter Defolation for its
Idolatry, 388 Years after the falling off
of the ten Tribes, and 134 Years after
the Deftruftion of the Kingdom of Ifrael,
Having already taken notice how
providential this Captivity was, in giving

* Ver. 10.
+ I. i. ( . 4. other

17* Revelation dejignd to
other Countrys an opportunity of coming
to a Knowledge of the true God and his
Worfhip ; the Founders and Reformers
of fo many different Religions vifiting
Babylon during the feventy Years of this
Captivity : We have no more to obferve
here, but that the Deftruftion of the
Jewifh Government, and the AfHiftions
it brought upon that People, had its na
tural and proper Effect, and cur'd them
of that Infatuation they had always, till
then, fhewn for the Superftitions and Ido
latrys of their Neighbours. During this
Continuance of their Punifhment in a
ftrange Land, they had time to con-
fider and reflect how vifibly the mira
culous Hand of God had been exerted on
their behalf, whenever they liv'd in a
dutiful Submiffion and Obedience to him
and his Laws ; and how evidently Punifhr
ment follow'd clofe to their Sin, upon
their Revolting from him. Their Refor
mation was fo compleat, that we do not
find that they were any more reproach'd,
as they had been before, with Idolatry;
and notwithftanding the Perfecutions they
fuffer'd, after their Return from the
Babylonifh Captivity, on Account of Re
ligion, they never once fwerv'd from the
Service of their God. They were zea
lous enough for his Worfhip, unlefs it
were fome few, who obey'd the Com
mands

prevent Superftition. 173
mands of Antiochus Epiphanes ; the Ge
nerality of the People kept themfelves
free from thofe Impietys, which had
drawn down fo many Calamitys upon
their Forefathers.
This Alteration in that perverfe and
ftiff-necked People, is the more furpri-
zing, in that, when they fhew'd fuch a
Pronenefs to Idolatry, they had a con
tinual Succeflion of Prophets amongft
them, who back'd their Inftruftions,
Admonitions, and Threatnings with the
working of Miracles : But, now when
Prophecy was ceas'd, and there was no
more a miraculous Power feen amongft
them, they are firm and conftant in their
Religion, and great Sticklers for the Law
of Mofes. This is clearly accounted for
by Dean Prideaux : * " If it be examin'd
tc into, fays he, how it came to pafs,
<c that the Jews were fo prone to Idola-
" try before the Babylonijh Captivity, and
" fo ftrongly and cautioufly, even to
" Superftition, fixed againft it after that
" Captivity, the true reafon hereof will
<c appear to be, that they had the Law
c< and the Prophets every Week conftant-
" ly read unto them after that Capti-

* Part i. /. vi.
2 " vity,

1 74 Revelation dejignd to
" tivity, which they had not before.
" For before that Captivity they having
•c no Synagogues for publick Worfhip
" or publick Inftruftion, nor any Places
" to refort to for either, unlefs the Tem-
" pie at Jerufalem or the Citys of the
" Levites, or to the Prophets, when
" God was pleas'd to fend fuch among
" them; for want hereof great Igno-
" ranee grew among the People : God
" was little known among them, and his
" Laws in a manner wholly forgotten.
" And therefore, as occafions offer'd,
" they were eafily drawn into all the
" Superftitions and Idolatrous Ufages of
" the neighbouring Nations, that liv'd
" round about them, till at length, for
" the Punifhment hereof, God gave them
" up to a difmal Deftruction in the Baby-
" lonijh Captivity. But after that Capti-
" vity, and the Return of the Jews from
" it, Synagogues being erefted among
" them in every City, to which they
" conftantly reforted for publick Wor-
" fhip, and where every Week they had
" the Law from the firft, and after that
" from the time of Antiochus's Perfecu-
" tion, the Prophets alfo read unto them,
" and were by Sermons and Exhortations,
" there deliver'd, at leaft every Sabbath,
" inftrufted in their Duty, and excited
" to the Obedience of it ; this kept them " in

prevent Superftition. 175
" in a thorough Knowledge of God and
" his Laws. And the Threats which
" they found in the Prophets againft the
" Breakers of them, after thefe alfo came
" to be read among them, deterred them
" from tranfgreffing againft them. So
" that the Law of Moj'es was never more
ftriftly obferved by them, than from
" the Time of Ezra (when Synagogues
" firft came into ufe among them) to the
" time of our Saviour."

«

CHAP

1 7 *> Revelation dejignd to

CHAP. IV.
Of the Idolatry of the heathen
World. Their grofs Notions of
the 'Deity. Jefus Chrift came
into the World to reform it. Ma-
hometifm, a Chrijiian Herefy.
Our Saviour enabled his Apo~
files to ejfefl a Reformation,
which the tPhilofibphers could not
do. Of the Morality of the
Heathens. Of doing Good, and
fuffering Evil. Evangelical
Turity. The Gofpel was fuffi-
ciently promulgated. Of the
'Preaching it in India and Bri
tain. Its Trogrefs a Demon
stration of its Truth, and that
theScriptures we now have, are
the fame as were writ by the
Apojiles. The Conslu/ton againjb the

prevent Superftition. 177
the modern <Deijts, and an Ob
jection of theirs anfwer d.
BUT tho the Babylonifh Captivity
had fuch a happy Effect upon the
Jews, who return'd from it into
their own Country; the heathen World
was left in a wretched and miferable
Condition, and reap'd but few of thofe
Advantages, which feem to have been in
tended by Providence, and might have
been expected from it. And notwith
ftanding the many Checks, which, as we
have feen, God from time to time gave to
Idolatry, even from the firft Appearance
of it, which, one fhould have thought,
muft have kept alive and preferv'd the
primitive Tradition and Belief of the one
true God only all the World over ; the
Jewifh was the only Nation which pro-
fefs'd fuch a Belief. The Ignorance of
the reft of the World was exceeding
great, even a Darknefs to be felt. The
Unity of the Deity was univerfally de
nied; and not only the Gods we have
dtfcours'd of, whofe Subjeft has led us to
take notice of Nfuch only as were the moft
antient, but abundance of others fprung
up and were ador'd. I fay, that not
only all the Hoft of Heaven, and fuch
Perfons as had been beneficial to Man
kind, had divine Honours paid them,
Vol. II. N but

178 Revelation dejigrid to
but the very worft of Men, fuch as were
a Reproach to their Species, were .added
to the number.
But they ftop'd not there; Wine,
Corn, Fruits, and the like, were wor
fhip'd as Gods : every thing, asTully tells
us *, from which Men reap'd any Ad
vantage, or which was ufeful and profi
table to them, was confider'd, not as the
Invention or Gift of the Gods, but as
Divinitys themfelves. And over and a-
bove thefe, not only every Quality
efteemable and praife-worthy, fuch as
Virtue, Honour, Concord, Liberty, &c. was
deified, but this impious Worfhip funk
fo low, as to leave no Object fo defpica-
ble, as not to be thought worthy of di
vine Honours; not only Mountains, Ri
vers, Plants, &c. but fuch things as it
would be even a fhame to mention were
rank'd in the number of their Gods.
The Romans dedicated Temples and Al
tars to -f a Fever, and ill Fortune, as the
Athenians did to Contumely and Impudence.
They who brought Arts and Sciences to
the greateft Perfeftion, furpafs'd the refe

* Nat. Deor. /. i.
f Valer. Max. /. ii. c. 5. Tully de Nat. Deor. /. iii.
and at Leg. /. ii. Plinii Hift. /. ii. c. 7.
of

prevent Superftition. 179
of Mankind in this particular. There
was no place in Rome, as we learn from
Livy, which was not fill'd with Gods and
Sacrifices. 'Orpheus * could reckon up
no more Gods than there were Days in
the Year ; and in Heftod's Time they were
but -j~ rftg /xu'pio;, thirty thoufand; but the
Romans, in Varro's, had no lefs than three
hundred Jupiters £, and thirty thoufand
Deitys of one kind or another; and when
BruxilluS the Phllofopher made his dying
Speech to the Senate, t'Wo hundred || and
eighty thoufand Gods.
But what added ftill farther to the
miferkble Condition 6f the heathen
World, was, their grofs and abominable
Notion df Divinity. This may in fome
meafure be gather'd from the Multipli
city of their Gods, and what we have
already faid of the Worfhip they paid
'them. And fuch as Men's Notions of
God are, fuch will their Religion moft
certainly be. The wrong Conceptions
they forin'd of the divine Nature, could
not therefore but make their Religion
ahfUrd and fuperftitibus, poifon their

* Theoph. ad Autol. /. iii.
+ Oper. & Dier.7. i. <v. 250.
J Tertul. Apol. c. xiv.
|| See MiffonV Travels, Part ii. p. 10.
N 2 Prac-

1 80 Revelation defignd to
Practice, and be of the worft Confequence
to their Morals. By endeavouring to fuit
their Devotion agreably, and make it
acceptable to their Gods, their moft fo-
lemn Worfhip was defil'd with the Pollu
tions of Luft and Drunkennefs, not to
fay the Blood of human Sacrifices. Be
lieving their Gods to be impious and
fenfual, there was no Vice fo deteftable
as not only to find a Place in their com
mon Converfation, but even in their moft
folemn Afts of Worfhip. In fhort, their
Religion was Impiety, and their Devo
tion a Crime.
Thus ftrangely had Idolatry, a*nd
falfe Worfhip, prevail'd, when, the infi
nite Mercy and Goodnefs of Almighty
God once more took Compaffion on
Mankind, and, by a moft furprizing and
effectual Method, pUt an end to the al-
moft infinite Superftitions of the heathen
Worfhip, and all their deteftable Rites.
God fent his only begotten Son into the
World to deftroy Idolatry, and to de
liver Men from the horrible Slavery of
worfhiping falfe Gods, and the Miferys of
a miftaken Devotion, The principal End
of Chrifl's Coming, was, as St. John tells
us *, to deftroy Idolatry. For this Pur-
* i John iii. 8. pofe,

prevent Superftition. 1 8 1
pofe, fays he, the Son of God was mani-
fefted that he might deftroy (""* ^% that
he might diffolve or demolifh) the Works
of the Devil ; by which he more efpe-
cially means the idolatrous * Worfhip of
the Heathens -f.
BY giving Men a juft, perfeft, and
rational Conception of the divine Nature,
he banifh'd the Belief of a Multiplicity
of Gods, and introduc'd fuch a Worfhip
as was agreable to the Perfeftions of
the Divinity and the Reafon of Man-'
kind ; a Service fuitable to the Majefty
of his Nature, and the Dignity of our
own. By teaching that God is a Spirit,
and that they who worfhip him, are to
do it in a manner proper to a fpiritual
Nature ; he not only fham'd all the pom
pous Solemnitys, and dark and wild Myf-
terys, of the heathen Religion, but the
troublefome and external Obfervances of
the Jewifh. In fhort, our bleffed Saviour
Chrift Jefus, by his Incarnation, and
making himfelf a Sacrifice for Sin, and
being the one Mediator between God and
Man, demonftrated to the World what
Eftcem they ought to have of their

* See i Cor. vi. 9. andx. vii. and Eph. v. 5.
f See Arcbbijtop Tillotfon, Serm. xvfi. Vol. II.

N 3 bloody

1 8 % Revelation defignd to
bloody and barbarous Sacrifices, and tha*
Worfhip which was founded on a Belief
of a Multitude of Mediators and Inter-
ceffors by whom they addrefs'd their
Prayers to the Deity; And* having given
us a full and compleat Revelation of th$
Will of God, to affift and comfort Us in
the Performance of it, he made known
to us the chearful Aflurance, that thro'
the Efficacy of his Death we might ob*
tain Pardon upon Repeneanee, Juftifica-
tion thro' Faith, and the Affiftance of th?
divine Spirit to co-operate, with our Enr
dsa-vours. Thefe, being free Acts of Merr
cy, which concerij'd not Man in his
original State, and which therefore; we
could cprne to no- Knowledge of from
Reafon, he evidenc'd the Truth of bis
Promife of them, as he did; the Divinity
of his Perfon and. Miffion, by fuch Works
as never, Man did, and no one could have
done, if God had not been with him ;
by Miracles, wrought in, fo publick and
eminent a manner,, that the. unbelieving
Jews, whq were prefect, and bore, the
greateft Enmity ro him, could not queftion
fhe Reality of them.
And 'tis very obfervable, that we
have it no where hinted to us, neither in
the Gofpels, ASis nor Epiftles, that any
prie Jew or Gentile ever disbelieved the
Miracles

: prevent Superftition. 1 8 j
Miracles either of Chrift, or of his Apo-
ftles. Even Herad, we are told*-, ftyl'd
our Saviour's- Miracles, mighty Works:
What the Jews did was, they rejefted
Chrift, as they had done the Prophets
God fent amongft them, and objefted
either his Miracles being perform'd on
the Sabbath -f, or by the Power of Beel
zebub, the Prince of the Devils p And in
their Writings they declare, " that by
" Virtue of the Name Shem-Hamepho.-
" raft, which he ftole out of the Tem-
" pie, he rais'd the Dead, and walk'd
" upon the Waters, and cur'd the Lame,
** and cleanfed the Lepers ||." Nay,
Jofephus, one of their Hiftorians, has re
corded " the Wonders which he wrought,
" and his having been feen alive again
" the third Day after his Crucifixion **,"
in a manner very much to his Advan
tage. And the Talmudifts *-j-, and other
of their antient Writers, have noted the
fulfilling of his Prophecy, that if the Be
lievers in his Name fhould drink any deadly
Thing, it Jhould not hurt them -j-fv

* Mark.vi. 14.
+ Johnv. io, 16.
% Mat. ix. 34. and xii. 24.
|| Raym. pug. fid. p. 290.
** Ant. /. xviii. c. 4.
*+ Avoda Zara, and Midrafch. Cohefeeth.
ft Markxvi. 18.
N 4 And

1 84 Revelation dejignd to
And fo likewife the heathen Priefts,
before whom his Apoftles perform'd *-
their Miracles, never queftion'd the Reali
ty of them. And the bittereft and moft
learned primitive Oppofersof Chriftianity,
knowing it to be impoffible to refute the
Evidence in behalf of their Miracles, in
Point of Faft, allow'd, as Celfus, Por
phyry, Hierocles and Julian did, many
miraculous Cures, and Works out of the
ordinary Courfe of Nature, to have been
wrought by them. But then they attri
buted them, as Celfus -J- did, to the Art of
Magick, which they faid he had learnt
from the Egyptians ; or elfe, with Ju
lian %, they flighted the reftoring the
Lame to their Limbs, and the Blind to
their Sight, as mean Performances. Tho,
by the by, even he acknowledg'd St.
Paul to have every way exceeded all
the Cheats and Impoftors who went be
fore him. A plain Demonftration that nei
ther the Jewijh Malice, nor Heathen Sub-
tilty, was capable of objefting any thing
to the Miracles of our Saviour and his
Apoftles, I mean as to the Truth and
Reality of them ; for if they could, they

* Arts xiv. 8, &c.
f Apud Orig. cont. Celf. /. ii.
jj, Apud Cyril, adv. Jul. /. vi,
would

prevent Superftition. 1 8 j
would never have argued in this manner
againft them ; nor have fet up, as Philo-
ftratus and Hierocles did, the pretended
Performances of Apollonius Tyanaus to
eclipfe the Glory of them.
But the Force of Truth no where
more plainly appears, in behalf of our
Saviour's Miracles, than in the Alcoran,
where it extorts a Teftimony in Favour
of them even from Mahomet. I will give
you that Impoftor's Confirmation of the
Miracles of Chrift, and of fome other
Truths, as I find it in Dr. Smith, who
lived feveral Years in Turkey *. " What
" Opinion the Turks have of our blefied
" Saviour and the Chriftian Religion, I
<{ fhall briefly fhew," fays he, " as they
" lye difperfed in feveral Chapters of the
*' Alcoran, according to which they frame
" their Difcourfe, whenfoever either Zeal
" or Curiofity puts them upon this To-
,c pick.  By which it will appear how
" great the Power of Truth is above Im-
" pofture and Subtilty ; and that as the
?t Devils in the Poflefled confeft, tho a-
" gainft their Wills, Chrift to be the Son
i( of God, fo this Demoniack, in the midft

* Account of the City oSPrufa, in the Philofiphical Tranf-
ftftitms for Jan. 1683.
« of

1 8 6 Revelation defignd to
" of all his Eorgerys and Lyes, and ri-
" diculous and childifh Narratives, not
" being ahle to contradift the univerfal
" Belief of the Chriftians of that and the
« preceding Ages, founded on the Hiftory
" of the Gofpel, hath been forc'd to give
*¦* Teftimony to feveral Particulars of it.
" They qonfefs then that Chrift was
" born of a pure, fpotlefs Virgin, the
" Virgin Mary, chofen by God and fanc-
" tified above all the Women in the
" World; and that the Angel Gabriel
*c was difpatched out of Heaven to ac-
" quaint her with the News of it. That
" fuch a Kind of miraculous and fuper-
" natural Birth never happen'd to any
" befidesi and that Chrift was conceived
" by the Holy Gh&ft, and that he wrought
t( mighty Miracles; for Inftance, that he
" cleanfed Lepersy gave Sight to the Blind,
*' reftor'd fick Perfons to their Health,
" and raifed the Dead.
" That he js a great Prophet, fent
*( by God to convert Men from the Va-
" nity and Error of falfe Worfhip to the
*' Knowledge of the true God, to preach
*' Righteoufnefs, and to correct and re~
" ftore the Imperfeftion and Mifcarriages
*c of human Nature ; that he was of a
*c moft holy and exemplary Life, that he
«* was

prevent Superftition. 187
" was the true Word of God, the Apoftle
" or Ambaffador of God ; that his Gofpel
" was revealed to him from Heaven, and
i( that he is in Heaven ftanding nigh «©
«' the Throne of God"
T o this account of Dr. Smith, give me
Leave to add what I think ftill more re
markable. Dean Addifon, who liv'd in
Barbary, hag given * us the main Struc
ture of this mecrabk Herefiy, as Elmaednus,
a Saracen Author, has reduced it to
twelve Articles. The laft three of them
are, " That they believe the Prophets
" and Apoftles, and all the Books that
* f wer.e written by them."
" That Chrift the Son of Mary is
*' the Son of God, his Word, and his
" Apoftle." And, " That they acknowledge the
" Law and the Gofpel."
The Dean tells, us likewife, from
Jacob Ben Sidi Ali, an Arabian Author,
that <? the Mufulmin believe the Scrip-
* The firft State of Mahumedjfm, ch. 16.
1 " tures

1 8 8 Revelation dejtgnd to
" tures whicb were fent to the Apoftles ;
" which are by common Opinion divided
<{ into an hundred and four Books; of
«' which ten were fent to Adam ; fifty to
" Seth ; and thirty to Enoch (whom they
<c call E d R i s ;) ten to Abraham ; the
" Law to Mofes ; the Pfalms to David ;
" the Gofpel to Jefus Chrift; and at laft
" the Alcoran was fent to Mahumed. And
" all thefe Books of Scripture they believe
" to be fent from God, for the Benefit of
ct Men." The Perftan Mahometans ad
mit * the Pentateuch, Pfalms, Prophets
and the four Gofpels, into the Number
of their facred Books ; and thofe of Mo
rocco *j-, the Pentateuch, Pfalms and Gof
pels. Whosoever confiders thefe Things
muft own, that, ftriftly fpeaking, Mahome-
tifm is to be look'd upon as a Chriftlan
Herefy, not as a Religion diftinft from
that of Chrift ; fince no one can receive
the Alcoran, but muft confequently believe
our Scriptures to be the Word of God. A
much greater Part of the World is ac
quainted therefore with the Gofpel, than
is generally fuppos'd.

* Sanfbn. Royaume de Perfe.
f Relation de l'Empire de Maroc, par M. de S, Olan.
Bwx

prevent Superftition. 180
But the Mahometans owning fo much
of our Religion, not only affords a Tefti-
mony to us of the Contents of it, but
leaves them without Excufe, who em
brace the many Contrarietys and abfurd
Impertinences contain'd in the Alcoran,
rather than follow Truth in its immediate
and natural Confequences ; which, if they
were not wanting to themfelves, would
lead them to profefs Chriftianity. The
zealous Reverence they exprefs for their
falfe Scriptures, which prevent their mak
ing this Profeffion, is the more to be ad-
mir'd, becaufe they have acquainted them
felves with the Nature of that Evidence,
upon which only a Revelation is to be re
ceived as divine, by their believing, thro'
a juft Senfe of the Force of the Miracles
of Mofes and of Ghrifl, fo much of the
Old and New Teftaments. This fhould
have taught them to have rejefted the Di
vinity of fuch Writings, as did not fo
much as pretend to any fuch Foundation
for their Authority. For Mahomet him
felf excufes, in his Alcoran *, his having
wrought no Miracles. And tho fome of
his Followers have attributed many to
him : there is not one of them, which is

Chap. vi. faid

1 0 o Revelation defignd to
faid to have been publick or incontes
table *. And therefore his Followers do
not much infift upon them, but excufe the
want of Miracles by faying, that Mofes
ahd Chrift were both of them fent to fhew
the Mercy, Goodnefs and Clemency of
God, and that Miracles were ntceiFary for
them to attain their End : but that Maho
met heing fent to manifeft the Power of
God, 'twa's not MiHrcles, but the Sword,
that was necefTary for his Miffron. But
of this enough.
The Revelation of the Son 6f God be
ing thus attefted hy Miracles, nothing re-
main'd to compleat the Defign of his ap
pearing in the World, but to have hfe
Apoftles difeharge their Commiffipn, and
make a fufficient Promulgation of his Re
ligion to the WotSd, which was fobn
done, in fuch a ftrange and furprizing
manner, as filfficiently fhew'd the divine
AtteihriOH. They were indeed perfectly
qualified for the Expedition they were
fent upon ; 6f an Underftanding able t6
judge of what they were to teftify, and
exemplary fot theif Sincerity, Integrity
and Virtue, Without any Artifice or De
fign. They had all of them, tinlefs it was

See Dean Addifen, Ibid. Chap. xxii. St.

prevent Superftition. i o i
St. Paul, who had a particular Call to his
high Office, accompanied their Mafter
thro' the whole of his Preaching and Mi-
niftry, and were therefore qualified to be
Witnefies of what they had heard and
feen ; and after his Afcenfion, were fur-
nifh'd with fupernatural Affiftance in
having every Thing brought to their Re
membrance, and in being led into all
Truth. But the Difficultys which pre
sented themfelves, muft have deterr'd them
from fetting out upon their Enterprife,
had they not known themfelves to have
been * endowed with Power from on High.
A fufficient Proof that they were inwardly
confcious of divine Affiftance, as the Suc-
cefs they met with is of the Grace of God
co-operating with them. They were but
a fmall Company of plain, mean, fimple,
obfcure Men ; without Learning, or any
Advantage from Education, tb recom
mend them ; without Force of Arms, or
any temporal Countenance or Affiftance :
and were yet to declare the Rulers and
Governours of their Country guilty of the
innocent Blood of their Mafter, and to tax
them with the Crime of crucifying the
Lord of Life ; to prevail upon Perfons of
all Ranks and Conditions, of the greateft

Luke xxiv. 49, Parts

i q 2 Revelation defignd to
Parts and Adcomplifhments, to quit all
the Honours, Pleafures and Wealth of
the World, for a Life of Self-denial, and
to take up the Crofs, with no improbable
View of fuffering upon it ; to abandon
their prefent and important Intereft, only
for the Hopes of a Life after this, and
an exalted Degree of Glory in it. Had
there been nothing more in the Expedi
tion the Apoftles were fent upon, it muft
have difcourag'd them. But how muft
they be affected, when they confidered,
that they were to root out the Religion
eftablifh'd all the World over, and plant-
one widely different from it in its Place.
Could they, who were unskill'd * in the
enticing Words of Man's Wifdom, ever hope
to perfuade the whole heathen World to
renounce the Religion , they had been bred
up in, a Religion founded on the Corrup
tions, and fuited to the revengeful Tem
per, and vicious Inclinations, of human
Nature, while it was fupported by the
Power and Countenance of Men in Au
thority ; and inftead thereof to receive a
Religion pure and fpiritual, calculated on
ly to make Men more pious and devout,
patient and forgiving ? How could they
conceive it poffible for them, to make
* I Cor. ii. 4.
Men

prevent Superftition. 1 9 3
Men rejeft the Gods, before whom they
and their Fore-fathers had trembled, as
Devils and dumb Idols ; to abominate their
Temples, their Altars and Sacrifices, and
inftead o£ their inveterate Superftition,
embrace the Belief of one God only, and
expeft Salvation thro' the Merits of a
crucified Saviour ? 'Twas impoffible for
the Apoftles to have fet about the Reform
ing fuch Errors and Vices, had they not
known affuredly that they were furnifh'd
with fupernatural Affiftance ; that the
Power of God was with them. And yet
their Work was much greater ; more dif
ficult than I fhall take upon me to de-
feribe : I fhall only hint that it can't be
better conceiv'd than from confidering
the miferable State of Religion before
their preaching, and the happy Change
they effefted, which the Scripture has
emphatically reprefented by Light and
Darknefs *.
There were, 'tis true, fome few
great Souls in the Pagan World, I mean
their Philofophers, who foar'd above the
reft, and defpis'd the Stupidity of the
Vulgar. They fat up for Teachers, and

* Luke i. 79. John iii. 19. and xii. 46. Eph. v. 8.
and iTheff.v. 5.
Vol II. O ©uf.

194 Revelation dejign'd to
our modern Deifts think them fo perfectly
qualified for the Charafter, as to fuperfede
the Neceffity of a Teacher fent by God •
and to fupply the Defeft in the heathen
Religion, of their Priefts being bare Sa-
crificers, not Preachers of natural Reli
gion in their Temples *. But had^the ve
ry beft of them been then living, they
would have needed as much Inftruftion
as others. For notwithftanding that their
Abilitys and Induftry in fearching after
Truth are not to be queftion'd, and tho
they frequently difcern'd the Folly of o-
thers, their Underftandings were not able
to lead them to true Wifdom. They
were ignorant of the Caufe of the Cor
ruption in human Nature ; and if they
had known it, the Remedy was not in
their Power ; the Difeafe Was too inve
terate, to be cur'd by fo weak a Medi
cine as >f Philofophy. But to omit this,
and that there were very few, and thofe
only of the firft Quality and Fortune
who reforted to them ; the beft of them
were not only miftaken in the proper
Ends of moral Actions, but injurious in
their Opinions to the Nature and Attri
butes of God. So that had they really

*See the Authors coUefted by figbriciusf BMrth. Ant.
c. xi. §21.
•j- See Bilhop Leng's Serm. /. 348. in-

prevent Superftition. 195:
intended the Reformation of Mankind,
they were very unqualified for the Un
dertaking. And then, they were all of
them contf adiftory to one another in moft
of their Speculations, and in many, to
themfelves ; and if they did, from the
Light of Reafon, or rather of traditionary
Revelation, hit upon fome Truths, they
were not fo fufficiently convinc'd them
felves as to be able to perfuade others and
bring them over to them, but were in
great Doubt and full of Perplexity, when-
foever they afferted them. 'Twould be
tedious for me to defcend to particulars j
and I am fully perfuaded that if 'twas
fufficiently enquired into, it would ap
pear, that the contradictory Opinions of
the Philofophers, and their unfteddinefs
in aflerting Truth, and the forming them
felves into fo many and fo very different
Sefts, and then wrangling and difputing
Truth into Uncertainty, did greater Pre
judice to thofe Principles they had fome
glimmering Knowledge of from Tradi
tion, than ever they did good in influenc
ing either the Practice or Belief of the
Pagan World. But the Uncertaintys and
Follys of the Philofophers were foon de
tected by the Apoftles. The Revelation
of the Will of God, which they preach'd,
was clear, perfect and agreeable to the
Dictates of natural Light ; they prefs'd
O 2 the

i $6 Revelation dejignd to
the Dutys we owe to God, our Neigh
bour and ourfelves, upon fuch ftrong
Motives and Principles, as render'd them
plain, clear and certain ; and this they
did, * not in the enticing Words of Man's
Wifdom, but in Demonflration of the Spirit
and of Power. By demonftrating the Be
ing of one Self-exiftent Principle ; who
made the World, and governs it by his
Providence, interefting himfelf in the Af
fairs of Men, and difpofing all Events
which happen to them ; they confuted
the Opinion of thofe, who with a Dia-
goras Melius and Theodorus b Cyrenaus,

* i Cor. iv. 4.
* Nulloseffe omnino (Deos) Diagoras Melius, et Theo
dorus Cyrenasus putaverunt. Cic. de Nat. Dear. I. 1 .
"Evioi rwv Qitotriipw, tybdirif &i&yo&K 0 Mthwnt, ^
GtoJb&ih Kwf£u»a«®- [xj 'Ewfc«£?s 0 Ts>««7Wf] j^SoAou
fatrt (An tiveti &tie. Plut. de Philof. Placit.
Sic licet ille Theodorus Cyrenaeus, vel qui prior Dia
goras Melius, cui Atheon cognomen appofuit antiquitas,
qui uterque nullos Deos afleverando, timorem omnem, quo
Humanitas regitur, venerationemqae penitus fuftulerunt,
numquam tamen in hac impietatis difciplina, fimulats
Philofophia? nomine atque auftoritate pollebunt.
Minucius Fe/ix, p. 67.
A/*vof«« Mi» wo?  iTaaJiSti /e*A$s©- 
Suidas. And fee the Authors quoted by Pridtaux, Part i.
lib. 6.
"> Cic. Ibidem.
Minucius Felix, Ibidem.
— — IS H 0 ©«6cft»e?f <rav1iita.iT iv iretifSr t& «fc»'
•i«V sTef <«<• Laertius in AriftippQ.
held

prevent Superftition. 197
c held that there was no God, or with
Protagoras d doubted whether there was
any ; of the Peripateticks e and others f,
who, as if there had been none g be
lieved the World to be eternal ; and
of the Epicureans, who held it to be made
by Chance : of the Stoicks h, who would
O 3 have

e Td <rifi tvmCtictf <T£ x} ©sap vtithn^artu TrtAAw*
Aietqwv'w ®5« ydp 01 fj&v iroM\ai Q&<nv avttf Tivis cPs
wk etvas a'anep 01 wtpi &t<Ly>ey.v roy MmA/op, x} &ibJh>-
yv, x} Kpiriew roV 'A&wdioy. Sextus Empiricus, Hyp. /. iii. c. 24.
* Dubitare fe Protagoras. Cic. Ibid.
' Tldtov Marian ytvnrh &va.i rov Koepw oexim(i.ivov,
Tiomrh x) Anyuxpybv to7* o*o« top ©edc Wi^»mv1o(, 17a
re TlK&'iu-vtif rd too. Mouth <wkoov<povv]o{ tIuj eveuflittv %dv
•nitidis 0 'AeWTSTjAfl? oJWra;. Eufeb. Prap. Evang. /. xv. c. 6.
f Sivtxfdvns 0 KeAopaV/©  outs •jpwnv, outs pSogy.v
«iroA«T«. Xlapvfyifhts 0 'Easos'tjk  st'jJW f«p 7/ap" to top.
AvyMtiTt 0 'AC^Me/w? O77*rwo-«TD to* toc o.V«gop JW to
(MlJitiAaf t/Vo 7711®- ewjo «TfecA»faif j^<3-om ¦ 87; </£ x] «'/«-
to'£ahtop ai/Jo" hkyei- Idem. /. i. r. 8.
"Ecriiwugp* [Nsox^ous 'ASwaiof] pW — 077 to top «e$
71IXT0V Ui, x*j tr*/ T0/0UT0P.
Mst&/ JbiC9< ° X/©- «ti JW Sp«/ ?t)07 to w, on mlw $i»-
top *« rei juw oK7tf *p JuT" «7«£or i/'e 077 difiov, Z ydg iyetv
d$%ilp, ov-gp «p§bsto, «cTs TSgeis Kc/e% nhiurlw. Ibid.
8 BifOfdlWf d'fl/lwrtV x} <«J)op x) a?5«jTop ToV Koo"ftop'
" Plut. de Philof. Placit. /. ii. ,:. 4.
h Karat' 77Pets i/ftafwV'ot/f ^afo-fAtvovs •)(/Jvovs\it7iv-
g5"t/<S-a/ t3p o"t!/^wP7tt *oV|«op, <? t' «k $« w«A/p JittKoryLfioScu'
to* Mr 01 WfoTQy 77Uf «p«/ jy.flokref e? Tt emtztjut, tSv
kitiy]ay %X«v rlc Aojot/f, x} T«t a/77'af iSv ytjeroTttv, x}
tw> yivofj^iuy, xj twp inpfflvv' tUm JV t*7»p swxAosr^r,

198 Revelation defignd to
have it to be govern'd by Fate ; as like-r
wife of thofe i, who abfolutely refus'd a
Providence having any Thing to d with
the Management of it k, and of others \
who allow'd Providence to regard no par?
ticular or fublunary m Being. By efta-
blifhing the Immortality of the Soul, and
a future State of eternal Rewards and
Punifhments, the Apoftles fix'd a Prin^
ciple ; the main Balis and Support of the
good Order and Government of the World,
evidently tending to the Happinefs and
Perfection of Man, and without which
Virtue itfelf is a dead and empty Name.
And yet this Principle was either denied
Or doubted of by the Philofophers. The

x5 dwokovd'tay, km «//o£f«fy/wp, x] ims-fifsluj, x} dKitSc-utv, x)
y'opov etVcLi iav 'i'/jay dJiad'ggsov wva. x) ajivKTuir.
Eufeb. Pr»p. Evang. /. xv. c. 14.
'- Epicureans.
k ABfioxe/T©- eTe, xj ''Emxev&s, xj em to ctro/Mt pm-
pvviat ^ ib x&vbv, o$'ti <B-?opoiot JiotKeH&at, yuan J'i vvt
dKoyo> ' Plut. de Philoi. Placit. /. ii. c. 3.
1 Ariftotdiarts.
™ A/*Tefp« <?l dvn tU1> •xgfvata.v {dyp. Tap igynav
Diogenes Laertius, /. v.
Tlpej Ssaiv 01 fiiv m'ts dm i&y>v\is //i) cf ' Sii'iti to S&tv
el i'eivtu Vav, eT «f.j«p £1 £, du*Ms> x} f/» m^ovrnv imS'v/'os'
irei'roi tfiol «} &v*i, x} tfgjvbety, «M« top ^iydKwy, x)
pgosciw, twp J1' 'pri ryin, (tnJ'tvbc Arrian. Epi&et. /. i. c. 12.
fQ 'AeitTOTik?isiAi%pt rnf XihluStis simc <rb $£oy, rd;
r-oivd. tt Koo-pv ff^tt sfrtf lyfdQet ThS n'0tS JiolXYiosaS'
Eufeb. PraEp. Evang. l.xv.c. 5.

4rif

prevent Superftition. lpp
Ariflotelians n rejected the Soul's Immor
tality, in which they had the Approba
tion of the Epicureans and moft learned
Philofophers". Pliny p was of Opinion
that neither Soul nor Body, has any more
Senfe after Death, than before it was born.
The Stoicks q indeed allow'd it fome Ex-
iftence, but not an Immortality, and Lip-

n QcGipantTos J1' o Sdvaroc nigce ydf x} iS*iv in tm
Tl&ytaTi </W«, ou% dyzd-by, ours Ketuby uyai.
Moral. /. iii. c. 9.
['O tTe ] t«p Jkip6via.v told'tw <f>vaiyiK,7ro^»viroii(jb\ie(,
)£) t»p yi Bo-ctvSns h*.wiJhc -rils "J-'OC^ dirvri(ivav, thi>
te \v t<5 mgjvTi ngjts top »?«t76p»p \vXtt£eta.v dy<u~
(yvafy'ot, nva. ftps Ylhovmvtt sy« xaiyaviay.
Atticus apud. Eufeb. Prasp. Evang. /. xv. c. 5.
Tij ivy Ig-iv 0 wpb'to* ifyettfiaas dvrrrafcdj&tLt dire-
J^ei^ioi, xj tUu 4u%?iv dpihiScti r»{ d&ayaojctt, xj Ttjs
ikhtlf TldtTYIS <Pwdp.ta{h Tlf J? eTg£pf H 0 'AetroTEAtK ;
Ibid. c. 9.
 Top 'Af/roTsAw x,*TMjof mi vat /ufa r3x tsj i <*.3*-
vcttrla.( iHit ^v/ps *&W- Origen. cont. Celf. /. ii.
0 Sunt qui dijceffum Animi a Corpore putant effe mor
tem — Sunt qui nullum cenfent fieri difceffum, fed una
Aiimum et Corpus occidere, Animumque cum Corpore
extingui... Cic. Tuft. Quaft. I. i. See Billius in Greg. Naz.
Or. 33.
f Nee magis a morte Senfus ullus aut Corpori, aut Animas,
quam ante Natalem. Plin. Nat. Hift. I. vii. c. 55.
9 Sunt qui difcedere animum cenfent, alii ftatjm diffi-
pari, alii diu permanere, alii femper. Cic. Ibid.
TU <fe 4-vX"v "fay™ to ^ fAtfTijp hiytioiv ouk
tvSus S\. T8 oa'ft«T@- d-rmKh&y&OTU) <p&et('i£rtu , et'AA' Sh-
ItAVetv tivas xeji/ovs x*8' ietvlfo' rlai ixhf top ffTmvJkiuv
fVXpt tvs &s itvp dva.K\in«i iwv ndrmv' tUiS J't tSv
df&yety yrtfc <x'o<nyc. jiyas xe/coi/y .
Eufeb. Pray. Evang, /. xv, c. 20.

O 4 Jin*

200 Revelation dejignd to
fius * their Apologift owns it to be a Point
which was controverted by them ; and
Seneca, one of them, who flourifh'd when
his Sedt was much improv'd in their Sen
timents, fays f that their great Men ra
ther flatter' d them with a Promife, than
gave them any Proof of it. Socrates him
felf, even at his Death, doubted of it ;
and both he ' and Cebes confefs'd it to be
disbelieved by the greateft Part of Mankind.
Plato feems to doubt with his Mafter
Socrates, and tells us u, that his beft Ar
gument in Behalf of it, was from antient

* tJtinam Stoici in capitali ifta re veraces, et refti.
Pbyf. Stoic, /.iii. Dif. ii.
1 Credebam enim facile opinionibus magnorum virp-
rum, rem gratiffimam promittentium magis quam pro-
bantium. Ep'ft- 'oz-
1 Tols £$ irctihait dwiuaf m^tya- Socrat.
to. £% 71*$} ns "J^X"* ireMwv dms-itui •m%h"x& idls
dv&pamis, y-h, iir&fdy d-rtaKKajy^ to trufienzs, iJ'ttyM in
«, asAA' iieivq T« niAftt ficup&eiptHnl t« Xj d-rnKKtititui,
v) iLVedvfyvnniS dimSdvn, euSvs dmtKKttfrloirffJt) to oa>7«tTof,x}
i>t£eLivts<m uamp vfivua, m y&wvos fiounKJh&Sm oi%n-
ra/ Jia.'jf]ttfdpi\,)dji^i»%Ti iJd[M» — \itH eiirif an iii dvrh
jm9' iavlhv owafle?ippirn k*i dirtiMaytJ/)'n tci/top top
xa.ua v, ay ffv vvv <Ptti*.$if, ttoAAm *p IaotV «3il xj (glAw, a
2<»Kf*TOS, as dh\/i$h kiv d on Ktyns' d\hd toto cTe
"ist»s oJ* o\i<yr,s •7t<t^.\uib\a.s J'eireti x] nr'tnm, as iri ii
JfVyh dTipdci.vhvTos to dy^favn uai ma JVptf/w %y& x}
pfoPitojp- 'Aam8w, ipn, hiytis b Xax^dns, a KiCnc 
Plato in Phid.
" Tlfi$e&tti H cones diet xfi to7* wAhtuois 7i x} h&Tt
h*ylt> A <ft> mWW/v &pnv dtevenov 4JUX"y ****''
¦¦ Epift. 7.
Tradj*

prevent Superftition. 201
Tradition. And Tully, who was more
favourable to this Opinion than any of
them, having enumerated the different
Sentiments of the Philofophers, concludes
himfelf with great Uncertainty upon this
Point w. The excufing the Wicked from
any Punifhment in another World, was
an Opinion, which they of neceffity were
to hold, who rejefted the Immortality of
the Soul ; but it ftop'd not with them,
for we find the afTerting fuch Punifhment
pronounc'd to be a ridiculous x Fiftion,
and are told that Philofophers were uni-
verfally agreed y, that God could neither
be angry with nor punifh any one. And

w Nifi qua? me forte fugiunt, hse funtfere omnium de ani-
mo fententias.  Harum fententiarum quae vera fit, Deus
aliquis viderit, quae verifimillima, magna quxftio eft.
Cic. Rid.
* Nam nunc quidem quid tandem illi mors attulit ? nifi
forte ineptiis ac fabulis ducimur, ut exiftimemus ilium apud
inferos impiorum fupplicia perferre, ac plureis illic offen-
diffe inimicos, quam hicreliquiffe; a focriis, ab uxorum.
a fratris, a liberum pcenis aftum effe praecipitem in fcele-
ratorum fedem atque regionem : quas fi falfa funt, id quod
omnes intelligunt, quid illi tandem aliud mors eripuit, prae-
ter fenfum doloris ? Cic. pro Cluentio.
y Quid eft igitur, dixerit quis, in jurejurando ? Num
iratum timemus Jovem ? At hoc quidem commune eft om
nium Philofophorum, non eorum modo qui Deum nihil ha
bere ipfum negotii dicunt, et nihil exhibere alteri, fed
eorum etiam qui Deum femper agere aliquid et moliri vo-
\xmt, numquam nee irafci Deum, nee nocere. €ie. de Off, I. iji,
then

202 Revelation dejtgnd to
then for the Hope of having the Body
rais'd again, they knew nothing of it.
Even thofe Philofophers who ftil'd the
Body the Pri/on of the Soul, reprefented
the Refurreftion of it as a very defpica-
ble Thing ; and Celfus calls it % a Hope
fitter for Worms than Men. I fhall draw
a Veil over the Lives of the Philofophers,
and only take notice, that it was either
from the rejefting or doubting of thefe
Principles, that we find the expofing Chil
dren thought lawful by Plato aa; Abor
tion by Ariftotle bb ; Marriage condemn'd
by Epicurus and Democritus cc ; Fornica
tion and iA a Community of Wives allow'd of

x 2xoAtHC6>p i) sAsrif. Apud. Origen. p. 240.
M K*/ Tavist y »/n awVJ* Jiax&tevediJfiot it£$uy&-
&«¦', Itdhira iSfi (JtiJt as $Ss ZKtp&petV «wf^« (wfty, \dv
'fflmm, \%y ft ri Gidmroif ovto iKTi^iveti, as ovx, auoyis
T(c$$s. it? Ttiira. De Repub. /. v.
bb 'Qei&dt <T« -ms TtMomilais to tAwSbj, \dv S'i vat
yytyiTcti va.&.Tuu'la. tvvS\j<t&'tvjw ireiv £t$m<ny tfykVi&*t
x}£»Ito i\JMU&&a,t <Pa tU/j a.\j&huviv. Pol./, vii. c. 16.
cc AnfMH^iros J'i yi\M> xj Tsf/JWo/wp na^Anareu,
J*ld rds TtoKKds 0% di/jay dniias it x) dpof^ds aire top
«Polf^(.«7^f W 0WI&TU.7dT}iTlU ii, dv7$ x) 'EfflBoy^J.
Clem. Alex. Strom. /. ii.
id Si quis eft qui etiam meretriciis amoribus interdiftum
juventuti putet, eft ille quidem valde feverus ; negare non
poffum : fed abhorret non folum hujus fasculi licentia, ve-
rum etiam a Majorum confuetudine atque concerns. Quando
enim hoc non factum eft ? quando reprehenfum ? quando
non permiffum ? quando denique fuit, ut, quod libet, non
Jiceret ? Cic. pro Caelio.

prevent Superftition. 205
of by Plato ", the Epicureans and ff Sto
icks ; nay even by Socrates and Cato ES;
Adultery by Arijlippus hh ; Inceft by Epi
curus i!, Zeno, and the Stoicks kk ; Mafeuline

AtdJhs iris <J% cTx.Ketf<w mhts, «fl'«VJr) 2/jtM/xi), «p «r
dix/Lt-dhuT©- "^fjofjAvyi nmv Is KbetyQov, as ir»f « nonpar
sp t£ "oK[ar <*sbs Tiuetiov, As x} 'Apir/wTof tigs:, x} AiifU'
frivns 0 pMT»f . Aioytyns b tuJuv  'Ae<roT&tif sTe o 2toj-
yaextus ov'k Ǥ ^b^vK^idos ivs tmigps iittuitm&mm t
N;«o^ta^op, x] avpluT Ta't/7jl {M^e* $*vdw  -Sopox-AHJ a
T£<tyi)Jb7n>tos hjPm }*'fe»p «p rigd^n ©eafi'/©- toj eWe?.*,
— — — 'InK^c/.ns 0 TOPp'llTflf»P az/Mf/opsrsp©- Mfrdveiej'-V
&yp ifviMvtiv  Athenaeus, Lib. xiii.
« TapTw («4p /« a(iohiyr.Ttti, a T^clvkvv, tm f«Atie"}l
dx-^toi o'ikhv WpA« Koipotf f/SP tTi) yvvdineis'— —
De Repub. /. viii.
ff T« j« fiW ftor^iff xoAecVec Wetf' «f«p yb[A©-, vrctpd
/* 7707P dJ)dtpo?bv er/ to?* top sT*f ep yweu^i [/.iyyv&eu'
£ <p;A0(r6?»P <^l 77PSJ pesrip dJidtpogov ava.1 To &ht>0T(iti
yvfdJM yLtyvv&ttt. Sext. Empiric. Hypot. /. iii. <¦. 24.
sb Omnia indifcreta funt apud nos praeter uxores ; in
ifto folo confortium folvimus, in quo caeteri homines
confortium exercent, qui non amicorum folummodo ma-
trimonia uuirpant, fed et fua amicis patientiffime fubmini-
ftrant : ex ilia, credo, majorum et fapientiflimorum difci
plina, Graeci Socratis, et Romami Catonis, qui uxores /fua*
amicis communicaverunt, quas in matrimonium duxerant,
iiberorum caufa et alibi creandorum. lertul'. Apol.
hh *Emj« J*s £) eoAoj^p eivtti^r^ itQ'X*''B~eiv — -j/w/li»
ydp 3 you dtaxfiv tpSfa' <. Diog. Laert. in Vita.
" 'Er'tKovpos <Pi x} auTQS'——ov(i.C>shivei x) juit&oj xj
dS'i^ipitis my.\j\y\v8ra.i> & w»(d top vb{j.ai iav rura
jwto'evmr Theoph. Antioch. /. iii. ad Autol.
klc 'O KitIkvs ZUi/av ipmi ph aromv hvcli, t3 f*oeic»
tUs umt$s top Iojotk (t# fW rpi-^cu, K&fsdvsp s<N ethho t<
ftip@- to o4(jult©- dvltjs t% V(HJ* rpi-^Ai pauAop dv ami
•its Mvttr x) 0 XfwsjW©- ii iv tj» weA/Ttk icyiMr^et
rrbv ts aaTegje ix. fflV $vya,T§bs ireuJbmua&eu, >& T«»
mjiim. Ik n m^Ss, £ ilf dhtitlv h r»s dJthqmf.
' Sext. Emp. Ibid.
J-ove

204 Revelation dejignd to
Love not only by the Stoicks11, but the
moft famous Philofophers ram, and among
the reft by Socrates nn himfelf; to fay
nothing

11 K«l 77 $*,vwts>°V, otk yt x) 01 ditb i%s Kwikiis p/Ao-
nfiits, jCj o\ •nifi r KitJiul Zlwavct, xj KAsou^WP, x)
XpyVwrwop d^idpofnv rir' avtu <ptta'i ;
Sext. Empir. Ibid.
mm Ad Magiftros Virtutis, Philofophos, veniamus ; qui
Amorem negant ftupri efle, et in eo litigant cum Epicure,
non multum, ut opinio mea fert, mentiente : quis eft enim
Amor ifte Amicitia?, cur neque deformem Adolefcentem quif-
quam amat, neque fbrmoftim Senem ? Mihi quidem haec
in Graecorum Gymnafiis nata confuetudo videtur. — — —
Quis aut de Ganymedis raptu dubitat quid poetae velint ? aut
non intelligit, quid apud Euripidem et loquatur et cupiat
Laius ? quid denique Homines doftiffimi et fummi Poetas
de feipfis et Carminibus' edant, et Cantibus ? Fortis Vir in
fua Repub. cognitus, qua: de Juvenum amore fcripfit Alcav-
us ? Nam Anacreonth quidem tota poefts eft amatoria.
Maxime vero omnium flagrafle Amore Rheginum Ibycum
apparet ex fcriptis. Atque horum omnium libidinofos efle
amores videmus. Cic. Tuftc. 4J. /. iv.
*OA«f eTe robs irmJiiuvs itareis r st* rdis buKeteas
vrtox.?iv>t<ri trnhhoi., .< ,<rctft& yd f rdis dhXtus ivvou^iveus
whKseiv \iii t«< 'EAAst'Joj rtnjoi&nyoti rb <TI to »S©"
ZlmW iivtevn yvv&iKi lx$n°*7o, Ttufaw'is <P«
dei • 'Upa'wiA@- J\? o TltptxKrnTtK.b', vrigiffmfcbrTiss
9wi yiviS&t Toy < ray ra'/JW ifunt.  'Up ayv(Jt@- <T b
'Po'J)@- gp To7f ts-aiiKo'is v7my.vnpoa.oiy $wh an 2opo*A«
iuT^iwn irdiJh>, ih;a to Ttiyvus ditityttyt y^nai/jifiQ- avrS.
Athenaeus. /. xiii.
*Or<ivSfav •triKtv \v$vyuii$a <rS0Kg£wv, r U^dtwn,
TeV BtvoQayra,, t 'A^ip£u», t KiCtna, r -mvlei p^ofor
ixdvav r»y ivfeSv o\ t»\>s appivm iAnifJuiovv \»wr<ts. —
Plut. de Lib. Educand.
— — w«ep* "EAM« </£ ^ e\ ffopoi ipvplvovs iyepyrtf oi7
4iyp7«*«' Eufeb. Praep. Evang. /. vi. c< io.
*" 'Et«77*of ydp tu?, Arts «r«f, x) o Swtgjfw, x) M
(rfaf'AhiuCidJ'ns duTtpxkaviJoi k\i^s> wxdtt^ arirtr.
Lucian. de Amoribus, and fee Plutarch de Lib. educand.

prevent Superftition. 20 j
nothing of the Cynicks, who ftrip'd them
felves of all Shame and Reftraint. I fhould
not have confider'd thefe great Men in
this difgraceful View, had not, to the
Reproach of Chriftianity, the Education
of our Youth been 80 recommended to
them. How different a Reception does
their Reputation now meet with, to
what their Perfons found in the World !
Plato tells us that they were generally
decried, and he gives us the Reafon for it,
becaufe, fays he P1>, moft of them were the
worft of Men. Their Profeffion was pro
hibited by the qq Spartans, Thebans arid
Argives, and found a very difficulp Recep
tion at Rome. They were expell'd " by
the

2«»££'t»« Jidfmin, n p& tg&atSs it\md£e<» Tut
ViQts, xj (t&VTOi mttnt dvn imofKav MtTtyiyvvtrtov.
Lucian. Ver. Hift. /. ii.
•° Chriftianity, isfc. p. 166.
w noAi) <fi (uyisti Xj Jj^OfWw AieuStKh yiyvireti
fihofapias, <h£ roOs id Toiaiira q)dffK0V7«M ew7wJV«P0
— — nafamvteoi ti 9rA«ro/ t£v i'aPTay sir dvlw- De Rep. /. vi.
m A quibufdam eje&a Philolbphia, a Thebanis dico, a
Spartatlis, et Argivis, dum adnoftra contaminantur. lertul. Apol. c. xlvii.
" Verba Senatufeonfulti, de exigendis urbe Roma Philo-
fophis : item verba edifli Cenfonun, quo improbati et ca>
erciti funt qui difcipUnam rhetaricam infiituere et exercerc
Romse cceperant. C. FAN=

2 o 6* Revelation Jejjgnd to
the Senate. Tully afterwards brought
Philofophy into feme Credit ; but the
Apologys he makes for the Study of it,
fhews how difgraceful it was commonly
thought. How proper they would have

C. FANNIO STRABONE, M. VALERIO MES-
SALA COSS. SENATVS CONSVLTVM DE PHILO-
SOPHIS ET DE RHETORIBVS LATINIS FACTVM
EST. M. POMPONIVS. PRAETOR. SENATVM.
CONSVLVIT. QVOD. VERBA. FACTA. SVNT. DE.
PHILOSOPHIS. ET. DE. RHETORIBVS. DE. EA. RE.
ITA. CENSVERVNT. VTI.M. POMPONIVS. PRAE
TOR. ANIMADVERTERET. CVRARET. Q^ VTL
EI. E. REPVBLICA. FIDE. QVE.SVA. VIDERETVR.
VTI. ROMAE. NE. ESSENT. Aliquot deinde annis
poft id Senatufconfdtum C. DOMITIVS AENOBARBUS
et L. LICINIVS CRASSVS Cenfores de coercendis rhetori-
buslatinis ita edixerunt : RENVNCIATVM. EST. NO
BIS. ESSE. HOMINES. QVI. NOVVM. GENVS. DIS-
CIPLINAE. INSTITVERVNT. AD. QVOS. JV-
VENTVS. IN. LVDVM. CONVENIAT. EOS. SIBI.
NOMEN. IMPOSVISSE. LATINOS. RHETORES.
IBI. HOMINES. ADVLESCENTVLOS. DIES. TGTOS.
DESIDERE. MAIORES. NOSTRI. QVAE. LIBEROS.
SVOS. DISCERE. ET. QVOS. IN. LVDOS.' ITARE.
VELLENT. INSTITVERVNT. HAEC. NOVA.
QVAE. PRAETER. CQNSVETVDINEM. AC. MO-
REM. MAJORVM, FD7NT. NE. QyE. PLACENT.
NE. QVE. RECTA. VIDENTVR. QyAPROPTER.
ET. HIS. QVI. EOS. LVDOS. HABENT. ET. HIS.
QVI. EO. VENIRE. CONSVERVNT. VISVM. EST.
FACIVNDVM. VT. OSTENDEREMVS. NOSTRAM.
SENTENTIAM. NOBIS. NON. PLACERE.
Neque illis foliim temporibus nimis rudibus, necdum Gra>
ca doftrina expolitis, philofophi ex urbe Roma pulii funt:
verum •etiain-'Domitiano-imperaBte Senatufconfulto eiefti, at*
que urbe & Italia interdi&i funt ; qua tempeftate Epicletus
quoque philofophus propter id Senatufconlultum Nicopolin
Romadeceffit, Aul. Gel/. L. xv. c. n.
been

prevent Superftition. 207
been for the Office this Gentleman has
found out for them, Atheneeus will in
form us, who tells us that they were ba-
nifh'd from their Places of Abode, fr as
Corrupters of Youth ; and he quotes a Poet,
who " calls them, Deceivers of young
Men. 'Tis needlefs for me to oppofe here
the Purity and Excellence of the Chriftian
Morality, to thefe Allowances of Philo-
fophy ; I fhall only obferve that whatfo
ever Virtue the Philofophers recommended,
is injoyn'd by the Apoftles in a far more
eminent and comprehenfive Manner. To
inftance in the Dutys of Doing good, and
Suffering evil ; the two main Parts of our
Employment here.
The Philofophers, to do them Juftice,
did all of them recommend the Love oi
our Friends and of our Country ; and the
beautiful fublime Things they have faid
in fetting it out, deferve Praife, and can
not be too much admir'd. But they ftop'd
there, and thought themfelves difeharg'd
from fhewing Kindnefs to the reft of
Mankind. They knew not how to ex-

fr 'Vufjutiot <P$ el m.v\tt atomi ci|e£etAop rods "Zoptsis
T«« *P»7w, as J)cttpQei(yvTd,{ tovV Viovt- Athenaeus, /. xiii.
" Co AtApSf 'B.yho*vf'i*i it %Aq vm^yd-mvl Uw
p«»/s§«WT«f Lib. iv.
s tend

208 Revelation dejign d to
tend the Duty of Affection to its natural
and proper Length. 'Twas the Precept
of one of the feven wife Men. Be uu ye
kind to yourFriends, and revenge yourfelf on
your Enemys. And even Socrates declar'd
it ww lawful to rejoyce at the Calamitys
and Misfortunes of our Enemys. Arijlo-
tle fpeaks xx difdainfully of Meeknefs, and
a forgiving Temper ; and he and Cicero vr
are both of them Advocates for Hatred
and Revenge. But our Religion teaches
a quite different LefTon ; it commands us
to bear an univerfal good Will to all Men
without Exception, to defire their Hap
pinefs, and to be ready on all Occafions
to procure and promote their Welfare,
and to extend our Affection even to our
Enemys and Perfecutors : To be merciful
as our Father, which is in Heaven is mer
ciful ; To do good to them who hate us *, to
blefs them who curfe us, and to pray for
them who defpitefully ufe us, andperfecute us.
And what is a ftill farther Proof of the

HU $i\ois wv'm ej^S-jS* dpi/v*.
Sofiad. apud Stobasum. Serm. iii.
ww 'Ovkovv iiri f4p toi* t£v i%Qeuy xtuioif but' H'nwv,
xlt eftme'ov ts-i %«(?«!'• Plato. Phileb.
** Oi (j& ofyvb^m — — »Ai'3io/ Jixewiv a"va.r Jbiul
wk JiSdvtSmi (An lijiffi/itv©-' rb «T£ ire^rnhMua<n4(>9t
«p»X*^*'» dvJ'e«mJ'»J>tt. Ethic. /. iv. c . 7.
yy Odi Hominem, et odero, utinam ulcifci pofiem.
Cic. Epift. adAttic^l it.
* Mat. v. 44. Excellence

prevent Superftition. 2 op
Excellence of Chriftianity, is, that if the
fame Sentiments fhould be met with in the
Schools of thePhilofophers, 'tis ftill to be
prefer 'd, for inforcing fo very difficult a
Duty upon a true and fufficient Principle.
And as to the Bearing of Evils, 'tis a
Duty impoffible to be perform'd as it
ought, by any one, who either denies, or
doubts, the Being of a God, his Pro
vidence, the Immortality of the Soul,
or a future State. Such a one can have
no Principle, which can be fufficient to
fupport him, under the Apprehenfions
andPreflures of Miferies and Misfortunes;
he can have no Hope, which can afford
him Comfort, and can only wifh for
Death and a Non-exiftence. Upon any
of thofe Principles, 'tis far better for us
to be Brutes, than Men ; for, 'tis plain,
they are lefs caft down and difquieted,
under Pain and Mifery, than the braveft
and moft refolute Man can pretend to be
without the Support of the Almighty.
And as for all the Confolaudn which the
Philofophers of better Principles could
afford, we may pronounce it to be rather
entertaining and diverting to the Mind,
than able to relieve a Man under any
heavy Affliction ; not to fay that their
Confederations were too fpeculative and
refin'd for common Underftandings. But
Vol. II. P all

2 1 o Revelation dejignd to
all the Evils and Afflictions a virtuous
Man can be fubjedt to, vanifh upon the
Appearance of Life and Immortality thro'
the Gofpel. A fteddy Belief that the firft
Caufe of all Things is the great Difpofer
of all Events, and that his Providence is
particularly concern'd in human Affairs,
gives us a firm Affurance that, fo long
as we put our Truft in, and commit
ourfelves and our Ways to, him, notwith
ftanding outward Appearances, our Hap
pinefs is certain at the laft ; that his in
finite Power and Goodnefs are abundant
ly able, and at all Times ready and will
ing to fuccour us ; and that, if we do
but fear him, Evils and Afflictions fhall
confpire to the promoting of our Hap
pinefs ; if we do not reap that Benefit
from them in this World, they fhall add
to our Felicity in the next. But over
ahd ahove this, if we confider Afflictions
in the view Revelation has prefented them
to us ; if as Judgments fent by God,
we fhall find them to be lefs than we
deferve ; if as Corrections for our Sins,
that they are Tokens of divine Love ;
or if as Part of the Work which he has
allotted us here, that, as fuch, the Re
ward is above the higheft Merit : we
fliall conceive the greateft Miferys, we.
are fubject to, under the Notion of Hap
pinefs ; we fhall not enduxe them as a
Burden,

pnveHi Siipeffeori. 2 i i
Surderis but enjoy them as a Bleffing *
and find thdm to be a Subject of Pratfe*
inftead of a Complaint. A Principle, I
am fure, not only unaccountable in Rea
fon, but above all Notions in natural
Religion. Natural Light and human
Reafon douid never reach it.
But that the Chriftian Revelation
may appear with ftill greater Luftre^
let us compare it With Heathenifm, in a
Particular which has been thought to have
given our Deifts a great Part of their Pre
judice to our Religion, and which, as
Travellers inform us "*, has been the
chief Reafon why feveral Indian Princes
have refus'd to embrace the Chrift iari
Faith ; I mean the Purity and Ghaftity
commanded by it. Fornication, Adul
tery, Pederafty, and all manner of Lafci-
v'ioufnefs, were not only allow'd by their
Philofophers, but, as We have had fre
quent Occafion to take notice, inter
woven1 with the Religion of the Heathens ;
they fuppos'd the Practice of thofe Vices
to be not only agreeable to, but even
commanded by their Gods; and an ac
ceptable Part of their Worfhip. We are
told in the firft Chapter of the Epiftle to
* See the Authors collefted by Mr. Barbeyrac% \\\ his
Notes on Baron Puffendorft, lib. vi. c. i. § i6j
P 2 ilfe

2 i 2 Revelation dejigrid to
the Romans, that 'twas becaufe they *
changed the Glory of the incorruptible God
into an Image made like to corruptible
Man, and to Birds, and four footed Beafts^
and creeping Things, that -f God gave them
up to Vncleannefs, thro' the Lufts of their
own Hearts, to difhonour their Bodys a-
mong themfelves. |J As they liked not to re
tain God in their Knowledge, he gave them
up to a reprobate Mind, to do thofe Things
which were not convenient, to thofe vile
AffecJions the Apoftle takes • notice of at
the 26th and 27th Verfes. That is, God
withdrew his Grace from them ; left
them, without Reftraint, to their own
Lufts ; and permitted them to fall into
that black and hideous Train of abomi
nable Sins, which were the neceffary,
tho woeful, Effect of their deprav'd Wor
fhip. Or, if you will, becaufe of their
Idolatry he fuffer'd them to fall into all
the difmal Confequences to which the
Worfhip of their falfe Deitys led them.
Religion was the Caufe of their fo uni-
verfally lapfing into fuch a miferable and
corrupt Eftate ; and nothing but Reli
gion could releafe them from it. As
their Practices therefore became more and
more exorbitant ; God made, as we have

* Ver. 23.
+ Ver. 24.
II Ver. 28. .„
» feea?

prevent.Superdition. 215
feen, a fuller Revelation of his Will to
the World. He feparated the Ifraelites
from the reft of Mankind, difpers'd them
over the whole Univerfe, and gave them
the Levitieal. Difpenfation, which forbid
all that Impuriry and Lafcivioufnefs, which
Heathenifm not only tolerated, but en-
courag'd. But it feeming * to allow many
Wives to one Husband, it muft, in the
Particular of Chaftity, have given Place to
the Revelation promulgated by our Saviour
and his Apoftles. 'Twas the peculiar
Prerogative of the Gofpel to bring Man
kind to Perfection ; to enable them to be
perfect -f, even as their Father, which is
in Heaven is perfecl. This it does by
teaching them fuch Principles as are fuf
ficient to re-eftablifh their Nature, and
enable them to lead Lives pure and un-
defil'd, fuitable to the Dignity of it. Such
is a Belief of the Holy Gho/l's inhabiting
our Bodys, and that our Bodys fhall be
raifed again from the Grave ; which who-
foever is affur'd of, muft of Neceffity be
convinc'd that his Religion requires of
him the higheft Degree of Purity and
Chaftnefs. Let us but fee how the Apoftle
preffes this Argument. £ Know ye not,

* Deut. xvii. 17. and 21. 15. and 2 Sam. xii. 8.
f Matt. v. 48.
% 1 Cor.vi. 19.

fays

2 1 4 Revelation dejignd to.
fays he, that your Body is the Temple of
the Holy Ghoft which is in you ? Let us
therefore preferve it Holy and Unde-
fil'd, that it may * be a Veffel of Honour x
fanclifyd and meet for the Mafler's Ufe.
He hath fanctified it for his Habitation
and Service ; and fhall we pollute it ?
The Body is not at all for -f- Fornication,
but for the Service of the Lord (he. Head
of the Body, and the Lord for the Refur-
rection and Glorification of the Body ; and
accordingly J God bath raifed up the Lordx
and will alfo raife up us by his own Power.
And again he fays, || if any Man defile the
Temple of God, him Jhall God deftroy ;
God will punifh him with much Seve
rity, when his Body fhall be raifed from
the Dead. And agreeably, he reprefents
** the Works of the Flefh, Adultery, Forr
nication, Uncleannefs, Lafcivioufnefs' and
Idolatry, with all the unclean Practices at
tending it, as fuch Enormitys, that they
which do fuch Things, fhall not inherit the
Kingdom of God. Fornication, fays he,
¦f>f and all Uncleannefs, let it not be once
named amongft you, as becometb Saints.

* 2 Tim. ii. 21. t
¦¦ 1 Cor. vi. 13.
t Ver. 14.
I 1 Cor. iii. 17.
** Gal.v. 19, tjfc.
ft Eph. v. 3.
For

prevent Superftition. 2 1 5
For * God hath not called us unto Unclean
nefs, but unto Holinefs. He therefore that
defpifeth this his Call, defpifeth not Man
but God. And throughout the whole
Revelation deliver'd by the Apoftles,
Chriftianity is reprefented as fuch a pure
and glorious Difpenfation as is deftructive
of all Vice and Impurity, and plainly ex
cluding every one, who is in the leaft
addicted to fuch unclean Affections and
. Practices, as were the neceffary At
tendants on idolatrous Rites and Superfti
tions, from having -f- any Inheritance in
the Kingdom of Chrift and of God.
This is enough to hint to us the cor
rupt State of Religion in the Heathen
World, and the Excellence of that which
the Apoftles were to eftablifh in its
Room. The Morality they were to
teach was fo pure, fublime and cogent,
that fome may perhaps think, in fo po
lite and learned an Age, when Arts and
Sciences were at their height, it needed
only to be propofed, to have it embrac'd
by every one. But their Mafter knew
too well the Degeneracy and Corruption
of human Nature ; and that the Prin-

7, and 8,
f Eph. v. 5.

:iples

2 1.6 Revelation defign d to
ciples their Doctrine was to be deduced
from, were not within the Reach of hu
man Underftanding, nor therefore to be
eftablifh'd by natural Reafon. They were
what he himfelf came into the World
to reveal to Mankind. As therefore he
had demonflrated the Divinity of his own
Miffion, by Miracles and Prophecy, he
gave his Apoftles a Power of working
them, and foretelling Things to come,
to teftify theirs. To this he added the
Gift of Tongues, or a Faculty of fpeak
ing fuch Languages as they had Occafion
for, by which the Gofpel made a greater
Progrefs in a few Years, than it could
otherwife have done in many Ages. In
fhort, Salvation was confirm' d unto us by
them, God bearing them Witnefs, both with
Signs and Wonders, and with divers Mira
cles, and Gifts of the Holy Ghofl, according
to his own Will *.
Thus qualified they fet about their
Miniftry. We can't fuppofe that all the
particular Adts perform'd by them, were
ever recorded, or that all which were,
are come down to us, who live in an Age
fo remote from theirs. 'Tis certain, that
moft of the Writings and Monuments

*¦ Heb. ii. 3, and 4. of

prevent Superitition. 2 1 7
of the firft Ages of Chriftianity, are long
fince loft. However, if we view the dif
ferent Parts of the then known World,
which were vifited even by the Apoftles
themfelves, we fhall find that 'twill ap
pear from fuch Records of Chriftianity
as have efcap'd the Injury of Time, that
there is fcarce a Country to be met with,
which was not travelled over by one or
other of them. And this we are certain
of, that whereever they came, they ga
thered Multitudes about them, freely and
openly reprov'd their fuperftitious Ufages,
convinced them of the Guilt of Idolatry,
and eftablifh'd Chriftianity in its Place.
'T 1 s generally agreed by the Antients,
that the Apoftles divided the World by
* Lot into different Portions, which they
feverally betook themfelves to. By this,
I fuppofe, is only meant that they agreed
peculiarly to infpect their own Divifion.
For 'tis certain, that their Commiffion
was general, and that they did not fo
ftridtly tie themfelves to the Provinces
allotted them, as not to make Excurfions
into other Parts, as the Good of the
Church requir'd.

* Eufebius, /. iii. c. i. and Socrates, /, i. c. 19.
Before

2 1 8 Revelation dejignd to
Before this Divifion, Palejline was
peculiarly blefs'd with the Preaching of
all of them; and afterwards 'twas the
particular Province of St. James * the
Lefs, who for his near Relation *f to his
Mafter, was made the firft Bifhop of
Jerufalem: This, and the neighbouring
Countrys, feem to have been the only
Scene of his Labours. They were very
much inlighten'd likewife by St. Jude %,
who travelled over Judcea, Galilee, Sama
ria, Idumaa, Syria, Mefopotamia and the
Citys of the Eafl.
EGYPT had St. Mark || for her Con
verter. He refided chiefly at Alexandria,
and preach'd, not only all over Egypt,
but in Marmorica, Mauritania, and o-
ther Parts of Africk. Egypt, Cyrene,
Africa, Mauritania, and Libya, were
vifited likewife by St. Simon **. And
St. Luke YT travelled over moft Parts
of this Quarter of the World in the Ltter
Part of his Life, and at laft govern'd the
Church of Thebais, And St. Matthew %%
* Eufebius, /. ii. c. i .
¦|- Gal. i. 19. and Eufeb. Ibid.
% Nicephorus, /. ii. c. 40, and 44.
| Hieron. Cat. Script. Eccl. and Eufeb, /, ii. <•. j6.
** Nicephorus, /. ii. c. 40.
¦\\ Metaphraftes.
Jt. Vincentius, /. ix. c , 74, too

prevent Superftition. 2 1 q
too came into this Country. And as for
Ethiopia, 'twas converted by Queen
Candace'% * Eunuch, and St. Matthias \. /
The Light of the Gofpel fhone like-
wife over the vaft Continent of Apia. St.
Peter % travelled from Jerufalem to An-
tioch, (where he founded an Epifcopal See,
of which he was himfelf the firft Bifhop ;)
and after that over || Pontus, Galatia, Cap-
padocia, Afia, and Bithynia. But being
the Apoftle of the Circumcifion **, he
labour'd moftly amongft fuch Jews, as
were difpers'd in thofe Parts; and there
fore St. John -f--f-, after the Death of
the Bleffed Virgin %%, came into Afia,
He founded the Churches of |||| Smyrna,
Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,
Laodkea and Ephefus ; the laft of which
he made his chief Refidence, but travelled
up and down even to the Parthians.
Scythia and the neighbouring Countrys,
had St, Philip *** and Andrew -j-j-j- for

* Adts viii. 27.
f Nicephorus, /. ii. c. 40.
% Hieron. Cat. Scrip. Eccl.
|| 1 Pet. i. 1 . and Eufeb. /. iii. c 1 .
** Gal. ii. 7.
-j-J- Eufeb. /. iii. c. 1 .
XX Nicephorus, /. ii. c. 42.
IN Rev. i. 4. "
*** Nicephorus, /. ii. c. 39.
^\ f See Mr. Readings Notes on Eufeb. 1. iii. c. 1 .
their

2 20 i\.cvciaiiun aejign a to
their Apoftles, the latter of whom
travelled over moft Parts of Afia. The
Coaft of the Euxine Sea had St. Mat
thias * ; the northern and -j- weftern Parts
of Afia had St. Bartholomew, and the eaftern
t St. Luke, who vifited that Country after.
he had left St. Paul at Rome crown'd
with Martyrdom. The Perfians are
fuppos'd to have been inftrudted by St.
Simon and St. Jude || ; 'tis certain they
were preach'd to by St. Thomas **, as
well as the Parthians, Medes, Carmanians,
Hyrcani and BaBrians. St. Thomas was
the Apoftle likewife of the Afian EthU
opia, into which St. Matthew -f -f- came
after he had travelled over Parthia. And
even all India JJ was acquainted with
the Gofpel by the Preaching of St.
Thomas |||| and Bartholomew ***. Such
Places and Perfons as efcap'd thefe Apof
tles, feem to have been vifited by the
great St. Paul, who being fent to th$ Gen-

* Hieron. Cat. Script. Eccl.
rj- See Dr. Cave, § 5.
X See Dr. Cave, § 3 .
| See Dr. Cave, § 3 .
** See Mr. Reading's Note Eufeb. /.iii, c. 1. and HiV
son. Cat. Script. Eccl. . «
•J-j- Socrates, I. i.e. 19.
XX ihid-
|||| See Mr. Reading, Ibid,
f** Eufeb. /. v. c, 10.

tiles,

' prevent Superftition. 2 2 i
tiles *, avoided fuch Places as had left
their Idolatry, and, if he came where the
Gofpel had been before preach 'd, ad-
drefs'd himfelf to fuch as had not re*
ceiv'd it. Immediately upon his Con-
verfion at Damafcus, he went for three -j-
Years into Arabia Petraa ; return'd and
preach'd again in that City, till being
forc'd thence, he went to Jerufalem, from
thence to Ccefarea, then to Tarfus, and
having preach'd for two Years in Syria
and Cilicia, came again to Tarfus J, and
fo to Antioch; where finding Barnabas,
he made him a Companion of his Tra
vels, went with him to Jerufalem ||, back
again to Antioch **, then to Seleucia -j-f*,
and leaving that City, they came to
Cyprus. From thence they went to
Perga ££ in Pamphylia, and afterwards
to Antioch |||| in Pifidia; from whence
they were forc'd *** -to Iconium, and
from thence to •jr-\^r Lyftra and Derbe.
They revifited the Citys I have men-
* Acl:s xxii. 21. Rom. xi. 13. and xv. 16. Gal. i. 16.
and ii. 7. Eph. iii. 8. 2 Tim. i. 1 1 . and iv. 17.
f Gal. i. 17, 18.
X A&s xi. 25, 26.
]| Ver. 27.
** Chap. xii. 25.
ff Chap. xiii. 4.
XX Chap. xiii. 13.
HH Chap. xiii. 14.
*** Chap. xiii. 50.
ff f Chap. xiv. 6. tion'd;

2 21 Revelation defignd to
uon'd ; and * puffing throughout Pifidla*
they came to Pamphylia, preach'd in Perga,
and went down into Attalia, and thence
failed to Antioch. From this City they
were -jr fent to the famous Council at
Jerufalem, and retur n'd with the Decrees
of it. And- here Paul parting. X from
Barnabas, went thro' || Syria and Cilicia,
came again to Derbe ** and Lyflra,
where finding Timothy, he took him with
him thro' Phrygia -f-j-, Galatia, Myfia,,
and XX af°^^S t0 &Q *nt0 Bithynia, they
came down to Troas> where he Was din
rected in a Vifion to pafs into Europe*
He return'd to Afia, eall'd at Ephefus |||f,
pafs'd thro' Syria, came to Gatfarea ***f
and fo to Jerufalem. From thence he
return'd again to Antioch, Went over
Galatm ¦f'T'fv an*^ Phrygia, and came
again to Ephefus XXX- After going again
iato Europe, we .find him at Troas |jj|,jj,

* Chap. xiv. 24, 25, 26.
¦- Chap. xv.
X Chap. xv. 39).
I Chetp. XV. 41.
** Chap. xvi. 1.
ff Ver. 6.
XX Vf- 7-
HH Chap, xviii. 18, j 9.
*** Ver. 22.-
fff fir. 23.
XXX Chap. xix. I.-
HUH Chap. xx. 6,

^

prevent Superftition. 223
Affbs *, Mitylene, Chios f, Samos, Tro-
gyllium, Miletus, CoosX, Rhodes, Patara,
Tyre ||, Ptolemais **, Cafarea -ff, and ac
Jerufalem XX, from whence his Appeal
carried him to Rome. And even after
that we find him at Nicopolis ||||, Mile
tus ***, and Troas *j~TT'
BuT let us with St. Paul go over in
to Europe. St. Andrew preach'd the Gof
pel and converted great Numbers in
Thrace, Macedonia, Theffal'y, Achaia XXX
and Epirus \\\\\\. And St. John being
fent for from Ephefus to Domitian at
Rome ****, who condemn'd him to
Banifhment in the Ifle of Patmos, was not
idle in his Paflage to and from that
City, but brought Abundance off from
their Superftition and Idolatry. As St.
Peter -f--j«j~f- likewife did, who had St.

* Ver. 14.
f Ver. 15.
X Chap. xxi. I .
|| Ver. 3.
** Ver. 7.
ff Ver. %.
XX Kr. 17.
HH Tit. iii. 14.
*** 2 Tim. iv. 12.
fff 2 Tim. iv. 13.
XXX Hieron. Ep. ad Marcel.
HI || Greg. Naz. Oratio ad Arrianos.
**** Tertull. de Prasfcript. Hsret. c. 36.
f ff f See Dr. Cavi.
Mark,

224 ReVelation dejignd to
Mark, as is generally believed, for his
Companion, in the Journey he made to
Rome. Germany arid Gaul we fuppos'd
to have been vifited by St. Simon, who
pafs'd thro' thofe Countrys in his way to
Britain *, where he fuffer'd Martyrdom.
But what moft eminently contributed tov
the overthrow of Idolatry in this Quarter
of the World, was the Labours of the
great Apoftle St. Paul. St. Luke was con
verted t by him juft before he was
warn'd to go into Macedonia, and was
ever after the infeparable Companion of his
Travels. The Succefs St. Paul met with
in his Miniftry, was equal to his Courage
and Refolution ; and the Journeys he made
in Europe, as well as in Afia, were fa
quick, that we find him firft at Philippi |,
then at Amphipolis ||, Apollonia, Theffa-
lonica, Berea **, Athens -j-f-, Corinth XX-
And having gone into Afia, he return'd
and pafs'd thro' Macedonia \\\\ and Greece,
and fhip'd himfelf again for Afia, and at

* Dorotheus in his Synopfts, Niceph. I. ii, c . 40. and the-
Grecian Kalendar.
f Aftsxvi. 10.
± Chap. xvi. 12.
I Chap. xvii. 1 .
** Ver. 10.
ff Ver. 16.
j± Chap, xviii. 1 .
Ii Chap. xx. 1.

Jerufalem

present Superftition. 225
Jerufalem was conftrained to appeal unto
Cafar *. He took Ship at Adramyt-
tium-f, touch'd at Crete, and was fhip-
Wreck'd upon Malta X, from whence he
was carried to Rome, where he dwelt for
two Years ||. Having at laft gain'd his
Liberty, he went, as he himfelf tells **
us more than once he intended to do, in
to Spain; from thence into the eaftern
and weftern Parts of Europe -j~f- ; pafs'd
thro' Gaul and came into Britain XX »
return'd thro' lllyricum \\\\, and Mace
donia to Philippi ***; pafs'd again into
Afia -j"f"j-, and made a fecond Journey to
Rome, where he was crown'd with Mar
tyrdom. I Shall only take notice a little
more particularly of the Converfion of
India and Britain1; they being the ut-
moft Extremitys of the then known
World. The former of thefe was, as I

* Chap. xxv. 11.
f Chap, xxvii. 2.
X Chap, xxviii. 1.
II Ver. 3°-
** Rom. xv. 24, &c.
ff Hieron. Script. Eccl.
X% Parker's Ant. Brit, and Siillingfleeth Orig. Brit.
HI Rom. xv. 14.
*** Philip, i. 25.
f ff Tit. iii. 1 2. and 2 Tim. iv. 1 2.
Vol. II. Q__ have

226 Revelation dejignd to
'have faid, vifited by St. Thomas, who is
reported to have been unwilling to truft
himfelf in thofe Countrys, till he was en-
courag'd to it by a Vifion * ; after which
he travell'd as far as the Ifland Taprobane,
or Sumatra, and to the Country of the
Brachmans ; and wherever he came, he
with all Calmnefs rebuked their Idolatry -f,
and by degrees perfuaded them to re
nounce it. The Paftors appointed by him
govern'd thefe Churches, and in the next
Century fent Ambaffadors to Demetrius
Patriarch of Alexandria, defiring that
Panteenus, who, from a Greek Philofo-
pher, was become a very eminent Chrif-
tian Divine, might be fent them X- He
upon his coming amongft them found
there a Copy of St. Matthew's Gofpel in
Hebrew ||, which had been carried thither
by St. Bartholomew, who, we are from
thence certain, vifited thofe Countrys.
And as for the People, they were know
ing and fufficiently inftructed in the Chrif-
tian Religion. Dr. Cave ** has given us
an Account of the Converfion of thefe
Countrys, as the Portugefes learnt it from

* Nicephorus, /. ii. c. 40.
f Sim. Metaphraftes, ad 21 Dec. n. 8, 9.
X Hieron. Cat. Script. Eccl.
|| Eufeb. /. v. c. 10.
** Life of St. Thomas, § 4.

Tradition,

prevent Superftition* llf
Tradition, and fuch antient Monuments
and Writings as were preferved to their
coming amongft them. They tell us that
St. Thomas came firft to Socotora, an Ifle
in the Arabian Sea, thence to Cranganor,
and, meeting with Succefs, travell'd far
ther Eafi ; and return'd back into the
Kingdom of GormandeU where at Malipur^
having wrought feveral Miracles, he built
a Church, and was martyr'd by the
Brachmans. This is certain that there
has been a continued Succeflion of Chrif
tians in thefe Countrys ever fince ; who,
from their having been converted by this
Saint are call'd, and call themfelves,
Chriftians of St. Thomas. Dr. Geddes,
and Mr. Brerewood *, have, from abun
dance of Authors, given us a very parti
cular Account of them, their fuppos'd
Numbers, and the Countrys inhabited by
them. They -j- do both of them tell us,
that they were govern'd by an Archbifhop,
who paid Obedience to the Patriarch of
Moful X, till he was forc'd, by the Vio
lences made ufe of by the PortugefeSj to
revolt, and fubmit himfelf to the Bijhop of
Rome ; but that he would not fuffer any
Alteration to be made in their antient

* Enquirys, c. 20. See likewife Dr. Cave, J 6.
f Hift. of the Church of Malabar.
X See Dr. Geddes, ibid.
Qj! Rites

228 Revelation defignd to
Rites or Religion. That they then ad-
miniftred the Eucharift in both Kinds,
denied the Primacy of the Pope, extreme
Unction, and had no Images in their
Churches. But his Succeffor, with his
Suffragans, has in a Synod renounced the
Religion of their Anceftors, and receiv'd
that of Rome. I fhall only add, that any
one who will examine fuch of our Books
of Travels into India, as are moft ap-
prov'd of, will find fuch various reli
gious Ufages * refembling Chriftian Prac
tice, as fufficiently prove our Religion to
have been received antiently all over thofe
Countrys. A s to Britain, Hiftorians have brought
more Apoftles into it, than, it may be,
there is any juft pretence for. I fhall leave
the Credit of St. Simon's having been
here, upon the Authority of the Authors
I have mentioned ; and refer thofe who
have a Mind to enquire after the Succefs
St. Peter and Jofeph of Arimathea met with
here, to Sir H. Spelman, &c. I think it
much more probable that the Gofpel was
firft preach'd here by St. Paul. We are
exprefly told fo by Theodoret -j-, and So-

* See Jenkins, <z>. i. p. 115, &c.
f In Pfal. cxvi. & de Curand. Graec. Affect. /. ix.
Serm. ix. phronius

prevent Superstition. 229
phronius Patriarch of 'Jerufalem *. And
St. Clemeni, who was contemporary with
him, and his Fellow-Labourer, fays -j-
that he preach'd both in the Eaft and in the
Wejl ; leaving behind him the glorious Re
ports of his Faith : and taught the whole
World Righteoujhefs., and for that End
travell'd even to the utmoft Bounds of the
Weft, which was the Phrafe then us'd to
denote thefe Iflands. And 'tis certain, that
he had both Leifure and Opportunity du
ring the eight Years between the obtain
ing his Liberty at Rome, and his return
ing again to that City. That Chriftia
nity was planted here very early is put
paft doubt by Tertullian X, and Origen ,|| ;
and fo of Neceffity it muft have been,
as appears from the Number of Martyrs,
which, as all our Hiftorians ** agree,
fuffer'd here in the dreadful Perfecution
under Dioclefian, and Maximian his Col^
legue. But the happy Calm, which fuc-
ceeded upon Conftantius Clorus's coming to
the Throne, reftor'd Religion ; infomuch
that we find three Britifh Bifhops, with
others of the Clergy, at the Council ¦f~j-

* De Labor. S.. Pauli.
f Ep. ad Corinth. § 5.
JAdverfus Judasos, c. j.
In Ez. Horn. v.
** Gildas, Bede, &c.
ff Uiferii Ant. Brit. Eccl. t . viii, and Spelmanh Cone.
v. i. /. 42.
Q~3 o

£2,o revelation aeftgn a 10
of Aries A. D. 314. Others of them at
the Nicene * Council in 325. And the
Deputys the Britifh Church fent to the
Council of Ariminum in 359, were of
fuch Dignity that they refus'd the Empe
ror's -j- Allowance, thinking it beneath
jhein not to bear their own Expences.
Thus were all the different Parts of
the World vifited by the Apoftles them
felves, who were far from being idle in
the Journeys they made. We find them,
even as they pafs'd from Place to Place,
freely and openly reproving Heathenifm
and all its fuperftitious Rites and Ufages ;
and tho the time of their Stay was ever fo
fmall any where, they left behind them, in
the Converts they made, fufficient Evidence
of their being there ; and having by their
JVliracles and Preaching reap'd, in almoft
every Place they came to, a very plentiful
Harveft, they form'd their Converts into
Churches, and appointed fpiritual Guides
and Paftors to prefide over them, to
whom they communicated J, the better
$0 enable them to conquer the Powers

* Conftantini Ep. ad omnes Eccl. & Athanafu ad
Tovjnianum, and Hilary of Poitiers,
' + PuPin.
j Aftsviii. and x. 44, 45. and xix. 6. 1 Cor. i. 5,6,
0, ' and Eph. i. 3. 1 Tim. iv. 14. 2 Tim. i. 6, 7.
unite4

prevent Superftition. 2 3 1
united againft them, and bring others off
from their Idolatry, the fame Power of
working Miracles as they themfelves had.
And the Succefs thefe Governors
of Churches met with, was anfwer-
able to their indefatigable Labour and
Induftry. Innumerable Multitudes in moft
Parts of the World came over to Chrif
tianity, which flew like Lightning, and
every where fpread itfelf with an amazing
Progrefs. When St. Paul wrote his Epiftle
to the Romans, which is fuppos'd to have
been twenty four Years after our Saviour's
Paffion, the Sound of the Preachers of
the Gofpel had gone out into all the Earth,
and their Words unto the End of the World*.
And five Years after when he wrote his
Epiftle to the Coloffians, the Gofpel had
been preach' d to every Creature under Hea
ven -f. Pliny, in a Letter he fent, the lat
ter End of the firft Century, to Trajan,
tells the Emperor that " the Contagion
" of Chriftian Superftition had fpread
" itfelf, not only over the Citys, but even
" the Villages and Fields." X Juftin
Martyr, who wrote in the middle of the
next Century, fays ||, that " there was no
^ .¦¦¦II- ... | | . ,| | ¦— ¦¦ | ¦ I ¦ 1 I ¦¦!!¦¦ ¦—— ^ .(j —
* Rom.x. 18.
f Colof. i. 23.
% L. x. Ep. 97,
| Dial. cumTryph.
Q^4 " Nation

% 5 1 Revelation defied to
*' Nation in the World, but that Men of
" every Rank in it, offer'd up Praifes and
" Thankfgivings in the Name of Chrift
fc crucified." And Chriftianity was fo
increas'd by the fourth Century, that
St. Auftin, who then flourifh'd, affures us,'
that " the * Chriftians were more in
fl Number than the Jews and Wbr-
ft fhippers of Images added together."
Prudentius, who immediately fucceeded
him, call'd the Heathens, Pars Hominum
rarifjima. Arid Theodoret, who liv'd but
a little after, fays of them *f-, that they
Were but very few, three or fofir in 'Com
parifon of the Chfifiraris, and that they
valued themfelves upon their 'Singularity
in not being led away by the Multitude ||.
$ o eminently Hvas the Prediction of
our blefled Saviour fulfill'd, which he
made, when there was not the feaft Ap-r
pearance of its coming to pafs ; when he
Was lbw anddefpis'd, and had only a few
poor Fifhermen for his Followers; that X
after he was lifted up, he would draw all Men
Jo him ; and that then his Doctrine, tho at

* D'e Utilitate Credehai, c.'f.
f In Pfal. lxxv. 7.
|| See Dx. Jenkins, v. i. p. 114. and Dr. Whitlyh Ge
neral Pref. p. 26.
" J John xii. 32. firft

prevent Superftition. 232,
firft every where perfecuted, like a Grain of
Muftard Seed cafi into a Garden, or like
Leaven hid in Meal*, ftjould fpread itfelf
thro' all the World, and be embrac'd and
flourifh in every Part of it. And that Pro
mife of his to his Church, that he will
protect and defend, and be with it always
unto the end of the World, infomuch that
fhe Gates of Hell fhall not prevail againft
it ¦f, will, we may reft affur'd, aotwifh*
ftanding all the inveterate Malice of fhe
Enemys to Chriftianity, be, in the fame
rnanner, perform'd ; that tho all the Ene-
ttrys of our Religion fhould give their
Power and Strength unto the Beaft, io make
War with the Lamb and his Company,
•we may tie certain that the Lamb fhall
¦overcome them, for he is the Lord of Lords,
and King of Kings \\.
This fwift and univerfal fpread ing
of the Gofpel, in fo fhort a Time, muft
be afcrib'd to fomething more than hu
man, "and is therefore a fufficient and con
vincing Demonftracion of the Truth of
it. As all other Powers than that of God
v/ere united againft it, it could not pof-

* Luke xiii. 18, £3°e.
.f Mat", xvi. ?8.
j) Bey. xvii, 15, 14,

2 3 4 Revelation defignd to
fibly gain Ground by any other Power*
The firft Preachers of it, could never
have fill'd the World with Believers, had
they not been able to teftify the Divinity
of their Miffion by Credentials which
were undoubtedly from Heaven. And
agreeably we find the Apoftles not arro
gating the Succefs of their Miniftry to
themfelves, but to the Grace of God co
operating with their Preaching, and the
Power he had given them of working
Miracles *. No other Power could ever
have prevail'd. Even the Power of Rea
fon could never have eftablifh'd the pureft
Morality in Oppofition to the Lufts, Plea
fures, and worldly Advantages of Man
kind ; much lefs cpuld it have fpread a
Doctrine by conquering the moft violent
Perfecutions. But the Power of Miracles,
which the Apoftles were fo eminently in-
dow'd with, fufficjently accounts for all.
So that if we had no other Evidence of
the Truth of our Religion, than this
quick and general planting of it, we could
not refufe our Belief in it.
And this we are as certainly afiur'd
of, as we can be of any hiftorical Fact
whatfoever. For if amongft all the Re-

* i Cor. i, 20, csV. ii. 4, tiff. 2 Cor. iv. 7. cords

prevent superitition. 235
cords I have taken notice of, The Acls of
the Apojlles only be allow'd for true Hif-
tory, it fufficiently proves the Point.
And that it is we have as much Reafon
to believe, as the Nature of the Thing
will admit of ; it having all thofe Circum
ftances attending it, which are neceflary
to prove any Hiftory authentick, and fe
veral others which no Hiftory befides,
unlefs thofe of the Gofpels, can pretend
to. But to prove its Genuinenefs, this,
amongft other unanfwerable Arguments,
may fuffice. 'Twas wrote and publifh'd
by St. Luke, foon after the Facts it takes
notice of were committed, while they were
frefh and in the Mouths of all Men ; as
we are certain, not only from Clemens of
Alexandria, Origen, and Eufebius *, who tell
us that he wrote it by divine Inspiration,
and reckon it y up amongft thofe Scrips
tures which were at all Times accounted
Canonical ; but from its being own'd, al
luded to, and quoted, as an unqueftionable
Record of Chriftianity, by St. Barnabas J,
St. Clement ||, the Author of the Relation
of the Martyrdom of St. Ignatius **, hy

* Eufeb. /. iii. f. 4.
+ Z.- iii. c. 25.
tEp. $ 7.
0 1 Ep. Corinth. § 2.
** § 19,"

Papiai

2 $ <$ Revelation dejign d to
Papias *, and Poly carp -j- ; all of whom
liv'd in the Times of, and were Difciples
to, the Apoftles ; and in the very next
Century 'twas epitomis'd by IrenausX.
And if we confider the Matter contain'd
in this Hiftory, which is chiefly wonder
ful Miracles .wrought upon eminent and
well known Perfons, fuch as Saul the
fiery Perfecutor of this Religion, Ely mas ||
the Sorcerer, the Pythonefs at Philippi i*#,
t&c. in the moft publick Manner and moft
frequented Places, as in the Temple and
Market at Jerufalem, Samaria-, Damaf
cus, &c. nay, in the Prefence' of the
Jewifh and Heathen rPriefts themfelves,
as the curing of the Cripples, at the <beau~
tiful Gate of the Temple •f^f, and at Ly-
fira XX' %£ we could fuppofe it poffible,
.(which 'tis very hard to do) that the
leaft Credit coiild be procur'd to fuch im
pudent Untruths, as thefe muft all of
-them be, had^they been fictitious ; would
it not ihave been the eafieft Thing to have
confuted this Hiftory, at fo fmall a dif
tance of Time as we are certain 'twas

* Eufeb. /. iii. c-. 39.
•J- Ep. ad Philip. § 1 .
X L. iii. c. 12.
j| Ads xiii. 11.
** Aftsxvi. 18.
f+ Adls iii. 6.
. ±X Ads xiv. 8.
la< publifh'4

prevent Superftition. 237
publifh'd to the World in, while many,
if not moft, of the Eye-Witneffes were
living, if the Facts it relates with all their
Circumftances, had not been true ? But this
having never been fo much as attempted
either by Jew or Gentile, tho they were
both of them, as we are certain *, ac
quainted with all the facred Books of the
Chriftians, were freely offer'd their Pe-
rufal, and did make ufe of them, in their
Writings againft Chriftianity, and muft
have known how People in thofe great
Citys, and indeed all the World over,
came to receive and profefs this Religion,
and tho all the Wit, which Malice could
fupply the moft learned Adverfarys with,
was exercis'd againft it, is certain De-
monftration that thefe \Miracles were
wrought, as they are there related, and
confequently that our Religion is true.
This fingle Argument is, I am fure, fuf
ficient to battle the united Force of In
fidelity, fo long as there is any fuch
Thing as an authentick Record, or true
Hiftory in the World; it cannot, nor
ought not to be denied by any Man who
pretends to common Senfe and Reafon.

* See Juft. Martyr. Dialog, cum Tryphone Jud. and
Apol. ii. Tertul. Apol. c. 31. Origen. 7. v. ckd Eufeb.
/. iii. c. 27.
1 And

238 Revelation defigiid to
And here I fhall obferve, that thig
wonderful Propagation of Chriftianity
into the moft diftant Parts of the World,
even by the Apoftles themfelves, is a fuf
ficient Proof that the holy Scriptures are
delivered down to us free from any Cor
ruption or Forgery whatfoever ; as the
miraculous Prefervation of them is of
the divine Authority they claim *. For
if we confider, that as faft as the Scrip
tures were compos'd, as St. Matthew's
Gofpel was wrote within eight, St. Mark's
ten, and St. Luke's fifteen Years -j- of our
Saviour's Afcenfion, while the Actions
were frefh in every Man's Memory, the
Apoftles fent Copies of them to the
Churches, which they had planted in

* " Etfi in Librorum facrorum Confervatione Ecclefiae
" Opera ufus fit Deus, tamen fpeciali Providentia eis ita
" invigilavit, ut ab ipfo primo infpiratos efle miranda
" ipforum Confervatione monftra rit, dum divina haec Fidei
" Speique noftra Monumenta tantis munivit Praefidiis, ut
" per tot Seculorum Decurfus, inter tot Imperiorum Rui-
" nas, tot Regnorum Mutationes & K*T«xAuVfw«,
" inter tot Librariorum Tranfcriptiones, Exemplaribus in-
" ter tot Nationes difperfis, tanta Terra: Mariique Inter-
" capedine disjunftas, foloque Fidei Nexu cplligatas, con-
" tra Hsereticorum Fraudes, & Tyrannorum Furores, qui
« ea vel corrumpere vel abolere totis Viribus conati funt,
" farta Tefta ad noftra Tempora confervata, & ad ultimam
" Temporis Particulam permanfura fint." Waltoni Pree-
ftatio in Biblia Polyglotta.
\ Dr. Whitbfs General Pi ef. /. 17. the

prevent Superftition. 239
the different Parts of the World, and
carried them with them wherefoever they
preach'd the Gofpel *, and left them
in Writing with every Congregation they
form'd, fo that there were in Fact many
Originals ; and that 'tis highly probable
the firft Chriftians were as curious and
careful in the Copies of their Scriptures,
as Aulus Prudens -j- was in his Copy of
Martial's Poems, and fent theirs to be
corrected and amended by the Apoftles
own Hands ; and that from the Originals
before they perifh'd, and Copys fo cor
rected, a Multitude of true Copys gene
rally known to have been taken from
them, muft be extant; and, over and
above this, that they were tranflated into
the Language of every Country, and read
from the beginning X to all Chriftian Con
gregations as often as they affembled for
the Worfhip of Almighty God, as St.
Paul adjures the Theffalonians by the Lord,
that his Epiftle fhould be read wai to all
the holy Brethren indefinitely || ; and not
like fome other Writings, which, having

* Eufebius, L. iii. c. 37. and I. v. c. 10.
¦f- Martial, L. vii. Ep. 10.
X Tertull. de Praefcript. adv. Haeret. and Juft. Mart.
Apol. ii. and the Authors collecled by Fabricius, Biliogr.
Ant. c. 11. § 19.
II > Ep. v. 27.

240 Revelation defign-d to
a great Regard pfiy'd to them, were read
on fome certain Days, and in fome Con
gregations only ; and that they were com
mented upon in different Countrys from
the very firft writing of them, and
unanimoufly appeal'd * to in every
Church by all Factions and Partys of
Chriftians, as often as any Controverfy
arofe : Whofoever, I fay, confiders thefe
Things, muft own it to be veryabfurd to
imagine the leaft confiderable Alteration
could have been effected by any fingle
Perfon, or indeed by any fingle Country,
fuppofing all the People of it could have
agreed together in carrying on fuch a
Fraud, without fome notorious and uni-
verfal Difcovery. For whatfoever Perfon
or Country, Sect or Party of Men, had
ever attempted fuch a Thing, muft have
been immediately detected by other Chrif
tians, who would have been foon ac
quainted with the Defign; and, if the
Zeal and Veneration which was always
fhewn for thofe Writings had not, the
jarring Interefts and Opinions certainly
would, have fufficiently ftimulated them
to proclaim the Forgery.

* Tertul. ibid. & de Refurreft. c. 3. Iren. /. iii. c. 12.
& Clem. Alex. Strom. /. vii. and the Authors collected by
Dr. Whitby, p. 1 4. of his General Preface.
But

prevent Superftition*. 24^
But what adds ftill to the Improba
bility is, that this fuppos'd Falfification
muft have been made, if it ever was made,
by Perfons who abandon'd all Things for
the fake of that Religion they are pre
tended to have corrupted and debauch'd ;
by Perfons who chofe to fuffer the moft
direful Torments ; nay, who facrific'd their
Lives, fooner than they would deliver to
their Perfecutors the Writings they are
fuppos'd to have us'd in fo vile and dif-
honeft,a manner.
And what is ftill more, this Vii-
lany muft have been committed while
the forg'd, or corrupted, Copys might
have been confuted by an Appeal to the
Originals, which we have great Reafon
to believe were preferv'd, till fome of the
Copys we now have, were taken. Tertul-
lian * fpeaks of them as extant in his
Time. And we are affur'd ¦f by Authors
of Credit, that the Original of St. John's
Gofpel was preferv'd at Ephefus in the
Reign of Honorius, almoft a Century af
ter the Copy in our King's Library was
written, the learned Editor of it having,

* Ibid.
f See Sir Ch. Wbtfele/sScr. Belief,p. 469. Huetius'* Dem.
Ev. Prop. i. § 15. and Bifhop Walton's Proleg. vii. § 16.
Vol. II. R with*

24* Revelation deftgn d to
with great Probability *, conjedtur'd it to
be about 1400 Years old. That the Au-
tographa of the Apoftles fhould be fo long
preferv'd, is not at all incredible, if we
confider the great Zeal and Veneration
of the Chriftians of thofe Times, for
every Thing which bore the Name of
facred and divine ; and that feveral cu
rious Gentlemen of our own Country can
fhew us the Hand-writing of eminent
Perfons, which has been preferv'd for
more than twice that Time.
But after all there is no one who can
prove that the Apoftolical Writings have
been corrupted ; which might very rea-
fonably be demanded of any one who
makes the Suppofition ; it being only a
bare Affertion without giving us any Reai
fon to ground it upon : nor indeed has
any learned Man ever yet imagin'd them
to be fo unfaithfully tranfmitted to us, as
to have any moral Precept, or Article of
Faith, in the leaft alter'd or perverted.
And as to what our Deifts alledge
from the great Number of various Read
ings, if they had not as little Learning,
or at leaft Ingenuity, as they pretend to

* Grabe\ Prcleg. c. i. § 4. See likewife Dr. MilPs
Proleg. p. 143. Piety,

prevent Superftition. 243
Piety, they would acknowledge them to
be of no Confequence to the Subftance of
Religion. They appear plainly to be the
Effect of human Frailty, Inaccuracy, and
Miftake in tranfcribing or tranflating,
and what might efcape the beft and moft
diligent Writer. And no one furely will
pretend, that divine Providence was under
any Obligation miraculoufly to continue
the Infallibility of the Authors of Holy
Writ down to every Librarian and Ama-
nuenfis, to prevent their making Miftakes.
Such Objections would make one ima
gine, that there is nothing to be urg'd
againft the Genuinenefs of the Scriptures,
but what will, upon due Examination,
add Strength to their Authority, and end
in the Praife of them. For the Multi
tude of various Readings are fo far from
arifing from any Defign or Contrivance to
vitiate or falfify the Text ; that notwith
ftanding Manuscripts have been collected
from the moft diftant Parts of the World,
and the moft diligent Search every where
made for them, and more of them met
with than of any other Books, as the con-
ftant ufe of thofe Writings made them
to be oftner tranfcrib'd, and all of them
collated with the moft religious Exadtnefs,
there is not any one Point of Faith * or
* See Capellus, as he is quoted by Bifhop Walton, Pro*
leg. vi. § 2.
R z Mora-

144 Revelation dejigrid to
Morality, which is not to be found in the
very worft Copy, and as capable of being
prov'd by the moft inaccurate, as the moft
correct. Which is a fufficient Demon-
ftration that there has been no Colliifion,
no Interpolating, no defign'd Alteration
of Copys. And as for the native and ge
nuine Senfe of the Scriptures, 'tis fo far
from being the more precarious from the
Number of various Readings, that 'tis
render'd the more clear and certain * from
them ; the only Difficulty being to find
out the true Reading from the falfe,
which is not fo great, as" may be imagin'd,
to a skilful and able Critic. The Obfer-
vation of a very few Rules being all that
is neceffary, as Bifhop Walton has fuffi
ciently fhewn -f-. The Englifh Reader
who has an Inclination to fee more upon
this Subject, may turn to the Bifhop of
London's third Paftoral Letter, p. 65. or to
Dr. Bentley's Remarks on Free-Thinking,
NQ 32.
A Revelation of the divine Will,
fo pure and perfect as we have feen the
Chrift ian to be, deliver'd to Mankind by
the Son of God himfelf, and teftified by

* Bifhop Walters Proleg. vi. § c.
+ Ibid. § 6.

fuch

prevent Superftition. 245
fuch eminent Miracles, fhould, it might
be reafonably fuppos'd, have flood the
Teft of Ages, without having its Divi
nity call'd in queftion. But it has not
only at the Time 'twas firft preach'd, but
in our own too, found one Enemy or
another, whofe Lufts and Paffions being
inconfiftent with the Purity of its Doc
trine, have fet themfelves with great Ma
lice againft it. Under Pretence indeed of
Reafon, but in Fact againft common Senfe
and Reafon ; without confidering the out
ward Evidences of its being God's own
Appointment, or anfwering any of thofe
Arguments which have been bi ought and
ftrongly urg'd in Proof of its divine Au
thority ; there are People, who call up
on us to * believe not .the DoElrines, becaufe
contain d in Scripture ; but the Scripture on
Account of the Doctrines ; and -j- to read the
Scripture with the Freedom of afjenting,
or diflenting, juft as we judge it agrees, or
dif agrees, with the Light of Nature, and
the Reafon of Things. It may be reafonable
indeed to try any human Authority by the
Nature and Reafon of the Thing ; but
'tis abfurd and profane, to do fo, in any
Cafe, wherein the divine Authority is

* Chriftianity as old as the Creation, p, 371.
•f Ibid. /. 201.

R 3 pleaded

246 Revelation dejignd to
pleaded and fully prov'd. If thefe Gen
tlemen could fhew, that what is contained
in the Scriptures, implied a Contradiction,
or was impoffible to be true, 'twould be
fomething ; for no fort of Proof can make
that to be believed by us, which is in itfelf
incredible. But fo long as they offer none
of their Demonftration, nor indeed any
Proof, of any fuch Thing ; we may,
with a religious Veneration, receive and
believe all the Myfterys contain'd in them,
own them to be above, but not contra
dictory to, our Reafon. And, as fuch, the
Belief of them is no more to be rejected
by us, than of fuch natural Things
which we come to the Knowledge of by
the Light of Reafon, and believe whether
we will or no, and which are yet equally
myfterious to us. For in the natural
World there are feveral Things fo plain,
that we can make no queftion of the
Truth of them, and are yet as much
above the Comprehenfion of our Reafon,
as any Thing we meet with in the Word
of God ; as the Creation and Cohefion of
Matter, &c. which whofoever pretends to
account for, does but fhew his own Igno
rance. And furely we may as rationally
believe divine Principles, whenever we are
affur'd of the Divinity of the Relator of
fhem, notwithftandiug their Incomprehen?
fibility ; as natural Principles, upon the
Evidence

prevent Superftition. 247
Evidence of natural Reafon, which we are
equally unable to comprehend. They have
indeed the Prefumption to pretend to be
wife enough to direct God himfelf, and
to determine what he could, or could not,
do ; and tell us, that he could command
us the Belief of no fuch Things ; that
* whatfoever is myfterious cannot be divinely
reveal' d. And that, becaufe fuch Things
muft be taken upon Content and without
any Examination ; and God, as he has
given us Reafon as our higheft Perfection,
cannot oblige us to believe and act with
out it in Religion, our greateft Concern.
But this is a falfe ftating of the Cafe.
Revelation no where commands us in-
ftantly to, fwallow every Thing, which is
gilded with the fpecious Title of divine.
It commands us *f- to prove all Things, and
to try the Doctrines as well as the Spirits,
whether they be of God. And therefore,
tho we own and adore all the Myfterys
of the Gofpel, as indubitable Truths, we
firft fee that they be fufficiently prov'd.
But we don't do this by confidering their
Nature, or by examining and comparing
Things together, becaufe they are in their
Nature heavenly Things, and fo above an

* Chriftianity not Myfterious.
f 1 Theff. v. 21.

R 4 earthly

248 Revelation dejignd to
earthly Capacity ; but by examining the
divine Authority of the Perfon who has
reveal'd them to us, and being once fuf
ficiently affur'd that he was fent by God,
and that God has, by his miraculous
Power, attefted whatfoever he has deli
vered to us, we are as rationally con
vinced of the Truth of them, as we are
that they were related by him. For our
Reafon affures us, that whatever God has
reveal'd is certainly true, and that no
doubt can be made of it. Whether it be
a divine Revelation, or not, Reafon muft
judge, which can never permit us to re
ject a greater Evidence to embrace what
is lefs evident, nor allow us to entertain
Probability in Oppofition to Knowledge
and Certainty ; but when once allow'd to
be fuch, it ought to overrule all our
Opinions, Prejudices and Interefts, and
has a Right to be receiv'd with a full
Afient, But they proceed farther ftill, and
reprefent the requiring a Belief of thefe
Things, as * /hutting Heavens Gates againft
thofe, to whom before they were open ; And
the All-good Being *, fay they, could not
command us any Thing but for our Good,
But this Objection has been already ot>-.
* Chriftianity as pld as the Creation, p. 250.
fP age 1^., viated,

prevent Superftition. 249
viated. For thofe Principles of Religion,
which we come to the Knowledge of
from Revelation only, or, if you will,
the Myfterys of our Religion, are, as we
have feen, fo far as they have come in
our way, not merely fpeculative Points,
but have a neceffary Relation to the Per^
formance of our Duty. The Rule of
our Action could not have been made fo
compleat and excellent, nor have been built
upon fo fure a Foundation, without their
being made known to us, nor we have
had fuch cheerful Satisfaction in the
working out of our Salvation. 'Tis Re
velation which reprefents to us the Crea
tion of the World, and the Innocence
of our firft State ; the infinite Goodnefs
of the ever bleffed Trinity in redeeming
us after we fell, and affifting us in
raifing ourfelves to a better Condition ;
that thro' Faith in a crucified Saviour we
may have recourfe unto God by Repen
tance, be renewed by his Grace, and par-
don'd by his Mercy; and that we may
at laft obtain a glorious Refurrection to
Life eternal. Nay, there is not an Ar
ticle of our Creed, which does not, as
Bifhop Pearfon has fhewn in his immor
tal Work, very much tend to the Ad
vancement of our Nature, and teaching
us our Duty to God, our Neighbour, or
ourfelves. They were not reveal'd to gra-
3 tify

250 Revelation dtjignd to
tify vain Curiofity, but to advance Piety
and make us more wife unto Salvation.
And let any impartial Peffon then judge,
if the Belief of thefe Things is not far
from making the Way to Heaven more
ftrait and difficult ; if it does not affure
us of a higher and more excellent Place
there. I Shall take notice of but one Ob
jection more and conclude this Chapter :
Having been already longer on the De-
fenfe of Revelation, than I fhould have
been, if the principal Defign of it had
not been the Deftruction of Idolatry.
* THE Defign of God, fay they, in
communicating any Thing to us, being our
Happinefs; that Defign would have oblig'd
him, who, at all Times, alike defires our
Happinefs, to have, at all Times, alike
communicated it to us ; and therefore they
conclude, that had there been any fuch
Thing as a divine Revelation, 'twould
have been equally made known to all
Men in all Ages and Places. As to the
Reafons of infinite Wifdom's having given
to the World a clearer Revelation of his
Will in one Age than in another, and to

Chriftianity, as old as the Creation, p. 364.
feme

prevent Superftition. 2 5 1
feme People than to others, 'tis not for
our finite Underftandings to fathom. We
have, in the Procefs of this Difcourfe,
feen Religion corrupted in different
Manners, and falfe Worfhip proceed
ing from one degree of Extravagance
to another; and the Methods of Provi
dence in making the divine Wil^known,
that Men might reform and return to
God ; and fo difpofing of Affairs that no
one could, if he was not wanting to him
felf, be ignorant of his Duty. This fuf
ficiently clears the divine Goodnefs. But
that God fhould have been more boun
tiful at one Time than at another, to fome
than to others, we can be no more fur-
priz'd at, than that all Men fhould not
have had the fame State and Condition
given them in this Life ; or that all the
different Parts of the Creation fhould not
have been made to the fame Degree of
Happinefs and Perfection; why Men
fhould not have been created Angels,
Angels Arch-Angels, or the like. Which
muft have put the whole Creation upon
the Level, and have prevented any dif
ference of Rank and Degree amongft the
Creatures. The Opportunitys, or Means,
which the all-wife Governor of the Uni-
verfe has given in different Ages, or to Per
fons in different Parts of the World, of im
proving and perfecting themfelves, and rai
ling

252 Revelation defign d to
fing. themfelves up to a Conformity and
Likenefs of God, are like the Differences
in the natural Endowments of the Minds of
Men ; fome we find of a quick, piercing
Difpofition of Mind, always inquifitive,
and capable of diving into the moft ab-
ftrufe Truths : whilft others, on the con
trary, thro' a natural and invincible Dul-
nefs of Soul, are precluded almoft from
feeing any at all. The fame Difference
we fee too, in the Paffions and Inclina
tions of Men, which no body will fay
arifes from any vifible external Caufe ;
no, it is fomething interwoven in the
very Nature and Conftitution of every
Man, which inclines him to one Thing
more than another, and, which whether
good or bad, is equally hard to be eradi
cated. From whence we find it as diffi
cult to make a Perfon naturally of a good
and virtuous Inclination, vicious, as 'tis
to reftrain the Impetuofity and Diforder
of Vice, and reduce it to the Commands
of Temper and Religion. They are both
equally immoveable from that which their
Nature leads them to. But fure no Man
would argue hence againft the divine Ma
ker, or that our Facultys and Underftand
ings were not all deriv'd from the Al
mighty ; and yet he might as well do this,
as make it an Objection againft Revela
tion, becaufe 'tis of greater Benefit to
Some

prevent Superftition.' 255
Some than to Others. His infinite Wif-.
dom beft knows the moft proper Seafons
and Methods of imparting his reveal'd
Will to Mankind ; and 'tis our Duty to
receive it with Deference and a religious
Refpect, whenever he does ; and not to
reject it becaufe every one is not equally
benefited by it. It is not for Man to
know the Ways of the Almighty, they
are properly fuited to the incomprehen-
fible Greatnefs of his Nature, as he is Lord
and Governor of the Univerfe. 'Tis fuf
ficient that what he wills, we are as
fure as 'tis poffible for us to be of any
Thing, is moft righteous and juft; and
we have nothing therefore to do, but to
fee that our Belief of his Will is well
grounded. But indeed with refpect to their Sal
vation, the State of Mankind is not on
fo very different a Footing as is apt to be
imagin'd. For however the learned Man
may value himfelf upon a fuperior Ge
nius and Capacity to the reft of Mankind ;
however the Chriftian, that he has feen
in his Days the Light of the Gofpel ; he
muft remember that to whom much is
given, from him will much be requir'd.
Oh ihe ' other Hand, the poor of Soul
may comfort himfelf, that to whom lit
tle, little; and the Blind of Under-
Handing,

2 54 Revelation defign d to
ftanding, that God will not expect more
from any one, than b.e has given him Ahi-
litys to perform. Infinite Juftice will allow
for the different Capaeitys and Under
ftandings of Men, and the diffeKent Means
of Knowledge which have been offer'd to
them ; nor will he require the fame Im
provement to be made of a few Talents,
that he will of many ; but of each in Pro
portion. And agreeably St. Paul tells us,
as to the Point I am fpeaking to, that *
as many as have finned without Law, fhall
alfo perifh without Law, and as many as
have finned in the Law, fhall be judged by
the Law.. Thofe who have tranfgreffed
againft the mere Light of Nature, fhall
be judged and punifh'd by the Laws of
Nature, whilft thofe who have finned
againft the revealed Law, fhall receive a
Punifhment proportionable to the Abufe
of fuch a greater Light.

* Rom. ii. iz.

CHAP.

prevent Superftition. 255

CHAP. V.
The Rife and fProgrefs of the Ido
latry of the Church of Rome.
Sir Ifaac Newton has placd it
too early. 'Pictures and Images
brought into Churches. The
Troubles they occafiond. Their
Worfhip at laft ejiablifhed : But
notpra&isd in England till about
the Conquejl. The Ignorance of
thofe Times. Wickliffe'i Charac
ter. He and his Followers oppofe
Saint-Worfhip. They are perfe
cuted. Of the 5^0/Richard II.
Chap. 5 . and the 2d o/Henry IV.
Chap. 1 5. They were Ordi
nances, not Aclbs of Parlia
ment. Herefy punt/h'd with
T)eath at Common Law. Sir
John Oldcaftle's Character and
Mar-

2 5 6 Revelation defign d to
Martyrdom, ji Reformation at
laft effected, which freed Reli
gion from the Evils complain d of
by the Deifts.
WE are now come to a very fur-
prizing Incident, that the Re
ligion of Chrift Jefus, which
was, as we have feen, principally defign'd
to fubvert and deftroy Idolatry and Su
perftition, and which, by the Preaching
of his Difciples, was receiv'd all the '
World over, fhould, after it had accom-
plifh'd its Defign, be itfelf wounded by
the Enemy it had fubdued. But true
Religion had ftill the fame Adverfary, the
Devil, to encounter with ; who made
ufe of his old Methods of feducing Man
kind, when he introduced Idolatry and
Polytheifm into Chriftianity. Stones,
Pillars and Statues, were, as I have fhewn,
firft defign'd by the Gentiles, only to pre-
ferve the Memory of the Dead. They
met together at thefe Monuments of their
Heroes and great Perfonages, to worfhip
the true God, and commemorate their
Benefactors, before they had any fuch
Thing as Temples to affemble in. But in
Procefs of Time they deified their de
parted Souls ; and the Sacrifices, which
they at firft made to the true God at their
Tombs;,

prevent Superftition. 157
Tombs, they offer'd to them, and turn'd
their funeral Monuments into Altars and
Temples. Juft fo has Chriftianity been
corrupted. The primitive Chriftians met
together at the Tombs of their Martyrs
to commemorate their Virtues ; and their
Prayers being quicken'd by the Remem
brance of thofe brave Confeffors, they
offer'd them up there, yet to God alone.
But in the 4th Century they proceeded
farther ; extravagant Panegyricks were
us'd ; and their Prayers were wifh'd for :
In the fucceeding Centurys they were in-
vok'd as Interceffors with God : In the
latter End of the 9th they had a Canon
eftablifh'd for their Canonization: And
they concluded with making them altoge
ther as very Gods as any of the Heathens ;
gave them the fame Adoration, and wor
fhip'd them after the fame Manner, and
with the fame Rites. As we have feen
the Heathens paid their Devotion on the
Tops of Hills and Mountains ; fo have
the Romanifts made Choice of the fame
Places for the Worfhip of their Saints.
Thev carry the Images of them in the
fame pompous Proceffion on a Pageant, or
Then/a, as the others did thofe of their
Gods, and with the fame fuperftitious
Ceremonys, and the fame Attendance.
An i, as if no Part of heathen Fanaticifm
was to be wanting, you may fee them cut-
V o l. II. S ting

2 5 S Revelation defign d to
ting and lacerating their Bodys, like the
Priefts of Bellona, Ifis and Afiarte, who
thought to pleafe their * Goddefs by a Sa
crifice of their own Blood. In fhort, their
religious Ufe of Incenfe and Perfumes,
Holy Water, Lamps and Wax Candles ;
their Afylums, votive Gifts and Offerings;
their pretended Miracles and Images fent
from Heaven, will convince any one,
who is the leaft vers'd in Antiquity and
has look'd into their Practice, that they
have not only adopted every heathenifh
Rite, and regulated them by the old pagan
Ceremonial, but that the Priefts of mo
dern Rome have not in the leaft fuffer'd
their Gentile Predeceffors to out-do them
in the Arts of Forgery and Impofture.
The exact Conformity, or rather Uniformity,
of Worfhip between Popery and Paganifm,
in thefe and a great many other Inftances,
hath been fo fufficiently made good by
Dr. Middleton in his, late Letter from
Rome, that 'tis enough for me to have
hinted at them. I fhall only obferve, that
they have likewife imitated the antient
Heathens, in that which was the greateft
Reproach on their Religion, (may they
imitate them likewife in Reforming) in
the offering human Sacrifices : for what

Julius Firmicus. elfe

.prevent Superftition. 2 J 9
elfe can we make of an Auto di'Fe? A
Stranger, as it has been obferv'd, who
was to be prefent at that dire Spectacle,
might juftly take it for a human Sacrifice ;
and no one can fay he would be much
miftaken. But whHft, as the Doctor I juft now
mention'd has obferv'd, we fee " the
" prefent People of Rome worfhipping at
" this Day, in the fame Temples — at the
" fame Altars — fometimes the fame I-
" mages— and always with the fame Ce-
" remonys, as the old Romans j they muft
" have more Charity, as well as Skill in Di-
" ftinguifhing, than I pretend to, who
" can abfolve them from the fame Crime
" of Superftition and Idolatry with their
" Pagan Anceftors."
I t was impoffible for Popery at once
to arrive at this Height of Audacioufnefs.
,'Twas a Work to be done by Degrees,
and not without great Oppofition. Sir
Ifaac Newton, whofe Objervations upon the
Prophecys of Daniel and the Apocalypfe
were publifiYd while theie Sheets were in
the Prefs, fuppofes three particular Steps
to have been taken, which gave Occafion
to the Invocation of Saints *. The firft

Page 209. S % to

160 Revelation defign d to
to have been fet on foot by the Perfecu
tion of Decius, the 2d by the Perfecution
of Dioclefian, and the third to have been
owing to the Proceedings of Conflantius
and Julian the Apoftate.
« GREGORY NYSSEN, fays
" he *, tells us -f-, that after the Perfe-
" cution of the Emperor Decius, Gre-
" gory Bifhop of Neocafarea in Pontus,
" inftituted among all People, as an Ad-
" dition or Corollary of Devotion towards
" God, that fefiival Days and Affemblys
" fhould be celebrated to them who had con-
" tended for the Faith, that is, to the
«' Martyrs. And he adds this Reafon for
" the Inftitution : When he obferved, faith
" Nyffen, that the fiimple and unskilful
" Multitude, by Reafon of corporeal T)e-
" lights, remained in the Error of Idols ;
" that the principal Thing might be cor-
" retted among them, namely, that in/lead
" of their vain Worjhip they might turn
" their Eyes upon God, he permitted that
" at. the Memorys of the holy Martyrs
" they might make merry and delight them
¬felves, and be difohed into Joy. The
" Heathens were delighted with the Fef-

* Page 203, &c.
\ Orat. de Vita Greg. Thaiunaturg. £ iii. /. 574.
" tival«

prevent Superftition. 2 6 1
" tivals of their Gods, and unwilling to
" part with thofe Delights ; and there-
" fore Gregory, to facilitate their Con-
" verfion, inftituted annual Feftivals to
" the Saints and Martyrs. Hence it came
" to pafs, that for exploding the Feftivals
" of the Heathens, the principal Fefti-
" vals of the Chriftians fucceeded in their
Ci room : as the keeping of Chriftmas with
Cc Ivy and Feafting, and Playing., and
'< Sports, in the room of the Bacchanalia
tl and Saturnalia ; the celebrating of May-
tL Day with Flowers, in the room of the
" Floralia ; and the keeping of Feftivals
" to the Virgin Mary, John the Baptifi,
" and divers of the Apoftles, in the room
" of the Solemnitys at the Entrance of
" the Sun into the Signs of the Zodiac
"in the old Julian Calendar.  -By
" the Pleafures of thefe Feftivals the
" Chrifiians increas'd much in Number,
" and decreas'd as much in Virtue, until
" they were purged and made white by the
" Perfecution of Dioclefian. This was
" the firfl Step made in the Chrifiian Re~
" ligion towards the Veneration of the
" Martyrs : and tho it did not. yet amount
" to an unlawful Worfhip; yet it dif-
" pofed the Chriftians towards fuch a fur-
" ; ther Veneration for the Dead, as in a
«* fhort Time ended in the Invocation of
" Saints. S3 « T w e

261 Revelation defign d to
"The next Step was the affecting
«< to pray at the Sepulchres of the Mar-
«' tyrs : which Practice began in Diocle-t
"fan's Perfecution." Sir Ifaac quotes
feveral Canons proving that the Chrif
tians at that Time ufed to pray in the
Cemeteryis or Burying-Places of the dead ;
" for avoiding the Danger of the: Perfe-
%t cution, and for want of Churches,
" which were all thrown down : and af-
" ter the Perfecution was over, continued
" that Practice in Honour of the "Mar-
" tyrs, till new Churches could be built :
*' and by Ufe affected it as advantageous
" to Devotion, and for recovering the
«' Health of thofe that were Sick. It alfo
« appears that in thefe Burying-PlaceS
" they commemorated the Martyrs yearly
" upon Days dedicated to them, and ac-
**¦ counted all thefe Practices pious and
" religious  They alfo lighted Torch-
** es to the Martyrs in the Day-Time,
" as the Heathens did to their Gods;- —
<* They fprinkled the Worfhipers of the
" Martyrs with Holy>- Water, as the Hea-
fe thens did the Worfhipers of their
?e pods.— — From the Cuftom of pray-
" ing in the Cemeterys and Martyrys,
& came the Cuftom of tranflating the
f* Bodys -of the Saints and Martyrs intq
i* fuch Churches as were new built. —
fc Afte$

prevent Superftition. i6^
" After the Sepulchres of Saints and
" Martyrs were thus converted into Pla-
" ces of Worfhip like the Heathen Tem-
" pies, and the Churches into Sepulchres,
" and a certain fort of Sanctity attributed
" to the dead Bodys of the Saints and
" Martyrs buried in them, and annual
" Feftivals were kept to them, with Sa-
" crifices offered to God in their Name ;
,{ the next Step towards the Invocation of
" Saints, was the attributing to their
" dead Bodies, Bones and other Reliques,
,( a Power of working Miracles, by
" means of the feparate Souls, who were
cC fuppofed to know what we do or fay,
{t and to be able to do us good or hurt,-
" and to work thofe Miracles. This was
cc the very Notion the Heathens had of
«* the feparate Souls of their antient
" Kings and Heroes, whom they wor-
" fhiped under the Names of Saturnt
*' Rhea, &c  This was owing to the
" Proceedings of Conflantius and Julian
" the Apoftate. When Julian began to
" reftore the Worfhip of the Heathen
" Gods, and to vilify the Saints and
" Martyrs, the Chrifiians of Syria and
" Egypt feem to have made a great Noife
" about the Miracles done by the Reliques
" of the Chriftlan Saints and Martyrs, in
" Oppofition to the Powers attributed by
S 4 " Julian

264 Revelation defign d to
<c Julian and the Heathens to their I-
" dols. — - The Cry of Miracles being
" once fet on foot, continued for many
" Years, and encreafed and grew more
sc general.  The Miracle-working
" Reliques of their Martyrs were diftri-
" buted over all the World,  inflam'd
" the Devotion of the Nations towards
*c the dead Saints and their Reliques,
tc and fet up the Religion of invoking
fc their Souls."
The State, about this Time, becom
ing Chriftian, the Heathens came over
in greater Numbers than they had before
done, in outward Profeffion at leaft, to
the Church. This fort of Chriftianity
was more readily embraced by them, than
what the Apoftles had taught, for its
great Affinity with their old Superftitions.
The placing Religion in an Obfervation of
Days, outward Forms, and the Worfhip
of departed Spirits, and a Belief of their
fhterefting and concerning themfelves in
the Affairs of Mankind, was agreeable to
the Principles they had been educated in,
and therefore what they were not averfe
to. As the modern Indians, we are told *,
go readily over " to the Popifh Reli-
t( gion, efpecially to the Worfhip of

• Ge%& SurVey of the Weft fa/iet, Chjtp. 19, " Saints

prevent Superftition. 26*5
" Saints and Images, becaufe they look
" upon them as much like to their Fore-
" fathers Idols." As Navarette tells us *,
the Chinefe Convert made his Idol Kaon
In Pu Sa to be the blefled Virgin, and
another called San Pao, confifting of three
equal in all Refpeds, to be no other than
the bleffed Trinity.
However, Saint- Worfhip was not
fo generally receiv'd and pradis'd, nor
fo far fpread, before the Year 378,
as Sir Ifaac has reprefented -J* it to
have been; I fhall readily acknowledge,
that about that Time the Invocation
of Saints begun to be held and prac-
tis'd by Some, efpecially by the Monks,
who had before fprung up and began now
to over-run the World; but there is no
Reafon from the Proofs he has brought,
to believe that either the Invocation or
Interceffion of Saints, was then of any
Standing, or any where received or prac-
tis'd by the Generality of the People.
The many Quotations he has colleded to
gether to found his Aflertion upon, are
all of them later than that Period of
Time, unlefs it be thofe from Bafil, the

* Account of China, B. ii. c, 9,
•f Page ai8 and 337.
two

z66 Keveiation defign d to
two Gregorys and Ephrcem Syrus ; and
there is not one of the Paffages taken from
them, which are about twenty, that
is from any Prayer, but> from Ser
mons, Panegyricks upon Martyrs, and
fuch like Orations, where the niceft Care
ought to be taken in diftinguifhing be
tween fuch Forms of Speech as are rheto
rical and fuch as are proper, between a
figurative Phrafe and a real Prayer. And
whofoever is acquainted with the bold
Manner in which the Greek Fathers, efpe-
cially thofe of the 4th Century, ufe Apo-
ftrophes, Profopopceias, and fuch like Fi
gures, and confiders thefe Paffages, will
be far from thinking them a Proof of
what they are brought for. And we ought
befides to remember what Theodoret fays *,
that " no Rule of Dodrine is to be ta-
" ken from the Panegyrical Orations of
" the Fathers."
But fuppofing the Paffages from thefe
four Fathers to be real and proper Invo
cations, they are only Evidence of their
own Opinions, not of that of the Church,
or of the Generality of the People in their
Time. For even as to that Paffage from
Gregory Nyffen's Sermon, upon the Death

Dialog, 3. ef

prevent Superftition. 167
of Meletius, before the Council of Con-
fiantinople *, where fpeaking of him, he
fays, "The Bridegroom is not taken from
" us : He ftands in the midft of us, tho
" we do not fee him : He is a Prieft in
ft the moft inward Places, and Face to
" Face interceeds before God for us and
" the Sins of the People." Suppofing
Gregory to have been of Opinion that
Meletius did really interceed before God;
we are not therefore, as Sir Ifaac would
have us, with Baronius, to conclude, that
he profefs'd what the whole Council, and
therewith the whole Church of thofe
Parts believ'd. For every one, who is
the leaft acquainted with the antient
Councils and Synods, knows, that tho this
Sermon was preach'd before that Council,
and might therefore be regifter'd with the
Ads of it, it has not therefore any other
Authority than that of the Preacher ; for
nothing can have the Authority of the
Council but what is aflentedand fubferib'd
to by the Fathers. And 'tis no unufual
Thing to find not only Sermons, but Pe
titions, Difputations, &c. recorded a-
mongft Synodical Ads, tho they be void
of Authority, having been never ratified
by thofe Affemblys,

Page 224.

268 Revelation defign d to
I S h o u l d not have faid any Thing in
Oppofition to the Opinion of this great
Man, if the Emiffarys of the Church of
Rome had not been fo verybufy at this Time
in making Converts, that we ought not to
allow any of her Corruptions an earlier
Date than in Truth belongs to them ; for
if we fhould grant that Saint-worfhip
fprung up in the Beginning rather than the
End of the fourth Cgitury, it could be no
great Prejudice to the Proteftant Caufe, it
being too late to make that a Catholick
Dodrinej for which the leaft Shadow qf
Proof cannot be brought for the three pre
ceding Centurys. Both Papifts and Pro-
teftants pretend to be : a greed in making
Vincentius Lirinenfis's Rule the Teft of fuch
Articles a$ we ought to retain *, ^uod ubi-
que, quod femper, quod ab omnibus creditum
eft. This Tenet therefore of Saint-wor
fhip commencing fo long after the Time
of our Saviour and his Apoftles, is a
Novelty, and no Catholick Truth.
I w i s h the Inferences, which Sir
Ifaac Newton has made, in his firft
Chapter, from the Interpolations in the
Books of Mofes, and what he has afferted

* Adverf. Haerefes, c. 3. Of

prevent Superftition. 260
of the facred Writings having been loft,
were not more prejudicial to Chriftianity.
If thefe things were to be granted, the
Hebrew Bible would be no longer of any
Authority. But the Force of his Con-
jedures and Affertions has been fufficiently
confider'd, and fully anfwer'd, by Bifhop
Patrick in his Commentarys, and Dean
Prideaux in his Connedion, as likewife
by feveral other very learned Men. This
I thought it not improper to warn his un
learned Reader of, left he fhould take
what Sir Ifaac has faid, from the manner
of his treating his Subjed, without any
Notice taken of any one's having ever
confider'd the fame Things before him,
for new and important Difcoverys. I am
forry to fee Principles fo favouring the
Schemes of the Deifts, with fo great a
Name affix'd to them ; for the lefs con-
fiderate Part of Mankind, forgetting on
what Foundation that has fo juftly been
rais'd, may be apt to extend it to other
Species of Learning, and make his Au
thority as great in all Things, as it de-
fervedly is in that material one, Philo-
fophy. A Perfon of fuch an exalted Un
derstanding in variety of Sciences, is a
mere Chimera of the Brain, never was,
and never will be found. But yet I can't
but obferve it as a Foible frequently inci
dent to great Men, to have affeded fuch a

270 Revelation defign d to
a Charader, as I am fpeaking of: Frolfl
a boundlefs, but faulty, Ambition, they
have not been content with the firft ftrong
rais'd Monument of Glory, but muft needs
be adding fomething further to the Build
ing, that from the Lightnefs of its Work,
eafily falls to the Ground ; which though
not deftrudive to the lafting firft Erec-*
tion, yet leaves a Duft and Rubbifh about
it, that one would rather fhould be re-
mov'd. But I may be ranking, perhaps^
this great Man among a Set of People,
he don't deferve to be in Company with ;
and what he defign'd only as an Amufe-
ment to himfelf, without the leaft Inten
tion of publifhing, and might afterwards
fee and know the Falfity of, his Heirs,
from a lefs accurate Judgment, might think
corred and proper to be prefented to the
World. But to return,
There was another Step likewife ta
ken, which very much contributed to the
Rife of Saint-worfhip, tho it be not ta
ken notice of by Sir Ifaac Newton. I
mean the Introdudion of Pidures and
Images into Churches. Pidures were
thought a proper Ornament, to excite
the People to Virtue, and to imitate the
Lives of their Confeffors and Martyrs,
whofe Pourtraits were generally there
hung up. But that an ill Ufe would be
i made

prevent Superftition. 271
made of them, was foon perceiv'd by the
Fathers of the Council of Eliberis in
Spain, who met A. D. 305, and re-
prefs'd their Ufe : which had that good
Effed on the antient Spanijh Church, that
fhe kept herfelf undefil'd till her Difper-
fion by the Moors in the beginning of the
8th Century ; as appears by the profound
Silence of all her Writers, and of near
forty Councils which were held by her
before that Time, notwithftanding the
frequent occafion they had to ^mention
Pidures and Images, if they had, in any
Senfe, been receiv'd by that Church *.
But in the Eaft Pidures began to find a
Place in the 4th Century, and were
fmartly oppos'd by Epiphanius Bifhop of
Salamis in Cyprus, who died about 403.
He coming to the Church of Anablatha,
not far from Bethel, found there, as he
fays in his Letter to John Bifhop of Je
rufalem, a *|- " Curtain hanging over the
" Door of the Church, having the Pic-
" ture of Chrift, or fome Saint, painted
" upon it, for I do not well remember
" whofe Pidure it was : however, feeing
" the Figure of a Man hanging in a
" Chriftian Church, exprefly againft the

* See Dr. Geddes\ Trafts, Vol. iii. Trail i.
f Apud Hieron.

tc Authority

27* Revelation defign d to
" Authority of Scripture, I cut it in
" Pieces, and order'd the Officers of the
" Church to wrap it about the Corps of
" a poor Man and bury it."
But notwithftanding the Oppofition
which Epiphanius, and a great many o-
thers, made to it, the Pidures and Statues
of Martyrs, illuftrious Bifhops, and fome
times of their Princes, together with the
Crofs of Chrift, were common in the
Churches in the 6th and 7th Centurys * ;
but as yet they were only us'd for
Ornament and an Incitation to Virtue,
and there was no Sign, at leaft from
the common Pradice of the Church,
of there being any Veneration paid
them. Gregory the Great -f, who came
to the Popedom in 590, and feveral
other learned Fathers, declar'd as much,
that they were to be us'd only for
Ornament, Memory or Hiftory, and no
fort of Worfhip to be given them.
But in the 7th Century we meet with
many J fuperftitious Tales and lying
Wonders invented and fpread abroad, to
pave the Way for their Adoration.

* Cent. Magdeb. Cent. 6. c. 6, WCent. 7. c. 6.
•f- Lib. vii. Ep. 109. and/, ix. Ep. 9.
% Cent. Magdeb. Cent. 7. c 14.

And

prevent Superftition. 273
And accordingly in the 8th Century,
when Superftition flourifh'd as Learning
declin'd, the Worfhip of Pidures, Images,
and Saints was introduc'd. But the Chrif-
tian Church muft firft be made, under
a Pretence of Zeal for Religion, a Scene
of War, and all manner of Outrage and
Injuftice. This Impiety was firft begun
and afterwards carried on by the Power
and Influence of the Popes, who watch
ing all Opportunitys to aggrandize their
See, and forefeeing what a Harveft this
Superftition would bring to the Shrine of
their Diana, fteddily fteer'd their Courfe,
and ftuck at nothing in Accomplifhing
its Settlement. Pope Conftantine intro
duc'd the Confufion which follow'd A D.
712. by quarrelling with the Emperor
Philippicus Bardanes, who having obferv'd
a Superftitious Regard paid in the Church
of Sophia at Confiantinople to the Pidures
of the Fathers who affifted in the Six firft
general Councils, order'd them to be de-
fac'd. Upon this the Pope exclaim'd a-
gainft a Layman's meddling with religi
ous Matters, order'd the Pictures of thofe
Fathers to be painted in St. Peter's at
Rome, excommunicated the Emperor, and
forbid his Subjeds to fubmit to his Au
thority, or his Effigy to be put upon
Coin ; he being an Enemy, as he called
Vol. II. T him,

274 Revelation defign'd to
him, to the Pidures of the Saints. This
Emperor was depos'd the next Year by
his Nobles; and Theodofius III. who was
fet up againft his Will, in that little time
he reign'd, found it his Intereft to fubmit
to the Pope, and receive Pidures.
But in the next Reign the Quarrel
was renewed. Leo Ifaurus obferving what
Offence and Scandal both Pidures and
Images gave to the Jews and Saracens,
and that on their Account they charg'd
Chriftianity with Idolatry, prohibited their
Ufe. But this occafioning fome Trou
bles, he call'd a Council at Conftantinople
in 726. which, after a folemn Difputa-
tion, condemn'd Images, and the Worfhip
of Saints and Relicks, as downright
Idolatry. And Germanus, who had pre
fided in this Council, refufing to fubfcribe
its Decrees, voluntarily refigned his Patri
archate. POPE Gregory II. was alarm'd at
this: He held a Synod the fame Year
at Rome, in which their Worfhip was
approv'd, the Emperor's Decree con
demn'd, He himfelf excommunicated, and
the whole Empire put in a Flame. Gre
gory III. fucceeded in the Papal Chair,
and heighten'd the Commotions his Pre-
deceffor had rais'd. He depriv'd Leo of
his

prevent Superftition. 275
his Empire, and anathematiz'd him a
fecond Time, added to the Ceremonys
with which the Saints were worfhip'd,
and fet up in the Church of St. Mary's in
the Stable, a golden Image of the Virgin
with Chrift in her Arms. Conftantinui
Copronymus having fucceeded his Father,
he excommunicated him likewife, and fet
up Artabafdus for Emperor. But Con*
fl antine, having fupprefs'd the Rebellion,
call'd a general Council at Conflantinople
in 754. in which were prefent 338 Bi-
fhops, who having examined the Point for
near fix Months, by Reafon, the Scriptures,
and Teftimony of the Fathers, order'd
Pidures and Images to be defaced, and
the Relicks of Saints to be burnt ; and
having condemn'd their Worfhip as open
Idolatry, excommunicated all who were
guilty of it.
But this Quarrel was not to end
fo ; Pope Stephen IV. in 768. condemn'd
this Council in a Synod of Italian Bifhops,
who aflerted the Honour of Images a-
gainft the Eaftern Iconoclafts. And this
Emperor and his Son Leo IV. who was
likewife an Enemy to Images, being both
dead, the Empire devolv'd to Conflantine
VII. who was but Ten Years of Age,
and was govern'd by Irene his Mother ; a
Woman fcarcely to be parallel'd for Cru-
T 2 elty

276" Revelation defign d to
elty and Ambition. ;She took new Mea-
fures, firft allowed the Liberty of difput-
ing for Images, and then, by the Pope's
Approbation, call'd a Council at Confian-
tinople A. D. 786. but their Defign of re-
ftoring Image Worfhip was fo oppos'd,
that it broke up without doing any Thing.
But this Difficulty fhe furmounted; the
next Year fhe conven'd another Council
at Nice in Bithynia, where that of Con-
fiantinople was exploded, and [Dux Fami-
na Facti) the Worfhip of Images and
Pidures fettled. However, tho the Fathers
of this Council allow'd the painting of An
gels, thinking them to be corporeal, they
exprefly forbid it of God the Father, or the
Holy Trinity. This, in the Infancy of
Image Worfhip, was abhor'd by the moft
zealous Champions for it, as appears by
the Ads of this Council, and the Authors
taken Notice of by Petavius *.
After this, Images and Pidures had
all the Honours of Salutation, Genuflec
tion, Lighting of Tapers, Burning of
Incenfe, and the like fuperftitious Devo
tions, paid them. The Decrees of this
Council were fent into the Welt ; but met
not with that kind Reception the Framers

* De Incar. /. 15. c. 14. ». 1. Of

prevent Superftition. 277
of them wifh'd for. Charles the Great upon
his receiving them, either wrote himfelf,
or at leaft had drawn up by his Diredion,
the Caroline Books in anfwer to them, and
in 791. tranfmitted the Decrees into Eng
land to Offa King of Mercia. The who'e
Church was alarm'd at them here. We
may judge of their Reception from what
Hoveden tells us -f: " Charles King of the
" Francs fent over to Britain a Book of Sy-
" nodical Ads direded to him from Con-
" ftantinople; in which Book (to the fhame
cC of the Council beitfpoken, and grief of
" all good Men) were held many Things
" difagreeable and diredly contrary to the
" true Faith, efpecially that it was efta-
" blifh'd by the unanimous confent of al-
" moft all the Eaftern Clergy, no lefs than
" 300 Bifhops, that it was lawful to wor-
" fhip Images, which thing the Church of
" God detefts." He goes on and tells us of
Alcuinus or Albinus's writing againft this
Dodrine. Alcuinus had been bred up un
der Egbert Archbifhop of York, and was
not 'only the greateft Promoter of Learn
ing, but the moft learned Perfon of his
Time. Our Princes and Bifhops fent him
into France, to prefent his Book in their
Name to the King : It had that good Ef-

+ An. 792. T 3 fed,

278 Revelation defign d to
fed, that in 794, Charles affembled a
Council at Frankfort on the Main, in
which were prefent about 300 Bifhops,
with Legates from the Pope. They, after
a long and careful Examination, repeal'd
and condemn'd the Nicene Council ; and
decreed, that tho Images and Pidures
might be retain'd in Churches for Hiftory
or Ornament, they were by no means
to receive any fort of Worfhip or Adora
tion. This was no more than had been be
fore done by Conflantine in the Eaft, on
his taking the Adminiftration into his
own Hands in 790.
But Image- Worfhip got ground there
again upon his Mother Irene's feizing
the Empire, having depriv'd him of his
Sight in the very Chamber he was born
in, and foon after of his Life.
In 8 14 it was again abolifh'd by the
Emperor Leo Armenius, who reviv'd the
Confiantinopolitan Council. For this he
was excommunicated by Pope Pafchal I.
and being foon after murder'd, was fuo»
ceeded by Michael the Lifper, who in 824
fent AmbafTadors to Lewis the Pious, with
Letters in which he complains of the
Pifputes there had been about Images in
the

prevent Superftition. 279
the Eaft, and condemns all Veneration
that was paid them.
To anfwer thefe Letters Lewis call'd a
Synod of French Bifhops the fame Year at
Paris. Thefe Fathers fteer'd a middle
Courfe, they allowed the Hiftorical Ufe
of Images and Pidures, blam'd the Icono-
clafts, but condemned thofe, " who ho-
" nour them with an undue and fuperftiti-
" ous Reverence, adore them, call them ho-
" ly, and declare that they can attain to any
" Holinefsbythem." The Ads of this Sy
nod were made up in Form of a Book,
and fent to Pope Eugenius II. by Lewis.
And this is fuppofed to be the Book men
tioned by Hincmar, where he fays, that
" Lewis wrote a fharper Book againft the
" Worfhip of Images than his Father, and
" that he fent an Embafly with divers Col-
" ledions againft the Adoration of Images,
" charging them to difpute this Matter
" patiently and modeftly with the Pope."
But notwithftanding this, and altho
Image- Worfhip was again abolifh'd in the
Eaft in 830. by Theophilus Auguftus, the
See of Rome, and her Emiffarys, continu
ing at all Times obftinate in its Behalf,
it was at laft eftablifh'd by Theodora,
Mother to Michael the Drunkard, who
had the Government in her Hands during
T 4 he

280 Revelation ' defign d to
her Son's Minority. She call'd a Council
at Conftantinople in 842. which declar'd
in favour of this Idolatry, and reftor'd
Methodius to his Patriarchate, who, had
been depos'd by Theophilus for being too
zealous an Affertor of it.
The Con tr over fy which Photius foon
after rais'd in the Church, attraded Peo
ples Attention, and banifh'd all other
~Difput.es ; and the univerfal Ignorance
which fucceeded after the Death of Charles
the Great, who had been a great Patron
to Men of Learning, gave the Popes an
Opportunity of firmly fixing the Power
they had ufurp'd, and the Sticklers for
Image-Worfhip of putting in Pradice
their Methods of fupporting it. Nati
onal Synods were difcountenanc'd ; fa
bulous Storys and lying Miracles invent
ed; their Adverfarys mifreprefented to
their Difadvantage, and fuch as fuffer'd
in their Caufe cryed up for Martyrs ; and
the 9th Canon of the 2d Nicene Coun
cil, for the burning the Writings againft
Image- Worfhip, was ftridly executed, and
fuch Paffages of Scripture as charg'd it
with downright Idolatry, fupprefs'd: The
Second Commandment was left out of
the Decalogue, and fuch Care was taken
to fupprefs it in this Ifland, that it
|s not to he found in the Preface to King
Alfred'^

prevent Superftition. 2 8 1
Alfred's % Laws, which begins with the
Ten Commandments ; and Mr. Lambert
fays, he could never meet with it in any
Copy of the Commandments in the Saxon
Language, tho, as we fhall prefently fee,
this could be only to prepare the Way ;
for Image- Worfhip was far from being
eftablifh'd in the Englifh Saxon Church.
And fo in theTrent Catechifm, tho it was
drawn up for the Ufe of the Priefts of
the Church of Rome, and in the Latin
Tongue, p. 299. where it takes Notice of
Rom. 1. 23. it reads, chang'd the Glory of
the incorruptible God into the Similitude of
Birds, &c. leaving out the Words, into
an Image made like to corruptible Man,
which come between. By thefe Means,
inftead of Juftice, Mercy and Humility,
People's Religion was made to confift in
Pilgrimages, and the Worfhip of the blef-
fed Virgin, Saints and Relicks.
However, the World in thofe Ages
was not fo well acquainted with the Pope's
Infallibility, or Jurifdidion, as immediate
ly to receive this Dodrine every where.
It is certain it was not eftablifh'd in
France, when Anaftafius Bibliothecarius,
who flourifh'd towards the latter End

J Sir H. SpelmanV Counc. v.i. p. 354 Of

282 Revelation defign'd to
of the 9th Century, publifh'd his Tranfla
tion of the Nicene Synod. Nay,P#. Pithoeus,
who wrote in 1568, ingenuoufly confeffes,
|| " It was then but very lately that thofe
" of the Gallican Church began to be fond
" of Images." And it is plain from Ni-
cetas Choniates *, that it was not receiv'd
in Germany in 11 85. for he fays, that
when Frederick Barbaroffa march'd a-
gainft the Saracens, the Armenians took
the Germans for Friends, becaufe the A-
doration of Images was forbid in their
Worfhip. And Aventinus tells us -j-, that
Pope John XXII. who came to the Pa
pacy A. D. 13 16 condemn'd fome to
the Flames in Bohemia and Auflria, for
painting the holy Trinity.
As for England, I do not find that
Image- Worfhip or the Invocation of Saints
was ever made here, by any regular Au
thority, a part of the eftablifh'd publick
Worfhip of the Church, or that we ever
had any Synod which declar'd in Favour
of it, till the Synod of Oxford in 1408.
which was, as we fhall fee, after they

|| Praef. ad Pauli Diac. Hift.
* Lib. 2.
+ Annal Bojorum /. vii. p. 75 1 . and Yfcmbertus de Myft.
Incarnat. ad a. 25. Difp. 3. Art. 7.

began

prevent Superftition. 28 $
began to burn the Lollards for denying it.
An innocent Ufe of Pidures had indeed
a pretty early footing amongft us. Bede *
tells us, that when Auftin, and the Monks
his Followers, came hither (whofe Bufinefs
feems to have been as much to \ make
the Welfh or Britifh Bifhops conform to
the Roman Church, and acknowledge the
Pope's Jurifdidion, as to convert the Sax
ons) and were introduced to King Ethel-
bert, they had a Silver Crofs, and a Pic
ture of our bleffed Saviour, carried before
them. But the Hiftorian is fo far from tell
ing us that they were worfhip'd or ador'd,
that he fays they were pro Vexillo, by way
of Standard. So the Synod that was held
at Celichyth by Wulfred Archbifhop of
Canterbury in 816. in the fecond Canon
decrees %, " That every Bifhop fhall have
" painted on the Wall of his Chancel, or
" in a Pidure, or at the Altar, to what
" Saint they are dedicated." But that thefe
Pictures were intended only in an Hifto
rical Way, in Honour of the Memory
of the Perfon reprefented, is plain from
there not being one Word in the Canon
of any Veneration t» be paid them : and

* Ecclef. Hift. lib. L cap. 25.
f Mr. Rapiris Hift. of Engl. v. i. /. 3,
| Sir H. Spelman ibid. p. 328. that

284 Revelation defign d to
that this Synod could not make this De
cree out of any Refped to the Nicene
Council, which had been held 29 Years
before, is not only plain from what our
Church had but juft before declar'd by Al
cuinus, but from this very Canon's decree
ing that Churches might be confecrated
without any Martyr's Relicks; which is
a dired Contradidion to that Council.
And that no fuch Thing could be pradis'd
by the Church in 943. is certain from
the 9th Conftitution of Odo Archbifhop
of Canterbury, which commands the Fef
tivals of Saints to be kept holy and no
fecular Bufinefs to be perform'd on them,
" in Conformity to Canon and Prece-
" dent;" * and that they fhould not
" give into vain Superftitions, nor adore
" with Magick Charms the Creature for
" the Creator."
.; There are two places in our Coun
cils,, where we might have expeded to
meet with fomething of Image, or Saint-
Worfhip, if it had been the common
Pradice of the Church: the one is in
the Form of Confeffion at the end of the
Conftitutions -j- publifh'd under King Ed-

* Sir H. Spelman, ibid. /. 417.
-j- Voi&.p. 457,

gar,

prevent Superftition. 285
gar, A. D. 967. where there are very
particular Diredions both for the Peni
tent and ConferTor : The Penitent is com
manded to make his Confeffion to God
and his Confeffor, and to pray to Chrift
J ejus for Pardon ; but not a Word, thro'out
the whole Procefs, of any Addrefs or
Prayer to Saint or Angel, which could not
have been well omitted, the Diredions
are fo full and exad, if it had been the
eftablifh'd Pradice of the Church. The
other is in the Ecclcfiaftical Laws of
King Ethelred *, at the Synod of Haba
in 10 12. where there is three Days Faft
enjoin'd, with very particular Diredions
for keeping it, barefoot Proceffions com
manded, every Prieft to fay each Day
thirty Maffes, thofe under that Order
thirty Pfalms ; but not one Word of
Prayer to any Image, Saint, Angel, or
the bleffed Virgin.
But about this Time, we meet with
fome remote Traces of the Invocation
of Saints. The firft that occurs to me
is in a Saxon MS. Martyrology of St.
George, taken notice of by Mr. Selden *j-,
which he fuppofes from the Language

* Ibid. p. 531.
f Titles of Honour, part ii. c. j. § 43.

and

2% 6 Revelation defign d to
and Hand to be about the Age of Arch
bifhop Dunfian, who died A. D. 988.
In this Martyrology that Saint (who as
fome, and thofe very learned Men too *s
believe never had any Being at all, un-
lefs you will make him the fame as
George the Arian Bifhop of Alexandria)
at his Death prays for all who fhould
ufe his Name ; upon which, as Mr.
Selden tranflates it, " There came a
" Voice from Heaven, faying, Come
" thou bleffed ; and whofoever fhall in
" any Danger or Place call on my Name
" thro' thee, him will I hear." Af
ter this in 1032. we meet with a Charter
of King Canutus to Glajfenbury Abby, in
the Conclufion of which we read-j-,
" But if any one fhall out of good Will
" comply with thefe Things, may God, by
u the Interceffion of Mary the bleffed Mo-

* " Calvin, fays a Gentleman who favours the Exit
" tence of this Saint, in the third Book of his Inftitutions,
" where he charges the Church of Rome for giving ex-
" ceffive and dangerous Honours to the Saints, has thefe
'* Words, Nil eos Chrijio reliquum facere, qui pro nihilo
" ducunt ejus lntercejjionem, nifi accedant Georgius, aut Hip-
" politus, aut femiles Larva j as much as to fay, as Dr. Rey-
" ntlds interprets him, That St. George and feveral other
" Saints had never any more than a romantick and chi-
" merical Exiftence. Cbemnitius, who wrote the Examen
" Concilii Iridentini, was of Calvin's and Reynolds's Opinion,
" and fo likewife was Perkins, and Dr. Boys Dean of Can
't terbury." t Sir H. Spelman, ibid./. 537. " ther

prevent Superftition. 287
" ther of God, and by the Interceffion of
" all the Saints, enlarge his Portion in the
" Life to come." That learned Antiquary
Sir H. Spelman does indeed obferve upon
this Charter, that the Invocation of Saints
was frequently pradis'd at this Time :
and in Confirmation of his Opinion he
produces a Saxon Pfalter in the publick
Library at Cambridge, in which, after the
Holy Trinity is addrefs'd to, there fol
lows, " O Holy Mary, pray for us, Holy
" Mother of God, pray for us : Holy Vir-
" gin of Virgins, pray for us : " and then
the Arch-Angels and heavenly Hoft are
addrefs'd to, as now by the Church of
Rome. But there is no fuch thing in the
publick Saxon Office of Canonical Hours,
tranflated by Mrs Elftob ; the Manner of
mentioning them there, is, as in the Char
ter of Canutus, very remote : " May the
" Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God,
<c and all the Saints of God, intercede with
" the Lord, for us Sinners, that we may
" receive from him Help and Salvation :"
which is no more than a devout Wifh,
or Defire, grounded on the Belief of the
general Interceffion of Saints. But then
the Saxon Homily on the fiditious Af-
fumption of the bleffed Virgin, concludes,
'* Come then and let us earneftly pray
" the bleffed Mary, who was this Day
" taken up," &c. I Make

'I
288 Revelation defign'd to
I Make no doubt but that this Ido-"
latry began about this Time to fpring
up. People's Minds were fo taken up
with their Misfortunes, the Pagan Danes
inceffantly haraffing this Kingdom from
787 to 1042, that they had fcarcely the
Liberty of profeffing their Religion, much
more of examining fuch Things as they
who had travell'd to Rome for Bulls, &c.
or had been educated in the College
founded there by King Ina, (to which
there was a great Concourfe from hence
for Education, artd which "prov'd of the
worft Confequence to the Kingdom) were
zealous to introduce and obtrude upon
them. And thofe who had brought but the
leaft Learning with them from thence,
had the fitteft and moft convenient Sea-
fon to few their Tares, thro' the pro
found Ignorance of thofe Times. Learn
ing was at fo low an Ebb in 695, that
in the Conclufion of a Charter * of
Withred King of Kent, to Eabba the Ab-
befs, he fays, " that being illiterate he
" had mark'd it with the Sign of the

* SirH. Spelman, ibid./. 193. " Crofi:"

prevent Superftition. 289
** Crofs : " and he concludes another
Charter * of his of Libertys to the Church
in the fame Manner. Letters were not
in a more flourifhing Condition in 90 1;
King Alfred himfelf tells us in his Preface
to St. Gregory's Paftoral, that -j- " Learn-
" ing was then fo deeay'd in the Englifh
,l Nation, that very few Priefts on this
*' fide of Humber could underftand the
*' common Service of the ChUrch ; and
*' he knew none South of Thames who
<c could turn an ordinary Piece of Latin.
" into Englifh, tho' Things were then'
" fomething better; yet that he himfelf
i{ had tum'd this Book into Engli/h by
" the help of Archbifhop Plegmond, with
" Grimbald and John his Priefts." And
afterwards in 106 1. it was accounted
a vaft Atchivement in a Clergyman to
have learnt his Grammar J. And in 1222;
the Council held at Oxford ||, was forc'd
to enad, that Arch- Deacons fhould take
care that Clergymen fhould rightly pro
nounce the Formulary of Baptifm, and
the Words of the Confecration in the
Canon of the Mafs. And Wickliff who

* Ibid./. 198;
-|- Apnd tyrrel I. v.
j Mat. Paris; ad An. 1061. p. 5.
!| Lindwood de Off. Ar. c. i.
Vol, II. tJ flourifh'sL

290 Re V -.elation defign d to
flourifh'd about 1 376 complains, that there
were . then many Curates who knew not
the Ten Commandments, and could not
read one, fingle Verfe in jhe Pfalter *.
And what little Learning they ha4
was employed in the Difpute between
the Regular and Secular Clergy, aind con
cerning ' the ^ Marriage of Priefts, which
was fomented by St. Dunfian on his Pro
motion to the Arch-Bifhoprick of Can
terbury in 959. and was not ended be
fore another fprung up, which was car
ried on with the like Zeal, and was of
more Confequence to the State, concern
ing the Clergy's receiving Inveftitures at
Lay-Hands, which was occafioned by a
Decree of the Synod at Rome in 1099.
aind which was foon fucceeded by that
of Clerks refufing Subjedion to the King's
Courts. Neither had Learning any better
Face abroad : Erafmus tells us -j-, that
during the Age of the Schoolmen, Bar-
barifm had overfpread all Chriftendom ;
their little Learning was employed only

* Great Sentence of Gurfe expounded, c. iii.- 16.- in a
Collection of his Tracts in MS. in Bennet Coll. Camb. and
Irialogus, p. 66 and -ji.
f Epiftle to the Arcn-Bilhop of YnxL in

prevent Superftition. 291
in colouring the Errors and Superftitions
which had crept into the Church, by nice
and fubtle Diftindions, and more Sophif-
try than they who went before them were
Mafters of. Mufculus fays of the Clergy,
that many of them never faw the Scrip
tures; and Sextinus Anama affures us, that
an Arch-Bifhop of Mentz knew not what
Book a Bible was, which he accidental
ly met with. In fhort, the State and Con
dition of Learning was juft fuch as Pope
Paul II. defir'd it fhould be, who, as
Platina affures~us *, could not bear the
Name of an Academy, call'd Scholars He-
reticks, and exhorted the Romans not to
fuffer their Children to go too long to
School. This grofs Ignorance, and the Trou
bles I juft now took Notice of, which
molefted both Church and State here,
gave great Opportunity to fuch as had
been educated at Rome, to corrupt our
Religion; and to " the Fryers as Bi-
" fhop Bale tells us -j-, with their
" charming Sophiftry, to throw fuch a
" dark Mift over the univerfal World,
" that Superftition could not be known

* Towards the End of his Life.
f Cronycle concerning Sir John Oldcafile.
U 2 " for

2 9 4 Rev elation j%% #'^ ?0
eC for Superftition, npr Idolatry for Ido«
ct latry." I jfjball give you the Charader
of the Religion of thofe tirnes, as I meet
with it in a Writer who was well vers'd
in our Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. " Religion,
" fays he *, had now paffed thro' fo
"many ignorant and barbarous Ages;
" the Means of greater Knowledge, had
" been fo ftudioufly hidden from the
" People, and the Ignorance of the Laity
tc was fo advantageous to the Intereft of
" the Clergy, that the true Spirit of
" Chriftianity feemed to be wholly loft,
" and had degenerated into Shews and.
" Ceremonys, many of which were un-
" lawful, but almoft all unufeful. And.
" not only this fatal Stupidity and idle
" Superftition had generally poffefsed the
" Minds of Men, but all Remedys were
" detefted, and all Artifices ufed to con-'
" tinue the Difeafe," -f- " The incredi-
" ble Fables of Legends, and incurable
" Itch of lying for the Honour of their
" Saints and Patrons, which then reign-.
" ed among all the Monaftick Orders,
" (which was almoft the only Subjed on
" which they preached) and was fondly

* Mr". Wharton & Preface to Biihop Peacock's Treatife/
P 34-
t Ibid./. *6

" received

prevent Superftition. 295
** received by the credulous Multitude,
" were one of the greateft Scandals, and
" moft pernicious Abufes in the Church
'c at that Time. The greater and more
" neceffary Articles of Faith, and all
" genuine and rational Knowledge of Re-
" ligion had generally given Place to fa-
" bulous Legends, and romantick Storys ;
" Fables which in this refped only dif-
ct fer'd from thofe of the antient Hea-
" then Poets, that they were more incre-
" dible, and lefs elegant."
But to bring Religion into this State
was a Work of Time, and not to be at
once perfeded. The Corruption before
us was rtot general, when Leofric Bifhop
of Exeter died in 1073. This * Prelate
gave a famous Miffal to his Cathedral,
which is now in the Bodleian Library.
In this God is addrefs'd, to reftore the
Demoniacks for the Merits of the Angels,
Patriarchs, Prophets, Apoftles, Virgins,
&c. without any particular mention of
the bleffed Virgin. Upon the Feftival of St.
Michael, it implores God for the Benefit
of St. Michael and the Prayers of all the
Angels ; but there is no diredt Applica
tion to any of them : and the Interceffion

* Mr. Collier's led. Hift. /. iv.
U} of

2 94 Revelation defign d to
of the bleffed Virgin is begg'd, tho not
in a dired Addrefs to herfelf. But after
the Conqueft, our Norman Princes mak
ing French Men Bifhops and Abbots, who
brought their French Opinions with them,
Image- Worfhip became foon after the ge
neral Pradice of the Church.
This is certain, that 'twas the fup
pos'd Dodrine of the Church of England,
when Wickliff made his Appearance, in
1360 *, and by his Preaching and Wri
tings pav'd the Way for examining fuch
Superftitions and Idolatrys, as had in De
fiance of Scripture crept into the Church.
From a Fellow of Merton College in Ox
ford, he was made Mafter of Baliol Col
lege, and Warden of Canterbury Hall;
and having taken the Degree of Dodor,
was Divinity Profeflbr in that Univerfity.
•f He was equally eminent for his Piety,
Gravity and Wifdom, and for his great
Parts and Learning. His Angular Abi-
litys and eminent Vi/tue, had gain'd him
an univerfal Reputation before he was
brought to Court, where his great Know
ledge in the Common Law made him
very ufeful both to Edward III. and

» Bifliop Bale.
f I eland de Scrip. Brit, p. 379,

Richard

prevent Superftition. 295
Richard II. in defending the Prerogatives
of the Crown; and gave him a remark
able Share in the contriving many excel
lent Statutes in thofe two Reigns to curb
the exorbitant Power of the Pope. He
was fent by the former of thofe Princes,
in 1374, Arnbaffador * to the See of
Rome. But the Pontiff's Court made
no Impreffion upon his Mind, unlefs
it was to make him ftill more fenfible of
the Pride, Covetoufnefs, Ambicion and
Tyranny of the Papacy -}-. We find him
foon after in England, Redor of Lutter
worth in Leicefterfhire, and at the Head
of a Multitude of Followers ; rejeding
the Invocation of Saints, and Adora
tion J of Images, as open Idolatry and
Apcftafy from the Chriftian Faith ; and
condemning Pilgrimages || as a ridiculous
Superftition. His Tenets flew over the
whole Kingdom ; and his Difciples, who
were call'd Lollards *, daily increas'd,
alarm'd the Clergy, and put the Prela-
U 4 cy

* Rymer, Tom. vii./. 41.
•f Trialogus, I. iii. c. 30. printed in Germany, 1525.
j See the Quotations from his Writings in Mr. Lewis,
/>-349- || Ibid./. 350.
• There is no doubt but this was a reproachful Name,
given by the Clergy in thefe Times to the Wicklijfites. Lind-
twoqd and others imagine it to have been taken from Lolium, Darnel

2;p & Revelation defign d to
Cy upon contriving Methods to fupprefs
them. They fent nineteen Articles ex-
traded from his Ledures and Sermons tq
the Pope,; which brought over from Gre
gory XI. three Bulls * of the fame Date.
One diredTed to the King, defiring his
Favour and Affiftance in the Profecution
of Wickliff; another to the Univerfity
of Oxford, commanding him and his Fol
lowers to be deliver'd up to Juftice ; and
the third to Simon of Sudbury », Arch-Bir
{hop. of Canterbury, and Courtnay, Bifhop
pf London, requiring them to arreft and
keep Wickliff in Prifon, till his HolU
nefs's. farther Pleafure was known. But
thefe Bulls had nqt the Effed intended.
Edward died in June i^jj, before they
reach'd England; and his Followers were
grown fo numerous, not only amongft
the inferior Sort of People, but thofe of
Quality and Learning, that 'tis probable

Darnel or Tares, branding them as if they had been the
Tares (own by the Devil in God's Ohurch. But Mr. Puller,
(Church Hiit. /. 163.) with Tritbemius, (in Cron. Anno
1315.) fuppofes they were called fo from one Waker'Lollar-
dus, who flourifh'd many Years before Wickliff, and was
Author of fome Opinions then accounted Heretical ; from
whence thole who afterwards broached any new Doftrine,
tho not Followers of him, or acquainted with his Principles,
were call'd by their Enemys Lollards. See for the Word
Lollard, U Enfant Hijloire du Concile de Pife, Tom. ii. p.
389. & Biblioth. German. Tom. ix. 4.
•* Walfingbam'sHUk. Anglp. 201, &c, t the

prevent Superftition. 297
the Bull fent to the Univerfity was rejed-
ed with Ignominy and Difgrace '% And
when the Arch-Bifhop and Bifhop of
London would have executed theirs in a
Synod held the February following at St.
Paul's, Wickliff came attended by the
Duke of Lancafter, who was Uncle to
the new King, and the Lord who had
the greateft Power during the Minority
of his Nephew, by the Lord Henry
Piercy Earl Marfhal, and feveral others
of the Nobility, who had embrac'd his
Tenets, and would not fuffer him to be
receiv'd as a Perfon accus'd, but as a
Dodor prefent to give his Vote and Opi-r
nion in the Synod. The Affembly broke
up in Riot and Confiifion ; and the De
legates made another Attempt to execute
their Commiffion, in a Synod at Lam-
beth in June 1378, but were deterred from
coming to any definitive Sentence by a
Meffage they receiv'd from the Queen
Mother by Sir Lewis Clifford -f •
The Pope died this Year, which put
an End to the Commiffion that had given
Wickliff fo much Trouble, and gave
Rife to the Schifm occafioned by the

* Fox's A&s and Monuments, /. 396,
f Waljingbam's Hift. Angl. /. Z05. Eledion

298 Revelation defign'd to
Eledion both of "Urban -VI. and C lenient
VII. which lafted above fifty Years, for
which time one Pope call'd another A-
poftate, Heretick, Antichrift, and Son of
Perdition ; fo that the moft learned and
confeientious could not tell to which of
them they ought to adhere. This was
an Advantage Wickliff' knew very well
how to improve, as appears by the Wri
tings he now publifh'd, Of the Schifm of
the Church of Rome ; Speculum de Anti-
chr'vfto; De Chrijio £f? Antichrifto ; and
on the like Subjeds.
The Situation he was now in very
much forwarded the propagating of his
Opinions. He was Chaplain to Richard
II. and in that King's firft Parliament,
had the Honour to irefblve fome Doubts
refer'd to him by the Commons, arifing
from the Oppofition they made * to the
Exadions of the Court of Rome : and in
the next Seffion he gain'd himfelf a Cha-
rader by a Treatife he prefented to the
Lords -j-, in which the Sum and Sub
ftance of his Dodrines was contain 'd;
which fpread his Principles amongft the
Nobility, and^rew feveral of them over

* Exaft Abridgment, /, 1 60, &c.
f WalfingbamYs Hift. Angl./. 283. to

prevent Superftition. 299
to his Side! He enjoyed likewife the Prc^
tedion and Countenance of a great many
of the firft Rank amongft the Com
mons *, who efpous'd his Caufe in ex-
pofing the Abufes and Superftitions
which had crept into the Church. Wick
liff was too vigilant and induftrious not
to improve his Fortune; he let no Op
portunity flip him, either in publick or
private, of fpreading his Notions amOngft
the People.
His Enemys of the Clergy too were
not idle. They took into Confideration
their own Power. 'Tis not agreed how
far it reach'd. There is no doubt but
that the Bifhops had, by the antient
Common Law of the Church, the judg
ing of, and conviding for, Herefy, Schifm,
and Errors in Religion, according to the
King's Ecclefiaftical Laws -j-. But the Ge
nerality of our Hiftorians fuppofe Herefy
not to have been punifh'd here with
Death, before the 2d of Henry IV. and
that Sir William Sawtre was the firft who
was executed upon Account of Religion.
We are exprefly told fo by Mr. Fuller $,
who is followed by Mr. Collier, as well

* Knyghton de Event. Angl. Coll. 2661, He.
\ See Cawdrey's Cafe in the 4th Report, /. 40.
j Church Hiftory of Britain, p. 1 55.
3 *s

5 o o Revelation' defigrid to
as by Bifhop Burnet, who fays, that
•" England was not fo tame as to bear
"the Severity of thofe Laws, which
" were fettled and put in Execution in
" other Kingdoms.", But my Lord Chief
Juftice Coke feems to me to have been
better acquainted with onr Gonftitution,
" It appeareth," fays he, " by Braclon,
" Briton, Fletai Stanford, arid all our
*c Books, that he who is duly convid of
" Herefy, fhall be burnt to Death * "
And accordingly we read of Perfons who
fo fuffered for their Religion long i be
fore Henry IV. Cardinal Langton in a
Synod held at Oxford in 1222, con
demn'd three Perfons and deliver 'd them
over to the Secular Power, two of whom:
were immur'd to death between four
Walls -f, and the other, (a Deacon, who,
out of Love to a Jewifh Woman, had re-
nounc'd Chriftianity) was tied to a Stake
and burnt. And a Chronicle | of London
nientions one of the Albigenfes, who was
burnt there, A. D. iz 10. Mr. Camden,
where he takes notice of the Barbaritys
aded ort Account of Religion in Queen
Mary's Reign, feems to fix the Rife of

* 3 Inft./. 43. , *
+ Mat. Weftm. ad' An. 1222.
% The Preface to Bale's froriycle of Sir Jo]m0ldcafile. this

prevent Superftition. 301
this to King John's Time, Plures ex omni.
Ordine, fays he, Epifcopos,. Verbi Mini-
flros, & Plebeios hoc diro Supplido Quin
quennia abfumpferunt, quam (ut quidam obi
fervdrunt) Henricus VIII. totis 37 Aunis;
vel Anglia viderit, ex quo regnante Joanne,
Chrifiiani in Chrifiiams apud nos Flam-
mis favirex&perint *. But before the Reign
of that Prince, at a Council held at Ox
ford A. D. 1 159, thirty German Hereticks,
call'd Publicans, were deliver'd over to
the fecular Power, mark'd with a red-
hot Iron on the Forehead, whip'd, and
then turn'd out of Doors in the midft of
Winter, where, they died with Cold and
Hungar, no man daring, it being ex
prefly forbid, to relieve them -j-. Newbi-
genfis tells % us, that thefe were the firft
Hereticks, who ever peftered England, and
Hoveden that they were very numerous |[.
Fox fays of them, that their Herefy con-
fifted in preaching againft the Church of
Rome, maintaining that Prayer was not
more holy in one Place than in another, ¦
that the Pope was Antichrift, and that
the Clergy and Prelates of Rome, were

* In Apparat. ad Eliz. ad finem.
f Mr. Tyrrell's Hift. ad An. 1159,
j L. ii. c. 13.
|| Ad Annum 1182.

the

I o 2 Revelation defign'd to
the very Whore of Babylon prefigured ih
the Revelations. *

.'K

Bu t the Crime our Common Law pu-
hifh'd with Burning, was Apoftafy, not what
we how mean by Herefy. " J« Cdr/&
« of Apoftafy (fays Bifhop Stillingfleet f)
"i.e. renouncing Chriftianity, Braclon
*' '¦¦% faith, The Perfon convict is to be
"burned ; and he inftanceth in the Dea-
« con w£,0 turned Jew, in the Council of
" Oxford: And Fleta fpeaks jf only of
" -Apoftates, whether Clerks or Others; and
u thofe are the Mifcreants in Bn'ftw* ** ;
" and in Horn j-f\ Herefy was then the
" fame with renouncing Baptifm, or turn-
u ing Jew or Turk, or ufing Sorcery ; but
" after Wickliff 's Time the Ordinary s in*
" Jarged the Notion of Herefy, and took
" upon themfelves to be fble Judges of
'* it." And this, as he tells us, is one
Reafon alledged by 25 H. 8. c. 14. for
the Repeal of the 2S4.C 15. becaufe
there is no Declaration of Herefy made

* Afts and Monuments, /. 183.
f On the Illegality of the Eccleftaftical Commiffion,
% Bra&on, /. 111. c. 9. ». 2.
|| Fleta, /. i. c. 29. a. 7.
** Briton, c . ix.
¦ft- Horn, cb. ii. § 22.
i-*~v.' ¦  - in

<c

r present Superftition. 503
in it, but it was left to the Judgment
of the Ordinary. But to return.
T h e, Bifhops however found wh$
they thought a very great Defed in their
Power. For tho the Law punifh'd A-
poftafy, or, if you will, Herefy with Death,
it did not invert them with an Autho
rity to imprifon for it; fo that almoft
every one who was convided, imme
diately convey'd himfelf away, at leaft
before the King's Writ could be obtain'd,
and by that Means made the Bifhop'%
Sentence ineffedual. " It is agreed," fays
my Lord Chief Juftice Coke, in fetting
down the Refolution of the Court of
Common-Pleas, 9 Jac. ** that all Or-
" diriarys and Ecclefiaftical Judges what-
" foever, ought in all Ecclefiaftical Caufes
" to have proceeded according to the
" Cenfures of the Church, and could not
" in any Cafe have punifh'd any Delin-
" queht by Imprifonment, unlefs they
"had Authority fo to do by Ad of Par-
" liament. And the Papal Authority
" (as hath been confeffed) did never im-
" prifon in any Cafe, but ever proceeded
" only by Ecclefiaftical Cenfures *." And
in another Place he tells us, that " the Ec-

4lnft./. 324. .•:>¦¦ ..-¦"'¦-
" clefiaftical

$04 Revelation defign A id
fi clefiaftical Judge could not commit the
" Perfon that is cbnvid of Herefy to
*« the Sheriff, albeit he be prefent, td
« be burnt, but muft have the King's
rt Writ de Haretico cdmburendot according
** to the Common Law *.*
Ttte Prelates had before been fen
fible of this Defed in their Power, and
therefore in particular Cafes, had Re-
courfe to the Crown for Leave to
imprifon Hereticksi We are told -j-, that
there are feveral Proofs in the Colledion
of Publick Ads of the Bifhops impri-
foning with the King's Confent. Mr. Ra-
pin particularly refers us to a Grant in
Rymer, of Leave from Edward IIL to
the Bijhop of London to imprifon Nicholas
de Drayton for Herefy, dated March 20th
1370. from the wording of which one
would conclude it to have been agreeable
to the Laws of the Church: Cum igitur,
SanBa Mater Ecclefia ita tales Heereti-
cos profequitur, nefuo Veneno alios inficianti
ut- in Carceribus cuftodiri preecipiat £
But thefe Licences, it may be, being
but fparingly granted, and the Prelates

* 3 Inft. p. 43.
f Mr. Rapin's Hift. /. ix. ad An. 1381 .
| Tom. vi. p. 651. finding*

prevent Superftition* joj
finding, as they conceiv'd, top frequent
an Occafion for them, they confider'd
how they might fave themfelves the
Trouble of folliciting, and the Crown of.
granting them. They wanted not to be.
invefted with a Power of conviding for
Herefy ; but of taking Cognizance of it
with Effed. To do this a new Law, was
neceffary. They very well knew that the
Commons would not be brought into
their Meafures, and that without their
Confent a Statute could not be made. It
being impoffible therefore for them to ob
tain an AB, they refolv'd to bring their
Defign about by an Ordinance of Parlia
ment, and got it ordain' d, by the King
and Lords, upon the Petition of the
Clergy, that the King's Commiftions be
made and directed to the Shiriffes, and other
Minifters of the King, or other fufficient
Perfons learned, and according to the Cer
tifications of the Prelates to be made in
the Chancery from Time to Time, to arreft
all Preachers of Herefy, and alfo their Fau-
tors, Maintainors and Abettors, and to hold
them in Arreft and ftrong Prifon, till they
will juftify to them according to the Law
and Reafon of holy Church.
This Ordinance has been the Subjed of
fome Difpute. " The fuppofed Ad of
" the 5th of Richard II." fays my Lord
Vot. II. X Chief

^06 Revelation defign d to
Chief Juftice Coke, " was in Truth ne-
cc ver any Ad of Parliament, tho it was
" enter'd upon the Parliament Roll ; for
" that the Commons never gave their
" Confent thereunto *. And therefore in
" the next Parliament the Commons
" prefer'd a Bill, reciting the faid fup-
" pos'd Ad, and conftantly affirmed,
" that they never affented thereunto, and
" therefore defir'd, that the faid fuppos'd
" Statute might be aniented and declar'd
" to be void ; for they protefted, that it
" was never their Intent to be juftified,
" and to bind themfelves and their Suc-
" ceffors to the Prelates, more than their
" Anceftors had done in Times paft : and
" hereunto the King gave his Royal Affent.
" And mark well the manner of the Pen-
" ning the Ad : for feeing the Commons
" did not affent thereunto, the Words of
" the Ad be ; It is ordained and affented
" in this prefent Parliament, that &c. And
" fo it was, tho by ?the King and the Lords
" only.-j-" And he blames Bifhop Brai-
brook, the then Lord Chancellor, for " in-
" ferting it into the Parliamentary Writ
u of Proclamation, to be proclaim'd a-
" mongft the Ads of Parliament.^" In

* 3 Inft. p. 40.
+ Id. ibid.
% Ibid. p. 4j . anfwer

prevent Superftition. 307
anfwer to this of my Lord Coke, we are
told by a Perfon as eminent for his great
Knowledge in our ecclefiaftical Laws, as
his high Station in the Church, that " It
" appears not, by the Record, that the
" Statute 5 Ric. II. was fo paffed by the
" King and Lords, as that the Commons
" knew nothing of it, or were not ac-
" quainted with it; but their Complaint
" is, that they never affented thereunto j
" which if meant of a formal Affent,
" might at that Time be a difputable
" Point, whether they affented or not;
" confidering that in thofe Days the Com-
" mons were not fuch a diftinSl and fe-
" parate Body, as they have fince been ;
" and it is not pretended, that that Sta-
" tute was inferted, notwithftanding the
" Diffent of the Commons'' *
'Tis not clear to me, whether his
Lordfhip, in faying that the Commons
were not then a diftinfl Body, means as to
Place, or as to Power. Both of which
'tis plain, I think, that they were from
our Records. There can be no doubt of
their having fat and aded by themfelves
from the Time they had a Speaker of
their own Body, which 'tis certain that
they had, at leaft from 5 f Edw. III. But
* Corpus Juris Ecclef. Tit. 16. c. i,
X 2 that

308 Revelation defign d to
that they have been for a much longer
Time a diftind Houfe, is plain from the
Records of this very Parliament. Sir Hugh
Segrave, the Lord Treafurer, who open'd
it with a Speech, wifh'd the Commons to de
part to their accustom'd Place within the
Abbey of Weftminfter * ; and when they
requir'd that of the particular Conjultations
of the Bijhops, Lords and Juftices, a Hearing
might be brought to them ; 'twas anfwer'd,
that the old Cuftom was, that the Commons
Jhould bring to the Lords their Conceits and
Devices, and not to the contrary -f. And as
to the Power of their Houfe, That the
Confent of it had been long neceffary, as
a conftituent Part of the Parliament, to the
making of a Law, is manifeft from the
many Declarations made before this in
Parliament, that no Statute or Ordinance
fhould bind the Commons, nor Tax be
granted or impos'd on them, without their
Approbation J. And had the Commons
Affent been obtained in the making of
the Law before us in fuch a Manner as
was neceffary, they could never have
made the Want of their Confent, a Rea
fon, the next Year, of the Repeal of it.

* Exaft Abridgment, p. 196.
f Ibid.
X See the Places refer'd to in the Table to the Exaft A-
bridgment.
But

prevent Superftition. 300
But my Lord Coke might have fpar'l
his Cenfure on Bijhop Braibrook, if tie iiad
remembered his own Diftindion be r ween
an Ordinance and an A51 of Parliament.
" The difference, fays he, between an
" Ad of Parliament and an Ordinar : e of
" Parliament, is, for that the Ordir u<ce
" wanteth the threefold Confent of u;e
" King, the Lords and of the Commons,
" and is ordained by one or two of
« them*." This Diftindion, if it be
allowed of, will fet this Matter in a clear
Light. This was no Statute, not having
the Confent of the Commons ; but an
Ordinance of Parliament, and as fuch 'tis
enter'd, as the like Ordinances frequently
are, upon the Statute Roll, and is not
ftiled in the Record a Statute or Act of
Parliament, but an Ordinance. And it
appears by the Parliamentary Roll, to
have been made upon the Petition of the
Clergy, as we fhall prefently fee the & H.
IV. c. 15. was. " In the fifth of Richard
" II. as Sir Robert Cotton has obferved,
" when to fupprefs the Schifms, the
" Clergy became in Parliament the Peti-
" tioners to the King's Laity, where
" thefe Words of their Affiftance are

4lnft. /. 25. X 3 " exclud-

3 1 o Revelation defign d to
£c excluding the Commons from any
" Power of Advice : Habita prius bona &
" matura Deliberation de Communi Con-
" filio ipfius Archiepijcopi, Suffraganeorum
" fuorum, aliorumque Clericorum, fuper
" quo idem Archiepifcopus fupplicavit, ut
tc pro debita Cafligatione illorum qui Con-
" clufiones Schifmaticas pradicare voluerint
" Animo obftinato, dignaremur apponere
" Brachium Regice Poteftatis eidem *."
The Members of the Convocation, like
thofe of the Houfe of Commons, being
fent from the feveral Parts of the King
dom, were fuppos'd to be beft acquainted
with the Wants of the Publick, as to
ecclefiaftical Matters, and to be the pro
per Perfons to prefcribe a Remedy for
them. This may be the Reafon we meet
with fo many Statutes and Ordinances on
the Rolls, which had their Rife from the
Petitions of the Clergy; and that the Par
liament fometimes appointed Receivers of
thofe Petitions -f\ The Commons how
ever before this, 5 1 Edward III. had ef-
fedually provided, That no Ordinances be
made at the Petition of the Clergy without
Afjent of Parliament; and that no Man

* Cottoni Poilhuma, /. 213.
+ 21 Edward 111. Exaft Abridgment, ^.51. fhou'd

prevent Superftition. $ 1 1
fhou'd be bound by any their Confiitutions
made for their Advantage *.
IN fhort, as this Ordinance was made
by the King and Lords without the Con
fent of the Commons, fo was it repeal'd
the next Year by the King upon the
Petition of the Commons. Which ac
counts for the Silence of our Hiftorians
as to any great Inconvenience the Lol
lards receiv'd from it. 'Twas foon made
void, and the Bifhops Power of convid-
ing for Herefy left as ineffedual as be
fore the making of it. And as for Bijhop
Braibrook, it does not appear that he was
guilty of any Fraud.
The Ordinance is indeed to be found
only upon the Statute Roll, and there
my Lord Coke met with it, enter'd in the
Parliamentary Writ of Proclamation ; and
the Repeal of it on the Parliament Roll
only : and their not being enter'd on the
feveral Rolls, is rather to be efteemed a
Negled, for fuch Omiffions are not uncom
mon, than any unfair Dealing. If Bifhop
Braibrook was in any thing to blame, it
feems to me to be in a Particular which
Fox has taken -j- notice of from the pub-

* Exaft Abridgment, /. 148.
f Afts and Monuments, p. 406.
X 4 lick

5 1 z Revelation defign d to
lick Records, in iffuing the Commiffion
out to the Archbifhop and his Suffragans,
when it ought to have been directed to
the Shiriffes and other Minifters of the
King ; but I fuppofe thofe Words in the
Ordinance, or other fufficient Perfons learn
ed, as he thought, fully juftified his Pro
cedure. I k n o w of nothing that can be objed-
ed to what I have here faid, but the difal-
lowing of the Diftindion between an Ordi
nance and an ASl of Parliament; which, I
think, ought to be admitted of, notwith
ftanding Mr. Prynne's Affertion, that " Ads
" and Ordinances of Parliament are both
" the fame, and had the three-fold Affent.
" — The Parliament Rolls, and above a
" hundred printed Ads of Parliament,
" which call Acts Ordinances, and Ordi-
" nances ABs of Parliament, and couple
" the Words this AB and Ordinance ufu-
" ally together, abundantly evidence be-
" yond Contradidion *, &c." For he
himfelf afterwards grants that they may
be diftinguifh'd from one another. " If,
" fays he, there were any Difference be-
" tween them, it was this, that an Or-
(t dinance was a temporary Provifion by

* On the 4A& Inft. p. 13. <( way

prevent Superftition. 3 1 3
way of Probation, which the Com
mons might amend at their Pleafure ;
and an AB of Parliament a perpetual
Law, which they could not alter when
they pleas'd without the King's and
Lords concurrent Affent; which Diffe
rence is hinted in 37 Ed. 3. Rot. n. 38.
ExaB Abridgment, p. 98. though Mul
titudes of printed Ads refute this Dif
tindion between them. Or elfe that
the Commons Petitions in Parliament,
enter'd in the Parliamentary Rolls, to
which the King gave his royal Affent,
were ftiled by fome, Ordinances; and
thefe Petitions with the royal Affent
thereto, when made into Statutes by
Advice of the King's Judges and Coun
cil, and enter'd in the Parliament or
Statute Roll, were ftiled Statutes or
ABs of Parliament, as the Precedents
of this Kind in an exaB Abridgment
evidence *. " This is as much as I con
tend for. I freely own Ordinances to be
call'd ABs of Parliament, and ABs Ordi
nances, but infift upon a Diftindion be
ing made between them, when the Term
Ordinance is applied to fuch a Law,
(whatever regard ought to be pay'd to it)

* Ibid./. 14. as

3 1 4 Revelation defign d to
as received the Sandion of only a Part
of the Legiflative Power.
This Ordinance was no fooner pafs'd,
than the pretended Hereticks were every
where cited before the Bifhops. Some of
them recanted; but others bravely fuf
fer'd. Particularly at a Synod held in
London by Courtnay Archbifhop of Can
terbury, as foon as the Parliament was
prorogued, Wickliffe himfelf was fum-
mon'd; but he refus'd to appear, being
inform'd by his Friends, that a Plot was
laid to feize him upon the Road *. So
the Storm fell principally upon Dr. Here
ford, Chancellor of Oxford, Dr. Rapyng-
don, and John Ayfkton, who were the
chief Sticklers for Wickliffe's Opinions in
that Univerfky. And before they broke
up, feveral Articles, which it was pre
tended that Wickliffe held, were condemn
ed for Herefy. They are recorded by
our Hiftorians ; and without doubt fome
of them are not to be maintained: but
then it ought to be remember'd, that
they are rather Conclufions which his
Enemys would have to be deducible from
his Principles, than Opinions which were

* Mr. TVbarton's Appendix to Dr. Cave's Hift. Lit.
•v. i. /. 51.
owned

prevent Superftition. j 1 j
owned by him. Thus they charg'd him
with denying the Church's Right to Tithes,
and divefting her of her Property, which
was a downright Slander; for Wickliffe
only inveighed againft the Avarice of the
Monks, and denied their Right to Tithes,
their poffeffing them being an Invafion of
that which ought with Juftice to attend
the Cure of Souls.
The Repeal of this Ordinance in the
next Seffion of Parliament was fome Re-
fpite to the Lollards; but not fo great a
Benefit to them as might have been ex-
peded : For the King continued to iffue
out Commiffions * for imprifoning them,
notwithftanding the Repeal. They were
no longer favour'd by thofe in Power.
The Court began to confider of Methods
to fupprefs their Herefy, as their Enemys
were pleas'd to call it. This it was hop'd
would have been effeded by the friendly
Affiftance which the civil Magiftrate gave
the Clergy in feveral Writs and Ads of
State, inferted, as we are told,, in the
Fcedera -f, all tending to crufh Wickliffe
and his Followers. And 'tis worthy of

* Thefe Commiffions are in Mr. Prynne's AnimadvtrfiT
pns, /. 395, C5r.
f Afta Regia, <v. ii. p. 34. Obfer-

3 1 6 Revelation defign'd to
Obfervation, that in all thofe Orders,
Richard takes upon himfelf, The Title
of Defender of the Faith, long before the
Pope's, pretended Gift of that Title to
Henry VIII. * The Lollards however
increas'd ; and Wickliffe himfelf died qui
etly of a Palfey at Lutterworth, A. D.
1384 f.
This great Man was a Perfon of a
clofe, fubtle Wit ; fuperior in every Part
of Learning to all of his Age ; and of un
daunted Courage. His conftant Preach
ing fhews his indefatigable Induftry as a
Minifter of the Gofpel, as well as his
Writings, which are free from thofe
Faults that are common in the Writers
of that Age, and a fufficient Evidence of
his great Knowledge in the facred Scrip
tures. They are very numerous. Mr.
Lewis, in his laborious Colledions, has
enumerated above 250 Treatifes of his
Writing ; too many, I am afraid, to be at
prefent met with : tho we are told by Mr.
Wharton %, that his Works are all extant
either in Print or MS. He tranflated the
whole Bible into Englifh, and prefixed a

* Mr. Tyrrell's Hift. *>. iii./. 1053.
+ Narratio de Morte J. W. in the Cotton Library,
Otho, A. 14.
X Appendix to Dr. Cave's Hift. Lit. v. i. p. 54.
Prologue

prevent Superftition. 3 1 7
Prologue to each Book ; there are feveral
MS. Copys of it in our Librarys. His
Tranflation of the New Teftament was
publifh'd at London in Folio, in 173 1, by
Mr. Lewis. The Clergy were particu
larly angry with him for tranflating the
Scriptures. He tells us * himfelf, that
they look'd upon it as Herefy. 'Tis cer
tain that they treated Abundance of his
Difciples with great Severity for reading
them. He was a ftrid Follower of Truth
whitherfoever it led him ; as appears by
his rejeding, from time to time, as he
faw Reafon, fuch Popifh Errors as he
had been an Affertor of in former Writ
ings. He never fear'd fuffering in his
Reputation by retrading his Miftakes:
And 'tis very obfervable, that amidft the
Storm which rag'd with fuch exceffive
Fury as to fink fo many of his Followers,
he fteer'd his own Ship fafe to the Haven
of eternal Reft, dying in a good old
Age, as we are inform'd from the Writ
ings of his Adverfarys. He was buried
in his Parifh-Church of Lutterworth,
where his Bones refted in Peace till they
were 4 1 Years after dug up by Richard
Flemyng Bifhop of Lincoln, and burnt as
thofe of a Heretick. His Memory was

Wickliffe 's Wicket, printed at Norenburch in .1546. for

3 i 8 Revelation defign d to
for a long while particularly dear to his
Univerfity of Oxford, which in 1406
caus'd Letters Teftimonial to be feal'd
with their Common Seal, in full Convo
cation, giving a very high Charader of
his Life and Behaviour, his Learning,
Preaching, and of the Works he pub-
lifh'd *. The Authenticknefs of this Tef
timonial is fully juftified by Mr. Lewis,
from the Mifreprefentations of Mr. Collier
and others. The Writings of Dr. Wick
liffe, notwithftanding the many Edids
and Orders of Synods for the fuppreffing
and burning them, which were executed
at Oxford in the Prefence of the Abbot of
Shrewsbury in 14 10, were common there,
both in the Schools and Colleges, till
Obedience was paid to the Decree of the
Council of Conftance in 14 14. I have
faid the more of this great Man, becaufe
fome of our modern Writers have treated
him with Obloquy and Contempt. But
his Charader was long fince vindicated
by Dr. James, Librarian to the Univer
fity of Oxford, in a 4to Treatife he pub-
lifh'd in 1608, in which he has demon-
ftrated, againft Parfons and others, that
his Tenets were the fame as are now
held by the Church of England. And

See Fox's Adls and Monuments, p. 412. in

prevent Superftition. 3 1 o
in 1720 the Reverend Mr. Lewis pub-
lifh'd in Odavo at London, The Hiftory
of his Life and Sufferings ; in which he de
fends him and his Opinions from xhe
Calumnies eaft upon him by his Adverfarys.
But to return.
The Lofs of their Head no way dif-
hearten'd Wickliffe's Followers. They
continued preaching and propagating their
Dodrines with great Boldnefs and Cou
rage. In 1395, while the Convocations
of Canterbury and York were petitioning
their Archbifhops for a fpeedy and ef-
fedual Punifhment and Suppreffion of
Lollardy, the Parliament being at the fame
Time fitting, they affixed to the Doors
of St. Paul's, and St. Peter's Weftminfter,
certain Conclufions, in which they fharply
declared Againft the Superftitions of the
Church of Rome *. And they prefented
Articles to the Houfe of Commons, in
one of which they charg'd Pilgrimages,
Prayers and Offerings made to Images
and Croffes, as having nothing of Charity
in them, and near of Kin to, and the
Piduring the holy Trinity as downright,
Idolatry. This only farther provoked their

* Vid. Chronicon MS. Tbom. Walfingbam, in Bibl.
Bodl. N. B.F.9.1. Enemys,

5 1 o Revelation defign d to
Enemys, who, inftead of Reafon and
Scripture, were for ufing Force to filence
their Adverfarys. They urg'd the King
to Severity againft fome of the Nobility
and Gentry; and procur'd from him an
Order to the Univerfity of Oxford to ex
pel the Lollards and condemn their Writ
ings. He had before conftituted Inqui-
fitors by his Letters Patents, who were to
perufe their Books and enquire into thofe
who abetted their Dodrines. And affoon
as the Parliament was up, Arundel who
was at that time Archbifhop of York and
Keeper of the Great Seal, oblig'd fuch as
were fufpeded of Lollardy, to make an
implicit Submiffion in the King's Court
of Chancery, and purge themfelves by an
Oath, which ran thus.
* T Willyam Dynet be for yhow Wor-
| fchpefull Fader and Lorde Arch-
biffop of Yhorke and yhour Clergie with
my free wyll and full avyfede Swere to
God and to all his Seyntes upon thys
holy Gofpells yat fro this day forthwarde
I fhall worfhip Ymages with preying
and offeryng un to hem in the Worfchep
of the Seyntes that yey be made after,
and alfo I fhall never mor defpyfe Pygre-

* Clauf. 19. R. 2. m. 18. dorfo.
mage

prevent Superftition. jti
mage ne States of holy Chyrche in no de
gree, and alfo I fhall be buxum to ye
Lawes of holy Chirche and to yhowe as
myne Archbyffhop and to myn other Or-
dinares and Curates and kepe the Lawes
upon my Power and meynten hem, &c.
I can't but obferve from this Oath,
that the Arch-Bifhop, who, I fuppofe,
drew it up, was not acquainted with the
nice Diftindions invented by the modern
Romanfts to temper and allay Idolatry;
for he made thefe poor Wretches fwear
diredly to worfhip Images without the leaft
Qualification. ARevoluTion foon after happen'd
in the State. Richard II. being depos'd
for his male Adminiftration, and the Crown
plac'd on Henry IV's Head, in order to
fupport himfelf on the Throne, that
Prince found it needful to make the Clergy
his Friends. A Rebellion, which hap
pen'd in the firft Year of his Reign,
made him ftill more fenfible of the
Neceffity of having that Body of Men at-
tach'd to him. To gain their Affedions,
he joyn'd the Influence of his Court with
their Cabals, and tried what could be
done in Parliament to enable the Bifhops
to take Cognizance of Herefy with Effed.
The Temper of the Commons was too
Vol. II. Y well

322 Revelation defign d to
well known to the Managers for the
Clergy, for them ever to hope to draw
them into their Meafures. They had
therefore Recourfe to their former Method
of Proceeding, and fince they could not
get an AB of Parliament pafs'd, effeded
their End by an Ordinance of the King
and Lords; by which fuch as preached
or wrote againft the Catholick Faith, and
their Favourers, were to be arrefted by
the Bifhops, and proceeded againft accord
ing to the Canons ; and being convid, were
to be kept in Prifon, and fined at the Dis
cretion of their Diocefan, and refufing
to abjure, or relapfing, were to be deli
vered to the fecular Arm, and burnt for
the Terror of others.
This Ordinance being the principal
Ground of the Perfecutions which were
afterwards carried on, I am defirous, if
I can with Juftice, to clear the Repre-
fentatives of our Country from having
had any Hand in it, and fhall therefore
infert, in the Notes*, the Parliament Roll,
* Ex Rotulo Parliament! de a". 2*°. Henr. /$>. n. 48.
Petitio Cleri contra Htcrelicos.
" Excellentiflimo ac gratiofrflimo Principi Domino noftra
" Regi. Supplicate ex parte veftrorum humilium Ora-
" toriun Prslatorum et Cleri Regni veftri Anglise, quod
" cum

prevent Superftition. 3 25
Roll, as it was with all Readinefs and
Good-Nature copied for me by that able
Y 2 and

": eum Fides catholica fuper Chriftum fundata, et per
" Apoftolos fuos et Ecclefiam facrofan&am fufficienter de-
" terminata, declarata, et approbata, per bonos ac fanclos
" et nobiliffimos Progenitpres et Anteceffores veftros in
" di&o Regno inter omnia Regna mundi hadtenus ex-
" titerit devotius obfervata, et Ecclefia Anglicana per pras-
" diftos inclitiffimos Progenitores et AnteceiTores veftros
" ad Honorem Dei et totius Regni prsedi&i laudabiliter
" dotata, et in fuis Juribus et Libertatibus fuftentata, abique
" hoc, quod difta Fides feu difta Ecclefia per aliquas
" Doftrinas perverfas vel Opiniones iniquas haereticas vel
" erroneas lasfa fuerat, vel graviter oppreffa, feu etiam
" perturbata, nichilominus diverfi perfidi et perverfi cu.
" jufdam novae Sefts de difita Fide, Sacramentis Ecclefia;,
" et Authoritate ejufdem dampnabiliter fentientes, et con-
" tra Legem divinam et Ecclefiafticam Prasdicationis Offi-
" eium temere ufurpantes, diverfas novas Do&rinas . et
" Opiniones iniquas, haereticas, et erroneas, eidem Fidei ac
" fanftis Determinationibus Ecclefiae , facrofanfta? contra-
" rias, perverfe et malitiofe infra diftum Regnum in di-
" verfis locis, fub fimulatae San&itatis Colore, praedicant et
" docqnthijs Diebus, publice et occulte, ac de hujufmodi
" Sefta nephand-ifque Do&inis et Opinionibus Conven-
" ticulas et Confcederationes illicitae faciunt, Scolas te-
" nent et excercent, Libras conficiunt atque fcribunt, Po-
" pulum nequiter. inftruunt et informant, et ad Seditio-
f nem leu Infurreftionem excitant, quantum poffunt, et
" magnas Diffenfiohes etDiyifiones in Populo faciunt, et alia
" diverfa enormia, auditui horrenda, indies perpetrant et
" committunt, in di£l:«e Fidei catholicae et Do&rime Ecclefias
" facrofan&e Subverfionem, divinique Cultus Diminutionem,
" ac etiam in Deftru&ionem Status, Jurium, et Libertatum
" di£tae Ecclefiae Anglicana;, per quas quidem Se&am,
" falfafque et nephandas Praedicationes, Do&rinas, et Opini-
" ones di&orum perfidorum et,perverforum, nedum max-
" ifflum Peuiculum Aniatarum, verumetiam quamplura alia
" Dampna, Scandala, et Pericula, eidem Regno, quodabiit,
" poterunt evenire, nifi in hac Parte per regiam Majef-
" tatem

524 Revelation defign d to
and diligent Officer, Mr. Holmes. From
which it will plainly appear to have been
ordain'd,

" tatem uberius et celerius fuccurratur, praefertim cum
" Dicecefani difti Regni per fuam Jurifdiftionem fpiritu-
" alem diftos perfidos et perverfos abfque Auxilio diftae
" veftrae Regiae Majeftatis fufficienter corrigere neque-
" ant, nee ipforum Malitiam refraenare, pro eo quod
" difti perfidi et perverfi de Dicecefi in Dicecefim
" fe transferunt, et coram dievtis Dicecefanis comparere
" diffugiunt, ipfofque Dicecefanos et fuam Jurifdiftionem
" fpiritualem, ac Claves Ecclefiae et Cenfuras ecclefiafticas
" defpiciunt penitus et contempnunt, et fie fuas nephan-
" das Praedicationes et Doftrinas indies continuant et ex-
" cercent, ad omnem Juris et Rationis Ordinem atque
" Regimen penitus deftruend'. Quatinus Praemiffa ac dic-
" torum inclitiffimorum Progenitorum et Antecefforum vef-
" trorum laudabilia Veftigia gratiofe confiderantes, dig-
" netur veftra regiaCelfitudo, pro Confervatione diftae Fidei
" catholicae, et Suftentatione difti Cultus divini, ac etiam
" pro Salvatione Status, Jurium et Libertatum diftae Ecclefiae
" Anglicanae, ad Dei Laudem, veftrique Meritum et totius
" Regni pnedifti Profperitatem et Honorem, et pro hujuf-
" rhtidi Diffenfionibus, Divifionibus, Dampnis, Scandalis, et
" Periculis evitandis, fuper Novitatibus et Exceffibus prs-
" diftis in prefenti Parliamento veftro providere de Reme-
" dio opertuno, ita fi placeat, quod nullus decstero infra
" diftum Regnum, feu alia Dominia veftraj Regis Ma-
" jeftati fubjetta, fub gravi Poena, per diftam Regiam
" Majeftatem, ex Affenfu Magnatum et aliorum Procerum
" in difto Parliamento exiftentiurh ordinanda, praedicare
" praefumat, publice vel occulte, abfque licentia Dioece-
" fani petita primitus et optenta, curatis in fuis proprijs
" Ecclefijs et Perfonis haftenus privilegiatis, ac alijs a
" Jure canonico conceffis dumtaxat exceptis j nee quod ali-
" quis decaetero fub certa Poena in difto Parliamento fimi-
" liter ordinanda aliquid prsdicet, doceat, teneat, vel infor-
" met, clam vel palam.'aut aliquem Librum conficiatfeu
" fcribat contrarium Fidei catholicae feu Determinationi
" Ecclefia; facrofandte, nee de hujufinodi Sefta nephan-
" difque

prevent Superftition. 3 2 f
ordain d, upon the Petition of the Clergy,
by the King and Lords, and that there is
Y 3 not

" difque Doftrinis et Opinionibus Conventiculas aliquas
" faciat, vel Scolas teneat vel excerceat, quovis modo;
" ac etiam, quod nullus impofterum fub certa Poena, fi-
" militer in prasfenti Parliamento ordinanda, alicui fie
" praedicanti, aut tales vel confimiles Conventiculas faci-
" enti, feu Scolas tenenti vel excercenti, aut talem Li-
" brum facienti feu fcribenti, vel Populum fie docenti,
" informanti vel excitanti, quomodolibet faveat, nee ipfo-
" rum aliquem manuteneat aliqualiter vel fuftentet. Et
" fi quae Perfona vel Perfonas cujufcunque Sexus, Status, vel
" Conditionis exiftant, poft Oidinationem veftram hujuf-
" modi in difto Parliamento veftro faftam contra ipfam
" in Praemiffis vel aliquo Praemifforum fecerit vel attemp-
" taverit.fecerintvel attemptaverint, tunc loci Dicecefanus in
" fua Dicecefi ipfam Perfonam in hac Parte diffamatam vel
" evidenter fufpeftam, feu ipfas Perfonas fie diffamatas vel fuf-
" peftas, et ipfarum quamlibet, poffit Authoritate diftae Ordi-
" nationis veftrae in praefenti Parliamento fie faciendae facere
«' areftari, et fub falva Cuftodia infuis Carceribus detineri,
" quoufque de Articulis eis impofitis in hac Parte cano-
" nice fe purgaverit vel purgaverint, vel hujufmodi ne-
" phandas Seftam, Praedicationes, Doftrinas, et Opiniones
" haereticas et erroneas abjuraverit vel abjuraverint, prout
" Jura Ecclefiaftica exigunt et requirunt. Ita quod diftus
" Dicecefanus, per fe vel per Commiffarios fuos, contraj
" hujufmodi Perfonas fie areftatas, et fub Cuftodia rema-
" nentes, ad omnem Juris Effeftum publice et judiciali-
" ter procedat, et Negotium hujufmodi infra tres Menfes poft
" diftam Areftationem Impedimento legitimo ceffante ter-
" miner, juxta canonicas Sanftiones. Et fi quis vel quae
" fuper diftis Criminibus et Exceffibus, vel aliquo eorun-
" dem, diffamatus feu diffamata inde fententjaliter con-
" viftus fuerit feu convifta, et hujufmodi nephahdas Doc-
" trinas, Opiniones, Scolas, et Informationes haereticas vel
" erroneas abjurare recufaverit, aut per loci Dicecefanum
(i feu Commiffarios fuos, poft Abjurationem per ipfum feu
" per ipfam faftam pronunciatus feu pronunciata fuerit,
' " ielapf«s

326 Revelation defign d to
not the leaft Hint that the Commons ever
confented to it. We are therefore, ac

cording

" relapfus feu relapfa, tunc Miniftri veftri in Comitata
" illo, per Vos in Ordinatione veftra prsedifta ad hoc fpe-
" cialiter affignandi, in Sententijs difti Dicecefani vel difto-
" rum Commiffariorum contra hujufmodi Perfonas in hac
*: parte proferend' perfbnaliter fint prasfentes, cum fuper
" hoc per diftum Dioecefanum vel diftos Commiffarios fue*
" rint requifiti, et diftas Perfonas poft hujufmodi Sententias
« prolatas recipiant, et ulterius agant quod eis incumbit
" in ea parte, ne hujufmodi nephandae Doftrinae et Opir
f niones haereticae et erroneae, vel ipfarum Authores et
" Fautores, in difto Regno contra Fidem catholicam, Reli*
" gionem Chriftianam, et Determinationem Ecclefiae facro-
" fanftae, quod abfit, fuftententur, feu quomodolibet tolle^
" rentur.
*» Item, quod omnes et finguli aliquos Libros feu ali-
<< quas Scripturas de hujufmodi nephandis Doftrinis et Opi-
«' nionibus habentes, omnes hujulmodi Libros et Scripturas
(' Loci Dioecefano infra certum Terminum, et fub certa
«' Pcena, per Regiam Majeftatem in difto Parliamento
" ordinanda liberent cum Effeftu.
f Quas quidem Petitiones Praelatorum et Cleri
Refponf. " fiiperius expreffatas Dominus nofter Rex, de
(' Confenfu Magnatum et aliorum Procerum
f Regni fui in praefenti Parliamento exiftentium, conceffit,
f ' et in omnibus et fingulis juxta Formanj et Effeftum ear
" rundem ordinavit et ftatuit decaetero firmiter obfervari,
" adjiciens ulterius in hac Parte, quod fi in aliquo Cafu in
«c diftis Petitionibus expreffatis aliqua Perfona contra Or-
" djnationem et Statutum fuum hujufmodi attemptaverit,
*« et inde coram loci Dioecefano feu Commiffarijs fuis cano-
*' nice eonyifta fuerit, tunc idem Dicecefanus diftam Per-
f fonam fic conviftam pro modo Culpae et fecundum
*' quantitatem Delifti poffit in fuis Carceribus facere cufto-
« diri, prout et quamdiu Difcretioni fuae videbitur expe-
f « dire. Ac ulterius, eandem Perfonam, praeterquam in Car
if fibus quibus fecundum Canonicas S^nftiones relinqui
*f debeaf

prevent Superftition. 327
cording to what my Lord Coke has laid
down in fuch Cafe, to conclude it to be
Y 4 no

" debeat Curiae Seculari, ad Finem pecuniarium Domino
" Regi folvendum ponere, prout hujufmodi Finis eidem
" Dicecefano pro modo Culpa? et qualitate Delifti com-
" petens videatur. In quo Cafu idem Dicecefanus per
" Literas fuas patentes ipfius Sigillo figillatas de hujufmodi
" Fine ipfum Regem in Scaccario fuo certiorare tenebitur,
" ad Effeftum quod hujufmodi Finis de Bonis ejufdem Per-
" fons fic conviftae Authoritate Regis ad Opus fuum exigi
" poterit et levari. Et quoad Libros et Soripturas, in qui-
" bus hujufmodi Haereies aut Errores continentur, ordina-
" turn eft, quod infra quadraginta Dies a Tempore Procla-
" mationis Ordinationis et Statuti praediftorum, omnes
" Perfonae, quae hujufmodi Libros et Scripturas habent, Loci
" Dicecefano illos liberent feu liberari faciant realiter cum
" Effeftu ; quod fi non fecerint, et fuper hoc coram Loci Dice-
" cefano aut Commiffarijs fuis convincantur, tunc contra eos
" ad Pcenam Carceris et Finem etiam pecuniarium difto
" Domino Regi folvendum in Forma fuperius expreffata per
" diftum Loci Dioecefanum fimiliter procedatur ; adjiciens
" infuper, quod fi aliqua Perfopa infra difta Regnum et
" Dominia fuper diftis nephandis Praedicationibus, Doftrinis,
" Opinionibus, Scolis, et Informationibus haereticis et erro-
" neis, vel aliqua eorundem, fententialiter coram Loci Dicece-
" fano vel Commiffarijs fuis convifta fuerit, et hujufmodi
" nephandas Pradicationes, Doftrinas, Opiniones, Scolas, et
" Informationes abjurare recufaverit, aut per Loci Dicece-
" fanum vel Commiffarios fuos poft Abjurationem per
" eandem Perfonam faftam pronunciata fuerit relapfa,
" ita quod fecundum Canonicas Sanftiones relinqui debeat
" Curiae Seculari, fuper quo credatur Loci Dicecefano feu
" Commiffarijs fuis in hac Parte, tunc Vicecomes Comi-
" tatus illius Loci, et Major et Vicecomites, feu Vicecomes
" aut Major et Ballivi Civitatis, Villas, vel Burgi ejufdem
" Comitatus, difto Dicecefano magis propinqui, in Sen-
*' tentijs per diftum Dioecefanum aut Commiffarios fuos
" contra Perfonas hujufmodi et ipfarum quamlibet pro-
" ferend' cum ad hoc per diftum Dioecefanum vel Com-
" mjffarios

328 Revelation defign d to
no Aft of Parliament. Si ABus Parlia
menti fcribatur, fays he -j-, De Affenfu
Regis & Dominorum fpiritualium & tem-
foralium & Communitatis, vel, InaBita-
tum eft Authoritate Parliamenti, hujufmodi
valet ABus ; formalis vero magis eft qui
fancitur, per Regem de Affenfu Dominorum
fpiritualium & temporalium & Communi
tatis : 7 Hen. 7. 14. & 39 Edw. 3. 12.
cum hoc concordant : & ibidem dicitur, quod
multa funt Statuta qua fcribuntur, Domi-
nus Rex ftatuit ; ft tamen Rotulo Parlia
mentary intrentur, & femper ut ABus
Parliamenti' approbentur, intendetur hac
Authoritate Parliamenti fuiffe; Si vero
ABus fcribatur, Rex cum Affenfu Domu
norum, vel cum Affenfu Communitatis, ifle
nullus eft Parliamenti ABus; huic enim
tres affentire debent, fcilicet, Rex, Domini,
& Communitas, aliter ABus Parliamenti
non eft; & per Recordum ABus expri-
mitur quis horum ajfenftt, c? hoc omnimodi

** miffarios ejufdem fuerint requifiti, perfonaliter fint prae^
¦ « fentes et Perfonas illas, et quamlibet earundem poft
it hujufmodi Sententias prolatas recipiant, et eafdem coram
«* Populo in eminenti Loco comburj faciant, ut hujufmodi
ft Punftio Metum jncutiat Mentibus aliorum. In quibus
*f omnibus et fingulis Praemiffis, Vicecomites, Majores et
" Ballivi djftorum Comitatuum, Civitatum, Villarum, et
« Bureorum praediftorpm, difto Dicecefano et Commiffarijs
*t fuis fint intendentes, auxiliantes etiam, et faventes.1'
^ % Report, p. zo. The Prince's Cafe. Intentiones

prevent Superftition. 329
Intentiones {quod aliqui alii affenferunf)
excludit ! 'Tis true indeed, that we read
in the printed Act, 2 Hen. 4. c. 15. that
the Prelates and Clergy and alfo the Com
mons of the Realm, being in Parliament,
praying our Sovereign Lord the King-  -
and that the States and other difcreet Men
of the Realm, being in the faid Parliament,
hath granted and ordain d, &c. But, as
hath been long fince obferved by Sir
Robert Cotton, or rather by Mr. Bowyer *,
who, Mr. Tyrrel fays, was the Author of
the Exact Abridgment -f, " The Print
" touching the Converting or Punifhing
" of fuch as held any erroneous Opinion,
ft cap. 15. far fwerveth from the Re-
" cord, and not only in Form, but much
" more in Matter alfo to maintain Ty-
" ranny, than in the Record, which
" note well."
But however, this Ordinance having
the fame Regard pay'd to it as to a
Statute or AB of Parliament, made a
great Alteration in the Common Law.
It invefted the Bifhops with a Power of
arrefting, imprifoning and fining for He
refy, which they executed not before,

* Tyrreh Hift. of Engl. Vol. iii, part i . Pref. /. 9.
f Exaft Abridgment, p. 409.
and

33 o Revelation defign d to
and which was very inconvenient to the
Lollards, efpecially the Power of impri-
fining, which enabled them to fee the
penalty the Common Law had inflicted
for Herefy, effectually applied. My Lord
Chief Juftice Fitz-Herbert has ftated this
Alteration, fo far as it related to the Writ
de Haretico Comburendo, " The Perfon,"
fays he, " who fhall be burnt for Herefy"
(that is by the Common Law before the
making of this Ordinance) ic ought to
" be firft convict thereof by the Bifhop,
" who is his Diocefan where he dwelleth,
" and abjur'd thereof, and afterwards, if
" he relapfe into that Herefy, or any o-
" ther, and thereof be condemned in the
" faid Diocefs, then he fhall be fent from
" the Clergy to the fecular Power, to do
" with him as it fhall pleafe the King,
" &c. And then it feemeth the King, if
" he will, may pardon him the fame."
Otherwife the King fent forth the Writ
de Haretico comburendo, which he gives
us. " But now, fays he, by the Statute
" of Hen. 4. cap. 15. It is enacted, that
" every Bifhop in his Diocefs may convict
te a Man of Herefy, and abjure him, &c.
" and afterwards convict him anew there-
" of, and condemn him, and warn the
" Sheriff or other Officer to apprehend
" him, and burn him, &c. And that
" the Sheriff or other Officer ought to do
" the

prevent Superftition. } j i
" the fame by the Precept of the Bifhop,
" and without any Writ from the King
" to do the fame. And that is the Caufe,
" (as it feemeth) that that Writ is not
" put in the new Regifters, becaufe that
" Writ ought not at this Day to be fued
" forth, but is, as it were, void by Rea-
" fon of the faid Act." From the She-
riff's being to fee Execution perform'd
upon the Precept of the Bifhop, without
confulting the King's Pleafure, I am in-
clin'd to think, that 'twas concluded that
the Crown by this Ordinance had parted
with the Power of pardoning Hereticks;
the fame might be likewife conjectured,
from the great Numbers who afterwards
fuffered without any Mention any where
made, of any one having ever obtain'd a
Pardon. After this the Spirit of Popery, not
Chriftianity, was to be feen in the Zeal
of the Enemys to Lollardy. Sir William
Sawtre, who was Minifter of St. Ofithfs
in London, petitioned the Parliament,
before it rofe, to be heard for the Ad
vantage of the Realm. But the Bifhops
perceiving his Defign, contriv'd it fo that
fie was refer'd to the Convocation ; where
he no fooner appear'd, than 'twas object
ed to him, that while he was Minifter
of St. Margaret's in Lynn, he had abjured
heretical

332 Revelation defign'd to
heretical Do&rines before the Bifhop of
Norwich. Upon which Arundel Archbi
fhop of Canterbury queftioned him upon
Articles which he exhibited againft him.
The firft and principal of which was,
that he maintain'd that he would not
worfhip the Crofs on which Chrift fuf
fer'd, but only Chrift who fuffer'd on
the Crofs ; and that the Expences of a
Pilgrimage were better laid out in Cha-
ritys on the Poor. He confefled the
Charge, and was burnt for the Terror
of others.
. But the Severitys with which this Or
dinance was attended, were far from hav
ing the Effect the Procurers of it defign'd.
The Conteft they were engaged in, was
not one of thofe where Victory is to be
determin'd by the Number of the
flain. Hiftory informs us that the
Perfecuted dayly increased. Spectators in
quired into the Foundation of thofe Prin
ciples in behalf of which they faw Per
fons cheerfully fufferj and when Truth
was prefented to them, they could not
but be charm'd with it. And then, the
Violences made ufe of were fo far from
poffeffing the Sufferers with an Opinion
of any Falfity in their Tenets, that they
made them the more zealous in the De-
fenfe of them, and more religious than they

prevent Superftition. 333
they would otherwife have been. Agree
ably to this, we find the Lollards charg'd
with a pretended SanBity, and dijjem-
bled Holinefs, both in the Ordinance of
Richard II. and that of Henry IV. and
Walfingham tells us, that there was no
thing to be feen amongft them, but an
extraordinary Appearance of Devotion,
continual Fallings and other Mortifica
tions ; that they went barefoot, affecting
a Singularity of Habit, and Averfenefs to
all Luxury and Excefs. So that the Car
riage of their Enemys at once qualified
them to propagate their Opinions and
fuffer for them. Hence they had gained
Strength enough, in 14 10, to carry it in
the Houfe of Commons to addrefs the
King, that the Ordinance touching He
refy might be repeal'd, or at leaft foftned.
But the King, being fteddy to his Poli
ticks, gave them a fharp Anfwer ; and,
before the Parliament rofe, John Badby
was brought to the Stake.
H e was a Taylor, of Evejham in Wor-
cefterjhire, and profefs'd the Opinions of
the Lollards; was proceeded againft for
Herefy by his Ordinary, and deliver'd
over to the fecular Power. His Coun
tenance was no ways alter'd upon his Con
demnation} and he cheerfully endea
vour'd to perfwade others to embrace his

354 Revelation defign d to
his Opinions. He was burnt in Smith'
field in the Prefence of the Prince of Wales,
who, in the midft of his Agonies, caus'd
the Fire to be taken from about him,
and offer'd him his Life and a Penfion,
if he would recant. But what he had
already fuffer'd, had infkm'd him with
the Spirit of God ; he contemn'd the
Prince's Offers, and fuffer'd Martyrdom
with an heroick Courage *. I fhall here
infert an Account of his Execution, as it'
is given us by Occleve, a Poet of thofe
Times.
SOME men for lack of occupation
Mufyn ferther than ther witt may
ftrecche
And at the fendes inftigacion
Dampnable errours holeeth and can no
. fleech
For no councell ne rede, as did a wrecch,
Not long agoo which that of herefye
Convitt and brent was unto asfhes drye.
The precious body of our Lord Jefu
In fbtrrme of breed he leved not at all
He was 'in nothing abaffhed ne efchew
To fey it was breed material!.

* Fox's Afts and Monuments, p. 481.
He

prevent Superftition. 335
He feyd, A preftes power was as fmall
As a raker as fuch another wight
And to make it had no gretter might.
M y Lord and Prince, God him fave and
bleffe,
Was at his dedly caftigacion,
And of his foule had grett tenderneffe
Truftting fore his falvacion,
Grett was his lamentacion
That whan this renegat noght wold blynne,
Off the ftynkyng errour that he was ynne.
This good Lord hight hym to be fuch
mene
To his fader our lege Lord fovereyne
Yef he renounce wold his errour clene
And com unto our good beleve ageyn
He fhuld of his lyfe fure be & certeyn
And fufficient lyflood eke fhold he have
Unto the day he clad were into his grave.
Also this noble Prince & worthi Knyght
God queyte hym his charitable labour,
Or any ftikke kyndelyd were or light
The Sacrament our blyffed Saveyour
With reverence grete & hy honour
He fecch let this wrecch to converte
A make our fayth to ftikyn in his hert.
But all for noght it wold not betyde
He held forth his opynyon dampnable And

3 $ 6 Revelation defign'd to
And eaft our holy chriften feyth on fyde
As he that was to the fende acceptable
By any outward token refonable
Lete the Devenes of hym fpeke and mufe
Wher his foule is become & whedir
gone
Myn unkunnyng of that me fhall excufe
Off which metere knowlech have I none
Butt wold God tho Criftes foos ecche
one
That as he held were ferved foo
For I am fure ther be many moo *.
HENRY IV. died unlamented by his
People. And, tho his Succeffor Henry
V. did not fhew the fame Zeal againft
this pretended Herefy as his Father, the
principal Leaders and Abettors of it were
attack'd. The Dioceffes of Rochefter and
Hereford were particularly addicted to it ;
it being fpread there under the Protection
and Countenance of Sir John Oldcaftle,
who enjoy 'd the Caftle of Cowling in Kent,
and had been made Sheriff of Herefordfhire

* Occleye's Poems in M. S. in Bibl. Bodl. Laud. K. •'g.
It appears from thefe Lines, that Bayle, as quoted by the
late Editor of Chaucer's Life and Works, was miftaken,
when he faid that Occleve was a Follower of Wickliffe's
Opinions.

by

prevent Superftition* 357
by Henry IV. He was a Man of vaft
Parts, and very exemplary Virtues; and
receiv'd a noble Fortune from his An-
ceftors; which was much increas'd by his
Marriage with Joan de la Pole Heirefs to
the Barony of Cobham, upon whofe Ac
count he had been fummon'd to Parlia
ment as Lord Cobham from 1 1 of Henry
IV *, where he declar'd with great Bold-
nefs and Bravery againft fhe Corruptions
of the Church of Rome, and the Ufurpa^
tions of the Pope ; and in the Country
he did all he could to promote the
Growth and Increafe of Lollardy. A No
bleman of this Character could not but
be very obnoxious to the Clergy of thofe
Times, who therefore refolv'd to profe-
cute him as a Terror to the whole Sedt.
He thought himfelf above fubmitting to
the Jurifdiction of the Church, receiv'd
the Archbifhop's Officer with Contempt,
and made a Jeft of his Citation. This
haughty Carriage provok'd the King, who
was not as yet prejudic'd againft the
Lollards, to grant the Archbifhop's Re
queft, and fuffer Oldcaftle to be arrefted
and committed to the Tower. Hi's Trial
before the Archbifhop for Herefy, in 14 13,
written by Bale, is preferved in the firft

* Dtigdale's Baronage.
Vol. II. Z Volume

3 3 8 Revelation defign d to
Volume of State Trials ; and has been
fince printed by itfelf at London. From
which it appears, that without any Dif-
guife or Diffimulation he declared the
Pope, and his Clergy, to he\ Antichrift ;
that Pilgrimages were unneceffary ; "and
that neither Saints, nor their Relicks, were
the proper Subject of Adoration. Upon
this he was declar'd a Heretick excom
municate, and as fuch delivered over to
the fecular Power.
I t can't well be fuppos'd, that fo brave
and warlike a Prince as Henry V. could
approve of facrificing, to the Rage of his
Enemys, fuch a Subject as Oldcaftle, who
had all the Qualitys of a great Man;
efpecially at a Time, when he was medi
tating his Expedition upon France, in
which fuch an Officer as He, who had
difcharg'd a confiderable Command, every
way to his Honour, in the Troops Henry
IV. fent to affift the Duke of Burgundy
againft the French, could not but be dear
to him. This makes it probable, which
has been fuppos'd *, that the King was
privy to the Efcape which Oldca(tIe
foon after made: out of Prifon. And the
Conjecture is the more probable, from his

Mr. Ra/tne in his Afta Regis, <v. ii. p. 188.. having

prevent Superftition. 339
having conceal'd himfilf for four Years
in Wales, which could not have been
Well done, if Officers had not thought ic
agreeable to their Superiors to connive
at him. Be that as it will, his Perfecu
tors left him not quiet in his Retirement.
He had the Unhappinefs to be difcover'd
by the Lord Powis, againft whom he
made a brave Defence; but, being over-
power'd by Numbers, was apprehended
at a Time which was not favourable to
him. A Cottfpiracy had been trump'd
up. The Lollards holding one of their
religious Affemblys by Night, for Fear of
the King's Proclamations, in St. Giles's
Fields, fome of them brought Arms with
them for their Defence, in Cafe they
fhould be difturb'd by their Perfecutors.
This gave Pretence to their Enemys to
tell the King, that Oldcaftle was in Arms
at the Head of 20000 Lollards; that their
Defign was to feize his Perfon, deftroy
the Princes of the Blood, and make Old
caftle Regent of the Kingdom. The King
foon difpers'd them with fuch Troops as
he had at Hand. And 36 of his Prifo-
ners are faid to have been condemn'd,
and hung up by the Middle with a Chain
and burnt alive, to fhew that it was Herefy
as well as Treafon for which they fuf
fer'd. This was done at a Place whidh,
from the Manner of their Execution,
Z 2 has

340 Revelation defign'd to
has ever fince borne the Name of Tyburn»
Whether the King was long deceiv'd by
this pretended Plot, or not, He being ih
France, Oldcaflle fuftered the fame Man
ner of Death, A. D. 14 18, which was
four Years after.
Thus fell the firft Englifh Nobleman
who ever fuffer'd Death for oppofing the
exorbitant Opinions of the Church of
Rome. A Perfon brave and gallant, and
equally illuftrious for Arms and Arts.
He had a great Opinion of the Piety
and Uprightnefs of thofe, who, in his
Time, appear'd againft the Extravagances
of Popery; arid liberally fupply'd their
Wants and Neceffitys. At his own private
Expe.nce he maintain'd feveral Preachers
who were odious to the Ecclefiafticks
then in Power ; and difpers'd the Works
of Wickliffe and other Reformers amongft
the People *. And in this laft Particular
his Charity was not confin'd to his own
Country. He fent -f- a great Number of
Copys all over Europe, and efpecially into
Bohemia to gratify the Requeft of John
HuJ's J, who had been brought over to fe-*

* Bale's Cronicle, &c.
+ Ibid.
X Goodwin's Life of K. Hen. V. p. 1671 Veral

prevent Superftition. 341
veral Opinions of the Lollards by a Gen
tleman of that Country, who had ftudied
at Oxford, and together with Peter Payn,
who fled from the Perfecution here, dif-
pers'd Wickliffe's Opinions there. This,
with the Bohemians and Germans retort
ing hither to Ann*, Richard lid's Queen,
gave Rife to the Reformation in thofe
Countrys. But Oldcaftle's Charity to Bo
hemia was very remarkable, there being
above 200 Volumes, which he had fent
thither, beautifully wrote and finely bound,
publickly burnt by Subincus Archbifhop
of Prague, a little before the Council of
Conftance. The Clergy continued perfe
cting his Memory after his Death. They
reprefented him in their Songs and Bah-
lads, as a rude, boifterous, drunken Fel
low, and orT) the Stage gave him the
Character of a cowardly boon Compa
nion, till fuch Time as Sir John Falftaff,

* She was Sifter to Winceflaus, who w.-s Emperor' and
King of 'Bohemia, and being aa Admirer of WiMiffe was a
great Fa-vo/trer pf the Lollards. Archbifhop Ancndel who
had profecuted fome fcr reading the Scriptures, particularly
commends her, in h'is Sermon preached at her Funeral, for
her great Diligence in ftudying them. And WiMiffe
fpeaking of her in his Treatife Of the threefold Bond of Love,
fays, that " the noble Queen of England, the Sifief of Ccefa; ,
" may have the Gofpel written in three Languages, Bo.be-
" mian, German and Latin, and to hereticate her on thisf
'.' Account, would be Luciferian Folly."

with

3 4 * Revelation defign d to
with a like Injury to Hiftory, was fubftU
tuted Buffoon in his Place.
But before the Burning of Sir John,
Oldcaftle, in the 2d Year of this Prince's
Reign, an Act of Parliament was made,
which 'twas thought would have been of
great Service towards the fuppreffing this
growing Sect. It was enacted that He
reticks convict fhould forfeit their Lands,
'&<t. and that all Officers at their Admif-
fion fhould take an Oath to deftroy Lol-
lardy, and to be affiftant to the Ordinary
therein. This Bill was no fooner pafs'd
than the Perfecution was warmer than
ever. Some of the Reformers fled beyond
Sea. Others were burnt alive. The De^-
nying any Merit to Pilgrimages, and reli
gious Worfhip to Saints and Angels, was
the principal Article in all their Profecu*-
tions. They went on however increaf-
ing ; infomuch that Knyghton tells us *,
the Kingdom was every where fill'd with
them, and that you could not meet two
Perfons op the Road without one of them
a Follower of Wickliffe. But it was not
long before the King perceiv'd that he
had been impofed on, and that the Lol
lards were not, as they had been repre-

? Dc Eyentibus Angl. /. 5. fented,

prevent Superftition. 343
fented, difaffected to the State ; and from
that Time, to the End of his Reign, he
difeountenanced the Perfecution.
And happy for the Lollards, during
the Infancy of Henry VI. Princes of too
great Abilitys to make Perfecution the
chief Subject of their Care, had the Ad
miniftration of the Publick. And the lat
ter Part of his Reign, as the Begining
of that of Edward IV. was too much dif-
turbed by domeftick Troubles to have
the Affairs of Religion much regarded.
And tho Edward by Charter * in 1462,
ordered that no Royal Officer or Magi-
ftrate fhoul concern himfelf with the Fe-
loriys and other Tranfgreffions of the
Clergy, a Privilege his Predeceffors had
conftantly denied them, we do not find
that he encourag'd Perfecution. We may
fay likewife of the Reigns of Edward V.
and Richard III. that they two were very
unquiet ; and that the Storms which then
rag'd in the State, were a Shelter to the
Lollards, and skreened them from Bar
barity and Deftruction. One or other of
them however was from Time to Time
burnt; perfecuted they ftill were, fome
times more fometimes lefs, as the Tem-

* Rymer's Teedera, Tom. xi. p. 493.
Z 4 per

2 44 Revelation defign d to
per of their Enemys fuited with the Cir
cumftances of the Times. We have
indeed been told, that " the Begining
" of the 15th Century was much worfe
*c for thern than the Middle, or the End.
" The Rgafon is evident., For as their
" Number continually increafed, their
" Enemys found much lefs Countenance,
<e and they^themfelves more Protection *."
That their , Numbers continually increas'd,
is very certain; and the Inference drawn
from it, feems natural enough. But we
know the contrary to be true in Fact.
^or as the Light of the Gofpel began
more to appear, and the Number of its
true ProfefTors multiplied, the Violence
of Perfecution, and the Activity, of the
Enemys to Reformation, increas'd like7
wife. The Spirit of Popery was never
yet fo tame. as to be daunted at Num-r
bers. There were more burnt in the 24
Years of Henry Vllth's Reign, which conT
eluded the i$th and began the \oth Cen-
turys, than -from the Paffing the Ordi-^
nance touching Herefys to his Time»
which was almoft a Century. The for
mer part of his Reign was, infamous for;
the Crueltys acted by John Halfe Bifhop
of Litchfield and Coventry; and towards

* Mr, Rapine's State of the Church of the 15 Cent. the

prevent Superftition. 345
jhe End of it, the King gave orders,
that an old Prieft, he himfelf had con
verted at Canterbury, after the Clergy
had endeavour'd it in vain, fhould he
burnt as a Heretick *. Fires were al
moft continually lighted during his whole
Reign, for fuch of the Lollards as refus'd to
abjure ; and thofe of them who did, were
treated after a moft barbarous Manner.
Bearing of Faggots, Wearing reproach
ful Badges, confefling their pretended
Crimes at Churches and Markets, was
the fofteft Treatment any of them met
with ; fome were condemn'd to publick
Difciplines, and Fuftigations ; others had
their Cheeks branded with a. red- hot Iron,
or did perpetual Penance in Convents;
to take no Notice of the unnatural
forcing Children to light the Fire about
their martyr'd Parents. And yet I am
inclin'd to think that the like Barbaritys
were more frequent in the Reign of his
Son, Henry Vlll. I mean in that Part of
it before he had the Difference with the
See of Rome. There were no lefs than
feven burnt at Coventry in 1519 ; and
John Longland Bifhop of Lincoln caus'd fix
Perfons to be, burnt in 1521. forty eight

* Fox's A&s and Monuments, /. 67 j . and Mr. Fullers
Church Hift. /. iv./. 155. at

34^ Revelation defign'd to
at the fame Time abjuring, were con
demn'd to Variety of Punifhments. This
Bifhop was a great Perfecutor, and there
were fo many fuffer'd in his Time in
Buckinghamjhire, that 'tis faid of that
County, that it produc'd more Martyrs
and Confeffors, before the Time of Luther,
than all the Kingdom befides *. The
chief Rendezvous of the Lollards feems to
have been at Agmondefham, which was
famous in thofe Times for their Conven
ticles, as their Affemblys were reproach
fully call'd by their Enemys, but they
themfelves call'd Schools, either from the
School of Tyrannus, in which St. Paul
difputed -f, which was conceiv'd by them
to be prior to any material Cmjrch ; or
elfe becaufe their Manner of Teaching
was not in entire Difcourfes, but admit-
ed, upon Occafion, as in the Schools,
of interlocutory Oppofition j.
And let it be here remember 'd to the
Honour of thefe fuffering Lollards, that
they bore patiently the Diftreffes to which
they were expos'd by the Severity of the
State in paffing fuch Acts, and by the

* .Mr. Fuller's Church Hift. /. v. /. 163.
f Afts xix. 9.
X Mr. Fuller, ibid.
Zeal

prevent Superftition. 347
Zeal of their Enemys in executing, and
often exceeding the Letter of the Law j
J fay that they fuffered fueh Barbaritys,
without cafting any black or odious Co
lours upon the Government, without any
Moving oi" Sedition, or Exciting their
Fellow Subjects to Arms and Violence?
How much to be wifh'd is it, that the fame
Charader could be given of thofe who
have fince profefs'd the contrary Opini
ons. I need not fay what they have done
to difturb the Government, even where
they have not been the Hundredth part of
the People ; which was far from being
the Cafe of the poor Lollards, if we may
judge of their Numbers from Knygbton *,
or a Letter which Richard Fitz-James
Bifhop of London wrote, in 1515, to Car
dinal! Wolfey, to beg a mile profequi for
his Chancellor William Horfey, who was
found guilty by the Coroner's Inqueft qf
the Murder of Richard Hume in the LoU
lards Tower at St. Pauls, " Affur'd, I
fl am, fays he, if ray Chancellor be tried
" by any twelve Men in London, they be
fc fo malicioufly fet in Favorem heereticee
" Pravitatis, that they will eaft and con-
" demn any Clarke, tho he were as in-?
w nocent as Abel -j-."
* De Eventibus Angliae, /. 5.
f Fox's Acts and Monuments, /. 741.
The

3 4 ^ Revelation defign 'd to
.The Differences Henry VIII. after
wards had with the Pope, made the
Court at laft fall in with the general
Bent of the Nation, by which Idolatry
and Superftition were finally abolifh'd in
thefe Realms ; a bleffed Reformation from
Popery being brought about, thro' the
good Providence of God in the i6th Cen
tury, the Hiftory of which has been
wrote with great Accuracy and Faithful-
nefs, by Dr. Gilbert Burnet Lord Bifhop
of Salisbury,' now with God,
I shall farther obferve, that this Re
formation not only freed the Religion of
our Country from Superftition and Ido
latry, but from thofe Evils likewife a-
gainft which the Enemys of our Eftablifh-
ment are continually clamouring. The
Power. and Wealth of the Clergy, at which
they are fo very angry, were then reduced
to a very moderate Degree. As to the
Power, the Immunity of ecclefiaftical Per
fons was abolifh'd : The Laity were de-
liver'd from Impofitions, and from that
Slavery and Subjection into which they
had been brought, by having fuch Doc
trines obtruded upon them, as tended on
ly to promote the Temporal Greatnefs
and Dominion of the Papal See. The
Power of freeing Souls from Purgatory and

prevent Superftition. 340
and admitting them into Heaven, is
banifh'd the Proteftant Church, and nei
ther taught nor aim'd at by her Clergy.
Auricular Confeffion, which was calcu
lated to keep the People in Awe by let-,
ing the Priefts into the Knowledge of
their Secrets, is no longer pradtis'd ; nor
has the Clergy the Impiety to aim at an
undue Reverence and Refpect by pretend
ing to create their own God. Thefe
Things, with many others, contriv'd to
advance the fecular Greatnefs of the
Priefthood, were all of them happily abo
lifh'd ; and the Ufe of the Scriptures in
the vulgar Tongue reftored to the Peo
ple. In fhort, Religion was then left free
from Abfurdity, and Faith was no longer
overftrain'd, or requir'd to be implicit.
The Reformation has reduc'd Things to
fo juft a Medium, that if there be any
Offence to be taken at the Clergy, it
proceeds more from the Conduct of fome
particular Men, who would have given
at leaft equal Offence in any Light or
Situation, than from the Body. Had Po
pery ftill continued, there would have
been a fair Field for the Enemys of Re
ligion to let loofe their Wit and Satire ;
they might then with Juftice have cla-
mour'd againft the grofs Errors and Cor
ruptions of a Faith fo enormous. But
fince we have not fo learnt Chrift ; fince
3 neither

3 5 a Revelation defign'd to
neither thefe, nor any Things^. Of the
like Nature^ are left fubfiftihg in our
Eftablifhment, they ought to lay afidd
their Clamour and Obloquy, and treat
the Religfon of their Country at leaft
with common Decency;
But there may be fome, perhaps, who
think the Wealth of the Clergy a greater
Grievance than their Power. Let Us there
fore fee if our Reformers have left the
Laity any Reafon to malign or envy them'
upon that Account. They have ta^en
proper Care that Churchmen fhould not
make a Market or Advantage of the
Sins and Souls of the People ; and to
banifh all the pious Frauds which pro
duce fo great Gain and Profit to the
Clergy of the other Communion. The
Eftimate of their Poffeffions before the
Reformation has been carried to an ex
travagant Height, but as the Church
was theft depriv'd of what was thought
exorbitant, we fhall only enquire whe
ther their prefent Revenue be any thing
more than a proper and competent Sup
port, for thofe who have no other Main
tenance than Officiating at the Holy Al
tar. But firft give me leave to obferve,
that our Rulers muft (and let us with J°y

prevent Superftition. 351
Joy and Thankfulnefs acknowledge that
they do) know, that the beft Foundation
of Government, and the ftrongeft Tye of
human Society, is Religion. That 'tis
Confcience, not Policy, which is the
neverfailing Support both of King and
Kingdom ; which muft make the Prince
virtuous and good, and keep Subjects in
Obedience to him. This is the great
Prop which upholds the Safety, Peace
and Welfare of the Publick. And of this
human Laws can take no Cognizance;
Confcience can receive no Tye but from
Religion. 'Tis the Fear of God, not any
worldly Confideration, which is fufficient
to produce in us, at all Times, that Ho
nour and Obedience to our Governours
which is due to them ; and which binds
us to their Interefts with the ftricteft:
Bands of Allegiance. Religion then is
equally advantageous both to Prince and
People. Where fhe prefides, the juft Pre-^
rogative of the Prince on one hand and
the due Obedience of the People on the
other, and of confequence the Laws and
Libertys of the Nation, are equally fe-
cur'd. The Interefts therefore of Reli
gion are the fame with thofe of the Civil
Rights of Mankind. And agreeably to
this we find Anarchy and Deifm general
ly go Hand in Hand together ; and fuch
Perfons as fit lqofe to the Ties of Reli-
1 gion,

35 2- Revelation defigridto
gion, appear as boldly againft ..the Civil
Conftitution, as againft. the Religion of
-their Country. And we fhaJJ "generally
find, that he who is devoid of. a Senfe of
Piety towards Heaven, will be as free
from a Senfe of Duty to his Prince; , or
at leaft be held in by no other Reftraints
than thofe of Self-Intereft. Hence it is,
that the planting Religion as deep as
poffible in the Minds of the People, has
been recommended by the moft eminent
Politicians, even fuch as have themfelves,
for its own Sake, fhewn in their A&ions
very little Regard to its amiable Precepts;
They knew it to be for the Benefit of
human Society, that the higheft Obliga
tions fhould be laid on the Confciences
of Men : And as thefe could be had on
ly from Religion, they have made it their
Bufinefs to maintain and defend it, and
to oppofe and difcountenance all Atheifm
and Infidelity, and have animated and
encourag'd the Teachers and Profeffors of
Religion to the Performance of their Du
ty ; not only by their open Countenance
and Protection, but by making ample
Provifion for their Maintenance and Sup
port. And if this has been thought Wif
dom in the moft atheiftical Statefmen,
furely fuch as are fenfible of God's Pro
vidence, who know that the Events of
all their Enterprifes depend upon him
alone j

prevent Super/titlon. } 5 j
alone 3 fuch, I fay, rnufi\ make1 Religion
their firft and principal Care. They nei
ther can, nor will, refufe proper En
couragement, or a competent Mainte
nance* to thofe, whofe fole Bufinefs and
Employment it is to induce" their Subjects
to be good Men and good Chriftians, and
to fubmit to rightful Authority,, as well for
Wrath as for Confcience fake. Let us then
fee, whether the ProvifiOn the Publick
has made for our Clergy, exceeds What
is reafonable for fo ufeful a Body of Men*
whofe Labours are fo neceffary to prevent
Superftition and Idolatry from regaining.
the Footing which they have loft • and
who, without Prefumption, may be faid
reciprocally to return to the Publick no
inconfiderable Support for that which
they themfelves firft receive from it.
There are, 'tis true, fome few fhin-
ing Dignitys remaining in the Churchy
whofe Number and Revenue, together
with the Honours attending the Prelacy^
are the only Rewards the State has af-
fign'd for Learning^and may be faid to
he jufi fufficient to invite Parents to de
dicate their Children to the Service of
God and Religion* and to excite in them
an Emulation to excel in the Perfor
mance of their Duty. Experience fhews,
V o l. II, A a us^

354 Revelation defgnd td
lis, what Influence Honour and Profit
have on Mankind; and God Almighty
himfelf is pleafed by Rewards to encourage
us to the Performance of our Duty, and
Perfeverance in it : It is therefore requi-
fite that the Publick fhould take the fame
Method to encourage Men to undergo the
Fatigue of fo tedious and chargeable a
Courfe of Study, as is neceffary to qualify
them for holy Orders. And God be
prais'd, the Effect of the Recompence
has been always feen in the Advancement
of found Literature, (a Benefit of great
Confideration) and in the Probity, Learn
ing, and great Abilities of the Clergy of the
Church of England; which have been
fo apparent, that Foreigners acknowledge
them to excel thofe of other Proteftant
Countrys, where Avarice and Rapine
have fhorn the Fleece too clofely, and
have not left the like Inducements and
Rewards for Learning.
But excepting thefe few Dignitys,
what adequate Reward is there for fo la
borious and expenfive an Education ? 'Tis
but a few of our Parifhes which afford
even a bare Subfiftance for their Mini
fter. It appears from the Return made
to difcharge fmall Benefices from firft
Fruits and Tenths, that of 9000 Livings which

prevent Superftition. 355-
which there are in England and Wales,
there are upwards of 5000 which are
under 80 /. per an. upwards of 3000 un
der 40/. and above 1200, which are not
20/*. fo meart is the Provifion made
for above one half of our parochial
Clergy ; many of whom are forc'd to
take up with the fmalleft of thefe Sti
pends, who might have rais'd to them
felves great Riches, if half the Expence
of their Education had been laid out
in a different way. But can the largeft
of thefe Sums be efteemed a competent
Maintenance for the Family of a Man,
who is excluded by the Laws of the
Land from falling into any other Method
for Subfiftance than attending upon the
Altar? It may indeed be a Triumph to
Infidels, but it muft be an Affliction and
Offence to all fober and confiderate Minds,
to think of the Penury and Contempt,
and thofe PreffureS of adverfe Fortune,
(to take no Notice of the Want of the
many Affiftances neceffary to a ftudious
Life,) which muft be the Confequence
of fuch ftrait Circumftances. There is
no Reafon fure, that the Clergy fhould -j-

* See Mr.' Felon's State of the Bounty of Q^Anne, pi 249,
f 1 Cor. iv. n.
A a 2 even

3 5 6 Revelation defign'd to
even unto this prefent Hour participate of
the Apoftle's hard Fate, both hunger and
ihirft, and be naked and buffeted, and have
no certain Dwelling-place. And furely the
Labourer is worthy of his Hire.
I t muft be farther confider'd, that the
fmall Value of fuch a Number of Bene
fices, was much more tolerable under a
Popifh than it can be under a Proteftant
Eftablifhment. Their Chantrys, Obits,
Maffes, and the like, were a large and
frequent Addition to a fmall Income ;
and being prefcribed Celibacy, (the Free
dom from which is the only Thing the
Clergy has gain'd for affifting to bring
about the Reformation) Penury and Want
were not fo frequent, \nor, when it hap
pen'd, fo grievous to them as if they had
Families to fubfift from the fame parfi-
moniary Income, that would half ftarve
a fingle Man. But now, even the Of
ferings and cuftomary Dues for thofe Of
fices of the Church, which Religion juft
ly requir'd fhould be kept up, are not
only leffen'd, but in moft Places with
great Difficulty pay'd, and in fome entire
ly abolifh'd, which is a great Deduction
from the Relief formerly receiv'd. And
we have now liv'd to fee, thro' the Cold-
nefs of People to be put in Mind of their
Duty,

prevent Superftition. 357
Duty, at a Time when Reproof was moft
likely to be prevalent, that which was
the greateft Perquifite of their Office en
tirely gone out of Fafhion. I mean Fune
ral Sermons, which is a Lofs that would
have been very grievous to great Num
bers, had not Providence, to relieve their
Preffures, put it into the Heart of her
late Majefty (and it ought with Joy and
Gratitude to be remember'd) to fettle that
part of her Revenue which the Clergy
only were burden'd with, to aid their
Wants. This royal Bounty, as it has
been improv'd by the exemplary Gene-
rofity of feveral other pious Perfons, has
been already of great Advantage, where
the Maintenance was the moft infufficient,
But what Malice do the Enemys of Re
ligion fhew to the Clergy for being the
Objects of her Majefty's Liberality, tho
it be not fuppos'd to have amounted to
a third * Part of the Lofs they began
then to be fenfible of? While a large
Number of Parifhes, whofe Revenue are
under 10 1, per an. remain unaugmented,
they harangue againft the Queen's moft

* Funeral Sermons are fuppofed, in fome Years, to have
brought the Clergy in 40000 /. Mr. E3on tells us (Ibid.
/. 5!) that the Queen's Bounty at a Medium of 20 Years
amounts to 10.000 /. per. an.
A a 3 g™-

5 5 8 Revelation defign'd to
gracious Intentions; and defire that the
mifchievous Confequences of a perpetual
Fund may be immediately provided a-
gainft, and the Statute of Mortmain be
reinforc'd. But the prefent Hardfhips of
the inferior Clergy fhew thefe Complaints
to proceed not from Juftice, but, as one
would be tempted to think, from the En
mity they bear to the Religion they
teach. Let them be therefore more kind
and juft, or fpeak out and fay plainly
that their Defign is to difpirit them by
Penury and extreme Want, and to render
them defpicable, and make them unable
to ftand in the Breach, to maintain the
Caufe of Religion, confute Errors, or con
vince Gainfayers.
But let us fee what muft be the ne
ceffary Confequence of thefe Gentlemens
Labours, fhould they meet with Succefs
fui table to the Pains they take. It can't
well be fuppos'd that Mankind fhould
live without any Religion at. all. The
moft then that the Enemys can flatter
themfelves with effecting, muft be, either
to change one Religion for another, which
can never gratify their Defigns againft a
Clergy ; for fo long as there is a Religion
of any Kind fubfifting, there muft be an
Order of Men appropriated to its Service ¦

prevent Superftition. 359
or elfe to make Men generally cold ahd
unconcern'd as to the Intereft of any,
And on this laft Account it is, that the
Deifts have been always affifted by the
Forces of the Church of Rome ; which,
next to the eftablifhing of Popery, has
ever been moft follicitous to introduce
and propagate Infidelity. If her Advo
cates could make this Coldnefs general,
they very well know, their Bufinefs is half
done ; for they will be fure to attack
with Vigour, what then will be defended
with Indifference ; and what muft be the
Confequence ? Why, thefe Gentlemen who
are continually inveighing againft Superfti-
tion and Prieftcraft, would find what they
clamour againft, break in upon them like a
Torrent, attended with a Train of abro--
gated Superftitions, and fuch a real Prieft-
ly Yoke, as would be as unfupportable to
us, as it was to our Forefathers. And thus,
as one Extreme naturally produces another,
out of the Dregs of Infidelity, the moft
enormous Faith would probably arife, and
all that thefe People pretend to fear,
and even much worfe, would come up
on us. Nor is this fo unlikely a Con
fequence, as fome may apprehend, if we
reflect on the prefent notorious Affiduity
of the Papifts, and how particularly they
agree with our Deifts, in their darling
A a 4 Point,

1 60 Revelation defign'd to
Point, that of decrying the holy Scripr
tures. As thefe reject them under pretence
of human Impofitions, thofe depreciate and
run them down to the utmoft of their
Power, left they fhould be receiv'd as a
cornplete Rule of Faith. Father Simon
is not their only Writer, who has endea-
vour?d to prove the facred Text uncer
tain. Their Council of Trent decreed *
that np greater Deference fhould be pay'd
to the holy Scriptures, than to the ab-
furdeft Part of the ApQchryphql Writings,
or unwritten Trad jtion, of which even the
catholick Church, much lefs that of Rome,
js not afure Preferver; and has ftill farther
depreciated their Authority, by fubftitut-
ing a humane -f. Tranflation into the Place
of the divine Original, and by command
ing their own Interpretation to be receiv'd
with the fame Refpect as either, And, it
may be, at laft of all, confidering, as we
hinted, the prefent notorious Activity of
the profeffed Roman Cathqlfcks among
us, that many Popifh Miffionarys are min^
gled, as heretofore^ in Mafquerade with
{he Infidel Croud, and affault, in Cpnjuncr

f Primum Decretum 4/a? Seffionis. See Father Paul,
1.2. " '"
¦J- Secundum Decretum \t# Seffionis. fipri

prevent Sfiperftition. $6\
fion with them, the Fundamentals of
Chriftianity, that while the Governors
pf our Church are bufied in maintain^
ing them, they may reap the more plen
tiful Harv^ft. A Gentleman now lately
dead, who was profeffedly at the Head
pf thefe E,nemys of Revelation, and who
was the reputed Author of the * Treatife
I have fo often refer'd to, did actually in the
Reign of King James II -j\ profefs the Re
ligion of the Church of Rome ; and fhould
therefore have given us fome better Rea
fon than he has done, to think that 'tis
really the Intereft of Infidelity, and not
of Popery, which was his ultimate View.
'Tis certain, that the Increafe of both of
them is very juftly complain'd of; and I
fhall conclude with affirming, that there
cannot be a more likely Method to hin->
der the Growth of either, than to place
an able Clergy amongft the People ; and
an able Clergy can never be expected
without a proper Maintenance and Sup-<
port for them. And fuch as fhall infi->
nuate it to be any Reflection upon the
Preachers and Maintainors of Chriftianity,

* Chriftianity as old, &c .
t Second Defenfe of the Rights of the Christian Church,
f. 172. that

362 Revelation defign'd to
that they are paid for doing it, I fhall
anfwer in the Words of an. Author, who
is an Ornament to his Profeffion, and
to the Caufe of the Chriftian Religion,
which he has fo ftrenuoufly defend
ed. " The * Fact is true, and it is an
" Honour to the Clergy, that they are
" paid by the Publick. It is an Argu-
" ment that what they teach, is con-
" formable, in the main, to the general
" Sentiments of the wifeft and beft Men
" amongft us, is the Senfe of the Legifla-
" ture, and Voice of the whole Nation;
lf not private Perfwafions : A Circum-
" ftance, as I conceive, very much in
" their Favour, and; other Things fup-
" pofed equal, a Prefumption that Truth
" is with them, rather than the con-
" trary. Befides, fuch publick Allotments
" are fo many Teftimonys given to the
<c Dignity and Ufefulnefs of their Mini-
<c ftry, like as in other ufeful and ho-
" nourable Employments, Civil and Mi-
" litary. And what can be the Reafon
" that Deifm, which has fubfifted now
" for 2000 Years, or more (reckoning
" from the Days of Epicurus) fhould
" never yet meet with any Kingdom or

* Dr. Waterland's 2d Charge, p. 66, ." State,

prevent Superftition. j6?
*¦* State, among Pagans, Jews, Mahome-
f ' tans, or Chriftians, that fhould judge it
f a Thing proper to be fupported at the
" publick Charge, or worth the reward-
<c ing ? I forbear to fay more. Let thofe
" Gentlemen then go and tell it abroad
" as much or as often as they pleafe,
" that the Minifters of Chrift are paid
" for defending Chriftianity, or hired to
*' do it (for fo they love to exprefs it * ;)
" it is all very well, fo long as the La-
,e bourers are worthy of their Hire -f.
" And when thofe other Gentlemen fhall
f pleafe to produce any Thing as ufeful
" to Society as Chriftianity is, and as
" beneficial to Mankind, here and here-
" after, then may They alfo reafonably
*c hope for the like Honour of be-
<c ing paid by the Publick for it. It
" is neither mean, nor blame-worthy,
*c in the general, to take Rewards for
11 good Services ^ but it is always a Fault
" to ferve as Volunteers in bad ones.
" Thofe that defend Chriftianity, do the
" Thing that is right (whatever their
" Motives be) while thofe that either
<l corrupt it, mutilate it, or difcard it,

* Chriftianity as Old, tiff. p. 165, 233, 234, 305.
¦\ Luke x. 7. «' d®

3 64 Revelation defign 'd, Sec.
" do wrong, which makes a fenfible Dif-
" ference. As to Motives, here or there,
" the favourable Prefumption will al-
<c ways lie on the Side of the Religi-
" ous, that their Motives are not meer-
<c ly fecular, becaufe they believe in a
" Judgment to come, which their Ac-
<c cufers defpife. Chriftians may act pure-
" ly upon fecular Motives, but Infidels
" of courfe will: Therefore let them
«c not reproach us on this Head."

TABLE O F T H E
Places of Scripture
Occafionally explain dot refer'd to.

C. V.

V. P.

ch. r.

V. P.

GENESIS.

xiii. 18.

1. 216

i. 17.

1. 36
xiv.- 5.
1. 92
ii. 3.
1. 18
20.
1. 282
iii. 8, 21.
1. 17
xv. 19.
1.309
"5-
»• 39
xvii. 7.
1. 48
'9> 34>
55-
2. 21
10, 11.
i. 42
iv. 3, 4.
1. 281
xviii. 6.
1. 136
4*6,9,
•4.
16.
1. 17
19.
1. 68
-22.
1. 91
23.
1. 58
V. 22.
1. 17
xxi. 33.
1. 40, 216
vi. 3, 7, 12
.
ibid.
xxii. 2.
i- 216
vi. 5.
I. 20
xxv. 1, &c.
1. 68
II.
>• 7
xxvi.
2. 7
vii. 1.
1. 17
xxviii. 18.
1. 125, 282
ix. 3, 4.
1. 6
19.
2. 77
4-
t. 242
22.
1. 282
xi. 31.
1. 38
xxxi. 30.
2. 2£
Xii. 3.
1. 39
xxxv. 2.
1.282
s-
1. 38
2, 3= 4'
1. I37
7-
1. 40
4-
I. I27
9-
1. 62
xxx vii.
1. »3*
16.
t
58, 216
xxxviii.
1. 172
17.
1. 66
xxxix.
1* 13? xli.
A TABLE o/Texts.
ch. r. v. p. cb. v. r. p.
xli. i. 133 28. 2. 93
xiii. 9. 1. 271 xxiv. 4. 1. 161
xlvi. 10. 1. 304 xxv. 9. 2. 9'
28. 2. 14 22. i. 156
34. 1. 272 *xxvi. i. 1. 302
xlvii. I-I33 xxv»i' 3°- 1.156
6. i- 134 Xxix. 42. ibid.
xlix. 1. 158 xxx. 15. 1. 87
EXODUS. xxxii. 1. 2-74
i. 11. 2. 150 4. 2. 74, 75
ii. 10, 24. I-I39 5.6,7,17,18. 2. 76
iii. 11. 1. 149 27,28,35. z. 79
iv. 10, 14, 24. ibid, xxxiv. 13. 1. 220
16. i. 6 26. 1. 273, 276
v. 1, 3. 1. 282 27. 1. 160
vi. 15. 1.304 LEVITICUS.
vii- 1. 2. 6 i. 2, &c. 1.178,191,279
viii. 26.' 1. 189 16. 1. 233
xi. 8. 1. 149 ii. 1. 1. 178
xii. 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 46. 11. 1. 192
1. 201, &c. 13. 1. 193
38. 1. 140 iii. 17. 1. 242
40. I-I37 v"- z&, 27. ibid.
4.9. 1. 313 xi- 1. 196
xiii. 12. 2. 116 xii. 8. I. 192
17,18. 1. 172 xiv. 6, 49. i. 214
xv. 20. 1.282 22,30. 1. 192
26. 1. 175 xvi. 2. 1. 156
xvi. 35. 1. 303 xvii. 3. 1. 245
xvii. 14. 1. 160 4, 13. 1. 246
xviii. 12. 1. 28i 7. 2. 1 ;
xix. 4, 5. 1. 175 10, &c. 1.242
10, 11, 16, &c. 1. 152 xviii. 3. 1. 180'
xx. 1. 173 9. 1. 272
4. 1. 36 21. 2. 115, 116"
23. 2. 73 xix. 10, 33, 34. 1. 315
24,25,26. 1.229 26, &G. 1.241,242,
25. ' I- 178, 279 245, 252, 257,
SSxii. 21. I-3I5 &vol. 2. 100}
xxiii. 2, 4. 1. 272 130, 138, 142,
9. 1. 315 144,145,146,
13-- '• 35 148,150.
19. 1.273,275,276 xx. 2. 2.116,162'
21. 1. 40 6. 2. i4z,i45>t5o: XXf

A TABLE o/Texts.

Cb. V.
Xx. 23, &c.
27. 2.
xxi. 5. 1.
..?•
xxiii. 22.
xxiv. 14.
22.
xxv. 21.
xxvi. 1.
6, 27.
3°-
41.
NUMBE

V. P.
1. 180
142, 150
253. 257
2. 101
i- 3'5
1. 211
1. 313
1. 157
1. 125
2. 148
I. no

VI. I. 2.
vii. 89.
xi. 10, &c.
xii.
xv. 15.
36.
xvi. xix. 1,3,5,6,7,8,9 21 1,
XX. 12.
xxi. 8.
29.
Xxn.
XXV. 1,2, 3 .
xxv. 3.
I7»i8.
xxvii. 1.
7-
14.
xxviii. xxxii. 38.
xxxiii. 52.
xxxv. 15.
DEUTERO
1. 16.
ii. 5, 9, 19.
iv. 6.
7,8.

1. 47
RS.
1. 279
1. 178
1. 156
1. 149
1. 156
1. 313
1. 211
1. 156
1.149
. 1. 210,
212, 213.
1. 149
2. 125
2. 65
1. 286
2. 4
2. 16
2. 17
1. 157
1. 173
1. 149
1. 282
2. 9
1. 220
1. 315
NOMY.
1. 315
1. 68
1. 284
1. 279

Ch. V.
15, &c.
18.
v. 8.20.
vii. 20.
..25-
viii. 11.
x. 16. 18, 19.
xii. 2.
3-11, &c.
23, 24.
3°-3°>3i-
xiv. 1, 2.
, 21.
23.
XV. 20.
xvi. 2, 6.
7- 22,.
xvii. 2, Sec

¦••7k
xviii. 6.

10.
II. 12.
13,14.
xxi. 3, &c.
»5-
xxii. 5.
xxiii. 3, 4.
i7- 18.
xxiv. 14.
xxv. 5.
xxvi, 2.
5- 1 1.
12, 13,

V. P.
1. 36,i89,&2.6i 2. 150
1. 173, 174
1. 36
1. 190
2- 93
1. 189
2. 149
i- 46
1. 315
1. 220
1-125 1. 246
1. 235,247 1. 181
1. 189
1.257
1.273,276 1. 220
ibid.
ibid.
I. 204
1. 125
I. 36
I. 220
2. 2IO
I. 220
I. l8l
2. Il6
2. I48, 150
2. 149
2- 137
I. 207
2. 2IJ
I. 103
2. I7
2. IOI, 109
2. IO§
I. 315
\. 172
I. 220
I.304I. 3IJ
I. 265
xxvi.

A TABLE 6/Texts.

Cb. V.
xxvi. 14.
xxviii. 43, 44.
xxix. 16, 17.
xxx. 6.
xxxi. 9, &c.
n.
19, &fc.
22, 25, 26-
xxxii .-16, 17.
50.
xxxiii. 2.
JOSHUA
i. 7, 8.
ii. 9.
v. 1. 9-12.
vi. 26.
viii. 30, &c.
xi. 3.
xiii. 17.
xv. 8.
10.
Xx. 9.
xxiii. 6.
7-
xxiv. i.
12.
14.
H-
30,33- _,,„
JUDGES.
i. 35.
ii. 9.
ui. 3.
4- 5,&c.
7-
VI. 21. 25, 28. 2.
27.

r. p.

Cb. V.

r.fr

1.266

vii. 16, &c.

2. 29

1.315

viii. 22,23,26^27.

2; 3d

2. 72

¦ 27' ,

2. 124

r. 47

ix. 4; 46;

2. 3^

I. 101

x. 7.

2- 35

I. 220

xi. 1.

2. 101

I. 166

24.

2. 65"

I. l6l

xvi. 27.

2. 56

i. 138

xvii. 2, &c. 2

. 18,19,24

i.238

Xviii.

2. 24

1- 152

«7» 3°* ji-

2- 25

30. ,

2. 78

t. 162

1 SAMUEL.

1.286

iv. 8.

2. 49

1.304

v. 3, 4.

2. 56

I. 58

vi. 1.

129, 286

I.303

vii. 5.

2. 35

1:158

ix. 2'.

2. 41

I. 162

xi. 5. 1.134.&

2. 41

1:309

xv. 28:

2. 44

2. O

. 35-

2. 4$

2. l6l

XIX. 13, i,6;

2. 21

»• ,35

xxi. 7.

I. I35

1.315

xxii. 9.

ibid.

1. 162

xxiii. 9, &e.

»' 157

1. 36

xxviii. 3, 7, 8, 9.

2.145

»• 37

6.

'•^57

2- 93

6, 7.

2. 3?

1. 138

9-

2. 36

i. 21

n.

2. 38

1.238

12, 13, ii.

2. 42

14,15.

»¦ 39» 43

1. 35

i6j&c.

2. 44

1. 36

19.

2. 145

2. 26

20.

2. 40*

t. 309

xxix. 10.

2. 4$

1. 162

xxx. 1, 2.

ibid:

1. 310

7,&c;

1- 157

2. 26

xxxi. 7.

2. 46

2. £9

lb.

I. 01

2. 3»

2 SAMUEL.

28,34

i. 24.

1. *si_

2. 32

v. an

I. IZ?

2, 29

yiii. h

J. 28/ xii.

A TABLE of Texts,1
c». v. r< p. cl v, r. p.
wi» 8. 2. 213 xviii. 2^, 2. 124
33- *• 51 xix- I' 286
1 KINGS. xx. 2. j. 232
*i. 3. 1. 162 12. j, 34
iv. 34. I. 288 xxL 6, 2. 160
v. 7. ibid. 7. 4. 28, t44
viii. 44, &Ci I. 232 8. I. 162
x. 1. ii 290 xxiii. 3. It 91
9. K 288 5. 1. 30
xi. 4. 2. 46 61 a. 28
5,&c. 2. 47,48 7. 2. 102
5, 33. 1. 99 ib. 2. 161, 162
iW3i- 2. 66 11. 2.127,129
xii. ibid. 12. I. 221
26, &G. 2.67,75,76,77 13, lil89
xiii. 1. 159 25. 1. 162
4,5. 2. 80 1 CHRONICLES.
xiv. 2, &C. 2. 85 V. 8. 2

2. 9
I. 296

21, &C. £.98,99,100 26.
xvi. 34. I. 158 X. 13. 2. 145, 150
xviii. 2. 83 xiv. 17. 1. 287
19. 2. 82 xvi. 40. 1. 163
26. I. 41 XX. 2, 2. 51
28. 1.85,256 xxvii. 1. 134
xix. i8k~ 1. 98 2 CHRONICLES.
Xx. 2. 7 ii. 12. 1. 288
23. 1. 217 17. < tt 316
xxi. 26; 2. 81 ix. 8, 26. 1. 288
xxii; 17, &<S; 2. 84 xi. 13, Sec. 2. 77, 78* 98
38. ibid. xii. J. 2. 98
4 KINGS. . 2. 2. 114
i. 2. 2. 89 5, &c. »W,
16. 2. 95 xv. 3. 3. *g
iii. 4. 1. 134 xvi. 12. 2. 87
V. 1.286. & 2. 85 xvii. 9. 1.163
Viii. 8. 2. 85 xxi. 11. 2. 101
18. 2. 13 xxiii. 18. 1. 16$
Xvi. 2. 119 xxv. 41 ibid.
%. 2. 115 xxvi. id. 1. 134
Xvii. 6. 1.296. & 2. 95 xxviii. 2, Sec. 2.114,115
IO. 2. -'27 5,6. 2.121,122
30. a, 102 xxxii. 31. 1. 34
31. 2. 49 xxxiii. 3, &c. 2.126,145.
iviii. 3. 2. 123 »69
Yu.B. 8W **^

A' TABLE i/TT&XTs.

<fik v.

V, P.

ck n v. p.

xxxv. 13.

1. 204

xii. 5^ 1.255

'J 25.'

1. 255

SOLOMONV SONG.

- EZRA.

ii. 8,9,17. 1. 92

vi. 1 8.*

1. 163

iv. 1, 2, 5, ' ibidi

vii. 6.

ibid;

vi. 5, 6. ibid.

hs.'t.~l ~- V-

1. 180

vii. 3.= ibid.

• NEHEMIAH.

viii: 1 4. v ibid.

3a* 3. • * _

i. 163

i ISAIAH.

*.v29,34,36.

ibid.

v. ' 2. 121

xiii. 1 1

ibid.

Vii. 2. 121; 123

xiv. 16.

2. 60

6. 2. 121

ESTHER

17.- '2. 123

iii. 8. i.j

82, 291

viii. ibid.

JOB.

12. 1.266. & 2.

iv. 3;

1. I7O

144, 145

Xviii. 15.

I. 69

ix. 6. 1. 40

xxx. 8, 1 8, 1*9.

I. 70

xv. 2. 1. 251. & 2. 64

Xxxi. 26, 27.

I. 28

xvii. 8. 1. no

28.

I. 7©

xviii. 2. 1. 263

Xxxviii1. 1.

¦ ibid.

xix. 3. 2. 145, 150

Xiii. 5.

ibid.

xxvii. 9. 1. no

> ;'-i5';

I. 173

xxx. 33. 2. 161

PSALMS

xxxix. 1. i-34
*. 7.-
I. 232
xliv. 1. 159
xix. 4.
I. 128
19. 1. 189
Ii. 16, 17.
I. 181
xiv. 1. 159
Ixxvii. 60.
2. 25
xlvi. 7. 1. 129
Ixxviii. 51.
1. 86
lxv. 4. 1. 270
lxxx. 1.
1. 156
Ixvi. 3. 1. 241
lxxxii. 6.
a. 6
17. 1.276. & 2. 6
Ixxxiii. 7.
2. 52
JEREMIAH.
xciv. 6.
1. 315
1. 156
ii. 17, 18. 1- 138
xcix. t.
iii. iOi 2. 169
cv. 23, 27.
t. 86
iv. 4. 1. 47
24.
2. 16
vi. 10: ibid.
ivi. 20. 2
- 74. 75
vii. 6. 1. 315
22.
1. 86
18. 1. 113. & 2. 54
28. 1.266. & 2. 9, 10
21. 1. 181
37»38-„
2. 162
22,23, 24. 1. 177
Cxlvi. 9.
1. 315
31,32. 2. 160, 161
PROVERBS.
ix. 7. i> 255
xxi. 1.
1. 306
26. 1.47,252
ECCXESIASTES.
26, 27. 1. 58
^.9.
1. 134
X. 2, 2. 131
X. II.
A TABLE ofTlXTs.

a>. K

V. P..

Ch, V. V. P.

X- M.

1. 291

xxiv. 17. ;i. 260

xi.

2. 169

xxvii. 31. 1.^251

xii.

ibid.
xxx. 14, i&. 1. 87
Xvi; 5,7.
1. 260
xxxi. 18. 1, 58,
6,7.
1. 254
xxxii.. 19, &c. ibitL
x«. 5»
2. 161
xxxiii. 25, 26. 1. 240, 242
6, n,
Sec.
ibid.
xliii. 17. 1. 230
»3-
1. 221
xliv. 7. x-47
xxii. 3.
1. 315
DANIEL.
18.
l, 255
iv. 2, &c 1 . igt
xxv. 23.
1. 252
vi. 10. 1. 232
xxxii. 35.
1. 98.
& 2. 48
26. 1. 291
xxxix. 11.
1. 291
viii. 1. 159
xli- 5.
1. 254
ix. n, 13. i 1. 163
xliv. 17.
2. 54
24. 1. 158
r I7» 18,
19.
1. 113
28,29. ¦*¦ z9*
HO SEA.
xlvi. 25.
1. 87
xlviii.
2. 9
iii. 4. 2. 21, 23
7>i3-
2. 65
iv. 13. 1. 218
,17.
1. 255
14. X. 14, 10$
"¦ 37-
1. 254
16. 2. 5
xUx. v, 3.
2. 50
ix. 4. 1. 260
32.
1. 252
IO. 2. It
1.7.
1. 291
x. 5, 8. 2. . 78
,iEZEK EEL.
xiii. ii. 2. 35
i. 2, &c.
1. 291
AMOS.
vi. 10;
ibid.
i. 15. 2. jo
vii; 15.
ibid.
v. 16. . 1. 349
viii. 3, 5,
14, 16.
2. J70
26. 1. 128. & 2. .5.3
' JO.
2. 171
MICAH.. ¦
14.
I. 89
vi. 7. 2. 166
16.
I. 231
ZEPHANIAH.
xvi. 6.
2. 102
i. 5. 1. 221
, 26.-
I. 139
ZECHARIAH.
39.
2. 101
vii. 10. 1. 315
xviii. 6, 1 1
I. 242
X. 2. 2. 21, 22
xx. 7, 8, n
5.
I. 139
xi. 17. 2. 79
? 10,11,
24,25.
1. 176
MALACHI.
xxi. 21.
2. 21, 22
iii. 5. I. 315
xxii. 9.
I. :242
iv. 4. 1. 165
29.
I. 315
.1 ESDRAS.
xxiii. 3, 8,
19.
I- 139
i. 12. i. 204
. i.
ibid.
iv. 58. 1. 23a
Bb 2
. &? m@bi3.e- of mm t*.
*Cb:\F. 'W. P. C. V. V. P.
j^a .« TOBIT. .- vi. 14. 2.183
i. J.. r„AI2HH \:At. 78. vii- 26. , ¦• 1-304
t^siii. 3, 4. ii 2S91 ' Xii. 26. 1. 14a
ess .i .JUDITH.8 xvi_iS. , 2. 189
.{..v.R. ^ 37- LUKE. •?
? . ,-vt WISDOM.: i 79. 2. 193
^ xi- IJ, 16. t. 93? iv. 25. :«. 83
xg. 8. ' ¦> " : 2 H.<| »&</.f x. 7, z. ,363
jvs 25. 2- 92- xi.,15. 2. 88
xiii. 2, 3, O Vi. 26, xiii. 18, &c. 2. 233
xiv.- 15. > i- 74 xxiv. 49, z. 191
18; r.i?.i;i 1. 126 JOHN.
y;»vi.I. 2. 93 Hi. 19. ,. t'-BJ
E ECCLESIASTICUSr y;',o,i6, 2-183
vyij. 14. 1. 85 viii. 56. 1, 45
pj^lviii. 24. ?.i22 xii; jz. 2. 23X
BARUCH. .46. 2. r93
- yi. 4, 16. 1,129 xix. 20. i. 304
28. 1. 201 ACTS.
; 3>> 32. »» 251, 260 U. 5. 1. 319
42. 2. 107 + 9, &c. 1. 297
„ . 43, 2. 105 iii. 6. >. 236,
;:.t 1 MACCABEES. vii. 2, 3. 1. 38-
i 15- i. 49 . ' 20,22, 1. 139
60,61. 1. 48 39. I, 179
rvi. 2. 1. 95 ; -43. 3.. 53
xii. 21. i- 311 vjii. X. 230
2 .MACCABEES. 27. 2. 219
r, i. IO. • I. 30O X. 2, 22. I. 319
tr '3- '• 95 34.35- 2.230
r VI, 7. I. 200 XI. 25, 26, 27. , 2. 221
;-v .MATTHEW, xii. 25. , ibid.
' v. 44.- 2.208 xiii. 4, 13, 14, 50. cte£
48, 2. 213 II. Zi 236
vi-7-Ji;; »• 8| 16. 1. 319
,..a. 23. 1-255 xiv. 6. 2. 221
34? i 2.183 ,8,&c. 2.184,236
: X. 25.. X-,89 34,25,26. , ,2.222
xii. 24i, j. : ,2. 88, 183 xv. 29. I. 243
VXV. 3.Z. 1. 304 . 39,41. 3.. 222
xvi.i^'^Jj. s- 233 xvi, 1, 6, 7. ibid.
MATRK. ,. io,ii4. s. ,224
iii- 22. 2. 88 18. 2. 236
i> $• 4:' ,i!- 25S. *v«- i» 10, r6. 3* 324

A TABLE $VT ex t\s.

-ckv. r. p.
Xviii. i. _J5. 224
0 t8, 19, 24, 23. 2V£2.2
xixii. 5: ibid.
6. ' 2j 230
9. ?1UJ 2. 346V
; ¦¦: 24- i. 127
8 31. ¦•, 1*. 146
XX. I. 2. Z24
L 6. 2. 222'
i 14, iy. • ¦-' 2.223
-xxL 1, 3, 7, 8, 17. *<*/.
xxii. ziV HO 2. 221
xxv. 11. z. Z25?
xxvii. 2. ibid.
xxviii. 1, 30. ibid.
:i _ ROMANS.
i. 23, 24, 28. 2.212,281
ii.io,&c. 1.317. &2, 254
X. 18. 2. 231
Xi. 4- *• 99
13. 2. 221
XV. J4, 24, &c. 2. 225
16. 2. 221
t CORINTHIANS.
i. 5, 6, 7. 2. 230
_ 20, &c .2. 234
ii. 4. 2. 192
iii. 17. 2. 214
iv. ii. 2. 355
vi. 9. 2. 181
13, 14. 2. 214
19. 2. 213
¦ viii. 5. 1. 41
X. 7. 2. 181
8. 2. 16
2 CORINTHIANS.
iy. 7. 2. 234
GALATIANS.
'• >6, 17, l8. 2. 221
; I9. 2. 2l8
ii. 7. 2. 219, 221
Hi. 19, 1. 179
iv. 10. 2. 132
Y*3. ». 279

cb:v. r{;pt
V. 19, &C, a! z. ail
.EPHESIANS. '
i. 3. j» rz; 230
iii. 8.:; ag :,_ 2. 221
'v. 3- 2. 214
s.^ogs- a.j#t,xi5
PHILIPPIANS/9*
i. 24. 2. 225
l COLOSSIANS^
i. 23. r «. 231
r THESSALONIANS.
iv-7, 8. 2. 215
v. 3. 2. 193
21. 2. 247
27. 2. 239
1 TIMOTHY.
iv, 44. 2. 230
2 TIMOTHY.
i. 6, 7. z. 230
11. 2. 221
ii. 21. 2. 214
iv. 12, 13. - 2. 223, 225
17. 2. 221
TITUS.
iii. 12. 2.225
14. 2. 225
HEBREWS/
ii. 3,4. z. 216
x. 5,6. 1. 17?
**• 7- ~ „ ,- *• *9
24, 25, 26. 1. 149
JAMES.
V. 17. 2. 8*
i PETER.
i. 1. 2. 219
2 PETER.
ii. 5. 1. 19
t JOHN.
iii. %. 2/180
REVELATIONS.
i. 4. 2. 219
xvii. 5. J. 23
tu 14. '»• 23
* INPE

.-•»

INDEX.

[N. ~B. The Letters (hew the Volume:
The Figures, the Pages of each.]

A.
A A R O N fit up the Wbrfiip of the Golden Calf:
ii. 74. his' Idolatry pumjtfd. ii. 79
Abas, King of Perfia, a fleafant Story of bit
Gardiner. ii. 136
Abomination, the Scripture Expreffion for Idols.
i. 1S9, 241
Abortion allowed of by Aii&otle. ii. zoz
Abraham {Patriarch) bred up in Idolatry, i. 37. Goes
fromUi to Haran and afterwards into Canaan, i. 38,
" ' ' the Patriarch of Refugees. i._39- Builds Altars and
offers Sacrifices, i. 63. . %he promife of a Meffiah made
V " ( to him, and, why. i. 39. Offefd up his Prayers thri
"V a Mediator, i. 40. His Manner of Life adapted t§
, reform the World, i. 62. Reafon of his removing jnt*
^S Egy.pt. i. ,64,66. JofephusV CbaraSer of him. i,
63." Famous in Turkey, Perfia, and the ladies. ^..65,
*'" "fibe Account which profane Writers have given of him.
i. 64, 65. His Cb(ldrep. , i i. 67, 68
9l{c huibs, .the Reafon why Homer compares his 'Myrmi-
. dorisft a Fly. 'i-94
Ms of the Apoftles, a fu/lProofoflhe Truth of Chriffitmitfc "• 23S
Afts of Parliament, their Difference from Ordinances of far,
liamtnt. ii. 3og? 328. Of$ Riciardll. cb. 5. ii. 305. Qf

INDEX.
Of 2 Henry IV. ch. 15. ii. 322. differs greatly from
the Record, ii. 329. Jh.JJteration.madeJyJi.MUhe
Common Law. ii. 3*0
Ad am, his State at his Creation.— 1.-3, Sec. AHitviour
promised him. ibid, had no Navel. i. 1 8
Adonis. (See Osiris.^ a Name given to Ham. i. 88
His Feftivals, how obferv'd. i. 248. His Death an-

a l- 249
Adonis, a River fi calPd. i. 258
Adramelech, an Idol of the Sepharvaites. ii. 49
Adultery allowed of by Ariftippus. ii. 203
^6tpt. See Egypt.
^iian, miftakes the Jcwifh Temple at Heliopolis for E-
gyptian. - i. 301
JEneks attends the Sybil to Hell. i. 239
Afflictions, not to be borne, as they ought, without Chriftian
Principles, ii. 209. are, in Truth, Bleffings. ii. 210
A G A N 1 c E imposed on the Theffalian Women. ii. 154
Agmondesham, the chief Rendezvous of the Lollards. ii. 346
Ahab, King of Ifrael, marries Jezebel, Daughter of Eth-
baal, King of the Sidonians. ii. 81. Introduces Ido
latry, ibid, dies in his Sins. ii. 84
A h a d, the Name of a Deity. ii; 6
Ahaz, King of Judah, the moft impious Prince that ever
fat on the Throne, ii. 114. dedicated his Children to
Moloch, ii. 116. puniflfd for his Wickednefs. ii. 121,
1 22. The Heathens were acquainted with the Sun's
going back upon his Dial. i- 34
Ahaziah, King of Ifrael, a very wicked Man. ii. 84.
fends Meffnegers to Baal-Zebub. ii. 85
Aleigenses, one of them burnt here. ii. 300
Alcoran attefts the Truth of our Saviour's Miracles. ii. 185
Alcuinus, ordered to carry his Book againft Image-Wor-
fhip to the Court of Trance. if. 277
Allegory, the ufual Embellijbment of antient Writers, i. 82.
Not us'd in explaining the heathen Theology before Chriftia
nity. i- 10;
Aleppo^ an old heathenijh Cuftom now praiJis'd there, i. 258
Ax EXANDRIA, the chief Quarter of it inhabited by Jews.
i. 298
Alexandrian MS. was taken before the Original Copy t
of the Scriptures were loft. ii- 24*
Altar. Jeeloioa mV, miraculoujly rent. »• 80
Solomon*/, had Steps oh the Euft Side of it. i^ 230
Altars,

INDEX,
Altars tbi Perfians did not build any. i. 79'
Altars of the Heathens, Three Sorts of them. i. 234. bad
their Steps on the Weft Side. i. 231. were very High.
i. 221. en the Tips of Houfes. ibid, dedicated to alt
the Gods. i. 95
Am AM A, Sex TIN us, his Account of an Archbijkop of
Metz. ii. 291
AmbaiTariors-/to by tea in Veffels ofBulrujhes. i. 263
America, how firft peopled, i. 228. A tradition of the
Flood in the different parts of it. i. 167
A mm o N I A, a Name given to Naamah . i. 90
Ammonites inftruiled in the true Religion. i. 68
A m o n, or Ammon, a Name given to Ham. i. 85
A N A c E s, a Name given to the Tyndaridse/ran their being
defcended from the Anakims. i. 285
Anamelhch, an Idol of the Sepharvaites. ii. 49
Anaxagoras condemn'd by the Athenians/or holding the
Sun to be a Mafs of Fire, and the Moon a habitable
Earth. i. 1 09
Andraste, or Asraste, a Britifh Goddefs, the
fame with Naamah. i. 94
Angels, Fallen, fuppofid by the Jews to be the Gods qf the
Heathens. ii. 89
Animals confecrated to the Gods of Egypt, i, 187. befert
the Time of Mofes. i. 189. the great ReJpeS paid to
them. i. 188. why diftinguijh'd into clean and unclean. i. 190
Anne, £>ueen (/England, her Bounty to the Clergy, a
feafonable Relief. ii. 357
Richard Ws. £)ueen, a Favourer oftht Lollards, ii. 34!
Antediluvians, their Longevity, i. 16. The manner of God's
Dealing with them. i. 17. their Advantages in know
ing and obferving his Will. i. 1 8. They had the Ufi of
Letters, i. 1 5 . The Scripture dots not exprefly charge
them with Idolatry, i. 7. But Sanchoniatho and Zoro-
after do. j. 7, 3
Antients, the Simplicity of their Manner t. i. 134
Antisthenes, an Enemy to hnage-Worfhip. i. 123
Aphaca, on Mount Libanus, an Academy of Leudnefs.
ii. no
Aphrodite, a Name given to Naamah. i. 9*
Apis. {See Calf, Ox, Osiris.) The Signification of the
Word. ii. 69. was an Ox very particularly mark'd
ii. 70. his Image was made of Gold. it. 72. wa*
mWd, at Heliopolis, Mnevit. ii. 7.3. worjbifd by

INDE XT
the Ifraelites. ii. 74, C3V. -Feftivals itp&in^Honoithji^
y him. v™j>t ,*,. ii.. 761ft;
Apoho, difcovered the Art of Phyfick. •: :>-.. 1 ;m>,- -.ii; .85
Fire us'd in his Worfhip. ii. 117. . his Worjhippers, walked
upon burning Coals without any Harm. ii. ifclg
: A Pol 10 Coiumu s the fame Deity ¦va'A&Gternofh. . ii. 64 .
Ap os ties, fufficiently qualified to difcharge their. Com-
¦-imijfion. ii. 190;- the Difficulty of their Undertakings ii. &l<
191. placed our Duty upon, right Principles, ii. 196. V-
vifited all the different parts of the known World. -. ii.
217, C3?«Wi.
Arabians, /& Original of their Idolatry, i. 73. *&»>
r'dntient Idols. „..¦ it, 125 .
Ar gi ves prohibited Philojopby. :\i. 205 .
Aristi ppus allowed of Adultery. _¦. -lis -203
Aristobulus, « Jew, Preceptor to Ptolemy Philome- .-
tor. ~ . "•-. : i. 300 .
Aristotelians denied that Providence had. any -re-
* gard to any particular Being, ii. 198. rejecled the Im-
<¦ .mortality, of .. the Soul, ii.199. allowed of Abortion.
:. ii- 202
A run DEL, Archbifhop, exaBs an unufual Oath of th(
...Lollards. ii. 320
A-s-a King of J u D A H, the firft who.canfulted with a Phy-
» fician. ., ii. 87
Afhes of a red Heifer, why put into the Water cfExpiatian.
*:,•'• i- 2IO
A,shim, an Idol. . , i. 31
Ashteroth {See N a a M a h ) a Name given to Naa-
sjnah. i. 91. is call'd in the Hebrew a God. i. 99.
.The Groves, ii. 26. and her Worjhipintrnducea 'by Jezebel.
,ii. 82. The fame with Lucian'.! t>ea. Syria., ii. 54,
Derceto, Aitarte, and Dagon. -ii. 55. The.- Rabbis
differ in -.their Defcriptions of her. ii. 56. worfhiped
under the Figure ofa.Fi/h. ii. 55.- Fifh facred to her.
¦"• ii. 59. aWPidgeons. ii. 61. All her Statue^ referable
, the Venus in the Florentine Gallery. ii. 58
A s 1 a, the Gofpel preached in the feveral parts of it by the
.Affiles. .-,.,, .. ...... ii. 219, &c,
A,S T A R T E". &ASHTEEOTH.
Aftrology. The Foundation of it... iL 135.,- Falfe Wor/hip ,.
; advanfd by it. ii. 137. rejeBed by /£/ Arcadians. ii.
.136. . -%H Eaftern Nations addiBedio it. ibid.
Aftrpnomy ofgreatUfein.the Agriculture of. the Antiently i. 23
AsnaiANS and Jews confounded together. . , 1, 396
Vol. II. Cc Atergatis,

INDEX.
Atergatis, a Name given to Naamah. i. 94
Atheifm. Some of the Philofophers charg'd with it. ii. 196
Athenians deified Contumely and Impudence, ii. 178.
afcritfd Noah'j Flood to Ogyges. i. 1 67.
Augustus Caefar wore no Clothes but what were made
by the Emprefs. i. 136. An Obferver of Times, ii.
132
A y s h t o n (John) a Follower of Wickliffe. ii. 314
B.
BAAL. Belus in the Phoenician, and Bel in the Chaldee
DialeB, fignifies Lord. ii. 5. A Name given to the
true God. ibid, ft Ham. i. 88. and to canonised He
roes in general, ii. 8. the fame with 'the All-healing
Deity of the Druids, ii. 82. inhabited the Sun. i. 110.
his Worfhip fet up by Jezebel. ii. 81
BAAL-Berith. The Signification of the Word. ii. 33. Con-
jeBures concerning him. ii. 34
BAAL-Peor the fame with feveral other Deitys. ii. 10.
worfhifd by the Ifraelites. ii. 4
B A A'L-Zebtib. Mr. Selden\s Opinion concerning him. ii. 89.
and Mr. Millar'j. ii. 90. worfhip'd under the Form of
a Fly. ii. 91. 'had an Oracle whi$ was confulted by
Ahaziah. ii. 85. bow be came by the Title of The
Prince of the Devils. ii. 88
Ba al ti s a Name given to Naamah. i. 90
Babel. The Confufion of Languages there made the Antedi
luvian Letters ufelefs. i. 16
Babylonians^// very early into Idolatry, i. 22. in-
quir 'd into the Religion of the Jews. i. 297. who were
in great Efteem with them. ibid, a Cuftom of their
Women. ii. 106
'Babylonish Captivity cur'd the Jews of their Inclination
for Idolatry. ii. 172, &C
B A D B y (John) his Martyrdom deftrib'd ¦ by Occleve, an old
Poet. ii. 334
B A T I L I, the Name given to the firft Statues. i. 1 Z4
B a l a a m advifes Balack to fend the Moabitiih Women a-
mongfi the Ifraelites. ii. 3
Barnabas, St. his Travels. ii. 221
Beasts. See Animals.
Beelsamin the fame with Baa L-Zebub. ii. 89
BEEL-Zebiib. See'B AAL-Zebub.
B E 1 L-Zebul. See B a a L-Zebiib.
Bel.

INDEX.
Bbl. See Baal.
Belief, many Articles of our Belief own'd by the Mahome
tans, ii. 1 86. the Religion of the Heathens was fuited
to their Belief . ii. 113
Bellona, her Priefts. i, 256
Bel us. See Baal.
Benhadad fends Hazael to confult the Prophet Elilha
concerning his Sicknefs. ii. 85
B E u n o, St. the Manner of St. WenefredeV fending him a
Prefent. i. 263
Bible tranflated by Wickliffe. ii. 316
ElG £ dedicated to the Moon. ii. 128
Bifhops could not imprifon for Herefy by the antient Common
Law. ii. 303. had recourfe to the Crown for Leave.
ii. 304
Blood of all the Creatures kill'd by the Jews in the Wilder
nefs was to be offer'd to God. i. 245. Offered by the
Heathens to the infernal Deitys. i. 235. Eating over-
it, forbid, i. 241. The Precept given to Noah concern
ing it. ii. 242. The Jerufalem Canon of ahftaining from
it. ii. 243. The Prohibition of Eating it explained, ii.
244
B o D I n, the great Lawyer, an Inftance of his Superftition. ii. 133
Bohemia owed the Original of its Reformation from Po
pery to the Englifli. ii. 341
Botany brought very early into Efteem. ii. 86. Women fa
mous fir it. ibid.
B o w y e r (Mr.) was Author of The exaft Abridgment,
and not Sir Robert Cotton. ii. 329
Brahman s, The Indian Philofophers fo call'd from Abra
ham, i. 65. had no Images of the Gods . i. 122
Braibrook, Lord Chancellor, falfely cenfur'd by Lord
Coke. ii. 309
Bran burnt for a Perfume, ii. 105. by Way of Charm, ii. 108
Britain left in Poffeftion of its Religion and Laws by Julius
Caefar. ii. 164. reduced into a Prefidial Province by
Claudius, ibid, converted to Chriftianity. ii. 228
Buckinghamshire famous fir its Martyrs and Con
feffors. ii- 34^
Burials. See Funerals.
Burnt-Offerings (See Sacrifices) were not commanded the
Jews till they difcover'd their Inclination, fir Idolatry, i.
177. and then reftrairid to one Place. i. 246
Cc2 Bisiians,

IN D EX.
B Y E L I A N s, their River fympathisd with Vfenus in
mourning for Adonis. i. 258
C
CA D m p s l,ed a Colony of Canaanites into Greece, i.
. ' 3°9
Cakes unleaven.d, why off er'd 'by the Jews. i. 192
Calves, golden, (See Apis, Ox,) fet up by Aaron and
Jeroboam, ii. 68. A Reprefent 'ation of the Deity, ii.
74. in Imitation of the Egyptian Apis. ii. 75. A
Feaft dedicated to them- ii. 76. The ftrongeft Terms of
Reproach given to the Worjhip of them, ii. 78. How it
was punifh'd. ii- 79
Cambay, an infamous PraBice there. ii- 105
C a m b d e n (Mr.) fuppofes that Burning for Religion was
firft praBisd in King JohnV Reign. ii. 301
Cam u L, an infamous PraBice in that Province. ii. 105
Canaan and Phoenicia us'd promifcuoufty. i. 303
Canaanites afham'd of their Name. i. 303 . offer'd
humane Sacrifices, ii. 162. were particularly addiBed
to the Worjhip of the Sun. i. 35. ador'd a Fly fir their
chief Deity. ii. 93
Captivity, Babylonifh, cur'd the Jews of their Inclination for
Idolatry. ii. 171, &c.
Captivitys of the Jews, fpread their religious Cuftoms amongft
other Nations. i. 290
Carthaginians, their Reafon for offering humane
Sacrifices. ii. 167
CaTo allowed of Fornication. ii. 203
C E c R o p s brought the firft Images into Greece. i. 1 22
Celsds own'd the Reality of the Miracles of the Apoftles. ii.
184. His Opinion of the RefurreBion of the Body. ii.
202
Ceremonys religious, no ObjeBion to the Levitieal Law. i. 44.
They were not arbitrarily commanded by Mofes. i. 45.
Some of them taken from the Patriarchal Religion, i. 28 1 *
imitated by the Heathens. i. 284
Chaiops, Cheops, hcChimmis, the firft Corrupter
of the Egyptian Religion. i. 27
Chaldeans, Introducers of Idolatry, i. 22. gave
Names of Dignity to the Stars. i. 3 1
Chamber ef Venus at Puteoli. ii. 103
jjphapels made of Garments and Hangings for lewd Purpofes. ii. 102
, Chariots

I N D EX
Chariots dedicated to the Sun. ii. 1 28
Charles the Great writes againft the Ufe of Images in
Churches. ii. 277
Chemosh, fome ConjeBures of the Deity. ii. 63, &c.
Christ. The End of his Coming, ii. 180. what be did
fir the World, ii. 181. his Miracles believ'd both by
Jews and Gentiles, ii. 183. and by Mahomet, ii. 185
Chriftianity. Its progrefs, a Demonftration of the Truth of
it. ii. 232. and that the Scriptures which we receive
are genuine, ii. 238. The Reafon of its not being more
generally embracd. ii. 211. It difcountenances Superfti
tion. ii. 159. planted early in Britain, ii. 229. cor
rupted with Idolatry, ii. 257. and therefore the readier
embrac'd by the Heathens. ii. 264
Cl R C E a famous Botanift and Sorcerefs. ii. 86
Circumcifion. The Egyptians were not the firft PraBicers
of it. i. 55, &c. They had no Reafon to inftitute it.
i. 57. and did not praBife it till long after Abraham's
Time. i. 58. Its Origin, i. 41. enjoyn'd Abraham.
i. 42. The Wifdom of its Appointment, i. 45. as a
federal Rite. ibid, as a Prefervative againft Idola
try, i. 47. and as having a Tendency to promote Mora
lity, i. 46. The Excellency of it may more fully appear
when the Prophecy s relating to the. Jews arefulfiltd. i. 5 1 .
Why call'd the Reproach of Egypt, i. 59. We are not
certain that the full Intent of its Inftitution is as yet accom-
plijh'd. i. 50
Circus facred to the Sun. ii. 128
Claudius, the Emperor, reduc'd England into a Prefi-
dial Province. ii. 164
Clean and unclean Animals, the Reafon of the DiftinBion. i. 190
Clergy, their Power and Wealth reduced at the Reformation.
ii. 348. the mean Provifion for the Parochial, ii. 355.
An Honour for them to be provided for by the State, ii.
362. in England, more learned than in other P rot eft ant
Countrys. ii. 354
Colleges ereBed for fuch as proftituted their Bodies. ii. 100
C o m a n A, in Cappadocia, a Cuftom of the Women there.
ii. 109
Commandment, Second, not to be met with in the Saxon_/a»-
guage. ii- 281
Commandments, the ten, Difference between thofe in Exodus
zoth. and thofe in Deuteronomy c,th. i- 173
Commodus. the Emperor, complimented with the Chariot of

I N D E X.
of the Rifing Sun. ii. 1 28
Commons, a ConftMuent Part of our Parliament. ii. 308
Confucius acquainted with the Jewifh Religion, i.
293
CoNstanTINe, Pope, excommunicates the Emperor
Bardanes_/3r defacing PiBwes in Churches. ii. 273
Constantinople, the Ufe of Images condemn'd there
in a Council. ii. 274, Sec.
Cords made ufe of by the Babyloniasn Women. ii. 1 05
Corinth, a Cuftom of the Women there. ii. 1 09
Corybantes, their Genealogy wrote by Epimenides. i. 76
Cotton, (Sir Robert) was not the Author of The ExacT:
Abridgment. ii. 329
Cows worfhip'd by the Egyptians, i. 205 . and by the Phoeni
cians, i. 206
Creation, improbable that any One at the Flood Jhoud be
without a Belief of it. i. 18
Cretians and Jews confounded together. i. 307
Crofs, in Egyptian Hieroglyphicks, denotes Life eternal, ii. 58
Crowns wore by the heathen Gods. ii. 5 1
Cunning Men, the Wizzards Manaffeh dealt with. ii. 143
C u r E T E S, their Genealogy wrote by Epimenides. i. 76
Cnftonls, of the Jews, why different from thofe of other
Countrys- i. 182. idolatrous only forbid them. i. 257
Cyprians, a Cuftom of their Women. ii. 109
D.
DAGON, a Name given to Naamah. i. 94. The Fi
gure of the Idol, ii. 56. Why fo call'd. ibid. The
fame with Afhteroth, &c . SbAshteroth.
Dancing in publick Worjhip. i. 282
Danites rob Micah\t Chapel, ii. 24. fall into Ido
latry, ii. 25
David, his Empire the moft conjiderable in the World, i. 287
Days. Some obferved as lucky, Others as unlucky, ii. 131.
very antiently by moft Nations, ii. 132. The Inconve
nience attending it. ii. 133, Upon vihat founded, ii,
J3 +
Dea Stria. The Reafon of hfr having a Head in her Hand
on old Coins. i. 263
Dead Men, frequently pretended to be brought up by Impoftors.
ii. 38. Their Worlhip, how introduced, i. 73, 79. The
Convenience attending it. i. 74
Defender

INDEX.
Defender of the Faith, a Titk horns by King .Richard II.
ii. 316
Deifts have been always ajfifted by the Papifts. ii % rg
Deitys. See Gods.
Deluge. See Flood.
Democritus condemn'd Marriage. ii. 202
Demons. Their Nature and Office, ii. 152. foretold
Things to come. i. 236. were afraid of a Weapon,
i. 238. The Manner of Sacrificing to them. i. Z35.
Every wife and good Man was rank'd, after his Death,
in their Order, ii. 152. This a great Advantage to the
Heathen Priefts. ii. 154
Dbkceto the fame with Afhteroth. ii. 55. See A s h-
T E R O T H.
Deucalion, Noah'.! Flood afcrib'd to him. i. 1 67
Devils fuppofed by the Jews to be the Heathen Deitys. ii. 89.
Why Baal-Zebub is called their Prince. ibid.
Deus fignifies Lord. ii. 5 . us'd both for Gods and God-
deffes. i. 97
Diagoras Melius held that there was no Gad. ii. 196
D 1 a N A calVd a God. i. 98. her Silver Shrines. i. 128
Diodo rus miftakes the Jewifh Temple at Heliopolis for
Egyptian. i. 301
Difeafes, the Antients were not much troubled with them.
ii. 85
Divination by the Entrails of Sacrifices. i. 200
Divinity, The abominable Notion $he Heathens had of it.
ii. 179
Doors-^f the Temple, Profiuchtz and Synagogues of the Jews
were at the Eaft End of the Building. i. 2 j 2
Dove fent out of the Ark by Noah, taken Notice of by
Heathen Writers, i. 168. &?Pidgean.
Drayton, (Nicholas de) imprifon'd for Herefy, with
Edward IIIV Leave, by the Bifhop of London, ii. 304
Drought occafioned hy Elijah'.! Prayers, recorded by a Heathen
Hiftorian. ii. 83
Druidism abolifh'd by the Emperor -Claudius Ms4he great
eft Immanity. ii. 1 64
Dr u I D s had no Images of their Gods. i. 122. A Tall
Oak their Idol. i. 219. worfhip'd Jezebel's Baal. ii.
82. offer'd human Sacrifices longer .than any other Euro
peans, ii. 163. underftood the Greek Language, ii. 82
Duty. 'Twould have.been very difficult .fir, Mankind to have
-known their .Duty without a Revelation, i. 4, &c. efpe-
cially

INDEX.
cially fir the unthinking Part of them. i. 5. and fid
as had once fallen into Sin. i. 6
Dynet (William) The-Qaib exaBed of him by Archbifhop
Arundel. ii. 320

EAST, turned to by the Heathens when they worfhip'd.
i. 231. How the fame Thing came to be praBis'd by
Chriftians. i. 23 3
Edomites inftruBed in the true Religion. i. 68
Edward IV. grants the Clergy Privileges, which his
Predeceffors had conftantly denied them. ii. 343
Egypt call'd the Land of Ham. i. 86. and Mizraim's
Country, i. 270. The Goodnefs of Providence in carry
ing Abraham thither, i. 66. Several Events contri
buted to people it with Jews, i, 298. The Apoftles who
preached the Gofpel there . ii. zi8
Egyptians, were the firli Phyficians. ii. 87. the firft
who abftain'd from Women in their Temples . ii. no.
and the firft who abolifh'd humane Sacrifices, ii. 163.
commemorated the Founders of their Monarchy, i. 268.
whom they worjhifld as the Gods of the higher Rank. i.
75. They made this a Secret . i. 77. They had antient
ly no Images of their Gods. i. 122. but worjhip d them
under the Reprefentation of Animals, i. 187. which
they had a great Veneration fir. i. 188. before the
Time s/Mofes. i. 189. and painted them on the Walls
of their Temples, ii. 171. They offer'd their Firft-Fruits
to Ifis. i. 261. and were acquainted with the Religion
of the Jews. i. 289
Egyptian Religion, how firft corrupted. i. 27
E L 1 B E R I s, the Council of, forbid PiBures and Images to
be brought into Churches. ii. 271
Elij ah, the Prophet, a feafonable Reformer, ii. 83. con
vinces the People that Baal was an Idol. ibid, calls
for Fire from Heaven, ii. 94. reproves Ahaziah. ii. 95
Empire of David and Solomon, the moft conjiderable in the
World. i. 287
Endor, Saul confults a Witch there. ii. 38, &c.
England. See Britain.
E N g l 1 s h-S axon Church allow 'd of an innocent ufe of
PiBures. ii. 283. did not permit the Invocation of
Saints till a little before the Conqueft. ii. 287
Enoch,

INDEX.
ENOCH, a Prophet to the Antediluvian World. i. 19
Ephod made by Gideon, ii. 30. worjhip 'd by the Ifrae
lites. ii. 32
Epicureans held that the World was made by Chance.
ii. 197. denied a Providence, ii. 198. and the Im
mortality of the Soul, ii. 199. condemn'd Marriage, ii.
202.. and allow d of Fornication and lnceft. ii. 203
Epim ENides wrote the Genealogy of the Gods. i. 76
Epiphanius Bilhop of Salamis oppos'd the Ufe of Pic
tures in Churches. ii. 271
Euhemerus wrote the Lives of the Gods. i. 75
Eve had no Navel. i. 18
Evils, to bear them, as vie ought, impojfible without Chriftian
Principles, ii. 209, Blejfings. ii. 211
Europe. The Gofpel preached in the different parts of it.
ii. 223, Sec.
Exercife and Temperance preferv'd the Antients from Difeafes. ii. 85
Expiation muft be agreeable to the Offence. i. 213
Expiation, Water of, why made with the AJhes of a red Hei
fer, i. 210
E z £ K I.E L, his Vijion of the Temple. ii. 1 70
F.
FABLE in repute long before Hiftory or Philofopby. i. 8 1
Familiar Spirit, a Term introduced into the Tranflation
of our Bible, out of Complaifance to King James I.
.."• 37
Familiar Spirits, what they were. ii. 1 44
Fates, What meant by them. ,ii. 135
Feafts of the Egyptians when the Sun enter'd the Sign AriejS.
i. 196. the moft abominable Impietys praBis'd at them.
i- 198
Feafts dedicated to Aaron'.! and Jeroboam'.! Calves. ii. 76
Feafting at Burials. i. 259
Feftivals of the Chriftians, introduced in Ipiitation of the Hea
then, ii. 260
Of the Heathens, the Obfervation of them a principal Part
of their Religion, i. 247. kept with an odd Mixture of
Mirth and Mourning, i. 248. The Reafon. i. 267.
Immodeftys praBis'd at them. i. 264. a divine Inftitu-
tution in Oppofition to them. i- 265
Fire, Paffing thro' it, a Rite of Initiation or Luftration. ii.
117. which was firi&ly obfervd. ii. 120. is ftill
Vol. II. "Dd praBis'd

INDEX,
praBis'd in Perfia, .'csfc ii. 119. The Manner of per
forming it, is not certainly known. il. 120
Firft-Fruits antiently offer'd by the Heathens. i. 261
Fifh, facred to Aftarte. ii. 55. The Heathens therefore
abftain 'd from them. ' ii- 59
Flood. Heathen Writers agree with Mofes in bis Hiftory of
NoahV. i. 16;. Lucian1.! Account of it. i. 168. A
Tradition of 'it in the feveral parts of America. i. 1^7
F l. Y-Hunter, a Name given to Hercules, Apollo and Jupi
ter, ii. 93
Flys worjhifd at Aftium and Ekron. ii. 92. and by th$
Canaanites. ii. 93. Homer's Heroes compar'd to them.
ii. 94. They have made People forfake their Habitations.
ii. 91. and are to be met with upon antient Coins and
Statues. ii. 92
Forgiving Injurys, difallmu'd of by the Philofophers. ii. 208
Fornication allow' d of by the Philofophers. ii. 202
For.tuna Barbata. i. iqo
F o r t u n a Mafcula. ibid.
Frankfort, Image-WorJhip condemn'd there in a Coun
cil, ii. 278
Fruitfulnefs of the Deitys, frequently remember 'd in the Heathen
Theology. ii. 13
Funerals, the Cuftom of Feafting at them. i. 259
Funeral- Rites, The Ufages at them proper for the Worjhip of
dead Princes. i. 248
Funeral Sermons, formerly a conjiderable Perquifite. ii. 357
G.
GA U L S, their Reafon for offering human Sacrifices. ii. 167
Ge henna, how it came to fignify Hell. ii. 161
Gender, The Feminine us'd to fhew Contempt. ii. 78
Gentiles. See Heathens.
G E R M A N Y owed its Reformation from Popery to the
Englilh. ii. 341
Ghofts afraid of a Weapon. i. 238
G 1 D eon delivers the Ifraelites. ii. 29. makes an Ephod.
ii. 30. which is worjbip'd. ii. 3Z. He was known to
Sanchoniatho. ii- 34
Goats, why facrific'd by the Jews. i. 191
God, worjbifdby the Jews was fuppofed by the Heathens to
be the fame with fome one of their own. i. 308. had
the Name of Jupiter given him by the firft Heathen Con
verts.

INDEX.
verts, ii. 7. His Being denied by fome of the Philofo
phers. ii. 196. He made a Revelation of his Will to
Mankind, i. n. This, no Way inconfiftent with his
Immutability, i. 10. was not oblig'd to do it equally
to all Men. ii. 250. We are no farther Judges of his
Commands, than we know the Reafon of them. i. 49.
He could not create Man in a State of Sin, or leave
him in fuch a State without Affiftance. i. I o
Gods of the higher Rank, were dead Men. i. 75. Many
of them were one and the fame. i. 89. Their Lives
were wrote by Euhemerus. i. 75. and their Genea
logy by Epimenides. i. 76. The Egyptians preferv'd
their Bodys embalm' d. i. 77. They had the fame Appel
lations given them, as the true God. ii. 6. and thought
a Variety of Titles an Honour to them. i. 84. The
Jews fuppos'd them to befallen Angels, or Devils, ii. 89.
The Romans had two hundred and eighty Thoufand. ii.
179. The antient Manner of reprefenting them. i. 125.
The Heathens did not diftinguijh their Sex. i. 97. The
Impiety s they believ'd of them produc'd fuch a very impious
Religion, ii. 112, 199. Some of them were as good
Saints as thofe of the Church a/" Rome. i. 121
Gods infernal, the Manner of Sacrificing to them. i. 235
Goddeffes, many of the chief of them were one and the fame.
i. 94. How reprefented by the Heathens. i. 95
Golden Calves. See Calves.
Good to be done to all Men- ii. 208
Goshen lay next the Mediterranean Sea. ii. 1 4
Gratitude, a falfe Notion of it introduc'd the Worjhip of dead
Men. i. 72
Greeks us'd fuch Names for the Jews, as are commonly
the Denominations of other Countrys. i. 302
Greek Fathers of the 4th Century, much given to Rheto-
rick. ii. 266
Gregory II. Pope, excommunicated the Emperor fir
condemning the Ufe of Images, ii. 274. So did Pope
Gregory III. ii. 275
Griffins facred to the Sun. ii. 129. Whofe Horfes were re
presented in the Shape of them. ii. 128
Groves. Aftiteroth fi call'd. ii. 26. Why brought into
religious Ufe, j- 21 8. They were planted with fuch
Trees, as were proper to the Deity, i. 219. The Jews
tfvere commanded to deftroy them. I. 220
Dd 2 H.

I N D E X.
-M? H.
' ^-° • •¦ ••.¦;:;¦; ¦" •¦ - :;.-.-. .-
HABIT. The- Heathens wore a Habit different from
their Sex, in the Worjhip of their Gods. i. 101. The
Jews tucre prohibited that PraBice. i. 1 64
HaGAr the Egyptian. i.67
Halse, John, Bifhop of Litchfield and Coventry, a great
' Perfecutor. ii. 344
Ham worfhip'd under' the Names of Baa^, Themuz, Jupi
ter Ammon, Ofiris, &c. i. 85, &c.
Hangings, The Ufe they were put to in the Heathen Temples. ii. 102
'Harlots. Colleges provided fir them. ii. 100. proftituted
themfelves in the Heathen Temples, ii. 109. The Man
ner of it. ii. 10 j. The Hire of them voces not to be
brought into the Houfe of the Lord. ii. 1 08
Health, agrea'tShareofitenjofdbytheAntients. ii. 86
¦Heathenifm, countenanced all Manner of Dififblutenefs. ii.
211
Heathens, Their abominable Notion of Divinity, ii. 179.
Their Priefts were the Magiftrates. ii. 155. They were
impos'd on by crafty Impoftors. ii. 154. The wifeft
of them rejeBed the Ufe of Images, i. 123. Others
excused it with the fame Reafons, as the Papifts. i. 117.
and the fame DiftinBions. i. rzo. They J'uppos'd the
God worfhip'd by the Jews to be the fame with fome one
of their own. i. 308. and borrow'd religious Rites
from them. 1.284. They obferved a Sabbath, i. 174.
and worfhip" d the Gods in a Habit different from their
¦Sex. i. 10 1
H-e-c tor, his Funeral. i. 259
Heifer. Hovi the JeWs came to cut off a Heifer's -Head in
the Expiation of an uncertain Murder. i. 207
-Red, The Reafon of "the Rites obferv'd in the Burning it.
i. 211
Henry IV. A. great Favourer of the^Clergy. ii. 321
Henry V. when Prince of Wales, prefent at the Mar
tyrdom of John Badby. ii. 334
Henry VQ. his Reigii, infamous for Perfecution. ii. 344.
orders a Lollard Prieft, he hiinfelf bad-converted, to be
burnt. ii. 345
JKe n R Y VIII. his Reign infamous for Perfecution before
his Quarrel voith the Pope. ii. 34.5
He r a c l 1 t u $ ridicufdfhe Ufe of Images. i. 1 23
Hereford,

INDEX.
H EXE ford, Dr. one of Wickliffe's Followers, ii.
314.
Herefy, by the antient Common Law judg 'd of by the Bifhops.
ii. 299. and punifh'd with Death, ii. 3po
Hermione took her name from Mount Hermon. i. 309
Herod believ'd our Saviour's Miracles. ii. 183
Heroes. See Demons.
HezeKIAH, a religious and good Prince, ii. 123. abo-
lifhes the Worjhip of the brazen Serpent. ii. x 24
Hierocles own'd the ReaUty of the Miracles of the
Apoftles. ii. ,g4
Hieroglyphicks plac'd on the Statues of the Gods. ii. 92
High-places, the Jews were commanded to deftroy them. i.
220. Why the LXX. tranflate them by tq TlofVeioir. ii.
101
Hippocrates, the firft who vifited fick People, ii. 88
Hiram, King of Tyre, a Jewifh Profilyu. i. 288
Hiftory, antient, blended with Fable, i. 8 1 . of the Gods,
ambiguous andfuljof Fable. i. 83
Holy-days. See Feftivals.
Hope, no Religion without it. i. 2
Horns, an Emblem of Sovereignty, i. 194. therefore plac'd
on the Statues of the Gods. i. 195. reckon' d a good
Omen. ibid. Why us'd in a reproachful Senfe. i.
196
' Horfes dedicated to the Sun. ii. izB. 'Tis uncertain what
Ufe the Ifraelites put them to. r ii. 130
Hoft of Heaven, fuppos'd 'to be the Rejidence of the Gods . i.
108. worfhip'd as God's Minifters. i. 24. and as Me
diators with him. i. 25. The firft Sort of Idolatry, i.
28. particularly mention'd in Seripture. i. 30. and
provided againft in Mofes'* Account of the Creati
on, i. 36
Human Sacrifices. See Sacrifices.
H u n n e, Richard, murder' d by the Bifhop of London*!
Chancellor in the Lollards Tower. ii. 347
Husbandry, an honourable Employment in antient Times, i.
134
I.
JACOB brings bis Family into "Egypt- i- 134- his Stra
tagem imitated iy the Egyptian Priefts. ii. 71. this
CharaBer. i. 135
Jaduah, an Animal the Rabbis tell incmdible Stories of. ii. 142
Jamblicus

INDEX.
JAMBLICUS expofes the Ufe of Images. i. 1 24
J-AM e s, Dr. vindicated WickliffeV CharaBer againft Par-
fons. I -¦• ii. 318
Idolatry. The Scripture does not exprefly . charge the Antedi
luvians with it. i. 7. but &anchomaxko does. ibid, and
Zoroafter. i> %.,• Rife of it after the Flood, i. 21-. What
Things contributed to it. i. 23. built originally on the
Watjhip of the true God. i. 281. fallen into by De
grees, i. 25-. The Worjhip of the Hoft of Heaven was
the firft Sort of it. i. 28. prevail'd in Terah's Time.
i. 37. countenanced by Ahab. ii. 81. The Method of
Providence in ftoping the Progrefs of it. i. 70. intro
duc'd into the Chriftian Church, ii. 256. Popifh, the
fame with that of the Heathens, ii. 257. not to be
judg'd of from the Intention, ii. 19. abolifh'd amongft
Proteftants. ' ii. 348
Jericho, JofhuaV Denunciation againft the Rebuilder of
tt, verified. i. 158
Jeroboam made King of Ifrael. ii. 67. introduces the
Worjhip of the Golden Calves, ii. 68. ordains. a Feaft
to their Honour, ii. 76. places one of them in Dan,
the other in Bethel, ii. 77. his Idolatry rebuked by a
Prophet, ii. 79. His Hand dried up. ii. 80. fends
to confult a Prophet about his Son' s Illnefs. ii. 85. dyes
in his Sins. ii. 80
Jerubbaal, a Name given to Gideon. ii. 29
Jews were not Inventors in Matter of Religion, ii. 2.
fall into Idolatry in Egypt, i. 137. commit Whore
dom with the Daughters of Moab. ii. 4. worfhip Ba
al-Peor. ibid, offer human facrifices. ii. 160. their
Revolt and Idolatry under Jeroboam, ii. 68. carried
into Captivity by Salmanafar. ii. 95. their Incli
nation to Idolatry cur'd by the Babylonifh Captivi
ty, ii. 171. the Reafon of it. ii.173. They were
the only People who profefs'd a Belief in the true
God. ii. 177. the moft conjiderable Empire in the
World, i. 287. and thought their Religion not given'
for the reft of Mankind, i. 315. They were taken for
the People of the Countrys they were difpers'd over. i.
296. in great Efteem at Babylon, i. 297. The Greeks
and Romans us'd fuch Names to denote them, as other
People are commonly known by. i, 302. They confound
ed them with Syrians, i. 304. Affyrians. i. 306.
Cretians, isfc. This the Reajon of the fuppos'd Silence
of prophane Authors as to tbem, i. 308
Jezebel

IN D E X.
JEZEBEL introduces the Worfhip -of her 'Country Gods.
n. Si. fits up an Altar for Baal, and plants a Grove
for Aftarte. ii. 82. her CharaBer. ' ii. 81
Ignorance of the gentile World, ii. 177. of the Englifti
from the Tear '695, till Wickliffe's Time. ii. 288
Images. See Statues.
Image Worfhip, not eftablifh'd in the Chriftian Church till
very late. ii. 282. The- Progrefs of it in England. ii. 283
Immortality of the Soul denied by feme of the Philofophers. ii. 198
Impietys which the Heathens believ'd of their Gods, made
their Religion fo very abominable. ii. 112
In a, King, bis College at Rome, of bad Confequence to
this Kingdom. - ii. 288
Inceft allow'd of by the Philofophers. ii. 203
Inchantments us'd by King ManalTeh. ii. 138
India converted to the Chriftian Faith, ii. 225, &c. The
State of Chriftianity there. ii. 227
Infidelity, its Growth complain' d of. ii, 361
Invocation of Saints. From whence the Rife of it fprung.
ii. 259, Sec. When it began, ii. 265. No Catholick
Truth, ii. 268. The Confufions vihich it occafion'd. ii.
273, &c.
Job, at what Time he flourifh'd. i. 69. his CharaBer. i.
70
John, St. where he preach'd the Gofpel. ii. 219
John XXII. Pope, burns fome for painting the Trinity.
ii. 282
J on dan divided by Jofhua to pafs the Ifraelites over.
it. i. 285
Joseph fold into Egypt, i. 132. Why he pretended to
take his Brethren fir Spies, and ¦ demanded a Hoflage
of them. i. 271 . his Hiftory preferv'd by the Heathens.
i. 134. his CharaBer. i. 133
JosEPHus, took great Libertys with the Writings of the
Old Teftament. i. 142. a Semi-Pagan, i. 143. fits
up for a Prophet, i. 1 44. compliments Vefpafian and
Titus at the Expence of his Religion, i. 145. thought
favourably of Heathenifin. i. 146. very loofe in his
religious Sentiments. i. 147
Jo si AH attempted a Reformation of Religion, ii. 169.
The Glory and Happinefs of his Kingdom fell with him
at Megiddo. i- 1 70
Irene, the Emprefs, refiores Image Worjhip. ii. 276, 278
Isaac,

INDEX.
Isaac, his CharaBer. i." 67
Isaiah, the Prophet, affures the Houfe of David, that
the Mefliah Jhould arife out of it. ii. 121. foretels the
only true Mediator with all Clearnefs. ii. 1 22
I s H M A E L had twelve Sons viho were Princes. i. 67
Isiris, or Osiris. See Osiris.
I s 1 s, a Name given by the Egyptians to the Moon. i. 26.
woYJhifd under the Form of a Cow. i. 205. She was
the fame with Naamah. i. 94
Israelites. See Jews.
I t h o l a l, King of the Sidonians. ii. 81
Judah, the Kingdom of, was particularly oblig'd to be zea
lous fir the Service of the true God. ii. 98
Judaism difeountenanc'd Superftition. ii. 158. had no
thing of Gentiliftn intermix'd With it. i. 280. in great
Eftimation with the Heathens, i. 285. made a Provi-
fion for fuch as were in no Danger of falling into Ido
latry, i. 312
Julian, the Apoftate, own'd the Reality of the Apoftles
Miracles. i. 118. ii. 184
Julius Cssar left England in Poffeftion of its Religion
and Laws. ii. 1 64
Juno Marti a lis on a Coin in Mrs. Keanon's Collec
tion, i. 100
JupitER, a Name given by the Heathens to Ham. i. 87.
and to Plato and Neptune, ii. 9. worfhip'd under the
Form of a Ram. i. 194. had a Feaft dedicated to
him by the Egyptians, i. 196. which was celebrated
viith the moft abominable Impietys. i. 198. The Ma
rine Jupiter of the Greeks. ii. 82
Justin miftakes Damafcus for the Capital of the Jews.
i. 305
K.
KAdmonites came from Canaan. i. 309
Kd&aj (*oy, how it came to fignify as well a purgative
Medicine, as an Exorcifrn. ii. 87
Kb b la of the Jews. i. 232
Kennon, (Mrs.) her ColleBion of Coins. i. 100
Kid, Seething one in its Mothers Milk, why forbid. i. 173
King given to the Ifraelites. ii. 3.5
Kings and Princes labour 'd antiently in Manual Occupations.
i. 136. were the Priefts of their Countrys. ii. 155.
and the firft Corrupters of Religion. i. 27 Li.

INDEX. l.
LAcedsmonians claim' d Kindred with the Jews.
i. 311. believed all Things to be under the Influence of
the Moon. ii. j 34
Lacerations made by the Heathens to pacify their infernal
Gods. i- 255
Lancaster, Duke of, a ProteBor o/Wickliffe. ii. 297
LaNG ton, Cardinal, punifh'd Hereticks with Death, ii. 300
Law, Levitieal, was not in itfelf acceptable to God. i. 181.
but founded on confummate Wifdom. i. 183. given the
Jews out of Condefeenfion to their Circumftances. i. 175,
&c. and Juited to them. i. 179. being intended to
keep tb em from falling into Idolatry, i. 180, 278. and
therefore different from thofe of other People. i. 1 82
Learning. The low State of it here from the Tear 695 to
Wickliffe'/ Time. ii. 288. abroad, ii. 290. Rewards
provided for it by the State. ii. 353
Legislator, Jewifh, his View in giving that Body of Laws. i.
1 80, 279
Leo Armenius, the Emperor, excommunicated by the
Pope, for condemning the Ufe of Images. ii. 278
Leo Isaurus, the Emperor, excommunicated by the Pope
for condemning the Ufe of Images. ii. 274
Letters. The Antediluvians acquainted with theUfe of them. i.
1 5 . Confufion of Languages made the old ones ufelefs. i. 1 6.
Jent from Egypt to Byblis by Sea in a Basket. i. 262
LevitiCAL Ceremonys, not arbitrarily commanded, i. 44
Lewis (Mr.) publifh'd Wickliffe'.! Tranflation of the New
Teftament and his Life. ii. 316, 3 1 7, 3 1 9
\Xr&.e-Wolfie Clothes, why forbid the Jews. i. 276
Lol lards, a reproachful Name given to Wickliffe'.! Fol
lowers, ii. 295. Endeavours us'd to crujh them. ii.
315. They prefent their Opinions to the Houfe of Com
mons, ii. 319. an unufual Oath exaBed of them by
Archbifhop Arundel, ii. 320. Perfecution encreafes,
their Number, ii. 332, 342. Several of them executed
for a pretended Plot. ii. 339. They were us'd with
great Barbarity, ii. 345. and bore their Perfecution)
with great Patience. ii- 347
LonolaND, John, Bijhop of Lincoln, a great Perfecu-
tor. ii- 345
Lord (Mr.) his Difcovery of the Banian Religion. i. 8
Lot, difcharg'd the Duty of a Parent and Mafter of a Fa
mily. \ 67
Vol. II. Ee Love

INDEX.
Love Potion. ii. 108
Luke (St.) Companion to St. Paul in his Travels. ii. 224
Lufts, the mojl impious praBis'd in the Temples, ii. 100, 109.
and before the Statues of the Gods. ii. 102
M.
MAdhefs, cur'd antiently by Charms and Luftrations. ii. 86
Magick in gridi Reputation, ii. 139. degenerated into Im-
pofture. ii. 141
Magiftrates amongft the Heathens had the Offices of. Religion
in their own Hands, ii. 155. and made ufe of them as
Engines of State. ii. 157
Mahomet excufes his having wrdught no Miracles, ii. 1 89
Mahometans own the Miracles of Chrift, and a
great many Articles of our Belief, ii. 186. inexcufable
in their Belief of the Alcoran. ii. 189
Mahomet Ism, to be look'd upon as a Chriftian Herefy.
ii. 188
Manasseh King of Ifrael exceeded the Canaanites in
Wickednefs. ii. 126. He obferv'd Times, ii. 130. us'd
Inchantments. ii. 138. and Witchcraft . ii. 139. dealt
with Wizzards. ii. 142. and a Familiar Spirit, ii.
144. He facrific'd his Son. ii. 160
Mankind were not all of them oblig'd to become Jews. i. 317.
Their State with RejpeeJ to Salvation, on no very diffe
rent Footing, i. 253
Manners, The Simplicity of the Antients. i. 134
Mark, St. where he preach'd the Gofpel. ii. 218
Marriage condemn'd by Epicurus «»</Democritus. ii. 202
Mars worjhip 'd by Women in Men's Armour. i. 102
Martyrdom of Sir William SaWtre. ii. 331. o^John Bad-
by. ii. 334
Martyrs, their Feftivals in Imitation of Heafhenifm. ii. 260.
their Sepulchres, like thofe of the Heathen Gods, convertedin-
to Temples, ii. 262. Miracles attributed to them. ii. 263
Medea, a famous Botanift and Soreeref}. ii. 86
Mediator. The Notion of a Mediator prevaii'd very early.
i. 41. The true Mediator known to Abraham, i. 40.
The Hoft of Heaven viorjhifd as Mediators. i. 25
Mel Ampu s, a Botanift and Prophet, ii. 86. introduc'd
the Orgia into Greece. i. 196
Melcart.hus, a Phoenician Idol. ii. 49
Melcom. (See M o l 0 C h.) The Name of a deified Ktog
of the Ammonites. ii. 50
Menelaus, why compared by Homer to a Fly* ii. 94
M en ander.

INDEX.
ME n a n d e r, a Heathen Hiftorian who recorded the
Drought accafton'd by the Prayers of the Prophet Elijah. ii. 83
Mendes, or Goat, bow it came to be viorjhifd. ii.
12. ador'd by the Ifraelites. ii. 14
Messiah, why promis 'd to Abraham, i. 39. the divine
Perfon who appear'd to him. i, 40
Methuselah, the Signification of his Name. i. 19
Mexican Pyramids built for the Worjhip of their Gods.
i. 226
Micah introduces Idolatry. ii. 19, fcifc.
M 1 l c o m. S(«Moioch.
Milk, why the Jews were forbid tofeethe a Kid in its Mo
ther's, i. 273
Miracles. Our Saviour's believ'd and recorded by the Jews.
ii. 183. and Mahomet, ii. 185. whofe Followers ex-
cufe his not having wrought any. ii. 190. Thofe of the
Apoftles owned by the Heathen Priefts and Philofophers.
ii. 184. neceffary to eftablijh their DoBrine. ii. 216.
Some attributed to Martyrs. ii. 263
M 1 t h r a, a Name given to the Sun. i. 33. the Deriva
tion of it. ibid. Thofe who were initiated into bis Ser
vice pafs'd thro' Fire. ii. 117
Mizraim worfhip'd under the Title of Baal-Peor, Pria
pus, &c. ii. 10
Mnevis a Name given to the Egyptian Apis. ii. 73
Moabites, the Sons and Daughters o/Chemofh. ii. 65.
inftruBed in the true Religion, i. 68. what meant by
their being forbid entering into the Congregation of the
Lord. ii. 17
Moloch, or Molech, fignifies King. ii. 48. the
chief Deity of Paleftine. ibid, the fame with Baal
and Milcom. ii. 49. how reprefented. ii. 52. The
Ifraelites were much addiBed to his Worjhip. ii. 53.
Ahaz dedicated 'his Children to him. ii. 116
Moon. She was juppos'd to partake of both Sexes, i. 100.
and to be inhabited by the principal Goddeffes. i. III.
and calfd by their Names, i. 112. The Lacedemoni
ans believ'd all Things to be under her Influence, ii. 1 3 4.
The Egyptians caWd her Ms. i- 26. Others the Queen
of Heaven, i. 112. See Hoft of Heaven.
Moses commanded to deliver the Ifraelites from Slavery.
i. 140. Ihe Supreme Power over them given him by
God. i. 141- The Divinity of his Laws proved from
God's immediate Prefence with that People, j. 156.
and from the Miracles he from Time to Time wrought
E e 2 among

INDEX.
amongft them. i. 157. and from the Fulfilling ofPro-
phecys. i. 158. He would have brought his People back
to the Religion of their Forefathers, i. 17Z. but gave
them the Levitieal Law out of Condefcenjion to their
Circumftances. i. 175. with which be intermix' d none
of the Gentile Cuftoms. i. 1 80. He made a Provifton
in his Conftitution for fuch as were in no Danger of fall
ing into Idolatry, i. 312. The Writings which bore his
Name were his. i. 160. This confirm' d by Heathen
Authors, i. 164. their Agreement with him in the
Account of the Flood, i. 165. The Integrity and Sim
plicity of his Writings, i. 149. They contain only fuch
Thirgs as were neceffary to underftand the Succejfion of
Mankind to his Time. i. 16. the Knowledge of which
were eafily convey'd to him. ibid.
Mountains made Choice of by the Patriarchs and others for
the Worjhip of God. i. 215. therefore planted by them
with Trees, i. 216. This imitated by the Heathens.
ibid, who us d them for their Sorcerys. i. 237. and
dedicated them to particular Deitys . i. 217. They were
antiently the Burial Places of great Perfons. i. 238
Of Eating on the Mountains. i. 241
Mourners hired at Funerals. I. 25 5
Mournings of the Byblians. i. 258
Murder, uncertain, why expiated by a Heifer. i. 207
MoscoyiTEs 'eat no Pidgepns. ii. 63
Myfterys, to be believ'd. ii. 246. but upon fufficient Evi
dence, ii. 247, The Benefit of them. ii. 249
N.
NA a m a h, the Ammonitefs, intices her Son Rehoboam
into Idolatry. ii. 99
Naamah, Tub»l Cain'.! Sifter, calPd Ammonia, and Ba-
altis. i. 90. She was Ham'/ Wife. i. 91. and the
fame with AJhteroth or Aftarte. ibid. Venus, Aphro
dite; The Dea Syria, Juno, &c. i. 93, &c. Dagon,
Derqeto, Atergatis, &c. Ifis, &c. i, 94, &c. and
Adraile. ibid. Naamah and Afhteroth are Words of
the fame Signification. i. 92
N a a m a n, the Syrian, confults the Prophet Elifha. ii. 85
Nahardea, a Jewifh Univerfity. i. 297
Names, divers given to thejame Per Jon or God. i. 84
N a N E a, a Name given to the chief Goddefs in the Eaft.
i. 95. from whence deriv'd. ibid.
JJature; had no Help for Sinners, i. 2
Ne husht an,

INDEX.
NeHUshtan, a reproachful Name given to the brazen
Serpent. ii. ,25
Neomenia, a Feaft obferv'd by the Patriarchs, i. 282
Neptune was call'd Jupiter. . ii. 91
N E W B R 1 g E N s I s, his Account of fome Hereticks call'd
Publicans. ii. 301
Newton, Sir Ifaac, has plac'd the Invocation of Saints
too early, ii. 265. too favourable to the Deifts. ii.
269
N I B H A z, the Name of an Idol. i. 31
Nice, Image-Worjhip reftor'd in a Council there. ii. 276
N I Z R. o C H, the Name of an Idol. i. 3 1
Noah, was a Prophet and Preacher to the old World, i.19.
the fame with Saturn, i. 80. was careful in the Edu
cation of his Family, i. 21. forbid the Eating any
Member of a live Animal. i. 243
N u M A, the Romans had no Images of their Gods in his
Time. i. 122

o

o.
AK the Image of the Druids chief God. i. 219
Oath, an unufual one impos'd upon the Lollards by
Archbifhop Arundel. ii. 320
Obedience, an equal, due to God's Precepts, vihether they be of a
perpetual or occafional, of a moral or pofitive Nature, i. 1 3
Obfcenitys, what meant by them in the Heathen Worjhip. ii. 1 5
O c C l E v E, an old Poet, his Dejcription of John Badby'j
Martyrdom. , ii- 334
D C H u s brings a great Number of Jews into Egypt, i. 298
Offerings, Jewijh, inftituted in Oppofttion to thoje of the
Heathens, i. 265. Offerings are at prefent with great
Difficulty paid to the Clergy. ii. 356
O g y g E s, Noah'.! Flood afcrib'd to him. i. 167
Oldcastle, Sir John, a great Favourer of the Lol
lards, ii. 336. tried for Herefy. ii. 337. his Execu-
1 tion. ii. 339. and CharaBer. ii. 340
Olympias made Alexander'.! Clothes. i. 1 36
O n I A s builds a Jewifh Temple at Heliopolis. i. 300. the
Worjhip perform'd in it miftaken for Egyptian. i. 301
"Optf, a Serpent, whence deriv'd. u. 147
Ordinances of Parliament different from ABs of Parliament.
ii. 309, 328. Of the 5th of Richard II. Ch. 5. ii.
305. and of the 2d of Henry IV. ch. 15. ij. 322
Orgia, whence deriv'd. *• l97
Original Copys of the Scriptures were preferv'd till fome now
extant were taken. u- 24"
Osiris,

I N D E X.
Osiris, a Name given by the Egyptians to the Sun, i.
26. The fame with Jeveral others of the Gods. i. 89.
and with Ham. ibid.' He was ador'd under the Form
of an Ox. ii. 69. The Reafon of it. ibid. His Fefti
vals, how obferv'd: i. 248
Ovid makes the Euphrates to be a River in Paleftine. i. 305
Ox,i Reprefentatim of Ofiris. ii. 69. (See Apis, Calf.)
worfhip'd for his great Ufe in Husbandry, ii. 70. Why
facrific'd 'by the Jews. i. 191
Oxford Univerfity rejeBed the Pope's Bull which com
manded them to deliver up Wickliffe. ii. 297
P.
PAganifin began at firft with the Worjhip of the Hoft
of Heaven. i. 28
Pales the fame with Aftarte. ii. 119. her Feafts. ii. 118
Pan the fame with Ham. i. 86
Panegyrical Orations, no Rule of DoBrine to be taken from
them. ii. 266
Pant*nus, the Sophift,fent into India. ii. 226
Panthea, Statues.fi call'd. i. 97
Pantheon at Rome and Athens, why fo call'd. i. 97
Papists borrow' d their Reafons for juftifying Image
Worjhip from the Heathens, i. 117. and their Diftin-
Bian of the Sort of Worjhip which they pay to Mages.
i. 1 20. their Saints of the fame Nature with the hea
then Deitys. ii. 257. their Agreement with the Deifts.
ii. 360. have been always affiftant to them. ii. 359
Parc*, what meant by them. ii. 135
Parents. The Sentence on our firft Parents afforded them a
Hope of Pardon, i.3. We don't know what Degree of
Knowledge they might retain after their Fall. i. 4. diffi
cult fir them to have known their Duty without a Reve
lation, i. 4, &c. which God therefore gave them. i. 14.
Paris, Image Worfhip condemn'd there in a Council, ii. 279
Pafchal Lamb, why taken on the 10th Day of the Month
Abib. i. 201
Pascal, 1. Pope, excommunicates the Emperor fir con
demning Image Worfhip. ii. 278
Paffover, the Reafon of the feveral Rites with which it was
obferv'd. i. 201, &C
Patters, their War with the Egyptians. i. 269
Patriarchs obferv'd a Sabbath, i. 174. their Religion was
Ceremonial. i. 28.1
P A T r o c L U s, his Funeral. i. 259
Paul,

INDEX.
Paul, St. his Travels, ii. 22 1 , Sec. preaches the Gofpel
in Britain. ii. 228
Pa u L, II. Pope, exhorted the Romans not to fluff er their Chil
dren to go too long to School. ii. 291
Pederafty allow'd of by the Philofophers. ii. 204
Pekah, King of Ifrael, invades Judah. ii. 1 2 1
Pentateuch was wrote by Mofes. i. 160. and read in the
public Affemblys of the Jews. i. i(,i
Peor, the Signification of the Word, and vobo meant by
it. ii. 8, &c. See Baa l-P eo r.
PeripaTeticks believ'd the World tobe eternal, ii, 197
Perfecution increafes the Numberof the Lollards, ii. 332, 342
Persians, why they built neither Altars nor Temples.
i. 79, 122,215. They were find of Greek Phyficians. ii. 88
Peru vians, their Reafon for offering human Sacrifices. ii. 164
Peter, St. his Preaching the Gofpel. ii. 219
Phalli, a Reprefentation of the feminal Virtue. ii. 12
iaf^UKita., bow it came to fignify as well the Art of Me
dicine as Witchcraft. ii. 87
Pherecydes inftruQed by the Jews. i. 295
Phidias, his Statue of Jupiter at Olympia. i. 96. a
Model of it found in Wiltfliixe. - i. 128
Philippicus Bardanes, the Emperor, excom
municated by the Pope fir defacing Images in Churches. ii. 273
Philistins, Inventors of the Bow. i. 307
Philofophers. The Priefis they convers'd with in their Tra
vels were Jews. i. 295 . They borrow'd from what they
flaw praBis'd by them. i. 294. their Inability to infiruB
Mankind, ii. 194. They were a greater Prejudice than
Benefit to the World, ii. 195. held the moft monftrous
Opinions, ii. 196, &c. were generally decried, ii. 205.
expeVd Rome. ii. 206. Corruptors of Touth and De
ceivers of young Men. ii. 207
Phifofophy prohibited. ii. 205
Phoenicia and Canaan us'd promifcuoufly. 1.303
Phyficians. Priefts, Prophets and Augurs were the firft Phy
ficians. ii. 85. the moft antient PraBitioners in Surgery. ii. 87
Phyfick, the State of it in antient Times, ii. 85. little
Occafioii fir it. ii. 86. firft praBis'd in Egypt, ii.
87
Piftures brought into Churches, ii. 270. at firft fir Or
nament, ii. 272. The Confufien the Worjhip of them
occafion'd.

im;©-^x2
'JUVeekJuvMi. &: 273, Ssa.^At. innocent ^Ufe^f themaUow-
>¦¦• id iw^'Englifti SaxonChurch-r.. ii. 283
PldgeOns facred to ^Aftarte.' >&L 6*-.i - Why not eat by the
: : Mufcovites. ii. 63. Why famfic'J by'tbe -Jews.', i. 192
P 1 e r' c Y) Earl Ma|03aii vkprotei&or of WickUffev ii; 297 '.
Pilgrimages condemn'd by Wickliffe. ii. 295. andthehol-
-•"-lards.'-'*** «>is ,aiJi.i..i ¦¦".! V .w^twv; t*.- -,„ ii. 319'
PJTHOM, a City in Egypt, /£» Original of 'tits Name.
*..w , .Vv.; W'«'v.-!-> l.,>W" r;, V--Y- ¦ -. ; ii.'I-50'
Planets were fuppos'd to be the Habitation of the Gods. i. 1 80.
v." See Hoft^"oiF Heaven. .- ?. * .: . . . -. S
Pla,To was inftruBed by the Jews. i. 295. feems to
doubt^of "thflmmortality of '-the? Soul. ii. 200. allow'd'
- of the Expofing Infants, ii. 202. and of Fornication.
'¦¦¦/¦¦ ' .'"¦•¦*. .; " . . ii. 203'"-
P Ii'l N Y, bis Opinion of the Immortality of the Soul. ii. 199
Ploughing with an Ox and an Afs, -why forbid the 'Jews. i. 276 '
Pluto had the Name qf Jupiter given hint. ;ii. 9 1
Poetry in Repute, long before Hiftory or Philofophy. ¦- * i. 81
Pomegranate in the Hands of the Gods,~wbat meant by it. • ii;
- ¦ ¦¦••¦•¦.• ..-., 1?
Poperyv of a Piece with Heathenifm. ii. 258. its Growth
•eomplain'd of. v •—---• ii. 361
Popes; -the < 'Beginners andCarriers on of Image Worfhip. ii.
•¦•¦ s - ¦. 1 - '273.&C
Por PHYRY own'd the Reality of the Apoftles Miracles, ii.
184
Pofitive Infiitutions aftrong Proof both of the ~ Jewifh and
Chrifiiali -Religion. L. 6os Sec.
Power of the Clergy, reduc'd to a juft Medium at the Reforma-
.¦fion. ii. 348
Prasficae were common at Funerals. i. 249
Precepts, Seven given to Noah. i. 21. The fame Obedience,
due to the pofitive as to the moral Precepts of God. i. 1 3
Priefts. and Priefteffes expos' d their Bodys. ' ii. 103." The bed-'
• then Priefts-were of thofe who had the Magiftracy in thflr ',
¦Hands, ii. 155. and were bare. Sacrifice™,, not Preach
ers of natural Religion in their Temples, -.-j- . : ii. 1 94
Princes antiently labour'din manual Oc.cupationi.r- i. 136%
Progrefs of Chriftianity, a Demonftration of the Truth of it.
; ii. 234. and that the Scriptures vie now have are ge
nuine.' ..ii. 238
Prophecys, • fulfill'd. i. 158. ii. 238. Thofe which are at
prefent unfulfill'd may be hereafter afrefh Evidence of the
• Truth of the Scriptures. ^i.521!
Profelytes of -the Gate, call'd in the Old Teftament Strangers.
•i 314

7 N D E X.
i. 314* in the New Teftament devout Men, fearing
God. i. 319. debarr'd of very little in their Civil
Rights, i. 315. their Number very great, i. 316. of
Juftice, their Privileges. i- 313
Protagoras doubted of the Being of a God. ii. 197
Providence denied by the Epicureans. ii, jog
P R V N N E, Mr. his Opinion of Ordinances and ABs of Par
liament, ii. 312
P T o L E M Y, I. carried an hundred thoufand Jewifh Cap
tives into Egypt, i. 299
Ptolemy Euergetes worfhip'd God after the
Jewifh Manner. i. 300
Ptolemy Philadelph O s, a great Favourer of
the Jews. i. 299
Publicans, German Hereticks fo call'd, pumflfd here.
ii. 301. their Opinions. ibid.
Pundabita, a Jewifh' Univerfity. i. 297
P V R I M, the Jews wore a Habit different from their Sex at
that Feaft. i. 104
P U t e 0 L I, the Chamber of Venus there. ii. 103
Pyramids of Egypt, built for the Worjhip of the Gods. i.
222. call'd by the Arabians and Coptkes, Altars, i.
223. andby Herodotus, i. 224. defcrib'd by Greaves
and Le Bruyn. i, 223- a Square left on the Top of
them for -the performing of facred Rites, i. 225. fur-
rounded with Colleges 0/ Priefts. i. 226. There were Py
ramids ereBedfor thefame Purpofe in Mexico, i. 227.
.The Original of the Cuftoim of ere&ing them. i.238
Pythagoras was an Obferver of the Jewifh Law, i.
293,295. he forbad the Ufe of Images. i. 125
Pith 1 a, her Impofture. it 146
V^Uadriga dedicated to the Sun. ii- 128
RAM, Why facred /ojftpiter Ammon. i. 194 The Egypt*
tiaasgave him the firft Place amongft their religions Ani
mals, i. 193. a Feaft dedicated to him. i. 1 96. which
was. kept with the moft abominable Impietys. i. 198?
Readings various, a Proof that the Scriptures have not been
interpolated, ii. 344. otherwife of no Confequence to the
Subftance of Religion. ii- 243
Reafon unajfifted by Revelation, could not have led Men to
c true Religion, i. 4, &C. nor have extricated them out
of a State of Corruption. '; 9
Reformation freed Religion from thofe Evils clamour d againft
by the Deifts. U. 348- The Hiftory of it wrote by Bifiiop
Burnet. ' „ lb,d-
Vol. H. tt Rehobqam

'-?I

_...- ,s.. TNT) E X.-t. - ,
It E -H O B o;;a M continued but three f%ars in the. Way of Da-
«.¦¦ ¦ ,'.vid. ii. 99. built Colleges fir. People to proftituie , them-
-,: felvesin. ji. 100. punifh'd by God. , ,„• ,.ii, 113
Religion. Of the Heathens, fo very diffolutefrom what they be-
.: liev'd 'of their; Gods. ii,. ill* 179. vf the Egyptians,
bow firft corrupted. %¦_ 27. of the. Patriarchs, ceremonial.
i. 281. There can be. no Religion without . Hope. . i. 2.
'lis the ftrongeft Tye ofrhtipian Society, ii: 351* and has
been count enanc'd by the moft athciftical Politicians, ii. 352"
Reliques of the Martyrs, Mi*a.cks attributed t:o them. ii. 263,
The Divinity of it to bejudgdof by Reafon.. , ii. 248"
Jlefiirredtion. of the Body, the Philofophers 'hf(hu nothing of
it. . . . •„ -. ..:• ..... .„„, .. ii. 202
Revelation. The Sufpofition of afipernatm al Revelation is no
Way, ineonfiftent with the- Immutability of God. .i. 10.
i God made ji Revelation of his Will to our firft ..Parents,,
i. 14. It vioud otherwife have been' Ages before Man
could have attained juft Sentiments of their Duty. i. 4,
&c. It might be made either by Wor.ds, or be imprejsd,
on their Underftandings. i. 3, Revelations may be many,
and in them different Precepts, i. 12, ,\No Necejfity fir
God to make] a Revelation equally' to all Men. ii. 25Q,
Why there was nil -qther Revelation before the Call of
Abraham, j, 37. The Necejfity of a' Revelation to re
mind Man of [his Duty. 1.9. The Excellence of the Re
velation made by the Apoftles. ii. 195
Revenge allow'dof by the Philofophers. , \ ~vi. 208
Rewards provided "by the State for Learning. ii. 353,
REZIN, King of Syria, invades. Judah: ii. 121. carries
a Multitude of Captives to Damafcus. ii. 122,
R H E M P H 1 s, the Pharaoh who made ufe of Jotepb for his
Minifter. , i. 130
Ri c hard, II. fliVd Defender of the Faith. Si. 316
Rimmon, a Syrian Idoljthe Signification of the Word.,ii. 1 3
Rites Jewifh, werfoppofitelo thofe of the Heathens, i, i8o»
. , 280. ' See Ceremonys.
.Roman' CdlholUks, fye Pap'fts.
ROM A n s .deified a .'Fever and 111 Fortune, ii. 178. had
two hundred and eighty thoufand Gods. ii. 179. They
us'dfutb Names to denote the Jews, as other People are
more commonly kno^mby. -v ii. 302
RoMV.Lus appointed the Mdgiftratestp have the Admini
ftration of religious Offices. ' ' ii.156
SAbbath obferv'it by the Antediluvians; i. 18. The'Potri-
, archalandMojakl on different Days oftheWetk. i.. 1,74
Sabaism, the Derivation of the Word. i. 32. It was
th

.,-., th firft falfe Religion, i. 32. firead itfelf all the World
over, i.' 35; particularly provided againft" iii Moles'1*
Account of the Creation^ :, i. 36
Sacrifices, humane, offer'd by all Nations. " ii'. 163. partial
larly by the Jews. ii. 160. who learnt them of the
Canaanites. ii. 162. They were firft left iff by the Egyp-5
' tiari's, and retain'd longeft by the Druids, ii.,163. The
Reafon they were founded upon . ii. 165. Sacrifices were
mt prefer ibed the Jews, till they difcover'd an Inclination
to Idolatry, i. 177. and then rather permitted than com-
' manded. i. 178. and reftrain'd to one Place, i. 246.
' ' God never punifh'd the negleB of them. i. 178. why they
were to be either of the Herd or of the Flock, i. 191'.
The Sacrifices of the Heathens were to be of fuch Things
as were not agreeable to the Gods. i. 208. were offer'd
on the Tops of Houfes. ii. 221. eat raw. i. 198. or
boiPd. i. 199: or cidk'd by the Heat of the Sun. ibid;
Saints, Popijh, if the fame Nature with the Heathen Deitys.
'ii. 257. The Rife of invoking them. ii. 259. when it
firft fprung up. ii. 265. no catholick Truth, ii. 268.
their Feftitials in Imitation of Heathenifm. ii. 260)
Salt, why us 'din all 'Jewifh Sacrifices. i. 193
Salvation was not cbnfin'dto the Jewifh Church. i. 318
S A M U E L, the Prophet, perjwaded the Ifraelites to repent.
ii. 35. Saul,£o« to conjult him at Endor. ii. 38. did
hot 'really appear • t6 Saul, ii. 40
Sanhedrim, the Room it met in painted after the Manner of
: : the Egyptians and Troglodytes. ii. 17 1
Saturn had Children facrific'd to him. ii. 1 66
Saul made King. ii. 36I applies to the Witch of 'Endor/ ii.
36, Sec.
Sawtre,5Jt Wi ll ia m burnlfir Lollardy. ii. 332
/Scarlet Wool, why us'd in the Water of Expiation, and in the
: ¦ Purification if the Leprojy. _i. 2I4
'Schibn in ihePapacygaveWkUiiiTe a great Advantage, ii. 298
Scriptures, a Tranflation of them made into Greek before the
Septuagint. i. 300. many Original Copys of them. ii.
239. which were pfefirnfd till fome of our Copys were
taken, ii. 241 .' ' The Abfurdity offuppofingany material Al
teration to have been made in them. ii. 240. owtfd by
~v the Mahometans. ii. 187
Sctf THi a, the Gojpel preach* d 'there. ii. 219
Serpent brazen, a Memorial of God's Goodnefs, but perverted to
"-' ¦ 'Idolatry, ii- 124. how it came to be worfhip'd. ii. 150.
gavjt Rife to a Serpent's being the Emblem of Health a-
* ° mongft the Egyptians. ii. 1 25
Serpents^ The Antknts believ'd them tobepofffs'dbyfemepropbe-
-.. -r „ F f 2 " fytng

rHDE X.
. i. ffingj^fy.\\..\$./SFbe-Qar)a&viftGS therefore ador'd them.
':Wii- -V49-. before the, -.giving of the. Laviv V-ai. 150
§exes if the Deitys confounded hy .the. Heathens. , . >, 1 i . 97
• Jhafter, or Banian Bible, ¦¦> ¦.«• ... ,; . -^ i. 8
"Shaving of the Head, conftantly obferv'd at the Feftivals of the
^ ., Heathens, i. 250. .the Manner of 'if., , .,_ ;, ;,,'., i. 252
"6,HEBA, ggeenaf,. a Jewifh. Profejyte. , , i. 288
Sheep, why facrific'd by the Jews. , i. 191
§ HJM A I AH, the Prophet, brings. Rehoboam and his SubjeBs
. -.-\ to Repentance. . . .... "ii. 114
Shepherds, tyhygm abomination to r& Egyptians. - i. 272
'¦Sherlock^ Bijhop, hisUfe and Intent of Prophecy,!. 2, 6, 37
Shishak takes Jerufalem. ii. 114
Sicca, in Africk, a Cuftom of the Women there. ii. 109
Simplicity of Manners in antient limes. .. 1-134
Sin. 'Tis not agreeable to the divine Attributes to create Man in a
State of Sin, or to leave him in fitch a State without Ajfi-
/, . fiance. i. 10
Sinners, Nature had no Help for them. i. 2
Sisithrus, Noah's Flood afcrib'd to him. i. 166
Sifoe, a particular Manner of Cutting the Hair in Honour of
Bacchus. i. 252
Slticines common at Funerals. Jm .. . . i. 249
Socrates doubted of the Immortality of the Soul. ii. 200.
erfhw*d of Fornication, ii. 203. and of Pederafty.. ii. 204
Sodomites, who meant by them. ii. 103. brought in by
Rehoboam. ii. 100
Solomon, his Empire the moft conjiderable in the World, i.
287. his Wives were profilyted before he married them. %.
289. led him however into Idolatry, ii. 46, &c. bow God
dealt with him, fin- it. ii. 65, &C.
Solon inftruBedby the Jews. i. 295
S o R A, a Jewifh Univerfity. i. 297
S o r a c T E, Mount, call'd by the Italians San Orefte. ii. 117
Soul, The fintnortaKty of it denied by fome of the Philofophers. ii.
198
Spartans prohibited the Study ofPhilofiphy, ii. 205
Speculation, vain,, corrupted the Egyptian Religion, i. 27
Stars. See Hoft of Heaven.
Statues. The Worfhip of them, how introduc'd. i. 113. fip-
Jjos'd, to be the Refidence of the Gods., i. 114. The fame
Reafons given by the Heathens fir woijhipping them, as by
the Paplfts.. i. 117. and the fame DiJiinSion made by
*hem.in the JVorfiip tbey paid tbem, i. 120. The Ufe of
them ryeBed by the wifeft Heathens, i. 123. 'They were
at firft rude Pieces of Wood or Stone, i. 124. but after
wards of moft excellent Worktitanfiip.. \. \ 26, and had
Tabernacles

Tabernacles for their Receptton'. -}. iij. and 'were carri
ed about with >them in their J^ourneys. ibid. -They hadtht
HiereglypkiekiHf the Gods upon them. hVoz. 'Twat com
manded by a Law, that they fhould all of therlt be made af
ter the antkpte- Pattern, ii. 5 9, Thofe of the ilfaftl Ju-
fitef *>v all of them like one another, ii. 58. and thofe of
Aftarte do all of them refemble /& Venus 7n the Florentine
Gttllety. ibid. Panthean Statues, i. 96, &c. The Sta'
tuelofa Man in Womms Clothes, i. 103. Statues are
¦ brought into Chriftian Churches, ii. 270. byWayofQr'-
namenf. ii", 272. The Cotofiiftbn which tbf Worjhip of
them octafion'd. ii. 273, !i3V,
: Statutes. See Afts of Parliament.
StlllingflEet, Bifhop, his Account of the reltgioits Error
which the Common Lavs punifh'd with Death. ii. 302
S t 0 1 c k s. Their Opinion of the Immortality of the Soul. ii.
199. ' They held the World to he govern'd by Fate, ii. 197.
and allow' d of Fornication and Incefit. it. 203
Strumpet. See Harlot. .
Sue C o T s-Benoth, little Temples, their Uft. ii. 102
Sun, vjotfttffd in the Beginning of Paganijm. i. 24. call'd
by the Egptians Ofiris. i. 26. by fhe Sabseans Mihr.
i. 33. particularly ador'd by the Canaanites. i. 35.-
rtprefenttd as riding in a Chariot, ri. 128. was fup
pos'd to be inhabited by the chief of the Gods. i. 1 10.
The Heathens were acquainted' with the Sun"s ftaitding ftill
at the Command of Jofhua, and going back 6k the Dial of
Ahaz. i. 34. See Hoft of Heaven'.
Superffition of great Advantage to the Heathen Magiftratet.
fi. 157. difcottnttntm'd 'by the Jewifh Religion, ii. 158.
and by the Chriftian. ii. 159. abolffid at the Refor
mation, h. 348
Saperftitions ef the Heathens were Juited to their Religion, ii. 151
S O P H 1 s, King of Egypt, was the firft who'' corrupted the Re
ligion of his Country. i* 27
Surgeons antimlf called Phyficians. »• 87
S-tf r t a N s and Jews confounded together. i- 3°4
T.
TAbernacles for the Statues of the Gods, i, iif.^us'd
by the Emperor Conflantine-. i. 131. Tabernacle of
Moloch. i:.IZ9
Talifmans, what 'tbsy were. ii- *»
"f ARQ.UI Niws Pr 1 scus brought fhe firft 3naget of the
Gods to Rome. i. 123
T a R T A K, an Bil'fo caWd. . *• 3 »
Tar ¦tt.t.i.defitnMfromtht Jews; ^ »¦ "*
. ' . Temperance

f N D E X.
Temperance «»# Exercife prtferv'd the 'Afatientiflrom ttifeafet.
'''•¦-. .(¦¦ ii. 85
Temples. The mofkantient.Htatkens. didmkhutidany. i. 214.
r :'¦ s tbi firft were bai&iOver the Sepulchres of the Dead. i. 78.
: ;. * and in the Tops, of their dtade&iiii.zzi.. They were can-
triv'dfo as tqreceiv».tke'.Rapof the rifingSun. i. %$%.
and- were-S.thje-.&enerf the moft impiojus, Lufts. .ii. 102,
^ ¦ 109. why dedicated to all the Gods. i. 95. The Reafon
..of. the B&far^inofcbMldii«g..einy Temples. ,i. 79. y*2>«
jews turned ' Jsttkjir^impk whfp-th^y pray'd. ,,:. : i. 232
Ten Commandments, 'the Djfftren.ee between thofe ¦ in Exodus
; 20.'**ndJ'b<>fe.2n.Ji)e\&.-c.. .-.:.;H . . ... i. 175
Tents, fe Chapels.
Teh APHiM,^^»rJ'&yl<H«i"'<'. -'¦•* . .-¦ - ii, 21
Toi.hmo.sis brought the Egyptians off from human Sacri-
¦¦¦ fires. .rwpxtH \c.T".r.;iV^'j. j v. -..--- , ',,;.j ii. 1 63
Th AL E s acquaintjftl^1ib4h&"Jemft\ Religion, .i. 293, 295
Thamuz; a i&owfz'tKftjfaHam. i. 86
Tbebans prohibited the Study ofPhikfophy. ii. 205
Theodora, i the Emprefs, eftabltjhes Image-Worjhip. ii. 279
Theodores Gyren^us "denied the-Being of a God. ii. 196
Theogonia, firfl introduc'd amongft, the Greeks by. Hefiod and
Homer. . .' . .'r.^a":?,?, :¦•*;» " \i. 76
Theology of ithe Heathens,.-3io£s interpreted allegorically before
the Time of Chriftianity. ;, A,. 105
Theophilus, Auguftusj the Emperor, condemns .Image-
•*-¦'¦ -Wotfbip-Ti --¦'¦'¦'' '"-'-' — U- 279
Qzlt'.usd both for Gods and Goddeffes. "-, i. 97
Thomas, Sl^hi&praahing the; Gofpel. ii.220. converts
. India, ii. 226. Chriftians ofSt* Thomas. ii. 227
Thessalians afcrib'd Noah'* EW /a Deucalion, i 1 67
T I G L A t H-Pilefer compleats the DeHruBion of Ahaz, ii. 1 23
T 1 R e s 1 a s, £m Ghoft brought up by Ulyffes, i. 238
Tophet,^ Derivation of the Word. ii. 1 6i . The Place
r - •where the Jews offer'd human Sacrifices, ibid, defitdby
' -King Jofiah. , ii. 162
Tradition, Oral, more fafe in the Infancy of the World, than
" now. i.i6. Different Traditions afcriKd to the fame Per
fon, and the fame Tradition to different Perfons.. i. 83
TRENT; The Reafon which that Council gives for Image-
Worjhip. i. 116. its Decrees concerning the Holy Scrip
tures^'-' -....;:' ii. 360
Trjpiolembs, the Athenian Legiflatot:, i. 261
Troglodytes painted their facred Beafts on the Walls
of their Houfes.. '' ii. 171
T u ll y, would have deified his Daughter Tulliola. i. 74.
He was uncertain as to the Immortality of the Soul. ii.
¦in: ' 201.

I N D E X.
' 201; He brought Philojophydnto fome Credit, at 'Rome. ii. 206
Turks their Opinion of rmr ¦Saviour and of Chriftianity. ii.
185. ChriWian Truths believd by themt.' ii. 186
Turtle-Doves, whffacrific'd by the JeWs. . C_ , i. 192
Tyburn, the Original 'of that' Namtv •« . ¦:. > ii. 340
T Y. w b a r i>d ' av call Anaces, from being dejcended from the
Anakims. - i.; '...,- , . i. 285
Typho was reprefented undir the Form of an Hippopotamus.
i. 268. The. Hatred of the Egyptians to him exprefs' d
in certain Solemnity! . ii;v20g; red Cattle>dewoted,to him.
i. 208. Father to Hierorozolymus and Judseus. i. 269
V. ¦: ... . '-•--¦
VArious Readings of the Bible, a Demonftration that the
Scriptures have not been interpolated, ii. 244. of no 0-
ther Confequence to the Subftanerof Religion. ii. 243
V A R r o was no Friend to Image-Worjhip-; . i. 1 24
Venus. (See Ash t ero th.) a Name given to Naamah:
i. 93. (See Naamah.) her Statues da- all of them re-
femble that in the Florentine Gallery, ii. 58. She is
call'd a God. i. 97 . -and reprefented with a Beard, i.
1 00. and with a Spear, in her Hand; and a Shield at her
- ' -Feet, on a Coin in Mrs. KennonV ColleB'fflf;: i. 101.
and was worfhip'd hy~Men • in Women's Clothjs. i., 162.
Her Chamber at Puteoli. •.--. -¦" ii- 103
Vice acceptable to the Heathen Deitys. , > ii.Wt
Villa Pamphilia, a Statue taken notice of (here .by Mr.
Addifon. i- 103
U L y s s E s, why compared by Homer to a Fly. ii. 94. hi
was an excellent Cook. -J- 136
TMverfitys of the Jews. ¦ .,-¦'; 1 ¦ _i. 297-.
IMucky 2)<zy, Lucian'* Defcription.af one. ii. 133
• W. .
WAR between the Gianft. and the Gods, the .Original of
that Fable. : • *:¦¦.•¦;' ¦ i- 27°.
Water of Expiation, why made of the Afhes of a red Heifer.
.-¦'¦-, a... ¦ .¦. „.- . . i- 210
Wealth of the Clergy, reduc'dta a very moderate Proportion at
•3 the Reformation. «• 35°
W E ' N E f R b D e, St. her Manner of fending an annual Pre*
fent to St. Beano. i. 263
Whippings of the Heathens in Honour of the Gods. 1. 253. -
*¦ forbid by feveral Laws. •-. z54
Whore. See Harlot. . f
Wicked, the Philofophers fuppos'd their Punifhment tn another
World to be a riditukus FiBion. .«• 201
WlCKUfPI,

INDEX.
WiCKLtffC, Dp. hit great Knowledge tie the Common
Law. ii. 294. He rejeBed Saint-Worfhip. ii. 295.
frefented his Tenets to the Parliament, ii. 298* and re
fus'd to appear before Archbifhop Courtnay. ii- 3»4-
His Followers mere very numerous, ii. 296. Endea
vours us'd to crufh them. ii. 315* He died peaceably in
a good eld Age- ii. 317. Ms CharaBer. ii. 316. He
•was much refpeBed by the Univerfity of Oxford, ibid.
but his Writings were at laft burnt there. ii. 3 1 8
Wick lif fits s. See Lollards.
Wife Men of Greece were acquainted with the Jewifh Reli
gion. . .. i. 293
Witch of Endor aBed her part but indifferently, ii. 45. what
jhe faid untrue.  'ii. 4^
Wkehgraft pi'd by Manafiph. ii. 1 39
Wizzards dealt wsitk by Manaffeh. iL 1 42
Women, a Cuftom of tfieirs at Babylon. ii, 106
Wool, fearlet, why usTd, in (the. Water of Expiation, and in
the Purification if the Leprofy. i. 214
World. 3i«Peripaterieksw&»W?'/rt be eternal, ii. 197.
- the Epicureans to be made hy Chance, ibid- and tba
Stoicks, that it was govern'd by Fate. ii. 198. It fell
into great Idolatry andWicbednefls before the Fkod. \. 7.
The feveral parts of it were vifited by the Apoftles. ii.
217, CSff.
Worfhip, ceremonious of. the Jews, The primary View of it.
i. 1 8 5 . 'twas not in itfelf acceptable to God. i- 181
X.
XjB-wii p h a n e s, the Cotophonian, refitted the Ufi of
Images. i. 123
Xen Op HON no Friend to Image-Worjhip. i. 123
X Jsuth ros, liaafts Flood afaia'd to him i. 166
Z.
ZA b 1 s, or Zabaeans. See S a b a a n s.
Z e n o forbid the Ufe of Images, i. 123. and allow
ed efheeft, ii. aoj
Z I C H r 1 takes Jerufalem, and carries two hundred thoufanA
into Captivity. ii, 123
Zoroaster, i. 8, 65 . well skilTd in the holy Scrip
tures, i. 292

The Author being at too great a Diftance to corredl the
Sheets, defires the Reader to excufe the Errors pf the Prefs.

$ I N 1 S±

3 9002